Cat 'N Mouse

by Yvonne Harriott

  The elevator door opened and he stepped in, leaning against the wall. She didn’t really come right out and say that she didn’t need him exactly. What she said was that she needed time, time to sort herself out. The question was, would she still want him after that? Things changed quickly in her world.

  The elevator hit the ground floor and he crossed the lobby. He opened the door to exit the hospital building and was swarmed by a sea of reporters throwing questions at him. He’d managed to keep them out of the hospital away from Alexandria, but they’d found a new home. The security guards couldn’t control them. Not even the threat of being arrested if they were on hospital grounds scared them. They wanted the story and would do anything to get it.

  “How is Warren Prescott? Is it true he hired a hit man to kill his daughter?” One woman asked.

  Sam pushed through the crowd, ignoring them as a security guard tried to assist him. They were like sharks circling in the water and they smelled blood. His.

  “How’s Ms. Prescott taking this?” A woman with short blond hair asked. “What’s your relationship with Ms. Prescott?”

  Everyone was talking at the same time, throwing questions in the air. Did they actually think he would talk to them?

  A tall skinny man stepped in his path and shoved a tape recorder in his face forcing Sam to stop.

  “Given your dismissal from Boston P.D., how did you end up being Ms. Prescott’s bodyguard? Do you feel responsible for the shooting at the Prescott estate?”

  On impulse, his hand went to his gun. “You do not want to be up in my face right now. Get out of my way.”

  It was his warning tone and he would put a bullet in the man if he had to. Smart, no, but that’s where his head was. He wasn’t thinking straight. The man stared at him, clearly unmoved by his threat. It seemed he was going to stand his ground. A security guard pulled him back, clearing a path for Sam to proceed.

  Sam headed over to the cabstand at the end of the sidewalk, leaving the hospital behind. He’d left the keys to the SUV at the nurse’s station for Alexandria, along with the address of the hotel. He didn’t need them anymore, just like she didn’t need him.

  “Sam, wait.”

  He kept on walking, wiping at the water running down his face. Lightning lit up the sky and thunder rumble above. He didn’t want to talk to Matt.

  “Sam!”

  He turned around to face the man who he thought was his friend. “I’m tired and wet.”

  “Going back to my place?” Matt swept his blond hair from his face.

  “To get the rest of my stuff, then to pick up my car at the garage.”

  “It’s three in the morning. The garage is closed.”

  “I’ll wait until they open. Either way, I’ll be gone before you clean up Prescott’s mess.”

  “Why? Can we get out of the rain and talk?”

  “What do we have to talk about, Matt? The Florida Marlins? I hate baseball. Remember?”

  Sam turned his back on Matt, walking away.

  Matt yelled at him “You’ve no right to judge me. I did what I had to do to survive, but I never crossed the line.”

  “You don’t know where the line is anymore. You keep moving it.” Sam turned on him. “You never should’ve taken the job with Prescott, given his relationship with your father.”

  “I admit it. I should’ve leveled with you about my father. Okay?”

  Sam shook his head. “We’re not okay.”

  “Can you at least tell Alexandria I’m sorry? She won’t talk to me. Tell her I didn’t know what Prescott was up to. You have to believe me. Tell her that, Sam. Please.”

  “If I were you, would you believe me?”

  • • •

  Warren opened his eyes and for a moment, he didn’t know where he was. He heard a beeping noise and smelled antiseptic. He looked down at his right forefinger. There was something clipped to it. He couldn’t move his left shoulder or his arm. It was bandaged up. A dull ache ran down his arm through to his fingertips. Slowly it started coming back to him. Colt had shot him.

  Princess? He shifted in the bed and a spiking pain shot through his shoulder. Turning his head toward the shadow at the window, he saw Alexandria standing there, staring off into the darkness.

  “Princess.” His voice was hoarse, his throat felt dry. He swallowed.

  She didn’t say anything just turned and stared at him as if he was a stranger. He slowly lifted his right hand toward her. Ignoring his hand, she moved closer toward the light above the bed affixed to the wall. Her eyes were red.

  “I wanted to make sure you were okay before I left.”

  “Leave? Where are you going?”

  She didn’t answer. She was still angry with him, but that was okay. He could fix what he’d done. All he needed was time for her to forgive him and everything would be okay between them. She could move back home, but he knew she wasn’t ready yet.

  “I’m sorry, Princess.”

  “I know, Daddy. That’s why this is difficult for me. I’m returning the condo and the car.”

  “No.” Warren struggled to sit up. Pain ripped through his shoulder and he ignored it. “They’re yours.”

  “They were never mine. You never gave them to me out of love.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “There were always strings attached. I want to make it on my own, without your help.”

  “What are you going to do? Marry Sam? He’s only after your money. You know that.”

  “That’s right, Daddy. No man ever wanted me without your money. I grew up hearing that. Not a day went by without you reminding me of that and I believed it. In every relationship I’ve had, I hear you in the back of my mind voicing those same words.”

  “It’s the truth. Remember Damien?”

  “You should have let me handle that myself.”

  “And let you run off with him and mess up your life.”

  “It was my life to mess up.”

