by Mimi Barbour
TV high jinx!
“Local police Major keeping the streets of Fort Lauderdale safe… blah, blah, blah…”
Ratings slush!
“One more criminal safely behind bars thanks to our local law enforcement,” the cooing announcer batted her eyelashes at Blake who hovered over her, looking bashful.
Give me a break!
“That’s Blake. Look at the women watching him, everyone’s taking pictures. He’s so handsome, they love him. He’s a hero.”
Seriously? The man’s a playboy posing as a cop.
Chapter Fifteen
Charli lay in the all-white, comfy, king-sized bed that night reviewing the day and the man who normally slept here. No matter how many times she pushed Blake Sebastian from her thoughts, her memory betrayed her, paying no attention to her aversion.
Sure, all right, so the man looked good in a uniform, most did. And he’d set them up in his beautiful house. He’d even agreed to give them their space and move into a hotel. Maybe the thoughtful gesture demanded some appreciation.
She didn’t have to like the guy to take note of his kindness.
Grumpier now, she replayed the scene and felt better – she hadn’t given him a lot of choices, had she? Therefore, he hadn’t really been kind as much as he was in a tight spot and conceded.
Ha!
Truth was, she’d rather forced the issue – so he was still a hotshot hustler.
Should she feel like a shit for not being grateful enough to allow him to stay with them for added protection?
Not likely.
Being in such close proximity with that huge ego would have her climbing the walls and going for her gun. Better to keep him at a distance.
Plus, she had no doubt that she could keep them safe. No one knew where they were except for two people, Prowler and Crawly, and they would say nothing.
Their flight to Fort Lauderdale had been on a private plane the police used for these occasions. Rather than taking any chances of being seen at the Seattle airport, they’d driven to Vegas and caught the plane from there, hoping to mess with Dylan’s ability to trace them. There would be no trail through the Seattle airport, other than from Melissa Dale, the agent who’d taken her original flight.
Flinging out her arms, and scissoring her legs against the smooth, fresh linen, Charli realized she felt safe. And it had been some time since she’d had the luxury.
Tomorrow, they had plans to work with Kayla on trying to find photos of Dylan in the databanks, in case he had earlier arrests. Barring that, the sketch artist would be arriving later to help her start reconstructing his face from memory, a memory that was fast fading according to Kayla.
For Charli, being that it was a weekday, she’d start Kayla’s enrollment into the local school, get things in place for her to start the day after.
Then Charli would be briefed on producing the blog about editing they’d wanted her to use. It seems they had ways of making things online look as though they had been worked on for years; they just needed her presence there now.
Book editor!
Who the hell came up with that occupation? Charli, the woman who could barely put together a grocery list, now had to scribble online as if she had a successful career of editing a professional author’s work.
Bah!
A grin took over, her better nature rose, and the humor of the joke kicked in. She shrugged and wished she could share this one with her Poppa John. He’d love the contradiction.
He’d often teased her that there was more to life than catching the bad guys. Maybe she should put as much energy into catching herself a good guy instead. Yeah, right! Like she needed more headaches!
She turned over, mashed her pillow and tried to make her muscles relax. Guess she shouldn’t complain. She’d get her vacation, and if she didn’t come up with material for the blog, they’d offered a backup professional who would write it for her.
Life couldn’t be better, considering the circumstances. She began to doze off. Ooh, it felt so good to be safe.
Suddenly, a bright light flashed from the patio around the pool and seeped through the blinds.
What the hell? Someone had set off the outdoor overhead motion lights.
Chapter Sixteen
Hands shaking, Charli slowly eased from her bed and pulled her gun from the top drawer of the dresser where she’d stashed it before turning off the lamp. Sucking in deep breaths to calm her sudden frantic reaction, nerves now ramped up and giving her hell, she crept around the open door, and into Kayla’s room.
