All he wanted was to keep her safe. To accomplish that, he had to find out what the President and S.A.T.O. had planned for her. He still wasn’t sure whether he believed Paul hadn’t known Carlie’s true identity. It seemed too coincidental for S.A.T.O. to decide she was a terrorist threat and investigate her. There had to be a reason they became interested in her.
Pulling the phone from his pocket, he tapped on Paul’s number and opened the texting program.
I’m living in the target’s house now. Awaiting further instructions after your meeting.
At least Paul would know he acted the part of a good little agent. Depending how things went, at some point Nick might have to call his friend in California. Donovan Andrews had been a huge help when Paul sent the order to kill Jason Steele. Maybe he’d help again.
For now, Nick needed to secure things here, teach Carlie new defenses, and take care of Stephen if the jerk came around again.
He turned on the faucet and cupped cold water in his hands, splashing it over his face. Carlie had decorated the bathroom in blacks and yellows, and he grabbed a sunny hand towel and dried off before walking out to the living room.
The girls sat together on the couch. Carlie appeared to be on death’s door. In comparison, Shelley had her hair and makeup perfectly done. She looked ready to hit the town for a night of Flamenco dancing, not like a woman on her way to work. They talked in hushed tones, but both looked up when he entered.
Shelley rose from her seat and rushed him, shoving his shoulder hard. “Why didn’t you kill that asshole?”
“Shelley,” Carlie protested, “it wasn’t Nick’s fault. He saved my life. Don’t attack him.”
Nick leaned against the wall next to the entertainment center and folded his arms. “I nearly did. I wanted to. But Carlie needed me, and I doubt snapping someone’s neck is as easy as movies make it seem.”
Shelley’s eyes widened and she looked a bit more respectful. “You actually thought about snapping his neck?”
Carlie made an impatient sound. “It doesn’t matter, guys. What I really need is to learn better defenses. I couldn’t even figure out how to get him to stop choking me.” She rolled her eyes. “Clearly repeated punches to the gut don’t do the trick.”
Shaking her head, Shelley turned back to Carlie. “You’re going for your black belt and you don’t know how to break a choke hold?”
Looking dejected, Carlie shrugged. “I panicked and couldn’t remember what to do. I haven’t gone over that stuff very much. I’m an okay fighter, but he got the upper hand.” She looked at the ground, not meeting either of their eyes.
Knowing her past, it made sense to Nick why she didn’t have all the necessary skills. If she had changed where she lived every six months, things likely slipped through the cracks. She probably learned the basic skills of each belt level, and none of her past instructors realized she had gaps in her education. Which must have been why Sensei Hideaki told her she wasn’t ready to test yet. He saw she was lacking.
Nick crossed the room and caught Carlie’s hand in his. She glanced up and he stared into her hazel eyes, trying not to lose himself in the drug that was her gaze. “It’s not your fault, Carlie. I’m going to teach you properly and everything will be okay.”
She bit her lip and shook her head slowly. “What if it isn’t?” She glanced Shelley’s direction and whispered, “I don’t want to run again.”
Leaning down, he brushed a soft kiss against her lips. “We’re going to fix this. I promise.”
He let go of her hand and stood upright, facing Shelley. Even though she was barely a black belt, Nick had trained with her for almost a month and knew she was a capable fighter. “I have to take care of a few things. Will you stay with Carlie?”
Shelley nodded at the same time as Carlie asked, “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to switch out the signs at Carlie’s Creations to let people know you’ll be closed again tomorrow, and I need to check in at my restaurant.”
Carlie nodded. “I appreciate that. Make sure you’re clear that the shop will open Wednesday. I don’t hurt too much. If I use ice packs a lot, maybe I can get the bruising down enough to work without scaring the customers off.”
“I’ll help too,” Shelley said. “We can cover a lot with makeup.”
He nodded. “Great. For now, though, the focus has to be on getting you up to speed protecting yourself.” Nick couldn’t be with her every second. If she had assassins after her in addition to S.A.T.O.’s agents, Carlie had a lot to learn in a hurry.
