Instead, she sidestepped and slipped her arm inside the crook of his elbow.
He reached out to balance himself, but his hand found only empty air that carried a hint of sandalwood. The movement created an unexpected shoulder lock that pinned him close to the woman’s body. He attempted to catch her with his free hand and loosen the hold, but she pivoted. He had no option but to follow or have his shoulder wrenched out of its socket.
The turn’s momentum bent him at the waist. Just as he started to regain balance, her kneecap connected high on the bridge of his nose. The impact brought tears to his eyes, dazing him for a moment. Any lower and she’d have broken it. Before he could recover, his feet were swept out from under him. His face hit the carpet with a hard thud. At the same time, she wrenched his arm upward, behind his back. The folder slipped unheeded from his fingers.
She kept his hands locked against each other. Something wrapped tightly around both wrists. He lifted his face off the floor to protest, but a cord whipped over his head and around his neck.
Near his ear, his aunt’s dog yipped excitedly. He realized she’d bound his hands and neck with the dog’s retractable leash. Anger flared and he tried to slip free, but the movement tightened the cord around his neck. He could still breathe, but stars danced before his eyes. The harder he fought, the more lightheaded he became.
Damn! This little old woman had somehow managed to tie him up like a hog.
Turning his head to the side, he glimpsed her dialing a cell phone.
When she caught him staring, she planted a knee in the middle of his back and forced his face down to the carpet. “Don’t move!”
Carpet fibers burned his cheek. Kane cursed her with a few well-chosen words as he writhed from side-to-side. His thrashing put more tension on the cord between his neck and wrists, which increased the pressure on his throat. Blackness began to close in.
“Nelson!”
At the sound of his aunt’s voice, he stopped struggling. The overhead light snapped on, flooding the room with a brightness that hurt his eyes.
“Nelson, what are you doing up here?” His aunt’s voice sounded closer. “Let him go, Shelby,” she told the woman with her knee in his back.
“You know him?” The other woman sounded stunned.
Chapter Five
Kane fought against the restraint around his neck. The more he struggled, the tighter the bind. “Of course, she knows me!” He swore, the words coming in a raw, strangled growl.
“Nelson Kane! Watch your language.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his aunt point at him. “This is my nephew, Nelson.”
“Are you sure?” Doubt colored the woman’s tone. “He was going through your files.”
“Nonsense. Of course, he’s my nephew.” His aunt laughed wickedly. “But I don’t believe I’ve ever seen him that color. Such an unbecoming shade of purple, Nelson. You really should be in better shape.”
His muffled croak was drowned out by the yipping dog. His breathing became shallower. He tapped a foot in surrender.
“Untie him.” His aunt’s voice seemed to drift from a great distance as he started to black out. “Hurry!”
The cord eased from around his neck and blood began to flow to his brain. When the cord was loose enough, he wiggled his wrists free and sucked in a lungful of air. His strength slowly returned and his vision cleared as he rolled to his back. It was hard to get his bearings with the dog prancing around him. When he sat up, the dog landed in his lap and started licking his face.
“Oscar!” His aunt laughed. “Stop that.” She bent and tugged the dog off his lap.
His head swam as he pushed to a knee, then slowly to his feet. While his aunt and the dog distracted the other woman, he moved behind her and pulled out his handcuffs. He fumbled the cuffs, but was able to yank one of her hands into the bracelet.
“Hey!” The woman dropped her cell phone and started to twist away.
Kane caught her by the arm, surprised by the firm, smooth skin under his palm. Something about her felt off, but he’d sort it out after he had her in custody. None too gently, he clicked the second cuff around her other wrist.
The woman struggled to face him, but he didn’t relinquish his grip on her upper arm.
“What are you doing?” she growled.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he hauled her over to the winged-back chair and shoved her into it. She landed with a satisfying un-ladylike plop.
“Nelson!” His aunt’s voice raised a pitch.
