Her Lawman Protector

by Patricia Johns

  It was nothing. She was jumpy for good reason, but she couldn’t let herself slide into complete paranoia, either.

  Her more immediate problem right now was her cousin, because that wasn’t resolved! Tanya had walked out of the store, and neither of them had texted to say anything. Liv didn’t know what Tanya could say to make any of this better. And Liv had nothing to say. She was shocked, heartbroken...and furious.

  Tanya had been her best friend and steadfast ally for the last thirty-two years. And now...what? This wasn’t the kind of betrayal Liv could bounce back from, and her heart felt sodden and filled with tears.

  Another thump. This one was from inside the apartment, and Liv held her breath. She reached to turn off the water but pulled her hand back. No, that would only announce that she had heard. But someone was in her apartment... She sucked in a quick breath, trying to calm her clamoring heart.

  Was it Jack? He hadn’t returned the key yet... Had she dead-bolted the door? She stepped carefully out of the shower into the foggy bathroom and snatched up her bathrobe. It stuck to her skin as she pulled the terry cloth on, and she shivered. She grabbed her phone. Creeping to the door, she slowly turned the handle and eased it open a crack.

  She couldn’t see anything, but she could hear the clatter of glass breaking. She slowly shut the door again and crept to the back of the bathroom, dialing her phone with a trembling finger—

  “911. What’s the nature of your emergency?” a woman’s voice said.

  “Someone’s in my apartment,” Liv whispered. “I need help.”

  “What’s your address, ma’am?”

  “Seven twenty-eight Main Street, Eagle’s Rest. I’m right above Hylton Books. Someone’s in my home! I need help!”

  She was trying to whisper, but her voice was shaking too much to do it very well. The shower was at least masking any sound she might make.

  “The police are on their way, ma’am. I want you stay quiet. Where are you?”

  “In the bathroom—”

  “Good. Stay there and stay hidden. Don’t say anything else, but remain on the line with me. I’m right here, and the police are on their way. You’re going to be okay.”

  Liv crouched down next to the clothes hamper, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her skin was wet and chilled next to the cold bathroom tiles, and she tugged her robe closer around her knees. It felt like ages that she crouched there—her knees starting to ache and her hands trembling with fear or cold, she wasn’t sure which. The steam in the bathroom was starting to dissipate, and she was breathing hard, but she held that phone to her ear, listening to the soft breath of the 911 operator. If Liv died tonight, another sympathetic human being would hear it!

  Outside the door, there was another crash and the thud of boots.

  “Police!” a voice barked. Liv knew that voice, and she crumpled with relief. It was Jack. Something hit the floor with a bang.

  “Stop—police!” A pause. “This is Officer 2962. A suspect is fleeing on foot west through the alley. Requesting backup.”

  “He’s here,” Liv breathed into the phone. “I know that cop. Thank you.”

  She hung up the phone and stood up just as the bathroom door opened and a gun appeared in her face. She slowly raised her hands and met Jack’s drilling gaze. He was dressed in uniform this time—the crisp, dark blue fabric tugging at his muscled biceps. He held the gun in two hands, and his eyes flashed with steely intensity.

  “Hi,” she whispered.

  “Liv... Oh, my God...” Jack lowered his weapon and crossed the tile floor in two quick steps. He pulled her against him and lowered his mouth over hers in a hard, hot kiss. She could feel the side of his gun in the small of her back, and she allowed herself the momentary luxury of sinking into those strong arms.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, pulling back.

  She nodded quickly. “What was that?”

  “I don’t know. They got out the back window—you’ve got a lot of broken glass, but we can take care of that. You sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m shaken, but I’m in one piece...” She paused, pulling her bathrobe together at her neck and eyeing him suspiciously. “How did you get here so fast?”

  “I was patrolling your street when the call went out on the radio,” he said. “And no, I’m not supposed to be patrolling your street, if that’s your next question.”

