by Leger, Lori
Drake made a face as he threw his truck in gear. “You know enough about computers to help me make a decent choice?”
“Sure do,” she said, with some satisfaction.
“I’m in your hands.” The look he sent her said the innocent sounding comment was loaded with multiple meanings.
She shoved back the urge to touch his face, or worse. “You wish.”
He settled his Oakley’s lower on the bridge of his nose and grinned. “If you only knew …”
Within thirty minutes of their arrival at the electronics superstore, Annie had helped Drake narrow his choices.
“What’s it gonna be, Drake? The final decision should be yours. This one has the better features for your money.” Annie indicated the touch-screen model. “Normally I’m all for high-dollar-high-quality for a longer life-span, but computers become outdated so quickly these days. I hate to see anyone pay too much for something, even if they were born with a silver spoon up their a—”
“Annie!” he cut in. “We just came from church, you think you could abstain from the insults for the rest of the day?”
She fluttered her eyelashes innocently. “But, then, what would I do for fun?”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll think of some other way to have fun at my expense. Like walk around the house in a bikini wearing a big sign that says LOOK, DON’T TOUCH … or something along those lines.”
“Again, you wish.” She snorted with laughter.
“Not a second goes by …” He winked at her before turning his attention back to the laptops and the returning sales rep. “I’ll take this one with the extended warranty, please.”
While Drake was occupied providing payment information, Annie took the opportunity to check out the movie section for a couple of new releases. After no more than a minute, she found the hair standing up on the nape of her neck. She spun around and checked both directions, and behind her, with no results.
“Stop it, Annie. You’re being paranoid,” she muttered, still unable to shake the feeling. Suddenly realizing how far she’d strayed from Drake, she grabbed the blu-rays and rushed off to meet him. She collided with someone just rounding the end of the aisle. Annie’s breath left her in a rush as J.B. Montgomery stood there grinning down at her.
“You look good, Sunshine.” A throaty growl accompanied his approval. “Not as good as you did in church this morning. I do like that little green dress you wore.” He ran his hand familiarly along her spine and down to her butt.
Annie stiffened and tried to push him away, but J.B.’s arms encircled her like a steel belt, squeezing the breath from her. She finally sucked in enough air to scream Drake’s name.
J.B. grinned evilly, passed a final, possessive hand over her breast before releasing her. As quickly as he appeared, he vanished around the corner.
She ran in the opposite direction, heading for Drake’s frantic calls from three rows over.
“Dammit Annie, where are you?”
“Here!”
He came around the end display, relief momentarily flooding his features. “What happened?”
“He w-was here! He grabbed me and s-spoke to me.” She despised the stammer J.B.’s terrifying presence brought out in her.
“Where?” Drake spun around for the exit.
Annie grabbed at his arm. “Don’t leave me here! I want to go h-home.”
He grabbed her shoulders firmly. “I thought you were standing right behind me while I was checking out. I turned and you were gone.”
Her gaze hit the floor, knowing she’d screwed up—again. “I was looking at some movies.”
“Annie, you can’t—” He cut off the frustrated lecture, took a deep breath instead. “Just stay close to me. I need to ask someone if they have security cameras set up in here.”
“C-can’t we just go home?” She made another attempt to steady her shaky voice.
“No, not this time. We’re not leaving this place until we’ve seen if there’s anything we can do to help the police catch this guy.”
She gripped his arm tightly, scanned the aisle in both directions. “But Drake …”
He placed both hands on either side of her face. “Listen to me, Annie. What we do now could swing this in your favor, do you understand? We can’t let this bastard terrorize you this way. We’re going to stop him.”
She shifted her gaze from one aisle to another, scanning the area for the face she’d seen in her nightmares, feeling like a trapped animal. Releasing a long, shuddering sigh, she barely heard the whispered words from her own mouth. “I’m afraid.”
