“They’re at the car with the other guard. We got worried.” Jake and the others covered the distance between them. “The police have arrived. The sprinklers took care of the smoke in the auditorium. There was no fire.”
“Then come on.” Joshua started down the corridor that led to the front of the auditorium near the south doors.
Elizabeth took up her position at the back. Brody flanked Abbey’s left side while Slade was at her right.
The teenage boy and Slade exchanged looks before Brody said to Abbey, “You weren’t hurt, were you?”
Abbey, tears filling her eyes, shook her head.
Slade slid his arm around his daughter’s shoulder. His jaw set in a fierce expression as he, too, searched his surroundings for anything unusual.
In three minutes they were at the SUV in the south parking lot. People milled around outside, waiting to find out what had happened in the auditorium. Elizabeth rushed Abbey and Slade into the armored car, joining Mary and Hilda already situated in the back.
“Where’s your daughter?” Elizabeth asked Hilda.
“Kate left earlier to go to the ranch to set things up for the party.”
“We’re not having the party.” Slade pulled Abbey to him, angry determination darkening his eyes.
“Dad—”
“No. We can celebrate as a family quietly, but no guests. Not after what happened. On the way home, I’ll make a few calls, but I suspect a lot of the cast is scattered.” He snapped his mouth closed and stared forward.
Elizabeth pulled back from the door and closed it, glancing around for Joshua.
“I’ll find Cindy, and we’ll follow you back to the ranch.” Jake turned and searched the area, then waved to Cindy, who stood in the middle of the gathering crowd. He and Brody ambled toward her.
Joshua made his way to the armored SUV and climbed inside the front while Elizabeth slid in next to Abbey. “Go. Let’s get back to the ranch.”
Tension hung in the air as thick as the dust and smoke from the small explosive and smoke bombs. Abbey sat with her shoulders hunched and her arms hugged against her chest. Elizabeth realized how differently this whole night might have ended if Abbey hadn’t rushed her steps off the stage and been close to the wing when the scenery fell. A second later, she might not have been able to get the girl out of the way in time.
Slade finished up a phone conversation, his gaze latching onto Elizabeth’s. “This incident changes everything. Abbey, you won’t be able to leave the ranch until we catch this person. And I promise you, we’ll find him.”
Left unsaid but clear by the clenched teeth and hard lines of his face was that Slade would make sure the person paid for what had been done to his family.
Abbey started crying. She turned to Elizabeth and buried herself against her, sobbing. Elizabeth clasped the young girl against her and murmured, “You’re safe now.” But in the back of her mind, she knew none of them were truly safe. This wasn’t over yet.
Later that night, Elizabeth checked the deserted pool room, a stream of moonlight streaking across the calm water. The house was finally quiet after the guests from the ranch had left. The planned cast party had turned into a quiet family Christmas party. Abbey was subdued and hardly said a word all evening except to Brody or the friends who called to make sure she was all right. She broke down and cried on the phone to Lily and Lindsay, especially when they said their parents didn’t want them at the ranch until there were no more threats. They canceled the tae kwon do lesson for Sunday.
When Elizabeth had walked her to her room a few minutes ago, Abbey had still been concerned her friends would be mad at her because of what happened at the end of the play. She never thought that the person would do something so openly in front of so many people who had nothing to do with what was going on.
Elizabeth strode toward the den. She’d assured the teen that her friends understood and didn’t blame her. But nothing she said really consoled Abbey. Exhausted, the young girl closed her bedroom door as though she were being locked into a prison cell and couldn’t receive any visitors.
Entering the room, Elizabeth immediately saw the blaze going strong in the fireplace. Had someone added another log? Suddenly she sensed she wasn’t alone. Whirling about, she spied Slade staring out the newly bulletproof bay window that overlooked the backyard. His hands stuffed into his pants pockets, he hung his head, his shoulders slumping.
She started to leave, sensing the despair that reached out to her and lured her toward him. She had to resist the draw or she would lose herself. Slade was strong, overpowering at times. She couldn’t care about someone who could threaten who she was. She never wanted to experience another relationship like she’d had with Bryan.
“Please stay.” He rotated toward her, the rawness in his eyes melting all resistance in her. “I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts right now. They aren’t very Christian at the moment.”
“You’re thinking of the person who caused this evening’s catastrophe.”
It wasn’t a question, but Slade nodded anyway. “I never realized the depth of his hatred, to do that to all those people who had nothing to do with this. Thankfully, the evacuation progressed pretty smoothly, or there could have been a lot of injuries.” Bleak eyes stared at her. “What did I do wrong to cause that kind of loathing? I’ve been standing here going over the list of suspects we’re concentrating on, and I can’t see any of them doing this.”
“I’ve seen all kind of reasons for people to come after others. A few have been petty misunderstandings that have been blown out of proportion. I can’t even begin to tell you what the thinking is behind these attacks.”
“It feels like he’s toying with me. Showing me he’s in control of my life and Abbey’s.” He combed both hands through his hair. “And frankly, he is. I’m now holed up here. Abbey can’t even go to school. I’m not going to let Mary leave here, either. She might be targeted next. I have armed patrols covering my ranch. If I didn’t know better, I would think I’m a third-world dictator whose countrymen hate him and want to see him dead.”
