Guarding Sierra: (Soldiering On #2)

by Aislinn Kearns

  Mandy made a sound of annoyance. “He’s always been impulsive. What did he do?”

  “He basically said it was a mistake and shouldn’t’ve happened. He’s determined not to be impulsive anymore. He thinks he’s going to get in trouble from you and Duncan.”

  Mandy hummed in thought. “I think I’m going to reserve judgement on that one. Then, if he hurts you—more than he already has—I can keep a possible punishment in my back pocket for when it’s needed.”

  Sierra grinned. “Deferred punishment. I like it.”

  Mandy softened her voice, hesitating. “You will be okay, being around him, won’t you?”

  “I can’t deny that I’m mad. Really mad. I should have known better. Never trust the charming ones.” She’d made that mistake before, and look how it had turned out.

  “Now, I don’t know much about Blake’s love life, but—”

  “He told me himself that he doesn’t connect emotionally with people. I just didn’t listen to the warning. He’s just like my father.”

  “That surprises me.”

  “It doesn’t surprise me. Men are all the same. Most of them, anyway. My father had multiple affairs until he drove away my mother. Percy and Grant are even worse. My clients, men on the street, all of them keep confirming my worst thoughts about men.”

  Sierra swivelled her chair around to survey the cityscape beyond her window. Where were the good men? Sure there had to be some.

  “To be fair, you are always ready to believe the worst in men.”

  “And none have pleasantly surprised me, yet,” she muttered sourly. She’d thought maybe Blake…but no.

  “Duncan’s not bad, if you ignore all the infuriating things about him. He has a good heart.” Mandy said it grudgingly, but Sierra knew better. She just needed to wait for Mandy to realise it.

  Sierra scoffed, trying to hold back her laughter. “Yeah, I’m not touching that one.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “You’ll figure it out. Eventually.”

  “Fine. But I’m not giving up on you.” Mandy sounded calculating, and Sierra didn’t know whether to be amused or nervous.

  “Really, it’s okay. I have this big presentation tomorrow, and I really don’t—”

  Mandy cut her off. “Just… If you need anything from me just ask. And if you want me to fire Blake, I will. You’re the most important thing to me.”

  Grateful tears welled in Sierra’s eyes. It was such a relief knowing that she had someone at her back. Someone that would put her first.

  “Thanks, hun. I don’t think it’ll come to that. But I’ll let you know.”

  They hung up, and Sierra steeled herself to open the door and let Blake back in. She didn’t want him there, torn between hating him and remembering the acute pleasure he’d given her the night before. It was distracting at best, upsetting at worst.

  She’d known better, and she’d still let her heart hope for more. She had no one but herself to blame.

  Though, that didn’t mean she couldn’t still be mad at Blake. And she fully intended to be.

  Anger was better than hurt.

  Chapter 22

  Mandy practically bounced into Duncan’s office. She didn’t know exactly what drew her to Duncan, of all people, in that moment. But she was excited for the possibilities brewing between Blake and Sierra and she wanted to tell someone. Unfortunately for her, Duncan was the only one available.

  She almost turned back when she reached the door to his office and saw that fierce scowl on his face. Never a good sign.

  “Guess what?” she began.

  His eyes shifted, transferring his glare onto her. “What?” he snarled.

  She bristled with the urge to fight. “I just thought that you’d want to know that Blake broke company policy last night.”

  Duncan seemed to shake himself, his frown becoming more confused than angry. “What do you mean? Do we even have company policies?”

  Mandy rolled her eyes. Then, she glanced behind her and shut the door on Gladys’ curious stare. Their secretary was a fiend for office gossip.

  “I mean,” she began as she perched herself in the chair opposite Duncan. “That Blake and Sierra slept together last night.”

  A muscle ticked in Duncan’s jaw. “That asshole.”

  A feeling of unease whispered through her. “Hey, now, it was consensual. You can’t blame him for the entirety of this mess.”

