“Then I’ll protect you. Period.”
“You’re leaving for Coronado in a week. How will you protect me then?”
He cleared his throat and flashed her a small smile. “Come with me.”
Her heart skipped a beat. His smile nearly unhinged her resolve. “No,” she said though a part of her wanted to say yes. “I live here. And even if I move, I’ll be looking over my shoulder if we don’t stop Vance Riley.” She poured a glass of wine and joined him at the counter, determined to keep Jacob focused on doing what she needed and not what he thought was best for her. “You find anything out about Mark?” Though she considered searching for the poor guy an exercise in futility, she’d clutch at any straw available.
“No.” He took a sip of his soda and held her gaze. “He hasn’t got any social media accounts and the last address he had was a post office box.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want to be connected to his father,” she said. “After all, Vance beat him and his mother. I only hope he didn’t molest Sally.” The physical abuse had been revealed during the trial fourteen years ago. However, Vance’s daughter never got on the stand because the District Attorney didn’t include Vance’s attempted molestation of Claire in the charges against her former coach.
She glanced at the screen. “Ten tabs open? You’ve been busy.”
“Map of the resort’s doors—exits and entrances and all the rooms and estimated attendance numbers for the First Annual PodFest are high. It’ll be hard to keep you under surveillance while we’re there. Easy to get swallowed up by the crowd, Claire.”
“I want them to swallow me,” she said calmly though her heart skittered in her chest. Not because she was afraid of going to the PodFest, but because Jacob had grown increasingly worried about their plan. A plan she knew would work if he’d give it time.
“I don’t.”
“This event was planned long before Vance Riley got paroled,” she said while peeking at the browser history tabs. “I thought you were looking for Mark. Why are you researching Gary Hudson and his podcast?”
“He’s an enigma. And he’s operating under a pseudonym.”
Adrenaline pinged into her fingers, making them tremble. “A lot of podcasters like to keep their personal lives separate from their professional ones.” She put her glass down and slid it out of reach before she spilled her wine.
“I don’t like it.” Jacob opened the tab to reveal Gary’s face and Wikipedia page. “There’s no data about him or his background until the podcast. No pictures. Nothing. Why? All of these blanks make him suspicious.”
“Maybe he likes his privacy,” she said. “Look. I know you aren’t a fan of his show, but there’s no way he’s even connected to Vance Riley. Besides Vance Riley wouldn’t know anyone like Gary Hudson. He’s not that cerebral.”
“He was cerebral enough to get out of jail for good behavior and punt parole to get to Montana without getting caught.” He clicked on another tab and opened the PodFest’s website. “Gary Hudson’s one of the sponsors.”
“So?”
“So what if he’s our link to Vance Riley?”
She laughed. “Are you kidding me? How?”
“Good question, but I have a bad feeling about him. How’d you get the VIP pass?”
“I’ve been sending Gary fan mail for over a year. He has a subscription service that sent out a newsletter to all his fans giving them an opportunity to enter a contest to win a chance to meet him,” she said. “I entered the contest more than three months ago. I’m one of the selected winners. Me and three other people.”
“Lucky you.”
“Yes. Lucky me.” She pushed out of her stool and stood. “What is the problem here? Are you jealous?”
“No.” Jacob shut his laptop. “I’m worried this is a set-up.”
“Well if it is, which I seriously doubt, then good. I want to get Vance.” She circled the counter and walked to the great room without looking back. “I’m bait—we agreed that the best way to flush Vance out is to use me.”
He caught up to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, holding her close to his chest. “This is too dangerous, Claire. Let me take care of this for you,” he said. “I’ll go to the PodFest, check him out and see where it leads. If Vance is connected to him, I’ll find out.”
“I’m not backing down.” She twisted out of his arms and faced him. “You can’t guarantee you’ll find Vance if you don’t let me go to the PodFest on Saturday. If… and it’s a huge if where I’m concerned… if Gary is linked to Vance then I’ll finally stop him from threatening me. Or worse, going on to ruin more innocent people’s lives after he carries through on his vendetta against me.”
