Vulnerable: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 1) (9 page)

Shane looked at his brother. “I did.” And yes, it was a mistake. “And her name’s Beth, not ‘the Jamison girl.’”

“You fucked with a covert surveillance, Shane.”

“And?”

“And now you’re watching the girl, yourself?” Liam studied him.

Of his three brothers, Liam was the quiet one, the intuitive one. Shane glared at Liam, willing him to leave.

“Okay,” Liam said, throwing up his hands. “You’ve gone over the deep end. Fine. But you can’t keep working around the clock. You have to have some downtime, and you need sleep or you’re going to screw up even worse.”

He couldn’t very well argue with Liam, because his brother was right.

“Here’s the deal,” Liam said. “Tonight, I’ll take your shift while you get a solid eight hours.”

“Liam – ”

“It wasn’t a suggestion, Shane.”

Liam was right, and Shane knew it. If one of the others were acting like he was, Shane would have already pounded some sense into him or her.

“All right.”

“Good,” Liam said. “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

Jake walked into Shane’s office, a scowl on his face. “What wasn’t so hard?”

“Trying to talk some sense into this idiot, that’s what,” Liam said.

Jake took the chair beside Liam. “We have a problem.”

“What now?” Shane said.

“IT hacked into Kline’s PC and now they’re monitoring his Internet activities 24/7.”

“What’d they find?” Shane said, dreading the answer.

Jake frowned. “For one thing, Kline’s downloading a ton of really violent porn. He’s also accessing of ton of child pornography – we can report him to the feds on that; that should be good for more jail time. But – here’s the kicker: he’s stalking Beth online. Just an hour ago, he used an online mapping site to get directions to her townhouse and to the Kingston University campus. He’s also been searching online classifieds for handguns.”

“Shit,” Liam said.

Jake nodded. “Defcon 3.”

Shane ran his fingers through his hair. “He’s going to make a move against her,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time. We’ll have to be ready.”

“Should we bring Chicago PD in on this?” Jake said. “They can arrest him for possession of child pornography. That’ll put him back behind bars for a while at least.”

“No,” Shane said. “We’ll handle this. I don’t want a temporary solution. Kline needs to be neutralized permanently.”

Chapter 8

“You aren’t going to call me, are you?”

Oh, my god. Shane. He’s here.

She recognized his voice instantly. Beth kept her gaze fixed on the shelf of books in front of her, stunned into silence when she realized he was standing right behind her.

“I figured you might be here tonight.”

Shane laid his hands on her bare shoulders, and they felt so incredibly good she couldn’t help leaning back against him.

His mouth moved in close to her ear, and he whispered to her, his warm breath ruffling her hair. “If you tell me to take a hike, I will,” he said. “I’ll walk away, and I won’t bother you again, I promise. But I’m going out on a limb here because I think you
are
interested.”

When his arms came around her, she melted into him. She was so tired of fighting this, fighting herself. How many nights had she lain awake in her bed, fantasizing about him, wishing she had the courage to try one more time? Well, damn it, she was going to try.

“Well? Do I take a hike, or can I stay?”

She shivered when she felt his lips in her hair. Why did his touch make her go weak in the knees, when every other man’s touch made her cringe? “Stay.”

She felt the tension leave his body as he sighed. He must have been peering over her shoulder at the shelf of books in front of her, because he said, “
Fifty Shades
, huh? My sisters read those books. I’ll bet he spanked her, didn’t he?”

A very unladylike snort burst out of her before she could contain it. “Yes.” She couldn’t help laughing. “A few times.”

He turned her so that she was facing him, and she lost herself in his gaze. She hadn’t imagined how beautiful his eyes were. His irises were such a bright and clear blue, with tiny flecks of gold. They seemed to penetrate right through her, missing nothing. He looked devastatingly handsome in a pair of well-worn jeans and a tucked-in, blue button-up shirt. She wasn’t sure which was sexier – this casual look or the CEO dark suit and white dress shirt persona. Right now the top button of his shirt was undone, exposing his tanned throat, and he looked rakishly sexy. Unable to resist the urge to touch him, she laid a tentative hand in the center of his chest.

