Regina nodded, and Natalie saw Tully already moving toward the kitchen, that scary but reassuring gun still in his hand.
“Are you okay?” Natalie asked gently.
Regina nodded again.
“Did Dobs find you?”
The other woman’s face crumpled and tears poured down her cheeks. “I ran.”
“From Dobs?” He’d been at Natalie’s salon in the afternoon, so how had he found Regina so fast?
“N-no. A guy was at the motel, asking the clerk if she’d seen me.”
Tully set mugs on the counter beside the coffee maker. “Can you describe him?”
Regina flinched, clearly still unnerved by Tully. “I hid behind a door, so I only heard him. He had an accent, like he was Spanish or something. I ran,” she repeated.
“What did he ask the clerk?” Natalie asked.
“He must have had a picture because he asked her if she’d seen this woman. And he offered her money to tell him.” A shudder ran through Regina, making the couch vibrate. “He said I had escaped from a mental hospital. I know I shouldn’t have come here but I couldn’t think of anywhere else.”
“No, it’s good that you came here. We were looking for you anyway,” Natalie said. “Did the clerk tell him you were there?”
“I don’t know. I ran.” Her voice quivered as she said it a third time.
“That was smart. You did the right thing,” Tully assured her from the kitchen.
Regina grabbed Natalie’s forearm in a grip that nearly cut off her circulation. “Don’t let him catch me. I didn’t tell you something important . . . so you wouldn’t have to lie.” She inhaled on a sob. “I’m six weeks pregnant. If he finds out, I’ll never get away from him.”
“Wait! You didn’t tell him that yourself?” Natalie asked.
“No, I packed my bag and left as soon as I got home from the doctor. If Dobs knew, he’d lock me in my room until I had the baby. After that, I don’t know what he’d do to me.”
Natalie hesitated. She hated to upset the already-distraught Regina but the woman needed to know the truth. “Don’t worry, we won’t let him get to you. But I have some bad news. Your husband already knows that you’re pregnant.”
“No! No, no, no!” Regina wailed and shook her head back and forth, her hair flopping wildly.
“Shh!” Natalie said, stroking Regina’s back. “You see my friend Tully over there? He used to work for the FBI. He knows how to keep you safe.”
Regina quieted and clearly started to think. “How did Dobs find out?” She turned to Natalie with her eyes wide and frightened. “How do you know that he knows?”
“He came to the salon yesterday, hoping I would tell him where you were. I wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth when he mentioned the baby or whether he was trying to gain my sympathy to get more information out of me.” Natalie smoothed Regina’s disheveled hair. “Are you feeling all right?”
“My stomach is kind of messed up. Morning sickness, I guess, except it hits me at all different times of day.” Regina curved her hands over her abdomen protectively. “I don’t want Dobs anywhere near my baby.”
Tully carried over a tray loaded with three steaming mugs of coffee, sugar, cream, and some crackers. “We won’t let that happen,” he assured her.
“Can the FBI help stop him?” Regina asked, grasping her mug in both hands.
“I don’t work for the FBI anymore, but I know the right people to handle this.” Tully sat in the armchair across from them. Natalie noted that the gun was now on the occasional table beside him. He must be worried that Dobs or the guy with the Spanish accent might show up.
Tully leaned forward. “Ma’am, can I ask you a few questions, things I need to know to keep you from harm?”
Regina nodded.
“I didn’t see a car outside. How did you get here?”
“I was afraid to use my car. The clerk at the motel knew it was mine. I took the bus.”
“Where were you?” Tully asked.
“Wheeling. West Virginia.” Regina looked at Natalie. “Is it okay to tell you where I was going?”
“You need to tell us everything so we know the best way to proceed from here,” Natalie reassured her.
“I was going to Kentucky. My second cousin lives there. I haven’t seen him in years, but he’s a nice guy. I figured he could help me go somewhere else.”
“Did he know you were on your way?” Tully asked.
