Happily Never After (16 page)

Chapter 19

Even with stealing a valet jacket, he’d been nervous when he crawled under the small Lexus. Glade focused on taking calm even breaths to settle his rioting nerves. Spur of the moment decisions made him uneasy. Tampering with Kelsey’s brakes was risky, but the opportunity to get the woman alone hadn’t panned out.

She didn’t move back to the hotel as he’d anticipated. Moving in at the community center kept her surrounded by people throughout the day. The few times she left the property was with the cop.

While he maintained surveillance on her, he observed the man from the park also waiting in the shadows. The prey was being stalked by two predators and that he couldn’t allow. She was
his
.

He’d taken a part-time job with the janitorial service that cleaned the police station every night. It allowed him to hear gossip. They were looking for a man named Miles Robbins in connection with the fire. A simple internet search gave him all the details about who the man was and what he might want with Kelsey.

After following her to this fancy party, he spotted the other creep hanging around. It gave him this idea to light a match under the police. Right off the bat, they would suspect Robbins as the one to tamper with her brakes. Once they arrested him, the cops would let down their guard, and it’d be easier to move around.

Regret threaded its way into his consciousness. There were times that collateral damage couldn’t be avoided. He hoped she wouldn’t get too hurt. When they exited the building, the cop’s hands were all over her. Anger replaced any lingering remorse. He was through with the guilt. He was ready for a new life, and he didn’t care what he had to do to get it.

He followed several cars behind them both. Brakes squealed as the little red car sailed through the intersection. The stench of burnt rubber permeated the air as the vehicles behind her tried to stop.

A driveway into a fast food parking lot was to his right, so he swerved in and parked so he could monitor and remain unnoticed. Unable to know when or how her brakes would fail, he hadn’t been able to resist following from a distance. Afraid the cop would spot a tail, his plan was to veer off after several blocks. Lucky for him, the accident occurred before he’d made his move.

The cop jumped from his truck and ran over to where her car stopped spinning. When the ambulance arrived, they helped her out of the mangled wreck. His lips curved into a satisfied smile.
Good. She was okay
.

Loneliness weighed so burdensome on his chest, tears welled in his eyes.
I miss you, Janie.
He shook his head to clear it. This obsession with Kelsey had thrown him off track and wasted time. The plan needed to remain his primary focus. Determination renewed, he cranked his car and drove in the opposite direction. One obstacle would soon become eliminated.

One to go.

Chapter 20

Kelsey didn’t utter a word all the way home, and the silence made Bode uneasy. After reaching his house, she sat in the car looking out the window. He opened her door and held out his hand to help her get down.

His hand hung in the air when she didn’t accept it. She gazed up at him, her intention clear.

Anger and frustration churned his stomach into a caldron full of furor. She was scared, but he had no intention of letting her leave. “Listen to me. I can see the wheels turning in your brain like a hamster on a wheel, but you’re not running off anywhere. We’re in this together, remember? Robbins won’t be able to get to you here.”

“You don’t think he would go to the center, do you?” She stared at him with concern.

Meeting her stare, he sighed. “I don’t want to take that chance. We’ll call Ann and warn her but if you’re not there, they should be okay. First the fire and now your car. You’re the target, honey.”

He helped her out of the truck, and they entered the house where he helped her sit down on the sofa. She tried to hide a grimace, but it was obvious she was in pain. The abuse to her body had already made her limbs stiff.

She smiled at him to lighten the mood. “So, what are the chances of wild gorilla sex?”

His laughter helped to ease muscles seized up since the accident. “You sit here while I go run you a hot bath. Then I’ll come back to get you.”

Her pale face made his heart constrict. Bloody and bruised, her beauty still managed to take his breath away. After Elaina, he’d been positive he would never let anyone into his life again. Like a flower taking root, Kelsey had wormed her way into his very soul without him realizing it.

When he returned from running her bath, the sight of her struggling to stand caused him to jump the last several steps and rush to catch her. Her knees buckled, and his arm wrapped around her waist.

“I told you I would be back to get you. Sweetheart, you need to start listening to me.” He scooped her up and carried her upstairs to the bathroom.