  He settled back into the bed feeling tired from the pain medication.

  “All your mother wanted was my money. When she got it, she wanted to leave.” Warren couldn’t hide the bitterness from his voice. Maybe that had colored his judgment in raising her, but it was the truth. She needed to hear it. “Sienna promised herself to me, but she was still seeing her ex-husband.”

  “You took her from her husband because you could. I’m sorry mom was like that. Sam’s different.”

  As she said it, Warren saw doubt flicker in her eyes because she couldn’t be sure. Even after Sienna’s death, he’d never trusted anyone or gotten close to anyone again. He could never be sure if they wanted him or his money.

  “I hope you’re right, Princess.” Warren closed his eyes, listening to the beep of the machine around him. His shoulder throbbed and he started to sweat. “There’s an envelope in the safe in my office at home. It’s addressed to you and it’s from your mother. I found it among her things after she died. I never opened it.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Alexandria stood by the window looking out onto the parking lot, thinking about Sam. The separation was necessary, essential. She’d evolved into a better person because of it. However, she had lost Sam in the process. He didn’t say he would wait for her and she hadn’t really given him a choice when she’d pushed him out of her life.

  During her soul searching journey, Robyn’s Nest Foundation had offered her a job, Director of Fundraising, which came with a nice paycheck.

  Moving out of her father’s condo and returning his car was also something she had done. They were hers, he had insisted even after he’d gotten out of the hospital. Gifts from a father to a child, but she didn’t want them. They were tainted. She’d given it all back, but she still had his name.

  Turning from the window, she stared at her mother’s picture in the frame on her desk. The envelope from her mother contained a four-page letter. In it her mother had wrote about her love for her and that she wished she had been a better mother. The envelope also containe
d a bank account number. It wasn’t a lot of money, but enough to start over without her father’s help.

  After all the media frenzy, an investigation was launched into her mother’s death but her father walked away from it all without a scratch, just like he had the first time, that’s if you don’t count the bullet hole in his shoulder.

  Mimi had moved back to France. They’d had a long talk before her departure. She’d asked for forgiveness and Alexandria had given it. Matt also left as well. He’d gotten a job offer too good to refuse. Everyone left her.

  Moving away from the window, Alexandria returned to her desk to go through the file of the security firm the Foundation was thinking of hiring. She had a meeting with an associate from the security firm. The board of directors chose the security firm and they thought she should conduct the second interview. The board had short listed two companies and she was asked to do the final interview, as the security firm would be working closely with her committee.

  She was about to open the file when Robyn walked into her office. Robyn was back at work but only part time. Her arm was in a sling and Alexandria still felt responsible.

  “Hi,” Robyn said, taking the chair across from her desk.

  They hadn’t spoken since the shooting and Alexandria was surprised when she’d received the call about the job.

  “Hi. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine and the baby is fine so stop worrying,” Robyn smiled, looking around the room. “Like what you’ve done to the place.”

  Alexandria had to laugh. The only thing she’d done when she moved in the office was place a picture of her mother on the desk. The office was an open space of boring white walls and lots of windows.

  “I want to thank you for the job.”

  “All I did was put your name forward. All the money you raised plus all the work you’ve done around here speaks for itself. It was a no brainer.”

  “Thanks anyway.”

  An awkward silence erupted around them. “I’m sorry,” they both said and laughed at the same time.

  “Let me go first,” Robyn said on a deep breath. “I shouldn’t have let Dennis say those hurtful things to you. I’m sorry. We’ve been trying for so long. To think I could’ve lost our baby…”

  “He was right. It was because of me why you were shot. Colt was responsible. You had every right to stay clear of me.”

  “That’s what I kept telling myself, but when I saw it all unfold on the TV about your mother’s death, your father and Colt, I called Sam. He said he was on his way to Boston. You had no one. I should’ve been there for you.”

  “Well, it’s over now,” Alexandria said, not wanting to remember the night she’d made the biggest mistake of her life. “I’m in a new chapter of my life. New job, new apartment—”

  “What about Sam?”

  “I thought about him,” she replied leaning back into her chair. “I even called him a couple of times over the last month. Can you blame him for running in the other direction? You were right about one thing. I do love him.”

  “Please. Even a blind man could see that. The question on the table is what are you going to do about it?”

  “There’s nothing else to do but become the best Director of Fundraising I can be. I’m organizing a new committee for next year’s gala. Also, I want to create some kind of scholarship fund in Tiana’s name.”

  “I’m sure Mr. Robinson would like that.”

  “I hope so.”

  “What’s on the agenda for today?”

  She looked at her calendar on the computer screen. “Ahhh….meeting with an associate from the security company. I don’t even know why I’m involved with this. Seriously, I don’t need a bodyguard. With Colt in jail and Edward Cain dead, what’s the point?”

  “We don’t want anything to happen to you. You’re Warren Prescott’s daughter even if you don’t want to be. Most of all, you’re our biggest fundraiser.”

  The phone rang. “Hello…thanks send him in. That,” Alexandria said to Robyn, “is my eleven o’clock and I haven’t had the chance to look at his credentials. He’s half an hour early.” She opened the file folder to a blank sheet of paper. “There’s nothing in here but a pamphlet from Brooks and Wright Security Consultant. Where’s his resume?”