  His jaw worked, and Mandy could hear the grating of his teeth from where she sat. A clear sign of stress. He should really get that seen to before he did permanent damage.

  “I gave him a chance and he blew it. It’s clear he shouldn’t be out in the field if this is what he’s doing with his time. I have to call him off.”

  Duncan reached for the phone. Mandy leaned forward and snaked her arm out to grip his wrist.

  “If you call him off, who will protect Sierra?”

  “Look, I’m sure she’ll be fine. I’ll find someone to replace him in a few days.” He tugged at his hand, but Mandy didn’t let go. She was sure he could pull free if he really wanted to, but he subsided instead.

  “You want to leave my best friend unprotected for a few days with a serial killer stalking her? Are you insane?” Mandy’s voice rose until the last words came as a shout.

  Duncan’s eyebrows rose. “It’s a serial killer, now?” He didn’t seem impressed.

  He hadn’t heard the news. Mandy slowly released her grip on his wrist and sat back with an ever-so-slightly smug smile. “According to Destiny, yes.”

  Duncan blinked. “What?”

  Taking immense pleasure in the fact that she had more information than him about the case, Mandy filled him in on what she knew. As she finished, he lifted a hand to wearily rub his eyes.

  “Okay,” he said.

  Mandy frowned. “Okay, what?”

  “Okay, I won’t take him off the job. At least, not until a replacement can be found.”

  Mandy cleared her throat. “Can’t you… not? I mean, what if they actually work it out? That would be pretty great, wouldn’t it?”

  He stared at her, incredulous. “You’re match-making now?”

  She shrugged. “She’s my best friend, and she’s been through a rough time. She deserves some fun, and I like Blake. He’s impulsive, but he’s a good guy.”

  Duncan let out a gusty sigh and tipped his head back against his chair. “All right. For now, I’ll let it go. But if I see so much as a hint that he’s too distracted or it’s compromising Sierra’s safety, I’m going to pull him. Is that understood?”

  Mandy nodded. “I agree.”

  Duncan turned back to his computer, clearly having dismissed her from his office. Stubborn to the end, Mandy decided to stay.

  “So what’s got you all frowny-faced today?”

  He didn’t move his head, just looked at her out the corner of his eye. Then, he suddenly swivelled to face her. “Let me take you out for coffee.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t get excited, it’s a work thing.”

  “Can we not discuss it here?”

  “No.”

  Mandy considered him for a good, long while. He gazed back with a blank expression.

  “Fine,” she capitulated.

  He immediately stood and chivvied her out of the office, past a very intrigued Gladys. Mandy was equally curious about what the hell Duncan was doing. It wasn’t until they were settled at a nearby café, lattes in hand, that Duncan told her.

  “We have a problem.”

  Mandy raised an inquisitive brow. “And you didn’t mention this earlier, because…?”

  “Because you came barging into my office determined to discuss the sex lives of our employees.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “So, what’s the problem? Why drag me out here to tell me?”

  Duncan paused, considered his latte, and then finally looked up at her with a piercing gaze. “We were broken into last night.”

  Mandy he
ld still, allowing the words to sink in. “What?” she managed.

  “It was skillful, too. Even beyond the skill they’d need to actually get past our security systems, they barely left any trace. Definitely a professional.”

  “So, how do you know they were there at all?”

  “I have layers upon layers of security. They happened to miss one.” He looked insufferably smug at the prospect.

  “Was it a robbery? Or something more?”

  “It would require a world class operative to bypass our systems. Not something a common thief would even attempt.”

  “So you think it could be related to one of our active cases?” Mandy’s mind immediately leapt to the necessary damage control she’d need to do.

  “I don’t know. Zack is working on something that could turn out to be big. I don’t think Sierra’s stalker-slash-serial killer would have the technical knowhow, but you never can tell.”

  “Oh my God. What did they take?” Her hands tightened around her coffee mug.

