HER BODYGUARD

by Michelle Jerott

  "I figured you would."

  "Those goons might put two and two together and come up with Willis Conroy, too."

  "They probably will. That's why I waited to tell you. I wanted to think it over first, get everything straight in my head. Finding Joey's bag, instead of just holing up in a room somewhere in the sticks, could be dangerous. I don't want to risk your safety without your consent."

  "And you're afraid I might turn into a shrieking idiot in a crisis moment."

  He arched a brow at her, his expression doubtful. "You're stronger than you think you are, Lili."

  "Thank you," she said, as a warmth of surprise and gratitude spread through her at this unexpected compliment. "Nobody's ever said that to me before."

  Their eyes met, and a corner of his mouth tipped upward. "Follow your own advice – don't sell yourself short."

  She blinked back a sudden sting of tears, and told herself not to make too much of it.

  "Why not tell the police about your suspicions?"

  Matt stretched in the seat, and rolled his shoulders. "Not a good idea. Crime syndicates have access to information in places you wouldn't believe, and no police department is leak-free. There's always somebody who'll talk – either because they're stupid, or because they're greedy."

  Lili weighed the risks. She didn't much like his plan, but it had a certain simplicity that told her it might work. "Well … sign me up for the treasure hunt. I'm sick and tired of these creeps messing with my life."

  The fierceness of her voice startled even her, and when Matt looked at her, he smiled. "That's my Lili."

  My Lili…

  She smiled back before turning her attention to the window, staring out at the blackness. She shouldn't make too much of that, either. It wasn't like they had something permanent going on here. The sooner they found that stupid bag – if it existed at all – the better. She had a life to get back to, and so did Matt.

  The thought thoroughly depressed her.

  After they passed through a toll booth, Matt turned the radio to an oldies station, keeping the volume low. He drove with intense concentration, and Lili assumed he was busy making more plans. She didn't disturb him.

  Shortly after passing through Rockford, however, disturbing him became a moot point. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, sighed, and tapped Matt on his arm. "I really have to use the restroom."

  He nodded, and then yawned widely. "There's a wayside coming up. We can stop there. I need to walk around, anyway."

  She glanced down. "Even with the wrap on, I can't hide all of the dress, much less the shoes. We'll be noticed."

  "It's either the wayside, or I pull over on the side of the road and you take your chances in a ditch. Can't guarantee you won't find anything nasty in all that long grass, though."

  "No ditches," she said hastily. "Have you decided yet where we're going?"

  He gave her a brief, considering look. "I'll need to gas up the car by the time we cross the Wisconsin border. After that, we drive up to Big Moccasin Lake."

  Where Rose and Joey had died all those years ago. She shivered, finding the whole notion creepy.

  "I figure we have a few days before they figure out where we went, but I'm not planning on hiding out at the old lodge, just close by. I'll decide exactly where when we get there, after I've looked around."

  "How long do you think we'll have to stay in hiding?"

  "As long as it takes." He glanced at her when she groaned with frustration. "I know it's an inconvenience, Lili, but it's for the best."

  "I'm not arguing, but I'm tired … of the fear, of wondering where the next attack is coming from. And I am so afraid for you," she admitted softly.

  His jaw tensed. "I don't plan on making myself a convenient target again."

  Not as certain of his invincibility as he was, and knowing he wouldn't appreciate her saying so, Lili fell silent. A short time later, after crossing the Wisconsin border, Matt pulled into the welcome rest stop. The place was mostly empty, although a number of RVs and semis were parked nearby, some silent and dark, others with their running lights on and engines idling.

  Lili looked around, suddenly uneasy despite the urgency of her needs. "I'm not sure this is a good idea."

  "I don't see anybody except two people talking by the Trans Am. Could be worse: could be daylight, with this place packed, a state trooper or two hanging out. The bathrooms are inside the building. I'll come with you."

  She nodded, opening the door. It creaked loudly, and the young couple cuddling on the hood of their red Trans Am glanced over at the noise.

