Colton's Secret Bodyguard

by Jane Godman

  His restlessness must have been apparent because Bree looked up from her task. “Is there a problem?”

  “No.”

  He loved the way her eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled. “Not fooling anyone, Rylan.”

  “I could make myself useful and get us some coffee.” He jerked a thumb in the direction of the door.

  “You can’t use the kitchen because that would mean going past the damaged section of the corridor,” Kasey said. “If you want coffee, you’ll have to go to Arty Sans.”

  Rylan cast a longing look over his shoulder. Going to the coffee shop was exactly what he wanted. But that would mean leaving Bree.

  She appeared to understand his thought process. “I’ll be fine. Papadum is here.”

  Kasey was watching them. From her expression, she clearly thought he might be the one who was obsessed with Bree. It was true, of course. The difference was Rylan’s fixation involved wanting to spend the rest of his life in a normal relationship with her. Unlike the stalker, who wanted to harm her.

  “Five minutes.” He headed for the door. “If you need me, call me. Scream. Set off the fire alarms. Whatever it takes.”

  “Is he always this overprotective?” Kasey’s bemused question followed him.

  When Rylan reached Arty Sans, there were only a few customers at the counter. A quick glance around revealed that Judith was clearing tables.

  “Oh, it’s you.” Her brow cleared as she recognized him. “Where’s your funny looking dog?”

  “I only have a few minutes, but I need to ask you a couple of more questions about Roaring Springs’ local history. Is that okay?”

  She glanced at her watch. “Sure. I’m just about to take my break.”

  They went out into the courtyard and sat at one of the wooden bench tables.

  “You said that a conservation group was formed to preserve the original function of these buildings. Can you remember the name of the group, or who was running it?” Rylan asked.

  Judith shook her head. “It wasn’t very successful. As I told you, the buildings had fallen into disrepair. To be honest, preserving them so that they could continue to serve their original purposes would have been an impossible task. The only future was demolition or giving the area a new focus, which is what happened with the redevelopment.”

  It wasn’t the answer he wanted, but it was what he’d expected. “The online forum you run, does it have old photographs of this area?”

  “Yes.” Judith nodded. “There’s a whole section dedicated to pictures.”

  Rylan took out his cell phone. “What’s the link?”

  She gave him the details as he logged on to the internet. When he found the picture gallery, Rylan almost groaned out loud. There were hundreds of old photographs. They were split into sections. Some showed the area in its industrial heyday, others documented its decline, and recent pictures highlighted its change into a thriving new hub.

  He glanced at his watch, conscious of the time he’d already spent away from Bree. “I’m interested in old pictures of this building.”

  Judith held out her hand for his cell phone. “Because it’s on the outer edge of the area, I don’t think there are many, not of the entire building.” She scrolled quickly through. “There’s this one.”

  She held up the screen. The building in the picture was unmistakably the gallery because of its shape. Part of the roof had fallen in, and plants were poking their leaves through the opening. Unfortunately, it didn’t give Rylan the information he needed. But to be fair, he wasn’t even sure he knew exactly what he was looking for.

  “Any others?” He tried to keep the impatience out of his voice.

  Judith continued scrolling. “Ah. This is a better one. It shows the front entrance of the building when it was a construction company.”

  Rylan took the cell from her. Although the picture was clear, the photographer had only captured half of the sign over the front door. The letters he could see were enough to make his heart beat faster. Was this it? Was he looking at the link to the stalker?

  He enlarged the image and turned it to face Judith. “What was the name of this company?”

  “It was an old well-respected building firm. Now, what was its name?” She frowned at the screen, focusing on the four letters that could be seen in the picture. “S-W-A-N. Oh, I remember. It was Swanson Construction.”

  She gave a little cry of surprise as Rylan snatched his phone back. He was on his feet as he scrolled through until he found the number he wanted. “Trey? I need you at the gallery right now.”

  Chapter 14

  “Do you think Rylan went to Brazil to get the coffee beans?” Kasey joked.

  “Let’s hope the delay is because he is also getting cake.” Bree laughed. She became serious again as a thought occurred to her. “By the way, where do you keep the keys to my apartment?”

  Kasey gave her a long serious look. “Bree, I know there’s something going on. After what happened with the programs and at the show, I know it’s bad. You don’t have to confide in me, if you don’t want to, but I’d never do anything to hurt you.” She pointed to a locked drawer in her desk. “Your keys stay in there. I’m the only person who goes in there. No one has tampered with it.”

  Bree sighed. “I’m sorry. I’ll tell you when it’s all over, I promise.”

  The information that her keys were kept locked away wasn’t as reassuring as Kasey clearly hoped it would be. Instead, it only deepened the mystery. How had the stalker known the keys were there, and how had he gained access to them? Had he gained access to them, or had he found another way into her apartment?

  Both women looked around hopefully as the door opened, but it wasn’t Rylan bearing the longed-for coffee. David paused before he entered. “Am I interrupting you ladies?”

  Bree shook her head. “I think we’re done here?”