“Claire. Please, listen to reason.”
Anger, old hurts and disappointments, grief for everyone and everything she’d lost all those years ago churned in her belly, bubbled to her throat and lodged there. Gulping in air, she tried to tamp down the anguish of her memories. “I thought you understood why I need to do this.” Tears pricked needles in her eyes. “It’s bad enough Vance’s actions caused him to lose control of the van and I lost three friends, a year of my life and more, because of his sick desires. But now? It’s even worse to know I can stop him from coming after me, and others.”
Jacob’s eyes narrowed and he widened his stance. “You’re not trained to deal with men like Vance Riley. I am.”
“He’s not after you. Training doesn’t matter. Besides, I have to rely on you to stop him if this PodFest is a set-up.”
“Rely on me to do more.”
“For how long? Until you return to Coronado? Are you going to give up your SEAL team to stay around and do me a big favor by protecting me? I can’t ask you to throw away your life for me.” Though a part of her did wish he’d give her one reason to believe they had a future beyond here and now.
He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Is there anything I can say that’ll convince you to change your mind?”
She shook her head. “There’s no way I can ever rest easy or live the life I deserve if I don’t follow through with this plan with or without you here.” She wanted so desperately to rely on Jacob, but she couldn’t. “I know you want to protect me, but you can’t stop bad things from happening to me day in and day out for the rest of your life. Focus on getting ready for the PodFest,” she said before leaving him and going to the guest bedroom instead of his.
Sure. They’d grown intimate, but he was leaving. Just as her father’s sudden death had ripped him out of her life. Then she’d learned the only person she could truly rely on was herself.
Especially when the man she’d left standing in the living room didn’t have the guts to tell her why he really didn’t want to let her go into a potential minefield on Saturday.
“You have her in your sight?” Hank asked Jacob through his ear piece.
Jacob scanned the expansive lobby, hiding in a corner the back. “Affirmative,” he said. “She’s heading toward the PodFest’s main meeting room. Place is crawling with super fans, but we expected a huge turnout.” After getting a confirmation on the large number of estimated people expected to attend the weekend event, he and the available Brotherhood Protectors staked out all the venue’s entrances and emergency exits. Hank had positioned available members of his elite team to watch all the doors.
Meanwhile, Jacob maintained his position inside the resort, following Claire from a distance into the hallway leading to the Podcast Lab where Reel 2 Real’s broadcast would occur. He stopped when she paused to pick up swag from one of the long tables overflowing with business cards and stickers advertising her favorite show along with dozens of other podcasts.
Then she sashayed inside the Podcast Lab with a swarm of super fans wearing inside joke T-shirts and disappeared.
“Okay she’s in. You got her signal?”
“Clear as a bell.”
“Good. Mine’s solid too.” But the mountains could screw with it anytime. Another reason he’d foug
ht with Claire about acting as bait to catch Vance Riley.
They hadn’t spoken about anything other than the case since she’d slammed the guest bedroom door in his face two nights ago. And he missed the closeness, the intimacy of sharing a bed with her… he missed everything about Claire and right now he’d do anything to win her back because…
He heard her speaking with another woman about Gary Hudson.
He’s my favorite podcaster. I can’t believe I get to have lunch with him.
If voices could beam, hers just did.
His heart clenched. And a strange hollow feeling settled in his chest. He hated being apart from her, hated the cold emotional distance between them. Damn it. He wanted her to give him a second chance... to give them a chance at having a life together. Permanently.
Where the hell did that come from? They’d only known each other for three weeks. He couldn’t fucking be in… shit… he was… he’d fallen full-on in love with Claire. And he’d royally blown it with her. He didn’t want her to flush out a monster, but by insisting she give up and possibly allow Vance to come after her… others too… he’d forced her to take a stand and push him away.