  Matt hesitated, then reached behind him for the fedora. He put it on with a grimace, and pulled the brim low over his face. "If anybody asks, we're on our way back from a Halloween party."

  Again, Lili nodded. More little details she'd never have considered. Thank God she had Matt between her and this ever-present shadow of danger.

  The young couple swiveled around to stare when she passed by, the hem of her skirt sparkling. But their astonishment turned to unease when they caught sight of Matt.

  Maybe he should've left the fedora in the car; obviously he looked a little too much the part. Then again, maybe it was the blood.

  "Halloween costumes," Matt muttered. "Bonnie and Clyde."

  "Okay," said the man, moving protectively in front of his girlfriend. "Except Halloween's not for a couple weeks, man."

  "It was an early party," Matt retorted, and the girl flinched at the tone of his voice.

  Lili gave the couple a forced smile as she grabbed Matt's arm and yanked him forward. Thankfully, no one was in the rest stop building, so there were no more awkward questions. After she'd finished up and he'd cleaned himself off as best he could, they walked back to the car. Lili wasn't surprised to see the Trans Am gone.

  Within minutes, they were on the road again. The next half hour passed in a tense blur before Matt drove into a sleepy little town and pulled up at a mini-mart gas station.

  After filling up the car, he motioned her to follow him inside.

  "Shouldn't I stay in the car?" she asked, uneasy.

  "I want you where I can see you. And it's not like you'll be any less conspicuous sitting out here under the lights, in full view of the attendant. He's already staring," Matt said. "Just play the Halloween party angle."

  Once inside, he piled a Wisconsin map, two cups of thick black coffee, and two sub sandwiches on the counter, all under the uneasy gaze of the young attendant.

  "Had an interesting night, huh?" His voice cracked, and he eyed the dark stain on Matt's coat sleeve.

  "A shoot-out." Matt fixed him with that flat, steely stare from beneath the brim of the fedora. "That's all."

  Lili darted a glance at Matt, then caught the attendant's nervous gaze. The poor guy probably expected to be robbed at gunpoint at any second.

  "Just a joke," Matt said, as he headed toward an aisle. "Halloween party."

  Lili stayed by the register, and smiled. The attendant didn't smile back.

  Matt returned with a roll of gauze, antibiotic ointment, Tylenol, and bandage tape. The young man looked at the first aid supplies, then at Matt's sleeve – and went absolutely white when Matt reached inside his coat.

  "Ring it up," Matt said, taking out his wallet. "And twenty bucks in gas."

  Lili let out a soft sigh of relief when they left the gas station and staring attendant. By the time Matt pointed the rumbling jalopy north, the dashboard clock read 2:02 A.M.

  "That kid thought you were going to rob him."

  "I know. I was waiting for him to hit the alarm."

  Lili wondered what Matt's response to that might've been, and was glad she hadn't had to find out. "Do you think he believed your party story?"

  "People tend to believe what makes sense, and selling gas and coffee to two people in costume who'd been in a shoot-out doesn't make much sense."

  "Well, I think you could've got by without telling him about the shoot-out part." Lili sipped at
the coffee, frowning. "That's just tempting fate."

  "Look, I need to catch some sleep," Matt said, his tone suddenly weary. "The map shows a rest stop outside Briggsville, about an hour away. We'll stop there. It should be more secluded than the last place we were at."

  *

  A little more than an hour later, Matt spotted the rest stop sign and suppressed a groan of relief. If he didn't pull over soon, he'd probably drive the car into a ditch.

  "Strange, isn't it?" Lili said abruptly, as a huge semi truck blew past, its outlining rows of orange runner lights making it look like a carnival ride. "It all seems so unreal, like a dream. Not so long ago you were kissing me, and now…"

  She trailed off, as if she had no idea what she meant to say, and this time, Matt did sigh. He'd kept her at a distance, his temper too brittle to deal with anything but the most immediate problems at hand. Now, it was time to face the consequences of that kiss.

  Even if he'd knowingly, deliberately, discarded ten years' worth of training and his own code of ethics, it didn't make dealing with it any easier. Maybe if he hadn't been so wrapped up in Lili, if he'd been more on top of things, he might've realized what was going on. He might've saved his team.

