Latched (Coronado Series Book 1)

by Hart, Lea

  Max walked down the hall and watched her stand and was struck again by how much she reminded him of an Italian movie star from the fifties. It wasn’t hard to imagine a man becoming obsessed and stalking her. He walked through the glass doors, “Hi Rory. Welcome to Security Alliance.”

  She took his big hand, shook it and smiled into his eyes. Feeling a jolt of electricity, he calmly held her hand and gazed into her pretty emerald eyes. That’s interesting. “Let’s go back to my office, would you like anything to drink?”

  “No thank you, I’m fine.” She followed him down the hall and noticed that beneath the wool of his black slacks he had a very fine ass. You could probably crack a walnut on it. She knew it was inappropriate, yet it didn’t stop her from enjoying the view.

  As they arrived at his office door she passed in front of him, and he smelled vanilla. He had no idea that vanilla was an aphrodisiac. He watched her walk over to a chair that faced his desk and allowed himself to enjoy the view of her curvy figure. She dropped her briefcase and sat on the edge of the chair and waited for him to take his seat. He noticed the tension in her shoulders and hoped he could solve this for her quickly. “When you’re ready, let me know how we can help you.”

  No dead bodies… only dead roses, pull it together. “I want you to know that I’m both scared and mad at the situation I find myself in. I don’t like feeling vulnerable and I’m furious with the son of a bitch who is doing this. In fact, I may bash the bastard’s head in when I find out who it is.” She let out a big breath and crossed her legs. “Sorry about that, I’ve been holding that thought in for a while.”

  “No problem, let it out. The more information you give us, the faster we can solve this for you.” He watched her sit back and heard the hiss of nylons as she re-crossed her legs. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard anything so sexy. A surprising image flashed through his mind and it involved him slowly pulling down her stockings. It might or might not involve him using his teeth. It definitely involved his hands in places that she might not feel was appropriate in light of their current relationship. He tried to regulate his breathing and keep a neutral expression on his face. He didn’t want her to figure out what was going through his mind.

  She opened her briefcase and looked for the bag with the notes. “I want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I’m sure you’re terribly busy and I appreciate it.” She continued to rummage through her briefcase and finally found what she was looking for. She looked up and stared at him, “Where are you from?

  He laughed, “I’m from a small town in Georgia called Cedartown. I sometimes forget about my accent.”

  “I thought you might be from Alabama. I’m not sure why I’m asking about that right now. Before I got here I reminded myself to be thankful that there were only dead roses and not dead bodies on my front porch. Maybe I’m just distracting myself.”

  “I know walking through our doors often makes the situation more real for our clients.” He watched her closely and realized she was getting close to her limit. He came around the desk, sat next to her and put his hand on her arm. “We got this. The team and I will take care of you.” Her eyes lifted and she felt relief for the first time in several months. She put her hand on top of his and squeezed.

  Max felt it all the way up his arm. “Would you like to start with the dead roses? Why were you thinking there might be a dead body on your front porch?”

  “I wasn’t expecting a dead body. I was just happy there wasn’t one. At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me. The last couple of months has taught me that. Maybe you could teach me how to use a gun or a knife or something. That way I can have a few options when I meet this person.” She looked at him with complete sincerity and certainty.

  “I think you can leave the knives and guns to us. We can certainly give you some instruction on self – defense though. Let’s take advantage of the multi - million dollar training we’ve received courtesy of Uncle Sam. Think of us as your own personal army.”

  “Can you teach me how to use a small gun? Maybe a cute one that can fit in my purse. That way if you’re busy, I can take the guy out.” She realized he looked worried, “I guess I skipped crying and moved right into rage. Surprisingly, I’m starting to feel better.”

  He returned to his chair, “Let’s wait on the firearms training and see what we have first. That way we know what kind of arsenal to give you.” He saw her face light up with a dazzling smile. It was scary how the idea of an arsenal made her so happy. He was going to have to keep that in mind as they moved forward on the case. It was a good sign, she wanted to be in charge and not a victim. It would serve her well. “Sweetheart, just give me as much information as you can. We’ll do the rest, tell me what’s been going on.”

  She mentally pulled up her big girl panties and began. “It started a couple of months ago, when I was photographed with my Mom, her husband and his son. My stepfather owns about a dozen hotels around the world. The picture showed up in the newspaper and I was listed as one of Bob’s children. I never thought much about it until I received a note several days later at work. I thought I acquired a creepy admirer or someone mistook me for an heiress. I decided to speak with the corporate security team after I received notes steadily for two weeks. The team conducted a preliminary investigation, and they came up with nothing conclusively. The following week, I started receiving notes on my car as well as emails. Mom and I went to the police and asked for their help and they said they couldn’t do anything until the person actually spoke with me in person. At that point, I felt like no one was taking it seriously and maybe I was over reacting. I decided to get out of town and travel to all of the hotel locations and see if I could get a break from the nonsense. No such luck, I continued to receive emails and the person seemed to know where I was. That’s when it went from creepy to scary.”