Drake wrapped his arms protectively around her. “It’s smart to be afraid at a time like this, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t strong enough to fight back. The Annie McAllister I know wouldn’t let him get away with this. She’d be so pissed off she’d want to rip his balls off. Or at the very least hit him in the gut with her fist. I happen to know it’s quite effective on a guy when he’s not expecting it.”
His last words really got her attention. Annie glanced up in time to see the crooked smile she’d come to expect. She stiffened her spine and nodded. “I hate when you’re right.”
“You say that like it’s happened before.” He put one hand up to his ear. “When was that, exactly?”
Annie clamped her lips tightly shut, irritated with his smugness. “Let’s go talk to somebody so we can get outta here.”
They sat in a top floor office watching the digital video playback, accompanied by the store’s manager and head of security, along with Captain Woodard and Detective Manuel.
Drake leaned forward in his chair. “There he is walking in.”
The camera caught him several times, checking out a nicely dressed woman, then a group of teenage girls.
Drake grunted beside Annie. “Looking for more victims, J.B.? You piece of crap.”
Finally, he reappeared at the far end of the store where Annie stood in front of the movie section. He appeared to be observing her from an aisle over.
Annie tensed, as they watched the scene unfold, feeling violated all over again as everyone in the room saw J.B. put his hands on her, touch her breast possessively. Drake’s hand clamped over hers, letting her know she wasn’t alone.
During the drive home, Drake sat with both hands clenching the steering wheel, thinking about what he’d seen. How the hell he’d managed to stay calm, he couldn’t possibly explain. While watching that video, all he’d wanted to do was kill the bastard. Seeing him with his hands on Annie brought back all the feelings of rage he’d felt for that animal on the night of her attack.
He’d wanted to scream, to throw a chair across the room. But at some point, instead of watching the computer screen during the many playbacks of the footage, he’d begun to watch Annie. Each time, she seemed to retreat further into herself, hold herself a little tighter, as though trying to make herself smaller.
As much as he hated seeing that footage, he could only imagine how much worse it had been for her. He’d reined in his rage for her sake and suggested he bring her home.
They pulled into her garage an hour and a half after the incident. Drake scanned the area as they entered the house together, waving to occupants of the Kenton PD cruiser that arrived as soon as they did. He ushered her inside, carrying the single box containing his new laptop and a bag containing his other purchases. After locking the door and setting the alarm behind them, he ran through a quick check of the house.
“It’s all clear,” he said, catching her staring out the windows over the sink, her hands resting on the countertop. He approached slowly, covered her hand with his own and squeezed.
She pulled her hand back and turned, wearing a tentative smile. “Thanks.”
“You okay?”
She shrugged, crossing her arms tightly. “Not really.”
“Anything you want to talk about? It may help to get it off your chest.”
She paused a moment. “I still can’t believe he saw me at mass this morning.”
/>
“Yeah, that’s disturbing. He must have followed us from here, parked outside the church to wait it out, and followed us to Lake Coburn.”
“I think it’s worse than that.”
He stared down at the diminutive woman, suspecting she was about to reveal something he wouldn’t like. He placed a hand on her shoulder, encouragingly. “Tell me.”
“Something or someone touched my back this morning when we were talking to Jackson and Giselle. It happened when a group of four people passed us, but one of the guys could have been J.B. The hooded jacket, the same build …”
Drake squeezed her hand. “Touched, how?”
She swallowed audibly. “I blew it off. Told myself I was being paranoid. That it was a purse or someone’s elbow, but it felt more intimate than that.”
Drake turned sideways. “Show me.” He studied her face as she used her nails to scrape across his back and clear down to the waistband of his jeans. He sucked in his breath. Her touch, as soft as it was, made goose bumps appear on his skin, raised the hair on his arms and nape. How much more effective would it have been on a tiny woman wearing nothing but a thin dress instead of jeans and a cotton shirt?
“Well, hell. I feel about as useless as tits on a boar hog.”
Annie frowned. “Why?”
