Bodyguard's Baby Surprise (14 page)

“You've done a lot for me, as well,” Tori said.

“I have?” She sure as hell hoped not.

“Those self-defense moves you taught me when you were my bodyguard.”

Candace felt a twinge of regret and embarrassment. Tori had used those moves against her. “Yes?”

“They've protected me in here—” she pitched her voice to a creepy whisper “—with all these crazies.”

“I think you should be in prison,” Candace honestly remarked. “It was your father and Special Agent Nicholas Rus's idea to commit you here.”

For life. That was the only reason, as one of her victim's, that Candace had agreed to the sentence Nick had hammered out in exchange for Viktor Chekov's confession. He had owned up to all his crimes. So if he was going after Nick, he probably would have admitted it.

Would Tori?

“My father is a weak old man,” Tori replied with disgust and hatred.

“And Agent Rus?”

Tori's lips curved, and that crazy glint sparkled in her dark eyes. “He is one beautiful man. I dream about him, too.”

Candace didn't have to wait long before Tori added, “I dream of all the things I would do to him—” she uttered a wistful sigh of resignation “—if I wasn't in here.”

Fortunately she was in there. But Candace wasn't certain that meant she and Nick were actually safe. If Tori really wanted to get to them, Candace suspected that she could. And she would.

Chapter 14

N
ick understood where Milek had found the inspiration for his family portrait as he gazed around the condo living room at everyone gathered for the Payne Protection Agency meeting. Nikki wasn't there, but since he was, that wasn't unusual. And Logan usually excluded her from the bodyguard business meetings, anyway.

It wasn't a family meeting because the spouses weren't there, at least not the ones who weren't bodyguards. The children weren't there, either—just his baby, his
son
—inside Annalise's belly.

She had insisted on being included in the powwow. And since she was stuck in the condo, too, it would have been hard to exclude her, even though she had no real reason to be there. The attempts on their lives had nothing to do with her.

But Logan, who was always thorough, interrogated her, anyway. “No disgruntled clients?” the former River City PD detective asked.

She shook her head.

“No jealous ex-boyfriends?”

She laughed—as she had when Nick had asked. She glanced at him before shaking her head.

Logan looked at him, too, as if considering that he was a jealous ex. When it came to Annalise, Nick was jealous and possessive. But he wasn't an ex, not yet.

He would marry her so his son's parents would be married when he was born. But Nick doubted Annalise would want to stay married to him. She deserved more. She deserved someone who could love her as she loved—freely and affectionately.

“This is stupid,” Gage said. Since returning from his last bodyguard assignment, he had been sticking close to Annalise. And of course he had insisted on being included in the Payne Protection meeting. “You're wasting your time questioning my sister.”

“He's right,” Nick said.

Instead of looking grateful for the confirmation, Gage glared at him. He had not forgiven him for crossing the line with Annalise. Ignoring his remark, Gage continued, “She has no enemies—unlike Nick.”

“They've only been going after Annalise to get to me,” Nick agreed. Gage had no doubts about that, just as he didn't. The others had been more hesitant because they didn't know Annalise. They didn't understand how she was like Penny and could have no enemies.

“You have too many enemies,” Garek said.

“We're narrowing it down,” Nick reminded him. Garek had ruled out Chekov. And while Candace wasn't certain his daughter had nothing to do with it, Nick was.

The break-ins at his places and at Annalise's had started before he'd taken down the Chekovs. Until he had, they'd had no reason to want vengeance on him. They hadn't even been aware they had been in his sights.

He trusted few people. Only Garek Kozminski had been aware of that plan, and Nick had brought him in only because he'd needed his help. He needed all of their help now—for Annalise.

“We're narrowing it down to people you've pissed off more than six months ago,” Gage said. “That's still a hell of a lot of people.”

Nick couldn't agree more. He had compiled a list. And even to him, it was overwhelming. He had passed out copies to the others, and they riffled through the pages.

“Seriously?” Garek Kozminski asked. “You've pissed off more people than I have.”

“And that's saying something,” his brother Milek added.

“Are these all professional enemies?” Parker asked.

When someone had been trying to take him out, everyone had thought it was personal. That he had pissed off a lover's husband or something.

Nick had never been the playboy his half brother had been rumored to be. He nodded. “Of course.”

“Why?” Logan asked. “You could have a jealous ex-lover, too.”

