Blood Kiss (Savage Security Series Book 1) (4 page)

What
didn’t
he want to know? He wanted to know every detail, every bit of information. He needed to know it all if he was going to be of any help. Even the mundane was important. “What was the catalyst for you to buy a gun? Something must have happened to inspire you to finally drive to Young Guns and purchase the Glock.”

Alisha sucked in her bottom lip and chewed on it. “Hmm,” she mumbled and slowly twirled her mug in a circle. “Like I said earlier, I realized I had a problem. Stalkers are never good, but I hoped I could wait him out. That he was really nothing serious,” she added with a shrug. “Just some loser guy who had a crush on me but wasn’t man enough to ask me out.” She snorted.
Did that sound overly critical? Like she was man-bashing when she was really just psycho-bashing?
“But I came to realize that he was a serious problem. He wasn’t just some incompetent man who needed to find another girl to take his mind off of me.”

She swallowed hard and looked into the window, but all she saw was her own reflection. The darkness surrounded them, and she suddenly felt nervous about going home alone. She’d recently started getting inside before dark, and she kept the security system armed at all times. She knew her house was no fortress. If a man wanted inside, he could easily get in. But she didn’t want any surprises, so she left it armed. It made her feel safer.

Mike waited for her to say more. He was a patient man. He knew enough about human nature to know that if he didn’t say anything she’d eventually fill in the silence. He tried to look relaxed by resting his arms on the table and interlocking his fingers, but inside a storm was brewing.

“He knows where I live,” she said soberly. She looked into Mike’s eyes for strength. Even though he was intimidating, she saw goodness in him. And she thought that he could be more than a shooting instructor.

Mike didn’t like the man knowing where she lived, but this information didn’t surprise him. If the guy had been stalking her for a while, he knew all sorts of things about her that would make her skin crawl. He probably even tracked her monthly cycle.

She sucked in a deep breath and began, “I was going out with some friends, but I needed to stop by my house to drop something off. I didn’t bother parking in the garage,” she said with a shrug of her shoulder. “I just pulled into the driveway and ran into the house. I didn’t even lock the car.” She tilted her head and rubbed her fingers over her forehead, as if massaging herself would delete the memory of that night. “I was just going to be inside for a minute.” She sat straighter and looked Mike in the eyes. She found strength in him even though he sat silently. “But a friend called. The plans had changed, and she wanted to update me,” Alisha added casually. She scoffed and gave him a sad smile. “When I went back out to the car, a stuffed animal lay on my seat.”

Mike read the tension in her face as her muscles tightened around her eyes and mouth. She swallowed more frequently and her breathing had increased as she relayed the information. He smiled, trying to silently encourage her, but what she told him made his heart pound. “He was watching you,” Mike said calmly. He didn’t want to scare her any more than she already was.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “He must have seen me get out of my car and run inside.” She shook her head slowly in disbelief. “He was there. He was probably looking at me at that very moment.” She shivered and looked through the window into the darkness of night. “I didn’t see him. I didn’t see anyone that I could even question. None of my neighbors were outside.” She paused for a moment and then began again, “I don’t think he followed me. I think he was waiting for me.”

Mike nodded slowly. “He was there.” Mike knew how to hide. He could disappear in a jungle, desert, or city. Disappearing was one of his strengths, but he didn’t like hearing that the stalker could hide too. Most people would do something stupid and give themselves away: the shaking of leaves or the snapping of branches, wearing the wrong clothes for camouflage. There were so many things to consider when trying to disappear. “What did you do?”

“I ran back inside and called my brother. He came by, but there was nothing he could do. He looked around the house, but didn’t see any evidence of a break-in or the stalker.” She took a sip of hot chocolate. It was tepid, but she still liked the sweet taste. She set the mug down on the table and stared mindlessly at her thumb as she played with the handle.

