Just Breathe (The Protectors Book 2)

by Leeanna Morgan

  Tanner picked up one of the photos. “It could be Abagail.”

  Kelly’s gaze shot to his. “She was a house slave. She wouldn’t have had her portrait painted beside her master’s wife.”

  It was time for him to tell her what he’d been thinking. “What if Abagail was Mary or Alexander’s biological child?”

  “Abagail would have mentioned it in her journal.”

  Tanner shook his head. “Not if she didn’t know. If Abagail was Mary’s child, it could have been the reason why Alexander spent most of his time in Boston. There was more acceptance of male plantation owners fathering children with their slaves than their wives becoming pregnant to slaves. Mary would have been shunned if anyone suspected something like that had happened.”

  Nick handed Kelly a piece of paper. “This is an estimate of what it will cost to remove the top painting.”

  Kelly looked at the quote and frowned. “I can’t afford that, Nick.”

  “That is what I told my friends at the Smithsonian. They came back with another offer. They will remove the top image at no cost if you agree to display the painting and the journal at the Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History and Culture for twelve months.”

  Kelly looked at Tanner. “What do you think?”

  “It’s a great deal, but it’s not my painting.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “I’ll think about it, Nick. Can I call you tomorrow?”

  “Of course, my dear. The painting has been hiding a secret for many years. Another night or two won’t make any difference.”

  Kelly picked up the photos and gave them to Nick. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

  “You are welcome.” He handed the photos back to her. “Hold onto these while you are considering their offer. It is a lot to think about.”

  Kelly stood and hugged Nick. “I’ll call you soon.”

  Tanner shook Nick’s hand and followed Kelly out of the gallery. “I’ll walk you back to your store.”

  “It’s only around the corner.”

  He zipped his jacket up to his chin and took Kelly’s hat out of her pocket. “There might be reporters waiting on the sidewalk or hiding in a café. If you need someone to help in the store, I could take a couple of hours off work.” He pulled her hat onto her head and smiled. “Let me look after you.”

  Kelly sighed. “You can walk with me, but that’s all. Jackie is working with me until Avery arrives. I’ll be fine.”

  He held her elbow as a gust of wind tore along the street. “You will be now. Let’s go.”

  Tanner knew one thing. If the media didn’t stop harassing her, Kelly wouldn’t be staying in her apartment on her own. Looking after herself during the day wasn’t too difficult. She had friends and family she could call. But at night, with no one close by, it was an entirely different matter.

  All he had to do was convince her that she needed someone with her all the time. And that, he knew, wouldn’t be the easiest thing in the world to do.

  ***

  The next night, Kelly handed Rachel the box she’d brought to her apartment. “I hope you like them.”

  “When have I ever not liked your jewelry?”

  “There’s always a first time.”

  As Rachel took the lid off the box, her eyes widened. “Oh, wow. They’re beautiful.” She took out the first necklace and smiled. “This is exactly what I wanted.”

  Kelly breathed a sigh of relief. The delicate silver and pearl necklace would look breathtaking with the wedding dress Rachel had chosen.

  “You added tiny diamante flowers to the chain.”

  “It needed a little sparkle. You don’t think it’s too much, do you?”

  Rachel shook her head. “It’s perfect.”

  Kelly looked closely at her friend. “Are you crying?”

  “I can’t help it.” Rachel carefully placed the necklace in the box and hugged Kelly. “You’re an amazing friend. I don’t know how I can ever thank you for what you’ve done.”

  “You don’t need to thank me. I made the jewelry because I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Rachel blew her nose and pulled the box closer. “Tess, Annie, Sally and Molly are going to love their necklaces. Are you sure I can’t give you some money toward the cost of making them?”

  “I don’t want anything. Making the jewelry gave me an opportunity to try something a little different.”

  Kelly had spent hours designing each piece to match the bridesmaids’ dresses. As well as wearing different gowns, each of Rachel’s bridesmaids had completely different personalities. Her goal was to create a piece of jewelry that each woman would treasure.

