by Dee J. Adams
“The car just exploded,” Julie said as a firefighter eased her away from her mom and paramedics went to work. She took a step and her leg gave way. The man caught her and helped her to the ground.
“Need some help over here,” he called to one of the paramedics. A tall muscular blond with dark eyes rushed over and quickly sliced off Julie’s jeans at midthigh. A deep gash bled down her leg onto the grass.
The paramedic looked up and did a double take. “Hey, you’re Julie Fraser. I loved you in Dangerous Race. Great movie.”
Julie nodded and shifted, trying to see what the paramedics were doing to her mother. Firefighters doused her car with foam. An ambulance pulled up and two EMTs quickly wheeled out a gurney. “I’m going with her,” she said. She didn’t care if she sounded like a bitch, but she didn’t plan to let her mother out of her sight until she had to.
The house. She needed to lock up the house. Close the garage door. Julie took a closer look. The frame of her garage had warped from the heat of the fire. Her garage door wouldn’t close. She could lock the inside door, but everything in her garage was fair game to anyone walking by.
She didn’t give a shit.
With support from the firefighter, she got what she needed and locked up the house. By the time she came out, her front yard swarmed with uniformed men, police and firefighters alike. Minutes later, she sat in the front seat of the ambulance headed to the Cedars Sinai emergency room.
They made her sit in a wheelchair and rolled her into the E.R. as they pushed her mother’s gurney into a treatment room. Photographers came out of nowhere and bulbs flashed in her face, leaving spots in front of her eyes. Dried blood had caked along her leg and she looked like an extra in a zombie movie. She could only imagine her face had similar cuts to her mother’s.
Agonizing minutes passed as she waited for a doctor in a treatment room. One of the paramedics from the scene stopped in to say her mother was stable, but after a few minutes, his partner grabbed him to respond to a nearby accident. The longer she waited, the more she started trembling again. Every muscle shook out of control.
The fact that someone wanted to kill her so desperately didn’t make sense. Who had she pissed off so badly that they resorted to shooting at her and making car bombs? Her eyes stung and a knot lodged in her throat. She wanted her mother, but her mother was in another room, unconscious. She covered her face with her hands and tried to get a grip, tried to control her sudden erratic breathing.
She’d never felt more alone in her whole life.
* * *
Allen stared at the news bulletin with wide eyes. The Channel 5 helicopter had captured it all. This had to be the tenth time he’d seen it and his stomach still twisted as he watched. She’d nearly been killed. He sat on the edge of his bed and glanced at the gifts he’d purchased but hadn’t yet sent; the box of chocolates and the silver bracelet. He’d definitely have to send another bouquet of flowers. She’d need the encouragement. Needed to know that he was out here and still loved her. Still cared about her. He should’ve sent the packages earlier, but he’d wanted to space out the gifts, keep her excited and maintain her anticipation. It would make their first meeting even more special.
Anger swamped him, along with guilt and shame for failing to protect her. He’d have to do way better than this in the future. Julie deserved everything and he was the one man who could give her anything she wanted.
He’d already started working on his plan to get close. He had to follow her, be in her space so their meeting seemed accidental.
Protection. She needed serious protection. He walked upstairs and straight to his father’s gun cabinet in the office. His mother never opened the fucking thing since his father had died. An arsenal of weapons sat ready for his taking. This wasn’t the first time he’d gone in here. His father had forbidden him from ever opening these doors, but dear old Dad wasn’t around anymore. Dear old Dad had put a bullet in his brain a solid seven years ago. Of course, no one knew he’d helped his dad on that particular day. No one had deserved it more than that son of a bitch.
Allen took out his dad’s favorite revolver and aimed it at the door. If his mother chose that moment to walk through, he would be tempted beyond measure to take her out the same way he’d taken his father out. Just his luck that she wasn’t around.