Mike knew what danger was. He knew how quickly life-altering things happened. The world changed in a heartbeat. One moment someone was there, and the next they were gone. As he stared at her, he didn’t want a world that didn’t have Alisha in it. She was one of those people that threw a bright light over the darkness of life. “Do you have any suspects? Anyone who seems a little off,” Mike asked.

She’d mentioned flirting with other men. Now that he’d spent some time with her that bothered him a little. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of other men flirting with her. But then again, he had no claim on her. But he couldn’t help but notice that he was the one who was here with her, not one of the guys from her life. None of those men had stepped up to support her as she bought a gun to protect herself. He didn’t have much respect for those men whom she considered her friends.

Alisha set her mug down on the table. She wondered what Mike’s motivation for that question was. Did he think that she already knew her stalker, or was he interested in her private life? “No suspects,” she said, shaking her head.

“Really? Because when you first got the flowers you thought one of the men in your life could have sent them?” He hoped he wasn’t being too pushy, but victims often knew their attackers before the incident. 

“Busted,” she teased. She took in a deep breath, thinking about the best way to talk about this. “I have a circle of friends that I hang out with. Some of them are men. Sometimes we flirt.” She tossed her hand to the side in a casual movement. “It’s pretty innocent stuff. But when I asked the guys about it, they all denied it.” She tucked some stray hair behind her ear. “Then I felt stupid for asking them. They looked at me like I was crazy for thinking that they’d send me flowers.”

He would send her flowers if it would ease her fear, but flowers would now be forever associated with her stalker. He understood that. When he heard certain sounds or smelled certain scents he flashed to a different place. “Well, they’re fools for not being here with you now. You told them your fears, and what did they do?”

Alisha sat stone-faced. She hadn’t thought about it like that before. When she reached out to them and they denied their involvement, they hadn’t supported her, hadn’t asked if they could help. She hadn’t heard from some of them for weeks.

“Thanks for being here,” she said softly. She wanted to reach across the table and take his hand, but she was afraid of his response. She still didn’t know what his motivation for helping her was. She hoped it was that he had a really big heart and a dash of interest in her, but she’d misread signals before.

“I’m glad I’m here,” he stated. “You shouldn’t have to go through this alone.” He’d like to say a few words to those pricks that had left her hanging.
What kind of man knows a woman is in trouble and shrugs his arms, thankful that she isn’t his problem?
“You’re doing the right thing, trying to protect yourself. That’s smart. We can meet tomorrow to work on your shot some more. I’m free all day. What time works for you?” He leaned back in the booth and crossed his arms.    

Alisha wasn’t quite sure what to think of his comment. He said it as if it was a done deal and not an offer of help that she could refuse. But security was his livelihood, and she’d be a fool not to take him up on it.
Was he just super ambitious and bored, or did he find her attractive?
She figured it wouldn’t take long to figure out. He didn’t seem like the kind of man to play games. He’d been respectful to her all night. She wouldn’t say he’d been flirty, but he had paid attention and seemed genuinely concerned. She could spend more time with him. “How about in the morning, around eleven? Then I can buy you lunch.”

“Sounds good, but you don’t have to buy me lunch,” he said, shaking his head. He’d already planned on asking her for lunch or dinner, whichever one better suited the time that worked for her.

Alisha chuckled. “I’d like to. I have a feeling I’m getting a good deal here,” Alisha said. “Unless you’re going to send me a bill for all your help,” she raised an eyebrow and continued, “seeing that security is what you do for a living.” She laughed lightly with a hint of nerves. She wasn’t sure what the going rate was for military-trained personal security. She bet it was a lot more than a teacher’s hourly wage.

He loved her smile. Her face lit up and her eyes sparkled as joy emanated from her. He’d seen haunted faces for so long that he wanted to wrap himself in her light. “No,” Mike replied with a firm nod. “You’re not paying me. I’m here because I want to be.”

Her heart fluttered a little, and she couldn’t keep the corners of her lips from curling into a smile. She wanted to spend time with him. She wanted to spend all day with him, but she didn’t want to act desperate. She already oozed the ‘pathetically scared’ vibe; she didn’t want to add ‘needy’ or ‘high maintenance’ to it.