  She took another box out of her bag. “This is a special gift for Bella.”

  Bella was Rachel’s fiancé’s daughter. She was nine years old and incredibly excited about Rachel and her dad’s marriage.

  “You’ve already made her a beautiful necklace.”

  “I know, but I thought she needed something a little bit special. She showed me her dress last week. She feels like a fairy princess when she’s wearing it.”

  Rachel smiled. “Bella’s such a wonderful little girl. I still can’t believe we’re finally going to be a family.”

  “Bella adopted you the day you met. Open the box and tell me what you think.” Kelly watched Rachel’s face. As soon as she smiled, Kelly knew she’d made the right decision.

  “Bella’s going to love it.” Rachel sighed as she lifted the tiara out of the box.

  Kelly had looked far and wide before choosing which gemstones she’d use. Bella’s dress had a full, pale pink tulle skirt and satin bodice. It looked exactly like the type of dress a princess would wear. “The pink sapphires are from Tanzania. I made the central heart shape out of diamante stones, then added the sapphires to the tops of the scrolls at the sides.”

  Rachel held the tiara toward one of the overhead lights. “It’s beautiful. Look at how it sparkles.”

  “I wanted it to be a surprise. If it’s too big for her head, you can squeeze the back together to make it smaller.”

  “I’m sure it will look fabulous.” Rachel placed the tiara in its box and left it beside the necklaces. “I’m going to make coffee. Have you had dinner?”

  “Not yet,” Kelly said with a grimace. “It’s so busy at work. I can’t work out where everyone is coming from.”

  “I saw Doris Stanley today.” Rachel took two mugs out of her pantry. “I know what you’re thinking, but she didn’t even try and coerce any information out of me.”

  “I’m shocked. Was she feeling okay?”

  “That’s what I thought. I was waiting for her to ask me all sorts of questions, but she didn’t. She said she’s sorry about speaking to the reporter.”

  “Doris didn’t know it would become a big story.”

  “You’re too nice,” Rachel said as she left a mug of hot coffee beside Kelly. “Doris likes being the first person to know everything. She can’t help herself.”

  “She might think twice about sharing a story next time it happens.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it. Doris tends to jump feet first into gossip, then worry about where she’s landed. Would you like homemade burgers for dinner?”

  Kelly sighed. “Sounds wonderful. Thank you for not asking about Abagail.”

  “I want to take your mind off what’s happening, not create more stress. Besides, I’m getting married in less than two days’ time. We have to make the most of our time together.”

  “I’ll miss spending time with you.”

  Rachel squeezed Kelly’s hand. “We’ll still see lots of each other. I’m getting married, not moving to Australia.”

  “Ignore me. I’m feeling sorry for myself.”

  “Well, don’t feel too sorry. I hear Tanner’s been spending a lot of time with you.”

  Kelly’s heart sank. “It’s not what you think. Tanner is worried about the journal.”

  “I’ve known Tanner for as long as
I’ve known John. It’s not the journal he’s worried about—it’s you. He’s smitten.”

  “Smitten?”

  “He’s crazy about you,” Rachel said with a grin. “I went into Fletcher Security this morning and saw him in the hallway. He blushed when I told him I was seeing you tonight.”

  “Maybe he had an allergy or something.”

  “It’s the ‘or something’ you need to work on. You like him.”

  “I like a lot of people.”

  Rachel tutted. “Why do you have to be so stubborn? Ask him out on a date.”

  “Do you know how embarrassed I’ll be when he says no?”

  “Think positive. You’ll be even more surprised when he says yes.”

  There was no way Kelly would ask Tanner to go on a date with her. He’d already made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. If she even hinted that she liked him he would run a mile—and she needed him to stay close.

  Senator Jackson’s phone call had upset her. There was no way she would hand him Abagail’s journal. And now, because of that, she was waiting for his lawyer to contact her.

