The moment her fingers touched the handle of her office door, all the happy daydreaming abruptly ceased. The smile drifted from her lips. For some odd reason, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Something was wrong, and she hadn’t even opened her office door yet. She gently turned the knob, relieved to realize it was still locked like she had left it the night before. She inspected the doorknob closely, checking to see if it had been jimmied in some way. There was no indication that someone had tried to pry her door open.
That should have eased some of May’s concerns, but it didn’t. Not in the least.
After retrieving her keys from her handbag, she unlocked her door and slowly entered. May took a meticulous look around her office, her gaze scanning over every surface. She could tell nothing had been disturbed, and yet she knew without a doubt someone had been in her office.
May stepped back into the hallway, returning to the receptionist’s desk. “Carol, were you the first one in this morning?” May knew that Carol was usually at the office early to unlock the front door, turn off the alarm, and get the office ready for another day with clients.
Carol smiled and answered, “Yes, Ms. Showers.”
May scanned the open area, not really looking for anything in particular.
“Ms. Showers, is there something wrong?”
“This is going to sound crazy, but was the alarm on when you came in?”
Carol nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I’m usually the first to arrive, unless there’s an early-morning emergency appointment. The look on your face is making me nervous.”
May shook her head. “I’m certain someone was in my office, even though my door was locked.” May watched as Carol became flustered.
“Ms. Showers, I know the rules between you and the other therapists. No one enters another partner’s office without verbal confirmation unless the reason falls under one listed in the agreement contract you all signed when you teamed up. No one has been in your office.” Carol reached for the phone. “Do you want me to call the building security?”
May thought about it for a few moments. She had something better than building security. “No, Carol. Don’t worry about it.”
May didn’t give Carol time to respond. She walked back into her office and closed the door behind her. That’s when she smelled it. It was faint, but she caught a whiff of…it was the lingering scent of expensive male cologne, but it wasn’t one she recognized.
“I knew it!” she mumbled. May hurriedly made her way over to her desk, picked up her phone, and punched in seven digits.
“What’s wrong, May-day?” the Irish-brogue-laced voice answered.
She smiled. They always answered on the first ring. “You always know when something is wrong.” She let out a nervous laugh.
“Sweetheart, it’s eight in the morning. You never call this early unless something is wrong. Now tell me what’s wrong with my favorite therapist.”
May sighed. “Someone has been in my office. Nothing has been disturbed. My door wasn’t pried open. The alarm had been set. But I know someone has been in my office, Orin. I smelled a faint hint of cologne, and no one here wears that scent. I’ve never smelled it before.”
“Shit!”
“What? Care to share with the class?” May was able to hear a muffled conversation, as if Orin was trying to cover the mouthpiece of his phone. She knew he could only be talking to his partner, Trevor. Even after years of knowing and working with the pair, they still treated her like a fragile little sister.
“I knew this case would come back to bite us all in the ass!” Orin said with irritation in his voice.
May was dumbfounded for a moment. She racked her brain, trying to figure out what case he was working on that could be related to their conversation. What could have brought about this reaction?
After a long silent moment, May gasped.
She remembered the disastrous case of Valerie Timmons. The woman had been an acquaintance of hers from college that she counseled from time to time. She wanted to divorce her husband, and he had threatened to kill her if she did. The relationship had been extremely abusive. Valerie had hinted that she knew all of her husband’s secrets. May didn’t know much about Valerie’s husband except the fact that he was into something bordering on illegal.
With the help of others, May had arranged for her to enter protective custody until her husband, Earl, could be found. He had been stalking his wife, threatening to kill her. Eventually, he had made good on the threat. In May’s opinion, he was certifiably insane. Unfortunately, May had the distinct feeling she had just earned Earl’s undivided attention.
“May-day? You still with me?” Orin broke the silence between them.
“I’m here. What’s going on, Orin? You better start telling me something. Someone with great skill managed to break into my office without tripping the alarm, and nothing has been moved.”
An exhausted sigh spread through the line. “Do me a favor, May, stay at work. You will be safe there with all the people around. Let me and Trevor check out a few things on this end.” There was a pause. “What time is your last client?”
May checked her schedule. “Three.”
“Okay, Trevor and I will be waiting for you at the receptionist’s desk. We’ll shadow you back to your place, keeping our eyes peeled for anyone showing a little too much interest in your movements.”
She nodded before she remembered she was on the phone. “Okay. But I wonder why he would wait six months before turning his attentions toward me. What has he been doing all this time?” On second thought, she didn’t want to know the answer. Six months gave him plenty of time to figure out what he was going to do to her. A freakish chill ran through her body.
Another long sigh, along with a few terms in a strong Irish accent, wafted across the line. “May, please, please do what I’ve asked. Let Trevor and I check out a few things. I don’t want you in the middle of this if we can help it.”
Trevor and Orin were two of May’s closest friends. She knew they were always concerned about her safety. She wouldn’t fight the small request to stay indoors, waiting for their arrival. “Okay. I will see you both after I finish up.”