Like Annalise had, he laughed at the far-fetched notion. “That's ridiculous.”

“It makes sense,” Candace said. “A jealous woman is more likely to go after a man's girlfriend than a professional enemy would.”

“I'm not his girlfriend,” Annalise said quickly, defensively.

She wasn't his girlfriend. What was she? Lover. Mother of his unborn child? Fiancée? He hadn't put a ring on her finger. Not yet.

But he had no doubt Penny was planning their wedding. The professional wedding planner had probably started planning it the moment she'd heard about Annalise showing up in River City. Pregnant with his child.

Hell, Penny had probably known before he had.

Would he know if Annalise hadn't been in danger? Would she have told him? That was why he'd trusted few people—because few people had proved worthy of his trust. Gage.

And as a reward, he had betrayed that trust when he'd crossed the line with Gage's sister. Why should he expect trust when he'd done nothing to earn it himself?

“We need a list of ex-girlfriends,” Logan prodded him as he waved those pages around. “So this is complete.”

“You don't think the list is long enough as it is?” Garek asked with a weary-sounding sigh. “There are already too many to check them all out.”

“You need Nikki's help,” Parker said.

“She doesn't work for me anymore,” Logan reminded them.

And from their faces Nick could tell, they all doubted she would help. They didn't know how much she'd already assisted him. Not that the crime lab had found any prints in Annalise's stolen car. As Nikki had surmised, it had been wiped clean.

Cooper said, “I'll put her on the case.”

Nick had already emailed her a copy of the list. He suspected she was working on it—checking alibis, known associates, everything Nikki checked.

But even as good as Nikki was, he doubted they would be able to whittle down that list to the right suspect anytime soon. He could only hope that they stopped the person before it was too late, before he lost Annalise.

* * *

Annalise was lost. And it wasn't because they all spoke at once that she couldn't understand what they were saying. It was their reasoning she couldn't follow. They were brilliant bodyguards. Every one of them had been something else before creating or joining the Payne Protection Agency.

They'd been police officers or detectives, soldiers or FBI agents. Or thieves.

And all of these brilliant people believed someone was using her for revenge against Nick. Even Nick thought so.

But it made no sense to her. Why?

Nick would have to have feelings for her—beyond responsibility—for her situation to really affect him. And he didn't have feelings for her. He didn't love her.

He hadn't even made love to her again since that dawn they'd escaped the shoot-out at the hospital. As she'd suspected, she had awakened later that day alone. And he hadn't shared her bed since.

For the past couple of nights, he'd planted himself on the couch, as if anyone could bypass Milek Kozminski's security system. Nick was just running, as far away as he could while still being close enough to protect her.

And since that dawn, he hadn't mentioned marrying her again. He obviously had no intention of following through on a wedding despite her brother's proverbial shotgun threat.

So how would hurting her cause Nick any pain?

She was the one suffering. She was the one living with a man she loved but knew she could never really have. She was the one who'd put her career on hold while she lived in relative captivity. With a twinge of regret, she glanced at her brother.

He'd been through far worse than what she was going through. So she had no right to feel sorry for herself. No reason to sulk. Because she couldn't stand inaction, she moved to the kitchen. She would cook or bake, depending on the ingredients available. She would do anything but pine for Nicholas Rus. She'd spent too much of her life doing that.

* * *

Gage had spent most of his missing six months in pain. And it hadn't all had to do with his captivity. It had had to do with the kind of pain he saw on his sister's face.

Heartache.

It was worse by far than anything anyone could physically suffer. It left a gaping hole where a heart should be. And there was no filling that hole with anything but love.

So when that love wasn't returned, the hole just remained open and gaping and sore like an untreated wound.

He'd seen that pain on her face in a vulnerable moment. But she was doing her best to hide it now. She bustled around the room, offering food to everyone present. The house was warm from the heat of the oven and her personality. It was fragrant from the smells of the feast she had thrown together.

“She's so much like Mom,” he heard Parker Payne murmur.

Logan nodded in agreement. “Nick's right. This is about him. Not her.”

Gage had been telling them that, but they'd had to see for themselves the magic that was Annalise.

Nick had seen it. He'd tried turning a blind eye to it for years. He'd tried to ignore her. But she had been persistent. And if she had a flaw, Annalise's only one would be her stubbornness. She'd wanted Nick for so long.

