Leah paused and Daniel could hear the tremble in her voice as she spoke. He wanted to reach over and comfort her, but it looked like she was already on edge. Daniel needed to hear the rest of the story and he couldn’t do that if the woman broke down so he kept his hands firmly in his lap.
“From the position I was in, no one would have been able to see me if they just walked past my door,” Leah continued. “They would have had to come several feet into the room to spot me on the floor. Whoever it was must have assumed I had simply gone home and left my light on because they started talking right outside my office.” Leah swallowed, and her breath shuddered when she blew out.
Daniel’s hair was standing up on his arms and the back of his neck. He didn’t like where Leah’s story was headed. “What did you overhear?”
“I don’t know exactly what they were talking about, I could barely hear them whispering, but one guy was worried about another shipment being confiscated by the border patrol. The other guy was telling him not to worry because he had several senators in his back pocket and the shipment was guaranteed.”
“Did you recognize their voices?”
Leah shook her head. “One of them had a Spanish accent, but I couldn’t tell you who it was. I don’t really talk to anyone there. I just do my work and go home.”
“Okay. Did you hear anything else? What type of shipment it was? Where it was being delivered? When?” When Leah shook her head to each of his questions, Daniel sat back. Leah hadn’t given him much information to go on. He didn’t know if anything illegal or dangerous had even taken place. For all he knew, the woman in front of him had an overactive imagination.
“So you heard a conversation outside your office door, how does that lead to someone trying to kill you?” Daniel wished he hadn’t asked the question when he saw tears filling Leah’s eyes.
“You’re probably going to think I’m crazy and paranoid, but someone has been in my apartment several times.”
“Did you call the police?”
Leah shook her head and wiped a few tears before they could fall. “No, that’s the crazy part. Nothing had been stolen or moved, but I just knew someone had been there. I couldn’t tell the police I just had a feeling. The same thing happened to my office, nothing was out of place, but I could tell someone had been in there going through my things.”
Daniel still didn’t see how Leah had come to the conclusion that someone was trying to kill her based on these events, but he kept quiet. In his world, trusting your instincts saved lives. If Leah’s instincts were telling her that her space had been invaded, then he wasn’t going to dismiss that.
Leah continued. “About three days ago, I locked my purse in my desk drawer before I went to a meeting. When I came back, the purse was sitting on top of my desk. I knew then I hadn’t been crazy and someone had really been in my apartment and office. Then last night, in the parking garage when I was walking to my car, a car came out of nowhere and tried to run me over.”
Leah wiped the tears away that were freely flowing, and Daniel reached over and handed her a tissue. He clenched his fists when he pulled back to keep them from shaking. The anger coursing through his body had him ready to track down whoever was after her and kill them with his bare hands. Daniel normally prided himself on being able to stay calm in any situation, but for some reason, the thought of anyone trying to hurt the sweet woman sitting in front of him had his blood instantly boiling. She reminds me of Kerri, Daniel told himself, even though he knew it was a lie.
When Leah gained her composure, she began speaking again. “When I heard tires squealing and I saw the car coming directly toward me, I froze. I just stood there like an idiot staring into to the headlights. At the last second, a security guard slammed me to the ground out of the way. The car barely missed me. The security guard mumbled about crazy drivers as he picked me up, but I knew. I knew the car had tried to run me over on purpose. I knew then I had to tell someone or I would be dead.”
Daniel had no idea what Leah had gotten herself involved in, but he believed her. Not only were his instincts screaming at him to believe her, but the conviction in her voice when she told her story convinced him she was telling the truth. He stood and moved around the desk. “Do you have anything at home that you can’t live without for a few days?”
Leah looked confused. “No. I wasn’t planning on going back home. I was going to stay at a hotel so I have a bag packed in my car.”
Good. Leah was smart. Daniel grunted at his thoughts. “Okay, let’s get you to a safe house then.”
“So you believe me?”
Daniel could hear the surprise and shock in Leah’s voice. “Yes, honey, I believe you.” He gripped Leah’s elbow as he led her out of his office. It looked like Daniel had one last job to do before he officially retired from MacGregor Inc.
Chapter 2
Daniel led Leah down to the parking lot as he mentally went over all the things he needed to do to figure out who was behind her attacks. Lead hadn’t given him much to go on, but Daniel had worked with less in the past. He just needed to get to a computer so he could do some research.
“Which one is your car, honey?” he asked, hating the fact that she hadn’t parked in the secure garage. They were out in the open and anyone could have been watching them. No sooner than the thought crossed his mind, Daniel heard tires squealing. In an instant, he had Leah on the ground and his gun out as a black car with tinted windows barreled past them. In the back of his mind, he heard Leah scream, but Daniel tuned it out as he scanned the lot for any sign of trouble. When his senses told him the car was long gone and everything was clear, Daniel turned back to Leah.
What he saw when he looked down at her was shocking. She was covered in sweat and panting for breath. He knew the pinched look on her face came from pain and not fear. “Were you hurt, Leah?”
“I was already hurt from last night,” she panted. “Hitting the ground just made it worse.”
