Bodyguard

by Shirlee McCoy

  “What’s wrong, Ian?” she said, probably sensing his nervous energy.

  “I’ve been thinking,” he said. “That I don’t want to go into witness protection as your bodyguard. I wan—”

  “I understand, Ian.” She cut him off before he could finish, obviously assuming something that had never occurred to him.

  “I don’t think you do,” he responded, taking her hand and pulling her closer, mentally kicking himself for making her think for even a moment that he’d walk away. “I don’t want to go into witness protection as your bodyguard, because I’m hoping to change my job title before we get on the plane.”

  “To what?” She looked confused and relieved, her smile returning.

  “Fiancé?” he suggested, pulling the ring from his pocket. He had purchased it at an antiques store, the teardrop-shaped emerald surrounded by small mine-cut diamonds, the gold band carved with dozens of infinity symbols.

  Her eyes widened when she saw it, and she met his gaze.

  “Ian,” she breathed, and he didn’t know what she meant to say. He only knew what he had to tell her.

  The words spilled out. Not practiced or rehearsed. Not the canned little speech that a few of his buddies had suggested. Esme deserved so much more than that.

  “I didn’t realize what I was missing until I found you, Esme. You are everything I didn’t know I was looking for, everything I didn’t know I needed. When I’m with you, I’m home. When I’m not, all I can think about is finding my way back. I’d give all I have to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes,” she said, the word choking out as she reached for him, pulled him in for a hug that spoke all the words she hadn’t said.

  He could hear them in the quiet hitch of her breath, the soft whisper of her hair against his jacket as she laid her head against his chest.

  He could have stood with her forever, let that one perfect moment continue, but King nudged his hand, and he realized he was still holding the ring.

  He looked down into Esme’s face, smiling into her eyes as he slipped the ring on her finger.

  “I love you,” he said.

  “I love you, too,” she responded, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

  “Then why are you crying?”

  “Because this is the most beautiful moment I have ever lived, and I’m so glad I’m living it with you.” She offered a watery smile, and he wiped the tear away, kissing her gently, letting the sound of his friends’ warm congratulations fill his heart as he took her hand, signaled for King and walked out of the room and into their future together.

  * * * * *

  If you enjoyed BODYGUARD, look for the next book in the CLASSIFIED K-9 UNIT series, TRACKER by Lenora Worth.

  And don’t miss a book in the series:

  GUARDIAN by Terri Reed

  SHERIFF by Laura Scott

  SPECIAL AGENT by Valerie Hansen

  BOUNTY HUNTER by Lynette Eason

  BODYGUARD by Shirlee McCoy

  TRACKER by Lenora Worth

  CLASSIFIED K-9 UNIT CHRISTMAS by Terri Reed and Lenora Worth

  Available now from Love Inspired Suspense!

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  Keep reading for an excerpt from PLAIN RETRIBUTION by Dana R. Lynn.

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  Dear Reader,

  When I first began writing for Love Inspired, my children were young. I worked late at night because it was the only time when I didn’t have a toddler in my lap or “Mom!” ringing in my ears. I was so excited to be an author and to share my stories with others. I sat down to write my first reader letter, and I froze. I had no idea what to say! All these years later, that still happens.

  Nevertheless, I’ve found that my words reach the people they are intended for. Perhaps this letter is yours. Perhaps these words are meant for your heart. Because you matter. You do. You are not just a tiny dot on a small planet floating in the darkness of a vast universe. You are a bright light in the life of the people who love you. You are infinitely valuable to your creator, immensely loved by a God who sees your faults and still calls you His. Wherever your road has taken you, I hope that you find comfort in knowing He is there. And if you have lost your way, I pray He leads you safely home.

  As always, I would love to hear from you! You can reach me at shirlee@shirleemccoy.com or find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

  Blessings,

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

  You enjoy a dash of danger. Love Inspired Suspense stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.

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  Plain Retribution

  by Dana R. Lynn

  ONE

  She hated this time of night.

  Rebecca Miller stepped outside and shut the shop’s door behind her, taking care to lock it. The air was thick with the smell of wood smoke from the houses nearby. She rubbed her arms to ward off a chill—not all of it from the cool fall air. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. Was she being watched? Holding the key out in front of her like a weapon, she peered into the darkness. Nothing. Her brother Levi would have cautioned her against letting her imagination run wild. Her Amish mother would chide her for her lack of faith in the Lord’s protection. Well, she had faith. But she had also learned the hard way that having faith did not prevent horrible things from happening. And she had the scars, mentally and physically, to prove it.

