Married by Monday (Weekday Brides)

by Catherine Bybee

  When Ricardo turned away, Harry carefully folded the paper and placed it in his stash with the others.

  Chapter Ten

  Carter was running on five hours sleep in the past three days. What he truly needed was a big bed and six hours of silence so his body could feel normal again.

  That was asking too much.

  He had two messages on his personal cell phone. One from Roger in New York telling him to call him back when he could manage a secure line, and the other from detective Dean asking for a few minutes of Carter’s time.

  After a few frustrating attempts of connecting with his buddy on the East Coast, Carter gave up and drove himself to the police station where Dean and his partner James worked.

  Although Carter attempted to avoid an audience by driving himself, as he walked into the police station several sets of eyes shifted his way.

  Carter glanced over the heads in the room searching for one of the two cops he’d seen escort Eliza from the hotel a few short days ago.

  “Looking for someone in particular, counselor?”

  Used to the title, Carter answered quickly. “Dean Brown?”

  “Down that hall. First door on the right.”

  Carter nodded his thanks and walked past a few sets of eyes. Before he rounded the corner, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. Impulse had him opening his messages. Blake’s name popped on the screen with a short note. We need to talk. Drinks tonight?

  Carter sent a quick yes and a promise to call then slipped the phone back into his suit pocket.

  The smaller office housed six desks and a handful of detectives. Dean and James were sitting across from each other at the far end of the room. Both of their heads snapped up when one of the other detectives greeted him. “I didn’t know we were on the campaign trail,” came one snarky comment, followed by a laugh.

  “I’m here to see—”

  “Billings,” Dean interrupted. “Nice of you to come.”

  The other detectives stood aside as Dean and his partner walked to Carter’s side. They shook hands with cordial smiles. “We haven’t formally met. This is my partner James Fletcher and I’m Dean—”

  “Brown. I know.”

  Dean’s eyes narrowed.

  “You wanted to see me.”

  James shifted onto the balls of his feet and nodded toward the hall.

  “How about a cup of coffee?” Dean offered. “Guaranteed to rot your gut and keep you awake for the next twelve hours.”

  “Sounds good.” Carter followed them out of the busy office and down another hall. They stopped at a coffee pot that looked as if it was last cleaned sometime back when Prince was singing about 1999. They filled a couple of Styrofoam cups. From there they found a secluded room Carter recognized as one where interrogations took place. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was there for some sort of official questioning. Thought he knew he’d done nothing wrong, these two did remove Eliza from his side a short time ago. He couldn’t be too careful.

  The door behind them shut, and Carter wasted little time. “Do I need a lawyer?”

  Dean glanced at James and James at Dean. “No,” James said as he pulled out a chair and offered it to him.

  After sitting, Carter attempted the coffee. The bitter taste slid down his throat like a slug and threatened to come back up. Not only was it bad, it was cold.

  “You’re not here. Not officially, anyway.” Dean sat on the edge of the table and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “There are a dozen cops in the other room who saw me walk in. If this was supposed to be in private you should have informed me.”

  “Not private, just not official. If we met outside of the station and someone saw us, it would broach more speculation. My guess is the media loves to follow you around town with cameras shoved in your face.”

  Carter couldn’t argue with that. “So why am I here?”

  “What is the nature of your relationship with Eliza Havens?”

  He was surprised by the question and wasn’t about to answer it. “Why do you want to know?”

  “She’s important to us.”

  “Important how?” Did these cops forget they were talking to a lawyer? If there was anyone well practiced in the art of obtaining facts, it was him. Not to mention his ability to elude questions like the politician he was.

  “Are you dating her?” James asked from the other side of the table.

  “Are you an Uncle…a cousin?” Carter asked.

  “You’re not going to answer our questions, are you?”

  “Give me the reason behind this meeting and I’ll consider your questions.” He wouldn’t answer them, but he’d consider them.

  “Eliza is a stubborn woman.”

  Carter chuckled. Understatement of the year. “And?”

  “We have reason to believe that she could be in danger. If we knew the nature of your attachment to her, we might be better equipped to help keep her safe.”

  The smile attempting to break because of the “stubborn” comment disappeared when the word danger was uttered. “What kind of danger?”

  Dean exchanged a look with James, but neither of them elaborated. From the firm set of Dean’s jaw, they weren’t going to either. “Someone needs to start trusting someone here. You guys called me…remember?”

  James pushed away from the table. “It would be best for Eliza to disappear for a while.”

  “Disappear?” Carter didn’t like the sound of that.

  “Yeah. Only she isn’t seeing the wisdom of our years. If you’re close to her maybe you can convince her.”

  Disappear? Danger? Carter was starting to find the clear dots on the page. The lines between said dots were muddy with more questions than answers. He needed more answers. The best way for him to secure those answers was to bluff and let these men think he knew more than he did. “You said yourself Eliza is a stubborn lady. You guys have obviously known her for a while.”

  “Longer than anyone,” Dean said behind his coffee cup.

  James cleared his throat, obviously attempting to shut Dean up. “Our only goal is to keep her safe. You’ve spent enough years with your head in the business of law, Mr. Billings. You know how budget cuts keep our hands tied. Eliza needs protection and we can’t always be there to render it.”

