Wolf

by Lagomarsino, Giulia

  “See, that’s where you’re wrong,” I grinned.

  “ETA three minutes,” Alec told me.

  “My buddy says the police will be here in three minutes, which means you have about two minutes and thirty seconds to overpower me and get away.”

  He tried to kick at me, but he couldn’t get the right angle. I didn’t dare let go of his hand to get ahold of the knife in the other. It was too risky when help was so close. Besides, he had too much to lose and desperation made men do ugly things.

  “You okay?” I asked the woman that was shaking on the ground. She nodded and pulled her legs up in a ball close to her chest. I sighed, upset that another date with Reese had been foiled.

  “Bored?” the man sneered.

  “No, just pissed. I was on a date with a woman and then I had to cut things short to come kick your ass. And the thing is, this isn’t the first time this has happened. I met her at a coffee shop and three guys came in to hold up the place.”

  “Really? A coffee shop?” the guy asked skeptically.

  “I know. That’s what I was thinking. I mean, who does that?”

  “No shit. There’s no money there.”

  “Right, well, let’s not throw stones. You just attacked a woman in a park. You’re no saint.”

  He rolled his eyes. “At least I was going for a better target.”

  “Yeah, targeting women makes you the winner,” I said sarcastically. I heard the sirens in the distance and grinned down at the man. “I’m terribly sorry, but it looks like you’re going to jail. I’m sure you probably had a different plan for tonight, but I’m guessing a guy named Butch is going to end the day with you instead.”

  “Just let me go. I swear I’ll never do anything like this again.”

  “Yeah, I’m gonna say no. I feel like maybe this lady wouldn’t be too happy with me if I just got off and took you at your word.”

  “Screw her. I have money. I can pay you.”

  “I’m pretty well off. I don’t need the money. Besides, I’m kind of already working with the police.” I shook my head, grimacing slightly. “It would look bad and then I would probably be out of a job. I’m gonna have to say no.”

  The police came running up behind me and held the guy down as I climbed off. I was surprised when I looked up to see Reese standing about twenty feet from me. She looked uncomfortable, probably because she didn’t know whether to be happy about what I had done or go with her instincts and run. I grinned at her and held out my arms.

  “See? I’m a good guy.”

  Her eyes widened comically and she pointed behind me. “Gun!”

  I spun around, drawing my gun from the back of my jeans just as the suspect was fighting the police officer for his gun. I didn’t think twice as I fired off three shots, hitting the guy in the chest. He fell to the ground and the police officer was able to secure his gun. The other officer that was checking on the woman started walking toward me.

  “Craig, talk to me,” Alec shouted. “Tell me what the fuck is happening.”

  “Fuck,” I cursed under my breath.

  “What?”

  “I’m about to get my gun taken away.”

  The officer came and thanked me for my quick thinking, but as I suspected, he took my gun from me and now I felt fucking naked. I turned around to talk to Reese, but she was already gone.

  “When did she leave?” I asked Alec.

  “About the time that you told me you got your gun taken away.”

  “Shit. I’m gonna have to do a lot of making up.”

  “I’m guessing there’s no making up after this one.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Reese

  He had been knocking on my door for the last half hour. I considered calling the police, but I didn’t want him to get in trouble again. And I had a feeling that this time he would actually be put in jail. Sean had warned him. Figuring that he wouldn’t go away unless I answered the door and talked to him, I yanked the door open and crossed my arms over my chest.

  “Oh, thank God you answered. I was beginning to think I would need to break down your door.”

  “Why would you need to do that?”

  “Because,” he said slowly, “you could be hurt, or worse.”

  I cocked my head to the side and pursed my lips. “And what would make you think that I was hurt?”

  “Well…you’re here in your house alone.”

  “And that would lead to me being hurt how?”

  “You’re tiny and-”

  “I’m sorry, did you just say that I could get hurt in my own house because I’m small?”

  He backed up a step and shook his head slowly. “No,” he choked out. “I would never…ants are small, but mighty.”

  “Do I look like an ant to you?”

  “You…no, just small and….not at all like an ant. More like a spider,” he stammered. “Small and deadly.”

  “So, now I’m a spider?” He shook his head, not knowing what else to do. “Look, I appreciate that you’re some kind of warrior and you think that I need you to protect me, but I don’t have anyone after me.”

  “Not yet.”

  I sighed heavily, trying to find something that would convince him that I didn’t want to see him again. “I know some women may be into the whole big muscled, savior, God-like man, but that’s not me. I like reliable men. Men that will be there when I need them. Men that will not kill someone in front of me. Twice!”

  “Hey, I only killed that man today because he was trying to take the gun from the officer. Plus, he was trying to rape a woman. That had to win me some points.”

  “I’m not in this for points! I don’t know how else to tell you that I’m not interested.”

  “But…I love you.”

  I stared at him, completely baffled and unable to respond. I had met this man a handful of times, all unwanted, yet he kept coming back for more. And now he was telling me he loved me? How the hell was I supposed to respond to that?