Shelley crossed to the couch and grabbed her purse. “Don’t worry about us for now. I’ll teach her while you’re gone.”
“And what are you doing with the purse?” he asked.
She unzipped it pulled out a shiny black handgun. “I’ve won every shooting competition I’ve entered for the last five years.” There was a hard glint in her eye. “If Stephen comes near her again, he won’t have time to wonder what hit him.”
Though Nick was glad Shelley had plenty in her arsenal to help with Carlie’s protection, it worried him that she only knew about Stephen. “Or anyone else. It doesn’t have to be Stephen who hurts her.”
Carlie narrowed her eyes, and Nick knew he overstepped the boundaries of what she would tolerate.
“I’m not entirely helpless,” she said. “I’ve taken care of myself for a lot of years.”
He sighed. “I know, but you’re giving up some control, remember?”
“And so are you,” she shot back.
“Which worked out so great this morning.”
A grin lit her face, as he hoped it would. “I’m glad you both care about me,” she said, “but please don’t treat me like a wounded bird with no control over her destiny.”
Shelley looked at Nick and shrugged before returning her attention to Carlie. “Of course we know you’re not, sweetie. We just want to keep you safe.”
“Exactly,” he agreed, walking toward the door. “Take care of each other while I’m gone. I’ll be back soon.”
He half hoped Carlie would rush over and kiss him goodbye, but she kept her place on the couch. Whether that was because she didn’t want to seem eager or because she was angry with him and Shelley for talking as though she weren’t in the room, he couldn’t tell.
A part of him wanted to walk back to her and kiss her, claim her for his own. Laughing silently at his own foolishness, he opened the door and stepped outside without looking at her again.
“Be safe,” she called, just as he closed the door.
Unable to wipe the smile from his face, Nick crossed the yard to his car. He would definitely be careful. Even knowing there might be assassins in town besides the government agents after Carlie, she promised him some fun tonight. Nothing would get in the way of him returning to her and finishing what they started.
Chapter Thirteen
Carlie glanced at Shelley, surprised that she was so good with a gun. “I didn’t know you shoot competitively. How’d you get into that?”
“We haven’t talked about much besides work stuff and guys.” Her friend shrugged. “My dad taught me to shoot almost before I could walk. It’s a big thing in my family.”
Carlie never held a gun before. It would certainly be a more effective way to stop an assassin than a defense she couldn’t execute properly. “Could you teach me?”
“I don’t know. It takes a long time to learn. If you don’t know what you’re doing, someone could take the gun away and use it on you.”
Sighing, Carlie knew she should give up on that idea. She probably couldn’t open fire on someone anyway—not even Stephen. “It’s important I find ways to protect myself.”
“I don’t entirely understand.” Shelley crossed the room and sat next to her. “Stephen wouldn’t come near you again, would he? I’m pretty sure having Nick around would stop him from trying anything else.”
Carlie wondered if she should tell Shelley about her past. Shelley was in more dange
r than she realized staying at the house.
“You didn’t explain what happened with Stephen,” Shelley said before Carlie decided what to tell her. “I got distracted by your date. Why did he attack?”
“He...” Carlie looked down, picking at her fingernail. If Shelley knew the truth, she might not stick around.
Shelley put her hand against Carlie’s arm and asked softly, “Did he try to rape you or something?”
She wondered why everyone jumped to that conclusion—perhaps because Stephen was slime. “No. That’s not what happened. Thank goodness.” She met Shelley’s blue eyes, knowing she had to tell her. Carlie gave a condensed version of the story she told Nick and waited anxiously for her friend’s reaction.
Shelley blew out a puff of air, wafting her bangs away from her face with the force of the wind. “That is...crazy.”
“I know.” She felt miserable. Not only was she drawing her new friends into her problems and putting them in danger, the story of her life was hard to believe. “If you don’t want to stay, I’ll totally understand.”