  “Who was it?” she asked.

  “Female. Five ten. Slim build. Armed.”

  “A woman?” she squinted, her mind spinning back. “I saw a woman on the street that night. You didn’t believe me!”

  “You’re right, I didn’t at first. Though you did convince me.” He kept his voice low. “I’m sorry. I was blinded by our other investigation. But I’m looking into some new leads, and I’m getting somewhere—”

  “All the good that does me!” she snapped. “You think I’m involved!”

  The shower was still pummeling into the tub, but the steam was gone, which meant the hot water had run out. She moved toward the shower to turn off the water, but Jack caught her arm and shook his head. There was a warning in his eyes.

  “Don’t,” he murmured.

  “Why?”

  “Your apartment is bugged. All but the bathroom.”

  Bugged? She stared at him, stricken. Why did this surprise her? She should have thought of it herself! There was a time that she’d have said she had nothing to hide. But that didn’t seem to matter anymore with a police force determined to tie her to her ex-husband’s crimes.

  “Listen to me,” he said softly, leaning closer. “The other cops will be here any second. I’m going to point out bugs, and you’re going to drop them into a cup of water. Don’t say anything, just do it.”

  “Why are you telling me?” she asked suspiciously. He’d lied to her often enough. What did he have to gain from this? She studied him uncertainly, and Jack met her gaze evenly.

  “Because I know you’re innocent, Liv, and I’m going to prove it.”

  * * *

  JACK GRABBED A cup from the bathroom counter and filled it with water. Then he marched out to the living room and moved a vase to point out the tiny device. Liv snatched it up and dropped it into the water. He led her to a picture frame, pulled it back and revealed another tiny microphone taped to the wall behind it. She snatched it off the wall, taking some paint with it, and dropped it into the water. She followed him around the room in silence until all the microphones had been drowned.

  “What makes you so sure I’m innocent in all of this?” Liv asked. “Do you have proof?”

  “Not yet.”

  “But you believe me—” She turned toward him, scanning his face nervously. “You do believe me.”

  “Yeah, I believe you.” He was tempted to leave it at that, except her taut expression hadn’t relaxed. “I dug up a local journalist, and let’s just say I got the confirmation I needed. But there are people who would try to make you look guilty just to have you share the blame.”

  “I was telling the truth... I might have been the only one!” Liv looked down at the bugs, her lips pursed. “You’ve all been listening to me, my conversations. When I talk to myself. When I sneeze!”

  “Yes.” He couldn’t sugarcoat that.

  “What did you hear?” Her voice trembled. In anger? He couldn’t tell. “Never mind. I’m not sure I want to know. Why did you tell me?” she asked, her voice low. “You could have left them there. Is this part of some police plan to gain my trust?”

  So she didn’t believe him yet, either. Could he blame her?

  “No, it’s part of my plan to gain your trust.”

  She raised an eyebrow, her gaze icy. “What does it matter? If you don’t think I did it, then don’t press charges against me.”

  “Because I can’t keep you safe unless you trust me,” he said. And maybe i
t was selfish of him, but when all this was past, he didn’t want Liv remembering him as the lout who’d deceived her.

  “Will you be in trouble?” she asked, looking down into the glass of water filled with little black mics.

  Jack didn’t want to think about his professional future right now. He’d done what he thought was right, and it wasn’t going to be good for his career, but he could still recover if the fates were in his favor.

  “Maybe. But I’ve got evidence that will move this case forward. I’m counting on a little forgiveness and some fast talking.”

  “Like you’ve been doing with me?” That glittering green gaze met his again.

  He shot her a grudging smile. “I had that coming, but, Liv—I’m the only one who’s convinced that you’re innocent right now. And you’ve got bigger problems.” Jack took the cup from her hands and shoved it into the fridge. “We’ll deal with those later.”

  “If my apartment was bugged, why didn’t someone hear the break-in?”