  “Protection from whom?” As the words left his lips, he knew he’d given away the fact that he knew little.

  “Telling you that isn’t possible. We brought you here in hope of getting Eliza to listen to reason. She understands the risk. She knows she should leave.”

  Carter thought of the recent wedding, of Eliza’s friendship with Samantha, and her love for Eddie. “Not gonna happen.”

  “Meaning you won’t help us?”

  “Meaning you had it right the first time. Eliza isn’t prone to doing something because she has to. She does only what she wants.” He thought briefly of the God-awful yellow bridesmaid dress and her unease when speaking with the media. Okay, maybe she did do things she didn’t enjoy, but she did them for someone else.

  “We thought you might say as much,” Dean said before pushing away from the table and poking his head out the door. “Keller?” he yelled.

  Footfalls sounded beyond where Carter could see, combined with a tapping of nails.

  Dean’s gaze slid low as another cop entered the room with a four-legged friend at his side.

  The German Sheppard wiggled his dark eyes from one man to the other. Its tongue lapped to one side of its mouth as he panted.

  “This is Zod. A newly retired member of our force.”

  “Why is he here?”

  “You’re going to give him to our mutual friend.”

  Carter’s brow shot up. “I am?”

  “You are.” Dean thanked Keller and the other man left the room. “Zod is fluent in German commands. Ones I’m sure Li-Eliza remembers. If we gave her the dog, she’d probably laugh in our faces. Maybe from you, she’d keep him.”

  Like anyone who watch
ed the evening news, Carter knew the damage a police dog could do. What worried him wasn’t that Eliza could stay safe with one at her side, but why she needed him.

  “You really think this is necessary?”

  “It’s an added layer of security we can slip Eliza without too much of a fight. Making her move in with a friend…or a boyfriend to help keep her protected isn’t something she’d agree to easily,” James said.

  Dean huffed out an exacerbated breath. “She’s more stubborn than my ex-wife.”

  “Which one?” James asked, laughing.

  “Both.”

  “She’s really in that much danger?”

  Dean nodded.

  “And you’re not going to tell me why, or who might be after her?”

  “We’re telling you to give her the dog and watch her back. If anything looks suspicious we need to know.” Dean removed a card from his wallet and handed it over. “If you weren’t running for office, I’d suggest you stick to her like a shadow until we know she’s safe. Your high profile life is what started this mess, and the last thing Eliza needs is more media exposure.”

  The sick feeling deep in Carter’s stomach started to spread. He needed answers.

  He needed them yesterday.

  Carter stood and both men followed. James secured a leash on Zod and offered the other end to Carter.

  “Zod? That’s really his name?” Sounded like a sci-fi god.

  Zod responded to his name with a bark.

  “He eats special food. One of the deputies will bring a case of it out to your car.”

  A stat call to Roger was in order. Eliza couldn’t be the only one able to call the dog off.

  ****

  “Witness relocation program.” Roger’s words resonated through Carter’s hands free connection in his car.

  “I should have guessed that earlier,” Carter informed his friend.

  “Digging information up is like peeling layers of duct tape away from each other. You’d be better off going to the source to find answers.”

  Carter glanced over to Zod who pressed his nose to the crack in the window for a sniff. He’d tried Eliza’s home, but she wasn’t there. And she wasn’t returning his calls. A message from Blake revealed that Eliza was having lunch with Samantha in Malibu.

  “I don’t know if she’ll talk.”

  “Most don’t. But then, most avoid the spotlight and split once their identity is revealed.”

  She hadn’t run. Yet Carter knew she wanted to. He wasn’t positive why she stayed, but he would do his best to keep her rooted in her new life.

  Zod grew bored with the world outside the car window and settled into the passenger seat of Carter’s car. The K-9 rested his head on the armrest between them and his cold, wet nose brushed against Carter’s dress shirt. “What do you know about police dogs?”

  “As much as the next cop who doesn’t work with them, why?”

  A car behind him honked when he didn’t notice the light at the intersection had turned green. Zod’s eyebrows pitched, but the animal didn’t lift his head.

  “I have one staring at me right now. A present from Eliza’s friends at the station.”

  Roger blew out a long-winded whistle. “No shit?”

  “No shit!”

  “That’s huge, Carter. You need to be careful.”

  It wasn’t himself he was worried about. “The dog isn’t for me.”

  “I gathered that. If the cops want one of their own with your girlfriend, they believe there is a viable threat. Criminals don’t care who’s caught in the crossfire.”

  Carter turned off the overcrowded Pacific Coast Highway en route to his best friend’s estate. “I know the score, Roger. What I don’t know is how to speak German to a dog. I need some direction here.”

  “You’re in the car, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then I’ll have to call you back. Wouldn’t want Fido to misfire.” Roger laughed over the line.

  “His name is Zod.”

  Roger laughed harder. “Who says cops don’t have a sense of humor?”

  Carter rolled up to the gate and used the remote access he had to the estate. He waved at the cameras as the gate slowly opened to let him pass.

  “Gotta go,” Carter told his friend. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Be careful, governor.”

