Kitabı oku: «Tempted By The Bodyguard», sayfa 9

Chapter 12

Daniel frowned. “Far enough away she won’t be found? That would be the moon.”

“We would be the only ones who know where she’s going. If the media and everyone else is in the dark about her location, whoever is determined to take her will not be privy to that information.”

“I don’t know, Mom. If she’s far away, Daniel will have no backup in case they get in trouble.”

An idea began forming in Daniel’s mind. Kate might be on to a plan that held merit. “I know of a place.”

Shelby looked at him, her eyes widening. “I can’t leave. I have school.”

“Like I said, you can bring your work with you and turn it in later when we resolve this case.”

“I’m glad you’re able to speak for my instructors.”

“It’s stay here and risk your life or go with Daniel and be safe.” Her grandfather reached for her hand. “Please, Shelby. Be reasonable. I love you and I want to be around for great-grandchildren someday.”

“Granddad!”

“I’m serious, Shelby. I’m not going to be around forever.”

“Don’t go pulling the age card on me. You’re in better shape than I am and will probably outlive me when I die of natural causes.”

“Enough talk about dying.” Patrick O’Hara straightened to his full, intimidating height. “You’ll go with Daniel, or else.”

Shelby laughed out loud. “Granddad, your blustery bull didn’t scare me when I was a child and it surely isn’t scaring me now. But since you feel so strongly, and I have no desire to spend more time in a dark basement, I’ll consider going with Daniel.”

Kate let out a heartfelt sigh. “Thank goodness. I really didn’t want to order him to kidnap you to keep you safe.” Kate smiled.

“It’s okay, I’ll go peacefully.” Shelby turned to Daniel. “And where, pray tell, are we going?”

He smiled. “Maine.”

She nodded. “That’s pretty far. And do you have a specific place in Maine in mind?”

His grin broadened, the idea solidifying and taking root. “I do.”

She waited for him to continue.

His decision made, he stated, “My folks’ house.”

Shelby backed away. “I can’t stay at your parents’ house. I don’t know them. Can’t we hole up in a hotel?”

“That would be too public. If we stay with my family, I’ll have built-in backup. My brothers are police officers in the small town where I’m from. One of them lives with my folks, the other comes by often. No one but the people sitting at this table will know where you are.”

“Maine?” Shelby shivered. “Isn’t it cold up there?”

“Not during the day at this time of year. The nights get chilly. My parents live along the coast in a small fishing town.”

“Sounds perfect,” Kate said. “How soon can you leave?”

Shelby shot a glance at her grandmother. Did she want to get rid of her?

Kate gave her soft smile. “I’d love to keep you here and get to know you better, but as long as you’re threatened, I’d rather have you safe.”

Daniel nodded. “I can be out of here as soon as we can rent a decoy car and get out of town.” He glanced down at Shelby. “Can you be packed in five minutes?”

“I can do better than that,” she said. “I can be ready in three minutes.”

Patrick pulled Shelby into his arms and stroked her hair. “I just got you back and I’m going to lose you again.”

“This time you’ll know where I am, Granddad.” Shelby kissed his cheek. “And Daniel will keep me safe.”

“I know. He’s a good man.” Patrick stepped back and offered Daniel his hand.

Daniel shook it, feeling like a fraud, knowing he’d betrayed this man’s trust by bedding his granddaughter. “I’ll take care of her, sir.” He owed them all his promise to keep her safe. Her life was his responsibility.

“I’ll be back in two shakes.” Shelby hurried toward the stairs.

Daniel’s gaze followed her.

Kate touched his arm. “You can’t let anyone else know where she is.”

“I know that.” He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to Kate. “I don’t want to take anything that could be tracked. Keep this. If I need to reach you, I’ll call from a public phone. For the most part, I’ll keep communication to a minimum.”

Kate took the phone. “Understood.”

“If anything happens, or you suspect you’ve been discovered, bring her back here,” Patrick said. “I don’t like having my girl so far away, especially when she’s in trouble.”

“Yes, sir.” Daniel backed away. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll get my things.”

He took the stairs two at a time and hurried down the hallway, past the room where he and Shelby had made love. Soon, they’d be alone on the road. He prayed he wasn’t making a mistake. What if the men trying to take her found her in Maine? They didn’t have a handy informant to question about her whereabouts. D’Angelis was inconveniently dead.

Daniel jammed his things into a duffel, checked his weapon, ensuring the clip was fully loaded, and knocked on the connecting door.

