by A. C. Arthur
Bree held back her curses, keeping them tucked in her memory bank for later when she’d let him have it. They both eased into the room and Bree quickly looked over at the alarm pad behind the door. All the lights were off, meaning the system had been disabled. That was a grade A system; disabling it was not easy. When they came to the living room Bree left Renny and veered off toward the kitchen. The place was a mess, broken glass and overturned furniture making their progress even harder.
The kitchen actually looked untouched with the exception of the knives that had been aimed at the cabinets and still clung to the wood with a death grip. Suspended from one particularly sharp blade was a slip of paper with something scrawled on it. Bree took one step to examine the writing and felt herself being pulled back once again.
“You’re a terrible listener. I told you to stay with me.” Renny gave her a fierce look, his heart still hammering from when he realized she’d gone off alone. He was first to get closer to the note and lifted his arm to grab the knife down for closer inspection.
“Don’t!” Bree swatted his hand away. “Fingerprints,” she told him as if he should already have known. Pulling on the hem of her shirt, she opened a couple of drawers until she found a box of sandwich bags. With deft maneuvering she retrieved a bag and slipped it on her hand, then grabbed the handle of the knife and pulled it from the wood cabinet. The paper stuck to it and she didn’t bother to extract it but moved to the marble table and set it down. Renny was behind her reading aloud over her shoulder.
“You may own the telecommunications world, but everybody is not a possession for you to claim. Some lessons are better learned the hard way.”
They looked at each other with puzzled glances.
“I don’t own the telecommunications world. My father does.” Renny was thinking aloud, keeping in mind the suggestion that this was a personal vendetta. But supposedly the vendetta was against his father with him being an easy target. This sounded personal—toward him.
“Okay, so what have you or your father taken that didn’t belong to you?” Bree drummed her fingers against the marble top.
Renny retrieved his cell phone. “Desdune? You’d better get over here. We have another letter.”
After two walk-throughs Renny decided that nothing was missing, but everything was almost completely destroyed. His audio system had been smashed, the stuffing ripped out of his sofa, his chairs; the mirrors were smashed, his clothes strewn all over. With bated breath he’d entered his studio only to find his stands overturned and supplies thrown about. But that wasn’t what he was concerned about. He’d searched frantically, first on the table where he’d left it, then beneath the structure and beneath some of the other rubble tossed haphazardly throughout the room. He’d found it and released a heavy sigh. Most likely the intruder had swiped everything off the worktable at one time. The piece must have rolled and fallen to the floor without the culprit giving it another thought.
Thankfully he picked the half-finished piece up off the floor and stared down into the eyes that held the very soul of his work. Sabrina’s eyes. He found a plastic bag in the kitchen and wrapped the piece carefully. He’d take it to the foundry for the time being.
Without a clue as to who could have done this, he wandered through his house barely suppressing the anger that bubbled inside. This was going too far now. This was his home, his private space, and he didn’t like the idea that it had been invaded.
“Renny?”
Sabrina’s voice echoed from the back of the condo and he quickly left the studio to find her. She was in his bedroom standing at the end of the platform that held his bed. Her head was tilted as she leaned over the mattress.
“What? He decided to take a nap in between wrecking the place?” he asked in a dry tone as he made his way up onto the platform.
Bree disregarded his lame attempt at humor. “You didn’t sleep in here last night. And this morning we dressed and went to Lynn’s.”
“Yup.” He shrugged and turned about to plop down on the bed.
“No!” Bree ran around to the side of the bed he stood on and grabbed his arms in an attempt to stop him. “Don’t sit on it! I think somebody was in this bed.”
Her eyes were huge and he could swear the wheels of her mind were clearly visible as she thought this through. “What do you mean?” He righted himself and turned with her so they both were staring down at the rumpled sheets.
“There’s a stain there, in the center.” She pointed and felt Renny lean in to examine it, as well.