Afraid she would fall, he stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. They stared at their reflections in the large mirror above the vanity.

She frowned at her battered body. “This dress is a goner. No amount of dry cleaning will clean up this mess.”

He lowered his head and kissed her shoulder. “Dresses can be replaced.”

Dried blood had caked in her hair making it spike up in several places. Her run-in with the air bag had swollen her nose to double its size. She was utterly breathtaking.

He reached up and slid down the zipper on her dress. The silky material slid down her hips and fell to the floor. She remained statue–still, wearing her bra and lacy panties. The sight of her quivering lip threatened to be his downfall, so he moved her away from the mirror and led her to the big Jacuzzi tub.

The adrenaline rush would soon dissipate, and he wanted her out of the bath before she crashed. He removed her undergarments and helped her ease down into the warm water. She lay back and rested her head on a towel he’d put down for her. Her lids drifted shut when she relaxed.

He sat on the edge of the tub, his emotions still too raw for conversation. When he’d kissed her earlier the salty taste of her tears had broken his heart. The desire to get out and work this case warred with his need to be with her. Take care of her. Protect her.

After several minutes, he put his hand under her neck and lifted her up. Using a small cup, he poured water over her sticky hair while holding her to keep water out of her face. Sitting her up a little straighter, he added a generous portion of shampoo. Making sure he remained gentle, he rinsed until not one soap bubble remained.

“Are you ready to get out? The water’s starting to get cold.”

She jumped at his soft words. He helped her stand and wrapped her in a big fluffy towel. Reaching over to the sink, he picked up the T-shirt he’d brought in for her to wear.

When dressed, he ushered her into the bedroom and tucked her between the sheets. His mind occupied with getting updated on her accident, he looked down in surprise at the tug on his shirt tail when he turned to leave.

“Nobody’s going anywhere, buddy until we get the whole gorilla sex thing settled.” She wiggled her brows and made a funny face.

He snorted and lay down beside her. Holding her tight, she rested her head on his shoulder. Peace settled inside his heart and he let out a pent-up breath. The first natural one he’d taken since seeing her car fly into oncoming traffic.

The kiss he gave her was slow and soft, a caress across her lips. One of her hands slid around the back of his neck curling into his hair. He wrapped his much larger body around her, almost covering her completely.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” she whispered.

Her clean scent was like a drug to him as he breathed her in. He lowered his head to rain kisses on her face and shoulders. The muscles of his back twitched for more when she ran her soft hands down its length.

She pressed a kiss to his chest. “Do you think things will always be this intense between us?”

“For the next twenty or so years, then I’ll be down to wanting you just once or twice a day.”

She gave an enormous jaw-breaking yawn. He laughed and rolled away from her to stand. The crash had started. After pulling the blanket up to cover her, he looked down at her.

His heart lurched at the sight of her pale, innocent face. “You need sleep, honey. I’m going downstairs to work.”

She was asleep by the time he finished the sentence. Jaw clenched, his hands curled into tight fists, he tried to control his anger at the sight of her bruises. He’d had enough of this asshole.

He bent to switch off the bedside lamp. Then he pressed a light kiss to her forehead. “Sweet dreams, Princess.”

When Kelsey awoke the next morning, her first reaction was to reach for Bode. She came awake when her hand touched an empty bed. Every muscle in her body screamed when she tried to sit up.

Her stomach heaved in protest from the pounding in her head. She lay motionless until the dizziness passed before plodding into the bathroom. A groan escaped after one look. Small cuts dotted her face. The nasty looking bruise on her cheek looked good compared to her two black eyes.

She still lingered in front of the mirror when Bode joined her. Already dressed, he carried a steaming cup of coffee. He set it on the counter and hugged her from behind.

“Looking good.” He teased and kissed the top of her head.

She glared and pointed a finger at his reflection. “Don’t mess with me, Detective Taggert.”

He laughed and twirled her around to face him. His hands were gentle as he cupped her face. Her knees went weak from the tender moment.

“Can you shower alone or do you need some help?” he asked with a wicked grin.

Her mouth tightened in a grimace. “I better try this on my own. Number one, you’re ready for work and number two, I’m so sore I don’t think I’m up for any wild shenanigans.”

