behind the wall of shrubs.
It had seemed like a peaceful spot, serene and quiet. Now she scanned the park and all she could see were places where people could hide. The trees and bushes were more than lovely pieces of nature. They were barriers she couldn’t see around. Anyone could be watching. Anyone could be waiting for her.
Then she felt someone’s stare fixed on her, felt malevolence.
Her cell phone trilled as a text came in. She thought about ignoring it, but then decided she needed anything to take her mind off what had just happened. The panic that had plagued much of her childhood seemed right on the edge of her consciousness. If Tom had sent her some crazy anecdote about his job, maybe the normalcy would pull her back from the edge.
The number of the originating text didn’t register as unknown until she’d already pulled it up. Already seen it.
I can get you anytime. Anywhere. He can’t protect you.
A picture accompanied the text. It was a picture of her from the previous night. In her own building. She was folding her favorite T-shirt and smiling at someone off camera. Connor.
He’d been in her building—when she’d been sure she was safe.
Despite the incident the day she’d met Connor, Lara hadn’t completely processed that someone was trying to hurt her. She’d wanted to buy into the cover story that the attack had been random and she’d simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The last few days had been so normal she’d convinced herself the shooting at the bus stop had been a fluke and met her dad in the park because she couldn’t stay cooped up a second longer.
But she couldn’t deny the truth any longer. Someone wanted to kill her.
By burying her head in the sand, she’d put her dad and Kiki in danger. For all she knew, the would-be assassin would shoot either of them to get to her. Or Connor, who was doing his best to hunt the gun-toting killer down right now.
What if the hunter became the hunted?
“Lara?” Kiki’s voice sounded far away.
Her hands started to shake and the world just began to fade in her peripheral vision.
“It’s a panic attack. She’s had them since she was a kid. They used to be so bad, she took medication.” Her father’s hands were on her, lifting Lincoln away.
She heard a man’s low curse and then she felt hands on her face, lifting her chin up.
“Hey, breathe for me, princess.” Suddenly Connor stared down at her, his handsome face seemingly the only real thing in the world. His hands moved, one reaching back to cup her neck and the other wrapping around her waist. “You’re fine. I told you I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you. I’m not going to. You’re fine and you’re here with me. So take a deep breath.”
What if the stranger had killed him? What if he’d died for her? She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling sick.
“Look at me.” He stared down at her. “Look at me and listen to my voice. Nothing else.”
She managed to nod and take a shaky breath. Then she pried her eyes open.
“He’s gone. He’s at least a mile away by now so he can’t hurt you. I’m going to find him, princess. Then he won’t be able to hurt anyone again, but I need you to stay with me.”
Don’t give in to panic.
He leaned forward, lowering his face to her forehead. “If you don’t calm down, I’m going to kiss you. I’ll do it right in front of your dad. I know how to calm you down.” He smoothed her hair back. “I’ll just keep kissing you until you believe me.”
He did know how to calm her down. Now she wasn’t thinking about anything else.
“I’m good. I’ll be okay.” She needed to tell him about the man in the bushes.
“Good.” He raised his head, but his hands stayed on her body.
“I think there were two of them.” She managed to say in gulpy breaths.
Connor turned slightly, looking to the guard to her right. “What is she talking about?”
The other guard was back. “She seemed to think someone was watching her from behind that bush. I did find tracks. They appear to be sneakers of some kind, but I’m not a tracker. They could be new, could be from hours ago. I don’t know. I don’t think anyone was there.”
He started to let her go and she wobbled without his strength. He cursed under his breath and leaned over. Before she knew it, she was in his arms, cradled to his chest. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t bow before your powers of observation. You didn’t even realize that fucking jogger was watching her.”
“I noticed him.”
“But didn’t do anything?” Connor shook his head. “Get your head in the game. This is your job.” He cuddled Lara close then turned to the other guard. “And you were apparently going to stand around and let her have a panic attack. You’re not watching my charge ever again. Senator, I’m sorry for the rudeness but I’m responsible for Lara right now and I won’t let her out of my sight again. If you want to see her, you’ll have to set it up through me.”
“Of course.” Her dad was watching them. “I think she got something on her cell phone. She was looking down at it when she went pale. I thought she was going to pass out.”
“He sent me a text,” she managed to say, forcing herself to calm down. Somehow being in Connor’s arms gave her the peace of mind to control the chaos.
“Kiki, hold it up for me.” Connor didn’t seem eager to let her go.
Kiki did and Lara turned her head away, burying herself in the softness of Connor’s shirt.
He cursed. “I need to get her home. Then I’m going to find where that bastard put it.”
“Put what?” she asked.
“The camera he has in the basement.”
“He was there,” she gasped, feeling the blood leave her head.