Regina shook her head. “I planned to just show up. So my cousin wouldn’t have to lie if Dobs called him.”
“Good move,” Tully said. Natalie could see Regina’s confidence returning under Tully’s compliments. “Now we need to get you out of here.”
“Can I stay in the guest room?” Regina’s eyes filled with tears again. “Just for tonight?”
“Not a good idea.” Tully said gently but firmly. “Your husband has already confronted Natalie at her salon. How did you get here from the bus station?”
“I took the PATH train to Newark and a taxi from there to the end of Natalie’s road and then I walked. I paid cash.”
“You are a very resourceful woman.” Tully picked up his gun and stood. “I’m going to make some phone calls. Nat, could I talk to you a minute?” He tilted his head in the direction of the foyer.
Natalie pressed a cracker into Regina’s hand. “Eat something. It will help your stomach.”
She followed Tully to the foot of the stairs. He was in tactical mode. Eyes like steel, jaw tight, and gun in hand. “Could you put the gun down on the table while we talk? It’s a little frightening.”
“Of course, sweetheart.” He laid it on the foyer table, the barrel pointed away from both of them. “But when it’s in my hand, this gun is your friend.”
“I get that but it makes the whole situation seem even more like a scary movie. And I don’t want to be the star.” Natalie tried to smile at her weak joke.
Tully skimmed the back of his hand down her cheek. “This will all be over soon.”
“God, I hope so! Where are you going to take Regina?”
“To my place in the city. However, I don’t want her to be there without a friendly face because she’s nervous, exhausted, and pregnant. Would you be willing to go with her? I know you have to work and I’ll get you back in time for that.”
“I could get Gino to open up for me and reschedule my appointments.” Natalie didn’t want to leave Regina alone, either, and she trusted Gino to take good care of the salon.
Tully thought for a moment. “I’m afraid that might tip Dobs off that something is up.”
“Then let’s take her to Dawn and Leland’s. Dawn is in and out with her personal training appointments. I know it’s safe because you supervised the security system.” She gave him a slanted smile.
“I like it.” Tully nodded before he grinned. “And it’ll be a pleasure to wake up Leland before the crack of dawn.”
“This is good coffee,” Tully said, taking a swig from a steaming mug as he sat down on one of the ergonomic chairs in Leland’s home office. He’d left Natalie and Dawn to settle Regina into the large guest suite in Leland’s Manhattan penthouse.
“It’s arabica from Costa Rica.” Leland swiveled his chair to face Tully, the multiple computer screens painting a glow on his face. “I looked into Van Houten’s finances.” He smiled. “Killion isn’t the only one who can read a brokerage statement. At any rate, the man has serious bucks, so he’s going to be tough to fight in court. He’ll hire a battalion of lawyers.”
“Did he make the money or inherit it?” Tully asked.
“It’s mostly family money but he’s added a little bit to the pot.” Leland shot him a look of understanding. “You’re trying to figure out how smart he is.”
“How smart. How driven. How crazy.” Tully needed to meet the man to get an accurate assessment. “I plan to pay my man Dobs a visit.”
“The estate he lives on in New Jersey has a value in excess of twenty million d
ollars. You’re not going to have an easy time getting in there.” Leland shrugged. “If he’s even home. He owns a ski house in Aspen and several beach houses scattered around the world.”
“Oh, he’s there and he has some security.” Tully’s team had reported back to him about the cameras, alarms, and staff.
“Well, security won’t stop you any more than firewalls stop me.” Leland’s eyes glinted with amusement.
“My first approach will be just a straightforward, walk-up-to-the-door visit, so no need to worry about guards.”
“More a drive-up-miles-of-driveway visit,” Leland said. “What excuse do you have to visit him?”
“He’s a man of wealth who needs really good security, which he hasn’t got. I think KRG might want to court his business and I’m willing to stroke his ego by making a house call.”
“Ah, yes, a full partner coming to see him. He won’t be able to resist that,” Leland said.