Gage shouldn't have been surprised that she'd finally worn him down. But he was disappointed. Nick had always been his hero—the man he had hoped to become someday. Strong. Smart. Honorable.

This time, he'd crossed a line with Annalise that he would never be able to uncross. Marrying her wouldn't make him honorable. It would probably only put her in more danger.

All the Paynes looked alike, but he knew it was Nick who settled onto the couch next to him. “I was wrong,” he said.

“No, you weren't,” Nick said. “It's all my fault. You should have hit me harder.”

Gage grunted. “Yeah, I should have.”

“So you're not talking about hitting me?” Nick touched his jaw as if it still hurt.

But Gage knew he wasn't as strong as he'd once been. Before he'd gone missing, he would have broken Nick's jaw had he hit him like he had. But before he'd gone missing, he had never wanted to hit Nick.

“You know what I'm talking about,” Gage murmured.

Because he was Nick, he always knew everything. That was why he had come to Nick when he'd gotten back to the States. Because he hadn't wanted to talk. He'd just wanted someone to know—without his having to say a word. But now he wanted to make sure Nick understood, so he said, “You can't marry her. It would put her in more danger. Then whoever's after you will know she's important to you.”

Nick grunted his agreement. “You're right.” He understood. He knew what he had to do—or actually
not
do.

He couldn't make Annalise his bride. Marrying her wouldn't just put her in more danger physically, though.

She would also be in more danger emotionally—because while she would have Nick's name, Gage doubted she would ever have his heart.

He suspected Nick had had that gaping hole in his chest for a long time.

Maybe he'd never even had a heart to lose.

Chapter 15

A
nnalise was safe in the condo, Nick assured himself. It was okay that he'd left her. Her brother was there. Gage would willingly give up his life for hers.

So would Nick.

But Annalise didn't want his life. She wanted something else from him. Something he had never been able to give her or anyone else.

Gage wasn't the only one protecting Annalise. Candace and Garek had stayed, as well. Nick wasn't sure who was following him; he just knew that someone was.

Since he hadn't picked up the tail, he guessed it was Milek. It would have been a point of pride with the younger Kozminski brother to go undetected this time. Nick probably could have made him—had he cared. But since Annalise wasn't with him, he didn't care. Her safety was his only concern.

Not his own.

He didn't want to endanger this woman, either, so he had been careful when he'd left the condo. He'd taken a circuitous route to the White Wedding Chapel. The only person who might have been able to follow—given the way he'd been driving—was Milek. Milek would protect Mrs. Payne, too, if Nick had brought danger to her like he had Annalise.

Before he could even reach for the door, though, someone burst through and slammed into his chest, nearly knocking him down the stairs he'd climbed. He gripped her shoulders to steady her.

And Megan Lynch glanced up at him through tear-filled eyes. “Nick? Nicholas Rus?”

He nodded.

Her face flushed bright red. “I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going.”

She was obviously upset and in a hurry.

He held her shoulders a little longer and asked, “Are you okay?”

She jerked her head in a sharp nod, and a few wisps of brown hair escaped the bun at the nape of her neck. By her father's own admission, he had doted on her and her sister after their mother died. But few other men had ever paid Megan Lynch attention. She was almost painfully shy, and maybe because her mother had died so young, she'd never learned how to wear makeup or flattering clothes. So she wasn't just shy. She was awkward, too.

For some reason, Gage had found that endearing. Everyone else, including Megan, had thought he was just doing the boss's daughter in order to get ahead in the Bureau. But Nick knew Gage better than that.

Unfortunately, Megan had not.

“I'm fine,” she said. And because she'd been raised to be polite, she added, “And how are you?”

He touched his swollen jaw. “Could be better.”

She sighed. “Me, too.”

He squeezed her shoulders. “Is there anything I can do?”

She shrugged, and his hands fell away. “It'll be over soon.”

She acted as if she was talking about a root canal or winter. Not her wedding.

He opened his mouth. He needed to tell her about Gage, if she didn't already know. But first he said, “I'll be talking to your dad soon.” He would make sure that Chief Lynch knew Gage was alive and let him decide what to do with that information. The Marines had determined to keep his escape secret. Nick wasn't certain if that was to protect Gage from unwanted media attention or if there was a concern about the insurgents who'd held him somehow getting to him again.

She nodded. “Of course. He talks about you often, Nicholas. You're one of his favorites.” The tears shimmered in her eyes.

