by April Wilson
Shane
A McIntyre Security
Bodyguard Series
Novella Book 2.5
by
April Wilson
Copyright © 2017 April E. Barnswell/
Wilson Publishing
All rights reserved.
Cover Design Copyright © 2017
by April E. Barnswell
Published by
Wilson Publishing
P.O. Box 292913
Dayton, OH 45429
www.aprilwilsonwrites.com
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author. The only exception is brief quotations to be used in book reviews.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. All places and locations are used fictitiously. The names of characters and places are figments of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to real people or real places is purely a coincidence.
Dedications
As always, to my darling daughter, Chloe Elizabeth
And to all my wonderful readers... I heart you all! Thanks for making my dream come true!
Table of Contents
Dedications
A Night in Jail
Earlier That Evening
All Hell Breaks Loose
The Moment of Reckoning
The Authorities
Hauled Off Like a Common Criminal
A Free Man
A New Day
Reconnecting
Unexpected
A Friendly Match
Alone Again
Matchmaking
Thank You!
Books by April Wilson
Stay in Touch!
Acknowledgements
A Night in Jail
Sometimes life grabs you by the balls and squeezes so hard you’re in danger of crying uncle. Tonight was one of those nights. One minute, I’m having dinner with the love of my life, enjoying her company, basking in the warmth of her smile and the soft touch of her delicate hand, and the next, I’m sitting on a concrete slab in a Cook County jail cell. My head is pounding, and I’ve got more than a few bumps and bruises, thanks to Tyler Jamison. But I got in a couple good hits myself tonight. And because of that, I’m sitting here in jail while he goes through the motions of pressing charges against me.
Assaulting an officer. That’s pretty ironic, considering the fact he’s the one who attacked me. Technically, I should be the one pressing charges.
I take stock of my current situation, which at the moment doesn’t look good. I’m in jail, and I’ve got a lump on the back of my head from where Tyler slammed me into the wall in the foyer of Beth’s townhouse. My lip is cut. The knuckles on my right hand are sore and swollen from hitting Tyler back. I guess I shouldn’t have done that, but there’s only so much a man can take before he has to give a little something back.
My only regret is that Beth saw me hit her brother.
Beth.
Damn it!
My main concern right now is how she’s taking all this. I’m not worried about myself. Troy will get me released on bond ASAP. It’s Beth I’m concerned about. She’s got to be worried sick. It was a traumatic night for her to begin with, seeing Howard Kline in the flesh – in the dead flesh – as he lay in a pool of his own blood on her bedroom floor after I put a bullet in his brain. Her big fear all along was that I’d get arrested for shooting Kline. I tried to reassure her there was never any chance of that happening. Jake and I planned this out too well.
I lean my throbbing head against the cold cement wall and close my eyes, trying to slow down the adrenaline that’s still coursing through me. I have to keep reminding myself that Beth’s all right. She’s at home, safe and sound. Cooper’s with her, and probably Lia too. They won’t leave her side until I get home.
Earlier That Evening
The evening starts out innocently enough. After firing that bitch of a manager, Vanessa Markham, Beth decides to take over as manager of Clancy’s Bookshop. I’m glad she made the decision – both to fire Vanessa and to take over as manager herself. She doesn’t think she’s qualified to take over running the store, but she is.
She’ll make a fantastic manager – because she cares. She cares about the employees, about the customers, and about the store itself. That bookstore is her happy place, which is why I bought it for her. Well, for that reason, and because I wanted to impress her. What good is having money if you can’t use it to impress the woman you love?
Troy’s still giving me hell for buying Clancy’s for Beth. But that’s his job – as my attorney, he’s supposed to tell me when I’m being stupid. But I didn’t care then, and I don’t regret the decision now. She loves that place, and I love her – and I wanted to score big points with her. She’d needed a little pick-me-up then, and I damn sure wanted to be the one to give it to her.
It’s late afternoon when I drive over to Clancy’s unannounced and park my car in the VIP spot in front of the building. The first familiar face I see when I walk into the store is Mack Donovan, my hand-picked choice for head of building security. He’s standing just inside the front doors, chatting with a uniformed security guard.
“Hey, Mack,” I say, as we shake hands.
Mack’s name is fitting because the guy’s built like a Mack truck. He’s huge at six-four, a solid wall of muscle. Brown hair, brown eyes, and a strong, square jaw. He’s a fortress. As a former Army Ranger, he’s way overqualified for building security, but since this is where Beth spends most of her days, I won’t take any chances with her safety. I want the best money can buy. And where Beth is concerned, money is no object. And besides, Mack says he’s happy here, so it’s a win-win for us both.
“I wasn’t expecting you today,” Mack says. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“I stopped by to surprise Beth and take her out for a celebratory dinner. She told me she fired Vanessa.”
Mack nods. “Good riddance to that bitch. Did Beth tell you she’s taking over as store manager?”
“She did. Hence the celebration.”