He was confused. He saw the darkened spot and frowned at Sabrina. “Somebody pissed on my bed?”
She shrugged. “Either that or they handled some other business.”
It only took a second for her words to register. “What! Tell me you’re not serious? You think somebody…”
Bree held up a hand to keep him from finishing his sentence. That was exactly what she thought. “I didn’t say that. But it seems to be an awfully small spot for it to be urine. Besides, urine has a distinct odor.” She inhaled. “I don’t smell it.”
Reluctantly Renny inhaled, then dragged his hands down his face. “You’ve got to be kidding me. This just can’t be happening.”
Bree continued to stare at the bed, at the way the sheets were twisted and the pillows were propped up at the top with an indentation that said someone had lain there. Someone had lain there all right and apparently had had a good time. But were they alone? Images entered Bree’s mind uninvited, a man and a woman, making love on Renny’s bed. One, or maybe both of them reaching climax, expelling the secretion on the sheets. A sign. A message. Whatever it was Renny didn’t like it and she was having a really hard time swallowing it herself.
She’d thought of her and Renny in that bed. Now that thought had forever been tainted. Besides that, if someone came in here and jacked off on his bed, then it was definitely personal and more so to Renny than to his father. That worried her.
She startled at the sound of the doorbell.
“I’ll get it,” Renny said gruffly, then left her alone in the room.
With the note tucked securely in a Ziploc bag and Trent overseeing his assistant as he dusted the apartment for fingerprints, Sam had the duty of breaking the bad news to Renny. “You can’t stay here, man.”
Bree had seen it coming and had, in fact, been thinking of a place to hide him.
“I’m not leaving my home because of some maniac with a vendetta.” Renny slammed a fist on the coffee table.
“Look, I know how you feel, but Bree installed some pretty high-tech security gear on this place and whoever is doing this still got in. We don’t have much on the tapes and I’ve got a sneaky suspicion they’re not going to lift any prints. You’re like a sitting duck here.”
Sam’s words stirred more than anger in Bree. Something clenched in her chest as she thought of this person returning and Renny being here. “He’s right, Renny. You can’t stay here.”
As much as he hated to admit it, they were probably right. He looked at Bree and wondered if wherever he went she would still be staying with him. He could probably handle the fact that he wouldn’t be sleeping in his own bed for a while if he knew she was going to be sleeping somewhere close by. “I guess I could call a hotel.” He’d get them a suite because he clearly planned to keep his bodyguard with him.
“No,” Sam said quickly. “That’s too open, too obvious. We need to put you someplace where he won’t think to look for you.”
“That’s true.” Bree stood thinking of a suitable place. “What about your apartment, Sam? Since you’ve been staying with Leeza.”
Sam shook his head. “Leeza’s got a sick aunt and uncle staying there.”
Bree frowned. It figured Leeza would have everything where Sam was concerned on lockdown. “If I had my own place we could put him there.”
“Why don’t you have your own apartment?” Renny inquired. She deserved her own house, her own space, unless she had no intention of staying
in Greenwich.
His question startled her and she blinked twice before answering. “I just haven’t had the time to look for one.”
“I’ve got it. Pack your stuff,” Sam instructed them.
“Where are we going?” Bree asked her brother, who was already headed toward the door.
“Lynn owes me a favor and I’m about to call her on it.”
On the entire ride to Lynn’s house Bree thought of a million reasons why this was not a good idea and she’d spoken them to Sam, who, of course, ignored her.
“It’s our only option, Bree.”
“But what about Jeremy? Are you forgetting that this is a potentially dangerous situation?”
Renny grimaced at her words. She had a point there. He didn’t really feel comfortable staying with Lynn and her young son, bringing to them the same danger that he was supposedly trying to get away from.
“They’ll never find him here. Even if they do know that my firm is working for the Bennetts, Lynn has a different last name. They won’t make the connection.” Sam turned into Lynn’s complex.
