by L. P. Dover
When Bristol walked through the door, she took in a deep breath and smiled. “I think I’ve just died and gone to heaven. It smells amazing in here.” I handed her a glass of wine and kissed her.
“So what all did you find out with Jason? I’ve been so busy I never had a chance to call you.”
My smile faded and that rock in my stomach felt heavier by the second. “Why don’t we eat first and I’ll tell you all about it?”
“That bad, huh?” She set her purse down and went to wash up. When she returned, she sat down at the kitchen table, where I had just set her plate of spaghetti and a bowl of salad.
I joined her and took a long gulp of my beer. “It’s not something I wanted to hear, but luckily, Jason has his men out looking for the crazy-ass bitch.” She was about to speak, but I didn’t want to elaborate just yet. I wanted to give her the good news before everything went downhill. “But on a better note, Luke stopped by today. You remember him from Thanksgiving, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah, the motocross racer.” She took a bite of her spaghetti and moaned. “Oh my God, this is so good.”
“Thanks,” I said with a chuckle. “Anyway, Luke stopped by after his bike broke down in the woods. He wanted to see about getting the design we’d discussed made. Once it was all said and done, I drove him home with a design and I should hear something back next week.”
“That’s great!” she exclaimed. “This could be huge for you.”
“I hope so. It’d be nice to see my designs out there.” We discussed other topics as we finished our food, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d have to tell her what Jason said.
I poured her a little more wine and she narrowed her gaze. “This can’t be good if you’re trying to get me drunk.”
I shrugged. “That depends on how you look at it. What would you say if I hired you a bodyguard?”
Eyes wide, she choked on her wine and spewed it all over the table. “You can’t be serious.”
With a heavy sigh, I reached for her hand. “I wish I weren’t, love. But our situation might’ve gotten a whole hell of a lot worse.”
Chapter 26
Bristol
All night, I’d pleaded with Jaxon not to get me a bodyguard. He told me about the baseball player and his wife in Atlanta who were murdered by someone who could have easily been Sadie. I was pretty sure there were girls out there who fit her description. Hell, I didn’t even know what she looked like. She’d made sure not to send any photos with her face in them. Jaxon was going to show me a picture of her as soon as Jason texted it to him.
I wasn’t worried about her. I’d never physically fought anyone before other than my brother, but that was because he was teaching me self-defense moves. Jaxon’s main point was that if Sadie had a gun and held it to my head, my self-defense techniques wouldn’t exactly work against that.
Stepping into the shower, I let the hot water cascade down my skin, but nothing was helping the tension that made every muscle in my body sore. Jaxon had a game, but I couldn’t attend as I had to work. I was half tempted to cancel my appointments, but Jennifer wanted me to take a look at her house today. She and her fiancé had finally closed on it.
Closing my eyes, I leaned against the shower wall. What was I going to do? Jaxon wasn’t going to rest until I gave in. Knowing him, he’d forgo his game today just to stay with me to make sure I was safe. I couldn’t have that.
“I’m sorry, Bristol.” Jaxon’s arms wrapped around my waist and I jumped.
“Holy sh…you scared me.”
He held me tight and kissed my shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, moving his lips up my neck. “I know you’re not happy with everything, but I’m only doing it to keep you safe. If I could be with you twenty-four/seven, I would.”
I leaned into him and tilted my head back so I could kiss him. “I know, which is why I’ve decided to do this your way. If it makes you happy to get me a bodyguard, then do it.” I turned around to face him. “But only until they catch Sadie. After that, I take care of myself.”
A satisfied smile spread across his face. “Deal. Now what do you say we start this day off right? It’s the least you can do for missing my game.” He pushed his arousal into my body and I moaned.
“I can’t,” I answered regretfully. “I’m already running late. But I promise to make it up to you tonight.”
He sucked on my lip, knowing it drove me insane. “Looking forward to it already.”
We finished washing up and I hurried out so I could get dressed for work. It was Sunday, and technically after hours, so I put on a pair of jeans and a nice top. When I walked out of my room, Jaxon was sitting at the bar, drinking a cup of coffee with the Sunday paper in hand. He looked just like a normal guy, not the NFL’s star kicker everyone knew him to be. I loved that I knew a side of him that no one else did.
“I poured you a cup,” Jaxon said, his gaze still on the paper.
It was right beside him, so I sat down and took a sip. It was exactly the way I liked it: one teaspoon of sugar and a splash of cream. “You really are making it hard on me today, aren’t you?” I laughed.
He shrugged, but I could see the mischievous smile on his face. “Is it working?”
I kissed his cheek. “Kind of, but it still doesn’t change things. If I get done early enough, I’ll head straight to the game.”
I gulped down the last of my coffee and reached for my purse that hung on the back of his chair. He got up and pulled me into his arms. “Just be careful today. I’m meeting one of Jason’s men later this morning in the lobby downstairs. I talked to him while you were getting dressed. His name is Corbin. I’ll send him over to M&M once we’re done.”
Even though I hated the idea of having a bodyguard, I nodded. “Sounds good. Just give me a call so I can be on the lookout for him.”