  Kasey flipped through the papers in front of her. “Yes. All finished.”

  “Is everything okay?” Bree asked.

  “I wanted to talk to you about the water stains on the corridor wall,” David said. “I found some paint in the basement storage area that looks like a match. I can easily repaint that area.”

  “That’s really kind, but I know how busy you are—”

  David waved aside her protest. “It won’t take me long, but I’ll need you to come down to the basement with me. Just to double check that I’m right and the paint really will be okay.” He glanced at his watch. “We could do that now.”

  Bree hesitated. “I’m waiting for Rylan to get back.”

  The look he gave her was one of mild surprise. “You’ll only be downstairs.”

  That was true, and she could send Rylan a message to let him know where she would be. But she knew what he would say. Until this was over, she should trust no one. His caution was right, of course. But this was David. The gentle-giant security guard had helped her time after time. Carrying her bags, moving her car, running errands... He had always been such a sweet, kind man. She couldn’t imagine him swatting a fly, let alone sending a threatening email.

  Even so, Rylan’s warning stayed with her. And by the way, where was he?

  “How about you come with us?” Bree looked at Kasey, holding her gaze to let her assistant know this was important. “You have an eye for that sort of thing.”

  David snorted. “I thought you were an artist, Bree?”

  “That’s the problem,” she replied airily. “I’m too focused on the fine details. Kasey is better at the bigger picture.”

  If Kasey was surprised to learn that she had become an interior design expert, she didn’t show it. Bree prodded the snoozing Papadum into life, and they headed as a group out through the gallery. The group of school kids paused in their painting to giggle and point at Papadum as he passed.

  Although she glanced towar
d Arty Sans, Bree couldn’t see any sign of Rylan. The coffee shop didn’t look busy and, for the first time, she experienced a nagging doubt. Rylan was totally focused on her safety. If he hadn’t come back to Kasey’s office, there must be a reason. She suspected it wasn’t a good one.

  When they reached the door to the basement, Bree pointed to the digital door lock. “This is new.”

  “After your paintings were damaged, I decided it would be useful,” David said. “I spoke to the sheriff about it, and he thought it would be a good idea.”

  Bree remembered Trey had said something about David wanting to speak with her about a new system. The security guard had a small maintenance budget with which they had agreed he could go ahead and make minor security improvements without requiring Bree’s consent.

  “It’s a great idea.” Kasey nodded her approval. “But I don’t have the code.”

  “No one does yet.” David pressed the numbers on the keypad. “I only finished installing it today. I’m planning to distribute the code later to those members of the gallery staff who need it.”

  David reached inside to switch on the light, and held the door open for Bree and Kasey to go ahead of him. Since Papadum wasn’t happy with the steep steps, Kasey went first while Bree held the dog’s collar. This was starting to feel like a waste of time. Her thoughts were on Rylan. She should have told David to paint the whole corridor white.

  She turned her head at the sudden noise of the door. Why would David need to shut them in down here? He wouldn’t...and everything clicked into place.

  Bree barely had time utter a protest before David was already at the bottom of the stairs with a gun in his hand.

  “What—?” Kasey didn’t have time to finish her question.

  David raised the weapon, with the butt end turned toward Kasey. Bree cried out as he delivered a swift blow under her assistant’s chin. Blood spurted from Kasey’s mouth. She spun around and fell back, banging her head on the bottom step. She lay still on the floor—her body slumped and twisted.

  Bree dropped to her knees at Kasey’s side. She was breathing, but the injury to her jaw was bad. Bree was scared that she might choke on her own blood. Tilting Kasey’s head up and back, she ensured her airways were open.

  “I don’t know what’s going on here, David...” It wasn’t true. She knew. Of course she did. But maybe she could salvage this if she acted dumb. Right now, it was all she had. Fighting to keep the panic out of her voice, she continued. “But Kasey needs medical attention. Urgently.”

  “It was your idea to bring her with us. For once in your privileged Colton life, own what you’ve done.”

  The venom in his voice shook her. It also attracted Papadum’s attention. Growling long and low, the dog moved closer to Bree. In response, David raised his gun.

  “No.” Shaking all over, Bree wrapped her arms around Papadum’s neck. “You’ll have to kill me first.”

  Since he was probably planning to murder her anyway, she wasn’t sure the words would be a deterrent. In that instant, she didn’t care. There was no way she was going to watch him shoot a defenseless dog.

  “Very touching.” She looked up to see David sneering at her with such contempt that she hardly recognized him. “Keep that thing quiet and I’ll let it live. I don’t really want to fire a shot down here and risk anyone hearing. Not unless Rylan finds out where we are and decides to play hero. There’s nothing I’d like more than to put a bullet between your boyfriend’s eyes.”

  “I don’t understand this. You were attacked by the person who is threatening me.”

  “Are you really that stupid? You still don’t get it? There was no attacker. The mystery man who pushed me down? He never existed. You are not the only one with a creative streak.” He barked out a laugh in response to her look of confusion. “It was my way of making sure I wouldn’t be a suspect. I wasn’t sure Rylan would fall for it, but it apparently worked like a charm.”