“No, princess. He wasn’t. I checked. But I’m thinking he’s got surveillance equipment set up. If that’s the case, I’ll find it and shut it down.”
Somehow knowing that Connor was on the case made her relax. “You can put me down now.”
“Not on your life. You’ll wobble and fall. Then I’ll have to take care of you. Kiki, could you walk Lincoln back to the building?”
She nodded. “And Lara, I’ll stop by the store. I’ll get you everything you need.”
“Thanks,” she murmured to Kiki with a grateful smile.
“Stay safe, baby girl,” her dad said just over Connor’s shoulder.
Lara would have loved to talk to her dad, to assure him that everything was fine, but Connor had made the decision to head for home—and was striding through the park as though he had no intention of stopping.
She noticed a man in a Navy T-shirt, sweats, and sneakers. He was tall and handsome and his lips quirked up as they strode by.
Lara clung to Connor, the panic starting to fade and a certain inevitability taking its place. Life was too short. She was going to give herself to him.
She just hoped it wasn’t too late.
SIX
Connor pushed the button to the elevator with a deep sense of unease. He’d found one of the building’s security cameras in the basement. Someone with great skill had hacked into the feed. Someone likely close to Lara.
He would really like to see what kind of setup Freddy had.
If that little pervert was taking pictures of her, Connor would end his miserable life. If the dude thought he’d seen some bad shit in the Korengal Valley, that was nothing compared to the hell Connor would rain down on him if he was the asshole scaring Lara.
Connor’s gut knotted. He’d been sitting just outside the range of that camera like an idiot, watching her fold laundry, enjoying the fact that his clothes were mingling with hers. All the time someone had been spying on her.
Some fucking bodyguard he was. He’d yelled at the senator’s detail, but the truth was he wouldn’t have known about the man in the park if Dax hadn’t been there. He’d been talking to Roman and trying to figure out how to get Lara in bed instead of doing his fucking job.
After
that, he’d lost his target. He’d wasted precious time because he couldn’t stand to see his fairy princess so vulnerable. He’d stepped in like an idiot storybook hero.
Connor didn’t believe in white knights. They got murdered fast in his world. Their fair damsels had their throats slit, too. If he didn’t get his shit together, Lara was going to find out way too late that there were no fairy-tale endings.
The elevator stopped at the lobby and Connor exited, wondering if he was doing the right thing. Maybe he should just introduce her to Dax. He’d been running that scenario over and over in his head since he realized she’d very likely caught a glimpse of him. Dax had been the “bad guy” in the bushes. Explaining the situation to Lara would have brought her some peace of mind, but he had other considerations.
Dax had a much higher profile. He’d tried to keep out of the press as much as possible after his father’s suicide. Given his military career, the last thing Dax wanted was to be a tabloid stud like Gabe and Mad had been or on the nightly news like Roman and Zack. Still, Dax was a solid part of that world and not an outlier like Connor. Lara was smart and knew her D.C. society. If she connected the dots from Dax Spencer to the fact that Connor had used Zack as a reference, there was no way she’d continue buying his cash-strapped vet routine. She would dig and investigate. Then his cover would be blown.
And she would have to deal with the real Connor Sparks.
Would that really be so bad? The real Lara was stronger than the woman he’d imagined before they’d met. Although Connor sure would like some explanation about her panic attack earlier today. What had set her off? She’d handled some asshole pointing a gun her way with relative calm, but a stranger running away and a text had freaked her out.
Because she’d thought someone was stalking her every move?
Probably so. If Lara could see the threat, she handled it. But if the danger was hidden, the perpetrator lying in wait . . .
That was why the crap at the park had thrown her for a loop. She had real proof that someone was watching her, biding their time. She’d felt violated. She feared the unknown.
He stepped out of her building and into the last of the evening light. He needed to make this quick.
“Hey.” Dax emerged from the alley on the side of the building, wearing sweats, a Navy T-shirt, and his sneakers.
“You’re losing your touch, brother.”
A grimace crossed his face. “I know. She saw me. I’m sorry. She wouldn’t have if I hadn’t been trying to get closer to her because you took off. You should have let me go after the bad guy while you watched your girl.”
“She’s the client. Hell, she’s not even the fucking client. She’s a mark.” He had to start remembering why the hell he was here—and it wasn’t to walk her damn pathetic dog and wallow in domestic bliss. He didn’t need a woman to wash his clothes. That’s what the cleaners were for. He’d lived off takeout food for years. He sure as hell didn’t need a woman who only knew how to cook flipping vegetables.
Dax sighed a little but didn’t push. “Fine. But she’s your mark and she obviously trusts you. She nearly caught me. If she had, all that trust you’ve built would go straight to hell.”