Daniel didn’t like how pale the woman was, or the fact that she was practically gasping for breath. Sweat was plastering her skin, and he knew it wasn’t from the heat. He moved the hand she had gripping her side and slowly lifted her shirt. He cursed when his suspicions were confirmed by the massive purple-and-black bruise covering her ribs. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”
Daniel knew they needed to get out of the open as soon as possible, but he was afraid to move Leah. She had at least one broken rib and he was scared if he moved her, it would puncture her lung. Cursing, Daniel knew they couldn’t stay there. He gently lifted Leah in his arm and cradled her to his chest. Leah’s whimpers at the move almost brought him to his knees.
“I’m sorry, honey, but we have to move.” He could see her biting her lip to keep from screaming, and he wanted to punch someone, mainly himself, for causing her any further pain. If he had known she was hurt, he would have taken more precaution when he shoved her to the ground.
“Same car,” Leah whispered.
“What?” Daniel leaned closer to her to hear as he headed for his car in the garage.
“It was the same car from last night.”
Daniel nodded. He was glad he had made a mental note of the license plate. The car was probably stolen, but it was a start, and something to focus his rage on. Once he reached his car, Daniel opened the back door and tried to ease Leah down as gently as possible. Her silent tears told him he hadn’t done a very good job, but Daniel was impressed. Most people would have been hysterical knowing someone was trying to kill them, but not Leah. She kept quiet even though he knew how much pain she was in. Having been on the receiving end of broken ribs too many times to count, Daniel knew exactly what Leah was going through.
“Don’t worry, honey. I’ll keep you safe. No one will hurt you ever again.” He wanted to kiss the corner of her mouth that crooked up at his statement, but instead, he closed the door and climbed in the driver’s seat.
He had told Leah he was taking her to a safe house, b
ut Daniel knew as soon as he turned out of the parking garage that he was taking her home. There was something about the woman that brought out all his protective instincts. He told himself it was because she was hurt and he needed more information from her, but Daniel knew he was lying to himself. Leah Moore intrigued him like no other. Well, there was one other person that had, but his wife died a long time ago. Since then, Daniel had devoted his life to his daughter and his company. He’d had flings in the past, but no woman had made him feel the instant deep attraction that he felt with Leah. He had only known the woman for about two hours, but he could already imagine them together. Not just in bed, but he pictured her as someone he could travel and share his life with.
Too bad she’s too young. Daniel shook his head to clear his thought. There was no way he would touch Leah. For one, she was too innocent to be brought into his world. For two, she was young enough to be his daughter. What would Kerri think? Daniel laughed. Knowing his daughter, she would say something like “Way to go, Dad.”
Daniel looked in his rearview mirror to check on Leah. He noted her deep, even breaths and realized she had passed out. He was glad because he hated seeing her in pain. Picking up his phone, he dialed his daughter.
Kerri answered on the second ring. “Hey, Daddy.” Her tone was sympathetic. “I was just about to call you. How did your last day go?”
Daniel smiled at his daughter. Just hearing her voice always made his day brighter. “I’m good, pumpkin. I actually called to let you know I’m going to be a little late visiting. It looks like I have one last job I need to take care of.”
“Aw, Dad,” Kerri whined. “You will be here for the Fourth of July, right?”
The Fourth was a week and a half away. “I’m hoping I have everything cleared up by then.” Daniel glanced in the mirror at Leah. If not, then he would take her with him.
“You better be here. Don’t make me track you down and kick your butt.”
Daniel laughed. “You could try.” Kerri had not only been trained by him, but by every man on his team. He knew she could hold her own. “Tell me what’s been going on in the Matthews house. How’s my son-in-law treating you?” With a family so large, crazy things were always happening.
Kerri laughed as expected. “Things are great aside from the fact that Ali decided to travel to Europe for a while. No one was happy that she went alone, but she insisted that she needed to grow up and learn to function without her big brothers constantly hovering over her.”
Kerri had married into the Matthews family about a year ago and in that time Daniel had grown to consider Ali another daughter to him. He worried about her traveling alone. There were too many risks in the world and Ali had already been through too much in her young life. Daniel made a mental note to look into her whereabouts and get someone to track her if Angel and Gavin hadn’t already done so. He had a feeling his worry was for nothing though, judging by how protective those two were of her.
Daniel heard the smile in Kerri’s voice as she then told him the antics the twins had gotten into. It seemed they were taking after their fathers. From the stories he had been told, trouble had followed in Duncan and Logan’s paths as well when they were smaller. He was happy for his daughter. Her happiness was his main goal in life and he knew she had found that with Chase. He was a man Daniel was proud to call son.
“I have to go, pumpkin. I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”
“Be safe, dad. I’ll see you on the Fourth.”
Daniel chuckled. It seemed Kerri wasn’t taking no for an answer. “I’ll see you soon.”
After their “I love you,” Daniel hung up. He pulled into his garage and waited for the door to shut behind him before cutting the engine. He may have been talking to his daughter, but that didn’t mean his senses hadn’t been on alert. He had circled the area several times and only pulled into his drive once he had been sure he wasn’t followed. He opened the back door and lifted Leah out. She didn’t even stir when he moved her, and Daniel was glad. He needed her unconscious for what he was about to do.