  “This would be when you say that you would love to go out with me and I’ll tell you when I’ll pick you up for our date.”

  I slammed the door in his face. The man was unbelievable.

  “How about tomorrow at lunch? We’ll keep it simple and no pressure,” he shouted through the door.

  I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine. This day was too much and the man on my porch was even worse. I pulled a wine glass down and was just about to pour myself a glass when I heard voices. I stopped and listened intently, trying to figure out who was at my house. My eyes widened when I heard Brook’s voice and I took off for the front door.

  Slipping on the rug, I fell to the floor, smacking my knee into the hardwood, and delaying myself even further. I heard the lock turn and jerked my head up, praying that Brooke wouldn’t be stupid enough to let the crazy stalker into my house. The door swung open and Brooke walked in, smiling flirtatiously at Craig, who was right on her heels. He looked up and his face immediately contorted into worry. He rushed over to me and lifted me up like I weighed nothing, plopping me on my feet. His hands started roaming over my body, touching me in places that no one should touch unless they’re intimately acquainted with another person.

  My face flushed bright red and I swore my panties were filled with a gush of my arousal that he could probably smell since he was down by my vagina. One of his strong hands rested on my hip while the other was brushing over my bruised knee. Shivers raced through me so much that I shoved him away and quickly backed up. My brain seemed to have a seizure or something when he was touching me. Which only confirmed that I needed to stay away from this man. He was no good for me.

  “Reese,” Brooke snapped. Based on the look on her face, she had been trying to get my attention while I was having an internal freakout.

  “What?” I cleared my throat and pushed nothing back from my face. I had short hair. There was nothing to act as a distraction.

  “Craig was asking if you’re alright.” She widene
d her eyes and jerked her head toward him, like I was supposed to fawn all over the man who had been stalking me. I locked my jaw and gave a minute shake of my head, telling her to back off. She jerked her eyes toward Craig and mouthed thank him.

  My nostrils flared and I gave another short shake of my head. Back off, I mouthed. I was all too aware of Craig staring at my body the whole time and it was impossible to not allow my body to react. The man had me all twisted in knots and I didn’t like it. I felt like I was out of control, like he would take charge of me if I allowed it.

  I shoved his hands away and moved even further away. “You need to leave,” I said firmly.

  “But, you’re injured.”

  “I’m not injured. I slipped on the rug, but I’m fine now.”

  “He’s just trying to be nice. That’s no way to treat your guest.”

  I looked at her, completely baffled by what she was doing. “He is not my guest. He just followed you into my house uninvited!”

  “That’s being a little dramatic, don’t you think?”

  I shook my head and left the room. She may be willing to spend time with him, but that didn’t mean I had to. I snatched the bottle of wine, chugging right from the bottle instead of pouring it in the glass. The bottle was snatched from my mouth, spilling wine down my shirt.

  “Don’t be rude,” Brooke glared at me. “Offer your guest some wine.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. I don’t drink unless I’m completely off the clock.”

  “Oh,” I said sadly. “Do you have to get back to work? That’s too bad.”

  “No, actually, I’m done for the day, but I want to keep a clear head when I’m with you. You know, in case something happens.”

  I clenched my teeth tighter, wanting to kick Brooke in the ass for pulling this stunt.

  “Like what?” Brooke asked.

  “Well, for instance, someone could break into the house. There’s no security system in here. If I were going to break in, all I would have to do is pick the lock. And she doesn’t lock her windows. I noticed that as soon as I walked in the door. Of course, if I really wanted to come in undetected, I would just crawl in through that basement window that’s covered with cardboard. I mean, that’s really not a deterrent. And she probably doesn’t lock the door from the garage, so I could easily slip under the garage door when she pulls in, hide in the garage, and then enter the house after she’s gone to bed. She would never even know that she was in danger.”

  I stared at him, completely creeped out, and then grabbed Brook’s hand and dragged her into the other room. “Do you see what you’ve done? You’ve given a psychopath access to my house and now he’s seen all the ways he can come in and murder me!”

  She waved me off, like my concerns were no big deal at all. “He’s in protection services.”

  “He’s shot two people in front of me!”

  “So, you know something about him. He’s a good shot and he’s willing to do anything to protect you.”

  I shook my head slowly. “He’s. A. Psychopath!”

  “Uh, sorry to interrupt, but a psychopath is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, which I show no signs of. Impaired empathy and remorse, but I’m usually pretty empathetic, well, except to criminals. As far as remorse, I show that when necessary. Also, egotistical traits, which I may be guilty of. So, all in all, I would say that I only show maybe one of the traits. I don’t think I could technically be diagnosed as a psychopath.”

  Brooke nudged me as I stood there staring at the sexy, psychopathic man in front of me. And yes, he was a psychopath. I was sure of that. It didn’t matter that I found him attractive or that I was secretly turned on by the way his muscles moved when he fought other men. He was dangerous. Like, way more dangerous than any man I had ever met. Hell, I had never witnessed a fight, but I met this man and suddenly, guns were a regular part of my life. I just couldn’t deal with that. I didn’t know how to relate my sedentary life with his chaotic one. I was a freaking kindergarten teacher.

