by J. M. Madden
John watched Duncan limp out the door. “If you let her.” What the hell?
He’d be incredibly lucky if she would take a chance on him.
He couldn’t help but worry that he wouldn’t be enough for her, though.
*****
The work that had accumulated while Shannon had been off for the day kept her from thinking about anything. The Malone case was dragging on and Chad’s notes indicated as much. He was getting frustrated because there was very little to investigate. the woman they’d been contracted to watch wasn’t doing anything suspicious.
Roger was working undercover in a warehouse, trying to cut back on a company’s theft problem, which was a little more interesting reading. Grafton Parks, another agent, had just been dispatched to Vail for a security detail with a Hollywood starlet. Shannon was impressed with that assignment. It showed that they were branching out and making a name for themselves.
John joined her for lunch in the break room and filled her in on the details about the phone.
“So this dude is in prison, but for some reason his phone didn’t go with him?”
John dug into his delivery Chinese. “The Captain sent over a booking photo. Do you recognize this guy?”
He pushed a paper across the table with a headshot of a man in front of a blue background. The guy looked like an insurance salesman, balding on top, beady dark eyes, but he wasn’t familiar to her. She told John her thoughts.
“I didn’t think you would.”
“So who sent the messages, then?”
He wound his fork into a pile of noodles. “Well, the texts stopped as soon as the phone was found, so the Captain is going over booking footage to try to figure out who put the phone there.”
Shannon felt deflated. She had hoped John would suddenly be able to work magic and be able to tell her all the answers. Now they had to wait some more.
“Eat, Shannon. The asshole’s trying to knock you off balance. Don’t let him do that.”
John was right, she knew that, but she couldn’t not worry. She’d seen what this man was capable of, and it disturbed her to know she was the target of his fascination.
Stabbing a piece of chicken, she forced herself to eat. John would take care of her. She needed to be as strong as he was being. He pushed away from the table and circled around to her side. Clasping her hands in his own, he looked at her, dark eyes gleaming with determination. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Shannon.”
Tears came to her eyes, and she rubbed them away on her shoulder so that she didn’t have to let go of his hands. “I know. It’s just frustrating. I wish I had a normal life, you know? There must be something about me that attracts psychos. You’re the first regular guy I’ve hooked up with.”
He snorted, and scrunched his face. “Normal? Not even close.”
Shannon smiled, like he meant her to do. “Yes, normal.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder, and he rubbed her back. It was the most comforting thing he’d ever done for her, and it actually made her tear up more.
She pulled away and wiped her eyes. “Thanks, John. I know you’ll catch this guy.”
*****
Shannon was surprised when Lisa called her later that day.
“Hey, Shannon. Just wanted to catch up with you a bit and see what all the commotion was at your house the other morning?”
Shannon stalled. It probably wouldn’t be wise to let everybody know yet what was going on. But Lisa may have seen something. “Uh, well, I think those flat tires were from my ex.” Not exactly a lie. “And he left me a couple of nasty presents, too. Stuff like that.”
“No way! Your ex did that? Some guys just don’t get it though, you know? This ex I’ve got just shows up out of nowhere too, and he’s been coming around more often recently. Sweet talks his way back in. I think he just doesn’t want me with anybody but him, you know?”
“I know. You haven’t seen anybody hanging around my house, have you?”
“No. Well…” Her voice lowered. “No one other than that hunky guy in the wheelchair I saw you with yesterday. Who’s he? And does he have a brother?”
Shannon laughed. “That’s actually one of my bosses. He’s helping me out with the ex.”
Lisa hummed over the phone. “He looks yummy. When he’s done helping you out, send him my way.”
Jealously spiked, and Shannon clamped her mouth on the automatic denial. “Well, we’ll see. I may need help for a while.”
“Yeah, okay.” Lisa laughed softly. “I hear your warning. I’ll leave him alone. If you need anything just let me know.”
“I will. Hey, if you see anybody let me know, would you?”
“Sure thing. Later, chickie!”
“Bye, Lisa.”
Shannon shook her head as she replaced the receiver. Lisa seemed like she had a good heart, but she needed to ease back on the loser. If he wasn’t into her by now, he never would be.
She took a few minutes to call her parents and tell them she was getting a new phone number, and if they needed anything to call her at work. They were immediately suspicious, clamoring on the speakerphone, but when she told them she was switching carriers and would be issued a new number, they seemed to accept the excuse. Shannon felt guilty lying to them, but she didn’t want them to worry. If they knew she was having problems, there was a good chance they’d drive out to check on her too. And that couldn’t happen.
They chitchatted for a while and caught up on news. As subtly as she could, she sprinkled queries into the conversation. Everything seemed normal. She promised to call them when she got her new number and she hung up.
Turning back to the computer, she stared at the screen as she tried to work out who could be after her. She debated pulling up a blank Word doc, but she knew there was no way she could fill it up. Mike had been the only aberration in a fairly mundane life. She pulled a yellow pad to her and started to doodle. Frustration ate at her. Why had she been chosen to put up with this crap?
