Pierced: Pierced Trilogy Boxed Set (32 page)

Chapter One

Joshua

It’s barely light outside, must be about 5:30 in the morning. Sam stirs slightly in my arms and I tighten my hold around her, pulling her closer to me. She had a difficult night, tossing and turning for most of it. She only slept soundly when she was wrapped in my arms. Me, on the other hand, I’ve been up most of the night, thinking about that phone call. Now I’m wishing more than ever that she had changed her cell number when I suggested it a few days ago. But I know that if she had, we still wouldn’t know for sure that this asshole is actually watching her. At least now, I know that we need to step up our game to ensure her safety until we can get a lead on this jerk.

Who is this asshole and what is his end game? That question has kept me up half the night and I’m starting to think that this fucker has just fixated on her, like a stalker. And if that’s the case, then he is probably willing to go pretty far in order to make a big impression on her. Like assaulting her in a deserted parking lot. And my gut tells me that next time, he’s going to want to go big or go home. Plus, now he knows that I’m in the picture and that I’m more than just casually invested in this case. And that thought makes me afraid for Samantha’s safety. Afraid for her life. I’d like to lock her away in this apartment and order her to remain safely inside until we catch this guy but, I know that’s never going to happen. In the short time that I’ve known her, I’ve learned she’s strong willed, determined and hard-headed. No way I’m getting her to stay away from the museum for a few days. So I’ve got to figure out a way to keep her safe while she’s there.

She stirs again and she mumbles this time and whines. No doubt dreaming again. At least she hasn’t woken up screaming like she did last night. God, that scream could wake the dead. And as the thought flits through my mind, I can’t help but think about my own nightmares, especially the one that always has me waking up screaming. The one where I relive that night over and over again in my mind. And I frown as I wonder at the fact that I still haven’t had a nightmare. Not once since I started sleeping with Samantha. I don’t understand that; it just doesn’t make any sense to me. The last nightmare I remember having was the night I spent on her couch after her first phone call from this creep. That was days ago. What’s changed?

As far as I can tell, the only thing that’s changed is that now Sam and I are sleeping together. That can’t be the reason my nightmares have suddenly vanished, can it? Does it even work that way?
Maybe it’s just because you’ve got a warm body to hold onto and snuggle up with, Pierce.
Like a teddy bear? I roll my eyes at myself for even thinking it.

“Josh?”

Her soft sweet voice pulls me out of my introspection and I glance down and meet her uncertain gaze. “Good morning, baby,” I whisper and lightly kiss her forehead.

“What time is it?” she asks, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

“It’s early yet,” I tell her softly. “The alarm hasn’t even gone off.” I study her face for a moment. She looks tired. And worried. I kiss her forehead once more and hug her tightly. “You didn’t sleep worth crap, Sam. Why don’t you call in sick and stay put today? Get some rest.”

“I can’t do that, Josh. I just got this position,” she says grumpily as she begins to sit up. I knew she wouldn’t go for it but, I had to suggest it anyway. I sit up beside her and stretch as I prepare to enter a battle of wills with her.

“Well, if you’re going to insist on going to work, then I have a couple of demands of my own,” I tell her, fixing her with an expression that lets her know I mean business.

“What kind of demands?” She frowns at me.

“For starters, I’m driving you to work,” I tell her and her frown gets deeper.

“Josh … ”

“I’ll pick you up when you get off and bring you back home,” I cut her off, and she just stares at me for a minute like I’ve lost my mind.

“But, Josh, you have to work too,” she protests.

“That’s all right. I see making sure you get home safely as part of my job,” I tell her.

“Yeah, well what’s your partner going to think of that?” she shoots back.

“Once he hears about the phone call you got last night, he’s going to agree with me,” I counter. “Trust me!” She rolls her eyes at me to express her displeasure and it pisses me off slightly. Well, if she liked that, then she’s really going to love this next part. “I also think you might want to look into some personal protection.”

“Personal protection?” she questions, her voice rising a few decibels. “Are you talking about a bodyguard?” Now she really is looking at me as if I’m crazy.

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about, Samantha,” I confirm, and both my voice and my expression tell her that I’m not playing here. “What about that guy who stood outside your hospital room last week? I assume he works for your family’s company?”

“Yes,” she sighs, and I can see her spirits falling.