Sneaking close to where the girl slept, she leaned forward. With her hand tight against Kayla’s mouth, she swallowed hard to get her voice above a throaty whisper. “Kiddo, don’t say a word. Someone’s outside. Get into the bathroom and lock the door. Take your phone, and if I’m not back in a few minutes, call 911.”
Even though the whites of her terrified eyes took over her small face, Kayla only nodded and followed orders. She palmed her phone and slid to the floor, crawling toward the open door of the bathroom. As soon as Charli heard the telltale click, she made her way toward an outside door.
Both bedrooms had side entrances to the patio, and she figured to sneak up and overpower the intruder rather than give him a clear view to take a shot if that’s why he was there.
Once outside, using cover from the night-blooming, fragrant Jasmine shrubs, she held her gun steady with both hands and started forward. Feet bare, slithering on the damp grass after the sprinkler system had watered the yard, shivers crawled up her legs. She bit her lip to stop any noises escaping, like the moans that threatened.
Shit! You can do this, girl. It’s a piece of cake after what you’ve been through recently. Calm down…
Heart beating crazy-like made her take in deep breaths through her nose and exhale through her mouth, a trick they’d taught at yoga classes to help clear one’s mind and ease stress.
It worked. Calmer now, blessing her years of training, she moved forward. A stooped figure peeked into the patio doors. Whoever it was didn’t seem to mind the lights, they were knocking against the glass as if paying a surprise visit. Then she heard a female voice and words that sounded like…
“Blake, baby, are you home?”
Stealing her way over the cement, sticking to the furniture that gave her some form of concealment, Charli got close enough to make out the body of a woman in a sheer, barely past her hips, wrap.
Charli called out in a no-nonsense voice, “Can I help you?”
Screams startled them both as the near-naked woman lost her cool, bellowed like a banshee and dropped a bottle of wine.
“Who are y-you?” Blonde and gorgeous, the woman stuck her hands up high which allowed her boobs to come pretty close to popping out of the skimpy covering.
“I think that’s my question.” Seeing no weapons, not any that could kill anyway, Charli lowered her gun and stepped forward into the light.
“No-o. I asked first.” Hard voiced now, nasty Miss Peeping Tom demanded, “This is Blake Sebastian’s house. Why are you here?” A dawning understanding began to form and the intruder’s voice became ornerier. “Where is he? He send you out to protect him, the big baby?”
“No. He didn’t send me out to protect him. He’s not here. I’m staying in his house for a while, with my sister.”
“Why would he let you stay here?” An angry frown formed as she spit out questions. “Are you his newest plaything? He changes them like most men change shoes. You know that, don’t you? He’s not a faithful man.”
“Why are you here if he’s such a shit?”
“Because. He’s fun and a fantastic lover.” Her manner still confrontational, she demanded, “You never answered my question.” Her gaze travelled up Charli’s baby-doll clad body and sneered at the normal-sized breasts pushing against the silky pale turquoise covering. “Why you?”
Blake’s deep voice answered from the other side of the patio, where the tall garage gate, digitally password-l
ocked, would have opened to allow only someone who knew the code entrance. “Because she’s an old girlfriend from our collage days, and the only woman I ever gave an engagement ring to.”
His husky voice sent tingles all through Charli’s highly-strung body. She glanced at her prisoner, and her sense of humor kicked in. “For heaven’s sake, blondie. Put your hands down. I’m not arresting you. Although I don’t suggest you walk too far or you’re liable to slip on the wine or get cut by the glass.” She backed away with intentions to return to the house, then hesitated to see how Blake-baby would get himself out of this situation.
“Oh no, my goodness, look at this mess. Aww Blake, honey, I’m sorry. She scared the poop outta me, and I dropped my gift.” Suddenly a little-girl’s voice overrode the earlier woman’s hard antagonistic tone.
Ignoring blondie, Blake stepped closer to Charli, his hand held out as if she needed to stop and let him speak. For a few seconds, tempted to ignore his command, she looked at the grass, but she waited.
“Kayla called it in. I was close.”