  Bree shivered, and clutched Papadum tighter. David had said he wasn’t going to shoot her, so what was he planning? She wasn’t sure she wanted to find out.

  “What have I done to make you hate me, David?” She may as well find out what had brought them to this point.

  “I don’t hate you.” He sank into a crouch with his back against the wall. “That’s the problem.”

  “I don’t understand.” She repeated the words. If she said them often enough, maybe she would have a breakthrough and this nightmare would start to make sense.

  He gave a short, harsh laugh. “You stole everything from me. My name, my future, my profession, my dignity...”

  Bree couldn’t process what he was saying. She wasn’t a thief. How had he convinced himself that she’d stolen from him? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “This!” The word was almost a scream. He waved a hand around him. “This building. Three generations of my family. Swansons was the best construction company in Roaring Springs. Then things got tough. Money was tight, debts piled up and I had to lay most of the workforce off. Selling the building, closing the business... It was never meant to be permanent. I was getting the money together to buy this place back again, but you got there first. An art gallery. Can you imagine how that felt?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “You’re a Colton. You don’t care about the little people.” The sneer was back. “Trampling on us when we’re down is what you do best.”

  He was being unfair, but Bree wasn’t going to point that out. When the developer had stepped in and bought the buildings around the Diamond, the city council had been about to sign an order for their demolition. It had represented a last-minute reprieve. She, like the other new business owners in the area, had gotten her building at a good price. But that was because they had breathed new life into a dead part of town.

  When she’d met with the developers about buying the building, Bree had been the only interested purchaser. Which meant that, no matter what he said, David didn’t have the money to buy the place. She suspected he was talking about his hopes rather than the reality. It was sad that his dreams had been crushed, but it hadn’t been her fault.

  What worried her most was the bitter way he spoke about her family. There was no doubt that The Colton Empire had created a split in Roaring Springs. The Lodge and The Chateau appealed to an elite that left other hotels and restaurants in the town green with jealousy. But other businesses had learned how to cash in. The influx of wealthy visitors, particularly during the annual film festival, meant that everyone’s profits soared, and shops with an eclectic flair always did well. Even so, there were always people who delighted in the Coltons’ misfortunes.

  But what she heard in David’s voice went beyond the usual haves-and-have-nots divide. It was hatred. Deep, feral and terrifying. She remembered what Trey had said. His informant had heard a whisper about possible attacks on The Lodge and The Chateau. Could David be behind those as well?

  “I don’t know where this impression of my family has come from—”

  “From someone who knows.” He spat the words out. “But your time’s up. We’re going to stop you. The original plan was to start with you and the gallery. Scare you. Drive you out of town.”

  Bree’s mind was racing. The original emails, the attack on the gallery, they had all been about forcing her to leave. What had changed?

  David’s face twisted in anguish. “But you...” He used the gun to point at her, and she flinched. “You messed it all up. You got inside here.” He pressed his knuckles to his temple. “So I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Couldn’t stop wanting you.”

  Wanting you. Just the way he said the words, his voice thickening, gave the situation a whole new meaning. Bree could hear his internal struggle. Wanting a woman he should hate. A Colton. No wonder the emails were filled with threats of violence. In his head, hurting her would be pre
ferable to liking her.

  She tried to hide the shudder that ran through her. Rylan had been right when he talked about classic stalking behavior. David’s plan to drive her out had changed focus and become an obsession with her personally. Which made it much more dangerous...

  “A Colton. What kind of idiot does that make me?” David was looking down at the floor. He almost seemed to be talking to himself or repeating something he’d been told. “Get back to the plan. Too much invested in this to waste it.”

  He raised his head and looked directly at Bree. “Get rid of the problem.”

  * * *

  Rylan broke into a run as he ended his call to Trey. The sheriff was close by and would be there in minutes. If David was in the Wise Gal building, the lobby was where he was most likely to find him.

  This was the breakthrough they’d been looking for. It was also the reason David had slipped through the net when Rylan’s colleagues were doing background checks. He didn’t have anything to hide. No criminal record, no sinister past, no previous history of obsessive behavior toward women. His only connection to Bree was that she had bought the property that had been in his family for generations. It had been enough to trigger a resentment that had flared into fixation.

  When he discovered David wasn’t in the foyer, Rylan headed back in the direction of Kasey’s office. The most important thing now was to keep Bree safe until Trey could get David behind bars.

  “I don’t have the coffee, but I do have a good reason—” He stopped just inside the door. He was talking to an empty room.

  Okay. There could have been any number of reasons why two women and a dog had left the room. There was no reason to panic. Even so, his imagination went into overdrive, his concentration splintering.

  I left her.

  Alarm became a physical presence, wrapping powerful arms around his chest and pulling him down. Pressure built in his lungs, driving his heart rate up too hard, too fast.

  “Rylan?” Trey’s voice pulled him back from the edge. Like a drowning man breaking through the surface, Rylan pulled in a huge breath of air.