by Regina Duke
Her heart leaped as she read the words.
“Witness protection. Run!”
CHAPTER TWO
THOR GARRISON GROANED AS HE PULLED THE barbell chest high, then gave a shout as he muscled it over his head. He grinned with satisfaction.
“Yeah, baby!”
A moment later, the grin faded as the weight began to tip.
“Uh-oh. Up, up, up. Oh crap.” He barely got his feet out of the way as he lost control of the barbell. It landed with a thud on the exercise mat in his office.
Thor stood staring at his reflection in the long mirror. His lightly tanned arms looked even stronger now than they’d been when he was a fireman. His blond hair would need cutting in a week or so. The tips were beginning to show unruly curl.
He glared at himself in the mirror and sniped, “Next time, you wuss. You’re going to do it next time, or else. You have to do something to stay in shape.”
Before he could retrieve the barbell, his phone rang.
“Rocky, get the phone.”
A sleek black Doberman pinscher rose from a cushion in the corner, lifted the cell phone from the desk at the back of the room, and trotted obediently to Thor.
“Good dog.” Thor took the phone and Rocky returned to his bed.
“Thor Security, Garrison speaking.”
“Thor Baby, it’s Polly Mae, your mama!”
Thor smiled. “Hello, mother.”
“Mother? What, are you mad at me again?” Polly Mae’s Texas drawl filled the room even from a thousand miles away.
“I’m never mad at you, mama. You know that. But I do get irritated from time to time.”
“About what?” The innocence in her voice almost sounded real.
“You know what. That woman has called me six times in six days. I told you not to encourage her.”
“Now, now, Thor Baby, you know your mama knows best. Daddy and me, we want some grandbabies, and those things take time, and you ain’t doing nothing to speed along the process. Britney Beth was your steady girl in high school, her mama is my best friend, and we both think it’s time the two of you stopped messing around and started a family.”
“Mother, I am not marrying Britney Beth Beale. That is not going to happen. Now, is there another purpose for this call? Or do you just miss me?”
“I always miss you, Thor Baby, but not when you act so cantankerous. You’ll come around. Meanwhile, your daddy wants to talk to you.”
A moment later, Rudy Garrison chuckled into the phone. His voice was raspy from too many years of smoking. “Hey there, baby boy.”
“Hey, daddy. Tell mama I’m not marrying Britney Beth.”
Rudy turned his voice away from the phone to call out, “He ain’t marrying Britney Beth.” Then closer, “How’s that?”
“Thanks, dad. What’s up?”
“Oh, I been talking to the CPAs and they tell me it would be a smart tax move to give you kids some money this year. Shave something off the lump the IRS wants to tax, you know? So I just wanted to let you know your mama and I transferred a few thousand into your savings account.”
“Dad. How am I supposed to run my own business and make a name for myself if you keep bankrolling me?”
“Well, dang, I never looked at it that way, son. Ya’ll want me to give that money to a stranger on the street?”
“No.” Thor flinched at how fast his answer came. He tried to soften it. “I mean, no need to go to all the trouble of withdrawing it and all that.”
Rudy chuckled. “That’s downright thoughtful of you, son. How’s business?”
“Fine, actually.” He looked around at the brick walls of his office-slash-gym. Glass shelves offered visitors a vast array of security options. The only space that was obviously unused was the top of his desk. He made a wry face. “It takes a while to get established, but I have minimal overhead, and my client list is growing like crazy.”
“Well, maybe you should diversify. You could always come down here and teach self defense to the ladies in my building.”
“Thanks, daddy. I’ll keep that in mind. But I like Colorado. It gives me a different perspective on things.” There was a long silence as they both avoided mentioning the tragedy that sent Thor packing twelve months earlier. At last Rudy spoke.
“Uh-hunh. And it puts a lot of miles between you and Britney Beth.”
“You got that right. A lot of good it does me, though, the way she whizzes back and forth between home and here.”