He chortled and lowered his head to caress her lips with his. By the time she forgot about her soreness, he’d started the shower.

“I’ll go make us some breakfast while you get cleaned up.”

The hot spray made her sigh in relief as it kneaded sore muscles. She twisted the faucet off when the water became tepid and reached for a towel. Her clothing options were limited to the yoga pants and shirt she’d left here the day before.

She gingerly descended the stairs. Voices drifted toward her from the direction of the kitchen. The conversation ceased when she entered the room. Bode stood at the stove cooking while Steve sat drinking coffee.

Going straight to the cabinet, she grabbed an empty cup. Murder attempt or not, a woman needed to maintain her priorities. Cradling the nectar in her palms, she faced them. “Well, what now?”

The sun’s rays shining through the kitchen window were too bright for a headache she’d woken up with. She paced to the window and closed the curtains.

Bode huffed out a disgusted little sound as he scooped eggs on two plates already piled with bacon and toast. He picked them up and ushered her toward the table.

Too nervous to eat, she used her fork to move the food around on the plate, giving the appearance of consumption.

Steve cleared his throat. “The tech guys confirmed that your brake lines were cut. People are scouring the city looking for Miles Robbins so we can question him. We can’t rule out the possibility that his being here is just a weird coincidence. Is there anyone else in your past that might be targeting you?”

Giving up the pretense of eating, she laid her fork down on the table. “It will take a while to go through my old cases. I maintained a high conviction rate for several years.”

“Think outside the scope of your job, too. Would anyone be angry at you, or perhaps believe you wronged them somehow? How about financially? Maybe you had personal loans or investments that went south?” Steve held his notebook, waiting for her to answer.

She considered the possibilities. “No one comes to mind. Of course, my portfolio is handled by a brokerage firm. I don’t give loans or cheat on my taxes, either. Other than work, I can’t think of any reason someone would hate me.”

“Okay. I’m going back to the office. Let me know if you think of anything else we should consider.” Steve swallowed another gulp of his coffee and left for the station.

Bode strode over to the table, scooped her up, and sat down with her on his lap. “I will find this guy, Kels, and I’m going to rip him apart piece by piece.” He rested his head on her shoulder.

A memory flashed in her mind. “I don’t think this will end up being important, but I forgot to tell you. The day of my apartment fire, I saw Joe standing in the crowd. It struck me as weird because I don’t think he lives in the neighborhood.”

Bode picked his head up. “Have you seen or heard from him again?”

“No. He never called me again to meet for coffee. I assumed he got busy and forgot.”

“What was his last name? I’ll check him out.”

She searched her memory and then snapped her fingers. “Graham. I think it was Joe Graham. But why would he want to harm me? He’s not from one of my past cases, or I’d remember him.”

“Well, I don’t feel as warm and fuzzy about this guy as you do, but I promise you that I’ll find out everything down to his shoe size.”

Her heart fluttered at his hard, determined expression. A knock sounded on the front door. Bode got up and sat her down in the chair as if she were made of spun glass. She listened to him talking while returning to the kitchen.

A young patrolman followed Bode into the room and waited for him to pick up his jacket and gun. “Kelsey, I’m leaving for work. Meet Pete Johnson. His job is to guard you this morning. Later today, another officer will relieve him. I’ll be home as early as I can. Use my computer to start reviewing your old cases. If something pops out at you, call me.”

He adjusted his jacket over his holstered weapon. “This is just a precaution until we get a better handle on what this is all about. You don’t need to worry. You’re safe as long as you’re here.” He glared at her. “And you are going to stay here,
right?”

She gave an indignant snort, then winced at the pain. “Of course, I’m not going anywhere. I resemble a creature out of a horror movie. Go catch the bad guy and please, don’t worry about me.”

Bode swung her into the circle of his arms. “That’s like telling the sun not to shine, honey.” Covering her lips, he crushed her to his chest. When he turned her loose, the officer still had his back to them studying the wall.

“No one comes in or goes out except for cops. If you notice anything suspicious, call in for backup. I’ll check in later.” The patrolman inclined his head, and Bode strode out the door.

She sighed. “So, Officer Johnson, how do you feel about yoga?”