Beck

by Toye Lawson Brown

  The three men could’ve been a decoy to draw me away from the house. I called Briggs. “I got a man on the porch. I’m praying Abbie won’t open the door.”

  “Take him down, Beck; we’re on the way.”

  I had to proceed with caution; I wasn’t sure if he had a weapon or was involved with the other men.

  I pulled my weapon; sweat covered my face. Surprisingly, my hand was steady and not shaking like a teenage girl waiting on her first kiss. Though the thought of another officer-involved shooting scared the shit out of me.

  But I was in charge of protecting someone and had to push those thoughts out of my head.

  The man suddenly dropped to one knee and lifted the mat. He appeared to be searching for something. I shook my head, thinking criminals were not as smart as they pretended to be.

  Did he really believe the residents in this gated community left a spare key hidden outside?

  I kept my footsteps as quiet as I could. Sneaking up behind him, I put my weapon to his head. It was then I noticed the knit mask covering his face.

  It was damn near ninety-degrees and sunny; this fool had on a heavy knit ski mask.

  “Put your hands up,” I ordered him. The man muttered a string of expletives and froze. “I said, lift your hands. Don’t make me blow your fucking brains out on this nice porch.”

  As the man started to raise his hands, the front door opened. That caused me to look up, and with that, the man’s elbow came back and slammed into my chest.

  The gun tumbled from my hand as I fell. As I was stunned briefly by the wind being knocked from me, the man pounced.

  His fist made contact with my face. Blood immediately filled my mouth. “Fuck,” I muttered.

  That couldn’t stop me, not when I heard Abbie scream. I got to my feet and engaged the man by tackling him around the knees. He dropped to the ground.

  We rolled down the steps of the porch and to the hot concrete. He was big, but I was fast. I pounded my fist into his side, a technique police used to debilitate a subject. If I could weaken him enough to subdue him until I got back up, that would be great.

  But he was powerful, and my strategized punches did nothing but anger him. He got me with some counterpunches that knocked me off kilter. But I fought back and pinned him to the ground. He tried to flip me off his body, but I held on like a leech to flesh. He could not get the opportunity to reach my gun.

  We wrestled on the ground. I managed to get my arm around his neck and my legs in a scissor position around him. I hadn’t mastered Krav Maga like my trainer, Simone, who was master at it.

  However, I had enough training to be confident enough to use it. Plus I had earned my black belt in karate when I was eighteen.

  Squeezing my legs around the man’s upper torso put pressure on his rib cage, and as I applied the same pressure to his neck with my forearm, his movements began to slow and weaken—a few more minutes, and he’d be out cold.

  I heard footsteps on the sidewalk just as his body slumped in my arms. He was out cold.

  “Beck!” Abbie shrieked as she knelt beside me.

  “Stay back,” I ordered her.

  Just then, Briggs and Zane were beside me, lifting the dead weight off my pinned leg. I got to my feet, my legs almost too weak to hold me up.

  “You okay?” Briggs asked.

  I wiped something wet from my face; it was blood. “Yeah, I’ll live,” I replied. “What about him?” I motioned to the lifeless body of a man twice my size lying on the ground. Blood seeped through the mask still covering his face.

  Briggs ripped off the mask, and my heart pounded harder than it already was. It was the guy I had apprehended that rainy night. What the hell was he doing out of jail?

  I bent down, resting my hands on my knees, attempting to catch my breath. “That’s the same guy I handed over to police.”

  “We should take him in this time,” Zane suggested.

  I hadn’t had many interactions with Zane, and he didn’t mingle with many people. He stayed to himself or would hang with Briggs.

  Briggs cuffed the man as he began to come around. “We’re taking him in. I want to know about his friends and where I can find them.” The man tried to wrench away. Briggs retaliated with an elbow to his neck; knocking him out again.

  “We aren’t going to call the cops?” I asked. I didn’t know how far GDB’s arm of the law reached, and I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of another scandal.