  “Nothing. Nothing physical, at least. They tried to access our computer systems. Paul can’t say for sure whether they managed to get in or not.”

  “So they might have come away empty handed?”

  Duncan shrugged. “Not necessarily.”

  “Well?” she demanded.

  “If it had been me, I would have planted bugs.”

  Mandy sat back in her seat as understanding dawned. “Ah. Hence the coffee shop for this conversation.”

  Duncan grinned. “Exactly.”

  “So why not just find and dismantle any bugs?”

  “I’ll find them, but I think I might keep them for a while. You never know when they might come in handy.” He tapped his fingers against the table, excitement radiating from him. He wanted the game, the chase.

  “Feeding false information?” she guessed.

  “Indeed. Might need to smoke them out.” His grin was predatory.

  “Right. I’ll try to remember they are there.”

  “Do. In the meantime, I’m going to devise a plan.”

  The unholy pleasure in his eyes at the thought was unnerving.

  Chapter 23

  The apartment was cold and dark when Sierra and Blake finally returned later that night. The spell of intimacy from the night before hung in the air, imprinting itself on corners of the rooms. There, the doorway where he’d kissed her so hungrily and brought her to orgasm; and there, her bed, where they’d stayed until dawn; and there, the window, where she realised it was all going wrong.

  Blake didn’t look at her as he did his check of the apartment, unnatural in his avoidance of eye contact. Tension simmered. Memories hung between them, an awkward awareness that made her feel stiff and stilted.

  Because the uncomfortable silence was utterly unbearable, Sierra grasped at threads and tangents in her mind, desperately seeking something to say.

  “Should we order in some food?”

  She wasn’t really that hungry. The roiling nerves in her stomach making her disinterested in eating. But it would break the ice, if nothing else. A normal thing for them to do.

  Blake shrugged. “Sure.” Still didn’t look at her.

  “What do you feel like? Thai?” He obviously had no intention of making this easy.

  “Sounds fine.”

  Okay then. She wandered into the kitchen as he finished up his check. She had a drawer full of takeout menus, and because of her hectic schedule at work, used them often. She extracted the one for the Thai place a few blocks away and started dialling.

  Blake came into the room and made an immediate beeline for the fridge. When he pulled out some cheese and bread, Sierra narrowed her eyes.

  “I’m literally ordering food right now.” The ringing of the phone sounded loud in her ear.

  Blake shrugged. “I’ll still eat it.”

  She eyed him, noting the way his clothes hung on him. He must have lost some of his weight and muscle mass recovering from being shot. She supposed it wouldn’t hurt for him to bulk up some more.

  She ordered a few of her favourite dishes and threw in a few extra for Blake. Since he seemed apathetic about everything tonight, she didn’t bother asking him what his choices were. He could live with what he was given.

  When she hung up the phone, the only sound in the room was Blake assembling his cheese sandwich. Every clink of the knife against the plate made her grit her teeth harder, but to get out of the kitchen, she would have to pass both Blake and the doorway that was imprinted with the memory of last night. And then he’d know that he’d got to her. She looked around, seeking something—anything—to distract her.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

  Sierra hesitated. “Do you want to be more specific?”

  His lips pressed together in a thin line. “I’m sorry that my misjudgement and lack of self-control got us into this mess.”

  Sierra rolled her eyes. “I was there, too, you know. Whatever happened I was equally responsible.”

  “I’m the professional in this relationship. I should have done better.” His voice was tight, his shoulders hunched. It was clear that he was deeply frustrated by his actions.

  Sierra slipped into the chair opposite him. “Look, whatever you think you’ve done, please get over it. We had sex. It was consensual. Yes, I’m pissed off it turned out the way it did, but we have to work together now. And, worse, live together. So let’s just pretend it never happened and move on, shall we?”

  He stared down at his sandwich, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

  “Here’s the thing,” he began, then glanced up at her. “I have a habit of doing impulsive things.”

