Object of His Protection

by Brenda Jackson

  And then there was the way she had felt in his arms, the way her body had automatically adjusted against his, raising his desire to a level it hadn’t been at in a while. Because of his workload, he hadn’t had time to spend with a woman, and last night Charlene had reminded him just how long it had been. A year, he had determined, was too long to go without female companionship, namely a good, hard roll in the hay.

  He decided to get his mind off Charlene and back on Malcolm. He was still silently standing at his office window, evidently trying to make sense of this entire investigation and probably asking himself who would want his father dead.

  Drey leaned back in his chair thinking that from the time he’d come to know Malcolm he’d always thought of him as a likeable guy. Drey was also aware of the rift that had existed between Malcolm and Harmon for years, namely because Malcolm thought that Harmon had “sold out” to play the political game. That was something Malcolm could not tolerate because of his ingrained sense of right and wrong. The man was extremely smart and in a lot of ways he reminded Drey of Harmon in that Malcolm was headstrong, he liked to debate and was passionate about his beliefs.

  Something else that Malcolm seemed passionate about was the woman he was engaged to marry, Gloria Kingsley. Gloria had been Harmon’s executive assistant. Drey knew that Gloria had been instrumental in getting Malcolm to assume a leadership role in the Braddock family as well as to run for his father’s now-vacant seat in Congress.

  The special election was to be held at the end of the month, and recent polls showed Malcolm was ahead of his opponent, Clint Hardy, who was running a negative campaign. With the election so close at hand, as well as the investigation into his father’s death, Malcolm pretty much had his hands full. No wonder he was standing at the window staring out, and had been that way since Drey had arrived almost ten minutes ago.

  However, no matter the outcome of the election or the investigation, the one thing Drey knew for certain was that Malcolm would be marrying Gloria next month on Christmas Day.

  As if on cue, Malcolm turned his head and looked at him, meeting his gaze. Drey wondered if there was anything—his facial bone structure, his strong chin or full cheekbones that would give his secret away and make it obvious to Malcolm that they shared the same blood. Drey knew there was not. Other than his skin coloring and full lips, most of his features were Asian.

  “So, you think this key that was taken out of Dennis is connected to Dad’s death?” Malcolm asked, coming to sit back down at his desk.

  “I would have to say yes since not too many people make a habit of going around swallowing keys.”

  Malcolm nodded, then leaned back in his chair and made a steeple with his fingers. “I was standing over there trying to recall just when Dennis started working for Dad and if in the past I’ve ever had a reason to question his loyalty. But then it’s not like Dad and I were close over the last few years for me to get to know any of his associates or employees.” A smile touched his lips when he added, “Other than Gloria. She used to be quite a sticky thorn in my side.”

  Drey raised a brow. “How so?”

  “As his executive assistant, she thought my old man walked on water, refused to see his faults like I did. And she resented me for walking away from my father and my family.”

  “Why did you?”

  If Malcolm thought the question odd coming from a person who had no connection to the family, who was merely someone that he and his siblings had hired to investigate their father’s death, he gave no indication of it. Instead he said, “Despite my privileged upbringing, I’ve always been drawn to those in need and always wanted to help those less fortunate. A few years ago a bill came across my father’s desk that would have helped a lot of needy families—a bill that my dad himself had once championed. I couldn’t take any more of him not practicing what he preached.”

  “So you walked away from the family.”

  “Yes. Although I kept in touch with my mother and siblings, I couldn’t find it in my heart to forgive Dad for what he did by turning his back on so many who needed him to make a difference. I loved him, but I just couldn’t accept the political behavior my father was practicing. In my eyes he was becoming involved in the dirty side of politics and I couldn’t turn my head and pretend he wasn’t.”

  “What about Tyson and Shondra? Did they break their relationship with your father as well?” Drey asked, thinking that the Harmon Braddock whom Malcolm had just described was not the one he had known.

  “Not as clean as I did. And unable to deal with the tension between me and Dad, they threw themselves into their careers.”

  Drey nodded. “So you and the congressman were not on good terms when he died?”

  Malcolm held his gaze. “No, and if your next question is going to ask me if I had anything to do with the accident—”

  “No, I wasn’t going to ask you that, Malcolm. That hadn’t crossed my mind. I was at the funeral, remember? I saw how badly you took the congressman’s death. The two of you may have had your differences, but you loved your father.”

  Malcolm didn’t say anything for a moment, and then, “Yes, I did.”

  Before Drey could say anything else, his cell phone rang and he stood to retrieve it from his pocket and flipped it open. “Excuse me,” he said to Malcolm before glancing down at his phone. He was surprised to see his caller was Charlene. He hadn’t expected to hear from her until later that day. “This is Drey. What do you have for me?”

  “Trouble. Can we meet somewhere and talk?”

  Chapter 4

  Drey walked into the coffee shop and glanced around, then sighed with relief when he saw Charlene. She had refused to go into any details over the phone, but he had heard the nervousness in her voice.