The gun felt good in his hand. Cool and powerful. Maybe the time had come to visit the shooting range. The guns didn’t do him much good if he couldn’t hit his target.
Allen closed his eyes and tried to relax. Julie was okay and he’d make sure she stayed that way. He was going to watch her like a hawk from now on, even if he had to camp out in his car to do it.
* * *
Troy had never driven faster in his life. He’d just dropped Ari off at a meeting and he’d bugged out faster than he could say I quit. By the time he reached Julie’s house, the ambulance had left, but the paramedics and fire department were still in the middle of cleanup. Troy studied the burned-out wreckage of the Prius. The Mercedes next to it was totaled too. The carnage made him sick. The fact that someone wanted Julie dead made him sicker.
He made a mental note to call a fire scene investigation company he’d worked with a few years ago. He wanted all the details of this job.
Troy got back in his car after a quick chat with an officer. He arrived at Cedars in record time and went the long way into the emergency room. He spotted a barrel of a man in a security uniform, a former officer recently retired from the LAPD. Maybe retirement wasn’t all it was cracked up to be since he now worked at the hospital.
“Hey, Walsh,” Troy said, shaking the man’s hand. He’d met the officer when they were both downtown testifying in court on a particular case.
“Mills. Haven’t seen you in a while. What brings you here?”
“I need to get in the E.R.” Troy lifted an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
Walsh nodded. “Say no more.” He started moving down the long hallway. “Come with me.”
Troy slapped his back. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“You got a client in the E.R.?” Walsh asked.
How did he define Julie? She wasn’t a client. Not a girlfriend. Lover? Maybe, but for how long? At this point after one night together, someone could use the term one-night stand and not be off the mark, but Troy detested that phrase especially where Julie was concerned. Of course she had offered him a job, so a potential client relationship wouldn’t be a lie. “Something like that,” Troy said.
Walsh canted his head. “Girlfriend?”
Troy tipped his head from side to side. Didn’t he wish. “Something like that.”
“You know...the hospital is buzzing that Julie Fraser was brought in today.” One bushy eyebrow lifted high. “That’s not who you’re here to see, is it?” Troy had become semi-well-known at the police force. Most of the guys didn’t like having outsiders nosing around in their cases, but Troy made it a point to share any information he had when it came to working with the police and had earned a solid reputation as a decent P.I. to work with.
Troy debated telling him the truth, but Walsh deserved an answer even if it evaded the question. “Actually...” Troy let the word speak for itself.
“No shit?” Walsh looked impressed. “I heard you’d been getting more and more famous clients. Nice work if you can get it,” he joked with a wink.
At the moment, it was shitty work, because although Troy was walking at a normal pace toward the E.R., he’d much rather be running. Julie’s panic over the phone had scared him shitless. Knowing she could have died this morning made his chest tighten. He had no business being this attached to her after only one night, but he couldn’t help himself.
Being with Julie forced him into the real world. He couldn’t be on the outside, on the fringe. Last night, he was living life to the fullest, enjoying his time and the sensory overload that Julie brought with her smile and personality. And now, he was knee-deep with worry, running a
gamut of emotion he’d purposely dodged for decades. Julie was dragging him back to life one agonizing emotion at a time.
Walsh escorted him through the security at the back end of the E.R. with a wave and nod to the guard on duty. Once in the treatment room hallways, Walsh slapped a hospital visitor sticker on Troy’s chest. “You’re on your own.” He gave Troy another wicked wink. “Give your girl—or should I say client—a kiss hello.”
Troy tamped down the unfamiliar feeling of possession and waved at Walsh as he strode down the hallway in search of Julie. He didn’t need to check behind any curtains or doors, because the second he spotted the cop at the last treatment room, he knew where she was.
The young blond officer held his hand on the butt of his weapon as Troy got closer and Troy lifted his hands to show compliance.
“Julie Fraser?” he asked, trying to see into the room.
