by Dani Criss
Once Jake had introduced the man as Barry Jackson, the three of them walked around the side of the house. Barry opened the fence gate, then led them inside. Kaitlyn followed hesitantly. From somewhere not too far away, she heard a large dog barking.
Once Jake closed the gate, a Doberman came running at a gallop. Kaitlyn stopped dead in her tracks as the dog, its head reaching nearly to her waist, came up to observe the strangers. It nudged her hand. She reached for Jake’s arm and held on tight. Chuckling, he pulled her against his side.
“This is Star,” he said as the dog sat at her feet.
Looking at the dog planted firmly beside her, Kaitlyn suddenly realized what was happening here. “Jake, what am I going to do with a dog?” she wailed.
“Sleep at night,” he said insistently. “Go for walks or a jog around the neighborhood. Take her with you when you run short errands. She’s a guard dog.”
Kaitlyn was beginning to see the possibilities, but she still had her doubts about the value of a dog, even one as big and intimidating as this one. Then Barry returned, a padded sleeve in his hands.
“Star, guard,” he told the animal firmly, then donned the protective covering for his arm. When he made a slight move toward Kaitlyn, the dog stepped in front of her, bared its teeth and growled deep in its throat. When he advanced another step, the dog’s growling became more fierce. When he still didn’t stop, the dog lunged for his extended arm and sank its teeth in, holding on until he gave the release command.
“Impressive,” Kaitlyn said in awe. She would never have guessed the docile-looking animal could have turned so violent so quickly. For several minutes, Barry worked with her, teaching her the various commands to use with the dog and the procedures she had to follow. Then he pulled a leash out of his back pocket, fastened it to the dog’s collar and handed the end to Kaitlyn. Still a bit uncertain about her new responsibilities, she started toward the gate. The dog, getting the idea she was going somewhere, ran ahead, yanking roughly on Kaitlyn’s arm.
Jake reached to grab the leash. “Star, heel,” he commanded. The dog instantly came to a halt, standing obediently at Kaitlyn’s left side. Jake let go of the leash. “You’re the boss here,” he told her, chuckling. “You like giving orders, right?”
“Just to you,”she murmured.
“Well, you can practice on Star.”
With the dog panting happily in the back seat, he drove to a pet store. Once they got out of the car, he made Kaitlyn manage the dog as they shopped for everything the animal would need. By the time they got back to her condo, Kaitlyn was feeling more comfortable about having charge of the dog, but not about being alone. Jake was going to leave her by herself soon, she knew. She wanted to put off that moment for as long as she could.
“Groceries,” she said, glancing inside the refrigerator. “I need groceries, maybe something for dinner,” she added hopefully.
When Jake saw her bite her bottom lip, his resolve nearly caved in. It tore him up inside to think about leaving her on her own, but he knew his job now was to help her face her fears, not shelter her from them. She had to stand on her own to feel whole. Otherwise he would lose her entirely.
“Let Star explore the backyard,” he said. “I’ll take you out to lunch and to the grocery store.”
She relaxed a little as they ate lunch, then shopped for groceries, but Jake sensed she was still on edge, thinking about the time she would be alone in the house. He wanted to tell her he would take her back to his apartment, that he would take care of her. But that was not what she needed most. She needed him to watch over her, not take over completely.
He’d handled many stalking cases, protected many clients as they went through their daily routines. He knew what he had to do with Katie—keep her safe from a distance, help her regain a measure of her independence. And not fail her.
He wasn’t happy about what he had to do, but it was the right thing, he knew. As they shopped, she made an effort to break out of the melancholy she’d been in the past two weeks. Later, while playing with the dog after the steak dinner he made, she even laughed. Quite a change. Once the playing was over and the dinner dishes were loaded in the dishwasher, though, she grew nervous and quiet.
He leaned against the cabinets and drew her into the circle of his arms. When he felt her trembling slightly, he ran his hand up and down her back. “I’m not leaving you completely alone,” he told her.