“Because I stood right next to you, and he still managed—that.” He couldn’t bear to think how violated she must feel. Drake muttered a low string of curses—the kind he saved for occasions such as this, topped it off with one more, “Useless …”
“Tits on a boar hog!” Lewis cried.
They both turned to stare at the bird.
Annie shook her head. “Oh, that’s lovely, Lewis.”
Drake grimaced. “I’m sorry.”
“Lovely! Lovely Lewis!” the bird cried.
Drake turned back as Annie’s first unexpected giggle turned into a full blown burst of laughter. His initial smile faltered, then faded completely as her laughter evolved into something slightly more hysterical. Within seconds, a single sob tore through her body, then another. Soon, she stood there, her hands over her face, crying uncontrollably.
Drake drew her close, wrapping his arms around her but kept his silence. As tightly wound as Annie had been since the incident, she needed this release. The only thing he needed was to be here for her. God, he loved this tiny little woman who’d made such a huge impact on his life, his emotions, his heart. In his world, all roads led to Annie.
Then and there, he made himself a promise to do a better job of making her feel safe.
“Dad, we’ve got a big problem, here.” Drake kept his voice low as he addressed his father over the phone.
“What’s going on, Son? Leah and I have been worried sick about you and Annie.”
Drake settled on one end of the sofa and tunneled the fingers of one hand through his hair. “He’s stalking her, Dad. He’s managed to put his hands on her twice today, once literally right under my nose.”
Daniel LeBlanc released a long, low whistle after Drake had explained the day’s events. “Where’s Annie now?”
“She’s sleeping. I’m worried about her. You saw her at Christmas; she’s a spunky little thing. But this has shaken her up. Hell, I’d rather have her spouting insults at me than shed one tear.”
“That happens when you care about someone.”
Drake sucked in his breath and released it slowly. “I didn’t think it was possible to care for a woman this much. The thought of losing her now, for any reason—” His jaw clenched at the thought.
“That won’t happen.”
“I don’t want to keep this guy away temporarily. I want him gone—vanished off the face of the earth. I don’t ever want her looking over her shoulder, or having to worry about this bastard again. I don’t think having him imprisoned would satisfy me, even though I may have to settle for that.” He paused for effect. “Do you know what I’m getting at?”
Daniel LeBlanc gave his son a sympathetic grunt. “I think I do. Did you see about getting a bodyguard for her yet? If you haven’t, Travis Blood just gave me a list of reputable individuals.”
“Red hired someone. He should be arriving within the hour. He’s driving in from Lubbock. A guy named Liam Nash.”
Daniel grunted in approval. “He’s at the top of my list. Travis said he’s retired Navy Seal—very skilled at keeping his clientele safe.”
Drake nodded. “Good to know. I’m going to let you go now. I want to get my thoughts together before Mr. Nash gets here.”
“Son, keep safe and keep us posted. Leah sends her love.”
“I will, and give her mine too.” He ended the call then walked down the hallway. He opened the door, and peered inside Annie’s darkened room. Martin lifted his huge head from his mistress’s stomach and stared at him with glowing eyes. Satisfied that the watch cat was doing his job to keep her safe, Drake pulled the door softly closed. He returned to the living room in time to answer the doorbell.
The man standing at the door was a little taller than he was, broader across the shoulders and chest, with dark brown hair and green eyes. He extended his hand. “Drake LeBlanc? I’m Liam Nash.”
Drake took the man’s hand in a firm handshake. “Great to meet you. I’m counting on you to keep a very special lady safe for me, Mr. Nash. Call me Drake, please.”
“Only if you call me Nash.” He wrinkled his brow. “The lady is special to whom?”
“Annie’s special to a lot of people, actually, but more specifically to me.”
“So, she’s your girlfriend? Fiancée?”
Drake grinned out of one corner of his mouth as he closed the door behind them. “Eh, not yet. I’m still waiting for her to realize I’m the air that she breathes.”
