Harlequin Intrigue March 2021--Box Set 1 of 2

by Cindi Myers

  And she did.

  Lucas ordered two coffees from the cart outside the student center, then passed her a cup. The temperatures were falling, and it was a long way back across campus. They skipped holding hands in favor of cradling their steamy cups against their palms as they moved.

  He nudged her with his elbow a few minutes later. “You really think it’s been nice being with me again?”

  She smiled against the rim of her cup, pleased she wasn’t the only one thinking about them as they strolled. “I do. I’m glad I came, and I’m glad you became a detective. I don’t know who else I would’ve trusted with my fear, and I can see now it was important I got help. I suppose it all worked out kind of perfectly.” She hoped the man stalking her could see that, and that he blamed himself. He’d kept her isolated and afraid for a long while, but in the end, he’d brought her full circle. Back to the man she’d started out with, on the campus where they’d fallen in love.

  A car alarm sounded in the distance, and Gwen jumped. She pressed a palm to her chest and laughed. “Sorry.”

  “At least you saved your coffee,” he said, eyeballing the cup in her raised hand. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

  She scanned the world around them. No one paid the alarm any attention, and eventually it stopped. Hopefully, she hadn’t said too much and inadvertently pushed Lucas away.

  He set a hand against the small of her back as they walked, and she wasn’t sure why. Did he miss touching her now that they’d stopped holding hands? Did he want to feel more connected to her? Or did he just want to keep her close, like he’d said when suggesting they hold hands?

  She wouldn’t know unless she asked, and she wasn’t ready to do that.

  They sidestepped a group listening to a speech on global warming, then ducked carefully out of the way as crowd members attempted to snap photos of the speaker.

  Lucas smiled over his shoulder as they passed. “You took more photos while we were dating than anyone I’ve ever known. Did you keep any of them?”

  “A few.” She turned away to hide her blush. She’d only kept a few if that parameter included hundreds.

  His fingers bent and flexed against her back. “Me, too.”

  She dared a look at him. “You did?”

  “All of them,” he said. “I will find this guy,” he added, changing the subject without warning. “The police forces in two towns are looking for him, watching and waiting for him to act out again. It’s only a matter of time before he does, and he will be caught. That’s a promise.”

  Gwen slowed, then stopped. She turned to him on the narrow cobblestone path between seas of green grass and bustling pedestrians. Then she took a step in his direction, and the noisy, windy, bonfire-scented world fell away. “I have never blamed you for what happened to me, Lucas Winchester. Not for a single second. Not then and not now. Do you hear me?”

  He averted his eyes, casting his gaze over her head to scan the world around them.

  “Hey.” She poked a finger against his middle. “Look at me.”

  He glanced back at her before moving his gaze elsewhere.

  She curled her fingers into the material of his jacket and hauled him closer, careful not to spill her coffee or his. “You need to believe what I’m saying to you. I don’t blame you,” she repeated, fiercely. “And you need to stop blaming yourself.”

  His eyes snapped back to hers, mournful and full of regret. Emotion flickered over his face while he fought to maintain the careful blank expression.

  “You said it wasn’t my fault,” she pushed. “Every time I woke up crying, convinced I was attacked because I knew better than to walk alone, even the short distance I was going, you told me it wasn’t my fault. Now I’m telling you,” she said, tugging again on his jacket. “It was never your fault, either.”

  * * *

  LUCAS STARED INTO the most fierce and most loving eyes he’d ever known. “Okay,” he answered softly, hoping he’d mean it one day. He couldn’t imagine not blaming himself for what had happened to her and all she’d been through, but he could barely think of that now.

  Right now, he was captivated. To say he’d missed her would be like saying he’d missed oxygen after being deprived of it for six years. Being with Gwen again was like unearthing the best parts of himself and realizing how much he’d truly missed them. He’d always known she’d taken a piece of him with her when she’d left, but he hadn’t understood how much he’d needed them to feel whole. Standing with her now, in their tiny bubble made for two, her fingers curled into the material of his jacket, her warmth seeping into his long-dormant heart, he took his first real breath in years.

  His free hand rose to carefully cup her narrow jaw.

  Her eyes widened a moment, and he waited for her to step away or release him, but she leaned closer instead. The toes of their shoes already touching, she nuzzled her cheek against his palm.

  Elation exploded inside him, and he ached to be closer still. He craved her kiss. To taste her sweetness, just once. He needed to know the heart-pummeling crush of emotion inside him wasn’t one-sided. That some part of her had missed him, too. But he couldn’t risk overstepping and accidentally pushing her away. Not now, when he still owed her the justice she deserved. He let his forehead fall to meet hers, wishing he knew how to help her heart find its way back to him.

  His phone rang, breaking the spell and sending them each back a step.

  Gwen looked bashfully away, setting her palm against her jaw, where his hand had been.

  “Winchester,” Lucas answered, hoping for good news.

  “Hey, little brother,” Derek said, his tone caught somewhere between mischief and regret.

