Authors: Jerrie Alexander
Satisfied his head wasn’t going to explode, he replayed the video, slowing it to a crawl. Christine had allowed not one but two men into her home. Why now? He’d been watching her for months, and not once had she brought anyone home with her.
The young man who’d delivered the flowers had been jerked inside. A few minutes later a man followed the delivery boy out of the parking lot. The jackass had thrown the flowers in the dumpster. Exactly what had she told her new friends?
None of it made sense.
He studied the two men as they exited her house. Both were the size of those fighters who got inside a cage and beat the shit out of each other. Wearing dark slacks and white shirts, they both moved as if they owned the ground under their feet. Just who were her new friends?
His pulse ratcheted up again at the way she lingered at the door until one spoke to her. His lips were easy to read as he issued the order, “Lock up behind us.”
If she grew attached to anyone, he’d kill them. And do it without hesitation. She needed to understand the conditions of staying alive. Rules had to be followed or consequences would be levied.
He closed his laptop and locked it in his briefcase. He’d made plans to drive to Austin. The perfect candidate worked in a strip club just outside of town, but he’d canceled the date. She’d sounded disappointed. Well, so had he been. His plans for her had been really quite creative.
But Christine was his focus. He would not lose sight of the end goal. She thought she’d outsmarted him. Little did she know, he’d just begun to make her squirm. She would not be allowed to make new friends. The two bruisers she’d had in her town house could easily be dealt with. He sighed, straightened his suit jacket, and then walked out to the gallery.
“Here he is now,” one of the clerks announced. “I’ll let him tell you what inspired this painting.”
He plastered a fake smile on his face. “Love to.” He strolled to the potential buyer and linked her arm in his. “I’d just returned from a week in California where I’d been overwhelmed by the colors of summer and the feeling of the breeze wafting over the ocean. I had to commit that beauty to canvas.” Partially true, the painting had burst from him right after he’d killed Chelsea Holland.
“May I ask the price?”
“I couldn’t bear to part with this one. But I do enjoy meeting someone who appreciates and feels the message.”
The woman made a soft sigh of approval.
“Message?” An older man spoke from across the room. His cowboy boots clomped as he crossed the distance. “Looks like the paint fairy puked.”
“Harold,” the woman whined. “Don’t be rude.”
“It’s all right.” Swallowing back a harsh retort, DaVinci struggled to keep his cool. “Not everyone understands abstract art.”
“That ain’t art. Looks more like chicken scratching to me.” The man socked his Western hat on his head and started toward the exit.
“Sorry.” The customer’s face flushed red, but she hustled after him.
DaVinci nodded his dismissal. He hated that he hadn’t told the old bastard that his paintings were on display only to be observed and enjoyed. He’d never sell one of his favorite memories.
“Jerk,” his assistant, Janet, muttered.
“Exactly.” He turned to face her. “Let’s take a look around. Show me how you arranged the paintings.” He tucked her hand through his arm and allowed her to take the lead.
He’d blessed his lucky stars the day he found this location in Dallas. A heavy-foot-traffic area with lots of high-end eateries that drew in- and out-of-town visitors. His initial investment plus the remodel had cost him a pretty penny, but he’d easily recouped his money.
The offerings in the upcoming show came from a handful of local artists, ones he considered to be worthy of his attention. He had paintings on display for sale, but certain special works were priceless, never to be sold. His first one was particularly stunning. Angry slashes of dark hues against a background of pale blue. His mother had never looked so good.
Janet’s voice pulled him from his deep thoughts. “You’re displeased?”
“Not at all. The arrangement will pull the traffic through nicely, allowing the customer to pause and enjoy each piece.”
Before she could gush and get under his skin, he insisted she leave early and get some rest. Tomorrow was a big day for Janet, as he’d given her total control of the show.
****
Someone pounded on her front door. “Chris,” Marcus shouted. “On three, I’m coming in.”
Chris jumped out of bed, ran and opened the door. His brown leather boot was raised, and Diablo stood next to him. A low growl came from the dog, hackles raised, the scruff on his neck standing straight up.
“Easy, boy,” Marcus said. He took the gun from her hands. “You all right?”
“Yeah.” She backed inside, and he followed.
“Then why didn’t you answer your phone?” The area around his mouth relaxed, but behind his brooding gaze, Chris saw concern. Even though they were strangers, he cared.
“For the first time in many months, I slept so soundly that I didn’t hear anything.” That statement alone frightened her. Marcus banging on her door had startled her and, hard as she tried, she couldn’t slow down her heart rate. Looking for some normalcy, she started a pot of coffee. “At first, I didn’t want to set foot in this place, but knowing you were outside made me feel safe. I didn’t wake at every little sound.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. But you make a good point, maybe you shouldn’t stay here at all. Be easier to protect you in a safe house.” His gaze swept across her body, searing her with heat. Then, as if he realized he was staring, he looked away. “We’ll wait in here while you change. Come, Diablo.”
“Be right back.” Her knees wobbled as she darted into her bedroom. How had she forgotten the fact that she wore nothing except a cami and jogging shorts? Mortified, she grabbed a pair of jeans and pulled them on. She followed with a sports bra and a T-shirt. After a splash of water on her face, a quick brush of her teeth, and pulling her hair back in a clip, she attempted to ignore the fact he’d seen her almost naked. She rejoined him and acted as if nothing had happened.
He’d poured the coffee by the time she slid onto one of the stools at her kitchen breakfast bar. Heat burned her cheeks. Thankfully, he made no mention of her earlier state of undress.