With the threat to his personal safety neutralized, he took a deep breath. “She assaulted a federal officer.” His voice was dry and raspy as he cleared his throat. “I’m placing her under arrest.” He rubbed the tender skin along his neck. It hurt just to swallow.
“The hell you are,” the woman said again, and tried to stand.
Kane pushed her back into the seat and planted his feet squarely in front of her. That way he could keep an eye on both the woman and his aunt.
“It’s okay, dear.” Aunt Rosalee lifted her hand to quiet the woman. “Let me handle this.” With the dog still in her arms, she crossed the room to stand next to him. “Nelson?” The desperate appeal on her face was almost enough to make him relent.
He clenched his hands into fists. “She jumped me.”
“No one’s supposed to be up here,” the woman countered. “You should have identified yourself.”
She was blaming him? He leaned over her, forcing her to look up at him. “You didn’t give me a chance.”
Taking the opportunity to inspect her, Kane realized she wasn’t an old lady at all. The full skirt of her black cocktail dress draped over her knees and gave the illusion of being demure. But with her hands pulled behind her back, the outline of small breasts jutted temptingly forward, and the deeply scooped neckline rising from a high waistline revealed an expanse of ivory skin. Toned shoulders peeked through the sheer fluttery sleeves that barely reached her elbows. Her eyes seemed too large in the unlined smoothness of her heart-shaped face. He tried to put her appearance in context with his first impression. The silvery-white hair had thrown him off. There was no way she was the age her hair color proclaimed.
Her mouth formed a tight line as she glared at him.
He leaned closer and gave a red-hot stare of his own. Street-hardened criminals had broken under his interrogation scrutiny. For this barely-hundred-pounds-soaking-wet snowbird, it was only a matter of time before she withered. Seconds ticked by. Even the dog stopped its incessant yapping, riveted by the tension in the room.
“Nelson, that’s enough.” Aunt Rosalee stepped between them. “Shelby was protecting me.”
He turned his fiery gaze on his aunt. “I wasn’t attacking you.”
“Of course not! We just have to keep all visitors out of the office.”
“I’m not a damn visitor. I’m your nephew.”
“How was I supposed to know that?” The woman protested.
Kane glared at her. “By giving me a chance to identify myself before ripping my arm off and choking me to death.” Even though his anger was barely under control, he felt a grudging respect for her abilities. It wasn’t often he’d been on the receiving end of such an immediate and complete takedown.
“Oh, Nelson, don’t exaggerate.” Aunt Rosalee reached for his hand. “You were the one sneaking around up here.”
Kane felt the warmth of his aunt’s touch, and remembered his original intent to look out for her. “I was worried about you.” He looked around for the folder he’d taken off her desk and saw it laying on the carpet next to the cell phone the woman had dropped when he cuffed her. “I came into the office to check out the letter you received today.” Somehow, he knew the folder didn’t contain the letter. “Where is it?”
“It’s on the way to Northstar, to be processed with the other copies.” Rosalee patted his arm. “And as you can see, I’m fine.” She stepped back and pointed to the seated woman. “Now take the handcuffs off Shelby.”
“No.”
“What?” the woman shouted.
“Why not?” his aunt asked.
“Assaulting an FBI agent is a federal offense. She’s going to jail.”
“You’re not serious!” his aunt exclaimed.
“I am.”
“That’s silly.” Aunt Rosalee tsked. “Isn’t there anything I can do to change your mind?”
Kane snorted. “I suppose you could be a character witness at her trial.”
“You can’t arrest me. I’m here to protect your aunt.” The woman paled as she struggled against the cuffs. “I work for Northstar Security Firm.”
It figured. Now that he’d had a better look at her, she seemed too young to be one of his aunt’s assistants. “All the more reason to arrest you. You people don’t know how to respect boundaries.”
His aunt faced the woman with an expression of sympathy. “I’m sorry, dear. He doesn’t bend the rules, even for family.” She faced him again. “Even when he’s wrong.”