* * * *
The first thing Leah realized when she came to was that the pain in her side wasn’t the constant roar it had been but a dull ache. She was also able to breathe a little easier. The next thing she realized was that the bed she was lying in was way too soft and comfortable to be her own. Leah wanted to curl up and drift back to sleep, but everything that had happened in the past two weeks slammed into her head. Instead, she tried to sit up and cried out at the move. The pain in her ribs brought tears to her eyes.
“I’m pretty sure you realize by now how much of a bad idea that was?” Daniel chuckled from the chair he was sitting in on the other side of the room.
Leah had no idea how she didn’t notice a man as big as him in the room until he spoke. She hadn’t even felt his presence. Leah had a feeling sneaking and staying silent was something the man was used to. It was scary to know a man as big as Daniel could sneak up on someone and they wouldn’t even realize it until it was too late.
Leah groaned, still trying to sit up, and Daniel was at her side in an instant. He had her arms in his strong grip and easily had her upright without any strain. Leah was impressed. “How long have I been out?” she asked when he sat on the side of the bed next to her. She had been too worried he would turn her away in his office to really admire the man. Now, with him this close to her she could see that he was gorgeous. His face looked as if it was sculpted out of marble, hard and brutal. His skin was the brown of a man who spent a lot of time in the sun. He had creases in the corners of his eyes that Leah figured could have come from either frowning or smiling a lot. She had a feeling they came from both. Daniel struck her as a man that knew how to live life, no matter the situation. She had overheard his conversation while she was lying on his backseat drifting in and out of consciousness. She had heard the smile and love in his voice when he talked to his daughter.
Leah was also able to notice the silver streaks throughout Daniel’s severe, military-cut brown hair. The silver by no means made Daniel look old. In fact, the streaks were sexy as hell, in her opinion. They made him look smart and distinguished. If she had to guess, Daniel was only in his early forties. If they had met under different circumstances, Leah would have definitely been attracted to the man.
“You obviously haven’t been sleeping lately. You’ve been out for almost two days.”
It took a moment for Leah to even remember the question she had asked Daniel in the first place. She was amazed she had slept so long. It seemed like forever ago since she had actually had a good night’s sleep. Thanks to Daniel keeping her safe, she felt better than she had in a long time, even with sore ribs. “Thank you. Not only did you save my life, but you kept me safe. I haven’t felt comfortable enough to sleep more than an hour or two at a time since this all started.”
Leah was amazed at the color flooding Daniel’s cheeks. She couldn’t hold back the smile at the knowledge she had made the big, bad warrior blush.
Daniel cleared his throat and got up from the bed. He grabbed a file from the table next to the chair he was in and settled back on the bed beside her. “I’ve been doing some work while you’ve been out.” He pulled a picture out of the folder and held it up for Leah. “Based on the license plate number and the description of the car that tried to run you over, the police arrested this man. Do you recognize him?”
Leah shook her head. She was positive she had never seen the man in her life. She was also impressed at how fast Daniel worked.
“I didn’t think so.” Daniel placed the picture back in the folder. “The man’s name is Benito Del Torro. He’s lower level scum and not a threat to you anymore. The problem is the man he works for. The man is only known as Diego and he’s the head of the Mexican drug cartel. If he’s sending men after you, then you’ve gotten yourself involved in something deeper than I suspected.”
Leah nodded. Suddenly, the conversation she had overheard made sense. Leah kicked hers
elf for not making noise that night. If she hadn’t lain quietly on the floor, she wouldn’t be in the mess she was in. The men talking would have never stopped outside her office door to hold their obviously illegal conversation. She could feel herself shaking. Drug cartels, secret conversations about shipments and senators being paid off, those things didn’t belong in her world. She wasn’t cut out for this. Leah was positive she was about to lose it. She had been holding the tears in for two weeks now and they were about to flood out. That would make twice that she had cried in front of Daniel. This time, though, she knew if she started, there was going to be no way to stop. She looked up at Daniel as the first set of tears rolled down her cheeks. “What am I going to do?”
Chapter 3
The look on Leah’s face when the true danger she was in finally hit her was too much for Daniel to take. He was there in an instant, pulling Leah against him. He wrapped his arms around her and rocked her just before he heard the first sobs. The sound nearly broke his heart and made him angry at the ones who made her cry in the first place.
Daniel wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation he was in. He had decided to give up his own company because he no longer wanted danger in his or his daughter’s life. Now, based on everything he had found out about Leah’s case, it seemed his last job was going to be his most dangerous one of all. There was a reason Diego was the head of the cartel. The man was ruthless. He was unstoppable because not only did he go after the person who wronged him, he destroyed their entire family as well to get his point across. Diego was known to wipe out entire family lines in one night, saving his offender for last so they could see what their actions had caused. Daniel wasn’t letting that happen to Leah. She was an innocent bystander who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Second Chances [Pine Valley 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 2