“I’m instructed to keep everyone out, so if you’d—”
“Troy!” she called. “Let him in please.”
The cop moved aside and Troy’s heart somersaulted. She sat in a hospital gown. Nicks and scratches marked her pale face and arms. Her right thigh had a bloody bandage across the front. Wrapped up in a hospital blanket, she shivered like a wet dog on a cold day.
Troy moved in, never taking his eyes off hers. She reached out and it was all he could do to keep from crushing her to him. He pulled her in gently, afraid to hurt her and unsure what her injuries entailed besides the obvious. She wrapped her arms around his waist, hugged him tight, and the emotions running through him were things he should not have been feeling after one night with this woman.
She took a deep breath and the breakdown he thought might happen a second ago disappeared.
He took off his lightweight blazer and put it around her shoulders and she shuddered against his chest. A million questions zinged through his head, but nothing came out of his mouth. He could only hold her close, be thankful she was alive and in his arms.
Could she ever want to be with a P.I.? Hell, she still thought he was a bodyguard. He’d lied to her. Was still lying to her about his true identity.
Troy pulled away and yanked a stool over to sit by her bed. He moved in close and took one of her hands in his. “You’re okay?” he asked, needing the confirmation from her lips.
She nodded, wiping at the tears on her cheeks as she composed herself. “I’m just waiting for the doctor to stitch up my leg.”
The next question terrified him. “And your mom?” He knew how close they were. He’d seen their interaction at the luncheon and remembered Julie’s request while lying on the red carpet.
She shook her head and fresh heartache filled her eyes. “I don’t know much yet. They said she was stable when we got here, but she was still unconscious.”
“Can you tell me what happened?” He squeezed her hand reassuringly.
Julie told him the story. How Elena had pulled out and left the power on to give her the chocolate bars. How the car had exploded and knocked them both back.
Troy listened and nodded. He was through waiting for the other shoe to drop. Done waiting for police to take action when it came to Julie’s safety. He wanted her out of sight, out of the public eye. No more television, no more newscasts, no more reporters or paparazzi. Right then and there, he made a decision.
* * *
Two hours and eighteen stitches later, Julie slowly made her way to her mother’s hospital room on crutches. The deserted hallway gave her much-needed privacy, and blue hospital scrubs replaced her torn and bloody clothes. “You’ve got to be kidding me?” she said, glancing at Troy as she hit the elevator button with too much force. Any trauma from watching her car explode in front of her disappeared as she stared at Troy. The guy had lost his mind. “You want me to do what?”
The young officer assigned to protect her tried to appear as if he wasn’t listening to every word they said.
Troy’s dark gaze didn’t waver. “I want you to pack a bag, get in my car and let me take you away from here. Not forever, but for a while. Let the investigators do their job and find this guy.” He shook his head. “Maybe they didn’t have a case with the first two shootings, but they do now. Someone’s out for you and unless you make yourself scarce, someone might actually get you.”
Julie had her mouth open to protest and clamped it shut. She glanced at the officer, who said nothing. Troy presented a hell of an argument. But still... “What about my mom? I can’t just leave her here.” The elevator dinged, the doors opened and she hobbled in.
Troy waited for the officer to join them and pressed the button for the third floor. “You told me your aunt is on her way. It’s not like you’re leaving her alone. She has a sister. Besides, the hospital is only keeping her one night for observation. She’ll have a headache from the concussion, but she’s going to be fine.”
“I don’t know. I don’t like it and I don’t want to leave her.”
“I get it. But how about we ask your mom what she thinks and go from there?”
He was trying to play the democracy card, but Julie saw through it. “If you tell my mom the same thing you just told me, you know damn well she’s going to side with you.” She hated when people ganged up on her.
Troy shrugged a shoulder. “Then so be it.”
“So be it, my ass,” Julie muttered as the elevator doors opened and she hopped her way out. She found her mother’s room around the corner and a few doors down the hallway. Another LAPD officer was out front. Looked as if the police were now taking the threat against her more seriously. Hell, so was she.