The softness of the leather cushions beckoned to her after the long, tiring day. Elizabeth moved to the couch and eased down onto it. She didn’t think she could stand another moment and not fall over. She had finally come down from the adrenaline overload she’d had earlier at the auditorium.
“I actually was a bodyguard for twin girls of a wealthy Central American businessman. He wasn’t the leader of the country but he was the man who really pulled all the strings, and some rebels didn’t like the ones he pulled.”
“What happened?”
“Eventually the rebels were rounded up, put on trial and went to prison. But his daughters were sent to an exclusive European school where security was tight. I was just filling in until the school year started.”
“How old were they?” Slade took the seat next to her on the couch.
“Eight.”
“Eight! And they were going to a boarding school? What a shame.”
“They didn’t want to leave their papa, but he wasn’t going to take the chance someone would take up the rebels’ cause and come after his children to get to him. He could afford the school, and he couldn’t afford the risk.”
“Are you telling me because I’m rich this is the way I need to live from now on?” He gestured toward the bullet-resistant window.
“No, but you can’t take security for granted. You did before this. Someone may not be mad at you but your company and its product. That occurred with another client I had. The only reason the culprit was caught was that she made a bold, risky move against my client.”
“Is that what I need to do? Put myself in danger to catch this person?”
“No, I could never recommend that to a client. Too many things can go wrong when you try to trap the perpetrator. Don’t even think that.” The thought of him as a human target constricted her stomach with pain. “But even when all of this is over, danger will still exist.
There’s always going to be someone who might want to hurt you. All you can do is take precautions and be prepared.”
He rested his head back on the cushion. “Did you notice the silent treatment I got from Abbey tonight when everyone was here trying to pretend nothing was wrong?”
“Kinda hard to miss. She’s scared and angry at the same time.”
“I know how that feels. I feel the same way.”
All her common sense told her not to lay her hand on his arm nearest her, but she couldn’t stop herself. He was hurting, and she hated seeing him that way. “You’re not alone. We’ll here to help. Maybe the police will find something at the school. Some clue. Joshua will talk with Captain Dickerson tomorrow and see.”
“How did he get backstage to plant the explosive device that caused the scenery to fall? Was it on a timer, or was he in the audience and used a remote to set it off? And what was set off in the auditorium?”
“Probably smoke bombs. We need to let the police do their job while we concentrate on keeping you, Abbey and Mary safe. But if the intent was to hurt Abbey, then I think the person was there watching and used a remote to detonate the device.” Beneath her palm she felt Slade shudder.
“Or he was long gone and only wanted to show you how easy it was to get to you and Abbey.”
“I’ve got the feeling he was in the audience, taking pleasure in seeing everything going down. The panic, the near miss with Abbey and you.”
“That’s what I think, too.”
Slade hunched forward, his elbows on his thighs, and scrubbed his hands down his face. “I don’t know how you do your job.” He slanted his gaze toward her. “You go from one intense situation to another. And through all this, you’ve remained calm, even though you’ve been caught up in this person’s schemes. He could have killed you last week. For that matter, you could have been hurt tonight. Why do you do it?”
“I’m helping people.”
He shook his head. “That’s not it. Oh, I’m sure that’s part of it, but there’s something else that motivates you. You can help people a lot of ways, but you put your life on the line in every job.”
She scooted back against the arm of the couch, drawing her legs up against her chest and clasping them. “I do it because I never want children or women to feel like I did.”
He straightened, his eyebrows slashing down. “How?”
“Trapped in a situation I didn’t know how to get out of.”
“By your father?”
“Partially, but he mostly laid the groundwork for Bryan, my ex-husband. He conditioned me to think it was normal to be put down every day, that I was worthless. Bryan spent our marriage keeping me subjected to him.”
“He abused you?” Anger carved deeper lines into Slade’s face.
“He never harmed me physically, but verbally he tried to destroy me. He only continued what my father had started, and if he hadn’t divorced me, I don’t know if I would have had the strength to find my way out of that relationship. The day my husband left me for a twenty-year-old woman was the best day of my life, but I didn’t know it at the time. I’d hit rock bottom. My uncle and the Lord helped me find my way back.”
He moved closer to her, putting his hand on her knees. “I’m so sorry. That experience is what led you to become a bodyguard?”
“No. I was mugged and badly beaten. That experience made me determined to never be a victim again. Once I learned the tools and tricks to protect myself, I wanted to help others by keeping them from being victimized, especially the children. Anyone who preys on children is a monster.” Tears she’d held at bay for years, since she’d been mugged, deluged her, clogging her throat, welling into her eyes. One dripped onto her bottom lashes and rolled down her cheek.
Slade leaned closer and rubbed his thumb across her face, wiping the tear away. “All I know is I’m glad Abbey has you watching her back. I never thought this person would go to such lengths to get to me, or I wouldn’t have let Abbey participate in the play. I knew how much it meant to her and all the hard work she’d put into it.”
“We still don’t know if you’re the primary target.”
“He came after you.”