“Well, I would suggest you call your brother and get him to assign someone to be with you at the museum.”

“Josh, the museum is a public place,” she says with exasperation. “I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah? Just like you were fine yesterday when you noticed this asshole was watching you at work?” I know that my words are harsh and I can see that they have the intended effect on her. She is now sufficiently scared. I feel like a jerk for doing this to her but, I need for her to take this seriously. Her life could depend on it. “And he told you last night that he is watching you constantly. He knew that I was still here at two something in the morning, and my guess is that he wasn’t very happy about it! You need someone protecting you when I can’t be by your side, Samantha.”

She is looking at me with big pools of green sadness and I just want to fold her into my arms and keep her safe. I watch, feeling helpless, as she wipes a stray tear from her cheek and then seems to accept her fate. She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly and nods at me.

“It’s just until we catch this asshole, Sam,” I tell her, my voice softening as I tuck a strand of her beautiful hair behind her ear, and she nods again. I reach over and grab her cellphone from the bedside table. “Call your brother,” I tell her quietly.

“Only when I’m at work, right?” she asks plaintively, and her tear-filled eyes search mine. “I don’t want a full-time bodyguard, Josh. I don’t want to live like that!”

She looks so unhappy and I just want to make her tears stop. I reach out and wipe her damp cheeks with my thumbs. “Baby, it’s just until we catch this creep,” I repeat, feeling helpless. I fucking hate feeling helpless and I really want to catch this jerk and beat his ass for tormenting Sam like this.

She takes the phone from my hand and I listen as she makes the call, telling her brother that she wants a close protection detail to be with her at work and explaining why. She tells him about the incident at the museum yesterday but, I note she doesn’t tell him about the phone call. I think that’s wise. The fewer people who know, the better. She hangs up the phone and looks up at me. “Good girl,” I tell her, as I lean in and kiss her forehead.

I get her up and get her moving then, and I notice that she’s a little despondent. Not at all the bright, carefree girl I’ve woken up with the past two days, and I’m more than a little worried about her. As she showers, I call Conner and let him know that I’m going to be a little late this morning. And once Sam and I are dressed and have a simple breakfast of bagels and fruit and coffee, we head out and I take her to work.

I wait with her at the museum entrance until her security detail, Mr. Martin, arrives. It’s the same man who stood watch at her hospital room, keeping away the paparazzi, and I can tell that he’s surprised to see me there with her. I can see the speculation in his eyes as he keeps a respectful distance, and I wonder how closely he’s been ordered to report back to Sam’s brother. I also wonder if Samantha cares how much her brother knows about us. Too late to ask now.

“I’ll be back at four to pick you up,” I tell her and she nods at me.

“Thank you, Josh,” she says, fixing me with those magical eyes of hers, and I can’t help but melt. And I suddenly don’t give a shit what Mr. Martin reports back to her brother. I reach out and caress her face with my hand.

“Call me if you need me,” I say, holding her gaze, and she nods again and gives me a small smile. I lean in and kiss her lips chastely. Then I turn and walk toward the doors, nodding to Martin as I go. He returns my nod and I stride out of the building and to my truck.

When I get to the station, I make a beeline for Conner and I find him down by the vending machines, grabbing a caffeine fix. “Hey, Dave,” I confront him as he upends a bottle of soda. He frowns at me.

“You look like shit, Guy. You sick or something?”

“Gee thanks,” I say sarcastically. “No, I’m not sick. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Okay, okay,” he says, holding up one hand, “I don’t need to hear the details.”

“Actually, you do,” I tell him seriously as I glance around to make sure we’re not overheard. “First off, Samantha had a nightmare. Woke up around midnight, screaming bloody murder.”

“What was that about?” he asks, taking another swig of his soda.

“She said she was being chased by a faceless man with the tattoo on his neck,” I shrug. “But it gets better. I get her back to sleep, and around two in the morning, she gets another phone call from this asshole.”

“Again?” His voice is incredulous, as if he can’t believe it, and I nod at him. “What did he say this time?”

“He asked her why she wasn’t alone,” I say, keeping my voice low so that I’m not overheard by the few guys that go walking past us in the hallway. “He asked her if she was fucking the detective.”

“Are you shitting me?” he asks, his voice raised in surprise. “He said that?”

