Oh, God. Who wants me to show up at some sleazy strip club somewhere and escort him home because he’s drunk and pissed off somebody bigger than him? Whoever said that it’s glamorous to be a private bodyguard for executives is fucking delusional, man.
He grabbed the cell from his coat pocket and paused when he saw the number flashing up. It looked familiar, but in his tiredness, he couldn’t quite place it.
“Hello?”
“Dallas?”
Olivia. He heard the terror in her voice and he stopped dead in his tracks, his whole body suddenly alert and wide-awake. He knew immediately that it was her stalker, and that something new and disturbing had happened.
Goddammit. I knew he’d escalate, and soon.
“Olivia. What’s wrong?”
“The guy – he – a text – my dress…”
Her panic was coming at him in waves. He lowered his voice, made it as gentle as possible. “OK, sweetheart. Calm down. Deep breath, alright?”
Liv sucked in a breath, then another.
“That’s better,” Dallas said. “Now. You got another text?”
“Yes.”
“What did it say?”
“He said that he hoped I enjoyed Emma’s party. He said that I looked like a slut in my red dress and it made him want to… to rape me. He said that he’s on his way here now.” She felt a sob rising in her throat and she fought it down. “Dallas, he knows that Emma has cancer, he knows the color of my dress…he – he… Oh, God.”
Fuck. OK, keep her calm.
He held the phone under his chin as he put on his shoes and coat and grabbed his car keys. “Olivia, where are you right now?”
She blinked. “At home.”
“I mean, which room?”
“The living room.”
Dallas mentally ran through the layout of her house, including the windows and which directions they faced; as was his habit with every building he entered, he’d automatically and almost idly noted everything when he’d been there earlier that evening for Emma’s party.
“Do any of your room doors lock?”
“Yeah. The master bathroom.”
“Go there. Right now. I’m coming to you and I’m going to stay on the phone with you the whole time, OK?”
“OK.”
Liv walked down the long hallway on trembling legs, expecting a hand to grab her from behind at any second. She glanced over her shoulder, then whipped to look forward again; back and forth, she twisted and turned, trying to see everywhere at once. Her skin crawled with the sensation of eyes on her. When she got to her bedroom, she hesitated at the door. The light switch was on the wall farthest from the bathroom, but she didn’t want to cross the whole room in darkness.
“Dallas?”
“Yeah? Are you locked in?”
“No. I’m scared to – to walk through my bedroom. It’s dark in there – what if…”
“Get to the bathroom, sweetheart. Please. I’m right here with you, OK?”
“I’m scared…”
“I know you are, Olivia, and that’s OK. You’re doing great, hon, and you’re almost there. Take a deep breath and go. Now.”
She ran through her bedroom and burst in to the bathroom. Her hands shaking wildly, she slammed the door and locked it. She backed up, away from the door, and sat on the edge of the tub.
Dallas heard her breathing, fast and panicky. “You locked in?”
“Yes.”
“OK. I’m in my car and I’m eight minutes away. You stay on the phone, alright? Just hang on.”
She nodded and relaxed a bit; his Texan drawl was strangely comforting. “OK.”
Suddenly, her cell beeped again and she almost dropped the phone. “I just got another text.”
“Open it up, Olivia.”
Her stomach was a block of ice, but she did as he said. The text said, ‘RIGHT HERE BITCH. COMING FOR YOU’. The attached photo was of her own living room in its post-party state.
“Oh, God,” she whimpered. She put the phone back to her ear. “Oh, God, Dallas.”
“What, hon?”
“He’s in the living room.”
Dallas froze and then jammed the accelerator flat on the floor. He felt his whole body and mind switch up a gear to cool, professional mode. When he was like this, he could kill to protect someone – he had in the past and not even batted an eyelash while doing it.
“Olivia, you listen to me and do everything I say. You hear me?”
She responded to the new tone in his voice. “Yes.”
“Get in to the bathtub and lie down flat. Right now.”
She climbed in, her long legs so weak that they could barely hold her weight.
“You in?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Stay on the phone, but no more talking now. Not one word. Just concentrate on your breathing. That’s all you have to do. OK?”
She nodded but didn’t say anything. Her whole body strained to hear any sound outside the bathroom door, but all was silent.
Dallas sped through the streets, listening to her harsh breathing in his ear. His hands were rock-steady, his breathing slow and controlled, and his focus was perfect.
I will break him the fuck in half if he touches her.
He pulled in to Olivia’s driveway and climbed out of the car. He saw her front door was half-open and he reached back in to the waistband of his jeans for his Sig Sauer 229.
“Olivia. I’m outside your house right now. I’m coming in.”
“You need the code. It’s –”
“Don’t you worry about that. I’m going to hang up now because I need to search the whole house and I need both hands free. No matter what you hear, you stay put. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“I’ll come and get you as soon as I’m sure that the coast is clear. You don’t move, no matter what. I’ll see you soon.” Dallas disconnected, turned the cell ringer off and put the phone in his pocket. He shrugged off his coat and approached the house slowly, the handgun held at waist level, his arms taut. He swept the gun from side to side as he walked past the garden, looking for any movement at all in the yard outside.