  As Carter clicked off the call, he remembered his campaign and realized how quickly he’d forgotten about it during his concern for Eliza. His gaze shifted to his beautiful distraction’s car parked in the driveway. He smiled at the thought of seeing her again and felt his gut warm. He missed her.

  The question was…did she miss him?

  Zod strolled along beside him as he walked up the steps to the house and sat when Carter reached the door. One of the housekeepers let him in and only gave the dog a passing glance.

  Carter considered leaving Zod outside but decided against it when he saw a gardener walk around the house. Even though he used the leash, Zod stuck to Carter’s side and moved when he did. Smart.

  The housekeeper directed Carter toward the family room. Already he could hear Eliza’s voice mixed with Gwen and Samantha’s. The women were laughing. Something Carter had forgotten about doing for the past few weeks.

  Gravity shifted and suddenly he felt very tired. He rubbed a hand over his face before he faced the women.

  “Mrs. Harrison?” the maid called into the room. “Mr. Billing’s is here.”

  Samantha darted her gaze to the door, which Carter caught, then his eyes found Eliza and stayed there. Their eyes locked. She appeared drawn, exhausted.

  He knew the feeling. “Hey,” he managed before Gwen shoved out of the chair and walked toward him.

  “Carter?” She wrapped her arms around him and kissed both his cheeks before dropping to her knee to address the dog.

  A play of emotions crossed Eliza’s face. He supposed his own face mimicked hers. Part hesitation, part excitement. The last time they’d seen each other he’d all but molested her. Okay, he had…not that she’d minded. Still, it met with the question of how he should act now. Carter guessed it would be best to follow the woman’s lead with a room full of spectators.

  “Who’s this?” Gwen asked, oblivious to the emotions rolling inside Carter.

  “A gift,” Carter managed, his eyes never leaving Eliza’s dark, questioning gaze.

  “A gift?”

  Eliza blinked a couple of times and dipped her focus to Zod. She sucked in a deep breath, and the smile she’d worn as he’d stepped into the room faded.

  “For Eliza.”

  Eliza shook her head and pivoted on her heel.

  Samantha joined Gwen and let Zod sniff her hand. “So you know,” Sam said.

  Eliza glanced over her shoulder…and waited.

  “I know what?” Carter asked.

  Sam glanced up from her crouched position next to the animal and stared at Carter. A brief look to her best friend, and Samantha asked, “What’s his name?”

  “Zod.”

  Gwen started to laugh, and Eliza shook her head all the while her back was turned away from the room.

  “Zod?”

  The dog barked a few times at the sound of his name. “Don’t look at me,” Carter said. “I didn’t name him.”

  “If you didn’t, then who did?” Gwen asked.

  Samantha twisted toward Eliza who refused to look at them. Then he glanced at Gwen’s confused expression.

  “Sam,” Carter started. “Would you…could you and Gwen take Zod so I can talk with Eliza alone for a minute? He could use some water…or something.”

  Sam took the hint and reached for the leash. “Sure. C’mon, Gwen.”

  Thankfully, Gwen and Sam left the room without question, both chatting as they walked away. Once they were gone, he waited for some outward sign that Eliza knew he was standing there waiting for her to do something…anything.

  “I don’t want him,” she finally spoke.

&n
bsp; Not, I’m not taking him. Not, I want you to take him back.

  “Apparently you need him.”

  She blew out a quick breath. “Don’t try and pretend you don’t know why.”

  She still wasn’t looking at him. Her back was so stiff it must have hurt. She appeared ready to run. Bolt out of the room at the first sign of trouble.

  “I know two things,” Carter started. “A couple of your friends I met the other day asked me to give you the dog.”

  She kept shaking her head. “And the second thing?”

  “That the police are trying to protect you.” He left out that he had discovered she was probably a part of the witness relocation program—hoping she would volunteer that information. “I’m not sure why, Eliza.”

  Carter took a chance and walked closer. When he was a foot away, he lowered his voice. “What’s going on?” he nearly whispered in her ear.

  “It’s complicated.”

  “I’m a good listener.”

  “They shouldn’t have come to you. I don’t need a guard dog.”

  “Dean said you’d refuse him if he and his partner gave him to you.”

  “Dean would have been right.” Eliza finally turned toward him. Her eyes pierced his. “I still don’t want him.”

  “But you’ll keep him…right?”

  Her jaw tightened, her eyes darted toward the door the animal had walked through. “I don’t know.”

  Carter placed a hand on her shoulder, and when she didn’t shrug him off, his insides doubled in. Somewhere in the back of her eyes, he noticed fright. It only lasted a minute before it was gone. “For a little while. Please. I can’t be with you all the time.”

  “I didn’t ask— ”

  “And you live alone. Tarzana isn’t the safest city in the valley.”

  “It’s not the worst either,” she defended.

  “Are you going to tell me why? Why Dean and James asked me to give you this dog…why they know you to begin with?”

  Eliza swallowed a couple of times, obviously struggling with her words. “They’re being paranoid. Overprotective cops who think everyone is the enemy. They’re cautious is all.”

  “You carry a gun in your purse, Eliza. That’s more than caution.”