“Why bother knocking? The lock’s broken,” she called out.

He pushed through the door and entered her room.

She had her duffel bag slung over her shoulder. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Then let’s hit the road.”

She nodded. “Do you think this will work?”

“I hope so.”

Shelby glanced around the room. “I’ve never been so far away from home.”

“My family is pretty welcoming. They’ll do their best to make you feel at home.”

“I worry about my grandfather.”

“He’s on board with this and ready to do anything to keep you safe.”

“I’d feel better if I knew someone was looking out for him.”

“I’ll leave word for someone to keep tabs on him.”

She glanced up with a small smile, her eyes suspiciously moist. “Then I guess there’s nothing else. Let’s get going.”

Daniel’s heart pinched in his chest. He dropped his duffel and held open his arms.

Shelby walked into them. “Why is all this happening to me?”

“You know why.”

“I know. But it doesn’t make sense. I’m nobody.”

“Not to a lot of people, including your grandmother,” he said softly. Crooking his finger, he angled her chin up so that he could stare down into blue eyes awash with tears. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Promise?” she whispered.

He bent to brush a soft kiss across her mouth.

Shelby dropped her duffel, leaned up on her toes and deepened the kiss.

Daniel couldn’t back away and didn’t want to. She was like an addiction he was having a difficult time shaking. He crushed her against him, his fingers threading through her silky brown hair. If he could, he’d hold her like this forever.

He broke the kiss and he stepped back to keep from doing it again. “We need to go.”

“I suppose.”

When she reached for her bag, he got there first. Carrying both bags, he waved her forward.

Shelby descended the stairs first and ran to her grandfather.

He hugged her and kissed her forehead. “Be safe, Shelby. I kinda like having you around.” His eyes glistened.

“I’ll miss you.” She hugged him tight and then stood back.

Kate Winston stepped forward and took Shelby’s hands. “I know we haven’t had a chance to get to know each other yet, but if you’re anything like your grandfather, you’re smart and pretty tough. Between you two—” she nodded toward Daniel “—you’ll be okay.” The older woman leaned forward and kissed Shelby’s cheek. “I look forward to spending more time with you in the near future. If you’ll let me.” Her smile was shaky when she let go of Shelby’s hands.

One of Kate’s cars had been brought around for them to take. Daniel threw their bags in the backseat and held the door for Shelby.

She slipped in and turned to wave as he shut the door.

Once they left the security of the Winston Estate, Daniel zigzagged through neighborhoods and out onto the main road toward the airport. He parked the car at one of the car rental places, grabbed his bag and Shelby’s and walked with her to the neighboring rental lot.

“Why didn’t we rent a car at the last one?” Shelby asked.

“If the car we drove was bugged with GPS, they could then find record of our rental there.”

“Oh.” She waited while Daniel secured a vehicle and then quietly climbed into the four-wheel-drive SUV he’d rented without saying a word.

Once they were on the road headed north, Shelby fell asleep leaning against the window, her dark eyelashes fanned across her cheeks. Daniel had to continually remind himself to keep his focus on what was ahead of him and what might be behind him. But he couldn’t help glancing over at her. She looked like a dark angel sent to Earth to torment him and make him question his dedication to the job.

When they found out who was trying to kidnap her and why, Daniel would ask to be assigned somewhere far, far away from the temptation that was Shelby. A career Secret Service agent didn’t have time for family or relationships.

Then why the hell couldn’t he get her out of his mind?

Shelby didn’t wake until the vehicle slowed. When she opened her eyes, it was to a congested six-lane expressway.

“Where are we?”

“Washington, D.C.”

“That means we only have nine more hours on the road.”

“Roughly.”

“Do you want me to drive so that you can stretch?”

“I’m doing okay for now.”

“Good, because I’m not good driving in traffic, but I could use a bathroom break when you get past all this.”

Once they got past the heaviest of traffic, Daniel pulled into a gas station and topped off the gas tank while Shelby went inside to find a bathroom. The door was locked and there were two women in line to use the facilities.

Shelby roamed the aisles, watching the door to the bathroom, waiting for her turn.

A man in the row with all the snack foods, one over from her, stared, his eyes narrowing so slightly, she wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it.

Shelby moved the opposite direction, glancing back over her shoulder.

The man was still watching her, his brows narrowing.

A cold tingle slithered down her spine. The last woman in line at the bathroom exited and Shelby made a dash for it.