Rudy cleared his throat. “Listen, son, what exactly don’t you like about that girl? I mean, plastic surgery does wonders these days.”
Thor laughed when he heard his mother screaming at his father about that remark.
“Watch out, dad. Britney Beth is a fine looking woman. The last thing she needs is plastic surgery. She just doesn’t understand me. She doesn’t like doing any of the same things. She hates the outdoors. And she told me in high school that kids are the last thing on her agenda. I don’t know why mama is so set on adding her to the family.”
Rudy lowered his voice. “You be on the look out. They’ve been on the phone to each other, hatching a plot.” He cleared his throat. “By the way, I gave your name as a security expert to those good ol’ boys I told you about.”
“Your old friends in the oil biz? Tex and Jackson?”
“Them’s the ones. You may be getting a call from them any day now.”
“Thanks, dad. Hey, you sound kind of tired today. Are you feeling okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine. Just too much on my plate before that Kuwait trip. You know how it goes.” He changed the subject. “How’s that property working out?”
Thor grinned. When it became evident that he was serious about relocating to Colorado, his father decided to spread some oil money around and invest in real estate. This particular property had a very nice cabin on it. And he insisted on paying Thor to be its caretaker. “The property’s great, daddy. I know mama and Britney Beth have told you all about my additions. Can’t wait for you to come up and go fishing with me. Or maybe hunting? I put in for a deer tag.”
“You get that tag, I’ll drop everything down here and be there in a heartbeat. Take care of yourself.”
“I will, daddy. Thanks for the heads up. And for the cash. Oh, hey, someone just pulled up out front. I think I have a customer. Talk to you later.”
“Bye, son.”
CHAPTER THREE
ASHLEY SHOVED THE FIGURINE INTO THE pocket of her jeans and practically slid down the stairs. Her pulse pounded as she lifted the retractable staircase off the floor. Counter weights took over and closed it silently. She trotted down the stone steps and had the engine running before she even closed the car door.
A block away, she realized she was shaking. The figurine dug into her hip. When she stopped for a traffic light, she pulled it out of her pocket and dropped it into her purse.
What could her mother have gotten involved in that required going into hiding?
Agnew Spinoza.
The answer came unbidden. Ashley knew nothing about him, and wondered if she should try to find out. Her mother evidently had learned enough about Ashley from her father that she suspected she might show up at the house. She left the figurine and the note on purpose to deter Ashley from continuing her search.
“Witness protection. Run!”
The part that had her shaking was the last word.
“Run!”
Ashley suspected that her own paranoia was a legacy from her mother. But when she was in the kitchen, she knew she shouldn’t turn off the light. Why? Because if someone was watching the house, as soon as the sun went down, they would know that a person had entered. Of course, the light bulb might burn out naturally. But again, if someone were watching with ulterior motives, they might be going in every morning and putting a fresh bulb in.
It was the same paranoid reasoning that slowed her exit long enough to make sure the retractable attic staircase was closed up tight. Her mother must have suspected strange
rs would come to the house, looking for… what? Ashley didn’t know. But why else would her mother make sure that the staircase was closed? Strangers might never realize it was there. They would never go upstairs, never find the abandoned bedroom, never see the figurine with the note. They would never know that Julie Spinoza had a child. A daughter.
The car behind honked impatiently.
Startled, Ashley realized she’d nearly sat through the green light. She bit her bottom lip and eased the car forward.
She needed advice. She needed her father, but he was gone. Could she really be in danger? If Julie really had been sequestered into the witness protection program, Ashley’s visit to the house might have drawn unwanted attention, putting her in jeopardy. Or this whole thing could be another psychotic episode playing out in her mother’s imagination, spilling over into the real world and threatening to drag Ashley down into the madness.
She drove up and down the streets of Eagle’s Toe, hoping for a sign. Should she rent a room somewhere and rethink this whole thing in the light of a new day? Or should she drive as fast and as far as she could?
That was when she saw the sign in the window of the brick building. Thor Security.