“Fine. Next time I’ll let you handle the stalker. Have you figured out who he is yet? Because that asshole has probably been in her building. He’s hacked into the security feed.”
Connor wanted to believe it was Freddy. Oh, he wanted to prove it was Freddy, but the man he’d chased had been too tall, too supremely athletic and managed to outrun him. Likely if he’d been closer by even a few feet, the fucker wouldn’t have been able to lose himself in a crowd of tourists.
“I got a couple of good shots before he made me. There wasn’t a ton of cover in that part of the park.”
“Which is precisely why those rent-a-cops should have been able to make him.” Connor wished he’d beat the crap out of them.
“I think we lucked out. They wouldn’t have thought to take pictures. They would have immediately scared the stalker off. Here’s the thing that bugs me. You said she got a text, right?” Dax asked.
“Yeah, the bastard sent a message right to her phone. It was a picture of her doing laundry. I think that’s what set her off. I have to figure out why so I can make sure it doesn’t happen again. If she crumbles in the middle of a firefight, she’ll kill us both.”
Connor knew he sounded like a complete dick. He sounded pissed that she’d been so fragile in that moment. The truth was that watching her stammer and strain to breathe had just about killed him. He’d picked her up because he couldn’t watch her shiver a second longer. Once she was in his arms, he’d felt her calm. She’d snuggled against him like a fluffy little bunny who didn’t know she was cuddling a tiger, one who wanted more than anything in the world to eat her alive.
“That’s a problem, Connor. He never touched his phone. He couldn’t have sent her that text.”
“Of course he did. You said he was taking pictures.”
“Yes, with a small, old-school camera. It might have been one of those old disposables. Does that sound like the guy who sent a well-timed text? Like a guy who knows how to hack a building’s security system? He wouldn’t use some piece-of-crap camera. He would use his phone or a tablet or something digital.”
It didn’t make sense. “You never saw him pull out his phone?”
“Not once. Just that crappy camera.”
“He could have had that text scheduled in advance.”
“That’s my point. Would a guy with a low-tech camera like that know how?” Dax shrugged, as if giving up the argument. “Well, Everly has the pictures I took and she’s going to run it through the FBI’s facial recognition software.”
Connor grinned at that. Somehow he’d always thought Gabe would end up with a debutante, not a kickass security professional who could hack into the feds’ website. Still, he would hate their wedding to be interrupted by the bride’s arrest. “Shouldn’t we go through legal channels?”
“Everly says she does it all the time. Besides, if she gets caught, Zack will pardon her. We have to use that get-out-of-jail-free card while we can. We’ve only got another couple of years to get our criminal on.” Dax leaned against the building.
Connor didn’t miss the fact that Dax managed to stay out of the security camera’s range. Sometimes Connor thought Dax should have ditched the Navy and joined the CIA with him. He was a stealthy bastard. He would have been amazing in the field. People always talked to Dax. He would have been a seriously effective asset. Then Connor realized the shadows weren’t the place he wanted his sunny friend to live. Dax might be good at avoiding detection but he’d never had to get his hands bloody, and Connor intended to keep it that way.
“So Everly is going to get in touch with me if she gets a hit?”
Dax nodded. “Actually, I was thinking Everly should get in touch with you before that. Look, you haven’t managed to get anything really useful out of Lara yet.”
“It’s only been a few days. I need more time. It’s not like I can torture the information out of her.” He wanted to—sensually speaking. It would be the most interesting interrogation of his life. He would strip her down, tie her up, and bring her to the edge of orgasm time and time again. He would use his fingers and his mouth, and if she was a very good girl and told him everything he wanted to know, maybe she would get his cock.
It was all bullshit because if he had the chance, he would get his dick in her as quickly as he could. He would shove inside that hot, tight pussy and then maybe he would find some relief for the ache that had began the moment he saw her.
“Hear me out.” Dax’s voice pulled him from that particular fantasy and not a moment too soon. “Deep Throat mentioned Lara to Everly. Don’t you want to know if he mentioned Everly to Lara? There’s a connection here we’re not seeing. I want to know, and so do Gabe and Ev. Let her make contact with your girl. Let’s see if Lara is willing to talk to someone who’s connected to her contact.??
?
It wasn’t a bad plan. He was just surprised he hadn’t thought of it. Again, his brain had fled and his dick wasn’t as smart as it used to be. He needed to distance himself. He needed to come to terms with the fact that sleeping with Lara was a bad idea. She would get clingy. Shit. He wasn’t sure he wouldn’t get clingy.
He had a job to do. To get it done, he needed to sneak Roman and his men into her place. Because Connor was still on leave, he didn’t have all the right equipment. Even if he hadn’t been, the