Aside from being a little pale, Elena looked better than Julie expected. Her cuts and scrapes had been cleaned up, and a thick gauze bandage wrapped around her forehead.
“Hey, Mom,” Julie said, reaching her bedside. She noticed the officer stayed in the hall with his colleague.
“You should be home with your leg up,” her mother scolded. “I’ll be fine. I heard a rumor that they won’t let me sleep much tonight, but that’s the worst of it. I’ll be going home in the morning. But you...you need to get off your feet so your leg doesn’t swell.” Her gaze moved past Julie’s shoulder, then slowly back to Julie. The question in her eyes flashed like a beacon from a lighthouse.
Julie shook her head and glanced at Troy. “Flat on her back and she’s still bossing me around.”
“That’s what mothers do best, honey. Now, don’t be rude. Introduce me to this nice young man.”
Julie rolled her eyes. Her mother knew exactly who he was. Julie had described him to her in detail. “Mom, this is Troy Mills. Troy, meet my mother, Elena Fraser.”
“Very nice to meet you, Troy. I think I owe you a mountain of gratitude for saving my daughter on more than one occasion. Thank you.” Elena smiled and it made Julie feel a hundred times better. “Now, Troy, will you please take Julie home so she can rest.”
“Actually, ma’am, I wanted to get your opinion on another idea.”
Elena’s eyes widened a fraction. “What idea is that?”
“He wants to take me away. Like out of town,” Julie burst out. “Isn’t that the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard? Especially while you’re in the hospital.”
Narrowing her calculating blue eyes, Elena clearly was mulling over the idea and Julie jumped in for damage control.
“No, Mom. No way am I leaving you alone.”
“I’m not alone, honey. Vicki is on her way and I can stay with her for a day or two when I get out if I need to. Besides, it looks as if the police are finally providing a little protection.” She studied Troy. “You think someone will try again, don’t you?”
Troy stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Yes, ma’am. I do.”
“Great.” Julie shot him a look. “Scare my mom while she’s stuck in a hospital bed.” She had no intention of leaving her mother. “I can stay in a hotel until I decide on one of the houses on my list. I don’t have to leave town.”
“So you’ll risk someone else
getting hurt when this guy tries again?” Troy asked softly.
Julie glared over her shoulder. “That’s not fair!” He made it sound as if this whole thing were her fault...as if...
She froze.
He was right. It was her fault. He got shot because of her and her mother lay in a hospital bed because of her. Her mother would be dead if she hadn’t gotten out of the car to hand Julie the stupid chocolate bars. Thank God for chocolate.
Troy turned her to face him. “I’m not blaming you for any of this,” he told her quietly. His thumb caressed her cheek. “I just think you need to consider the whole picture. Your friends and family want you safe. To be safe means you need to disappear for a little while.”
“Until the cops find this guy,” Julie muttered. Was she really considering this? Did she really plan to leave town with a guy she’d spent one night with...a man she barely knew?
She turned to her mom. “I don’t want to leave you.” There. Simple and direct.
Elena reached for her hand. “I know. But I want you to be safe. If something happened to you, I wouldn’t survive.”
“Don’t say that. Of course you would. You’re like Supermom.”
“Well, this Supermom doesn’t want to worry about her daughter. I think Troy is right. I think you should take a vacation and disappear until the police find out who’s responsible.”
“Has anyone thought they might not have anything to go on? Has anyone considered that I can’t afford to spend my whole life on the run?”
“We’re not talking your whole life,” Troy said. “We’re talking a couple of weeks. A couple of months at most.”
“Months!” Julie couldn’t believe his audacity.
Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of the purse slung over her shoulder. “It’s Ari,” she said. “He’s called a hundred times and it will only be a hundred and one if I don’t take it this time.” She pressed the talk button. “Hi, Ari.”
