She gazed at the caller I.D. and smiled.
“Hey, Sierra! What gives?”
Sierra Newman was a friend she’d made in Chicago. She was the journalist who had exposed the corrupt senator’s link to a criminal organization and as a result, had been on the run. Their paths had crossed briefly, and there had been a soul bonding.
“Janey, Janey…Why are you still at work?” a rich, warm voice said at the other end of the line.
Janey laughed, “Oh, you know there’s so much to do.”
“Hmmm…or are you trying to forget a certain someone?”
That wiped the smile off her face in an instant. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sierra.”
Janey heard the teasing laugher and grimaced.
“Well, I know I was pretty self-preoccupied when we were at the safe house, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have eyes in my head. But don’t worry…” she said when Janey would have cut in with another denial, “I understand, really I do. Just wanted you to know that Drew is also working himself to a stupor. I can’t help wondering at the coincidence.”
Drew.
Even his name had the power to make her breathless. It was a reaction she did not appreciate.
“There was nothing going on between us, Sierra.” Janey sounded tired, even to her ears.
“You know what, honey? That’s just a shame.”
Janey thought so as well. She would have loved for something to go on between them. Specifically, something hot and hard and sexy as hell. But apart from the intense sexual reaction between them, they had absolutely nothing else in common.
“We’re too different anyway,” she told Sierra.
“You really think so?” Sierra’s voice was quiet now. “You don’t really know Drew, do you?”
Well, she only knew him as intimately as a woman could know a man; skin to skin, flesh to flesh.
Janey felt her face heat up at the thought. Who knew, maybe today would be the day she finally made use of the dildo she’d driven all the way to Tulsa to purchase, where nobody knew her.
“Are you okay, Janey?”
The concern in Sierra’s voice brought her out of her thoughts. She was beginning to space out much too often. What was wrong with her?
“I’m fine, Sierra. Just awfully tired.”
“Still looking after your dad?”
“Not much to be honest. I feel a bit redundant there. My sisters-in-law have been wonderful.”
Maybe too wonderful. Each time she went, there was nothing for her to do and her mother did not seem to know what to say to her. And since the breakup with Mark, things had gone from bad to worse, forget about the fact that he was the one who had called off the engagement. Somehow, Janey was at fault.
She pushed the thoughts away.
“How is Ace doing?” Ace and Sierra were together. He had been her bodyguard and had almost lost his life protecting hers. Thankfully, he survived and they were now a couple.
“He’s started physical therapy and is improving quickly. Also driving me crazy in the process.” She laughed and a streak of envy shot through Janey when she heard the love and affection in the other woman’s voice. She pushed it down.
“I’m really glad. Tell him I said hey.”
“Sure. You take care of yourself, okay? I’m worried about you, Janey. I’m thinking of coming down to check on you.”
Janey smiled. “It would be nice to have you, but I’m fine. Really.”
“Hmmm…” She didn’t sound convinced but she must have chosen to let it go because they chatted a bit before ending the call.
As she locked up for the night, the feeling of loneliness was no longer wrapping its cold hands around Janey’s heart. Sierra’s phone call had infused some warmth into her and she was suddenly feeling much better.
The feeling did not last.
She got to her car and found that it was covered in a light layer of snow. But that was not what sucked out the joy from her day. It was the inscription on the driver’s window. It looked like someone had used a finger to write on the snow and the message was chilling.
It said: GET OUT BITCH. I AM COMING FOR U.
Janey felt the chill right down to her bones. She quickly scanned the parking area in front of the row of shops. It was well lit and she could not make out any movements. There didn’t seem to be anyone lurking about.
Not that she was going to wait to find out.
As quickly as she could, she unlocked the SUV, jumped in and screeched out of there like a bat out of hell.
The drive to her cottage was performed on autopilot. Janey’s thoughts were all over the place. Who would want to threaten her? She had no enemies and had never offended anyone. Was this just a silly prank carried out by restless teens?
It was possible that the message was not meant for her, specifically. But she could not sell that to herself. Somewhere deep inside, she knew that it had been directed at her. What she could not figure out was why? For what purpose?
She thought briefly of calling Drew. This would be the perfect opportunity to get in touch with him. She dismissed the idea almost immediately. She was overreacting and even if she wasn’t, she could not afford a bodyguard.
Sure her store was doing alright, but no way could she afford the kind of fees the firm Drew and Ace worked for commanded. Silver Shield was one of the most prestigious security outfits in Chicago, maybe even in the country. Retaining their services even for a week would bankrupt her.
At the thought of having Drew for an entire week, she shivered in delight. It was almost worth going bankrupt for that. Almost.
She decided to dismiss the incidence. There was no use thinking about something like that. By the time she got to her house, the falling snow would have covered the inscription on her window anyway. She was going to be alert and very carefully watch the way things proceeded. If she had any reason to fear for her safety, she would inform the police. That was the best she was willing to do. Silver Shield was completely out of the question.