  Life couldn’t get much worse than that.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Kelly rubbed her eyes and squinted at her bedside clock. It was two o’clock on Friday morning and she desperately needed more sleep.

  She was so sure she would have slept through the night. She’d had a great time with Rachel. They’d had dinner together, then gone through Rachel’s to-do list, making sure everything was ready for her wedding on Saturday.

  By the time Kelly came home, a weight had lifted from her shoulders. Whatever happened with Senator Jackson’s lawyer wasn’t going to worry her. He wouldn’t get his hands on the journal. His family owned Abagail once—she wouldn’t let them own Abagail’s story now.

  Kelly turned over and closed her eyes. Her mind drifted over the last few days and landed with a thud on Tanner. Thinking about him definitely wouldn’t make her go to sleep. He was a great guy, but totally out of bounds at two o’clock in the morning. She needed to get more sleep, not think about why she liked him.

  Counting sheep didn’t work, so she recited the alphabet backward. All that did was confuse her. Tanner popped into her mind again.

  She still didn’t know why he was so helpful.

  Maybe he was bored. Deciphering a journal and tracking the history of antiques was addictive—especially to a man with a soft spot for first edition poetry books.

  The children had been so excited when he’d dressed as Santa—it was a wonder they let him leave the Christmas party.

  Her mind drifted to Emerald Lake, Ryan Evans’ lovely home, the incredible mountains.

  The thoughts inside her head slowed, became less complicated…

  A loud bang ricocheted around her bedroom.

  Kelly sighed and looked at the clock again. A stray cat or wild animal had probably jumped into the dumpster in the parking lot.

  Someone must have forgotten to close the lid after they’d used it. From past experience she knew that whatever animal was inside wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. If she went downstairs, shooed them away and closed the lid, she might be able to get another couple of hours’ sleep.

  Kelly pulled on a sweatshirt and jeans and sunk her feet into a pair of snow boots. She yawned and slowly made her way downstairs.

  As she turned on the hallway lights, she thought about the orders that were waiting to be wrapped. With a week left until Christmas, mailing the gifts today was her top priority.

  Halfway down the stairs she stopped. The back door was open. She’d locked it before going to bed. There was no reason why it should be…

  Someone’s in the store.

  Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. She grabbed hold of the banister and ran upstairs. Moving on auto-pilot, she remembered the drill that Tanner made her practice over and over again.

  Her hand hit the panic button a few seconds before she slammed her apartment door’s deadbolt into place.

  An ear-splitting siren filled the building, but she didn’t let that distract her from what she had to do.

  She threw another deadbolt across her bedroom door and grabbed the backpack she never thought she’d need.

  Tanner had told her to hide in her bathroom.

  She locked the door and leaned against the wall. With shaking hands she pulled her stun gun out of her bag and pointed it at the door.

  Tanner’s words kept repeating inside her head.

  The police were on their way.

  Fletcher Security were being dispatched.

  She was safe.

  Everything would be okay.

  ***

  Tanner pulled into a parking space close to Kelly’s apartment. Three patrol cars sat outside her antiques store, blocking access to the building.

  He walked toward them as fast as he could, but it wasn’t easy. Snow and ice made the sidewalk lethal. Two officers were unraveling crime scene tape around the front of the store and another was looking for fingerprints.

  He was thankful Tank had been working at Fletcher Security when Kelly activated her alarm.

  Tank had arrived at her building before the police. He’d found her in the bathroom, holding her stun gun and terrified to move.

  After Tank called him, it took Tanner less than fifteen minutes to throw on some clothes and drive across town.

  He buried his hands in his jacket pockets and peered at the store’s front door.

  The pane of glass above the lock had been smashed. It wouldn’t have mattered if Kelly had added three deadbolts to the wooden frame. With no glass to keep them away, the burglars had easy access to what they were looking for.