“I’m sorry if I scared you by banging on the door. It’s my job to keep you safe.” Marcus shoved his fingers through his hair. He’d returned to his usual stoic self. “But when you didn’t come out ready to go to the shelter, I called.”
Chris finally relaxed. “I can’t imagine you panic often.” Marcus’s expression of horror made her laugh out loud.
“I didn’t panic,” he growled out his answer. His hand covered hers. “I’ll admit to being concerned.”
His touch was warm and strong, leaving her unable to speak with his hand on her. Marcus jerked his hand away, almost as if he’d startled himself by touching her.
Her cell sang out, and Chris ran to retrieve it. She checked caller ID. It was the shelter. Today was free adoption day, and she’d promised to help. She apologized profusely to the facility manager and went back to the kitchen.
“The manager at the animal shelter is depending on me to show up.”
He poured her cold coffee back in the pot and refilled her cup. The aroma put her taste buds on alert. Marcus turned back to face her. “We can follow the original plan. I’ll follow you. But we should think about moving you.”
“As much as I hate that he was here, I don’t want to run. If I disappear, he’ll never be caught.”
“There’s a difference between being brave and being stupid. The difference is often death. We’re not using you as a sacrificial lamb.”
Chris walked to him. “Is that for me?”
“Yeah.” He handed the cup to her. “You need it. Maybe it will clear your head.”
“I’m not trying to be brave, and I try not to make stupid decisions.”
“Ignore me,” he said, pushing a lock of hair off his forehead. “I wasn’t insinuating you were stupid.”
“But I’m right, I can’t disappear. Besides, he’ll just find me again.”
“And we need to figure out how he does that. He knows a lot about you.”
“I can’t let the shelter down. They expect to be swamped.”
“Hang on.” He slid his buzzing cell from his pocket. While he spoke with Nate, Chris grabbed her socks and boots. She returned to find Marcus pacing.
“What’s the verdict?” she asked.
“Did you tell the shelter when you’d be there?” The nerves in his jaw had started twitching again.
“We’re good until after lunch. Should we check with the police first? They were going to ask the neighbors if they’d seen any suspicious vehicles in the parking lot.”
“Nate will do that from the office.”
“Then I need to get to the shelter.”
“That’s not a problem. I’ll follow you over. We’ll enter the shelter together, and you can introduce me as a neighbor. It will give me an excuse to stay close.”
“Help is never turned away. No matter what pretext we use, you hang out for very long and we’ll put you to work.”
“Let’s try something before we go. Come sit down.” Marcus patted the back of her easy chair.
Chris did as he asked. “Now what?”
“Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.” He dropped to one knee and took both her hands in his.
Her hands were cold inside his warm and comforting grasp. His thumbs rubbed across her knuckles. How long had it been since a man had demonstrated such tenderness with her? She’d been looking over her shoulder for two years, not allowing anyone to get close.
“Tell me again what you remember about the break-in.”
A chill raced up her spine, and she tightened her hold on Marcus. “He seemed really angry that my parents had money. Was bitter I’d grown up in the ‘lap of luxury.’“ She opened her eyes and looked into Marcus’s troubled gaze. “I’ve already told you that he said I shouldn’t make any friends. If I do, he’ll kill them.”
“Let him try.” Marcus released his grip on her hands and stood. “Maybe you remind him of someone who had money and lorded it over him. He’s dangerous. Unpredictable.”
She walked to the kitchen counter, picked up the pistol, and slid it into her purse. “And he has to pay for killing my sister.”
“I’m sorry the law let you down. I won’t.”
Chapter 5
By the time Marcus and Chris arrived at the shelter, the place was crammed with parents and kids, who milled from animal to animal. They asked questions and were allowed hands-on experience with the dogs.
He’d kept Diablo to the side until he was comfortable his animal wouldn’t become aggressive. He was pleased with his dog’s behavior, because keeping up with Chris in such a crowd was proving to be a challenge. With all this traffic, his radar stayed tuned to high. No one was going to sneak up on her, put a gun to her temple or fucking kiss her on the forehead. Not happening. He would not be caught with his guard down.
Marcus moved closer as Chris removed a mixed-breed puppy from one of the cages and gently placed it in a little girl’s arms. She knelt down to the kid’s eye level and chatted easily with her. In fact, she’d been amazing with the kids. The girls in the Big Sisters program probably loved spending time with her.
Her gaze lifted and met his. A smile brightened her face, turning her from beautiful to stunning. She motioned him to come over. His heart stirred inside his chest. A weird little twist that he quickly squashed.
“We’re closing in about thirty minutes. I have to finish cleaning up before I can leave. I’ll tell the manager you’re staying in here with me. Okay?”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll give you a hand. Cleanup will go faster if I help.”
“My back will be eternally grateful.”
The facility manager and one other helper tackled the last few adoptions of the day while Marcus and Chris put the animals back in their pens and mopped. Diablo stayed right on Marcus’s heels. The exposure to other dogs was a good exercise for him.
“Marcus?”
“Yeah?” He secured a cage door and went to help her.
“How long have you lived in Texas?”
“All my life except for a stint in the Army. Why?”
“Just seems fair that I should know more about you. I shared my family’s dirty laundry with you, Nate, and Kay. No doubt, you read all about me in my file. Right?”
“I did.” Having just met her yesterday, he’d studied everything in her folder. She’d done a good job of collecting data, but Dalton and Nate were in the process of gathering even more information. “Nate and I read your file carefully. As I’m sure you’re aware, it left more questions than answers. My office and Dalton are working hard to provide us with more intel. In the meantime, I’d like to hear from you.”