  So the shock was wearing off and she was back to her logical, methodical self, it seemed. He’d need that brain of hers if they were going to crack this case and prove her innocence.

  “That’s what I want to know.”

  The front door opened and two more uniformed officers came inside, McDonald being one of them. They lowered their guns when they saw Jack, and they all exchanged nods. They were on the same team, after all. Even if McDonald was a joke in a uniform.

  “What took so long?” Jack asked bitterly. “We’re fine in here. Who’s chasing down the suspect?”

  “Everyone else,” McDonald retorted.

  Jack crossed the room and lowered his voice. “Who was listening to the surveillance?”

  McDonald glowered at him. “I used the bathroom. Bad timing. What can I say?”

  Jack bit back a retort. “Okay. So...”

  “The chief was clear that you weren’t supposed to be here,” McDonald said. “We’ll take it from here.”

  “No.” Liv’s voice rang out, cutting off their hissed conversation. Jack turned to see Liv standing behind him, her arms crossed. “You can arrest me if you have cause, but I’m not being babysat by any of you.”

  “Ma’am, your home was just burglarized,” McDonald pointed out. “You need our help.”

  Liv looked back toward the kitchen, the floor littered with broken glass, and Jack laughed softly.

  “Liv, I’m not leaving you alone here. This had nothing to do with the police. We planted a few vague notes, and the chief figured he was really upping the ante with the pictures some of the officers took of you around town over a few days. That’s as nasty as we can do. This—” He gestured around them. “That’s someone else. You need protection, and you’ve got it. So you can choose—McDonald or me.”

  McDonald looked surprised, then straightened his shoulders a little. Did he actually expect Liv to trust him? He repressed the urge to roll his eyes.

  “Thank you, Officer McDonald, but you can go,” Liv said with a sigh. “I’ll take Jack. The devil you know and all that.”

  “It’s not your choice, ma’am,” McDonald replied icily.

  “It damn well is!” she snapped. “If you want an officer with me, it’ll be Jack. Otherwise, you can all get out!”

  McDonald and the other officer took their leave. Soon enough everyone would figure out that the bugs were dead, and he’d deal with that then. In the meantime, he had a few things to hammer out with Liv.

  When the door was shut and locked once more, Jack turned toward her. “Did you lock the door?”

  “I must have forgotten the dead bolt.”

  Jack nodded slowly, looking around. “Missing anything?”

  Liv looked around, then shook her head. “Not that I can tell. I don’t really have anything worth stealing!”

  “This was a message,” he concluded, more to himself than to her. “Someone wants you terrified.”

  “Like you did,” she said pertly, and he glanced back toward her.

  “Liv, I’m sorry. That wasn’t personal. I was given an assignment—that’s all. We needed to get in close to you to see if you were involved. And you aren’t.”

  “Except no one else believes that!” she retorted.

  “Well, I do. So you made a good choice in me over McDonald. Now let’s get this place cleaned up and board up that window. I’m sleeping on your couch tonight, for the record.”

  He was in no mood to argue about it, either. She didn’t have to like him. She didn’t even have to trust him 100 percent, but he’d be keeping her alive and in one piece, regardless. He looked over to where Liv stood in that lopsided bathrobe. She clutched the fabric together at her throat, and her eyes had misted with unshed tears.

  “Liv—” He took a step toward her, and that green gaze flickered toward him. She was on the verge of crying, but she wasn’t inviting him in.

  “I’m fine,” she said curtly.

  She wasn’t, and he knew it. But while he could stomp around here and act like the bodyguard he was, he couldn’t pull her into his arms and act like the boyfriend.

  “What are you, anyway?” Liv asked, eyeing him cautiously. “Are you a local cop like you said?”

  “No.” He cleared his throat. “I’m still based in Denver. I’m here investigating some internal issues with the police departments in Denver and the surrounding area.”

  “Internal Affairs?”

  “Not yet. I hope to be one day, though.”