  “We got it,” Briggs replied. “Zane, get the car. I’ll call Bennett and have him meet us at the office.”

  With my adrenaline settling down, I put my hands on my hips and watched Zane drag the man to his feet. With my adrenaline settling down, I put my hands on my hips and watched Zane drag the man to his feet. I had heard about Bennett and what he could do but hadn’t met him. There was so much I didn't know about the people or company I worked for.

  “Is this over?” Abbie was at my side, her body shaking in the red one-piece swimsuit that barely covered her assets.

  After the crap I’d just been through, how could my dick conjure up a twitch?

  Briggs was the first to answer. “I don’t know, Abbie. We have to find out if this guy and his friends made Dr. Parker a target for a reason, or if they are just thieves hitting rich neighborhoods to make a quick score.”

  Her perfectly sculpted shoulders dropped. “My father will have a fit.”

  “He should be relieved once I tell him how Beck came to the rescue. Look, Abbie, until I know for sure what this guy’s connections to Dr. Parker are, Beck will not leave your side.”

  She put her arms around her body as if it were suddenly freezing. “Thank you. I don’t want to be in this house alone.”

  I nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  She looked at me, and her eyes widened. “You’re hurt. What can I do to help?”

  I cracked my neck to work out the stiffness attempting to creep in. “I’m fine. I just need to get the car and wash up. After that, I’ll be good as new.” It would take a few weeks for the bruises to heal, but other than that, I hadn’t lied to her.

  “I have extra security coming to secure the front and back gates. I’ll have the company car towed for repair,” Briggs said. “Get those cuts cleaned up. If you need medical care, call Davonte or me, and we’ll cover you until you get back from the hospital.”

  “I’m fine,” I said.

  Like hell I was fine. I felt like I’d been in a fight with an elephant and only won by a technicality. I had forgotten how strong that bastard was the first time I’d fought him.

  I was six feet tall and weighed one hundred and seventy pounds. That sucker had at least five inches, and a good eighty pounds on me.

  It was time for me to get to the gym and get my strength and muscles prepared for the elements I might come in contact with now that I was a bodyguard.

  I felt Abbie’s hand on my arm. “I’ll get him cleaned up, Mr. Briggs. If I see he needs a doctor, I’ll make sure he gets to one.”

  Briggs smiled. “Thanks, Ms. Parker. You have my number if you need me.”

  Briggs dragged the unwilling and struggling suspect to the car when Zane pulled up. It took both of them to shove him inside. I let them handle it because there was no more fight in me. I was physically exhausted.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up,” Abbie said, and tugged me by the arm.

  Not fighting her suggestions, I picked up my gun from the ground and followed her inside the house.

  Chapter Eleven

  Abbie

  I put the plate of pasta on a tray along with a beer and an iced mug. Eddie preferred beer in a cold mug. He demanded I keep some in the freezer. A frown formed on my forehead. That fool had no right to request anything from me.

  As far as I knew, his new love could’ve been his side-piece the entire time we dated. Anger filled me when my mind should’ve been on Beck. He needed my help, not to see me mad and pissed off about Eddie.

  I took t
he tray of food to the media room where I had left Beck watching a baseball game after cleaning him up. His wounds were superficial and didn’t need medical care. Once I got the cuts cleaned with antiseptic soap, bandages were applied, he took a shower and said he felt good as new. He was pretending. I saw him wince when he moved.

  The way he and that guy fought was utterly scary. The man was so much bigger, and I was afraid he’d slam Beck’s head into the concrete pavement. But Beck surprised me and took control of the fight, never letting the man regain the upper hand.

  When I saw the blood seeping from the battered face and stilled body, I wondered if he was alive. The hold Beck had around his neck was tight—so tight that Beck’s face had turned red.

  Toppling the giant of the man had me seeing Beck differently. He was quiet, handsome, and a bit of a mystery. He was also brave and didn’t back down from danger. I was wrong about Beck. He was more alpha male than I’d assumed.