John rolled into sight, and she smiled. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw him. When his gaze connected to hers, and he grinned, all the angst and frustration of the morning melted away.
He stopped beside her desk and just looked at her. “Are you okay?”
Nodding, she ripped the paper off the tablet and crumpled it, then sent it sailing into the trashcan across the way. He raised his dark brows in surprise.
“Yes, I am. I’ve been racking my brain for suspects, but it has to be Mike, or somebody connected directly to him. My life is boring, and I don’t have weird things happen to me. Mike is the only aberration.”
John scanned her face. “We’ll concentrate on him, then.”
Shannon felt tears start in her eyes at his easy confidence in her, and she nodded her head.
“We’ve already got somebody investigating the family. Maybe they’ll turn something up.”
Shannon tried to remember who had been in the courtroom during the trial. “I think he had a couple of brothers, and a sister, but I don’t think either of his parents were alive.”
“Did you interact with any of them?”
She nodded, and tears filled her eyes. “I walked by a couple of them during the trial, and I could tell they thought I had led him on. It was the story he spouted all through court. You have to understand, Mike looks like this nice, normal guy. Not bad looking. In general, people liked him. Intelligent. He had scholarships for college. We were hooked up by a mutual friend, but within just a couple of hours I could tell something was off. He was too…interested in everything I did. He wanted to know every detail of my day.”
John frowned fiercely. Shannon didn’t think he liked hearing about her ex-stalker. She shrugged uncomfortably. “It went downhill from there.”
Shannon folded her arms, cold at the thought of what might be ahead. John motioned her up from her office chair and guided her into his lap. She cuddled into him and inhaled the scent of his skin. This was her new favorite
place in the world. He wrapped his arms around her, and she relaxed into him gratefully. Nothing could go wrong when John held her like this.
He seemed to take comfort from her as well. He pressed a kiss to her head, and worked down to her ear.”We’ll get him,” he whispered. “Whoever it is, we’ll get him.”
*****
Shannon was getting used to the security measures, but she still didn’t have to like them. As they walked out of the LNF offices and onto the cold street later that day, Preston led the way, hand hanging to his side and ready to grab his exposed sidearm. Shannon walked behind him, and John pulled up the rear. The tank idled at the curb, and he guided her into the back. John hoisted himself into the passenger seat as quickly as he could, and Preston folded his chair and slipped it in beside her.
As they drove toward her house, she found herself scanning every vehicle they passed, trying to spot something incriminating. But the traffic was random. Nobody followed them, or pulled out in front of them. She doubted anybody would chance doing anything with this huge vehicle.
Her house was a welcome sight, and she began to relax.
“Turn away, turn away!”
John’s yell startled her enough that she yelped. Preston had been about to turn into the driveway, but he jerked the wheel at the last minute and kept the truck on the street.
“Park in front,” John told him, twisting in his seat to try to see behind them. “There’s something in the snow on her driveway.”
Preston left the truck idling as he slipped out the door and looked around. Shannon couldn’t see his eyes behind the reflective wraparound sunglasses he wore, but she had a feeling he had immediately cataloged every car on the street. He walked to her driveway and knelt then brushed at the snow with his hand. Curling his fist, he stood and looked around, but the street was quiet.
John’s yell had made her heart pound, but it settled when there was no immediate danger.
Preston returned and handed John a strangely shaped piece of metal.
“What the heck is that?” she asked.
John frowned, then turned the piece over in his hand. “It’s called a caltrop, or tire spike. They’re designed to deflate tires and incapacitate a vehicle. The Iraqis used them on our vehicles occasionally, though this is just a small one. I don’t know that it would have done anything to this truck, but I’m more concerned as to why they put them there.”
“To get us out of the truck,” Preston rumbled.
John’s jaw tightened. “If you hadn’t been driving us, it would have been Shannon getting out and me getting these in my wheels.”
Preston shifted into drive and floored the accelerator, making the vehicle’s heavy tires bark on the asphalt. He zigzagged his way back to the office. Shannon felt sick to her stomach. This was getting out of hand.
Her phone buzzed with a text message, and she pulled up the screen.
Damn, I missed.
Growling, she handed the phone to John.
“Fuck this.” He began tapping keys on her keypad.
“John, what are you doing?”
He glanced at her, then continued to type, jaw clenched. “If he wants to play games, we’ll let him. He’ll screw up one of these times.” He held up the screen for her to see. Puhleaze. Not even close. Shannon grinned in spite of herself, and shook her head at him.
The phone buzzed almost immediately with another message and John read it. Shannon knew it wasn’t good, because his face turned red in fury. She leaned over his shoulder.
I’m going to hurt you Shannon. And enjoy it.
She sat back in the seat, all the laughter gone. John pressed a button on the phone to shut it down, and slipped it into his pocket. “The asshole’s not going to touch you Shannon. I won’t let him.”
She nodded her head, even though she knew he couldn’t actually promise that. They could only protect her for so long.
Preston parked the truck in front of the agency, and the earlier process reversed. He grabbed John’s chair out of the back seat, positioned it, then helped Shannon down and escorted her into the building, this time walking behind her. The lobby doors weren’t locked yet, so she pushed straight through.