  “I spoke with Birdie before I left, and she suggested I speak with you. I was finally scared enough to come home and face whatever is going on.”

  “Let me see what you have and we can get started.”

  “You make it sound so easy, I guess I should’ve come to you earlier.” She handed him the bag with the notes she’d collected as well as a zip drive with a copy of the emails. “This isn’t everything. Bob’s security team kept a few, as did the detective. I think I have enough here though, to give you a clear picture of what’s been going on.”

  He opened the bag and took out the envelopes that were dated and arranged them on his desk by date. She had collected enough notes to fill ten envelopes, the guy was serious about communicating with her. He appreciated that she was so organized. “I wish we had more clients like you. You’ve done the work for us by putting them in order.” He put them on his desk and frowned as he read them. Why the fuck had no one taken this seriously? The guy was escalating through the notes and making some very clear threats. Anyone with half a brain could see that. He hadn’t even gone through the emails yet which he was confident were going to be worse. He had a bad feeling that the next step this guy took would be an attempt to snatch her. Over my dead body. No one was getting a hold of her. The guy seemed to be obsessed and interested in controlling her behavior. The notes from last month were very clear and very descriptive. He wanted to do some real harm to Rory if she didn’t behave in a way that he approved of.

  “We’ll start with a 24 hour security detail. Next we secure your home and car and finally we find out who this son of bitch is. Let’s take a look at your car, computer and phone and see what we come up with.” He put the notes back in order and put them in the bag, “Tell me about the dead roses that you received.”

  “As I was leaving this morning I discovered a bunch of dead decapitated roses at my front door.” She opened her purse and pulled out the note that came with it and handed it to him. “This came with the roses, not quite the missive, I was hoping for. Quite frankly, I think it’s rude to give someone flowers and then threaten to chop them up. I think he could have jus
t skipped the flowers, if he was going to threaten me.”

  He unfolded the note, read it and looked at her. It was surprising how calm she appeared despite the threats implied in the letter. “We will definitely be placing you under 24 hour protection.”

  “Wow! That sounds like a lot. Are you sure I’m going to need all of that? No one has paid attention to me in the last two months and you’re willing to do all of this for me?”

  “I’m paying attention Rory and this is serious.” Leaning forward he returned her gaze, “The person is escalating the contact. The notes are becoming more frequent and more threatening. They arrive wherever you are which suggests the guy has eyes on you all the time. The next thing this asshole is going to do, is contact you in person and I’m guessing it’s not going to be friendly. People who do this are pushing the boundaries until you push back. They take one step forward and another. We need to make sure we stop this before he tries to snatch you. One our specialties here is recovering kidnapped people. Unfortunately it’s turned into a big business. We want to make sure we don’t have to come rescue you.”

  Dread spread through her stomach and made her feel sick. “Well, let’s get started then.”

  He watched as she pulled herself together. Good job, you’re going to need that. This wasn’t going to be a quick fix and she was going to need all the resolve she could muster.

  “Let me call my partner in, I want him to work on this as well.” He pushed a button on his phone, “Frank, can you come into my office, Rory is here.” They heard a grunt and then a man walked through the side door of Max’s office. She stood, turned towards Frank and watched him give her a very appreciative smile. “Knock it off Frank, the woman isn’t interested in your charm.”

  Rory held up her hand, “Hold on a minute. I may be interested in his charm.” She looked him up and down and gave him a smile similar to the one he had given her. “You’re a very good looking man, but I’m sure you already know that.”

  Both men stared and Frank was the first to speak, “Nice to meet you.” He took a step forward, held her hand and looked her in the eye. He instantly recognized he was being played. Not only was she pretty, she was smart as well. She took control of the situation without being a bitch and let him know where she stood. They looked at each other for a second longer and Frank started laughing. “I deserved that - I like you Rory. I will make sure to take good care of you.” Turning towards Max, they sat down and he frowned at both of them.

  “Don’t give him a hard time. I saw what he was up to and played a long. Now that we have that out of the way, we can move forward.” She sat up straight and crossed her legs, “It happens a lot. Men see a woman with big hair, big boobs and a big butt and they go dumb for a moment. I think it’s best to deal with it straight off and then move on.” There was a crazy man after her, but she could still be in charge of how men interacted with her. It was small, but it was something. Once I get a gun then I can really be in charge.

  “I’m not sure what the hell just happened, but I hope it doesn’t happen again. We are a very professional organization here despite what you just saw. You’ll never have to worry about unwanted attention from any of my employees.”

  “What about wanted attention, can I worry about that? I saw a lot of good looking men walking around here and I want to know if I have to keep my hands off?” She heard Frank snicker, “I’m just kidding Max. I was trying to bring down the tension in here. I’m a big girl and can take care of myself. I’ve had this body since I was fourteen and I’ve learned how to divert attention. Birdie, is always telling me to behave and I try to - just not always successfully. Sometimes I just want to make the person understand what if feels like.”

  Frank liked Rory, she was smart and had a sense of humor. “Rory, let’s get your schedule and we can arrange for your security detail.”