  Her breathing quickened. She forced herself to breathe slowly. In. Out. In. Out. Better. Was she panting? Could anyone hear it? Levi had told her that hearing people could hear the sound of her rapid breaths when she was frightened. How accurate that was, she didn’t know. She’d never heard breathing, or any other sound, in her entire life. Rebecca had been profoundly deaf since she had been born into her large Amish family. They hadn’t put hearing aids on her. When she had left her Amish community instead of being baptized at seventeen, she had tried them, but didn’t notice any difference. Now at twenty-five, she had no interest in trying them again.

  She rarely allowed her deafness to hold her back, having spent years striving for independence in the hearing world, but sometimes she felt the lack of hearing keenly. Like now, knowing if someone was stepping closer to her, she’d never hear them coming.

  She wondered again what had possessed her to agree—for the first time since she’d taken the job—to close by herself the bookstore she worked in. Every other time she’d worked this late, she’d had someone else closing with her. Granted, it was only a little after eight thirty in the evening, but in O
ctober, it was so dark out that it might as well have been ten o’clock at night. She shivered. Whether from cold or apprehension, she wasn’t sure.

  Sucking in a deep breath for fortification, she started across the empty alley to where her car was parked. Maybe she should have taken her best friend Jess’s offer to let her husband, Seth, drive her home when he had finished his work shift. She could have waited inside the locked store until he came, and they could have retrieved her car tomorrow. Not wanting to put them out, she’d refused. Now she wished she’d accepted.

  No. She shook her head. It was time she took care of herself and got over her fear of the dark.

  In her periphery, a shadow moved. She flinched. You’re being ridiculous, she signed in her head. No one was there.

  Her heart continued to thud inside her chest. Memories of the past started to cloud her thoughts. What if someone was out there, like before? Only, this time, she was alone. Of course, having people with her hadn’t been enough to protect her back then.

  Please, Lord, be my shield.

  Holding her hand out, she pressed the key fob to unlock the car door. The headlights blinked, then remained on. In the sudden light, she saw her hand was shaking. She hated the fear that crawled inside her. The fear that kept her from going about her life like anyone else. Instead, she was constantly looking over her shoulder.

  Just a few more feet, and she would be safe inside her car. She quickened her pace and practically threw herself into the car, then slammed the door behind her. Leaning back against the headrest, she let out a slow breath and felt her heart pounding inside her chest.

  Remaining where she was, she flicked her gaze to the rearview mirror. And froze.

  Cold, dark eyes glittered at her from beneath a dark ski mask. Someone was in her car!

  Whipping around, she came face-to-face with a nightmare. The intruder shot forward and grabbed her by the neck and yanked her back against the headrest, trying to choke her. She couldn’t breathe! Lungs burning, the keys fell from her hand as she twisted and turned, trying to break her attacker’s hold. Both of her hands latched on to the arm around her throat. She tugged and pulled with all her might, but to no avail. Her eyes seemed hyperfocused, zooming in on every detail as adrenaline coursed through her system. She saw every hair on the arm that tightened around her throat, noted the sharp lines of the tattoo on his wrist. She struggled against her attacker’s grip, but he wouldn’t budge. Her knee banged against the steering wheel. She barely noticed it.

  The alley was empty. There was no use hoping anyone would see her.

  The man’s grip tightened. Rebecca clawed at his arm as hard as she could, feeling several fingernails break off. Lifting one hand, she shoved it back into the attacker’s face, stabbing her thumb into one dark eye.

  The black-masked figure reared back and rubbed his injured eye.

  She was free! But she wasn’t safe. Not yet.

  Before the villain could recover, Rebecca fumbled for the door latch and tumbled out of the car. Gaining her feet, she bolted.

  Out into the alley and toward Main Street, she ran as fast as her long legs would carry her.

  As she approached the end of the alley, the glow from the streetlights cast shadows on the buildings she raced past. The attacker’s shadow loomed too close. And it was getting closer. Her attacker was only a few feet behind her! Leaning forward, she pushed herself harder.

  A hand slid down her hair. She felt a few strands catch, rip out of her scalp. The pain was instant, but it wasn’t enough to stop her. She kept running, even as her eyes watered.

  She opened her mouth. She screamed. Whether it was loud enough for anyone to hear, she had no idea. But her throat was raw. And her energy was waning.

  Almost there.

  Her attacker grabbed her from behind and threw her to the ground. Rebecca skidded onto the ground. Gravel scraped across her palms, and she ripped her skirt.

  She flipped herself over to a sitting position so she could see her assailant. As he rushed toward her again, she scooped up a handful of dirt and gravel and flung it at the disguised figure with all her might. Her aim was true.

  There was a brief moment of satisfaction as he covered his eyes with his gloved hands. But she knew this wouldn’t hold him off for long, so she didn’t hang around to gloat. She jumped to her feet and ran out into the street.