  Like sleeping around? Well, at least he was admitting it. “Right.”

  “And I’m worried I’m getting worse, not better. Eventually it’s going to get me into some real trouble. And I don’t want to be that guy any—”

  The doorbell rang. Blake swivelled his head toward the door and paused. Then his face cleared. “Oh, yeah, Duncan is meant to be coming over tonight to drop me off a few changes of clothes. He said he needs to talk to me about a few things. Probably to chew me out over last night.” He gave her a pointed look as he pushed himself up from the table.

  She rolled her eyes, but he’d already turned his back on her, making his way over to the door. If Duncan was so upset, it added weight to the theory that Blake made a habit of sleeping around.

  “Blake?” Duncan called.

  “Coming!” Blake replied. He reached the door and swung it open. Duncan stood on the other side, a black duffle bag in one hand.

  Sierra stood as the two men greeted each other. “Duncan, come in. We’re waiting on some Thai food.”

  Duncan shook his head. “Thanks, but there are some urgent things I need to get back to in the office. I just have to debrief Blake first.”

  It was after eight, so it seemed like she and Duncan had more in common than she’d thought if he worked such late hours.

  “Let’s have this conversation outside, shall we? Not much privacy in here,” Blake told Duncan, chivvying him out the door. He turned to Sierra before he shut the door. “Don’t go anywhere.”

  The latch clicked shut before Sierra could give in to the impulse to poke her tongue out at him.

  She felt like she could finally breathe for the first time all day.

  Sierra took the opportunity to change into her comfortable clothes, brush out her hair, and take off her makeup. It was her nightly ritual when her house wasn’t crowded by an oversized man.

  The doorbell rang again as she finished washing her face. Either it was Blake, having finished his conversation with Duncan, or the takeout had arrived. She patted herself dry and went to check.

  She padded barefoot through the lounge and reached the door. As she turned the handle, it occurred to her that she should have asked who was on the other side.

  But it was too late.

  A violent shove sent the door slipping out of her hand to bang against t
he doorstop with a dull thud.

  Sierra froze in horror.

  The person that stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the hallway light, was neither Blake nor the delivery man. He—for the shape seemed masculine—towered over her, his body poised to strike. He was dressed head-to-toe in black. Even his face and hands were covered. A fine mesh covered his eyes, disguising their appearance.

  Sierra drew in a breath to yell. A dark gloved hand moved towards her. She flinched. When she felt the cold press of a blade against her throat she forced herself to become still and silent, not a breath passing her lips.

  She swallowed, letting out an unsteady exhalation.

  Her attacker brought his other hand up and pressed his index finger against his lips, pressing the knife into her skin to impress the point. She gave a shaky nod to show she understood.

  There was a roaring in her ears, drowning out all other sound. Her heartbeat raced in her chest, pounding a steady rhythm of terror.

  She took an instinctive step back. He followed her, a sick parody of a dance. She couldn’t think, couldn’t plan, as fear had completely decimated her rational thought.

  Where was Blake?

  She backed up a few more steps, and still he stalked towards her. It was the unhurried nature of his movements that got to her. He intended to take his time with her.

  The door clicked shut, locking her in with her worst nightmare. The cause of all that dread she’d been living with for the past year.

  She shuddered. Empty blackness stared back at her, showing no emotion. He was calm, controlled. No unnecessary movements. He had no intention of making any mistakes.

  “What are you going to do to me?” she whispered.

  He didn’t answer.

  The back of her knees hit the armrest on the sofa. She stopped, not wanting to topple backwards and put herself in an even more vulnerable position. Her eyes darted around, peering through the darkness for something, anything, that could be used as a weapon.

  This time he didn’t stay at arm’s length. He pushed in closer, until his body was nearly pressed against hers. He was trying to intimidate her.

  He smelled of sick excitement—almost feverish—the one reaction he couldn’t control.