Mike tapped the screen on his cell and slid it across the table to her. “Add your information to my contact list. I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”

She picked up the cell and typed in her address and number. “So I’ll see you at eleven?” She slid the phone back to him.

He picked it up and hit call.

Her phone rang. She opened her bag and held up the cell. The cheery song continued to play. “You making sure I didn’t give you fake number?” she asked suspiciously. She tapped the screen and the song stopped. 

He disconnected the call and set his cell on the table. “Not at all.” His lips quirked into a smile. “Now you have my number. Call or text me if you notice anything out of the ordinary. And Alisha, you can call me even if you’re just scared.”

His gaze pierced her. She felt as if he looked into her soul and saw her fears and desires. He seemed like the kind of man who would face adversity and destroy any enemy. And boy was she in trouble. When she first laid eyes on him, he’d intimidated her. He was so different from the men that she spent time with. But now, when she looked at him, she didn’t see scary. She saw dependable and safe, and she liked that about him.

“So you have the gun,” Mike said, pointing to the Glock. “What other safety measures have you taken?”

“I have an alarm system.”

Mike nodded. That was an advantage, although it would be easy for someone like him to get around. Hopefully her stalker didn’t have that skill set. The alarm would tip her off and give her a few precious moments to save herself. “That’s good.” He gave a quick nod and kept his eyes on her face. He didn’t want her to catch him ogling her chest.

She smiled and gave a little laugh.

“What?” Mike asked. “What’s funny?” He held his hands out in question.

“I’m sorry, but you look so serious. I can only imagine how intimidating you are when you’re not trying to be nice.”

“You think I’m nice?” He was chipping away at her resolve. He’d noticed that the apprehension she felt towards him when they first met had evaporated as the night progressed. He liked that.

“Yes. Is that so surprising?” She knew it shouldn’t surprise her that he was kind. A pang of guilt flashed through her as she realized how badly she’d misjudged him. She had a feeling she was sitting across from a man unlike any other that she’d spent time with, and she was the lucky one.

“No. I guess not,” Mike said. “Nice. It’s just not an adjective that’s used to describe me very often.”

She chuckled and felt her cheeks flush.
Oh, she was in trouble.

“What else are you doing?” He liked the glow on her face as she blushed and her blue eyes scanned his face.

“Doing?” She looked around confused for a moment. “Oh, I also have a dog.”

“Dogs are good.” He subtly nodded his head. “Man’s best friend is a great deterrent and warning system.” The stalker certainly knew about the dog. Perhaps that’s why he’d left the stuffed animal in the car and hadn’t tried to break into her house yet.

She looked at the time on her phone. She needed to get back to Forrest. He’d been in the crate for a long time. Plus, she felt bad for keeping Mike so late. He probably had plans for the evening that she was wrecking. “Speaking of which, I need to get home and let Forrest out.” She picked up her cell and dropped it into her purse. “Thank you for your help tonight. I really appreciate it.”

He didn’t want to let her go. He wanted to follow her home and check out her house, but he wasn’t going to barge into her life unasked. He’d give her until tomorrow. Then he’d barge into her life whether she asked for his help or not. He was patient not crazy.

He slid out of the booth and offered her his hand. She placed her hand in his and shimmied out of her seat. He grabbed their empty cups and put them in the bin. Then he picked up their supplies, and they walked side-by-side to their vehicles. He put her gun and ammo into the trunk and walked her to her car door.

“Thanks again for your help,” she said, gazing up at him. Her nerves zipped and zapped through her. This hadn’t started as a date, but at that moment, it sure felt like one. She stared at his lips and hoped he would touch them to hers.

He watched her tongue slide over her lips as she stared at him. He wanted to taste those lips. He’d tried all night to be a gentleman, but at that moment he just wanted to pull her to his body and show her how he felt about her. And since he was a man of action, that’s what he did.