  “So that’s what you want—to arrest fellow officers?”

  “No, I want to arrest dirty officers,” he snapped back. “I want to catch the guys planting evidence on fourteen-year-old kids! That’s what happened to Berto, and he never pulled out of it. There are other kids, fathers, families...people being torn apart because of dirty law enforcement, and it’s my life’s goal to put an end to as much of it as possible. Whoever I am, it was formed by the family I love.”

  She nodded slowly. “So you’re not after my stalker, you’re after Evan.”

  “I’m after whoever’s doing this, Liv. And yes, I suspect your ex-husband is connected. But I’m not one of those cops planting evidence. If he isn’t dirty, I have no beef with him.” Jack sighed. His deeper need for justice wasn’t her problem. “Look, I don’t know what you want to tell your family about all of this, but I’m going to be around for a bit longer.”

  “No need to update them on anything,” she said quietly. “As far as they know, you’re the adoring boyfriend, remember?”

  “Okay. If that’s how you want to do it.”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “I don’t even know if I have a choice,” he admitted. “The chief knows I kissed you, and he’s told me to keep clear of you. I’ll talk to him and see if he can understand why I rushed to the scene when I heard that 911 call. Fingers crossed.”

  “My cousin’s wedding is this weekend,” she said. “I guess that means you’d be coming to that, too.”

  “Let me call my boss. I’d better get that out of the way.”

  The phone call took about fifteen minutes. The chief wasn’t pleased, but he grudgingly admitted that he understood why Jack had disobeyed his orders. And seeing as Jack was the only one Liv trusted right now, the chief agreed to let him stand in. It was a relief, because Jack could have found himself jobless or demoted. When he hung up, he came back into the room where Liv was waiting for him.

  “Looks like I’m in the clear,” he said. There was no way he was letting her out of his sight again until this case was wrapped up.

  “Congratulations,” she said drily.

  “Thanks.”

  “What if I don’t take you as my date?” she asked.

  “After all that? Then I come as your bodyguard with an obvious gun.” He raised one eyebrow. “Your call.”

 
She smiled faintly. “My cousin’s bride would never forgive me for drawing the attention away from her.”

  “So how do you want to do this?”

  “You’ll have to be my adoring boyfriend.” She didn’t sound pleased with that arrangement. “Find an appropriate suit.”

  “Okay. Go get dressed. I’ll start cleaning up.”

  Liv nodded and headed to her bedroom. The door shut softly, leaving Jack alone in the living room. He went to the kitchen and snagged a broom out of the closet. His mind was spinning. Why was Liv the target? What did she know—or what did they think she knew?

  He turned his attention to sweeping up the shards of glass, his senses all on high alert. But whoever had broken in seemed to be long gone. There was a brick on the floor by the fridge—thrown there? Hard to tell. He’d missed it on his first perusal of the kitchen. A note was secured to it with a dirty plastic band. The words were written in pencil—So pretty.

  Jack’s blood chilled. Who was doing this? He could only imagine the kind of person who would lurk after a woman like this. He swallowed hard and pulled his mind back to the case at hand.

  He’d gone against orders when he’d removed their surveillance, but without Liv’s trust, they weren’t going to get anywhere, either. All they’d heard so far were a few personal conversations with family—nothing even remotely linking her to her ex-husband.

  Jack went down to his car to retrieve some plastic to cover the window for the short term. When he came back upstairs he found Liv in the living room dressed in a pair of soft pajama bottoms, slippers and a bulky sweater. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her face was clean of makeup. She looked tired and worn down.

  “So are you willing to tell me what’s going on now?”

  Jack locked the door behind him and headed toward the kitchen with the plastic under his arm.

  “There’s a bit of a development,” he admitted. “But first, do you have tape?”

  She found the tape in a drawer and Jack stretched the plastic over the window. Liv tore off a strip of tape and they got to work blocking out the chilly night air.