Once inside, she took care of her needs and washed her hands. When she came out of the bathroom, she looked down the hallway toward the front of the store, wondering if Daniel had finished filling the tank.

The shuffle of feet behind her made her jump.

“Good, I was getting worried about you.”

Daniel moved in front of her, his brow furrowed.

Shelby slipped her hand in his. “Sorry. There was a line.”

Daniel curled an arm around her waist and guided her toward the door.

Shelby glanced back at the hallway to the bathrooms. A man turned his back to her and lifted a case of soft drinks. If Shelby wasn’t mistaken, it was the same man who’d been staring at her earlier. He glanced over his shoulder, his gaze following her yet again.

A shiver rippled across her skin. Reasoning with herself, she figured the man worked there stocking shelves, and she was getting too paranoid for her own good.

Shelby didn’t say anything to Daniel, not sure what she’d actually say if she did. She settled back against the leather seat and tried to let it go. For the next hour, she looked behind them every five minutes for someone following their vehicle, a creepy feeling following her.

By the time they reached the outskirts of New York City, Shelby was ready to be there. Daniel hadn’t said much and he hadn’t made a move to touch or reassure her in any way.

“Do you want me to drive the rest of the way?” she asked.

“I’m used to making this trip. Why don’t you find something on the radio?”

She settled on an old Beach Boys song that reminded her of home, her father and the beaches she grew up on. After a minute of that, she was so homesick she switched the radio off.

“Why’d you do that? I like The Beach Boys. They remind me of home.”

“Same here,” she said.

He glanced at her and nodded. “I know you miss your home and grandfather, but you’ll be back soon enough.”

“Are you sure?” She stared out the window, wondering when this nightmare would ever end. When he didn’t respond, she glanced his way. “What if whoever is trying to grab me follows me to Maine? Won’t we be placing your family in danger?”

“No one will know where you are. And if they do happen to find us, the members of my family can take care of themselves.”

“I would hate to bring trouble to your hometown. What if someone is hurt? I’d never forgive myself.”

“As my mother would say, ‘Don’t borrow trouble.’”

Shelby’s mouth twisted into a wry grin. “And as my father would say, ‘Go with your gut.’”

“And what is your gut telling you?”

“There’s a storm rising out to sea, and things will get worse before they get better.”

Daniel pulled into the driveway of the house his parents owned on the beach in Bar Harbor, Maine. The sun had set and the stars and streetlights were shining brightly.

No sooner had he parked the SUV than the front door opened and his mother and father stood framed in the doorway, squinting at the strange car parked in their driveway.

Daniel stepped out of the vehicle and walked around to the front of it. “Mom, Dad, it’s me, Daniel.”

“Daniel!” His mother exclaimed, flying down the steps. “It’s Daniel, James.”

“I can see that.” His father chuckled, following his wife at a more sedate pace.

Daniel smiled. “I hope you don’t mind company on short notice.”

His mother reached him and enveloped him in a warm hug. “Oh, honey, you know you’re always welcome here. This is your home.”

Daniel hugged her back and then pulled back to face her. “Mom, I’m not alone.” He walked back to the car, pulled open the passenger door and held out his hand. “This is Shelby O’Hara.”

Shelby took his hand and let him help her to her feet. She smiled tentatively at his parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, we’re sorry to be arriving so late and without warning.”

Daniel cringed at the way his mother’s face lit up. She’d think he and Shelby were together. Nothing would make his mother happier than to see all her sons settled with wives and a couple of kids she could spoil.

“Oh, honey, we’re delighted to see Daniel. We came down to be with him when he was in the hospital after the shooting, but having him home is so much better.” She turned to her husband. “What’s it been, almost a year since he’s been back to visit?”

Daniel’s father nodded. “Thereabout.”

Daniel’s mother hugged Shelby as though she was a long-lost family member, then turned back to her husband. “Please, call me Lea, and this is James.”

Daniel’s father reached a hand out to Shelby. When she took it, he pulled her into a hug. “Any friend of Daniel’s is welcome.”

Her cheeks blushing pink, Shelby hugged James Henderson. “Thank you.”

“You know we had the extra bedroom converted into an office. Which leaves Daniel’s old bedroom. One of you is welcome to sleep on the couch….” His mother gave them a knowing look. “Unless, of course, you’re…together.”

“Lea,” his dad warned.

“We might be older, but we know what happens between young folk.” She leaned close to Shelby and whispered conspiratorially, “We weren’t married when Daniel was conceived.”