  I maneuvered around the small space, balancing the tray in my hands. Why my father thought bulky chairs would fit in the den he’d converted to a media room was beyond me. It was too small, and the television was ridiculously huge. I could stand in the hall and watch it.

  Besides that, it was dark. No sun filtered through the heavy red velvet drapes. In a room designed to be for movie watching, this stuff would look nice. However, the bar for refreshments and the popcorn machine were crammed in a corner and not easily accessible.

  Beck, however, didn’t seem to have a problem with the tight confines of the room.

  “Here you go,” I said. I set the tray down, removing the plate of pasta with shrimp and peas in front of Beck.

  “Wow. This looks great, Abbie. I love shrimp and pasta,” Beck said.

  I sat in the oversized leather chair beside him, took my plate of food, and placed it on my lap. “Shrimp and pasta are magical together.”

  He put a forkful of food in his mouth and chewed slowly. “Hmm, so good. Thank you for this. I’m supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around.”

  I twirled pasta around my fork, attempting to prevent the sauce from dripping on my clothes. I had changed from my bathing suit into a neon-yellow strap tube top and matching shorts.

  “For the rest of the day, we’ll take care of each other. I can’t believe how you fought with that mammoth of a man. That takes a lot of bravery.”

  Beck took a sip of beer from the frosted mug. “I’m trained not to run from fear but toward the commotion causing it.”

  “It’s my fault. I should’ve never opened the door. But I heard something and thought it was you.”

  “Abbie, just because I don’t wear a police uniform anymore doesn’t mean I’ll stand back and wait for others to come to the rescue. I’ll always be bound to serve and protect. Protecting you is my job, and I take it seriously. It was better he took his frustrations out on me rather than you.”

  I wanted to touch the bruise forming around his eye and kiss the swell of his busted lip. Such a gorgeous man, and to have his face marred like that, and because of me, was a travesty. How could I make it up to him?

  “Does it hurt to chew?” I asked. “I should’ve made you soup.”

  “My jaw is a little sore. I can’t recall the last time I was in an actual fight,” Beck said.

  He tried to fill his voice with humor; it fell flat with me.

  No longer hungry, I put my half-eaten plate of food on the table. “Is there anything else I can get for you? Do you need an aspirin?”

  He looked up at me, and my stomach churned as guilt flooded through me. “I don’t need anything. I’m fine.” He put his empty plate on the tray. “Are you done eating already? You hardly made a dent in your pasta.”

  I got up to clear our dishes. “I’m done.”

  I went to lift the tray, and my feet tangled together. As I struggled to keep the tray and myself upright, I shot out my arm to brace myself from the inevitable fall, but two arms wrapped around my waist, saving me from hitting the floor—the tray of food, though met a messy demise.

  However, I was perched on Beck’s lap. “You okay?” he asked from beneath me.

  His raspy voice and the feel of his warm breath on my neck stilled me, awakening all of my senses as it reverberated through my body.

  “I’m so clumsy,” I said, trying to calm my heart rate.

  “Glad I caught you and the plates took the spill.”

  Before I could move, he grasped my hips, holding me firmly on his lap. His fingers wrapped around my waist, heating my bare skin. My heart rate kicked up, beating erratically from the warmth of his hands on my body.

  I locked eyes with him, devouring his image as if seeing him for the first time. I had never been this close to Beck. I cataloged every feature: that firm, square jaw, a straight Roman nose that gave him a rugged, beautiful face. Everything about him screamed masculinity.

  Oh man, I needed to move before I made a fool of myself. Sucking in a deep breath, I inhaled his clean scent.

  Why hadn’t I noticed this about him before? Because the last time he held you in those muscular arms, you were crying over Eddie.

  “I’m sorry,” I murmured, barely able to form words. “This room is so darn small. I tripped over my own feet.”

  “No need to apologize. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

  I blinked. “I’m not hurt. But did I hurt you?” I got off his lap and bent down to pick up the plates. Trina would have a hissy fit when she saw the cheesy sauce stain on the carpet.