He covered her hand with one of his own, and his gaze darkened. “Do you recommend them?” His voice turned rough as his eyes went to her mouth.

For a moment, she couldn’t remember what they were talking about. Oh, yes, the books. “I highly recommend them,” she said, taking the bait and feeling a tad bold. After all, he’d admitted that he’d come here specifically to see her, even though she’d left him in limbo all week. There were probably a thousand other things he could be doing tonight, and thousands of women he could be doing them with, but he’d chosen to come here. To find
her
. She felt a warm fluttering low in her belly.

“There should have been more spanking and less Red Room of Pain,” she said. “Ana liked the spanking; it was the other stuff she wasn’t so keen on. Not that I blame her.” She didn’t know what on Earth had possessed her to say that. His gentle sense of humor put her at ease, and she felt she could say anything to him, and he wouldn’t judge her.

“Red Room of Pain?” He grinned. “I think I can probably guess what that’s in reference to. Anyway, it’s his loss. But I’m not one to miss opportunities.”

Shane tugged gently on a tendril of hair that had escaped her ponytail, and she felt a corresponding tug between her legs. For crying out loud, he was just playing with her hair!

He tucked that strand of hair behind her ear, and then he brushed her cheek with the edge of his thumb. She closed her eyes, savoring his touch.

“Let’s go somewhere a bit more private where we can talk,” he said. “Anywhere you’d like.”

She swallowed past the lump in her throat and nodded. If she was going to try one more time, she’d have to go outside her comfort zone. “Okay.”

“Good. Step one accomplished.” He grinned at her, clearly pleased with himself.

“Step one?”

“Getting you to say yes to me. That was step one.”

“What’s step two?”

“Step two is getting you to tell me why you’re so fearful.”

Her smile fell, and she tried to pull away.

“Whoa, relax,” he said, holding onto her. “There’s no hurry. I won’t pressure you.” He brushed her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “Now, where do you want to go? How about a quiet place where we can have a drink and talk?”

“That sounds good.” She was shocked that she’d even agreed to this.

“Where would you like to go?” he said.

It had to be somewhere public and somewhere close by, so they could walk. She wasn’t about to get in a car with him. If she was going to do this, at least she wasn’t going to be stupid about it. “How about Café del Sol? It’s usually quiet this time of night, and it’s just a few blocks from here. We can walk.”

“That sounds like a plan,” he said. “Are you ready to go?”

She was as ready as she’d ever be.

They stepped out onto a bustling sidewalk teeming with pedestrians, as it was still early for this part of downtown on a Friday night. Shane’s professional instincts kicked in, and he found himself surveying the crowd, watching for threats. He knew Kline was at home watching television, but old habits were hard to break.

“The restaurant’s this way,” Beth said, pointing to the right.

He took hold of her hand, lacing their fingers together, and they started walking.

“I read your company’s website,” she said. “Are you a bodyguard?”

He smiled. “Generally, no. I usually do management type stuff – the boring stuff. Occasionally I work out in the field, but it’s rare.”
Like this past week.

“Who are your clients?”

“All sorts really, but mostly people in high profile positions – celebrities, politicians, corporate big-shots – the type of people who tend to attract unwanted attention. We also design high-end security systems for corporations and governments.”

“My brother works in law enforcement, here in Chicago.” She might as well get that out there, because if anything came of this, he’d have to deal with Tyler sooner or later.

“Is he a cop?” he said, hating the need for subterfuge. But he was thrilled that she was finally starting to open up to him. The sooner she did that, the sooner he could tell her who he was. “I hope he’s not going to arrest me for corrupting his sister.”

Beth laughed at that, but not because it was funny. Her brother could actually become a serious problem where Shane was concerned. Tyler wouldn’t like the fact that she was dating an older man. And that would be just the beginning of Tyler’s objections.

“He’s not a patrol officer,” she said. “He’s a homicide detective. And he’s very protective of me, so yes, he might arrest you. Consider yourself forewarned.” She smiled at him when she said it, but she really meant it.

Shane smiled. “Don’t worry. I promise not to give your brother any cause to arrest me.” He lifted her hand to kiss it. He’d do whatever was necessary to keep Beth from getting caught in the middle.