“Will do.”
“Good luck at the game. I’m going to try my best to get there. All I have are two consultations, and then I’m going to walk through Jennifer’s house so I can finally get started on her account. Maybe I’ll see if she’ll come to the game with me.”
He leaned down and kissed me. “Try hard. Maybe you could persuade your friend to ditch the walk-through and just come to the game.”
I smacked his arm. “Not going to happen. But we should get together with her and her fiancé. I haven’t met him yet, but I think we’d have a good time.”
“Sounds good, love. Now go so you can get done quicker.”
I rushed out the door and down to the elevators. I was determined to finish work quickly and not miss Jaxon’s game.
—
“Thank you, Mrs. Harris, for coming to see me. I look forward to working with you.”
Mrs. Harris shook my hand and smiled. She was my second consultation for the day and I’d just secured another account, and this one was huge. Shayleen Harris was a fashion designer who had boutiques all around the world. The black pantsuit she wore fit perfectly over her curves, making her look way younger than the mid-fifties I knew her to be. Out of all the people in the world, she wanted my input on how she should showcase her work. I’d never done anything with clothes before, but I was bursting with ideas.
“It was my pleasure, Ms. Thomas. I’ll see you next week.”
I walked her to the elevator. “Yes, you will.” As soon as the doors shut, I jumped up and down, squealing like a kid at Christmas. It felt good to know that my work was being discovered. Never in a million years would I have imagined I’d be working with someone like Shayleen Harris.
My phone started to ring, so I ran back to my office. “Hello,” I answered, sounding breathless.
“Is there a reason you’re out of breath?” Jaxon asked.
I burst out laughing. “Yeah, I just had sex on my desk,” I joked sarcastically.
“Better not have. I’d hate to have to kill someone.”
I rolled my eyes. “Actually, I was at the elevator and had to run to catch the phone. You won�
�t believe who I’ll be working with next week.”
“Who?”
“Shayleen Harris. She’s one of the top fashion designers in the world.”
“That’s great, love. I’m so happy for you.”
The time caught my attention and I gasped. “Shouldn’t you be getting to the game? It’s getting late.”
He sighed. “I know, but I wanted to tell you that Corbin was on his way to your office. He’s tall, with a shaved head and goatee. You can’t miss him.”
“Got it. I’m waiting on Jennifer to call me and when she does, I’ll meet her at her house and go from there.”
“Sounds good, love. Talk to ya later.”
We hung up and my phone rang almost instantly. “Hey, I was just talking about you.”
“Here I am,” Jennifer replied. “Are you ready to see my house?”
“Yep, all I need is an address.” She gave it to me and I wrote it down on my notepad. “Thank you. Oh, and I won’t be coming alone.”
“You won’t?”
“No. Jaxon hired me a bodyguard and he’s on his way here now.”
“A bodyguard?” She laughed. “What for?”
Sighing, I sat back in my chair. “It’s a long story and I’m sorry I haven’t had the chance to tell you, but Jaxon has a crazy-ass stalker trying to break us up. The bad thing is that this girl is seriously messed up. They think she might have killed a baseball player and his wife last year.”
“Wow, that’s some scary stuff right there.”
“Exactly. This is why I agreed to let Jaxon hire me a bodyguard until they find the girl.” The elevator door dinged and it had to be Corbin. “Jennifer, I think he’s here. We’ll be on our way in about five minutes.”
“All right, I’ll be waiting for you. Just come on in when you get here. I’ll be going through the house.”
We hung up, and I walked out of my office to see a behemoth of a man standing at the front desk wearing a tight black shirt and snug jeans. “Corbin?” I asked, walking up to him.
Nodding, he held out his hand; no trace of a smile on that hard face of his. “Corbin Jennings, but most people call me Bin.”
I shook his hand. “I’m Bristol Thomas. So how does all of this work?”
“I’ll be sticking by you during the day until you go home at night after work. So come tomorrow, you’ll need to inform your employer that I’ll be working here too.”
“I will do that.” Having to tell Mr. Matthews and parading around the office with a bodyguard in tow was going to get everyone talking. I really hoped they found Sadie fast. The last thing I wanted was more attention drawn to me. “But right now,” I told him, “I have an appointment to look at my friend’s house. All I have to do is program the address into my phone and we can be on our way.”
He nodded once. “I’ll drive you there.”
I walked back to my office and programmed the address. It was going to be strange riding in the car with Corbin, but it didn’t look like I had a choice. When we got out to the parking garage, Corbin led us over to a large, black SUV that was parked beside my little car.
“Nice,” I said.
He opened the door for me. “It should be. The doors are bulletproof and it has one of the fastest engines in the market today.”
We started on our way, and I placed my phone on the dashboard where he could see the directions. “How long have you been a bodyguard?” I asked. He didn’t look like he was up for conversation, but I couldn’t just sit there and not talk.
“About ten years now,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Do you have a family?”
Lips pursed, he turned and glared at me quickly before focusing back on the road. “You sure do ask a lot of questions.”
I shrugged. “If we’re going to be spending time together, I don’t think a little conversation would hurt.”