“Why would I leave?” Shelley stood and pushed the coffee table against the wall. “You have to know how to break a choke hold. I can handle that part. When Nick gets home, he can teach more advanced moves.”
Carlie stood, though emotion clenched down her chest and she was afraid a few more tears might fall. “You still want to help me?”
“We’re friends, aren’t we? Believe it or not, I don’t have that many girlfriends.”
Carlie laughed, knowing most women didn’t trust Shelley around their boyfriends. It wasn’t her fault she was beautiful. An accident of nature. She also couldn’t help the way men responded to her. “You scare other women. They can’t compete with you on the dating field.”
Shelley sighed. “And yet, here I am, still waiting for Mister Right. I don’t even know if he’s out there.”
Beauty didn’t guarantee happiness, and Carlie felt guilty for being jealous of Shelley’s looks in the past. “You’ve kissed your share of frogs, haven’t you?”
“And toads and snakes,” she agreed. “Let’s get to work, though. We can talk about my love life later.” She made motions for Carlie to approach her. “Put your hands around my throat and let me show you what to do. The trick is to go after your assailant’s thumb and use your other hand to punch him in the face.”
Carlie put her hands around Shelley’s neck, choking her lightly. Shelley moved in slow motion, cupping her left fingers into a stiff claw and plucking at Carlie’s right thumb to loosen her grip. At the same time, she twisted her body and punched Carlie’s face with her right hand.
“You see?” she asked. “The twisting motion will break the hold further, and a punch to his nose with the heel of your hand might make him lose his grip entirely. Then, you’ve already turned away and can run.”
“Stephen slammed my head against the wall. It stunned me. I sort of panicked.” Carlie sighed. “Show me again, and then let me try. I focused too much on attacks during training and glossed over defenses, thinking a good offense was the best defense.”
Shelley nodded. “Lots of people do that, but I think your defensive moves are more important, actually. Even if your attacker is a lot bigger, you can break fingers, wrists, all manner of things.” She grabbed Carlie’s hands and placed them back around her neck. “No one’s gonna mess with you again or they’ll be sorry.”
***
Nick pulled the Porsche onto Carlie’s street, watching the red car tailing him. It had pulled out behind him when he left Carlie’s Creations. The angle of the sun reflecting off the windshield made it difficult to see who the driver was, but he had an idea.
Stephen drove a red car.
He turned into Carlie’s driveway, unsurprised when the red car pulled along the curb and stopped. Grabbing his pistol from the glove box, Nick tucked it into the back of his pants and got out of his vehicle.
Walking slowly across the grass to the sidewalk, he forced in deep, calming breaths. It wouldn’t do any good to appear angry. No matter how he really felt, he found it more effective to be in complete control. That intimidated people more.
The driver’s door opened on the street side and Nick stopped walking, waiting for the driver to come to him. The back of Stephen’s blond head appeared over the top of the car before he turned around. Dark sunglasses sat on his face and he sported crisscrossed tape over the bridge of his nose.
Nick laughed. “My girl packs one hell of a wallop, doesn’t she?”
“She’s not your girl.” Stephen shut the door and rounded the front of the vehicle, stopping just outside Nick’s kicking range. “We both know that. She’s your target.”
The problem with Stephen knowing the truth was he could blow things. If Carlie found out why Nick was interested in her, she’d never believe his feelings were real. He had a hard time believing it himself.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but you shouldn’t be here.”
“You can’t hurt me,” Stephen whined. “Paul promised you wouldn’t.”
There was no point pretending he didn’t know who Paul was.
“Did he also tell you if you bother Carlie, I have permission to do whatever I want?” Nick cocked his head to the side and shrugged. “What I want is to kick your ass for touching her.”
“Take it easy.” Stephen took a step back and held his hands up. “I came to apologize. We’re going to see each other at karate class, so I want to make it up to her.”
Is he for real?