“Not if he’s the kind of asshole I think he is.” Tully slowly swiveled his chair back and forth, holding his mug in both hands. “I’m trying to figure out how to make the connection between Van Houten and Natalie’s stalker.”
“Are you sure there is one?”
Tully raised his eyebrows at his partner. “You know how much I believe in coincidences.”
“Well, Van Houten has enough money to hire someone to figure out which internet cafés don’t have cameras and to send the messages from those. He wouldn’t do that himself.”
“No, he’ll have minions to do his dirty work. That will make it hard to pin the stalking on him.”
“If Van Houten is her stalker and he’s keeping her under surveillance, won’t he recognize you? You’ve been at her house and her salon,” Leland pointed out.
“That will make it all the more jarring for him. My appearance on his doorstep could push him into making mistakes.” Tully swiveled some more while he thought. “What is the point of stalking Natalie if you want to get your wife back?”
“Maybe he was simply angry and wanted to punish someone.”
“Or maybe he was trying to soften her up so that when he finally came to see her, she’d be upset and off-balance. That way she might spill what she knew.”
“Or both,” Leland said.
“Good point. Whether it’s physical or psychological, abusers like to beat up on anyone they think is weaker than they are just for the fun of it. No reason for him not to kill two birds with one stone.” Anger roiled in Tully’s chest. He hoped he would have a reason to punch Van Houten in his aristocratic nose.
Natalie nibbled on the buttery croissant that Dawn had set on the stainless steel tabletop in front of her as they sat in Leland’s sleek, modern kitchen. “Thank you for taking in Regina.”
Dawn gave her a dagger glare over her yogurt. “Seriously? You know better than to thank me. I’d do the same for anyone in her situation.”
“But we woke you up at an ungodly hour to do it.” Natalie glanced out the wide window, where the city lights blazed against the dark sky. “Tully enjoyed that.”
“I’ll bet he did.” Dawn put down her spoon. “So what exactly is going on with you and Tully?”
“Sex,” Natalie said without hesitation. “Very good sex.”
Dawn choked on a laugh. “Yeah, I can see the glow around both of you. But it looks like more than that. He’s spent a lot of time on your stalker investigation.”
“He’s a protector by nature and profession,” Natalie said, brushing croissant crumbs off her wrinkled white blouse. She hadn’t had time to change out of yesterday’s work clothes before Tully had herded her and Regina into his car. “And I need protection right now. That’s all.”
“You seem very sure of that.” Dawn stared into her yogurt bowl for a moment. “You know he refuses to get married.”
“So I’ve been told. What I can’t figure out is why. He would be a terrific husband.” Natalie sipped her coffee. “And father.”
Her heart gave an odd little twist as she pictured Tully with a child riding on his shoulders while a blurry, undefined wife walked next to him.
“Yeah, he loves the kid he’s a Big Brother to,” Dawn said. “But his family is really screwed up. Alcoholism, gambling, drugs.”
“Wow! That’s a lot to deal with.” No wonder Tully wanted to fight bad guys. It was easier than trying to fight all those intractable problems. “But why does that stop him from getting married?”
“Something about having bad role models and not wanting to drag a wife into his family problems.” Dawn shrugged. “He doesn’t talk about it much, according to Leland. All I know is that his father died of liver disease due to alcoholism and his sister died of a drug overdose.”
Sorrow rolled through Natalie like a gray fog, making her chest ache. Tully’s broad shoulders carried a heavy burden. “That’s crazy. He’s not like that!” Natalie objected.
“Right?” Dawn said. “But he’s made his decision and Leland says he won’t budge from it.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” But he was depriving himself of a happiness that he deserved.
“I just thought you should know.”
“Now explain why you decided to tell me that particular piece of information.” Natalie pinned her friend with a sharp look.
“Look, you say that you don’t want to get married ever again—” Dawn began.
“And I mean every word of it,” Natalie interrupted, with all the conviction born of a narrow escape from an abusive relationship.
