A Promise to Protect

by Liz Johnson

  “Greta, will you please clear off the table? And the rest of you can set it.”

  Within seconds Matt stood by her side. “Point me to the plates.”

  Despite the winks and butterflies, it wasn’t so bad having him around. In fact, he made it a little easier to breathe. If anyone came looking for Joy, he’d find more than six feet of SEAL instead.

  But Matt would go back to the hotel tonight. After dinner. After the dishes were washed and put away. After everyone else had gone to bed.

  She’d still be awake.

  Listening. Waiting.

  She stepped into the main entrance and called down the hallway. “Lil, Carmen! Dinner!”

  And then her world exploded in a shower of broken glass.

  SEVEN

  As soon as he heard the crashing sound, Matt flew into action.

  “Stay here. Don’t move,” he ordered his little friends as he ran toward the front of the house.

  Even before he turned the corner into the main entry, the cold December wind whipped at his face. His feet pounded on the wooden floor as he rounded the turn.

  “Ash. Ash, can you hear me?” Ignoring the crunch of glass beneath his knees as he knelt by her head, he searched his pocket for a handkerchief to stop the flow of blood trickling from the cut on her forehead. His pockets were empty, so he grabbed at the hem of his T-shirt sleeve and yanked. Ashley blinked at the same moment his shirt let out a high-pitched rip. He wadded up the cotton and pressed it against her wound.

  “Are you all right?”

  She kept one eye closed but let the other one gaze around the walls and ceiling, finally landing back on Matt’s face. “I think so. My head hurts.”

  “It should. You got hit by a brick.” He picked up the brick next to her head to show her, only then noticing the note taped to its side.

  The words were scrawled in uneven swirls and smudged by some sort of liquid, but the message was loud and clear.

  I want my property back, or you’ll lose one of your precious girls.

  “Goodness! What happened?” Lil’s eyes swam with fear. Her bones creaked as she lowered herself to the floor at Ashley’s side and reached for her blood-smeared cheek. “Honey, I’m here.”

  “Can you hold this to her head for a second?” The woman moved so slowly that Matt nearly picked up her gnarled hand and put it in place. “There. Hold it tight. I’ll be right back.”

  Ashley grabbed the hem of his shirt and tugged twice. “Don’t leave me.” Her breath came in short gasps, matching his own accelerated rate. He wrapped his hand around her wrist, resting two fingers near the base of her palm, automatically checking her pulse.

  “We had a visit from our friend. I’m just going to see if he’s still around.”

  Confusion washed over her face but was quickly replaced by concern. She nodded against Lil’s hand and let go of his shirt. “You’ll be back?”

  “In just a second.”

  Glass crunched as he sailed over it and out the front door, barely giving the broken window next to it a second look.

  As he raced down the sidewalk, the truth punched him in the stomach. Every car on the block belonged to a neighbor. He’d seen the gray sedan, the blue coupe and the red speedster parked in the same spots two nights ago when he’d slept in his truck.

  And just like two nights ago, he’d missed the lunatic.

  But this time Ashley had been hurt, and the threatening note couldn’t be construed as anything else.

  Time to call Chief Donal.

  He dug into his pocket for his cell phone and called the police station.

  After being assured that an officer was on his way, Matt hurried back to Ashley’s side. A small mob had congregated around her, each woman clucking and shushing and pushing her down every time she tried to stand up.

  She looked up into the faces of the hovering women and tenderly pressed a finger to the little cut on her forehead. “I’m fine. Look. Hardly any blood.”

  A hitch in her voice propelled Matt through the crowd. He squeezed his way between the women and children, then he scooped Ashley into his arms. “Let’s find a more comfortable place for her to sit.” The faces surrounding them nodded, wide-eyed and fearful.

  Holding in a sigh, he offered a gentle smile. “Ashley’s going to be fine. The police are on their way here, but we should move into the living room so no one cuts themselves on the glass.”

  Every woman looked at her feet as if just realizing the sharp shards scattered across the floor could be dangerous. They herded the little ones toward the back of the house, Matt following behind.

  Her weight in his arms felt good. There was something about the way she didn’t bother to lift her head off his shoulder or loosen her grip around his neck—even when she said, “I can walk, you know.”

  “I know.” He didn’t set her down.

  “Are you all right?”

  He jerked at her question. “Of course. I didn’t get hit by a brick.”

  “I meant because you didn’t find anyone outside.”

  Oh. That.

  Yes, that was going to bug him for a bit. How had he let the jerk slip through his fingers twice? He just couldn’t dwell on it so long that he missed his next chance.

  “How’d you know I didn’t find him?”

  She pushed hair out of her face by rubbing her cheek against his shoulder and closed her eyes. “You’d still be out there if you had.” Her long lashes fluttered, matching the shivers down his spine, but she didn’t raise her baby blues in his direction. Instead she sighed and snuggled a little farther into his chest, nearly asleep as he bent over the couch to set her down.

  Would she look that peaceful after he kissed her?