He’d fix it. He didn’t know how yet, but after they got home today… if she’d been right and he’d been wrong about his suspicions regarding Gary Hudson… he’d make it up to her.
For now, he’d wait out the podcast, the VIP luncheon, and stay alert for any sign of Vance Riley.
He listened to the show via Claire’s wire. The guy had a hilarious commentary, but Jacob didn’t like the sarcastic undertone. Twenty minutes later, Gary wrapped up the podcast and not long after, Jacob heard the famous podcaster talking to his groupies, including his super fan girl, Claire.
She clearly didn’t have a problem with him, by the way she gushed about his broadcast. So far, Gary Hudson seemed harmless as Claire had predicted.
“You see anything out of the ordinary at any of the exits?” he asked Hank, moving out of sight as the Podcast Lab emptied and the participants made their way to different workshops or to the resort’s five-star dining room.
“Nothing.”
Hidden behind a large banner advertising a football podcast, Jacob tracked Claire as she strolled next to Gary Hudson whose gait seemed familiar. One he’d seen before… but he couldn’t place where or when.
The hairs on the back of Jacob’s neck stood straight up and his gut twisted into a knot. He never ignored his gut, but as long as he heard Claire, he’d trust the wire tap to keep him up to speed while he investigated Hudson’s session area for any clues about the guy.
“I’m checking out Hudson’s podium for clues,” he said to Hank while entering the Podcast Lab. “Everything calm out there?”
“Nothing to worry about at any of the entrances or emergency exits,” Hank said.
“Excellent.” He made his way to the podcaster’s podium which the hotel’s hospitality staff had begun to clear to get ready for another show. One carried an acrylic see-through basket filled with pens, notecards and… his blood turned to ice… designer wraparound sunglasses.
Adrenaline spiked through his nerves and he curled his hands into fists. He didn’t know if the lurker he’d scared off over a week ago had a link to Vance Riley, but everything in Jacob screamed to get Claire the hell away from Hudson.
Slow down. Don’t run into danger. They’d planned their ambush with an entire battalion of Brotherhood Protectors ready to spring into action when Claire raised the alarm. He’d trained with the best of the best and now he had the support of an equally excellent team.
He relaxed his hands then radioed Hank. “Claire’s with a probable suspect.”
“Gary Hudson? How’s he connected to Riley?”
“No idea. But I’m convinced he’s the guy I chased from the rehab clinic.” Jacob skirted the perimeter of the room until he reached the door. “He has to be connected to Vance Riley.”
“I’ll have one of the guys back at the office run another background check. See if we can ferret out any intel about him.”
“The faster you relay the info to me, the better.”
“You going to run interference right away if we find a link?”
Jacob paused. “God knows I want to.” Claire’d never forgive him for busting up her fan girl moment with the podcaster, especially if he’d lead her to Vance Riley. She’d made herself clear during their argument. As far as she was concerned, only she had the power to bring Vance out of hiding and prevent another tragedy from occurring.
“But?” Hank prodded.
He wanted to protect her. Always. But the minute he left Eagle Rock, she’d be alone… vulnerable to Vance Riley’s threats until the bastard either acted on them or the authorities caught up to him.
“We stick to our plan.” He’d never have a chance to win her heart if he didn’t earn her trust.
“I appreciate you joining me,” Gary said after the server brought everyone’s drinks. “But I bet y’all couldn’t turn down the opportunity to win a free lunch, right?”
Though he smiled when he said it, Claire heard the condescending sneer in his tone. A brunette woman sitting next to him laughed nervously and another guy pulled back his hand, stopping himself from picking up the margarita he’d ordered.
“Who doesn’t like free?” she said brightly before the mood soured anymore.
“Free is great.” Gary picked up his top shelf scotch and drank, his pale blue eyes locking onto hers. “Freedom’s even better.”