  Beck groaned as he knelt to help me clean up. “That stain will be nasty. Do you know if there is any carpet solution in the house?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t, but I’ll get some tomorrow. You sit down and rest; I got this.”

  “I need to stay mobile so I don’t stiffen up,” he said. He took the plates and tray to the kitchen.

  I went to the bar to find napkins and club soda to clean up the pasta sauce. Club soda was good for getting stains off clothes; maybe it would work for carpeting.

  Beck returned with a wet towel and some dish soap. “Let’s try this. My mother would use dish soap to spot-clean the carpet.”

  Miraculously, the stain lifted from the red carpet. “Awesome,” I bellowed.

  He smiled. “My mom lives by her homemade remedies for cleaning hard stains. Cleaning after five kids taught her a trick or two.”

  “I’m thankful this one worked. You saved me from Trina chewing me out.”

  “I’m glad this one worked too. It was an accident.”

  I ran my hand over the wet spot to make sure the stain was completely gone. “It won’t matter to her. Trina is not a favorite person of mine.”

  “You don’t have to answer, but was she the cause of their divorce?”

  I inhaled a long breath. “Trina didn’t help their marriage. When I was old enough to notice the strain in the marriage, I was baffled. I thought they loved each other. But my friends’ parents were so different. I’d seen how they interacted—mine were nothing like that. Soon I realized they basically were together because of me.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Abbie. No brothers or sisters?”

  “No. My mother never remarried. I wanted to be close to both, but Trina separated me from my dad. I guess she wanted all his attention. When Mom was offered the position in New York, I went with her to attend college. Her career in wealth management soared. She didn’t need my father to support her or me. And it didn’t take my father long to forget about me and concentrate on Trina.”

  “How is that so when he’s doing all he can to protect you?” Beck asked.

  “Guilt. The same guilt I feel because you got hurt.”

  “Please don’t feel any guilt on my behalf,” he said softly.

  Beck placed his hands on my thighs. The shiver that ripped through me scored my arms with goosebumps. “It’s the story of my life. My parents stayed in a miserable marriage because of me. I stayed with a man who was the exact opposite of me. I wa
s willing to pretend he loved me so I could have someone say it to me. Pathetic, I know.”

  Crap, what was I doing?

  Chapter Twelve

  Beck

  A vulnerable woman was harder to deal with than a criminal jacked up on meth. I tried not to let her tears get to me, but it didn’t work. My heart bled for her. As strong as she was, under that sunshine exterior was a hurt woman. She had been wronged on so many levels, beginning with her father and ending with her asshole boyfriend.

  “You are not pathetic,” I said as softly as I could. She was fragile, and I had to be careful what words I used.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know where the emotions are coming from. I’m not a weak woman.”

  “Feeling vulnerable is not a sign of weakness. You are a human with feelings and allowed to feel pain.”

  “You’ve been hurt and seem to be handling it well.”

  “I’m a guy. We don’t show emotions because we’re stupid. But I hurt too.”

  “What do you do when you need a hug? Sometimes that’s all I need to get me through those dark moments. My friends won’t understand what I’ve been through. They seem to overcome every obstacle with nary a scratch.”

  What I was thinking of doing sent red flags waving. My job paid me too much money to screw this up. I also refused to put Abbie or myself through another agonizing breakup—I knew we wouldn’t go far. She was not my type, and apparently, I was not hers either.

  I had to maintain control. Yeah, like there was a shot in hell that would happen with a woman like Abbie Parker. Regardless, I would keep it together. I glanced at her, and my heart squeezed with an uncertain sensation.

  She returned my gaze as her fingers curled around mine. I needed to move so I could breathe. We needed physical distance between us. Sitting this way made us too close, and it gave my brain time to access her in that damn tight top that allowed her hard nipples to show. The central air made the room chilly. I felt the goosebumps on her thighs.

  No matter how hurt she was, or how hard up I was, Dr. Parker was paying GDB to protect his daughter. I needed to honor that contract.