That night, Janey had a dream that some crazy person was running after her with a bloodied knife. The person looked like an emaciated version of her sister. In desperation, she ran into a pair of strong, muscled arms. Arms she remembered only too well.
The scene changed and she was riding on top of a very naked Drew in a dream that was so erotic, she woke up sweating.
“How much more of this can I take?” she murmured to herself. She had to do something about this before she went completely crazy.
Before sleep claimed her once more, she made up her mind to do something definite about her state of never-ending sexual frustration.
Chapter Three
The next morning, all thoughts of sexual frustration fled from Janey’s mind when she opened her door to find a dead mouse right on her doorstep. On her door mat actually. The one that was handmade for her by her grandma the first time she moved to college. She’d kept it all those years, waiting to roll it out for the perfect home, which she had when she got her cute, little cottage.
Now the thing was stained with blood. From a mouse of all things.
Janey did not know whether to be mad or scared. She was furious at first, but then she remembered the message on her windshield and the fear followed on the heels of the fury.
She was all dressed, ready to head out to the farm for a couple of hours before going to her store. She stood staring at the dead mouse for several minutes, then it hit her from nowhere, without warning.
She pushed open the door and ran inside. When she located the nearest toilet, she emptied everything inside. The nausea was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. She retched so hard till she felt that there was nothing left to throw up. Then she vomited some more. Convinced that she would soon see her intestines floating around the toilet bowl, she sank down to her knees, holding on to the toilet for support.
By the time she was done, she felt so weak, that she just sat there on the floor. She leaned back ti
ll she was resting against the cold tiles of the bathroom wall. Not sure her feet would support her, she did not try to stand.
Janey reached out, trying to locate her cell phone. She paused. Who would she call? There really was no one she could call. Even though she’d grown up in Broken Arrow, her closest friends no longer lived there, besides she had lost touch with them a long time ago. That left her family, and her brothers were not speaking to her; not since she decided to go look for Diane against their wishes. She understood that Diane had hurt her family by breaking off all communication with them, but what was the essence of family if they could not be there for you when you were in trouble?
As for her mother, she never took her seriously anyway. Besides, she had a lot on her plate, with dad recovering from a heart attack.
There really was only one person she could call.
She forced herself up on trembling legs and leaning against the wall, she made her way to the living room. She found her purse on the floor just by the slightly open door. A gust of wind blew in and she shivered. Walking slowly, she shut the door and picked up her purse.
Pulling out her cell phone, she dialed and waited.
“Hello?”
“Sierra?”
“Janey, are you okay? You sound horrible!”
Janey looked for the nearest seat, which was a Georgian antique mahogany double settee she had sourced a couple of years back. She sank into it and pressed the phone to her ears. Her hands were shaking.
“Sierra, I’m scared.” She could hear the fear in her voice and she didn’t care. She was terrified.
“What happened? Talk to me, Janey!”
She told her about the writing on her car and how she had chosen to ignore it. “Then this morning I wake up and there’s a dead mouse on my doorstep. A dead mouse, Sierra!”
“Hold on, I’ll take the next flight out.”
Sierra’s no-nonsense voice brought her out of her stupor. “No, don’t be ridiculous. There’s no need for that,” she said, trying to regain control of the situation.
“How can you say that? Obviously someone is trying to mess with you and we need to get to the root of this.”
Janey cursed herself for calling Sierra. How could she have given in to a moment of weakness and called a journalist of all people? Sure, she was the closest thing she had to a friend, but hell, she was a journalist! Damn.
She drew in a deep breath, counted to ten and then let it out slowly. Feeling more centered, she tried again.
“Look, it might just be a harmless prank.” She was relieved at how calm she sounded, nothing like the jumble of nerves she was on the inside. “I don’t want you flying all the way here for nothing. Let’s give it a day or two. If nothing else happens, then we’ll know that it was just some kids messing around.”
She held her breath as she waited to see if the other woman would buy it. Finally, after a brief pause, Sierra said, “Fine. I don’t like it, but we’ll see. Hopefully, nothing else like this happens again.”
Janey let out her breath in a sigh of relief. Sierra was a tough nut to crack and she was surprised that she’d caved so easily. Guess she must have been more convincing than she knew.
“Thanks, Sierra. I really appreciate you looking out for me like this.”
And she did.
She did not have anyone to do that for her. No one who took Janey Moore’s wellbeing as priority. Sometimes she hated that she was such a loner. She needed to go out more. Mingle and make friends. But her idea of a good time was hours spent in her garden or curling up on the deck at the back of her cottage with a good book.
After chatting with Sierra, she felt much better. Calmer. Still very much afraid, but better able to deal with things.
This time, she went back to the spare room she used both as a guest room and a home office. She pulled open a drawer until she located her digital camera. She went back to the scene of the crime and took shots of the dead mouse. Satisfied that she had enough evidence, she fetched some old newspapers, put on her old garden gloves and got rid of the vermin.