That didn’t stop Dawn. “When I see you and Tully together, I can’t help thinking that you are really good for each other. Why shouldn’t you both be happy?”
Natalie wanted Tully to find a good woman to bring him joy, but it wouldn’t be her. “I am happy, just as I am.”
“You look happier when you’re with Tully,” Dawn insisted.
“He’s a great guy,” Natalie said. “I wish him all the best.” She was still rebuilding herself. There wasn’t room for a man in the process, especially not one as overwhelming as Tully.
“Give it a chance, Nat,” Dawn said. “That’s all I’m saying.”
“You know, I think I’ll try some of that raspberry jam on this croissant,” Natalie said.
Chapter 13
“Why don’t I give you a little layering in the back?” Natalie asked her client. “It would add some lift and bounce to your hair.”
The woman smiled at her in the mirror’s reflection. “I trust you, so do whatever you think will look best.”
“Terrific.” Natalie swapped her scissors and began to snip. Working with the texture and natural bend of the hair required a concentration that kept her mind off her personal problems. The feel of the scissors around her fingers, the metallic swish of the blades sliding against each other, and the fragrance of hair products were like a spa experience for her today, blissfully familiar and soothing. As her client’s hair fell into a sassy curve, satisfaction spread through her. “I think you’re really going to like this.”
“Natalie, sorry to bother you.” Bianca, the receptionist, approached with a concerned frown. She came up close and murmured, “Your ex is here. He says he needs to talk with you and that it’s urgent.”
For a moment apprehension balled a fist in Natalie’s throat. Matt wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t upset about something, and she would have to deal with his displeasure. She reminded herself that she was no longer married to him, so she didn’t have to live with his punishing anger. Yet she still had to take a deep breath.
“Ask him to wait in my office while I finish up with Leslie.” She wasn’t going to rush through her appointment because her ex had shown up unannounced.
Pam prowled over to Natalie’s chair as Bianca departed. “I’ll be right outside your office. Make sure to leave the door open when you go in to talk to him.”
Natalie nodded, and Pam walked away.
Making Matt wait would probably increase his anger, but Natalie willed her han
ds to stay steady as she took her time in trimming and blowing out Leslie’s hair. When she was done, she tossed her client’s lavender cape into the laundry bin and then wiped her palms on her linen trousers. She hated that Matt could still jangle her nerves like this. She faced herself in the mirror, tucked her short blonde hair behind her ears, and lifted her chin, sending herself the message that she held the power now.
She stopped to tell Bianca to get her next client started with shampooing and strode down the hallway to her office, exchanging what she hoped was a steady glance with Pam as she passed. Her ex stood staring out the window behind her desk, his arms crossed. He was wearing a gray suit, so he must have come from work. She noticed that his hair was longer than he used to wear it. Trying to look young and hip for the new girlfriend.
“Hello, Matt,” she said in a cool tone as she took two steps into the room and halted. “I’ve got a client waiting, so what can I do for you?”
He turned with a scowl. It was odd that he looked so familiar and yet seemed like such a stranger. “You can tell me why two people have come to my office asking about you. I’m concerned for you.”
“Two people asking about me? Goodness, I’m popular.” She only knew about Tully. “What did they want to know?”
His jaw tightened. “The first guy—who had a gun!—accused me of stalking you, which is ridiculous. He seemed to be investigating for you, so you must know him.”
Natalie nodded. “He’s a former FBI agent.”
“Shit, Nat, you’re really being stalked?” Matt uncrossed his arms. “Did you catch the guy?”
“Not yet, but Mr. Gibson is working on it.” Natalie gestured toward the chair in front of her desk. She wasn’t going to let Matt have the power seat behind her desk. “Why don’t you sit down, since this sounds serious.” She wanted to know about his second visitor.
“Damn straight it’s serious. You could be in danger.” He hesitated before coming around the desk and seating himself where she’d suggested.
Natalie settled into her desk chair with a small sense of victory. “What did the second person want to talk about?”
The Agent Page 14