  “Who needs a resume? You know what they say,” Robyn said, pushing herself up from the chair with a big grin on her face, “the early bird catches the worm.”

  “Worm? What are you up to? Robyn? Come back here.”

  • • •

  Sam stood outside Alexandria’s office. She was on a floor with no security, only a receptionist who barely had time to greet him. That would have to change. He sounded like a bodyguard, but that wasn’t his job anymore. He wanted her for his wife and to spend the rest of his life with her. The only thing was, he didn’t know how she felt about that, but took her two voicemail messages as a positive sign. She had wanted space. He figured a month was plenty.

  When Dennis had sent him the job specifications for a security post at Robyn’s Nest, he thought it would be a great idea to get his foot back in the door and in her life and…in her bed.

  Before he could knock on the door, it opened and a pregnant Robyn just about collided with him.

  “Hello, Sam, nice to see you again.”

  Alexandria snapped her head up, jumping up out of her chair, started toward the door and stopped half way. “Sam? What are you doing here?”

  “Well, I better leave you two alone. Oh,” Robyn said over her shoulder, smiling at Alexandria, looking very pleased with herself. “I took the liberty of clearing your calendar for the rest of the day since you’ll be tied up. I also told the receptionist not to disturb you once Sam arrives.”

  They both watched as Robyn made her exit, her laughter drifting from the hall. His gaze followed Alexandria as she sat down in the chair behind her desk, eyeing him. He would be nervous too. Hell, he was nervous? Her voicemails didn’t say anything other than she wanted to talk to him. He’d taken a leap of faith, hoping it would be about them.

  The office space was large, airy and white. The large picture windows brought the outside in. He’d spent most of his time watching television when he’d crawled back from Florida, wanting to get a glimpse of her.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She’d lost weight. Who wouldn’t? He’d watch her life play out across the television that night and the days that followed, and couldn’t do a thing to help her. But she had emerged stronger. He could tell. There was a fierce and determined look about her now.

  “What are you doing here?” She asked again, playing with the edge of a brown file folder on her desk.

  “I gave you time to do what you had to do. Now I’m here to get my lady.” That brought her head up. “That’s of course, if you still want me.” He ended on a hopeful note, with a smile on his face.

  She sat there staring at him. Perhaps Dennis had been wrong when he’d said she was in love with him. He should’ve stayed in Boston.

  “This is nice,” Sam said looking around the room because he didn’t know what else to say, giving her time to let what he’d told her sink in.

  “Say hello to the Director of Fundraising.”

  “Congratulations,” he said, nodding.

  “You’re a security consultant?”

  “I’m part of an expansion of Brooks and Wright Investigations out of Boston. Still have to get the business fully set it up here, but yeah. They’d offered me a job sometime ago. I submitted a business proposal for this start up. I have the backing to branch out on my own.”

  They were dancing around each other. He closed the door and looked at her first before he moved hesitantly toward the chair in front of her desk.

  “May I?”

  “Sorry. Have a seat.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I…called you twice in the last month,” she said playing with the edge of the brown folder again.

  “Three times. I’m counting the third
time when you didn’t leave a message. Call display.” The corner of his mouth turned up into smile.

  “I thought you had moved on. You really came back for me?”

  “Yes. When Dennis called me, I—”

  “Wait a minute… Dennis called you?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did he say?”

  “I’ll tell you later. The point is, I knew I was coming but I wanted to wait. It’s not that I didn’t want to talk to you but I wanted to give you enough time to settle into the new job, and to be sure it’s me you want.”

  “I’m sure.” She got up from behind the desk, sitting at the edge facing him. All he saw were long golden legs against her white power suit. God, he missed her. “I left my father’s condo and gave him back the car.”

  He didn’t see that coming. “What did he say?”

  “The fatherly things. I finally forgave him, but things will never be the same between us.”

  “I’m sorry. He hurt you. Maybe someday he’ll be the father you want again.”

  “Thank you for saying that. The really good news is I got my own apartment. I guess it’s tiny compared to where I moved from.”

  “Is there enough room for me? Money will be tight for a while. I just sunk everything into our nest egg, and Robyn’s Nest is my first client.”

  “Well…,” Alexandria stood up and he pulled her down on his lap, “that depends.”

  “On what?” His hand found the inside of her jacket, playing with a pearl button on her blouse and it came undone, revealing a white-laced bra.

  “I’ve never had a roommate before and—” His lips found her throat, feeling the pulse beating at her throat while his hand worked the other buttons.

  Sam drew back, running a finger along her cheek, outlining her lips, gazing into her eyes. “I’m not looking for a roommate, Princess.”

  “What are you looking for?”

  “A wife. Oh, do you still have those red shoes you wore to the gala?”

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  HIDE ‘N SEEK is the first book in this romantic suspense series with Private Investigator, Marklynn Brooks, racing against time to find her kidnapped sister, Sydney. Marklynn thinks the sexy Dalton Beck is involved but he has his own secrets.