Sighing, he waved me on. “Fine, ask away.”
“Do you have a family?”
He nodded. “My parents and a sister.”
“What about a wife?”
His fingers clenched on the steering wheel; I’d clearly struck a nerve. “Almost had one, but I let her get away. I haven’t seen her in three years.”
“Oh no,” I replied. “Maybe you should give her a call.”
He shrugged. “I would if I knew where she was. I could find her, but I want to respect her decision.”
“What did you do to her to make her leave?” I asked in all seriousness.
At first, I didn’t think he was going to tell me, but then he sighed. It was clear he was replaying it all in his mind. “I had a choice to make and I chose the wrong one. My father always put work first, and I made the fucked-up decision to follow his lead. Ever since then, I’ve regretted it.”
“Maybe you’ll find her again.”
He shrugged. “Who knows?”
Jennifer’s house was in the middle of nowhere, but there were other houses farther down the street. She had a lot of land, with rolling fields behind her house. It refueled my desire to find my own house. Between working and spending the rest of my time with Jaxon, finding a house had been pushed aside. Starting next week, I was going to make it a point to start looking.
“This shouldn’t take too long,” I said. “Once we get inside, I can move pretty quickly with my notes. Then, if you would, you could drop me off at the stadium. Jaxon and I will get my car later.”
“As you wish,” he said, coming to a stop.
Jennifer’s car was in the driveway and the front door of the house was wide open. It was a two-story, brick home with aqua shutters. In a way, it reminded me of a dollhouse, not at all the sort of place where I’d imagine Jennifer living. She was more of a modern, trendy female, not laid back and homey like the house.
Grabbing my notebook and pen, I opened the car door. “Let’s go.”
We walked inside, right into an open living room with windows along the back wall, giving me an amazing view of the field. I could just imagine deer grazing out there early in the mornings, surrounded by mist.
“Jennifer,” I called out.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” she said, her voice echoing from upstairs. “Feel free to look around.” Corbin stood in the living room while I ventured into the kitchen and through the other rooms downstairs. My notebook was already starting to fill up when a gunshot went off in the living room. I froze, terror running like ice through my veins. I wanted to believe I’d imagined the shot, but the sound of Corbin gasping for air brought me back to reality.
My first instinct was to run and call the police, but I had nowhere to go except through the living room, and my phone was still in Corbin’s car. Heart racing, I tiptoed down the hall to the living room. When I got a good look at Corbin lying on the floor in his blood, I slapped a hand over my mouth. Tears burned my eyes and I tried to suck them back, but I had no clue what was going on. The front door was still open and if I could just get out and run, I could find help. Only a few more steps and I’d be out the door.
“Going somewhere?” I heard the voice, but before I could react, a searing pain exploded in my head and I fell to the floor. My vision was blurry and when I tried to touch my head, my fingers came back dripping with blood. Everything started to go numb and I couldn’t move, but it didn’t stop me from hearing the evil laugh that echoed through the house. Then there was darkness.
Chapter 27
Jaxon
Throughout the whole game, I thought Bristol would show up, but she never did. We were in the last quarter, leading by twelve points with only two minutes to spare. I was hoping to get a chance for a large field goal, to prove to the world that I was the best, but I never got the opportunity. Ryan had thrown perfect passes that led us to the four touchdowns that got us where we were.
“I wouldn’t take it personally,” Ryan said.
“What are you talking about?”
He flourished his hands at the stands. “The game. Bristol was never one to come to them. I
t’s just not her thing. That’s why I’m shocked she’s even with you.”
I snorted. “People change, Delaney. I’m sure she would’ve been here if she didn’t have to work.”
“Whatever you say.” He walked off, and it took all I had not to punch the shit out of him. We’d had an uneasy alliance since Bristol had made it clear we were together, but it was beginning to look as if we’d always have friction.
“He sure does have a way of getting under your skin, doesn’t he?” Aaron said with a laugh.
“No shit,” I grumbled. “The cocksucker needs to get over it, though.”
Aaron scoffed. “Dude, if you were dating my sister I’d have a problem with it too. I love you like a brother, but I’d be pissed if you broke her heart. He’s just a guy looking out for his sister.”
I didn’t have a sister, so I didn’t know what it was like. However, I was protective of Bristol. If anyone tried to hurt her, I’d go after that person in a heartbeat.
The time on the clock ran out and the crowd went wild as we won the last game in the division. The next game we played in would be the first one of the playoffs. Super Bowl, here we come.
We all raced off the field, waving at the fans in the stands. The pressure was on now, especially for the next game. Derek threw his arm around my shoulder as we headed back to the locker room. “We were on fire tonight,” he exclaimed happily. “I think we’re going to do some celebrating at my house. Wanna come?”
“Sounds good. I just need to find Bristol and we’ll be there.”
When we got to the locker room, I went straight to my phone. There was nothing there—no text messages or missed calls. What the hell was taking her so long? I texted for her to call me and then hopped in the shower. By the time I got out and dressed, there was still no answer. Picking up my phone, I called Corbin’s number, and even he didn’t respond.
“Fuck,” I growled.