Chapter Fifteen #2
She scrambled upright, wrapping her arms around her middle.
Danny was everything the part of her that craved adventure wanted—and everything the woman who needed control should avoid.
When his job protecting her was over, he’d walk away again. Just like last time.
She dared a look in his direction.
He glanced away.
Tears pricked behind her eyes.
“Thanks for the lesson.”
He’d given her more than one.
She’d loved the boy he’d been in high school—popular, athletic, kind.
Her protector.
And here he was again. A grown man—a dangerous one. Still handsome and athletic.
Still her protector.
But his heart was as out of reach as it had been thirteen years ago, while hers was once more in danger of wanting something she’d never have.
Well, he’d fucked that up.
Danny folded the mats and shoved them into a stack in the corner of Bella’s garage with more force than necessary.
What the hell was he thinking? Losing control on the job went against everything he’d trained for.
Dammit.
Keeping his hands off her was getting harder, because he wasn’t sure he wanted to anymore.
He eyed the door leading back into the house as if it were the open cargo bay of an MC-130 and he hadn’t gotten his parachute rigged up properly.
She named her dog after him.
You didn’t name a dog after someone you’d left firmly in the past.
If he took advantage of her obvious attraction to him, he wouldn’t just be a bastard. He’d be the man who broke her heart twice.
An all-too-familiar weight settled on his shoulders.
If Jaynie were alive, she’d kick his ass for messing with her best friend’s heart.
Oh, he’d deny it. But she’d always seen through his bullshit. Even when he’d smiled and joked, Jaynie had known he was restless. Suffocating under constraints dictated by her illness and their parents’ single-minded devotion to her survival.
There were nights he’d lain awake counting the days until he could leave.
Losing his sister had hurt like hell, especially because a part of him had felt relief when she died, then guilt for feeling it at all.
Bella.
He spotted the elastic on the floor, the one Bella had knocked loose when she’d buried her fingers in his hair, and bent to retrieve it.
She’d been his weakness back then.
His gut twisted.
She was his weakness now.
And his client.
Hell, he didn’t spend time thinking about any of the women he’d been with, not even Consuela, the smoke show he’d named his damned car after. Like he’d told Bella, that had been a no-strings, good-times relationship.
Easy.
What he felt for Bella? He didn’t know what to name it, but it sure as hell wasn’t easy.
Stepping inside, he automatically scanned the room.
Trip sprang up from where he’d been snoozing.
“Hey, buddy.” Danny gave the dog a quick pat. “Where’s your mama?”
“Here.” Bella rounded the corner, laundry basket in hand, eyes wary.
He straightened.
Donned his professional mask.
“I have some work to do. Any plans for this evening?”
“That you need to know about?”
His jaw tightened at the defiance in her tone.
Did she really need him to explain the threat? “You aren’t going anywhere without me. Not right now.”
She held his stare for a few seconds, then gave in with a slump of her shoulders.
“No plans. Talia and I talked about trying out the new wine bar in Ballantyne, but she had to go out of town on a work trip.”
He gave a curt nod. “Figure out what you want for dinner, and I’ll go pick it up. Until then, I’ll try to stay out of your way.”
The disappointment that flickered across her face hit harder than it should have.
Bella’s world was shrinking for reasons beyond her control. He’d offer to take her to that wine bar, but it would feel like a date.
After this morning, he didn’t trust himself to honor any boundaries he had set.
Instead, he did the only thing he could manage without fucking things up even more—he retreated to his room and called Nathan.
“How are the background checks on the gala guest list coming along?”
“Ryan’s almost finished with them,” Nathan told him. “Politicians and their spouses, and corporate leaders looking to leverage their influence. No one raising concern.”
“Anything on the note?”
“No prints or DNA. Nothing traceable. Anything else come up?”
“Nothing concrete. But it doesn’t feel random. Someone’s targeting Bella.”
The incident with Trip getting out still bothered him, and the note on her car had him waiting for the next escalation in an unknown game with a hidden opponent. Even the timing of the newspaper article had him suspicious.
He’d be having a conversation with Olivia Flores on Monday.
“A feeling, huh? Well, listen to it, amigo. You have good instincts. I’m working with Lucas Caldwell at the FBI and using my own resources to monitor the dark web. The Charlotte Times story got national attention, and coming on the heels of Miran Hassan’s death, it stirred up some chatter.”
“Fuck.” Danny paced to the window and peered through the blinds.
One more unknown variable to deal with.
Lowering the slat, he turned away and resumed pacing.
At this rate, he was going to wear a path in the carpet.
“There’s one other thing. Hassan’s son works as a senior cybersecurity analyst for the West Coast operations of Providence Bank, headquartered in Charlotte.
That in itself isn’t unusual. Charlotte’s the second-largest banking center in the US behind New York.
I checked him out. Clean record. Not politically active. ”
“And yet, you’re bringing him up. I know there’s a reason.”
“Dude’s got the skills to get into databases he shouldn’t be in. Pull information on people—their home addresses, motor vehicle records.” Nathan paused. “Possibly fuck with their home security if it’s connected to the internet.”
The space between Danny’s ribs contracted. “Where is he?”
“That’s what has my Spidey senses tingling. I did a little extracurricular online snooping. He hasn’t logged into his work systems since his father died. Nor has he swiped his badge to enter his workplace.”
“What’s unusual about that? Maybe he went to LA to bury his father?”
“Thought about that, too, but it’s hard to travel and not leave a trail. There are no hits on his credit card, no ATM withdrawals from his checking account, and I haven’t been able to track his phone.”
“Sounds like he’s dead.”
“I think he’s off the grid. The question is, why?” Nathan said. “Ryder has Caleb and Tavari on another assignment right now. They’ll be in Charlotte in three days to help with gala security. If you want, I can see if Ryder can get them there tomorrow.”
Danny looked toward the closed bedroom door.
Maybe he should step back as Bella’s protection. Let Caleb and Tavari take over.
A smarter man would.
But Bella knew him.
Trusted him.
And he knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t accept a formal protection detail—her father had already tried.
“No. I’ve got it under control.” Danny ended the call.
Too many variables for someone with enough intelligence and motivation to exploit.
And he’d learned the hard way that careful enemies were the most dangerous kind.