Dallas got to the open door, ducked his head in, pulled it out, waited. Nothing. Using his massive shoulders, he opened the door all the way and waited again, listening for movement. Silence.
Slowly, Dallas worked his way through the house, checking every room, every closet, every crawlspace. He took his time, moving quietly, making sure that he wasn’t missing anything, remembering to check the elevator from the indoor garage level. After ten minutes, he was sure that he and Olivia were the only people in the house.
The fucker scared her and then walked right out the front door. Goddamn him.
He kept the gun out and pointed down as he walked back to her bedroom. He couldn’t imagine how frightened she must be right at this moment, and he had the urge to break through the door to get to her. But he had to stay calm and reassuring; the last thing she needed was him scaring her any more than she already was.
He entered her bedroom again and approached the closed bathroom door. Not sure how she’d react to the gun, he tucked it away and made sure it was covered by the back of his t-shirt. He took a breath and as he exhaled, he let go of his hard professional persona. She needed warmth and comfort now, Dallas knew. She needed a friend, not a trained killer.
Liv jumped when she heard movement in her bedroom and she peeked over the lip of the tub at the door, terrified. A scream was building in her throat and she clapped her hands over her mouth to hold it in.
“Olivia?” His voice was gentle again. “It’s me… I’m right here. Open the door, hon.”
Dallas.
She launched herself at the door, scrambling to unlock it. She flung the door wide and practically
threw herself in to Dallas’ waiting arms. The sobs that she’d been holding back came now, and she shook wildly, trying to catch her breath, her fingers gripping his shirt.
Dallas held her tightly, stroking her hair. “OK, baby, OK. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”
All of a sudden, Olivia’s legs gave out under her completely, and he scooped her in to his arms. He backed up and sat on her bed with Olivia across his thighs, her face pressed in to his shoulder. Dallas’ one hand was buried in her hair; the other stroked her tense back, making big circles around and around, trying to soothe her.
Her tears and shaking slowed, then stopped, and her body went soft against him. He pulled back to see her face. She was gray with shock, her lips bloodless. Alarmed, he forced those gorgeous brown eyes to meet his own blue ones.
“Olivia? Talk to me, hon. You OK?”
She nodded. “Y – yes.”
He took her slim hand. “God, you’re freezing.” He rubbed it between both of his, trying to warm her up, and pulled her closer. “You’ll be OK in a few minutes. Just sit still.”
Dallas needed a few minutes himself. He was starting to realize just how badly this situation could have turned out, and he closed his eyes. He’d get angry as hell later, he resolved; right now, his only priority was to hold her until she felt safe again.
But Jesus Christ, if I hadn’t given her my private number that day at the hospital… this whole thing could have gone down way different.
It took a little while, but Liv’s head started to clear and her thoughts were more coherent. They were moving in a straight line again instead of tumbling around like a box of toys falling down the stairs. Something occurred to her now and she took a deep breath.
“Dallas?”
“Yeah?”
“How did you get in without the code?”
He looked at her, decided to tell her the truth. “The front door was open when I got here.”
“So… so he just – just walked out?”
“Looks that way.”
“But – how did he get in?”
“We’ll worry about that tomorrow, Olivia. Right now, I need to get you out of here and someplace safe and secure. You feel like you can walk?”
“Yes.”
“OK. Pack a bag.” He stood up and carefully set her on her feet, watching her to make sure she didn’t sway or fall again.
“A bag. OK.” Numbly, she moved to her closet, glad to have something to do. “Where am I going?”
“My place. Tonight, you’re staying with me, baby.”
**
Dear Reader,
‘Enemy Outside’ (Unseen Enemy #2) will be published on September 30th. If you want to know when it is available for purchase, please check on one of my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, and my blog). I will be announcing its release in all of these places, and posting some teaser excerpts.
Thank you for reading!
About the author
Marysol James is the author of the 'Open Skies', ‘Fighting For Love’ and 'Unseen Enemy' series. She writes steamy, sexy, slinky romances which feature strong, complex women and equally fascinating men. Marysol is interested in producing well-written and passionate stories with characters who learn to let go of control and to trust – both in and out of the bedroom.
Her stories are very sensual (very!), and offer smart plots, a bit of humor, and lots of character development, so her books will appeal to readers who want emotional connection as well as sexuality.
When not writing, Marysol can be found swimming, doing yoga, listening to music and drinking coffee. To stay up-to-date with her, visit her blog at marysoljames.wordpress.com or follow her on Twitter (@marysoljames) or Facebook (marysol.james.romanceauthor)
By the same author
The ‘Open Skies’ Series:
Open Skies (Open Skies #1)
Open Arms (Open Skies #2)
Open Eyes (Open Skies #3)
Open Heart (Open Skies #4)
The ‘Fighting For Love’ Series:
Fighting Hard (Fighting For Love #1)
Fighting Strong (Fighting For Love #2)
Fighting Love (Fighting For Love #3)
PUBLICATION DATE September 9, 2014
The ‘Unseen Enemy’ Series:
Enemy Within (Unseen Enemy #1)
Enemy Outside (Unseen Enemy #2)
PUBLICATION DATE September 30, 2014
Enemy Within (Unseen Enemy Book 1) Page 16