“And what if they follow us back here one day? I mean, they are most definitely watching us. That’s how they knew Renny’s place would be empty tonight.” She was grasping, she knew, but Sam had no idea what being at Lynn’s with her perfect little house and her perfect little son and Renny was going to do to her. This afternoon had been proof that Renny Bennett was slowly picking the lock she’d secured around her heart, and spending more time with Jeremy in a house that she wished was hers was not going to help.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to Lynn or Jeremy, you know that. If things get too hairy we’ll reevaluate and find a safer place. But for right now, at least for tonight, we don’t have a lot of choice.”
Her head fell back against the seat in defeat. Seconds later she felt a hand on her shoulder and didn’t bother to open her eyes to see whose it was. The instantaneous heat swarming through her body said it all.
Sam climbed out of the car and headed straight for the house. Renny stepped out of the backseat and helped Sabrina out of the front. Cupping her face in his hands, he stared down at her. Night had fallen, casting them in a blanket of darkness except for the scattered porch lights around them. A light breeze trickled through the air, ruffling her loose hair. “Why do I get the feeling there’s more going on with you than the danger this arrangement might impose on your family?”
Probably because you seem to see right through me, making you all the more dangerous. She closed her eyes, willing her mind to stay quiet. “I just don’t want anything to happen to them, that’s all.”
She was lying, but he knew she wouldn’t tell him anything until she was perfectly ready. He gave her a crooked smile and dropped a juvenile kiss on her forehead. “But you’re the bodyguard, remember?” He let his hands fall to her sides and clasped her fingers in his.
“Very funny,” she chided, but let herself fall into step beside him. His firm grasp of her hand was both comforting and terrifying. Things between them were definitely changing.
Lynn wasn’t exactly jubilant over the idea of her new houseguests, but she understood that Sam had her cornered. Besides, the thought of Bree in danger was enough to bear with her halfway across town. At least having her stay here she could keep a closer eye on her. As for Renny, she wasn’t sure how she felt about him staying yet. He’d seemed like a genuinely nice guy and he definitely had a thing for her little sister, as well as a way with Jeremy. She’d like to keep a closer eye on him, too.
“Okay, you two are going to have to share the guest room,” she announced when Sam had finally left with strict instructions to lock up tightly.
All the color drained from Bree’s face. “What? Why?” Nervous fingers came to her throat as she tried to mask the creak in her voice.
Renny hadn’t missed it, nor had he missed the instant her eyes had flashed toward him. Was she afraid to be alone in a bedroom with him? The mere thought made him want to leap for joy, but she looked a little flushed. Poor little Sabrina, last night was only the beginning. She had no idea what he had in store for her, whether they shared the same bedroom or not.
“Uh, because I have a young child waltzing around the house who is not going to understand some strange man sleeping on our couch. Not to mention I paid too damn much money for him, no matter how good-looking he is, to lay his long, heavy body on my furniture indefinitely. No offense,” she tossed at Renny.
He hid a smile. “None taken.”
Bree ran her fingers through her hair until her short nails scraped over her scalp. Could this situation get any worse? There was one bed in that guest room, a full-size bed at that. No way she and Renny could share that bed without touching…without touching a lot. Memories of their touching last night, spooned together on the floor in his living room, had her cheeks burning. Get a hold of yourself, Bree. He’s just a man and this is just a job.
Lynn didn’t miss her sister’s flustered state, either. She looked over at Renny, who seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. She’d bet five dollars she could decipher his thoughts. “You’re two consenting adults. I’m sure you can handle this.” She looked at him sternly.
“I can handle it.” And he would handle Sabrina. She was simply a little tense and he knew just how to relieve her of that affliction.
“Mmm-hmm.” With upturned lips Lynn looked at Bree. “You’ve got this, right, Bree?”
Bree met her sister’s gaze, squared her shoulders and felt her defensive mask slipping into place. “Yeah, I’ve got it.”