  Gwen slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, and they returned to walking. “What’s up?”

  “Oh, you know,” he said. “Just swung by campus to check on you. Maybe give you a ride home.”

  Lucas frowned. “Give us a ride home?”

  Gwen turned to look at him.

  And the little lot where they’d left Lucas’s truck came into view.

  “Is that Derek?” Gwen asked, following Lucas’s gaze into the distance.

  Derek leaned against his Mustang, staring at a pile of broken glass, glinting on the pavement. Campus security guards held back a small crowd, and a uniformed officer snapped pictures of Lucas’s truck.

  “What happened?” he asked, towing Gwen forward, then breaking into a jog with her, as they neared the lot.

  Derek greeted them, stuffing his phone back into his pocket and waving an open hand toward the mess, like a game show host.

  Every one of Lucas’s truck tires had been slashed. The side windows broken. And a brief but pointed message had been carved deep into the shiny black paint.

  SHE IS MINE.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Lucas slid into the back seat of Derek’s Mustang and moved to the center, hanging his arms over the edges of the seats in front of him.

  Gwen took the passenger seat and shut the door. “Thanks for the ride, Derek.”

  He grinned, then cast a goofy look at Lucas. “I think your girl likes me.”

  “I’ve always liked you,” she said, fastening her seat belt with a smile. She cast a regretful look through the window as they trundled past the tow truck hooking up his pickup for a trip to the body shop. “Sorry about your truck, Lucas.”

  Lucas grimaced. He was sorry about his truck, too, but more than that, he was infuriated to know he’d been followed again without knowing. Was he really so distracted with Gwen that he couldn’t tell when he was being outright stalked? He was equally frustrated by the fact that there weren’t any security cameras covering the small faculty lot where he’d parked, and that the son of a gun who’d ruined his paint job somehow believed that Gwen belonged to him. Like property. Or a play thing, he thought, recalling his own cat-and-mo
use analogy. “Not your fault,” he told Gwen, a little too late by the look on her face. “We know he’s out there. It could be this beautiful Mustang next for all we know.”

  Derek frowned. “Watch it.” He stroked her dashboard. “She’ll hear you.”

  Gwen turned a bright smile on him. “You talk to your car?”

  “Frequently,” he answered. “I like to keep her happy, and you should, too. Since it sounds as if you’re going to need a driver for a few days. Good thing I showed up when I did.”

  “Why did you show up?” Lucas asked, refusing to entertain the idea of Derek as his driver for a few days. “And how’d you know where we were?” Even if he’d heard somehow that they were on campus, it was a big place. How had he found the truck in a small faculty lot?

  “I track your truck,” Derek said, motoring into traffic outside the campus boundaries. “Your phone, too, but don’t get cranky about it. I track everyone I love. You never know when someone might need help. Like now.” He caught his eye in the rearview and smiled.

  “You track my phone,” Lucas repeated, misplaced anger boiling hotter in his chest. “What is wrong with you?”

  “I care,” Derek said. “I can’t help it. I’m a caring guy.”

  Gwen laughed, and the sound drew both brothers’ attention. She blushed in response. “I think what we want to know,” she said to Derek, “is why you tracked us down. Did something happen? Do you have news?”

  “Yes.” Derek grinned. “I just got back from New Plymouth. I stopped by the design firm where you work and spoke with your coworkers.”

  “You questioned Gwen’s coworkers?” Lucas asked, frustration mounting high and fast. “Should I even ask how you got them to talk to you? Because impersonating an officer is illegal. You know that, right?”

  Derek made a get-serious face in the rearview mirror, then turned back to the road, splitting his attention between traffic and Gwen. “I told them the truth. I’m a friend of Gwen’s from years ago, and I wanted to ask a few questions. Everyone was extremely helpful.”

  “I’ll bet,” Gwen moaned. “I’ve never told them anything about my past. They know my folks live in Florida and I live in town. I don’t date and like to jog. That’s about all I was ever willing to share.”

  “That would explain the intensity of their interest,” he said. “They loved that we were friends from way back. They’re all big fans of yours. I think your boss wants you to marry me,” he admitted. “She’s got a good eye. I’m not a bad catch.”

  Gwen laughed again, and Lucas joined her. Derek wasn’t a bad catch for a woman not looking to catch anyone. Derek was too busy pushing everyone’s boundaries and looking for his next adrenaline rush to settle down, and Lucas couldn’t imagine a point in the future when that might change.

  “Go on,” Lucas urged. “Out with it. I swear you are the worst storyteller.”

  Derek’s lips curved down at the corners, unhappy about being called the worst at anything, no doubt. “I learned that Gwen’s coworker, Marina, stopped by her place to check on her last night. She said it was a last-minute decision. She’d debated all day because everyone knows Gwen’s a private person, but she wanted to let her know the office staff is thinking of her and wants to help if she needs anything at all.”

  “Derek,” Lucas warned, already at the end of his patience. “What happened when she stopped by?”