“Here we are,” she said, coming to a stop.

Shane opened the door for Beth, and they walked inside. The restaurant was small and quiet, furnished with mismatched tables and chairs. They were greeted by a smiling teenage boy with dark hair and piercing dark eyes – Luis, according to his name tag.

“Two?” the boy said in a heavy Spanish accent, as he pulled out two menus.

“Si, por favor,” Shane said.

“Can we sit outside, on the patio?” Beth asked.

Luis nodded at her. “Si, Seniorita.”

They followed their young host through the restaurant and out the back door to a small enclosed brick patio. The patio was quite small, having room for only four small tables. Fortunately, it was empty at the moment. It was a cozy space, with lighted candles on each of the wrought-iron tables, hanging flower baskets and several potted trees.

Luis laid their menus down on a table in the far corner. “I’ll be right back with chips and salsa.”

Shane pulled a couple of bills out of his wallet and handed them to the boy as he whispered to him in Spanish.

“Si, Senior!” Luis said, staring in awe at the bills in his hand. “Muchos gracias!” And then the boy raced back into the restaurant.

Beth took the seat Shane had pulled out for her. “Thank you. What was that all about?”

“I rented the patio for the evening.”

Beth chuckled. “What’s the going rate for a patio these days?”

“A couple hundred bucks.” It was a small price to pay for privacy. He didn’t want any prying ears making her feel self-conscious.

“Oh, my god!” she cried. “You didn’t have to do that!”

“Yes, I did,” he said, smiling as he handed her a menu. “I’ll never get you to open up to me if they seat other customers out here with us.”

And there was that disarming smile of his again, stirring up the butterflies in her belly. She couldn’t help returning his smile, losing herself in his gaze. When the door to the restaurant opened, she jumped and looked away, grateful for the distraction.

Luis brought a tray to their table laden with two glasses of ice water, salsa, and a bowl of tortilla chips. “Ready to order?” he said, as he set the glasses and bowls on the table.

Shane looked at Beth. “Would you like something to eat?”

“No, thank you. I’m not hungry. The chips will be fine.”

“It looks like we’re just having drinks, then,” Shane said to the boy. “I’ll have a Corona. Beth, what would you like?”

“I’m not much of a drinker,” she confessed, dipping a chip into the salsa. “Maybe a Strawberry Daiquiri?”

“The lady will have a Strawberry Daiquiri,” Shane told Luis.

After Luis disappeared back into the building, Shane brushed his thumb across the back of Beth’s hand. “There are a hundred questions I want to ask you, but I’m afraid most of them will send you running.”

Beth took a long sip of her water, and he suspected it was just a distraction to hide her nervousness. So he changed tactics.

“Why don’t you ask me something instead?” he said.

Her eyes widened, and she smiled. “Okay.” But then she hesitated.

“It’s okay, ask me anything.”

“Well, there is one thing I should ask,” she said, a little sheepishly. “You are single, right?”

He looked at her pointedly. “Beth, if I weren’t single, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you.”

She blushed. “I’m sorry. I guess that was a stupid question.”

He shook his head. “No, it wasn’t stupid. Women can’t be too careful, can they? To answer your question, yes, I’m single. I’m not seeing anyone right now.” He grabbed a tortilla chip and scooped up some salsa. “What else would you like to know? Ask away.”

“Why did you leave the military?”

He grinned, realizing she must have read his bio page on the company website. That meant she’d been curious about him. Good. “I received an honorable discharge on medical grounds.”

“What happened?”

“I was in a building that blew up,” he said. “I sustained a lot of injuries to my arms and chest, but the worst damage was to my right leg. My right femur was pretty much pulverized.” He slapped the top of his leg. “After four surgeries and two steel rods, I’m almost good as new, although I set off metal detectors everywhere I go.”

She laughed at that, just as he’d intended.

“I went state-side for rehabilitation, but it was pretty obvious I’d have to start thinking about a new career. So when the Marine Corps discharged me, I came home to Chicago and started my business.”

“That’s awful. How did the building blow up?”

“I blew it up.”

“You did?” She looked shocked. “Why did you do that if you were still inside?”