“Very close. She must have just made the call.” Charli searched his features and saw the devil’s eyes narrow, as if he was thinking to invent an excuse. But he didn’t and she had to give him credit for that.
“I’m sorry you were disturbed. Candy’s my neighbor and I’ve ahh… she likes to surprise me…umm… we—”
“Listen bud, I don’t care about what you, she or we… ahh, umm, do. Just call all your female friends, neighbors, the whole flippin’ fan club and tell them your house is off limits, will you? Your Candy could have been hurt tonight.”
“Yeah, Blake. She had a gun and was going to shoot me.”
“She wouldn’t have shot you, honey.” Blake turned back to Charli. “You wouldn’t have, right?”
Charli glared her answer, no smile to lighten the severity of the situation, although a grin hovered and was hard to hold back. “Might have. She’s a sneaky intruder skulking around on private property.”
“Blake-e!”
“She’s joshin’ you, Candy. But you should have called first, you know that, right?”
Whiny, Candy protested, “Then how could I surprise you?”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Charli had had enough. “I’m going to get Kayla out of the bathroom, and we’re going to bed.” Before stomping away, she poked Blake in the chest. “You, clean up your ahh… mess.”
***
“Kayla, it’s me, Charli. It’s safe to come out now.” She knocked softly so as not to frighten the girl. “Kayla?” Twenty seconds passed, now Charli banged on the door with more force. “Kayla, are you okay, honey? Let me in.”
Still more time elapsed before Charli finally heard the lock click, and the door open a few inches. Brown eyes, swimming in tears, streaks down both sides of her face, Kayla surveyed Charli and then let out a small sob. “Are you alone?”
Charli smothered her smile and answered seriously, “Yes, kiddo. The intruder was one of Blake’s female neighbors come to visit.”
“I heard screams and a crash.”
“She dropped her bottle of wine after I snuck up on her. Blake arrived to help her clean up.”
Kayla stepped into the open, her body still shaking. “Blake’s here? I waited to hear the police sirens but nothing happened. I thought maybe the killer had overpowered you and was making you do what he said. Knowing you were out there all alone terrified me, Charli. It’s such a huge risk.”
“Get that crap out of your head, Kayla. The killer has no idea where we are. We’re safe and as soon as the boys back home catch the asshole, we can go back and testify so he’ll be put away for the rest of his life. That’s the plan, right?”
Kayla’s arms were crossed over her chest and her hands were rubbing the opposite shoulders. In a frayed, too-small nightie, the straps barely holding together, she looked scared, sick and exhausted.
Charli felt bad for her and softened her manner. “Come on, kid. Let’s get you back to bed.”
“Is Blake staying?”
“No. Why would he?”
“Because someone else could break in.” Seeing the growing derision on Charli’s face must have reminded her that she had protection… an FBI agent. “I’m sorry. You’re here, I forget. But maybe he could be your back-up or whatever they call it. Do you think he would?”
Blake spoke from the entrance to the hallway. “Sure, Kayla, I’ll sleep on the couch.” He saw the fury Charli tried to hide and added, “Just for tonight so you girls can get some rest.”
“Fine.” Charli tried not to spit out the word… but to say it softly. Considering both of the others flinched and then quickly nodded, maybe she hadn’t softened her tone as much as she’d thought she had.
Nevertheless, she’d had enough. “Come on, kiddo.” She gave Kayla’s long hair a playful pull and said, “I’ll check the closet and under the bed. Will that satisfy you?” Teasingly, she put her arm around Kayla’s shoulders and led the girl toward the bed. As they walked closer, Charli could feel the resistance inside the other girl.
At the bedside, she asked, “What’s wrong, Kayla?”
“I’m scared. Did you know there’s a door over there that leads outside?”
“Sure. There’s one in my room, too. They’re access to the patio. It’s a nice idea, almost like having a balcony.”
“But there’s a huge window in the door and people can break through glass pretty easily. It’s not very safe, don’t you think?”