The rest of May’s day would have gone smoothly if she hadn’t been jittery, constantly looking over her shoulder every time she left the confines of her office. She was on edge most of the afternoon, and she wasn’t accustomed to feeling that way. As difficult as it was, she managed to keep her clients unaware of the tension growing inside of her.
After locking up her office, May casually walked to the front, where she knew Trevor and Orin would likely look like a two-man assault team. Their standard selection of color was black, and both were usually armed to the teeth with concealed handguns and knives.
“You look great as always,” Trevor said as he stood. He laughed as he placed his hands on his hips. “Don’t be so surprised.”
May’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Trevor and Orin were both dressed in colors other than black.
There were obvious differences between Trevor and Orin. Trevor was slightly taller, with a slim, muscular build. He had the smoothest brown skin, short, curly black hair, and warm brown eyes. Orin, on the other hand, had a thick, muscular build. He had short, choppy black hair, dark eyes, and creamy ivory skin. Both men smiled as they stared back at her.
“I’m just surprised to see you in something other than cargos and boots.” She hugged each of them. “Thank you guys for coming out here. Did you want to check my office before we left?”
Orin shook his head. “Nope. We trained you, remember? I’m sure you did a thorough check. We did go to the security office, and the cameras had been turned in a different direction so there was nothing for us to see. We did hack into their system, so now we have eyes on you, too.”
May simply nodded. She knew they would have already performed their own inspections. Instead of asking more questions, May walked toward the bank of elevators and pressed the but
ton.
Once they stepped in the elevator, Trevor spoke. “I want you to walk to your car. Keep your eyes open, okay?”
“Got it.” She tightened her grip on her purse and briefcase and held her keys in the other hand.
“We are two rows back. Don’t stop anywhere.”
May didn’t have to look hard at Trevor or Orin to know they had weapons strategically placed on their bodies. She had stopped carrying her small handgun when she started working in the office, but with this new threat rearing its head, she wondered if she needed to rethink that issue.
Chapter 5
May hadn’t noticed that Trevor and Orin had taken separate cars until her home came into view. Of course, the same two men were also her neighbors. Orin had made it back before her and was now standing in the yard with a scowl on his face and his arms folded.
When she pulled into her driveway, she watched as Trevor pulled into the one next to hers.
May let out a harsh sigh as she turned off the engine and stepped out of the vehicle. She knew something must have happened on the short thirty-minute ride back to her home.
After closing the car door, she slowly made her way over to the adjacent driveway. “What’s with the matching glares?”
Trevor walked over and placed his hand gently but firmly on May’s elbow. He guided her next door to the house he shared with Orin. “We need to talk. Now.”
May nodded as she walked. She trusted these two men with her life. When she was younger, it had been part of her job requirement, although being around the both of them, it had come naturally. May had joined the military shortly after graduating high school, only to be immediately tagged for a special team that used new recruits as decoys for special joint-undercover assignments. She had stayed in close contact with the men even after getting her degree and being honorably discharged.
Trevor guided her to a chair in the kitchen. She sat, waiting patiently for whatever it was they had to say. She watched as Orin came to stand beside his partner. Trevor and Orin had been together as a couple for as long as May had known them.
“Are you listening?”
May blinked several times. She had zoned out and apparently missed the conversation that was taking place. “Sorry. What did you say?”
Both men scowled at her. But Orin spoke up first. “Trevor was saying that for some reason, Earl Timmons seems to think you have something he wants. Something that belongs to him.”
May was thoroughly confused and let out a nervous laugh. “He is delusional. I don’t have anything of his. I was his wife’s therapist and nothing more.”
“Here’s the thing,” Trevor sighed as he leaned against the counter. “Tomorrow you will go into the office and cancel all of your appointments. You are taking an emergency vacation.”
May literally jumped out of her seat, startled. “What? Why? I can’t just leave my patients. They need me.”
“I’m sorry we are going to have to do this, but, sweetie, you’re going into protective custody the day after tomorrow. That’s the earliest we can arrange anything.” Trevor raised a hand to stop her from interrupting as Orin moved to stand next to her, hugging her to his side in an attempt to comfort her. “That man has already killed his wife and didn’t think twice about it. We can’t stand by and allow you to be hurt. In two days, you’re headed for the mountains, so pack your stuff, but don’t bring out any bags. We will grab them while you’re at work. You never know who may be watching.”
May was dumbfounded. Her life was about to be uprooted in two days, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Arguing with either man would be useless, and she cared about her safety. She trusted their judgment. May just wished they would tell her what was truly going on. There had to be more to Earl Timmons, lowly accountant and alleged murderer, than they were telling her.
There were so many things she needed to take care of before she left. May knew she shouldn’t complain. But at least she would have both Trevor and Orin protecting her, just like old times.
