by Tara Thomas
Minutes later, ten to be exact, they pulled in front of the restaurant he’d made reservations at. Much like the gown, he cherished her reaction.
“Plume?” she asked in amazement. “You made reservations at Plume?” She didn’t wait for him to answer, but continued. “Alyssa said Mac tried to get them reservations for here once and they were booked for months. It was a spur-of-the-moment long-weekend trip, so he hadn’t been able to plan that far out.”
“It helps when you know the right people. If you like, you can tell Alyssa and Mac to let me know the next time they’re in DC and I’ll see what I can do.”
She simply squeezed his hand and for the next few hours, they got lost in each other. For those few precious, almost stolen hours, there was no talk or worry about threatening notes or lost jobs. There was only Brent and Janie.
After dinner, he surprised her further by taking her to an upscale nightclub, where they danced until the early hours of the morning. Brent has happy to see Janie’s good mood continue. He truly believed after their night out that not only was her moving to DC a good idea, but that she would also agree.
When they made it back to their suite after finally deciding to leave the club, she turned to face him as he closed and locked the door. He barely had time to realize what she was doing before she put her arms around him and whispered what a great time she’d had.
* * *
Janie stretched against Brent with absolute contentment. Beside her, with his arms wrapped around her, Brent also appeared to be the very definition of bliss.
She shifted slightly and he stroked her arm. They didn’t speak, but rather, let the silence communicate for them. There was an intimacy, Janie had discovered since dating him, that could only be found in silence. The communication of their bodies, even when they were doing nothing but enjoying the peace that came after making love, often spoke stronger than words.
It was there in his arms that she realized she was being an idiot when it came to moving in with him. In that moment, she couldn’t think of one reason not to move to DC with him. What did she have keeping her in Charleston? There was no job, no family, and she couldn’t see staying for friends. Not when she could have a future with Brent.
Once she gave serious thought to moving, she felt even better. It was almost as if everything clicked into place. She belonged here, in this city, with this man. Not only that, but she probably had better job prospects in DC than she did if she remained in Charleston.
The only downside would be the winters, but even that didn’t seem so bad wrapped up in the warmth of Brent’s arms. Actually, the more she thought about it, the more snow sounded fun. If nothing else, it would be a nice change. Besides, Brent was keeping his Charleston home.
She rolled to her side, rose up on her elbow, and smiled at him.
He cracked one eye open. “You’ll have to let me rest. I’m not as young as I used to be.”
She laughed and gave him a playful swat. “That’s not what I was thinking.”
“Well, damn.” He had both eyes open now. “I certainly was. Way to crush my ego.”
“I’m sure your ego is fine. I was actually thinking about what you’d said.”
He yawned. “I’m too tired. Remind me?”
“About me moving here with you.”
With those words, he no longer appeared tired. His eyes flew open and he pulled them both up so they were sitting in bed. “What? What are you thinking?”
His excitement at the fact she’d been thinking about the possibility proved she was making the right decision. “I’m going to move with you.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth, then he pulled her to him and covered her lips in a big kiss. “This makes me so happy,” he said, pulling back just a bit. “What made you change your mind?”
A sense of peace settled over her, leaving her more content that she’d remembered feeling in a long time. “I don’t know if I actually changed my mind. I never said I wasn’t going to move in with you, just that I needed time to think.”
“Ah, well, that was me then. Just thinking the worst.” He kissed her again, but briefly this time. “I’ll rephrase. What was the determining factor that made the decision for you?”
“Several things. There’s not much for me in Charleston anymore. I mean, I’ll always love the city, but I don’t have a job … you’re moving…” She shrugged. “And I want to spend every night like this and wake up in your arms every morning.”
“I feel the same.” He brushed her cheek softly. “We have a lot to do to get both of us moved. And not only do we have to find a place to live, but you’ll be wanting to look for a job.”
“Mmmm.” It was much too difficult to think about practical things like packing and jobs when his lips were right there and looked so kissable. “Later.”
“Later?” His forehead wrinkled.
“Later.” She pushed him on his shoulder back down onto the bed and then straddled him. “I hope you had a chance to rest, because sleep is the furthest thing on my mind at the moment.”
There was no need for him to answer; his hands were already moving across her body, speaking with his touch. For the next little while, they allowed their bodies to communicate for them. And when they finally fell back to the bed, exhausted, Janie could easily picture her future in this city and with this man.
CHAPTER 3
Brent took her to his favorite brunch place the next day before they went house hunting. Though they slept in, neither of them had gotten very much sleep the night before and he wondered how long they’d be able to look at places before they decided to call it a day and schedule the remaining properties for another time.
As he suspected, Janie had a sharp eye and was able to look beyond the current state of the places they viewed to see the space they could become. His agent had booked four penthouse apartments for them to visit. They toured the first two and Janie quickly pointed out things he would have to change. They were on the way to third when his phone rang. He frowned at the unknown number, but answered it anyway.
“Hello,” he said.
“Mr. Taylor?” someone asked.