That was what she needed. Security. If nothing else, she could get some advice. She parked her car at the curb, gathered her purse and her wits, and headed inside.
The interior of the building could not make up its mind whether it was a gym or an office. The walls were the same brushed brick as the exterior. Two walls sported glass shelves displaying an assortment of electronic security devices, different types of control panels, and dollhouse-sized windows demonstrating protection options. The sole occupant was a tall blond man who wore a tee shirt that did nothing to hide the contours of his torso. Ashley shivered at the sight and blamed it on Eagle’s Toe temperatures being twenty degrees lower than she was used to in Boulder. It couldn’t be his scantily clad torso sending a shudder through her.
She forced herself to look away from his muscular torso and assessed the clean top of the shiny new wooden desk. Whatever security people did, it didn’t seem to involve much paperwork. His laptop lay unopened. The Doberman pinscher on his bed was staring at her intently. She relaxed a bit when she realized the dog was still lying down. Evidently she wasn’t enough of a threat to alert a watch dog.
She definitely needed help.
As if reading her mind, the man greeted her with, “May I help you?” His voice was a rich baritone, as handsome as his features.
“Your sign,” said Ashley. “Thor Security. I think I may be in need of some.”
“Some Security? Or some Thor?”
Ashley was not in the mood for banter. “Maybe I should keep looking.” She gestured at the scattered display shelves. “I’ve made a mistake. You sell home security devices. That’s not what I need. Sorry to bother you.” She turned to go.
“No, wait. I was just trying to break the ice. These are a sideline. Er, bodyguards and detectives are not in high demand in Eagle’s Toe. Come in. Don’t mind Rocky. He’s a sweetheart. Would you like a chair?” He waved an arm toward his desk.
Ashley took a calming breath. “All right, then. Maybe I am in the right place.” She perched on the mock Queen Anne by the desk and found herself gazing into a pair of sky blue eyes topped by a serious brow. “My name is Ashley Clair.” She paused.
“I’m Thor Garrison.” He stretched an arm across the desk to shake her hand.
His grip was warm and firm. Ashley found that reassuring.
“Now, Ms. Clair, what brings you to my office?” He lifted a lightweight dark green sweater off the back of his desk chair and slipped it on.
Ashley chewed her bottom lip, not certain how to begin.
“May I offer you something? Coffee? Water? Tea?”
Ashley was surprised. “You have tea?”
Thor nodded.
“Green tea?”
“I have jasmine. Is that alright?”
Ashley sighed and leaned back in the chair. “That’s perfect. I would love some tea, Mr. Garrison.”
“Please, call me Thor. Mr. Garrison is my father.”
“All right. But only if you call me Ashley.”
“Deal.” He moved to a sideboard where a carafe of hot water sat next to one of coffee on a sleek dual-pot contraption more at home in a car-repair waiting room. “Would you like to take your jacket off?”
Ashley pulled her gray tweed closed in front and buttoned it. “No, thanks. I’m a bit chilled.”
Thor stepped to a thermostat behind his desk and turned up the heat. “Tea will help, too.”
Ashley expected to see tea bags and chipped mugs, but Thor surprised her again by scooping leaves from a canister into a fat tea ball and preparing a tea pot.
“It’ll just take a few minutes for this to brew,” he said, pouring hot water over the tea ball.
Ashley set her purse on the floor and began wringing her hands. The moment she noticed, she stopped. It suddenly occurred to her that the front wall was an all-glass display window. Alarmed, she wondered if anyone had followed her from the house. She couldn’t remember if there was a clear view of the interior from curbside. She found herself angling her chair to keep the windows and door within her range of vision.
Thor moved toward the front windows and lowered the dark gray sunscreens.
Ashley could still see out, but she felt much more secure with the blinds down.
Sheepishly, she said, “Thank you.”
Thor nodded and went back to making tea. “Anytime you’re ready, you can tell me what’s bothering you.”