“Freedom comes with caveats.” Claire raised her glass of chardonnay and sipped slowly, returning his stare without flinching. “People put their lives on the line to fight for our freedom every day. Others lose theirs when they break the law.”
“Well played.” He saluted her with his glass. “However, I contend there are exceptions to your so-called caveats.” He then launched into a dissertation about people who joined the military to get their jollies shooting innocents and the unfair incarceration of innocents.
She didn’t bother disputing his argument, knowing all too well that hashing over controversial topics often led to a greater distortion of the truth. And the only truth she cared about was the one challenging her with his narrowed eyes and sarcastic, demeaning remarks.
Gary Hudson had revealed his link to Vance Riley.
He shot her a look of pure malice and her heart thudded in her chest. This man hated her and she didn’t know why.
He made another biting, sardonic observation and then perfectly mimicked a southern church lady’s cut direct about a competing podcaster. “He has a face only his mother could love, bless his heart.”
Her legs trembled beneath the table. The phrase, along with his deepening southern accent, raised goose bumps on her skin. He knew her. But how? Claire played with her locket while scrutinizing Gary’s face. “I’ve never heard your accent on the show,” she said. “Why not?”
“Broadcasting school taught me to modulate my voice—make it neutral.” He lifted one corner of his lip in a half smile which brought out a dimple.
A thousand insect feet crawled up her spine and into her scalp. She’d recognize that smile anywhere. But Gary wasn’t Vance Riley, which meant one thing—the man sitting across from her may not look like his father anymore but he had his father’s physical tics. And the dimple matched Vance’s.
Gary Hudson had tried to run her down, had helped a criminal avoid the authorities, and he’d torched her home. To think she’d admired him! Now she’d confirmed Jacob’s suspicions. The VIP luncheon and guest pass had been an elaborate set-up.
Claire twisted the necklace’s chain, wanting to end the charade before things escalated. She’d wanted to flush out her former coach, but now fear sent ice through her veins and cold fingers squeezed her throat.
Jacob had tried to protect her from her desire to handle the situation her way. She’d rejected every opportunity to allow him to take control and stop the men who’d threatened her. Because she’d no
longer believed in promises people made about keeping her safe and shielding her from the ugliness of the world after her father had been ripped from her life.
She’d forgotten to trust anyone but herself. Until now.
Jacob couldn’t guarantee he’d always be there for her, but he was here today. And she had faith in his ability to stop Mark and his father.
She released her locket’s chain, pushed away from the table and stood. “I’ve lost my appetite.” Claire grabbed her purse. “And you’ve lost a fan.”
She didn’t glance back as she made her way to the restaurant’s exit and into the crowded hallway, eager to find Jacob and tell him everything she’d discovered.
The throng had doubled in size since they’d arrived and though she couldn’t see Jacob yet, she revealed Gary’s identity, speaking to no one but to the men monitoring her wire tap. “Don’t lose sight of him,” she said. “I’m counting on you…” She stopped speaking as the blunt end of a gun barrel pressed into her back.
“You’re not leaving without me.” Mark moved to her side while keeping the barrel on her body.
Looking down, she could see he’d concealed the gun in his coat’s pocket. Her heartbeat thrashed in her ears and her knees buckled. She stumbled over her feet and he caught her.
“Quit fucking around,” he said. “And don’t do anything stupid or someone else will get hurt.”
Sweat beaded on her forehead, her hands grew clammy, and black spots danced in her vision. Though everything in her wanted to twist free and scream for help, she couldn’t risk him shooting an innocent bystander.
Struggling to move one foot in front of the other, she continued walking until they passed through the resort’s sliding glass doors and into the brilliant sunshine reflecting off the roof of a top of the line silver Land Rover with blacked out windows.
“Get in.” Mark opened the passenger door to reveal Vance leering at her from the driver’s seat. “Don’t want to keep your date waiting.”
Brotherhood Protectors: Falling for Her Temporary Bodyguard (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 9