“Yes.”
“This is Herb from the St. Regis.”
Ahhh, the hotel. He probably had a package waiting for him or something.
“Yes, Herb. How are you?”
“Mr. Taylor,” the man from the hotel said, and Brent wondered if he was making it up that the man seemed slightly irritated. “We need you and your guest to stop by the front desk when you return.”
“Is there a problem?” Brent asked. Odds were it wasn’t a package if it was requested they both stop by the desk.
“I don’t want to get into specifics over the phone.” This time Brent was certain there was something off in the man’s tone. After hanging up the phone, he told Janie they were going to have to cut the house hunting short. She seemed disappointed until he told her he’d ask the real estate agent to reschedule the showings for the next day.
“What do you think it is?” she asked, taking his hand as they walked into the hotel lobby.
“I’m not sure. Honestly, I’ve never been asked to stop by when it wasn’t to pick up a package or something.”
“I hope it’s not…”
He squeezed her hand in understanding.
He thought about going up to their room and stopping by the front desk later, but the hotel employed several off-duty cops as security guards. Looking toward the elevator, there was one in his usual spot. He and Janie might slip by, but why take the chance?
Besides, if the reason they were asked to stop by the front desk had anything to do with the threats on Janie in Charleston, he wanted her to hear as well.
“I have a gut feeling it’s not a package,” she said.
“I know,” he said softly and squeezed her hand. “Me, too.”
As they approached the front desk, one of the employees working picked up the phone and called someone. All the while watching them
. Beside him, Janie held on to Brent’s hand tighter. Before they could approach anyone, a woman Brent recognized as a manager rushed over to them. By the time she made it to the front desk, Brent had had more than enough.
“I’ve been a loyal customer for years, Mrs. Hall,” he said to the manager. “I’m not sure what’s going on now, but I’d appreciate it if someone would tell me what’s going on.”
The manager appeared unruffled. “Yes, sir, Mr. Taylor. I do appreciate your patience.”
He nodded and glanced around the lobby. He was starting to think the delay at the front desk had nothing to do with him and everything to do with Janie. And if that was the case, he didn’t want her out in the open of the public lobby.
“If you and Ms. Roberts would step in here, please.” The manager waved to a small office to the right of the front desk.
Brent took a deep breath and kept his hand at the small of her back as he walked with Janie toward the open door the manager indicated.
Though the manager motioned to two chairs in the office, Brent remained standing. He crossed his arms as he waited for an explanation of why the perfect day he’d planned had taken a turn for the worst.
“I apologize for any inconvenience,” the manager said. “But we wanted to keep this as quiet as possible.”
He’d reached the end of his patience. “Pardon me, but exactly what are you wanting to keep quiet?”
She reached into the desk and pull out a sheet of paper. “Our staff went into your room to prepare it for the evening and they found this had been slipped under the door.”
Brent took the paper, his eyes recognizing the image in front of him at the exact moment he heard a cry of despair come from Janie. He flipped the picture over, but it was too late. The image of Janie, naked and above him in bed, with the words “Time is up, police bitch,” written in red would stay with him forever.
How he managed to keep his temper under control, he wasn’t sure, but his voice sounded eerily calm to his own ears when he replied, “Yes, I can see why you wouldn’t want other guests to know that the possibility of someone taking pictures of them exists.”
The manger flushed. “We haven’t contacted the authorities. We thought it best to talk to you first.”
Brent stood, picture in one hand and reaching for a pale and shell-shocked Janie. “Thank you. I have a feeling we know who this is, or at least what it pertains to. Be sure to keep us informed going forward.”
Janie stood and took his hand, but her movements were robotic. He led them quickly to the elevators and he was surprised that she made it into their room before breaking down.
“Oh, God.” She crumpled to the couch, covering her face and sobbing. “He knows I’m here. I’m not safe anywhere.”
He held her close, not saying anything, but rubbing her back and plotting in his mind different ways he could kill the bastard behind this.
“He knows we’re here,” she continued after a few minutes. “Which means he’s somehow followed us, scoped out a place where he could watch us, and then took those pictures.”
Listening to her talk had brought up a new question. “How the hell did he know what room we’re in? We haven’t told anyone.”
“It’s not like we were exactly careful, you know,” she said in a deadpan voice. “The room has those huge windows near the bed. Chances are he just got lucky.”
“I’d like to get my hands on him.”
“Stand in line.” She looked up at him with a grim expression. “He’s probably still here.”
He looked up and cursed under his breath. The curtains weren’t drawn. Whoever it was, might be watching them now.
“I’ll be right back,” he promised Janie, shifting her so she sat on the couch.
* * *
He walked to the large widow, his eyes searching for anything out of place. Not seeing anything, he moved so he could observe the tall office building across the street. Most of the rooms were dark, so it didn’t take long for him to spot what he was looking for, high in the building. A man stood, staring out his own window and though they were too far to tell with any certainty, Brent was almost positive he was looking his way.