  Tanner just hoped they hadn’t been looking for Kelly. He sent a text to Tank and waited.

  One of the officers frowned. “Is that you, Tanner?”

  “Hi, Mack. What happened?”

  “Suspected home invasion. No one saw anything.”

  Tanner pointed to the underside of the veranda. “The security camera is on a twenty-four-hour loop. Kelly will have to authorize a copy for you.”

  “Already sorted. Do you know the owner of the building?”

  He wasn’t sure how to explain his relationship with Kelly, even to himself. “She’s my friend.”

  Tank appeared from around the side of the building. “Kelly’s okay. She’s upstairs having coffee. Tom Callahan is the detective in charge.”

  Tanner glanced at Mack, hoping he didn’t have any reason to stop him from entering the building.

  Mack waved him away. “Go. I’ll radio ahead and let Tom know you’re here.”

  “Follow me,” Tank said quickly. “The police have already searched the building.”

  “What happened?”

  “Kelly woke up at two o’clock. A few minutes later she heard a loud bang. She thought some cats or wild animals were in the dumpster out the back. When she went downstairs, the back door was open.”

  Tanner held back the oath that rose like bile in the back of his throat. “Has anyone called her family?”

  Tank took the stairs two at a time. “She doesn’t want us to contact them.”

  When Tanner walked into her apartment, Kelly was sitting in a chair, holding a mug of coffee. When she saw him her bottom lip trembled and tears filled her eyes.

  An ache built deep in his chest. He’d never seen her look so vulnerable or scared. Something inside him splintered into a thousand pieces leaving him shocked and angry.

  He opened his arms and she ran toward him.

  “I thought they were going to hurt me.” She wrapped her arms around his chest, holding on tight.

  “You’re okay.” He tightened his hold, offering what little comfort he could. She sighed and buried herself in his chest.

  “Excuse me, Ms. Harris.”

  Tanner looked over Kelly’s head at the detective. He’d seen the same look in Tom’s eyes too many times not to know what it meant.

  Ke
lly took half a step away from Tanner and wiped her eyes.

  Tom held out a pry bar and a hammer. “One of our team found these tools in your workroom. Do they belong to you?”

  “No. They’re not mine.”

  Tom nodded and handed the tools to another detective. “We’ll be here for a while. Do you have somewhere you can stay tonight?”

  “I’ll go to a hotel,” she whispered. “Is it okay if I pack a bag to take with me?”

  “Of course. We don’t need to come into your apartment. Whoever broke into your building didn’t make it as far as the stairs.”

  Kelly’s troubled eyes settled on Tanner. “If you hadn’t installed the security system I don’t know what would have happened.”

  “You’re safe now and that’s all that matters.” He didn’t know how she’d feel about what he said next, but there was no way he’d let her stay in a hotel. “If you don’t want to stay with your parents, you can stay with me.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Yes, you can. You need somewhere safe to sleep while Tom and his team work out who broke into your store.”

  She frowned.

  “I’m a security specialist, Kelly. My home is like Fort Knox. The only thing better would be going to the police station with Tom.”

  “And you don’t want to sleep there,” Tom added with a smile. “Go home with Tanner. He’ll look after you.”

  Kelly took a deep breath and looked at Tanner. “Thank you. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  He watched her walk toward her bedroom. When she was out of the room he turned to Tom. “Did Kelly tell you about the journal?”

  He nodded. “I’ve suggested she find somewhere else to store it. If the journal is the reason someone broke into her building, she won’t be safe on her own. Even if we tell the news media it’s not here there’s no guarantee someone won’t come after her to locate it.”

  “She won’t leave her apartment for more than a few nights.”

  “That’s a discussion you need to have with her. We’re sending officers to speak with Senator Jackson. He scared her and I don’t believe in coincidences.”

  Neither did Tanner.

  Kelly came back into the room with her backpack slung over one shoulder. “I’m ready.”