“I know,” she replied. “I’ll have the dog here with me.”
He slid his hand under her hair to stroke her nape, remembering the past and how she’d resisted his protection then. Now she was finally leaning on him and he had to push her away for her own good. He would give her back her independence, then he would have to learn to live with the worry that came with it.
“You’ll have me, too, honey,” he said.
She raised her head from his chest, a small frown creasing her brow. “What do you mean?”
“Max is on duty tonight. He and I will be in a patrol car parked where we can keep an eye on the house.”
She laid her hand along his roughened jaw. “So you aren’t deserting me totally,” she said quietly.
“Katie—” He caught her hand, realizing she felt as if he were abandoning her. He had to make her see that would never happen. “You know me better than that. Don’t you?”
“Yes, I do.”
“But you were beginning to have doubts?” He wound a hand through her soft hair, toying with the strands, wondering what the future would hold for them, wondering if there would be a future for them together.
“I wasn’t so much doubting you as surprised at what you were doing,” she said. “This isn’t like you.”
He exhaled slowly. “You couldn’t go on the way you were going. Something had to give.”
“So you decided to try the tough-love approach?”
It was apt to be as tough on him as it was on her—if not tougher. Ironic how things had turned out, he thought, smiling.
“Is something funny?” she asked, gazing up at him.
“I was remembering how you used to view my protectiveness as smothering,” he told her.
Fear had an interesting way of changing a person’s perspective, Kaitlyn mused. It had her becoming clingy, becoming everything she didn’t want to be. And instead of rejoicing at his good fortune, Jake was pushing her to stand on her own, to face her fears.
Was it fear that made her want him? Made her lean against his solid chest and absorb the feel of his hands on her back and in her hair? Made her want to keep him by her side? Or was she just wanting him as she always had in the past, without reason or logic?
“I appreciate your looking out for me,” she told Jake. “But are you sure you want to be in a cramped car all night? Wouldn’t you be more comfortable—” she breathed deeply “—with me?”
He raised her chin, his dark eyes searching her face for a long moment. “The next time you make that offer, honey,” he said solemnly, “I’ll take you up on it. But I want you to be very sure before we take that step again.”
She knew he was right; there would be no going back once they gave in to desire. Making love would change things between them irrevocably. They would undoubtedly move in together and it wouldn’t take long before Jake was asserting his “rights” as man of the house. That’s when their troubles had begun the first time around.
Could they work it out this time? she wondered as she let him out of the condo and closed the door behind him. Through the window she watched him cross the street and get into a car with the Riley Security Services logo on the door. The car was parked on the street in plain view of anyone and everyone, and Kaitlyn knew the car would be there all night. Fallon would be a fool to try anything.
She closed the curtain, then reset the security system, looking at the keypad and smiling to herself. She’d always hated the things, but the current situation had changed her mind on that. And on a few other things.
Seeing Jake again for
the first time that day in her office, she’d thought she would be foolish to get involved with him a second time around. It might still be a mistake, but she could no longer deny that she wanted him. She could still remember the feel of his hand up and down the length of her back, in her hair, on her nape. That had always been her weak spot and Jake knew it. A touch or a kiss on that very sensitive place and she’d always melted.
Then there was the way he was putting her needs ahead of his own. Very unusual for a man whose need to protect was so strong. He’d had her where he’d always wanted her, weak, needy, clinging, depending on him for everything. He’d driven her to work each day and picked her up afterward, had even taken her to deliver tickets and run her errands. He’d comforted her after the nightmares and nursed her through the migraines.
When she’d offered to give herself to him, he’d held her, instead, as if knowing it was the fear talking and not her heart. Tonight he’d told her he wanted her, but not until she was truly sure. He wouldn’t take advantage of her momentary weakness.
As she lay in bed, the dog settled on the floor beside her, she considered how quickly the fear of Fallon had taken over her life. The thought that he could find out about her plans to fly to San Francisco had made her feel vulnerable, as if he’d invaded every facet of her life. She’d been frightened to the point where she couldn’t function.