Lynch had had another favorite: Gage. Until he'd left.

“Congratulations,” he offered belatedly. “Penny will make sure you have a beautiful wedding.”

She nodded, and the tears brimmed over and trailed down her face. Her voice quavering with emotion, she murmured, “I'm sure she will.” Then she broke free of him and ran down the steps to her car parked at the curb in front of his SUV.

He continued up the steps and pushed open the door. He passed quickly through the foyer and descended the interior stairwell to Penny's office in the basement. Despite it having only one small window, the space was sunny and bright. And it wasn't because of the yellow paint or lighting. It was because of the woman who radiated sunshine and warmth.

“Good afternoon, Nicholas,” she greeted him with a smile as she glanced up from her desk.

“Penny...”

“Did you run into Megan Lynch?” she asked.

He nodded. “Literally. She ran into me. I don't think she could see me through her tears.”

Penny sighed. “She's the unhappiest bride for whom I've ever planned a wedding.”

“Did you tell her Gage is alive?” Maybe that was why she'd been crying. But wouldn't those have been happy tears? Unless Gage was right, and she didn't care if he was alive. Or maybe she didn't want him alive.

Penny shook her head. “No. I didn't.” She studied his face for a moment. “You didn't, either.”

“No,” he said. “Gage is already angry enough with me. I didn't want to make it worse.”

“Marry his sister,” she said. “That'll make it better.”

Nick shook his head. “Gage has changed his mind about that. He knows what I know—being around me puts Annalise in more danger.”

“That's a load of bull and you know it,” Penny accused him.

He drew back in surprise. Penny had never said a sharp word to him before—even though she'd had every reason to be upset when he had turned up in River City looking exactly like her sons, like her dead husband. He must not have heard her correctly. “Excuse me?”

“I'm talking to you like I would talk to Logan or Parker or Cooper,” she said. “I call them on their nonsense, too. I never thought I would have to do that with you.”

“Because I'm not your son?”

“Because you're usually smarter than they are,” she said. “And you
are
my son.”

“Penny—”

“I don't care that another woman gave birth to you,” she said. “You're
my
son now.”

“I saw the family portrait Milek is painting for you,” he admitted.

“Then you know how I feel,” she said.

“You may feel that way, but the rest of the family...”

“Feel the same way.”

Logan had made it clear that he did. And Nick had never picked up on any animosity from Parker or Cooper. But...

“Not Nikki,” he said.

“She's coming around,” Penny said.

He shook his head. “No, she's not.”

Sure, she had called him about finding Annalise's stolen car. And he'd emailed her the list of his enemies. But he hadn't actually seen her since that horrible day in the parking garage. She hadn't attended any of the Payne Protection Agency meetings. Of course, Logan never included her in anything he perceived as dangerous, and she had been in more danger that day than any other in her life. But because of that, Nick had expected her to insist on being involved. While she'd found the car, she hadn't called him again. She hadn't even emailed him back that she'd received his list. She probably didn't want to help because she didn't care that he was in danger.

Unfortunately, Annalise was in danger, too. So Nick needed his sister's help. He would have to call her, see if she'd checked out the list or added her own name to it.

“The portrait is missing someone,” Penny said.

Nick tensed. “Did my father have another—”

Her glance as sharp as her tone had been earlier, Penny stopped him from saying the rest.
Bastard.
That was what he was—just like Gage had called him. And if he didn't marry Annalise, his child would be a bastard, too.

Of course she was right. It was the twenty-first century now. And there were probably more single-parent households than two-parent households. But he wanted his son to have his name, to know who he was.

Until his mother had died, Nick had never known who he was.

“The portrait is missing Annalise,” Penny said.

He had thought the same thing when he'd seen it, that he looked so alone. Like Nikki on the other side of the portrait. But as much as he would have liked to, he couldn't bring Annalise into the family. He had already put her in enough danger.

“I can't marry her,” Nick said.

“Now that's ridiculous,” Penny said. “She was in danger in Chicago. She is in more danger alone than she is with you. No one will protect her like you will—because you love her.”

Since the first moment Nick had met her, he had felt a connection with Penny Payne. He had more of a kinship with her than with the family with whom he actually shared DNA. So he admitted to her what he never had to anyone else. “I don't know what love is.”

She flinched as if he'd slapped her. “Oh, Nick.”