Nash released a low chuckle. “That’s how it is, huh? Well, don’t worry about me infringing on your territory. I make it a point never to mix business with pleasure.”
Drake snorted. “You haven’t seen Annie yet, have you?”
“I pulled up a picture of her driver’s license. Those are never good likenesses and it was over three years ago. Is she still tiny? The license said she was a little under five foot and barely a hundred pounds.”
“That sounds about right,” Drake told the man. “The most gorgeous blue eyes you’ll ever see in your life and a head full of auburn hair.”
Nash cocked one eyebrow. “Are we talking Lucille Ball red out of a bottle?”
Drake’s laughter rang out in the room. “Lord, don’t ever let her hear you say that. Everything about Annie is natural. You’ll see what I mean.”
“Still, I’m not into women that small. I like a woman closer to my height. And they’d better have some meat on their bones.”
Drake laughed. “I know what you mean. I’ve dated women I was afraid to break.” He shook his head. “Models.”
Nash groaned loudly. “Models are the worst, aren’t they? I dated this one chick—a runway model for some fancy ass designer. She dumped me when I said I was tired of dishing out for steak and lobster dinners so she could go barf it up as soon as I brought her home. Good riddance.”
Drake grimaced. “That must be a hell of a life, huh?” He turned toward Lewis’s cage as the bird started up a ruckus. “Now you’ve done it, Nash. You’ve upset the bird.”
“Stranger danger! Annie, get your gun!” Lewis squawked.
Drake approached his cage. “It’s okay, buddy, he’s one of the good guys.”
Nash followed. “I didn’t know she had an African Grey. He looks like a Timneh.”
“He is. This is Lewis, and he’s very intelligent.”
Liam raised his hand slowly and touched the cage. “Hello, Lewis.”
The bird cocked his head sideways, seeming to study the strange man. “Hello.”
Drake stared at the bodyguard. “You’re familiar with them?”
Nash gave him a brief nod. “Yes, I had one for twenty years, but I lost him in a house fire. It—uh—it happened while I
was away.”
Drake recognized the unmistakable sound of sadness in Nash’s voice, tinged with a dread of talking about it. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Nash shrugged. “Shit happens sometimes, you know?”
A shuffling sound from Annie’s room had both men turning in time to see her door open. Martin made his appearance first.
“Here’s Martin. He’s her watch cat, or ‘attack cat’ in some instances.”
“Martin and Lewis?” Nash guffawed. “Somebody’s got a sense of humor.”
Drake grinned profusely. “Somebody definitely does. Lewis, say ‘Hey Lady’ for me.”
“Hey Laa-dy!” the bird cried.
“Damn, he sounds just like Jerry, doesn’t he?” Nash exclaimed.
“Annie loves those old comedies from the sixties. I’m sure she’ll be out in a minute.” He felt Nash’s gaze on him, and wasn’t surprised at his next comment.
“You know, you’re a pretty big guy, Drake, and I’d guess that you can handle yourself in a bar room brawl, if you had to. Seeing as how you feel about the lady, I’m kind of wondering what you need me for.”
Drake nodded. “I’m with her all weekend. On weekdays I have to drop her off at the clinic where she works here in Kenton and then I drive to the law practice I’m opening in Lake Coburn. During those eight hours or so that I’m away from her, I’m tempted to call her at least a couple dozen times. Somehow, I manage to hold it down to once per hour. She always tries to sound irritated that I’m calling so often, but she always answers her cell on the first ring.”
Nash nodded. “That’s a sure sign she’s waiting for it.”
“I know,” Drake agreed. “She tries to act brave when she’s over there without me, but I know she’s terrified. By the time I pick her up in the afternoons we’re both on edge from worrying. I’ve told her I’d put off opening my practice until this is all over with. That way I’d be able to stay with her all day long, but she won’t hear of it.”
“Too proud to admit she wants you there,” Nash added.