Chapter 8
The sound of the bedroom door closing echoed in Bree’s head, causing her heart to pound a little harder. This was ridiculous. She was acting like a scared virgin on prom night. Well, she wasn’t a virgin and whatever Renny Bennett had to dish out she could certainly take it. At least that’s what she thought until she turned around to see him leaning against the dresser, arms folded over his chest, eyes fastened intently on her.
He looked dangerous, his skin seemingly darkened by the night hours and the dim light in the room. His eyes all but smoldered, his lips firm, determined. She took a deep breath. You can handle this, she told herself until it became her mantra.
“Come here, Sabrina.”
His voice was quiet, but deep with that underlying forcefulness that she’d come to recognize as second nature to him. She felt her legs moving—traitors—taking her closer to where he stood.
“We both know that something’s going on between us. Something that goes way beyond this lunatic that’s after me and my family. I won’t lie. I want to explore what that something is.” He broke into a small grin. “Badly.”
Bree folded her arms over her chest for lack of anything better to do with her seemingly too-long limbs. They were close, but not touching. He was talking to her with the patience of a teacher and she felt like his pupil, afraid that she didn’t know enough to pass his class.
He saw her nervousness and knew that it wasn’t easy for her to be afraid of anything, or to admit that she was afraid. But that’s what she was. He could see it so plainly, yet would never have believed it. On the outside she was strong, witty and almost as arrogant as he could be. On the inside there was something totally different, something totally contradictory. And that’s what he wanted to discover, that’s what he wanted her to share with him. Reaching out, he lifted her chin with a finger. “But I promise not to do anything that you don’t want or you’re not ready for. Understand?”
Bree bobbed her head up and down until the very thought of how she looked repulsed her and she let her arms fall to her sides. “This something between us is purely physical. I know that just like you do. I’m almost wondering if it just makes more sense to go ahead and get it over with.”
Renny laughed then, a deep rich sound that Bree found herself enjoying.
“You sound like you’ve made the decision to have a tooth pulled.”
“No. I’m just a logical per
son. And logic tells me that this ‘thing’ between us isn’t going to go away until we deal with it. So…” She trailed off hoping he’d finish this god-awful sentence for her.
She was definitely a treasure, one that he was so profoundly grateful had fallen into his lap. “So I’ll grab some blankets and make a nice pallet on the floor and you take the bed.”
Bree blinked in confusion. Weren’t they about to have sex? That’s what she’d thought they’d decided. “You…you’re going to sleep on the floor?” She gave him a puzzled look.
Renny grabbed a pillow from the bed and snatched the folded comforter from the edge and tossed them to the floor. Pulling the hem of his shirt, he lifted it over his head and threw it on the nearby chair. “I’m not into forcing women to do my bidding, Sabrina. You’ve admitted that there’s something between us and that we’ll eventually have to act on it. So whenever that time arises we’ll do it. Until then, I’ll sleep on the floor.”
She looked at him, astonished that he wasn’t proposing they jump into bed together right this very moment. Good, the best way to deal with Sabrina was to keep her guessing. “Besides, your sister said these walls are paper-thin.” He flashed her a smile, then removed his shoes and jeans and crawled under the blanket on the floor closest to the door.
Speechless, she looked at him another moment before shrugging and going to the far side of the room to change into her nightshirt. In a few minutes she was beneath the sheets in the bed and she leaned over to the nightstand to flick off the lights. “Good night,” she whispered, still not believing he was sleeping on the floor.
“Good night, Sabrina.”
Colonel Harold T. Richmond walked into the lobby of the motel with his duffel bag in hand. The moment he’d heard her voice he knew he had to come. They had unfinished business.
Sabrina’d come into his life like a breath of fresh air, reminding him of his youth, of the things he’d once longed for. She was so different from the other women he’d known, so vital, so full of energy. He’d wanted her instantly, had needed her writhing and begging beneath him. And for a time he’d gotten just that.