He shook his head. “I don't want your pity.” But he had it; he could feel it even before he noticed the tears shimmering in her eyes.

“You don't have my pity,” she insisted. “You have my love.”

“Why?” Because he looked like the man she had loved and lost, the man who had betrayed her love?

“For the same reason that Annalise Huxton loves you. Because you're you.”

Maybe they loved him. But he couldn't return that love. He didn't know how. So he only reiterated, “I can't marry Annalise because I can't give her what she deserves. I can't love her.”

* * *

Annalise glanced across the SUV console at the man who looked the most like Nick of all the Paynes. Nick was gone, though. He'd been gone for a while. He was running again.

She knew why Nick was gone. She wasn't as certain about why her brother was gone. He'd been here when Nick had left, but he hadn't stayed long. So it was Cooper Payne who had to drive her to the Payne Protection Agency. She had put her career on hold as much as she could. But there were things she needed to handle. For one, she needed to use the office equipment at Payne Protection.

She asked the former Marine, “Why isn't Gage protecting me?”

Cooper glanced across the console at her and replied, “He doesn't trust himself yet.”

A twinge of concern squeezed her heart. “He was on assignment when I arrived in River City,” she said. “Is he worse now than he was?”

He looked bad, like he'd aged years instead of months since she'd seen him last. And he was so thin and haggard-looking.

Cooper shook his head. “No. He's actually doing quite a bit better.”

“Then why wouldn't he trust himself?”

Cooper offered her a quick smile. “Because your safety is too important to him. He wants to make sure you have the best protection.” But as he said it, his brow furrowed, and his focus turned to the rearview mirror.

“I hate that I need protection,” she said.

Nick blamed himself, but she wasn't entirely convinced the men coming after her had anything to do with him. How could they think that she mattered that much to him when she didn't believe it herself?

“You do,” Cooper said.

And she realized why his focus had turned to the rearview. “Someone's following us.”

Dread knotted her stomach. She was so sick of the attacks, of the vehicle chases and the gunshots. She wanted her life back, her boring, unendangered life. But all of that had changed after the night she'd spent with Nick. Nothing had been boring since then.

Cooper cursed, then apologized.

“I grew up with Gage,” she reminded him. She was used to swearing. She actually felt like swearing herself now. If not for her baby, she might have. But she didn't know how much her son could hear in her womb.

Or feel. She had to make sure he stayed safe. She slid her palms over her belly, but she couldn't protect him—if whoever was following them caught them.

Unless...

“Isn't it one of you?” she asked hopefully. “Another Payne Protection bodyguard?”

Like when Milek Kozminski had been following Nick.

But she could tell from the grim look on Cooper's face that it wasn't. He had no idea who was following them.

So if it wasn't a friend, wasn't it a foe?

* * *

One of the men who'd attacked her was dead. Nikki had seen him that day, lying on a gurney in the ER hallway. And she had been so relieved it wasn't Nick.

She had to make sure that it didn't wind up being Nick yet. The list he'd emailed was too long even for her to work and eliminate suspects before someone eliminated Nick. But besides that, she couldn't help but think that they were all missing something.

Nick assumed someone was after him and Annalise out of a quest for vengeance. While Nikki owed her half brother for saving her life in the parking garage, she still wasn't entirely ready to let go of her resentment of him. She would actually find it pretty sweet if she could prove Nick—who was usually right—wrong.

So she'd gotten out from behind the desk where Logan had always tried to put her. And she was doing fieldwork. Even though all of River City PD had been searching for it, she was the one who'd found Annalise's stolen car.

She might find something no one else had at Nick's place. Boards had been nailed across the front door to keep out intruders. And her.

The bars on the windows offered her no entrance, either. Using her skills as a former gymnast, she leapt onto the stockade fence and pulled herself up and over it so she could get into the backyard. That door hadn't been boarded up, and there were no bars on the windows in the rear of the house.

With a surge of excitement, she reached for the lock pick tools the Kozminskis had given her. She could finally test her newly learned tricks. But when she reached for the door handle, it turned easily.

It hadn't been locked.

With a sigh, she slipped the tools back into her pocket. She would be able to use them eventually now that she was working for Cooper. He wouldn't treat her as Logan always had. He would respect that she could take care of herself.

Like Nick did.

How was it that the brother who'd known her the least amount of time knew her the best?