I can’t help noticing that Mack’s gaze keeps darting over to the check-out counter where three terminals are in full swing as cashiers ring out customers. Two of the cashiers are young men whose names I don’t know. The third is Erin O’Connor, one of the assistant managers here and now a friend of Beth’s. Mack seems to have developed a fascination with the checkout counter, but I don’t think it’s the men he’s eyeing – I know for a fact that Mack doesn’t swing that way. That leaves only one other option as the object of his attention.
“Isn’t she a little young for you?” I say.
Mack and I are the same age – thirty-four. Beth is ten years younger than I am, and her brother never misses an opportunity to give me grief over the differences in our ages. Tyler thinks I’m too old for his little sister. I disagree, but that’s another story. But Mack and Erin? God, Erin’s even younger than Beth. Erin’s twenty, maybe twenty-one. She’s a baby still.
Mack tears his gaze away from little Miss O’Connor and eyes me innocently. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
I shake my head at him. “You heard me. She’s too young for you.” God, now I sound like Tyler.
Mack frowns, but he doesn’t say anything. My guess is, he’s been telling himself the exact same thing. I’ve known Mack for a good while now. He’s an honorable guy. “Just be careful, man,” I tell him. “She’s a sweet kid, and she’s Beth’s friend.” The implied message – if you hurt Erin, you’ll have to deal with me.
&nb
sp; I’m pretty sure he got the message loud and clear because he gives me a look of pure disgust. “You think I don’t already know that? All of that?”
I nod. Of course he does. Like I said, he’s an honorable guy. He’ll do the right thing, which is to forget about her.
Mack’s gaze shifts, and I glance over to see Erin approaching us, a beaming smile on her face. Her big blue eyes flit over to Mack and for a moment, she sees nothing but him. Her freckled cheeks are flushed, and she’s fidgeting nervously in her short boots. Dressed as she is, in a navy skirt, a white blouse buttoned up modestly, a pale blue sweater, with a small gold locket on a gold chain around her neck, she looks like she just stepped out of a parochial high school. God, I feel for poor Mack. She’s practically jail bait.
One side of her shoulder-length dark hair is clipped back with a gold barrette. The other side, she pushes back behind her perfect little shell of an ear as she smiles up at Mack.
Finally, she looks at me. “Hi, Shane. I didn’t know you were coming today. Beth will be excited to see you.”
“I thought I’d surprise her with a dinner date. Do you know where she is?”
Erin nods. “Upstairs in her office, probably still freaking out about taking on the job of general manager. Do you want me to run up and get her?”
“Thanks, but no. I’ll go up.”
Erin nods, then glances shyly back at Mack. That porcelain complexion of hers is getting pinker by the minute. The girl can’t hide a damn thing.
“Well, I guess I’d better get back to work,” she says, looking up at Mack, who towers over her.
Mack gives her a cool, friendly smile and nods. “See you later, Erin.”
Once she’s out of earshot, I look at him. “You have your work cut out for you, my friend. I didn’t realize the interest goes both ways.”
Mack sighs heavily as he crosses his muscular arms over his equally muscular chest. “I know she’s too young,” he says, sounding resigned. “And she’s too small for me. But knowing that doesn’t make this any easier. It’s just infatuation. She’ll grow out of it as soon as someone else catches her eye.... someone more appropriate. The boys around here trail after her like smitten puppies. It’s only a matter of time.”
I clap Mack on the shoulder. “Keep telling yourself that, buddy. From where I’m standing, it sure looks like the infatuation goes both ways.”
* * *
I walk up the curved marble staircase to the second floor, then head down the private hallway that leads to the administrative offices. I step into the outer office, where a half dozen employees are busy either working at their desks or unpacking shipments of books. The staff glance up at me cautiously, but don’t say anything.
I head for the inner door that leads to Beth’s office. It’s already open, and I peer inside. Beth is seated at her desk, her nose buried in a thick, black binder. Her bodyguard, Sam Harrison, is seated on the ledge of a window overlooking the street, watching something on his phone.
This tattooed punk with the red man-bun and black shitkicker boots is a former Army Ranger, too, like Mack. A parachute malfunction ended Sam’s military career, and now he works for me. He’s good at what he does. He’s also good for Beth.
Sam’s gaze immediately snaps to the doorway, and I silently signal for him to vacate the room. Beth is so wrapped up in what she’s reading that she doesn’t even notice his departure. For a moment I stand in the doorway and observe Beth as she’s caught up in her work, allowing myself the pleasure of simply gazing at her.
It amazes me that she has no idea how exquisite she is. Her long blond hair falls in soft waves around an oval face with a peaches-and-cream complexion. I can’t see her eyes from this vantage point, but if she looked up, I’d be gazing into a pair of Caribbean blue-green eyes. I swear, I could look at her for hours.
I think back to the first moment I laid eyes on her – right here in this bookstore just five months ago. She was alone, browsing books in the romance section on a Friday evening. I was essentially stalking her – filling in at the last minute for her official covert bodyguard who’d taken ill and ended up in the ER. Seeing her for the first time was like getting hit by lightning. I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime event.