The fact that she’d fallen apart so completely and so quickly scared her through and through. If it happened once, it could happen again. True, this situation was unusual and her reaction was typical, but it was very unsettling to discover she wasn’t as strong as she’d believed.
And what about Jake? He’d practically forced her to take back control of her life. Today it was the dog, Monday evening she would start self-defense training with Dev and the next evening he would take her to the shooting range for a refresher course on the use of the gun he’d given her. Each night she would have a car stationed outside her condo.
All courtesy of Jake. He was giving her back her sense of security at the expense of his peace of mind. What should she make of that?
With a frown of concern, Kaitlyn studied Jake as he slept on her sofa, the baseball game on the TV, the remote control and his cellular phone lying on the floor within his reach. In the week since he’d brought her back here, his evening naps on the couch were becoming routine. As were his cooking adventures in her kitchen. In these few short days, he’d brought over so many of his pans, baking dishes and utensils that she’d had to rearrange her cabinets and drawers, though with the few things she had, making room for his hadn’t involved much effort.
Sighing quietly, she picked up his phone and the remote control, then sat in the chair across from the sofa. She switched the channel to the evening news, but didn’t really pay much attention to the day’s events. She was more concerned about Jake. Two hours of sound sleep each evening were not enough. He claimed he managed to doze a little in the patrol car, but dozing and sleeping were two different things.
When the sports segment of the news began, she carried Jake’s phone into her bedroom and shut the door. The man on patrol duty—probably Max Slater—would call soon to let Jake know he was there. Tonight, she decided, Jake would not be joining him.
“Jake needs some real rest,” she told Max when he phoned.
“You’re right,” Max said. “The man can’t function at his best the way he’s going. I’ll call in for someone else to stand watch with me.”
She was grateful for his understanding. “Good night, Max.”
“Yeah,” he said as if no night was good for him. “You, too.”
Pushing the End button on Jake’s phone, Kaitlyn briefly wondered what demons kept Max working such long hours. She would have to ask Jake about that, she mused, but first she would do what she could to ensure he slept through the night. She found a light blanket and carefully covered him, then rechecked the door locks and the security system. Finally she switched off the television. Jake didn’t rouse. Satisfied he was sleeping deeply, she whispered to the dog and led her to the bedroom. Once Star settled in to her usual place beside the bed, Kaitlyn turned off the light, then lay back, listening to Jake’s soft snoring.
He was becoming a fixture in her life, she thought. The dog had quickly gotten accustomed to his being around. The neighbors they met while walking Star in the mornings greeted him by name. People in her office building frequently asked where he was if he wasn’t there beside her. At the final tux fitting for the groomsmen, Rob and Shelly had both declared that Jake and Kaitlyn would soon tie the knot.
Kaitlyn cringed now, as she had then, at the thought of manage. Spending time with Jake lately had been wonderful. She was giving more and more thought to making love with him. The frequent hugs he gave her, the way he held her hand or draped his arm around her shoulders when they walked, the long tender kisses in the mornings and the passion-filled ones at night—she liked it all.
She liked having his things around her house—his toothbrush in her bathroom, his clothes in her closet, even this T-shirt she’d swiped from him to use as a nightshirt. She liked helping him in the kitchen as he put together dinner for them, liked having him to talk to, laugh with, sit outside and watch the sunset with.
Add making love to the equation and that would be enough to make her completely happy, she decided with a yawn. Tomorrow she would tell Jake she was ready.
Then she would have to be on her guard to make sure their relationship stayed on the same track. Right now Jake was working with her to regain and maintain the independence she’d lost through fear, but once intimacy entered into the picture, that could change. This time around, though, she just might be able to deal with him.
That decided, she went to sleep, only to be awakened much later by the dog’s growling. She glanced first at the clock on the nightstand—1:56—then at the dog, standing with her ears erect When Kaitlyn laid a hand on the animal’s neck, she felt the raised hairs.