Ashley took a deep breath and let it out with a whoosh. “I think my mother has enemies.”
“How dangerous?”
Ashley relaxed a bit more. She was so grateful that he didn’t question her judgment or doubt her statement.
“She left me a hidden note that she’s been placed in the witness protection program.”
“Okay. Where did you find the note?”
Ashley pulled the figurine out of her purse. “Inside this porcelain statue.” She turned it over. “Oh, no.” She dug through her purse in vain. The note was not there. “What did I do with it? I was so scared, I left the house as fast as I could. Oh, my God. What if I dropped it? What if the people watching the house find it and know I was there?”
Her fingers began to tremble. “You think I made it all up, don’t you?” She fumbled, and the figurine slipped from her hands.
Thor swooped and caught the tiny figure before it hit the floor. He knelt beside Ashley and pressed it into her hand.
“Take a moment,” he said gently, “and pull yourself together. You came here because you were frightened. It’s the smartest thing you could have done. You’re safe here. I’m watching the sidewalk. I’ll lock the door, okay?”
Ashley nodded vigorously.
Thor strode to the door, turned the “Closed” sign over, and returned. “If someone even tries to come through the door, Rocky will go nuts. No one can sneak up on us.” He stopped to move the tea tray to the desk, then poured her a cup.
“Here you go. Now, what did the note say?”
Ashley closed her eyes and said, “Witness protection. Run!”
Thor gave her a tiny smile. “Good.”
“Good? What’s good about it?”
“The way you had to close your eyes to visualize the note. The way you read it right off. It tells me you’re not making this up. Do you think the note might be in your car?”
Ashley’s eyes opened wide. “Oh. Maybe. I’ll go look.”
Thor stopped her. “Drink your tea. We’ll check later. Was there anything else in the house that alarmed you? Made you think you were in danger?”
Ashley sipped her tea. There was something about Thor that made her feel safe. Or at least, safer than she had since she found her mother’s note. Maybe he could really help her.
“It seemed to me that she wanted to hide my old upstairs bedroom. Maybe keeping
someone from knowing she had a daughter, you know?” The tea was warm and Thor was such a good listener. Her trembling faded, and she began to feel foolish. “You know, maybe I overreacted. I mean, my poor mother. I haven’t seen her in fifteen years. She had mental problems. I went there to tell her my father passed away. The old house stirred up so many memories.”
She leaned forward and set her cup on the tray. “Maybe I’m wasting your time.”
“Now, now,” said Thor. “No need to rush off. Let’s finish our conversation and our tea. You think she was trying to hide your bedroom from prying eyes. Anything else?”
Ashley picked up her tea cup again. “Well, there was the pool of blood on the kitchen floor.”
CHAPTER FOUR
THOR CHOKED ON HIS TEA. “Excuse me? The what on the floor?”
Ashley looked pale and grim, but not even her emotional turmoil could hide her beauty. Even if her story had not been captivating, her looks certainly were. But he was listening with both ears now, that was for sure.
Ashley lifted her caramel-colored eyes to meet his. “The pool of blood. It’s not the first time I’ve seen such a thing. There was a lot of blood splashed around when the police and the ambulance took my mother away.”
“I thought you hadn’t seen her in a long time.”
“Fifteen years. In fact, it’s almost fifteen years to the day. My mother was later diagnosed as mentally ill. I don’t have the medical terms. My dad once called her psychotic, but mostly he sheltered me from it all. In fact, he wrapped me in a blanket when he carried me out to the car, to keep me from seeing the mess.” She covered her mouth with one hand. “I had completely forgotten that part.” Her voice was barely audible.
Thor fought the urge to put an arm around her. They’d only just met, but she was not only beautiful, she was badly in need of a protector. He knew he had that gene in him. That was why he’d joined the fire department back home in Texas. He wanted to help people and protect those who needed it. That was why he’d left, too. You can’t protect everybody.
He shook off the memory and focused on Ashley. She needed him here and now.