  Max gave him the list, “This is what we need to get started on today. Let me know if you can think of anything else.” Frank started reading it, looked at Max and nodded.

  “Rory, let me have your computer and phone. I want Derick to get started. Also give me your car keys and we’ll have Jack take your car over to the warehouse and sweep it. We’ll have someone bring it over to your house later on.” He got up, “I’ll check back and let you know what we come up with.” He smiled at Rory and walked back into his office.

  “Sorry, about Frank. I hope it didn’t make you feel uncomfortable.”

  “It was actually a welcome distraction. I’m used to dealing with it and I know how. The crazy who is after me - not so much.”

  “Do you have a gut feelings about who this person might be? We discover people often have a sense of where the threat is coming from.” He opened his laptop and started a file on Rory and typed a couple of notes. “I want you to feel confident that we will find the person who is making your life a little more interesting than you would like. Tell me about work and what’s going on there and any ex-boyfriends.”

  He watched her let out a sigh, “Well there are no ex-boyfriends lurking around. I haven’t had one of those in years.” He kept a straight face as he felt a wave of relief pass through him. He was glad that he wasn’t going to have to get rid of anyone. He didn’t want another man to be hanging around, he wanted to be the only one. He knew it was crazy to be so attracted to her, but it was a crazy he was willing to live with.

  “Ok, no ex-boyfriends. Tell me about work.”

  “I went to work for Bob, after I graduated from college. It was tough to get a job at the time and he offered me one for as long as I wanted it. I planned to spend only a year there and gain some experience. My one year plan turned into six years, it’s definitely time to make a change.”

  “Don’t let this person scare you away from a job you like. This will be taken care of and you can go back to your life.”

  She realized she didn’t want to go back to her life, she wanted a new one. “I’m good at my job but I don’t really enjoy it. Quite frankly, I’m tired of dealing with Bob’s son and this stalker is the icing on the cake. I’m taking this as a sign to move on and find something that I am better suited for.” As she leaned forward he smelled vanilla, he realized he loved the smell of vanilla.

  “Tell me about your step brother. Has he given you a hard time?”

  “He is not my step brother, he is Bob’s son. When your mother gets remarried when you’re in college, you do not acquire siblings. I think Jackson is a jerk and his behavior is becoming more erratic by the week. I know he resented me when his father gave me an opportunity after college. I had the impression that he was afraid of me taking something away from him. Which is ridiculous, I took the job because it was a tough job market. I never considered staying there for a career.”

  “We will definitely take a look at him. Do you want to stay at your job or do you want to make a change right away?”

  “What do you think? I’m ready to give my notice, but I would also like to catch the creep. Is it worth staying for another month?”

  “You should stay for at least a couple of weeks. Give your notice to Bob and ask him to keep it quiet. We’ll gather enough information that we can move on in that time frame. If we don’t then staying at your job won’t make a difference.”

  She started to smile, “I’m actually starting to feel relieved. Is that crazy? I’m going to upend my life and make a new one. One that I actually want. If you can get me a gun and show me how to use it….. I will feel even better.” If I could just let this stalker problem tip into those broad, tanned very capable - looking hands and let it go. What a relief that would be.

  “You really want a gun. How long have you had this desire?”

  Rory swallowed and stared at him as her gaze dropped to his mouth. When she heard the word desire, her mind went somewhere else. She could feel the heat and excitement ping to life. That hasn’t happened in a long time. Why now? Why him? “I just decided today that I want one. I want to be able to take care of myself. I have felt s
cared for two months and I’m tired of it. How long does it take to get one? Maybe I could go today.”

  “Would you be willing to wait a couple of days? Let us get some Intel and then we can get you what you need.” He got up again and sat next to Rory and studied her for a moment. “I’m going to take care you.” He put his big hand over hers and felt like she belonged to him…. just like that.

  She felt the dry heat from his big hands as they touched hers, it felt like everything to her. She knew in that moment that it made no sense at all and yet made everything right. Their knees touched and she felt a fission of electricity run down her back as they stared at one another and breathed the same air.

  The phone buzzed and Frank’s voice came across the intercom and the both sat up instantly, “I better get that.” He stood up and went around his desk to pick up the phone, as he listened he frowned and made notes. Rory decided to take a break and went in search of the ladies room. As she walked down the hall she noticed a large office with every conceivable type of computer with monitors running different programs. She watched several men work the keyboards and it reminded her of the wizard in the old movie.

  After he was done with the phone call, he went looking for Rory and headed in the direction of the back offices. He walked around the corner and caught sight of her. He felt a swirl of anticipation deep in his gut as he got closer. It was sexual energy combined with something else….something deeper and more complicated. He felt his pulse quicken as he walked up to her and took her hand. “I came to find you. Lunch is going to be delivered to the conference room in a few moments.”

  They stood in the middle of the hallway and as she looked up, he felt the noise of the office fall away. All he could feel was her hand in his. They stared at each other and didn’t say a thing. Finally he broke their gaze and put his hand on the small of her back and led her in the direction of the conference room. “I hope you like what we ordered for lunch.”