Panic rose in the woman’s eyes. Her gaze shifted between him and his aunt. He took a closer look at his prisoner as his instincts kicked in. Something about her reaction was off-kilter from her earlier composure. The tension drained from her posture. Her mouth went slack, leaving her lips so full and rosy they looked almost…kissable. Whoa…don’t go there.
Instead, his gaze moved up a few inches. Anger was too mild a word to describe what he saw in her eyes. Yeah, something was off. What was it?
****
A familiar despair washed through Shelby the moment the cuffs locked over her wrists. Years had passed since the arrest that had sent her to juvie, yet the feeling of helplessness flashed to the surface as if it were yesterday. Everything she’d done to rebuild her life after that incident fragmented, exposing the vulnerable frightened girl she kept hidden from the world.
Perhaps Rosalee could do something to persuade her nephew to release her. But one look at the author’s resigned expression, and Shelby knew there’d be no help there. “I’ll need to advise O’Neal about my arrest.” Shelby fought to keep her personal demons out of her voice. “This could negate all the progress we’ve made.”
Rosalee turned to her nephew. “Nelson, please. You’ve seen for yourself how competent Shelby is. Northstar is trying to protect me when no one else would take me seriously.”
Special Agent Kane jerked as though his aunt had slapped him.
Score one for Rosalee. Shelby sought out the FBI agent’s gaze. The intensity of his hard presence nearly forced her to look away, but she refused to break eye contact. In retrospect, her reaction to his intrusion may have been excessive, but she’d done it to protect Rosalee. She wouldn’t apologize for that. She would apologize for not giving him a chance.
“I’m sorry.” She quelled the fear in her voice. “I should have let you identify yourself.”
Agent Kane’s stoic silence stretched for several seconds. He stared at her as though she’d been caught standing over a dead body.
“Nelson?” Rosalee prompted.
Kane grabbed Shelby’s arm and hauled her out of the chair.
The moment she was on her feet, every instinct told her to run. Only years of hard-won discipline allowed her to stand still. She tensed, fisting her hands tighter until her nails bit deeply into her palms, wondering what Agent Kane would do next.
“Oh, for hell’s sake.” Kane turned her around. Warm breath on her neck held a hint of minty mouthwash as he leaned close to her ear. “I hope you’ve learned a lesson here.” A cuff clicked open.
She nodded as a weight lifted off her shoulders. Getting arrested would have been a minor issue compared to facing O’Neal’s dissatisfaction at screwing up the case by pissing off the client’s family.
A moment later, her other hand was free, too. She rubbed her wrists and stepped away from Kane’s broad chest.
“Finally,” Rosalee said with a sigh of relief. She pulled Shelby into an unexpected hug.
She hugged the author back, surprised by the flood of emotion she experienced in the embrace.
With her arm still around Shelby, Rosalee faced her nephew. “Nelson, let me properly introduce my bodyguard, Shelby.” She gestured to Kane. “Shelby, my nephew, Nelson.”
Kane pocketed the cuffs. The distrust hadn’t left his gaze, but his shoulders relaxed and he cleared his throat. “Perhaps we should start over.” He held out a hand.
Shelby eyed him suspiciously. He kept his black hair closely cropped. Not the high-n-tight she’d seen on Navy seamen during her four-year stint, but short enough it didn’t quite touch the collar of the olive-green dress shirt that barely concealed muscled biceps. And those arms… Gooseflesh pricked along her skin at the thought of those arms encircling her, protecting instead of controlling. She pushed that thought aside. On reflection, she was surprised he hit the floor when she’d taken his center. He was as solid as a pro quarterback. The only way she succeeded at that takedown was the element of surprise. It wouldn’t be so easy next time.
Rosalee nudged her closer as if urging an errant child to the principal’s office.
She took his extended hand and warm fingers grasped hers.
“Just Shelby?” he asked with a lifted eyebrow. “Is that a first or last name?”
“It’s my name.” She gave him a curt reply.
“Don’t press for more,” Rosalee advised. “You won’t get it.”
As much as Rosalee wanted to use Shelby’s given name, she was surprised the author kept it secret.