I don’t believe in love at first sight – lust, sure, but not love. And sure, it was lust in the beginning – as soon as I saw her, I wanted her. Badly. But it didn’t take long before she stopped being simply a gorgeous woman, and became Beth. It didn’t take long for me to realize that her heart and her soul were just as beautiful as her face.
And now, she’s mine. Well, for all intents and purposes, she’s mine. I still need to put a ring on her finger and say the vows, but I’m biding my time. It’s too soon for that, and I don’t want to rush her. She’s naturally cautious, and I don’t want to pressure her.
So the diamond engagement ring I spent weeks searching for is safely tucked away in a little velvet box at the back of my sock drawer at home, where it will stay until I think she’s ready for it.
I quietly knock on the door jamb, and the moment she glances up at me, a smile lights her face. My heart rate kicks up at the sight of her smile.
“Can I help you, sir?” she says, her soft voice laced with a mixture of amusement and pleasure.
Just hearing her voice makes me hard, and for a moment I entertain the idea of skipping dinner and taking her straight home to bed. But she’s in a playful mood, and I can play along. “I’d like to see the manager, please.”
“Oh?” Fighting a grin, she leans back in her chair and folds her hands over her belly, looking every bit the professional. “Is there a problem, sir?”
I walk into her office and take a seat on the corner of her desk. “Yes, there’s a problem. I was so busy at work today I skipped lunch, and now I’m starving.” I reach out to cup her chin, then brush my thumb gently across her cheek. “I’d like to take Clancy’s new general manager out to dinner to celebrate her sudden promotion, if she’ll let me.” And then I want to take her home and make love with her until she begs for mercy.
“She’d be delighted, thank you. Where did you have in mind?” she says, sitting forward eagerly.
“I think I’ll let the new general manager choose.” Honestly, I don’t care where we eat. This is just an excuse to take her out on a date.
“You know what I’m craving? How about Sal’s Bar-B-Q? Remember, that little barbecue place we ate at in Hyde Park?”
Fuck. Of course I remember the place – we went there on one of our first official dates. It’s a five-minute walk from her old townhouse. And that’s the last fucking place on Earth I want her to be. Damn it! I guess I just assumed she’d pick somewhere downtown or perhaps in The Gold Coast near our home. I never considered the possibility she’d pick a restaurant in Hyde Park.
Beth has no idea I have a body double living in her old townhouse, in an attempt to make Howard Kline think she’s still living there. My brother Jake is overseeing an operation at the townhouse to catch Kline in the act of committing a crime. We’re fully expecting him to break in one night, armed, with the intent to kidnap, assault, or even kill Beth. Only it won’t be Beth he finds there. It will be one of my best operatives – Caroline Palmer – who could easily pass for Beth’s double, and who’s well trained in self-defense.
When Kline makes his move, our team will be waiting for him, and we’ll take him out once and for all. And since Kline’s been busy casing the townhouse lately, getting bolder and bolder with each foray into the neighborhood, Jake’s pretty sure he’s working up the nerve to carry out his plans. We figure it’s just a matter of time.
And Beth had to pick Sal’s, just a few blocks away. Damn it, I don’t want her anywhere near her old townhouse.
I smile at her, not wanting her to know this is a potential problem. “Sure. That sounds fine,” I tell her, mentally kicking myself for not suggesting a restaurant myself in the first place.
* * *
We make our way downstai
rs to the ground floor, and Beth stops to say goodbye to Sam and Erin and Mack, who are all congregated near the front of the store. Erin’s working the check-out counter again, Sam’s killing time behind the counter, and Mack’s standing a few feet away trying not to hover.
When he sees us coming, Mack meets us at the door and opens it. “Have fun, kids,” he says.
I usher Beth outside into the balmy early evening air and open the front passenger door of my Jaguar for her. She slips into her seat, and as I lean in to buckle her seat belt, she rolls her eyes at me. She thinks it’s silly for me to do it, but I don’t care. I like taking care of her.
“So, sue me,” I say, and then I kiss her as I tighten her belt.
As we head south toward our destination, I have to work at reigning in my aversion to the idea of Beth being anywhere near a place frequented by Howard Kline. Jesus! Just the thought of that monster anywhere near her makes my blood boil.
I park on a quiet side street, just a couple blocks from Sal’s, and we walk to our destination. I open the vintage wooden door for Beth and follow her inside.
This place probably hasn’t changed in half a century. It’s like stepping back into an earlier era. I know Beth picked this place because she knows how much I like classic blues music and phenomenal barbecue. Even now, a Muddy Waters classic is playing over the sound system.
I am actually hungry – missing lunch today wasn’t a ruse. So the aroma of roasted meats and sweet, tangy barbecue sauce hits me hard.
We grab a booth in the back corner of the restaurant, and Beth slips into the back bench first. I slide in beside her, sharing the same bench rather than sit across the table from her. I don’t want a table between us. I want to be able to touch her.
A server brings us two glasses of ice water and takes our drink orders.
The music and the ambiance of this old place speak to me, and for a moment I’m glad we came here. I try to relax and enjoy myself, knowing she picked this place for my benefit. Still, we’re just blocks away from Beth’s townhouse, and that’s just too close for comfort.