Brent cursed under his breath.
“Do you see something?” Janie asked, coming up beside him and slipping her hand him his.
“Three o’clock. Almost eye level.”
He knew as soon she saw him. Her body tensed and she squeezed his hand. “It’s him, isn’t it?”
“More than likely.”
They stood for several long minutes, watching the man partially obscured by shadows. As they did, Brent started to feel uneasy. He couldn’t put his finger on exactly why, until Janie nailed it on the head.
She reached out as if touching the window would somehow sweep the shadows away. “Something about the way he stands looks familiar.”
“Yes,” he said, realizing she was right.
“It’s somebody we know.” She shivered and he wrapped his arm around her.
He wanted to protest and tell her she was wrong, but deep inside, he knew she wasn’t.
CHAPTER 4
“I’m not sure I want to look at any other places,” he told her the next morning over coffee.
“You don’t?”
“To be honest, I’m not comfortable with you being in public.” Before she could say anything, he added, “Did you like any of the places we saw yesterday?”
She crossed her arms across her chest. She knew both his tone and body language and, at the moment, both of them were telling her that she’d get nowhere by arguing. But she didn’t want to give up yet. “Don’t change the subject. I can’t live locked away forever.”
“I wasn’t planning on keeping you locked away forever, only until we find out and catch who’s behind these threats.”
Janie thought she knew what the underlying problem was. Brent thought she’d be safe in DC and he was shaken to learn she was just as vulnerable. In his mind, he probably wanted to get her back to the city he felt most comfortable in and believed he had the most control over.
“I think by running back to Charleston, we’re letting this guy have too much control over our lives,” she said. “I think it’s clear we can’t run from him. He’ll only follow us.”
He sighed and walked over to her, and placed a hand on either of her shoulders. “Janie, I love you. I’ve waited for you my entire life and I’d almost lost hope I’d ever find you. Can you blame me for wanting to keep you safe?”
Her resolved melted at his words. “Not when you put it like that.”
“I know you’re a cop and that you’re a strong, kick-ass woman. I love that part of you. And I’ll admit I’m a bit caveman over keeping you safe. It’s just that I can’t imagine life without you anymore.”
His eyes pleaded with her and she didn’t doubt his sincerity. To be honest, it felt rather good to have someone look after her for a change. So much of her life had been spent being in charge and having to look after everything and everyone. For once, couldn’t she just step aside and place things in Brent’s extremely capable hands?
“Okay.”
He gently rubbed her shoulders. “Did you like any of the places we saw yesterday?”
“I liked the second one,” she said.
“The penthouse with the private rooftop space?”
“Yes, I think I can deal with the busyness of DC if we have a private little getaway.”
“I agree.” He leaned down and kissed her neck. “I’ll call the agent now.”
* * *
The trip home was much less intense and they spoke at length about the move to DC. Brent thought he could be ready to move in a matter of weeks, and while it would be a stretch for Janie, she thought she could get everything together and be ready the same time he was.
Everything felt so completely normal, so everyday, that it was easy to forget she had a lunatic stalker who’d threatened her life. In fact, they didn’t bring up the photo he’d left, what they sa
w out the window the night before, or anything related to the man in question.
That peace vanished as soon as they pulled up to Brent’s house and saw the white paper box on his front porch.
She felt sick to her stomach. Brent cursed under his breath.
But as they parked the car and walked up to the door, Janie’s unease was joined by a sense of Well, of course there’s a package waiting, what else did you expect?
“I don’t suppose we’ll be fortunate enough for there to be a return address so we can just mark the thing ‘return to sender’ without opening it, right?”
“I’d feel better about your safety if we could go inside,” he said.
“No,” she said. “If he’s here, I want the asshole to hear. I trust Alyssa, but I get the feeling her hands are tied. It’s not her fault the Charleston PD is incompetent and unable to take care of this efficiently. So we’re going to do it.” She kicked the box and it opened, revealing a floral arrangement meant for a funeral. The ribbon on it said Fourteen Days and Counting. “This shit stops now.”
With that she stomped on the flowers, kicked them out of her way, and reached for Brent’s hand. He took it, and even though she tried not to, she couldn’t help but look over her shoulder at the crushed roses that were now scattered across his porch. Nor could she keep her eyes off the ribbon that proudly announced how long she had to live.
* * *
Fuck. He’d messed up. Just like Janie had thought, he’d been hiding nearby, waiting for their arrival and to hear what they thought about his gift. Needless to say, it hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped.
Was she really going to go rogue and cut out the police? That would be a nightmare. Working within the confines of the police department did more than ensure he knew what was going on, it also provided lines he knew she wouldn’t cross. But if she turned away from that, he’d be operating totally in the dark.
Damn it all to hell, he’d grown too cocky, too sure of himself. He’d done exactly what The Gentleman had warned him not to do. He’d grown complacent, sure of his ability to outwit Janie, Brent Taylor, and the entire Charleston PD. But he’d also counted on his ability to be one step ahead of everyone.