Kane’s expression tensed and his eyes narrowed.
Shelby tried to extract her hand.
Instead of releasing her, he turned her wrist over, frowning at the bruises already forming from her struggle against the cuffs. His thumb skated the back of her hand, sending a shock of contact up her arm.
She jerked away, fisting her hand. A hot-cold sensation settled in her chest. Her head filled with white noise, leaving her slightly off-balance.
Kane opened his mouth, then shut it and cleared his throat again. He wiped his palm along the leg of his pants as though he’d felt the same current pass between them.
“So you heard about the latest letter?” Rosalee’s question cut through the buzz in Shelby’s ears. “It’s getting more and more difficult to keep a secret.”
Kane turned to his aunt. “Maybe if you’d keep your risqué life under wraps a bit longer, you wouldn’t have people trying to kill you.”
Shelby stepped into Kane’s space. “You have no right to speak to Rosalee like that. What do you care about her book?”
Kane reached into the pocket where he’d put the handcuffs. “You’re pushing your luck, Northstar.”
Shelby retreated, remembering she’d already dodged one bullet. Best not to antagonize him further.
Rosalee’s laugh was like a magic switch easing the tension between them. “It’s all right.” She handed the dog to Shelby, then pointed a finger at Kane, her bracelets clanking like warning bells. “You should appreciate that I’m sharing my history, because it’s part of your heritage. It’s definitely long past time I told these stories.” Slipping a hand over Kane’s elbow, she steered him toward the doorway. “Come downstairs. I’ll bet you haven’t eaten yet. Marta has outdone herself with those heavenly enchiladas.”
Shelby took her cue. She was Rosalee’s protector, nothing more. Her reaction to being cuffed proved she’d overstepped a professional boundary, and let her involvement become personal. She needed a little breathing room to put the past few minutes into perspective.
Placing the dog on the floor, she grabbed her cell phone and then trailed Rosalee and Kane out of the office, flipping off the overhead light as she exited. Instead of continuing toward the stairway, she turned the opposite direction.
Kane and Rosalee paused to look back at her.
She ignored Kane and spoke directly to Rosalee. “Obviously, you’re in good hands. I’ll take Oscar for a quick walk and secure the perimeter while you t
wo visit.”
Kane’s gaze raked her from head to feet, stopping on her strappy sandals.
She glanced down and then looked up at him. “I’ll change my shoes first.”
For three impolite seconds he stared at her. Staring back, she sensed a battle line being drawn and a challenge thrown to step over it.
“Shelby?” Rosalee’s voice broke the tension.
She blinked and looked at her client. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Are you all right?”
Shelby glanced at Kane again. “Yes. I’m fine.”
His lips twitched and eyes grew dark with unanswered questions.
Shelby swallowed. She wasn’t the only one wondering about the tension between them.
****
Kane noticed the glance Rosalee gave both him and Shelby. A thoughtful look crossed her face. He’d seen that look before, and knew exactly what it meant. Grabbing her firmly by the arm, he said, “Come on. We need to talk.”
His aunt’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “I’d like that very much.”
Kane glanced back as Shelby strode down the hallway with his aunt’s Yorkie trotting alongside her. Her skirt swished seductively around her bare legs. He shouldn’t be watching. In fact, he didn’t understand why he found the Northstar agent so intriguing. He almost willed her to turn around and look at him, yet she continued on, disappearing into one of the upstairs bedrooms.
He turned to his aunt. “She’s staying in the room next to yours?”
“Why, yes.” Rosalee tucked her arm more tightly into his as they started down the stairs. “As my bodyguard, she needs to be close twenty-four/seven. Besides, you know all my assistants have been live-ins.”
He rubbed the tenderness along his neck where the cord had left a rope burn. “Yes, but…” He paused. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“It’s a great idea.” Rosalee laughed. “Since hiring Shelby, I’m thinking I’ve had this whole assistant thing backward.”
“What do you mean?” Kane wondered how a bodyguard was better than clerical help when it came to his aunt’s writing.
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