  “I’m going to start locking the windows and doors. I expect you to be gone by the time I’m done.”

  “That’s good,” he nodded. “In fact, I’ll check your windows with you. You can never be too careful about security.”

  I turned and walked away, locking every single possible entry into my house. I had never been worried about it before, but now that he knew all this stuff and had only walked into my house, I worried that this wouldn’t be the last time I saw him. I finished with the first floor and moved onto the second floor, taking extra time to make sure that all the windows were shut tight. I had this creepy image in my mind of him crawling through my bedroom window.

  When I got downstairs, Craig had his phone out and was typing. I walked to the front door and opened it, waiting for him to turn toward me.

  “So, I made some notes and you really need new windows installed. Not only for heating purposes, but these windows are shit. They’re probably the ones that came with the house.”

  He looked up and walked toward me, but he didn’t walk out the door, so I stepped out onto the porch, hoping he would follow me. He did, but continued to read from his phone.

  “I also looked around the house and checked the basement windows. You know, you should really put up some blinds in the basement. Someone can get a good feel for how to break into your house if they can see into the basement. I took some measurements and can pick some up tomorrow. Also, your driveway shows too much of the house to people on the streets.”

  I turned and headed back into the house as he continued to talk.

  “I measured for fencing. I can have some put up to give you better protection. It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to put in some trees for better coverage.”

  I shut the door and locked it, leaving him standing on the porch, still talking.

  “I’ll swing by tomorrow with the guys and we’ll get started on basic security features.”

  I shut off the lights and headed up the stairs, still hearing him talking on the front porch. Maybe I should have called Sean, but aside from being completely oblivious to my wants, he seemed harmless. Then again, wasn’t that what most people said about serial killers?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Craig

  “I’m confused,” Cap said, rubbing at his jaw. “Is this a paying job?”

  I looked at him in confusion. “Cap, this is for my lady. I need to make sure she’s protected.”

  I saw Cap’s gaze flick to Alec’s. “Right. Um…does she know about this?”

  “Yeah,” I said slowly. “I told her my plans last night.”

  “And she didn’t say no.”

  “If she said no, I wouldn’t be bringing this to you.”

  He shook his head and sighed. “Alright.”

  “You can just bill everything to me. I know this is more than she can afford on her teaching salary.”

  “Why are you installing security at her house if you plan on marrying this woman?” Alec asked, grinning at me like a fool. He knew damn well why I was installing this at her house.

  “Because she’s not quite convinced yet that we’re supposed to be together. It’s going to take a little more finesse, but in the meantime, I need to know that she’s safe. Her property is a thief’s dream come true.”

  “I have a job for you at the end of the week,” Cap informed me. “You’ll need to finish up this job by Thursday.”

  “No problem, Cap.”

  We walked out of the conference room and down the hall to load up with supplies.

  “Alright, I’ve been quiet long enough,” Florrie said, pulling me to a stop. “You can’t just railroad this poor woman into being in a relationship with you. If she doesn’t want to date you, you have to accept that and move on.”

  “Florrie, imagine where you would be right now if Alec had just walked away. Would you be happy knowing that Alec was out there showing some other woman his cannon?”

  “No other woman would be interested in his c
annon,” she retorted.

  “You don’t know that. There could be some lady out there that’s just dying to get her hands on that hard piece of steel. Maybe she wants to feel the power under her fingers as she wraps her hands around the barrel or pulls on that firing shaft and watches his cannonball fly through the air.”

  Alec smirked, but Florrie’s face was bright red. A throat cleared behind me. I turned around to see Rob and Becky, our IT techs, standing behind me with shit-eating grins on their faces.

  “Who’s pulling his firing shaft?” Becky asked.

  Rob adjusted the glasses on his face and cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Uh, Cap wanted me to go with you and help set up the computer interfacing.”

  “Cap never sends you along on these types of jobs,” I said curiously.

  “Uh…” Rob started fumbling over his words, trying to explain why Cap would suddenly send him on a job when he wasn’t needed. “He said, you know…this is a difficult job….with the woman…not totally….um…”

  “Rob,” I snapped. “Spit it out.”

  “He doesn’t trust that you won’t put up cameras in private locations and link them to your house.”

  Becky snickered beside him and I turned a glare on her. “And what are you doing here?”

  “Me?” she said innocently. “I’m just here to watch.”

  “I thought you were leaving us?”

  As expected, she got her back up and crossed her arms defensively over her chest. “I decided to stay on until the end of the month. There are still some things that need to be taken care of.”

  “Then why don’t you go take care of them?”

  She was furious with me, but she didn’t say anything else as she stormed away. Everyone around here was so willing to point out that what I was doing wasn’t quite on the level, but they were all just being judgmental. I knew that Reese and I had a connection and I wasn’t going to stop until I had her. I headed for the elevator, wanting to get everything ready for the morning. I wanted to get to Reese’s house early tomorrow morning.

  “You weren’t actually planning on hooking her cameras up to your house, were you?” Rob asked.