  He took a deep breath to push aside the fleeting thought, but it backfired. Her citrus perfume smelled of clean dishes and the orange groves near his house in San Diego. She smelled like home. She would be a good fit in his home.

  Except he had nothing to offer her. A meager senior chief’s salary, a checkered past and a last name that came from a man he’d never met.

  He needed to get it together. No more thoughts of oranges or lingering kisses.

  Just focus on his promise to Tristan.

  Tristan, who was on an op somewhere in the Middle East. Tristan, who had been his best friend for almost ten years. Tristan, who would never approve of Ashley dating a man with his history.

  As he stepped back from the couch, Lil took over the situation. “Carmen, would you see about dinner, please? It’s probably cold by now. Meghan, would you sweep up the glass in the entry? And, Julio, would you go get an ice pack for Miss Ashley’s head?”

  The two women and little boy took off without a word as Lil corralled the others toward the kitchen. “Mr. Waterstone, would you—”

  Red and blue lights flashed through the bay window. “I’ll go speak with the officers.”

  As Matt reached the sidewalk, Chief Donal wrenched himself from behind the steering wheel of the cruiser. “Waterstone, what are you doing here?”

  “We were just about to have dinner when a brick came through the window next to the front door.”

  The older man glared, clearly not missing the fact that his first question hadn’t been answered. “Was anyone injured?”

  “It grazed Ashley’s head and knocked her out, but she came to after just a few seconds and she says she’s fine.”

  “Do I need to call the paramedics?”

  “Why don’t you come inside and see?”

  The chief complied, strolling toward the house. “You see who threw it?”

  “No. But they left another note.”

  “Another?”

  Matt quirked an eyebrow at the older man. “I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that thi
s was the same guy who left the last two notes.”

  The chief wrinkled his bulbous nose and crossed his arms. “We can’t assume anything.”

  “How about we assume that there’s no such thing as a coincidence?”

  With one hand tucked into his armpit and the other scratching one of his chins, Donal nodded. “All right.”

  They walked into the house, Donal leading the way.

  Matt stopped him with a heavy hand on his shoulder just inside the door and pointed to the evidence on the corner table. “I haven’t shown this to Ashley yet. I doubt you’ll be able to get any fingerprints off something so porous, but I just touched the edges here and here.”

  The chief bent over, bobbing his head closer to the red block to make out the mangled words. “You’re right about one thing, son.”

  “What’s that?”

  “There’s no denying she’s in trouble.”

  * * *

  “And you’re sure you didn’t see anything?”

  Ashley rubbed the tender bump on her head, answering the same question for the umpteenth time. “Yes. It was dark outside, and I could only see the reflection of the hallway light in the window. Plus, I wasn’t really trying to see outside.”

  “Where were you looking?”

  She bit her tongue to keep from telling him what a ridiculous question that was and took a deep breath before responding. “Just down the hall. I was calling everyone for dinner, and I was checking to see who was on their way.”

  The room suddenly seemed smaller, the air a little thinner. Matt stood in the doorway, carrying a hammer and a handful of nails.

  She tried to smile at him, but the muscles in her face were frozen.

  “All boarded up. We’ll call the glass guy tomorrow. You okay in here?”

  “Thank you.” She nodded, and the chief stood, taking it as his invitation to leave.

  “We’ll do what we can to get prints off that brick, and I’ll ask Bob to drive the neighborhood tonight, Miss Sawyer. But I can’t make any promises.”

  She swallowed, taking several breaths before speaking. She couldn’t have her voice cracking again. “Have you gotten anything off the other notes I brought in?” Before it had been notes and threats. Now some man had vandalized her property. What if it had been one of the other women hit? Or one of the kids?

  They had to do something.

  Soon.

  He shook his head, and she inhaled against the tightness in her chest. “Please let us know if you find anything.”

  “I will. Try to have a good evening, and be sure to get over to the hospital if your headache gets worse.”

  She nodded as the chief walked out, Matt close behind. They kept their voices low, but she could still make out most of their conversation by the front door.

  “I don’t want to worry her,” the chief said, “but we just don’t have a big enough department to take on her personal protection.”

  Matt growled something that sounded an awful lot like “I’ll handle it.”

  “Just be sure to call in the authorities if you run into any trouble.” Matt cleared his throat, but Donal continued in a firm voice, “I know you’re a man quite capable of handling this situation. But you have no authority here, so don’t get in over your head.”

  Matt must have nodded, because the door opened and closed, the sound echoing in the strangely silent house. All of the kids were in their rooms, playing quietly, probably on threat of punishment from their moms.

  But were they even safe there?

  Her stomach clenched as she waited for Matt to return. He didn’t. Instead he walked past the living room door toward the kitchen.

  Tempted to relax and let him deal with the whole situation, she leaned into the high back of the couch. Her heart squeezed then thumped as she rolled the idea around in her mind. Matt had already stepped in time and again, what was the harm in letting him take charge now?

  Except letting a man be strong for her never seemed to end well.