  “That’s what I came to tell you,” he said, lifting a pointer finger into the air. “She saw a man on the property who said he was upgrading your security system. She thought that was a smart move given your situation, but she didn’t get a name for him or the company.”

  Lucas’s pulse picked up. Gwen’s coworker had seen the stalker. Spoken to him.

  “I didn’t order any upgrades,” Gwen said. “I already have their most comprehensive system.”

  Derek took the next right onto the expressway. “That’s why I came to get you.” He stomped the pedal and launched every horse under the hood into action, catching up with traffic in seconds. “I thought we could all go check it out together.”

  * * *

  GWEN UNLOCKED THE front door, then stopped the wailing alarm. It plucked at her nerves to silence the system before the door was closed and locked behind her, but two giant Winchesters were currently wedged in the doorway, looking for signs of a previous forced entry.

  “No one broke in,” she said, leading them to her office. “My security camera sends alerts when someone opens a door or window.”

  She powered up the desktop computer and accessed her account with the security company. “The cameras also record when anyone comes onto the property. We can watch the feeds from here and finally get a look at this guy. If I’m really lucky, he looks right at a camera, and I can get a good headshot for police and local media. When did Marina say she came by?”

  Derek shared the details, and Gwen brought up the day and time in question. Then they waited to see Marina’s car slide against the curb. “There she is.”

  Lucas shifted over her shoulder, moving in close enough to smell his cologne and feel his warmth. “Did she say the guy was already here when she arrived?” he asked Derek. “I don’t see any other vehicles parked along the street or in the driveway.”

  Gwen gave the scene another look. Lucas was right. There were vehicles parked in other homes’ driveways, but none she didn’t recognize, and definitely no commercial work vehicles. “He must come in a minute.”

  “Hopefully we can get a plate number when he arrives,” Lucas said.

  Derek hummed a little note of discord. “Actually, she said he was already here when she got here.”

  “Yeah, well no one’s there,” Lucas said.

  Marina climbed out of her car, carrying a pair of shopping bags, presumably filled with wine and cake, then headed up the front walkway. She slowed before reaching the door, and looked to the left. “Hello?” she called. “Gwen? Is that you?”

  Lucas pressed a palm to the desk, his body going rigid. “She hears something. Come on,” he whispered. “Come around here and show yourself.”

  Marina turned back to the door and finished her approach. She rang the bell then knocked. Undeterred by the lack of an answer, she repeated the process. When that didn’t work, she skirted around the shrubs at the front window and pressed her face to the glass, using a hand as a shield for a better view.

  “Wow,” Gwen groaned. “She’s really dedicated to this excursion.”

  “She seemed like the determined sort,” Derek said.

  Marina stumbled out of the flower beds a moment later, catching her coat on the bushes. She yanked it free, then marched around the side of the house, chin held high. “Oh, hello,” she said.

  Gwen and the Winchesters stilled, silently willing the man into the frame with their minds.

  Marina returned a moment later, got in her car and drove away.

  Derek straightened with a huff. “That was underwhelming.”

  “Did you at least get a description from her?” Gwen asked, feeling let down, yet again, by something that had seemed so promising.

  “Yeah,” Derek said, dryly. “He was tall. She guessed him at my height, then said he was around six foot two or three.”

  Gwen blinked. “You’re only six foot.”

  “Exactly.”

  Ridiculous. Gwen’s hope deflated completely with that hit. When it came to Gwen’s nonexistent love life, Marina remembered every minute detail, but when asked a simple, general question about a man’s height, she had no idea what she was saying. “Figures.”

  Thinking of Marina and men in Gwen’s life, something Derek said earlier came back to mind. “Did you happen to talk to an architect named Collin?”

  He shook his head. “No. Just the handful of ladies in the front office and your boss.”

  Gwen chewed her lip, hoping Collin was
still safe, and there wasn’t a reason to worry.

  Lucas shoved away from the desk. “We know this guy wasn’t here to upgrade the security system, so let’s figure out why he was here. We can start by making sure there aren’t any signs of forced entry.”

  Derek moved toward the back of the house. “I’ll check the patio doors.”

  Gwen went from window to window, checking locks while the men assessed the doors, then made a sweep of the perimeter. Everything was still locked up tight.

  Unsure where to go next, Gwen made coffee while Lucas called Detective Anderson and brought her up to speed. Derek took a seat at the island and checked his email.

  When Lucas made his way to the kitchen several minutes later, his expression was weary. “That woman hates me.”

  “Yeah,” Gwen agreed, smiling over the rim of her mug.

  Memories of the first time she’d met the female detective came to mind, bringing a new thought with them. She turned to Lucas. “Do you still have the email with the files from the copier?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  Gwen pursed her lips. “I’d like another look at those photos.”

  “What are you thinking?” Derek asked, setting his phone aside to watch her. “You’ve got that look. You used to look just like that before you took all my money in poker.”

  She laughed, surprised and pleased by the memory. “You let me win.”

  “Yeah, that’s what happened.”

  “Here.” Lucas handed her the phone. “What are you looking for?”