Charli softened. She remembered a time before her parents had passed, when she’d been scared to go back to her bedroom after a bird had flown into her window and killed itself. She’d mourned that bird, and when she lay alone, she couldn’t seem to stop hearing the awful noise. Crying out, her father had arrived to pick her up, throw her over his shoulder and haul her into bed with him and her mother, to sleep between them.
“Feel better now, rascal?” he’d asked. And she had. So much so that she’d slept with them for days until her mother had put her foot down. From then on, her dad had slept on a pallet on the floor beside her bed.
Until one night, she’d seen him arch his back and moan, as if in pain. Guilt-ridden, she’d swallowed her fears and told him, “Go back to bed, Daddy. I’m not scared anymore.” His words still resonated. “You’re one brave little girl, Carolina my love. I’m proud of you.” As if she was a General in an army, he’d saluted her and walked out, making sure the door was open and the hall light on.
Shit!
“You want to sleep with me, tonight, rascal? Just tonight, we’re not making a habit here. But I need to get some rest and so do you. Stop bobbing your head like one of those dolls, it looks goofy. Okay, come on. Let’s get some sleep.”
Chapter Seventeen
Settling down on his long, plush gray sofa, a light fuzzy throw over his legs, Blake rubbed his hands together, still sticky from cleaning up the wine mess.
Whatever possessed Candy to drop by the one night he wished her on another planet? Sure, they’d had some fun times, and he’d let her in last week on one of the very few nights he’d stayed home to watch a game on TV.
They’d made out, had pizza delivered and gotten drunk from too much wine. But he’d made it clear; this wasn’t to be a habit… just a one-time fling.
Hopefully, after the little session they’d had tonight where he’d told her that the one woman he’d ever truly loved was back in his life, and he meant to work at building a relationship with this ex-fiancee, she’d play-acted a few tears, wished him luck, and reminded him she only lived three doors down if things didn’t work out.
All in all, she’d been a pretty good sport up until she left with the parting quip, “I expect a replacement for my bottle of wine. That shit cost me big bucks, Blake honey.”
“Sure, Candy. I’ll get it to you tomorrow. Thanks for understanding.”
“Hell, dude, I just hope she’s good enough for you. Seems to me she has a helluva long stick up her ass and
a pissy attitude, too. But… if she’s who you want, and there’s no making sense of some guys’ choices, then good luck.”
Funny thing was – the real Charlotte, whose nickname had also been Charli, he’d known back in college had the same pissy attitude and had ignored him for the first few months of the semester. He’d had the hots for her, but whenever he’d approach, she’d give him a disdainful look, like he wasn’t good enough for her to wipe her feet on.
Later he’d found out she had a boyfriend back home and was faithful to the promises she made to others.
Her boyfriend… not so much. After the Christmas vacation when she’d caught him playing around on her, she’d come back ready and willing to be friends with Blake. Good friends.
One thing she’d insisted on that surprised the hell outta him, she wanted to keep their affair a secret. “Are you ashamed of me?” He’d asked her, teasing, yet kind of serious, swallowing his hurt feelings.
She’d giggled in the cute way she had that made his heart trip all over itself and hugged him, “Are you kidding me? I’d be the envy of most of the girls who’re making fools of themselves to get your attention. No, I’m not ashamed; just don’t want to get caught up with those party animals you hang around with. I need to focus on my studies, okay?”
Who knows, maybe that ploy worked in her favor? Secrecy added spice and he’d fallen hard; even hit the point where he’d begun begging her to let him tell the world – “Charlotte Anglo’s my girl.” It wasn’t allowed.
Okay, he’d admit the lying and sneaking had added an element of excitement to their fling, so much so that he’d fallen hard. Excited yet nervous, dressed in his best during one of their last dates before graduation, at a restaurant that would cost him a week’s wage, bearing his heart in a small, silver-wrapped box sporting a fluffy, pink satin bow, he’d given her an engagement ring.
Her hesitation shocked him. “What are you doing?” Stunned, she’d whipped her hands behind her back and shook her head.