And ran straight into Cameron Jennings.
The young man grabbed her arms above the elbows, and stared down at her. He seemed not so surprised to see her, as if he had been waiting for her. Purple smudged the skin beneath his manic eyes, and he was unshaven. It looked as if he had been sleeping on the street. He opened his mouth to say something, but Shannon was suddenly ripped away from him and shoved aside.
Preston was a lion. The huge former sniper spun the young man and shoved him into the nearest wall face first. He cranked Jennings’ arms high up behind his shoulder blades, and the man cried out. The old security guard behind the desk lurched toward them, but it was obvious he would be more of a hindrance than a help, and Preston snapped at the man to stay back.
“Preston, wait.” Shannon didn’t know what to do. John blasted in behind her, surveyed the situation in a split-second and tried to herd her to the elevator. “John, that’s the Jennings kid that came in to the interview yesterday.”
John slowed for the briefest second to confirm what she said, then continued to goose her forward. When she didn’t move quickly enough, he tripped her down to his lap and shoved them both onto the elevator, slamming his hand against the buttons.
Shannon didn’t know what had just happened, but she was shaken. Her arms were aching where the kid had grabbed her, and her heart was thudding in fear. She began to wonder if Jennings had been the one following her. His behavior was strange at best, and had escalated each time she saw him.
John rolled off the elevator and into her reception area.
Her blood chilled at the thought that somebody would come after them in daylight. And if they wanted to hurt her, they would hurt John. Yes, he was a smaller target in the chair, but he was definitely more vulnerable, having to deal with vehicles and handling doors as he entered and exited buildings. It would kill her if something happened to him.
Rubbing her back with his broad hand, John whispered that everything was going to be okay. Shannon appreciated the contact. Her emotions were at a boil.
Duncan stepped out of his office to see who was there. The looks on their faces must have been pretty grim.
“What happened?”
They filled him in on what had occurred. John tossed him the spike and urged her off his lap, then motioned her down for a kiss. “I’ll be back. I want to talk to the kid.”
Duncan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Are you okay?”
Shannon nodded and pushed him toward the elevator after John. “I’m fine. You probably need to be down there when they talk to him.”
Her boss watched her for a second, as if to reassure himself she was indeed good.
“Go! Preston is down there alone with that guy.”
With a final nod, the elevator doors closed behind them and they disappeared.
Shannon sank down into her office chair with a shudder. Hopefully they wouldn’t be gone long. She was as curious as anybody about why the kid kept showing up, but she knew her presence down there would probably not be conducive to him talking.
At loose ends, she walked into Duncan’s office to look out the window at the dark night. Preston’s Humvee was parked directly below the office, but the snowy street was quiet. Lights twinkled across the city, but she wished desperately she could see what was going on directly below her. Within ten minutes, a Denver PD squad car pulled up behind Preston’s truck, and the officer got out and headed for the front of the building.
Shannon stood watching the street as long as her tired feet could hold her, then she sank down into Duncan’s chair. She tucked her feet beneath her and shut her eyes, just for a moment.
Chapter Eight
John fought to calm the rage inside him. The kid, Jennings, wouldn’t say a word about why he was so into Shannon. Every
thing else he was very forthcoming with, but not about her. John had enough information in his head, though, that he should be able to track down the reason within a few hours. The cop had stepped in when John got too aggressive, and it had pissed him off to no end. The only thing Duncan could do was file trespassing charges against Jennings, and he hesitated to do that. Technically, the kid hadn’t done anything wrong, just waited to talk to Shannon. When that hadn’t gotten him anywhere, he’d changed the story to say he’d wanted to speak to Duncan about the progress with his therapy.
Jennings and Duncan had spoken for several minutes, then Jennings had been free to go, with a warning not to return to the LNF office building unless he’d made an appointment ahead of time. Something in his gaze, as it slid away, told John he would see Jennings again.
Without waiting for anybody else, he shoved toward the elevator. Shannon was upstairs alone, and that made him worry. The elevator doors opened immediately, and he rolled inside. Preston slipped in behind him and left Duncan to finish up with the cop. John was glad he didn’t have to deal with all the public relations bullshit. They’d be out of business in a minute if it were left up to him. There was one thing he did need to do, though.
“Thanks for getting to her as quick as you did.”
“No problem, Gunny.”
Shannon wasn’t in the outer office, and she didn’t respond when he called her name. Preston jogged down the hallway to the restrooms and John rolled for the break room. When he didn’t find her there, and Preston walked up the hallway shaking his head, John’s heart began to thud painfully and his throat began to ache. Had Jennings been a decoy while somebody else snuck in the back way and snatched her?
He found her curled up in the big office chair behind Duncan’s desk, her tiny feet tucked beneath her. Every muscle in John’s body quivered with tension he had no release for. She was safe, but he was having a reaction as if something had happened to her. As quietly as he could, he backed out of the office and pulled the door shut. Then he sat staring at the door as his body calmed.