  And right into the path of a moving car.

  The car veered slightly to the side and came to a sudden halt inches from hitting her.

  Praise the Lord. She sent up an earnest prayer. It was a police car. She had almost been run down by one of LaMar Pond’s finest. And now she had an officer to protect her from the attacker, who had to be closing in on her by now.

  Shooting a panicked glance over her shoulder, she exhaled in relief when she saw her attacker had fled.

  The police car door opened and a tall officer jumped from the vehicle and rushed to her side. He pulled her off the street and onto the sidewalk, under a streetlight. For the first time, she took note of his familiar features. Warm blue eyes, blond hair that tended to get shaggy. Miles Olsen. She sighed in relief. She had met the young officer last spring when Jess had been in danger. Not only was he a policeman, but he was also the only one in LaMar Pond who could sign.

  “Rebecca! I almost hit you. What’s wrong?” Miles signed to her in fluent ASL.

  “You didn’t see him?” she signed back.

  He immediately straightened and peered into the alley she had just exited. “Was someone bothering you?”

  “He attacked me. He was waiting in my car. I didn’t notice until I’d already gotten in...”

  She couldn’t go on. The trembling started inside and worked itself outward until she was shaking so hard she could barely stand up.

  A strong arm wrapped around her shoulder and led her back to the police car. Miles ushered her into the passenger side of the car then reached past her to flip on the hazard lights and grab a flashlight. He switched on the light and shone it back down the alley. Which, as far as she could see, was empty.

  Activating the radio hooked to his shoulder, he said something into it. “I called for backup. It should be here soon,” he signed to her when he finished. “You stay here. I’m going to lock the car and have a look around.”

  Rebecca started to protest. She didn’t want to be a sitting duck all by herself if her attacker came back. Plus, the idea of being alone was terrifying right now. She wondered if this was what people meant when they talked about going into shock. It was hard to wrap her mind around what was happening.

  Miles squatted, putting them on the same level with each other. Switching the flashlight to his left hand, he continued to sign with his right. “Don’t worry. I will wait to canvas your car until help arrives. But I need to make sure he isn’t hiding out nearby. I’ll stay in sight. Okay?”

  It made sense. As long as she could see him, there was no reason to panic.

  She nodded. Miles swung the door closed. Placing her hand on the door panel, she felt the vibration of the locking mechanism sliding into place. Only then did she relax. Craning her neck, she watched Miles cautiously approach the alley and inspect it for hidden threats.

  Several cars passed them. The flashing lights inside the dark car made her imagine shadows that weren’t there. Hurry, please, she thought.

  Five minutes later, he jogged back to the car and let himself in.

  “I didn’t see anything suspicious. I still need to examine your car. But I don’t want to leave you here by yourself. Let me check on the status of our backup, and we can get this sorted out.”

  She nodded to show she understood.

  Using the button on the dashboard, he placed the call. “They’ll be here in a minute,” he assured her, then turned off the hazard lights and moved his vehicle over to the si
de of the street. “I also called for the paramedics. Your throat looks bruised.”

  She grimaced, but didn’t argue. Her throat was hurting.

  He reached down for a notebook and a pen. “Okay,” he signed. “I need you to tell me everything you can remember. Start at the beginning.”

  Sitting forward, she closed her eyes as she racked her brain to figure out the sequence of events. It was easier to focus on what had occurred if she wasn’t looking at him.

  “I work at A Novel Idea. I had agreed to close alone tonight. We stay open late on Wednesday nights. My boss, April Long, was going to visit her parents for a few days, or she would have closed with me, the way she usually does. I walked to my car, got in, looked into the rearview mirror—”

  Abruptly, she stopped. The memory of those cold eyes glaring back at her had icy fingers running up and down her spine. She dropped her head into her trembling hands.

  A hand tapping her left shoulder jolted her out of her fear. Moving her head so her cheek rested on her clasped hands, she glanced over at the cop.

  “It’s okay,” he signed. “I know this is hard, but we’ll figure this out.”

  Breaking eye contact, he sent a cursory glance down at the notes he had made. “So, did anyone else know what time you were leaving tonight?”

  Tilting her head, Rebecca sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and chewed on it.

  “I don’t know. It’s been on the schedule all week. Oh, I did tell one person—I was emailing Jess yesterday about something else, and mentioned that I’d be closing. She offered to have Seth drive me, but I told her I’d be okay.” She pushed back her hair and plowed through the rest. “He was waiting for me inside my car. Tried to choke me. I stabbed him in the eye and tried to escape. But he caught me again.”

  Forcing herself to sign slowly and precisely, she described the attack.

  “If you hadn’t shown up when you did, he would have gotten me.”