  As he headed toward her table in the back of the restaurant, he knew she hadn’t seen him yet, which gave him the chance to study her. Looking every bit of eighteen instead of twenty-seven, she wore dark brown slacks and a beige cotton blouse. He was still finding it odd seeing her without her lab coat, although he was enjoying doing so.

  His face went back to hers and he saw she was wearing very little makeup. She didn’t need any either. Something nagged inside him, reminding him of their kiss and causing sensations to flow through him. He frowned. Now was not the time to remember how she had felt in his arms or how she had tasted in his mouth. He was in the throes of an investigation that seemed to be getting more complicated by the second and the last thing he needed was thoughts of getting Charlene Anderson in his bed.

  He wasn’t surprised that he wanted to take her to bed. After all, he was a hot-blooded male who enjoyed sex as much as the next guy. Unlike most guys, though, he wasn’t getting any on a regular basis and seeing Charlene was reminding him of that fact.

  As if she sensed his presence, she tilted her head in his direction and their gazes met. While lust was probably glinting in his eyes, he saw something altogether different in hers. There was anxiousness there, a tenseness that immediately pushed any thoughts of sex from his mind…for the time being. Instead he couldn’t help but wonder what had her so worried.

  “Charlie?” he said, sliding into the seat beside her. And he knew whatever was bothering her was massive because for the first time she didn’t glare at him for the use of his play name for her. “What’s wrong? What kind of trouble were you alluding to earlier?”

  She took a sip of her coffee before putting her cup down and giving him her complete attention, turning those intense, beautiful eyes on him. “Nate caught me going through Dennis’s file.” She paused a second before asking, “Are you aware what Nate stated in the report he released to the police earlier today?”

  When he couldn’t stop drowning in the allure of her eyes quickly enough to respond, she said, “It said Joe Dennis’s death was the result of a heart attack.”

  That got his absolute attention. “What!”

  “You heard me,” she said tersely.

  He frowned. “Why would he
lie about such a thing?”

  She shook her head. “I have no idea. I saw Joe Dennis’s body, Drey. I saw the bruises and I saw the key. Now the key is nowhere to be found.”

  Drey didn’t say anything but it was clear from what Charlene was saying that a cover-up of some sort was going on. Why had Charlene’s boss lied about the cause of Joe Dennis’s death?

  Drey looked at Charlene. He saw the nervous way she lifted her cup to her lips to take a sip of her coffee. There was more. He felt it. “What did he say when you questioned him about it?” he asked. There was no need to ask if she had questioned him because he knew that she had. It would go against her grain not to do so.

  She met his gaze again. “He denied it. He said I’d made a mistake about what I thought was the reason Dennis died. Then he suggested that I take time off to clear my head. Three weeks. And he went on to suggest that I leave town.”

  She paused for a moment and then added, “Something is going on, Drey, something that I don’t like. Nate was acting strange. Creepy. It’s like he was warning me off, making veiled threats, alluding that disappearing for a while would be in my best interest. I think we should go to the police.”

  “No,” he said, squashing that idea quickly. “You’re right, something is going on, but I don’t think going to the police is the answer, especially when they are the ones backing up a faulty report. It can’t help but make you wonder if perhaps they are somehow involved.”

  He saw the way Charlene was looking at him and knew he had gotten her to thinking the way he was doing now. Until they uncovered more information they were on their own. Then another thought entered his mind regarding the veiled threats her boss had made. If there had been foul play in Joe Dennis’s death, more than likely that meant Congressman Braddock’s death was no accident either. And if someone was out for more blood as a way to keep things quiet, Charlene could very well get caught in the crossfire and he refused to let that happen.

  “Are you planning to take your boss up on his offer and leave town?” he asked, taking a sip of the ice-cold water a waitress had placed in front of him.

  “No.”

  He hadn’t thought so. “Disappearing for a while might not be such a bad idea, Charlene.”

  He watched as a frown formed around her lips. They were lips he had tasted last night and would love sampling again today. “What good will disappearing do?” she asked.

  He had a quick answer for her. “It might keep you alive. Think about it. Without evidence we don’t have proof of anything and who’s going to take your word over your boss’s? And if there is a cover-up, then whoever is behind it got to your boss somehow, and there’s a possibility the police are somehow connected.”

  She shook her head. “What you’re saying doesn’t make sense. Why would anyone be interested in what happened to Joe Dennis and why go to that extreme with me, Drey? If there’s more to this mystery I would appreciate hearing it.”

  He knew that was fair enough since, thanks to him, she might have unknowingly placed her life in danger. After the waitress came to take his drink order, he said, “Joe Dennis was the personal driver of Congressman Harmon Braddock. As you know, the congressman was killed in an auto accident a few months ago. I was hoping that Dennis could shed some light as to why the congressman was driving his own car that night instead of Dennis and—”

  “Wait! Hold up. Back up,” Charlene said, using her hand to give him a time-out signal. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  “Yes. I have reason to believe the congressman’s death was intentional.”

  Charlene didn’t know what to say. Like everyone else in Houston, she had read about the congressman’s car accident but hadn’t had a reason to think much about it. “And is that what you’re investigating?”