  Paul had promised to take care of her, had told her it was okay to relax—believing him had turned into the worst mistake of her life.

  She glanced down at her hands, twisted in the edge of the blanket Lil had brought her. The white scar along the base of the first three fingers on her right hand glared up at her, daring her to forget the first time Paul had showed up in a rage.

  She’d waited for him for more than an hour under their tree in the center of the campus quad. She’d called his phone, but he didn’t answer, so she’d gone back to her dorm room. When she’d arrived, he was standing next to her door, arms crossed over his chest and eyes ablaze.

  “Where’ve you been?”

  “I thought we were meeting in the quad.”

  “I was there, and you weren’t.”

  “Of course I was. I was under our tree.” She’d laughed as she unlocked the door and led him inside.

  He hadn’t said anything, and when she’d turned to him after throwing her purse on the double bed, his face had transformed. Once handsome, it had turned evil with his sneer.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I want to know who you’ve been with.”

  She’d put her hands on her hips and laughed in his face. “Right now? I was with the tree, waiting for you.”

  “Do you think this is funny?”

  She’d giggled again, still not realizing just how angry he was. “A little bit. Why are you so mad?”

  “You’re out cheating on me with who knows who, and you’re laughing about it?”

  The tension in the tiny room had suddenly filled every corner. He was serious. Her voice turned soft but firm. “What are you talking about?”

  “I won’t let you mock me.” His hand jerked back and came at her so fast that she’d only had time to raise her own hand in defense. Her right palm had taken the brunt of the keys he held in his own.

  After, he’d knelt before her, holding a towel around her hand and begging her not to go to Student Health Services, where they’d ask a myriad of questions. She hadn’t wanted to agree, but he’d been so sweet—so gentle and apologetic, swearing that he never meant to hurt her and that it would never happen again—that she had given in.

  A sound near the doorway caught her attention. When she looked up, Matt’s figure swam before her. Bending her neck, she rubbed her eyes quickly.

  Matt settled next to her on the edge of the couch, his weight on the old cushion making her lean into him as he removed her melting ice pack and pressed a fresh one into place.

  “How’re you feeling?”

  She blinked several times, afraid that her tears would give her away. She hadn’t cried over Paul in years, and she had a feeling that this time had more to do with threatening notes and mounting stress than memories of that lowlife.

  Matt tried again. “How’s your head?”

  “Better,” she said. It wasn’t exactly a lie—it was better than it had been before. But it still stung. Pain seared from temple to temple, concentrated over her left eye.

  “Good.” He brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “There’s something we need to talk about.”

  “Hmm?”

  He stabbed his hand through his hair. “I’ve never said this to a girl before.” Taking a deep breath, he continued on the exhale. “I think I should move in.”

  No headache in the world could have kept her from jerking her gaze up to meet his as she pulled back. The ice pack landed heavily in her lap, immediately leaking onto her blanket. “That’s not funny, Matt,” she said as she fumbled with the damp towel.

  “I’m not kidding, Ashley.” He used her name the same way she’d said his—making this whole conversation far too personal. But he didn’t stop there as he put a hand on her knee. “There was a note on
the brick.”

  “Another one? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t want to worry anyone else in case they overheard.”

  That was probably a smart thing to do. Or not do. But it didn’t make her any happier. “What did it say?” Matt swallowed, a battle waging on his face. “You can tell me the whole truth. Don’t sugarcoat this for me.”

  “All right. He wants his property back, or he’s going to take one of your girls.”

  Her ears began to ring, and her head felt too heavy for her neck to hold up any longer, so she let it fall against the couch cushion.

  Matt scooped up her hands, swallowing them in his grip. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you or to anyone else here. I promise. I’ll figure out who’s behind this, and I won’t rest until he’s behind bars and can’t bother you anymore.”

  His words were meant to comfort; instead they sent her back to that dorm room almost four years ago, to the promises Paul had made. Promises she’d wanted to believe, even when she knew in her heart of hearts that they weren’t true. She’d been too weak to stand up for herself then.

  She wasn’t now.

  He squeezed her hands with just enough pressure to remind her he still held them, drawing her attention to his gaze. Instead of a sneer, Matt offered brows furrowed in concern. Instead of cold eyes, he gazed at her with a warmth that filled her chest. Instead of clenched fists, his thumb moved in soothing circles on the back of her hand.

  Matt wasn’t Paul.

  He wasn’t out to control her or demand her submission.

  That didn’t mean she could just let him handle this. Not on his own. They’d manage together, or he’d go back to San Diego. She wouldn’t sit back and let a man—even a good man—take over her life.

  Never again.

  She stared at him hard, praying that he could understand the message conveyed by every beat of her heart. “We. We’ll find him. Together.”

  His wink was slow, filled with affirmation. “Then I can stay here?”

  “We’ll have to make sure everyone’s okay with it, first. But if they don’t mind, then...” She took a deep breath, bracing herself for what she was about to say, for the way she was about to make herself vulnerable. “Yes.”