“Now is not the time to confess.” Daniel hugged his mother and father. “Shelby can have my room, I’ll sleep on the couch.” He grabbed their bags out of the backseat to avoid further questioning, but his mother wasn’t quite done.

“But since you two are together, that shouldn’t matter right?”

Daniel enjoyed the way Shelby squirmed. “We’re not…together. We’ve only known each other a couple of days.”

His mother waved a hand. “It only takes a moment to know someone’s the one. I fell in love with Daniel’s father the day I met him.” She took Shelby’s hand. “Come inside. I have some leftover clam chowder I can heat up. Do you like hot tea or the iced tea they love so much in the South?”

“I’d love some hot tea. But I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Be a bother,” Daniel said. “My mother loves to bother.”

“Mothers like to bother.” His mother squeezed her arm. “Don’t they, Shelby?”

Shelby stiffened.

“Mom, Shelby’s mother passed away when she was a little girl.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. How awful to grow up without her.”

“My grandfather raised me.” Shelby glanced at Daniel. “I think he did a good job.”

“I’m sure he did.” Daniel’s mother patted her arm and led her to the kitchen. “Now, you sit down there while I fix that cup of tea.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to find a bathroom.”

“Of course. Let me show you.”

Daniel’s father touched his wife’s arm. “Let Daniel. You and I can fix the tea. Personally, I’d rather have a cup of coffee.”

“You know you shouldn’t drink coffee at night. It keeps you awake.”

“If I want a cup of coffee, I’ll have coffee.”

“Don’t you take that tone with me, James. I have to sleep with you.”

Daniel tipped his head to the side and Shelby preceded him from the room, glancing back over her shoulder.

“Are they mad at each other?” she asked when they were halfway down the hall.

The sound of his parents arguing carried into the hallway. “No. That’s just the way they are. Mom takes care of Dad and he takes care of her.”

Her brow furrowed. “Kind of like me and my grandfather.” She sighed. “Good. I didn’t want to be the cause of a fight.”

“No, you’re not the cause of a fight. They love each other very much. Mom needs someone to need her, and my father lets her fuss over him.”

Daniel opened a door off the hall. “This is my old bedroom.” He entered and dropped her bag on the bed. “The bathroom is right across the hall.” He stepped back out into the hallway. “Make yourself at home, and if you need anything just ask. I’ll be in the kitchen.” He left her standing in the hallway to avoid the temptation of kissing her again. The last thing he needed was to get his mother’s hopes up. Being with Shelby was temporary.

He hurried away. He couldn’t keep Shelby’s situation to himself. His parents had to know what they were up against, should someone find Shelby here.

When he entered the kitchen his mother turned from the stove where a kettle of water had just worked up a steam. “Shelby seems very nice. How did you two meet?”

“Lea, that’s none of our business.”

“I’m his mother. I have every right to pry.” She raised her brows and directed a questioning look toward Daniel.

“I’m on assignment to protect her.”

His mother’s brows dipped. “Protect her from what?”

“She’s already been kidnapped and held captive once, and there have been other attempts made.”

“Oh, dear.” His mother set the kettle on a cool burner and turned. “Why?”

Daniel smiled. “She’s the granddaughter of Kate Winston.”

“The Kate Winston? The former vice president?” his father asked.

Daniel nodded.

“Oh, dear.” His mother pressed her hand to her chest. “Practically a celebrity.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Daniel’s father asked, slipping his arm around his wife’s waist.

“Help me keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”

“Like what?” His mother leaned into his father’s embrace.

“Strange cars driving by on the street, strangers hanging around. If anyone calls to ask for Shelby, you don’t have any idea who she is. Let me know if anything is out of the ordinary.”

“We can do that.”

“And if at any time you feel unsafe or uncomfortable with us being here, let me know. We’ll leave. Shelby and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you two.”

Shelby entered the room at that time. “Seriously, I don’t want to be here if it’s going to put you in danger.”

“Don’t be absurd.” His mother opened the cabinet and retrieved four ceramic cups. “We’re a family of law enforcement officers. James just retired after thirty years as a police officer and police chief. Daniel’s brothers are both on the Bar Harbor police force.”

James nodded. “We’ll look out for you.”

“Thank you,” Shelby said.

Daniel’s chest swelled. He’d known he could count on his family to help him keep Shelby safe. He just hoped and prayed they wouldn’t need the help.