The doormat would have to go. But she could not bear to throw it away, so she lugged it to the garden shed and dropped it there. Satisfied that there was no trace of her early morning caller, she got into her jeep and headed for the farm.
**
He watched her walk into Janey’s Blossoms, the flower shop on Main Street. The corner store had been easy enough to find, thanks to detailed directions. He stared at the store and frowned. What had she done to herself? With determined actions, he stepped out of the rented vehicle and walked in after her.
**
“Hey,” Janey said with a smile as she took off her coat. “Did you have any problems?”
Riley sat behind the counter, filling in a crossword puzzle. She lifted her head and smiled, before going back to her puzzle.
“It was a slow day. A few orders online and not many walk-ins. Ooh!” She lifted her head again, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “There was this one hunk who came in looking for you. OMG! I had no idea you knew people like that!”
Janey lifted an eyebrow as she listened to the younger woman gush. “Okay, calm down, Riley. Did he order flowers?” she asked in a dry voice.
Riley rolled her eyes. “As if… People like him don’t buy flowers.”
“Well then, of what use are people like him to us? I’ll be in my office.”
“But Janey…”
“Not now, Riley. Please.”
She walked out to Riley’s exasperated sigh. Just then the wind chimes jangled, but Janey did not stay around to find out who it was. She hurried into her office and shut the door. She needed some privacy. She placed her purse and the package she was carrying on her table, then sat down and leaned back against her chair.
After the hellish morning she’d gone through, she’d had to endure a long lecture from her mother about the “foolishness” of letting a good man like Mark slip through her fingers. She was reminded that she was practically the same age as one of her sisters-in-law and she already had two kids. It did not help that said sister-in-law was present during the lecture.
Janey had listened with a smile on her face, then gone to sit with her dad for a few minutes. They’d discussed business and then she’d taken her leave.
She had learned at an early age never to engage with her mother. She never won, so there was no point in trying.
On the way to the office, she’d taken a detour.
She sat up now and stared at the package. Its contents were concealed inside a brown paper bag, but she knew exactly what was inside. Just when she finally mustered the courage to reach for it, the door to her office opened. She lifted her head to scold Riley for interrupting and froze.
Her heart seemed to stop beating for an instant, then it began to race. What was he doing here? She stood up from her seat, making sure to first place the brown bag just out of sight by her chair.
“What are you doing here?” She finally gave voice to the question that was uppermost on her mind.
The side of his mouth tipped up in a lopsided smile. “What do you think?”
She watched him lean against her door and fold his arms across his chest. In a pair of faded jeans and a leather jacket, he looked like sin on two legs.
“Sierra called you?”
Drew heard the exasperation in her voice and laughed. Sierra Newman was the woman his best friend, Ace, was in love with. She was a really sweet woman, but pushy as hell and somehow, she always got her way.
Janey’s mouth formed into a pout. He found it surprisingly cute. And sexy. He hadn’t seen this woman in three months and he drank in the sight of her. She was smaller than he remembered, she’d lost a lot of weight. He frowned at that. She did not have a lot of it to lose to begin with, now she just looked frail. She pushed her hair off her face, tucking a few stray strands behind her ear.
She looked so helpless and harmless, though he knew better of course. He had seen her shoot the tire
s off a car that was chasing them, while at high speed. He knew she was dynamite. Had experienced it in the one sexual encounter they’d had.
Damn. He was still relieving that night. Beneath her calm, sweet lady demeanor, Miss Moore was explosive.
She did not look explosive now. She looked nervous and very unhappy to see him.
“There was no need to come down here,” she said, refusing to meet his gaze.
“Why?”
She sighed and sat down again. He noticed her subtly massage her temples. When she saw him looking, she winced and lowered her hands.
“Look, I can take care of myself. You know I can. Coming here was pointless.”
Wow. Pointless. Drew had not seen that coming. He did not know how to react to her in that moment.
Back in Chicago, he knew they did not spend a lot of time together, but they had become friends. In the intensity of the safe house where they’d taken refuge, they had bonded. And that night…it had blown his mind. He knew he should have called, and he was prepared for her anger, but not this. The indifference was getting to him and he was suddenly angry.
“You were threatened. Twice!” She bit her lip and he frowned. “It was more than twice, wasn’t it?”
She sighed. “Drew, this is none of your business.”
“What else happened?” he demanded.
“Drew—”
“What else happened, Janey?” His tone of voice brooked no argument.
“There was an email before then, but it is none of your business.”
She drew her shoulders in and narrowed her eyes. The air of frailty was still there, but he saw right through her to the steel that lay beneath. Well, that was just tough.
“It is now.”
She folded her arms across her body in a defensive posture. “I can’t afford your services,” she stated baldly.
“That’s okay, I took some much needed time off. Consider it pro bono.”
She gritted her teeth. He could almost see the steam coming out of her ears and he suddenly felt very cheerful.
“I’m going to kill her,” she muttered to herself.
Drew laughed again. “I’m thinking Ace might have something to say about that.”
Silver Shield Security Box Set Page 27