  Christ. He couldn't have picked a worse time to go all romantic like this. "About that kiss—"

  "If you say you shouldn't have done it," Lili cut in sharply, "I swear I'll take your gun and shoot you."

  Matt eyed her warily as he turned off the highway. She looked pissed-off. "Forget it. We can talk later. I really need to get some sleep, Lili."

  She sighed, then slumped back against the seat as he parked and turned off the car. "I know. I'm tired, too." She sent him a look from beneath her lashes, and in the low light, he could see the shadows of exhaustion marking her face. "And I'm sorry for snapping at you like that."

  "It's okay. We're both wound a little tight." He glanced away, resisting the need to touch those tired lines on her face and smooth them away. What they both needed was sleep, not messing around. "You can stretch out in the back. You'll be more comfortable there."

  "What about you?"

  "I'll stay up front."

  He wasn't sure he trusted himself, despite his exhaustion, but he also needed to be alone, shielded from her watchful glances, her questions. Just for a little while.

  Not that he could tell her this – she'd only misunderstand, and feel hurt. Matt got out of the car and helped her from the front seat to the back. He returned to his seat, locking all the doors, then surveyed the situation. It wouldn't be comfortable, but he'd make do. Bench seats came in handy, after all.

  He watched her from the rearview mirror as she fussed and shifted, then finally settled, curled tightly for warmth. He wished he had a blanket for her.

  Turning, he asked, "You want my coat?"

  She shook her head. "I'm all right, thanks."

  She looked so forlorn, curled up back there – but a goodnight kiss didn't seem right just now. His friends were shot up and hurting – what right did he have to think of kissing a pretty woman, or even expect to sleep comfortably?

  Enough of that. He couldn't afford the distraction of what-ifs or guilt. He couldn't protect Lili if he was half-dead from lack of sleep.

  He faced forward again, and searched for the handle to recline his seat. Finding it, he eased the back down a few inches, rested his hands across his belly, fingers laced, and closed his eyes.

  Minutes passed, but sleep didn't come. His arm ached like hell, but he'd already done everything he could for it, and as he listened to Lili shifting restlessly behind him, the vinyl upholstery creaking with her every movement, images played in his mind again and again: kissing Lili under the staircase, fixing the rose in her hair, the grin Dal must've had on his face when he made that last smart-ass comment, and Manny's blood, so dark against the pale concrete sidewalk.

  He slowly breathed in, rubbing the heels of his palms against his closed eyes as if that could wipe away the bad memories, and all the while the grim images whirled around in his mind, jumbled thoughts plagued him.

  Those damn shoes – he couldn't stop thinking about them, or about Joey Mancuso and his missing bag. The risks he was taking troubled him, along with doubts that a geriatric exgangster would be any help at all, or that after so many years, even Monica's pit bull stubbornness would turn up anything helpful.

  After nearly seventy years, what the hell could be in that missing bag worth all this trouble? Lili was right; it had to be more than money.

  The backseat creaked again, and Lili whispered, "Matt?"

  Slowly, he opened eyes to the black sky above, filled with billions of tiny dots of light, and his senses slowly registered his cold hands and the sting of pain, his stiff muscles, and a dull throb behind his eyes from stress and exhaustion.

  "Yeah?"

  "I'm cold."

  "You want me to turn on the car heater?" he asked, but he knew what she really wanted.

  He wanted it too, thinking Lili could chase away this dark, bone-deep chill in a way that no blanket or heater could. At least for a little while.

  "No. I thought you might be cold, too." She hesitated, then said, "I was wondering if we could share a little body heat. That's all."

  Her coldness wasn't anything like his, he knew, but the night had a nip to it – he could smell fall in the air, hear the dry rustle of dead leaves, and almost taste the edge of frost in the wind.

  "So you want me to come back there with you?" He still hadn't turned to look at her, only continued to stare up at the stars. Sometimes it amazed him, how bright they were. And how many, many, many…

  Eternity, right there above him, and no limits. Facing such vastness, it seemed stupid beyond belief to turn away from her comfort. How could being with her even matter in the greater scheme of things? Tonight, with his mood brittle and dark, he couldn't help wondering if everything he'd struggled with his whole life mattered at all.