* * * *
After numerous phone calls to reassure her patients that they would be in safe hands, May had arranged for the other therapists in her office to take on her patients in her absence. May had explained to her coworkers that she had to take an emergency leave and would be gone for a few days or maybe even a few weeks. She was not completely sure how long she would be gone. Neither Trevor nor Orin would tell her.
A thousand thoughts were running through her mind. She could not help but think about Remy and Kane. May should have been focused on her safety, but she couldn’t help but veer back to the two men that made her body tremble with every touch, whisper, and breath. She was so deep in thought that she was only vaguely aware of her surroundings in the parking garage. The footsteps echoing in the parking garage reminded her of a dripping faucet. Tap, tap, tap. She smiled.
The slow shuffle sounded like someone had forgotten where they had parked. The sun was still shining, so she figured they would eventually find what they were looking for. There were only three levels to the structure.
She could sympathize. There had been moments when she’d had stressful sessions with clients, disturbing therapy sessions. Her mind would be so tangled from trying to wrap itself around the events that she would search for her vehicle on the wrong parking level. It had just happened last week. Thankfully, her day was filled with clients with more tolerable issues.
As May weaved her way through the parked cars, she noticed that the sounds of those same footsteps were behind her, coming toward her direction. Maybe they finally realized where they parked.
As May clicked the unlock button on her key chain, she felt a slight breeze just before a pair of meaty hands shoved her into the unopened door of her car. The sudden contact left her too stunned to scream. Whoever it was had caught her by surprise. Luckily, she had held her hands up to cushion the collision.
“You have something that belongs to my boss, Ms. Showers.” The stranger growled as he pressed his body aggressively against May’s back and wrapped his beefy arms around hers, immobilizing her.
“Wh–what are you talking about? I’m a licensed clinical social worker. What could I possibly have that belongs to your boss?” She was frightened. She could feel her body trembling. She knew she should scream, but she couldn’t. Tears instantly sprung into her eyes, but so did her self-defense training spring into her mind. Clearly the stranger was delusional, and she wasn’t about to stick around to find out what the hell was going on.
May took a quick, deep breath, mustering the courage she could feel slowly building inside. With as much force as she could call upon, May moved her head forward as if to lay it against the car window. Before her attacker realized what was about to happen, she quickly swung her head back, coming into contact with his mouth and chin. The move hurt, but it gave her an advantage.
“You bitch!” he cried out.
Yeah, I am a bitch, but it also caused him to step away and reach for his now-bleeding mouth and chin. With the adrenaline racing through her, nothing was going to slow May down. She pressed the panic button on her key chain, setting off the loud, annoying alarm. Next, May did several things simultaneously.
She pulled out her mace with one hand and retrieved her handy-dandy cell phone, all while sliding inside of her car, starting the engine, and lowering her window. The assailant was still crouched up against the car parked next to hers.
“Hey!” She knew it was risky, but she had to do it. And he did just as she had hoped.
The man lowered his hands, stood, and stalked toward her car. With swift, shaky movements, she clicked a picture of him and maced him all at the same time. May peeled out of the parking garage as she made the necessary call.
“What’s wrong?” Trevor asked in a calm, concerned, and assessing tone.
“I was just attacked in the parking garage.” She was anxious, and the adrenaline rush was running the show. Her hands trembled, and her stomach rolled, but it didn’t stop he
r from driving. May hammered on before he could respond. “I’m sending you a picture from my phone. It’s the best I could do while I was macing him.”
“May!” It was definitely a growl. She had heard him like that before but never directed toward her. “Where are you now?”
“I’m almost home. Twenty minutes. Maybe. It depends on the traffic.” She was proud of herself. She’d handled an attacker, subdued him. Just like she had been taught.
“Shit, May, are you okay?”
She could hear the stress, the worry in his voice. No matter the amount of training, it wouldn’t stop Trevor or Orin from worrying about her. She tried her best to reassure him. “I’m okay. A little shaky. Did you get the picture?”
“Yeah. Orin is going to see what he can get from it. We will be waiting for you. Be careful.”
The line went dead. May drove in silence as she made her way through the Denver traffic. She’d had a late session, so the traffic wasn’t as heavy as it would have been earlier. She exited I-25 and made her way quickly down East Sixth Avenue. Within fifteen minutes, she had pulled into her driveway. Instead of going into her home, May crossed the small thatch of grass to meet Orin, who was waiting at the door.
“Hey, May.”
May felt the slight trembling begin to spread throughout her body as she looked up into the dazzling brown eyes that belonged to Orin. He was one of the two people who had trained her extensively in self-defense. As May stood on their porch, she could feel the reality of what had happened begin to kick in.
“Dammit. At least you made it here before the panic set in.” Orin swooped May into his arms and kicked the door closed behind him as he made his way into the family room.
May tried to smile as Orin placed her on the tan-colored sofa. “I remembered everything you both taught me.” Her teeth started clattering, and nausea was beginning to bubble to the surface. May knew those were a few symptoms of shock, and silent tears began to fall.
Alexander, Kortny - Come and Get Me [Whispering Mountain 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 3