  “Yes. I was hired by his family. When they approached me I was doubtful that I would find anything, but after Joe Dennis died mysteriously I really got suspicious. And now…”

  She nodded and waited until the waitress had placed his beer in front of him before saying, “But it’s hard for me to believe that Nate could be involved. He’s a family man with a wife and children.”

  “Yes, but what if the person behind all this is using blackmail or threats? Nate warned you to disappear and you would be wise to heed his warning.”

  Charlene nibbled on her bottom lip. A part of her knew Drey was probably right, but another part didn’t want to disappear. She wanted to go to work, continue her life as she knew it. Besides, where would she go? She could go visit her mother and her new husband in Florida, but she preferred not to. And her father’s place in Detroit with his wife of three years was a definite no-no since she and Monica could only tolerate each other in small doses.

  “Okay, I’m convinced you might be right about me getting lost for a while,” she finally said. “Especially now that I remember the argument Nate was having with that man.”

  Drey frowned as he glanced over at her. “What argument?”

  She took another sip of her coffee before answering. “A few days ago. In fact it was the same day I discovered the key. Nate thought I had already left for the day, but I was in the autopsy room snooping around. When I came out I heard Nate and another man arguing. They were practically yelling at each other.”

  “Do you know what about?”

  “No. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out. However, at the time I thought it rather strange for Nate to be arguing with anyone since he has a tendency not to get upset about anything. He’s always said it’s not good to get stressed.”

  “Did he act upset with you today when he discovered you going through Dennis’s chart?”

  Charlene sighed deeply as she remembered her and Nate’s conversation. “Not as much upset as he was nervous, like he hated me finding out the truth. He was trying so hard to convince me that I was wrong. It was rather creepy seeing him that way.”

  Drey didn’t say anything as he studied her. Yes, her disappearing for a while was for the best considering everything she had told him. If someone was out for more blood, he didn’t want it to be Charlene’s. The thought of anything happening to her didn’t sit too well with him and he wasn’t about to take any chances.

  He leaned back in his chair. “How long will it take you to pack?”

  She lifted her head from studying the contents of her coffee cup and met his gaze. “Am I supposed to be going somewhere?”

  “Yes.”

  She arched a brow. “Where?”

  “My place. For your safety, I think it’s best for you to move in with me for a while.”

  Chapter 5

  Charlene blinked. “Excuse me?”

  Drey knew she had heard him but figured what he’d said deserved repeating so there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings. “I said I think it would be for the best if you were to move in with me for a while.”

  She frowned, actually glared at him. “Thanks, but no, thanks. I have my own place.”

  He leaned back in his chair and before taking another swig of beer he said, “It’s not safe to disappear there, Charlie.”

  She gave him a disapproving glare. “The name is Charlene and I see no reason I can’t stay put.”

  “I can name several reasons and none of them is pretty. In fact all of them are rather dangerous, to say the least. If Nate has mentioned to anyone that you know anything, they’ll figure it’s best for you to become a casualty.”

  The thought of that happening made her skin crawl. “But why would he do that?”

  “For the same reason he gave you a clear warning, which he really didn’t have to do. Whatever he’s into, he’s in it over his head and trying not to get you involved. Think about it, Charlie. We’re not talking about the cover-up of just anyone’s murder. We’re talking about the cover-up of the murder of a well-known politician, a congressman.” My biological father, he didn’t add as he looked down at his drink.

  His true relationship to Harmon Braddock was still ra
ther new to him and he still had a number of questions he wanted answered. The only person who could do that was his mother. He had tried calling her that morning and hadn’t been able to get a hold of her. He knew she was deliberately avoiding him, trying to evade his questions.

  “Did you know him?”

  Drey glanced back at Charlene when her question invaded his thoughts. “Who?”

  “Congressman Braddock.”

  Drey didn’t say anything at first, tempted to tell her just how well he knew him, but instead said, “Yes, for years he had been my mentor.”

  “Why?”

  He lifted a brow. “Why what?”

  “How did you get a U.S. congressman to be your mentor?”

  Drey sighed. That was a good question, one he hadn’t thought of before. He couldn’t help wondering if anyone else was curious about that same thing. The Braddock siblings perhaps? They had known of his relationship to their father, but none of them had ever asked why and how it had come about.

  A part of him would never forget that day right after his father had died and he’d been walking home from school when suddenly a big black shiny car had pulled up beside him and come to a stop. Suddenly the back passenger door opened and a man stepped out. It was a man whom he had never seen before, but the man knew him because he had called him by name. That was the day Harmon Braddock had become a part of his life. Drey could truly say that although Harmon had never claimed him publicly as his son, he had done enough for him behind the scenes to engrave his presence and existence into Drey’s life. And no matter what, he owed it to the man who was his biological father to bring to justice anyone responsible for his death. Just as he felt he owed it to Charlene to keep her safe.

  “Drey?”

  Drey realized he hadn’t answered Charlene’s question. “He had been a family friend,” he said simply, hoping she didn’t want any more details than that.

  “It must be hard on you to investigate his death, knowing how close the two of you were.”