  Maybe life was nothing more than grabbing whatever came your way, as fast as possible, because you never knew if the next minute somebody might put a bullet through your brain.

  Realizing Lili hadn't answered, Matt glanced over his shoulder at her. She still huddled in the corner of the seat, covered in her wrap, watching him with those wide, all-seeing eyes – as if she understood what was going through his mind.

  "Is that what you want, Lili?" he repeated softly.

  She nodded and whispered, "Yes."

  Matt climbed into the backseat, cursing under his breath when he bumped his head, then angled himself into the seat beside her. Staring at his hands, clasped loosely between his knees, he wondered what to do next.

  She must've sensed his discomfort, because she took his hand in hers. The coolness of her skin surprised him.

  "You're still with me, right?" she asked, angling her head to one side, studying him intently. "I have a feeling your mood's pretty dark right now."

  He looked at her, more curious than surprised. "How do you know?"

  "Must be one of those women's intuition things." She squeezed his hand. "You don't have to deal with it alone."

  Her words were so simple and her voice so quiet – and yet a sharp grief ripped through him, wound tight with a need to salvage some softness from the night's harsh reality, to seek warmth from the cold, maybe find some peace of mind … and reach out for a woman's touch, to ease that deep hurt inside.

  "Come over here, Matt, and hold me. I don't want to be alone, either. Only I don't do this macho bullshit, so I can ask for what I need."

  Matt smiled, desperately grateful for the gentle humor that kept him from spinning off into the darkness pushing at the edge of his consciousness.

  Taking her place in the corner, he drew her onto his lap and wrapped her in his arms against his chest, where she snuggled against him like a kitten. She was shivering; he could feel the faint vibrations and he tightened his arms.

  Taking in a deep breath, he whispered, "I love the way you smell. Like incen
se inside a church … like you're holy."

  She looked up and smiled. "I may be a good girl, but I'm not that good."

  The faint, musky scent of woman lingered beneath that exotic, smoky perfume. It aroused him more than he expected, coupled with the softness of her body in his arms, and he reacted without thinking, lowering his head to her upturned face, and kissed her.

  Lili made a low sound and grasped his lapels, pulling him closer. Her response was all Matt needed to coax her lips open and slide his tongue inside her hot, smooth mouth. He gave a growl of satisfaction as he tasted her.

  She opened to him, her tongue stroking his own, pressing urgently against him, and making soft, needful sounds. He tilted his hips against her to ease the ache, shifting her on his lap until the soft roundness of her bottom rested over his erection.

  Sliding his hands slowly upward, he pulled the pins out of her chignon, one by one, until he'd freed her hair and it filled his hands, heavy and warm and silky.

  "I've wanted to do that for a long time," he murmured, spreading his hands wide and letting her hair fall, rippling and black, through his fingers.

  She smiled, a flash of white in the darkness, before cupping his face in her hands and kissing him again, hard and hungry.

  Her intensity took him by surprise, then he kissed her back as hungrily, as demandingly. She shifted, bracing a knee on one side of his legs, her other foot on the floorboard beside his, her hips moving against him in an insistent rhythm that totally fried clear thinking.

  All exhaustion fled. Matt slid his hands to her hips, and then lower, easing the heavy beaded fabric of her skirt upward along her legs. His questing fingers found silky stockings, the lacy elastic of a garter belt, and, above that, the smooth warmth of her thigh.

  "Jesus," he muttered, kissing the side of her neck as he pushed the wrap down her shoulders. Her arms were warm, yet he could feel goose bumps all along her skin.

  Lili made a contented sound as she ran her hands up and down his chest, then whispered, "You have on more clothes than I do. No fair."

  Matt kissed his way along the swell of her breasts, up the line of her neck to her chin, and met her heavy-lidded gaze. She wore a half-smile on her shadowed face, and he said, "Easy enough to fix."