What had the dog heard that Kaitlyn hadn’t? Had the noise come from inside or outside the condo? Whatever it was, Star was clearly on alert. Kaitlyn’s heartbeat quickened.
“Easy, girl,” she cautioned, just in case Jake had awakened and was checking the house. Star didn’t usually react this way to his presence, but then, he’d always left the house before Kaitlyn went to bed.
Keeping a hand on the dog’s head, she got to her feet, then inched to the doorway. As she stepped into the hallway, a large shadow loomed in front of her. A strong hand clamped over her mouth. She froze, a scream trapped in her throat.
“Get back in the bedroom and stay there,” Jake commanded, his voice lowered. “Take Star with you. Star, guard.”
“Why?” she whispered when he took his hand away. “What’s going on?”
“All the outdoor lights have come on. I’m going to check it out.”
Kaitlyn opened her mouth to protest, but he didn’t give her a chance.
“Get back in the bedroom and take the dog.” A glimmer of light glinted off the gun in his hand as he turned away and silently made for the back door.
Her heart hammering now, Kaitlyn watched him until his shadowed form disappeared. Fallon was out there. She was sure of it. The vandalism had stopped once she’d moved back into the condo, as if his rage had cooled now that she was no longer staying with Jake. Then, tonight, the first time Jake hadn’t left after the evening news, Fallon had struck again.
What was he doing out there? she wondered, backing into the bedroom, the dog following. More vandalism? When would it ever stop? Rubbing her arms against the chill she felt, she sat on the edge of the bed close to the nightstand. With the tiny bit of light from her clock radio, she could make out the shape of the 9 mm Jake had left with her.
Eyeing the weapon, she chewed her lower lip. She couldn’t sit in her room, waiting. The fear was killing her—fear of what was going on, fear that Jake would be hurt. She had to do something, anything. Part of her knew she had to follow his orde
rs, but a bigger part of her worried he might need her help.
Gripping his revolver with both hands, Jake inched toward the corner of Katie’s condo. A moment ago, a dark figure—most likely Fallon—had been crouched down behind one of the forsythia bushes at the back of the house. When he’d heard Jake slide the glass patio door aside, the man had moved to the corner of the condo and around to the side.
Jake followed. He was certain Max would have seen the outdoor lights come on and expected he would be in the front of the house. Hopefully Jake would drive this midnight intruder right toward Max. They could catch Fallon in the act of violating the restraining order and have him arrested.
Jake made his way silently to the condo’s corner, pausing to listen for sounds from the other side. Nothing. Keeping close to the house to minimize his shadow, he stepped around the corner. Instantly the dark-clothed figure reared up at him. Jake had only a second to react. He aimed his gun, but was already too late. The blade of a knife arced downward, slicing into his left shoulder.
Pain seared through his shoulder and down his arm. His breath rushed out of his lungs. Blood ran down his arm. He sank against the house and slid to the ground. His world went black.
Kaitlyn couldn’t stand the waiting. What was going on out there? What was Jake doing now? How much danger was he in? Suddenly she wondered if Fallon was armed. Her stomach knotted. She got to her feet, desperate to know for certain that Jake was unharmed. Star stepped in front of her and wouldn’t budge. The animal’s attention was focused on the room’s windows.
Kaitlyn listened and heard the sound, too. Footsteps. Running. Her breath caught as she heard a second set. Jake’s? She sat down on the bed again, gripping the edge of the mattress with all her strength.
Then came the gunshot. The raised voices. Her chest tightened and she couldn’t breathe. Unable to sit still any longer, she jumped to her feet. Jake could be hurt. He could be lying on the ground, shot, bleeding. She had to go to him. He might need her.
Grabbing for the gun, she ordered the dog to follow her down the narrow hallway. As she stepped into the kitchen, two men came through the door—Dallas Steele and Jake.