Nick shook his head sharply. “You’re not going back to our dojo and you’re certainly not talking to Carlie. What you’re going to do is be happy you got out of this situation at all.” He lowered his voice to a growl, “I had to exert all my control to not kill you.”
Blanching visibly, Stephen took another step back. “I wasn’t supposed to be hurt at all. That bitch broke my nose. I’m trying to do the right thing and apologize. If she’d just had sex with me like I know she wanted to—”
“Get the hell out of here, before I change my mind about letting you live.” Nick narrowed his eyes, giving a glare that had cowed stronger men than Stephen. He had to stay in control, but the thought of that creep’s hands on Carlie twisted his gut with rage.
The front door banged and Nick glanced over his shoulder. Shelley stood on the porch, gun drawn.
“What’s that piece of shit doing here?” Her voice was sweet and conversational, and she turned to Stephen. “Come to get a bullet in your ass, dickhead? I’d be happy to help.”
Despite his anger, Nick chuckled. “And here I was thinking I’d protect Carlie. Looks like Shelley might end the problem for me.”
Stephen’s lip curled. “Does Shelley know how you’re using Carlie?” He lifted his head and hollered, “You’re trusting the wrong guy. I’m not nearly the threat Nick is.”
“I’ll take my chances.” Shelley spread her legs slightly and gripped the gun tighter. “You should leave.”
“So now Carlie sends you to fight her battles?” Stephen sneered at Shelley. “What’ll happen when you aren’t here?”
It only took three steps to reach him. Nick’s fist smashed into the side of his face with a wet thud. Stephen’s sunglasses flew through the air and he dropped to the ground.
“Put your filthy hands on her again, and I will end you.” Nick clenched his jaw and stared down at him, but Stephen didn’t move. Nick turned and walked to the house, clearing the steps to stand next to Shelley.
A wicked smile lit her face and she winked. “What took you so long?”
Nick shrugged. He couldn’t tell Shelley he wasn’t supposed to hurt the bastard. That’d open up too many questions. “He claimed he was here to apologize to Carlie, but I think he just wanted a chance to get her again.”
Her eyes narrowed. “He’s not going near her.”
Nick nodded, watching Stephen pick himself up off the ground and fumble for h
is sunglasses. It was satisfying to see how black his eyes were. Given time for the bruises to set in, he looked rougher than Carlie. She must have kicked him pretty damn hard.
Shelley apparently noticed too because she smiled widely. “She messed him up better than I expected. I’m surprised he dared come over here.”
Nick laughed. “Maybe he’s afraid if he doesn’t apologize she’ll come after him again.”
Stephen scurried to the driver’s side of his car and climbed inside.
“We might have ruined her fun.” Shelley sighed. “Do you think she’ll be mad at us for chasing him off? She probably wants to handle him herself.”
“Doesn’t she know he’s here?”
“No. We practiced defenses for a while and she went in to rest. I don’t think she’d leave us out here to fight her battles if she knew. She’s determined to stand up for herself.”
“I got that impression.”
Stephen’s car pulled away from the curb and he sped down the road.
Shelley lowered the gun to her side. “Think he’ll come back?”
“I wish I knew.”
He never expected Stephen to show up in the first place. Paul wouldn’t be happy, that was for sure. It surprised Nick the jerk was still alive. He was a piss poor agent. First, he disobeyed orders and took Carlie to his house, and then showed up here and made veiled references to Nick’s mission in front of Shelley. It was unprofessional at best, outright sabotage at worst.
While Nick didn’t think Carlie was a terrorist, he still had a mission to carry out until the President or other leaders of S.A.T.O. said differently. Regardless of what Stephen thought of the mission, he should know better than to put the entire operation at risk.
Maybe S.A.T.O. decided to kill off too many of the agents who actually understood their job. It was no wonder Paul was stuck with idiots like Stephen Chance.
Shelley turned and opened the front door. “Guess there isn’t much we can do about him right now. May as well go inside.”
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