“Because I guard Abbey.”
“Someone else would have replaced you if you were hurt, so why come after you? To send me a message. That no matter what I do, he’ll get to me. Look at the syrup of ipecac incident. Another taunt. He had no way of knowing who would drink it. Abbey doesn’t care that much for chocolate, but I do—”
Elizabeth put her feet on the floor and stood. “Why did he only put it in the chocolate syrup?”
“I don’t know why. You can’t put it in dry food? Most people like chocolate?”
Digging her teeth into her bottom lip, Elizabeth began pacing. “True, I love chocolate, but there are other things I like, too. I think the person knows you, has been around you and possibly your family.”
“Or has a way of finding out about us? What if those bugs that Joshua found had been there for a while?”
Elizabeth halted and rotated toward him. “That’s a definite possibility. The person has taken his time, planned this out. I could see him gathering information about you before moving forward with his intentions.”
“What are they? To harm me or Abbey or both of us? To kidnap Abbey?”
“Probably not, or why did he announce his presence to us? It certainly is harder to kidnap her now, especially after this evening.”
“Then he wants to—harm us, but first he wants to make our lives miserable.” Slade wearily came to his feet. “He has succeeded there. My relationship with my daughter wasn’t strong to start with, but now it’s even shakier.” He kneaded his temple. “I don’t know about you, but I can’t think about this anymore tonight. My brain feels like mush.” He skirted the coffee table and stopped in front of her. “Tomorrow, no doubt, will be another long day. I’m determined to figure out who is after me. I don’t like surprises, and lately my life has been one big surprise after another.”
She smiled, clasping her hands into tight fists. She wanted to touch him, soothe him and give him hope that everything would return to normalcy soon. She couldn’t.
His eyes bored into hers as though searching deeply for something. “I understand now why you’re so independent. I know I hired you to be Abbey’s bodyguard, but you’ve gone beyond what I expected.”
His warm appraisal jammed her throat with words she couldn’t say to him. Besides Joshua, no one else knew what she’d gone through with Bryan. There was a part of her that was stunned she’d said anything to him; but there was a part that wasn’t—because if she let herself she could fall for this man. Hard.
He cupped her face. “I hope you understand how important you are.”
Those earlier tears threatened to surface again. She’d shed so many tears over her father and Bryan that she’d promised herself she wouldn’t let anyone make her that vulnerable again. So why couldn’t she stop herself from opening her heart to this man?
He lowered his mouth toward hers. He was so close that she felt the soft in-and-out of his breath, smelled the apple cider he’d drunk earlier. Her lips tingled right before he settled his on hers. He’d given her plenty of time to pull away. She couldn’t have for the life of her. She wanted this kiss—had yearned for it since the last one.
He folded her against him, his arms caging her to him. The sense that she’d come home suffused throughout her as he deepened his possession of her mouth. In the back of her mind an alarm went off. She didn’t care how dangerous this was. She welcomed the risk to feel special even if it was just for a moment.
When he broke off the kiss, he lay his forehead against hers, his breathing ragged. Her heart thumped so hard she wondered if he could feel it when he held her close.
He leaned back and stared into her eyes. “I know you can take care of yourself, but all I want to do is protect you, keep you safe.”
His words sparked a memory of what Bryan had once t
old her when she rebelled against telling him where she’d been. My job is to protect you. How can I if I don’t know where you are? It had been essential to Bryan to control her every move. That was his idea of protecting her.
The reminder sent the alarms clanging in her mind. She backed out of Slade’s embrace.
ELEVEN
“That’s okay. You’re right.” Elizabeth lifted her chin, squared her shoulders. “I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
“I’m not denying that.” Slade took a step toward her. She stiffened, and he went still. “But it doesn’t change how I feel. Any man worth his salt wants to protect the people he cares about.”
The implication of his statement robbed her of a reply. He cared about her. She cared about him. No, it couldn’t be. Their lives were not compatible. She wanted something different from what he did. He was the kind of man who wanted a partner in marriage, and she had tried that—and lost herself to another. Yes, she’d dreamed of having a family at first with Bryan, but not at the expense of herself. She took another step back.
Across the expanse of a few feet, his gaze tangled with hers. “Don’t let what your ex-husband did to you control everything you do. I had a healthy relationship with Catherine built on mutual respect and trust. You could have that, too.”
Love wasn’t an option for her. Look at what happened with her father and Bryan. Why set herself up for a third failure? She put more space between them. “I need to check the house. Make sure it’s secured.”
A shutter fell over his face. “Yes, you’d better do that. I need to get some sleep. Good night.” With a nod, he strode out of the room, leaving behind a chill that burrowed its way into her heart.
She pivoted toward the Christmas tree, its lights, hooked up to a timer, still on. A beautifully handcrafted ornament drew Elizabeth forward until she touched the soft lace on the dress of the little girl, a miniature of Abbey with long brown hair and brown eyes. Such love had gone into it. What would it be like to be a member of a family with that kind of love? Being here with Slade and Abbey made her wish her relationship was different with her father. Should she call him? Reach out one more time? Would it make a difference?
Christmas Bodyguard Page 15