“Yeah. He’s watching her, Conner,” I tell him definitively. “And now he’s pissed because he knows he doesn’t have her all to himself.”

“And he knows you’re a fucking cop,” Conner adds. “That’s not good, Guy. He could go after her now just to prove a point to you.”

“I know,” I say with a nod of my head. “I didn’t say anything to Sam. I didn’t want to freak her out any more than she already is.”

“Where is she now?” he asks.

“At work,” I tell him with a disgusted roll of my eyes. “I couldn’t get her to stay home.”

“Shit.”

“I know. I got her to set up close protection, though,” I tell him. “Through her family’s security team. Someone’s with her now. I didn’t leave her until they showed up.”

“Well, that’s something at least,” he says quietly. “Guy, we really should get someone to sit on her place, you know?”

“Yeah, I was thinking that,” I answer. “But I’m not sure how to get around it with Marcos without outing the relationship.”

Conner is silent for a moment and I can see his mind working. “Just tell him about the phone call. Tell him that she had a … ‘gentleman friend’ over last night; he doesn’t need to know it was you. Tell him that this asshole knew she wasn’t alone, told her that he was watching her. That coupled with what happened at her job yesterday … he’ll sign off on someone sitting on her place round the clock. For a fucking Colby? He’ll do it!”

“Maybe you’re right,” I say thoughtfully. The city would bend over backwards for the Colby family.

“Hell, he’ll probably make us do it,” he mumbles, and an idea pops into my head.

“Hmm. Now there’s a thought,” I say slowly. “I could just volunteer to do it.” Conner looks at me skeptically. “Well, you have a wife. I don’t have anyone waiting up for me, why couldn’t I volunteer to do it?”

“Well, just don’t seem too eager, he might get suspicious,” Conner chuckles quietly.

“Eager to spend the night sitting in a cruiser watching people come and go from an apartment building,” I snort. “Yeah, that will make him suspicious.”

“Well, you won’t actually spend the night in the cruiser,” Conner says, “but, he won’t know that.”

We make our way back up to the bull pen and, as we’re heading to our desks, we hear, “Pierce! Conner! Get in here!” We’re summoned gruffly into Lieutenant Marcos’ office. What the fuck is this about? As we enter, I notice the Captain is also in Marcos’ office and they’re both wearing scowls on their faces.
Fuck.
Whatever this is, it doesn’t look good.

Conner and I sit and eye each other cautiously. “Chief got a call this morning from the Mayor himself,” Captain Skinner says unceremoniously, his sky blue eyes darting between Dave and me. “Apparently, he’s golf buddies with Kenneth and Lucas Colby. It seems Mr. Lucas Colby is a little irate that his sister is now being stalked by the asshole who attacked her a couple of weeks ago. I guess this guy showed up at her place of business yesterday, is that right?”

“Yes, sir,” I answer, looking him in the eye, “he did. Conner and I went down to the museum where she works, took her statement. Spoke to a few other museum employees about the incident. There really wasn’t much to go on. The museum didn’t have any camera footage of this guy and Miss Colby and another employee, a Miss Johnson, only really saw him from behind as he was exiting the building.”

“I understand that, Guy,” Captain Skinner says to me, “but that’s not going to sit well with the Mayor or with Lucas Colby. What else can you tell me?”

I glance over at Dave and he covertly raises an eyebrow at me. I get his silent message. “Well, I spoke with Miss Colby myself this morning. It seems she received a second phone call from her attacker in the wee hours of the morning. He said something that led her to believe that he’s watching her.”

“What did he say?” Skinner asks.

I hesitate for a split second. “He asked her why she wasn’t alone,” I tell them. “Apparently she had a … male companion over last night. It freaked her out; she seemed pretty shaken up about it.”

“I can imagine,” Skinner says quietly, folding his arms in front of him. “What do you plan to do?”

I glance at Conner again and he shrugs. “Well, for starters, Conner and I were just talking about me maybe sitting on her place each night until we catch this creep. It shouldn’t be too complicated since the Mountain View complex is totally exclusive and not really that big. The ten-story building is divided into thirty luxury apartments. So watching the place shouldn’t be that hard. The only real stumbling block is that we simply don’t know exactly who it is we’re watching for. Miss Colby hasn’t given us a whole lot to go on in the way of a description.”