by Liliana Hart
Fortunately Robert had built a career on noticing things. She’d become even more withdrawn and secluded after his Anna’s death several years before, and he was even more determined to get her to enjoy life. He knew better than anyone how precious and short it was. He’d lost a good woman and a lot of men under his command during his almost seven decades on earth. And he’d be damned if he’d give up just because she was throwing a temper tantrum.
“Daddy, are you listening to me? You’ve got that look on your face you use with politicians where you pretend to listen but you’re really thinking of all the other things you need to do.”
He laughed for the first time since he’d heard the news about the threat made to her. She was his heart and soul, and he’d do whatever it took to keep her safe. He wasn’t always the best at showing his love, but he did it the only way he knew how. To try and make sure she was safe and secure. In his mind, that was the most anyone could ever ask for.
“You look just like your mother when you get angry. Have I ever told you that?”
She growled at him and he held back another chuckle. If she was anything like her mother in temperament she’d be throwing things at his head before too long. God, he missed that woman. She’d been his partner in every since of the word, and there’d been a void in his life ever since her death.
“You forgot to mention that there’s a maniac after you who’s doesn’t particularly want you to be able to be a witness when he’s caught and this thing goes to trial.”
“Daddy—”
“Don’t you Daddy me, Evangeline Elizabeth Lockwood. There’s a difference in being independent and just plain foolish. And this time you’re being foolish.”
“I can take care of myself, and I can hire my own bodyguards if I feel I need them. The police and the FBI are watching my house. I’m be perfectly safe staying there. This guy killed a Senator and destroyed my home in broad daylight. He’s making stupid choices. There’s no way he can keep doing what he does and not get caught. I’ll be just fine at home.”
“Uh, huh. And I’m sure it won’t bother you at all to stare at the broken things you’ve worked so hard for and the blood on the walls. Hell, the ambiance might do you some good. What was I thinking? Lets call a cab and get you back home.”
She rolled her eyes and he knew he had her. Children were predictable creatures after all. At least to a certain extent.
“How long am I supposed to stay here?” she asked, finally dropping down onto the couch across from him. “I have a job. I have responsibilities. I can’t just take off indefinitely while the investigation continues. The last I checked they were no closer to finding the identity of Biddle’s killer than they’ve been from the beginning.”
He took a sip from the bottle of water in his hand and thought carefully how to best answer. “We’ve got some added help from superior sources,” he finally said. “Sometimes jobs like these call for the best. And I just happen to be in the business of knowing who’s the best. Trust me. We’ll know who killed Senator Biddle very soon.”
“If you’ve got everything worked out then there’s no point in me wasting my time and the money you’re spending on hired goons.”
“I’m not sure your new bodyguard would appreciate being called a goon.”
Cal Colter had been called a lot of things in his thirty-six years, but he was pretty sure that goon wasn’t one of them.
“All I’m asking is that you give it a week,” he said reasonably. “Think of it as a vacation for my peace of mind. Myron Biddle had his fingers in some pretty interesting pies. Believe me when I tell you that the list is long for those who probably wanted him dead. And the people on that list are very good at killing. I’d prefer my only daughter wasn’t added to the body count.”
“I’ll give it a week,” she said. “But you and I both know that living hidden in fear is no way of living at all.”
“I dislike it intensely when you use my own words against me.”
She grinned and he saw the little girl he remembered—the precocious child with the brain of an adult who’d given him every gray hair on his head. She’d been a handful, and he’d not always known the best way to deal with her. But he’d enjoyed every minute of it. Or almost every minute.
She’d once decoded the intelligence reports from the operatives he had placed in Iran. It had taken her about five minutes to read what had taken him almost two hours. And he’d gotten a tongue-lashing from his wife that still sent shivers down his spine once she found out he’d let a six-year-old girl decode an entire report—most of which wasn’t at all suitable for a child.
It was a good memory. And he was getting maudlin in his old age. Maybe he was becoming an old woman.
The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and the atmosphere in the room changed. Despite the fact there’d been no noise to alert his presence, Robert knew they weren’t alone anymore. Cal was good, and he felt a swell of pride to know that he’d been the one to train him.
“If you keep zoning out I’m not going to help you host that party at the end of the month,” she said.
“I’m not zoning out. I’m compartmentalizing all the different things I need to do today.”
“So you’re ignoring me? That makes me feel much better, thank you.”
“I hate that shirt your wearing,” he said, just to be contrary. “You could fit Barnum and Bailey’s under there.”
“Men your age shouldn’t wear shorts,” she countered. “You’ve got legs like a chicken.”
He snorted out a laugh and then made the transition in conversation abruptly. There was no point in delaying the inevitable.
“Since you’re in such a good mood let’s talk about your bodyguard.”
“Really, Daddy, you’re getting ridiculous with your matchmaking attempts,” Evangeline said. “It’s obvious to everyone involved.”
She propped her bare feet up on the coffee table and crossed her ankles. “Who is it this time? An ex-Navy SEAL? An Army Ranger? I hope it’s someone with a sense of humor. You’ve sent some real duds lately. I’ve barely been able to stay awake once they start talking about themselves.”
His lips pinched and he steepled his hands in front of him. “Now, really. You’re being ridiculous, Evangeline.”
“You always get very proper whenever you get called out. Have you ever noticed that? Of course you have,” she said, before he could answer. “You were the Director of the CIA. I’m sure you’re familiar with all of your weaknesses.”
“Little girl, a little respect please. I’ve always said that smart mouth of yours is going to end you up in hot water one day.”
“Sorry, Daddy. I have no idea where I get that from,” she said, cheekily. “I’ve told you before I have no desire to get married and have children. No matter how badly you’d like to see that. I’ve got everything I want in my life.”
“That’s perfect. Because this time I’m not trying to use my matchmaking skills.”
She arched a brow in surprise. “So you’re admitting that’s what you’ve been doing all this time with the personal bodyguards?”
Her father smiled and shrugged unrepentantly. “You’re my only child. I just want you to be happy. I also want you to be safe. Which is why your protection comes above all else in this case. Besides, I’m out of single men who fit the profile. You’ve broken all theirs hearts.”
She chuckled and crossed her arms over her chest, snuggling down a little farther into the couch. Maybe she could use a vacation. She hadn’t stayed at the beach house since before her mother’s death. If you could call a three story pink monstrosity a beach house.
He’d bought the house for her mother the week after she’d been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her father was a tough man—a hardass on his best days and something not worth mentioning on his worst days. But he’d been a softy when it came to his wife. She’d been happy there for almost three years longer than the doctors had given her to live.
Evangeline cleared
her throat and pushed away the memory. “So if you’re out of poor saps you can marry off your daughter to, who are you left with? Attila the Hun?”
“Not too far off,” a voice said from the doorway behind her.
Her blood chilled and her head snapped toward the voice she hadn’t heard in years. Surely her eyes deceived her. She blinked once—then once more—but his image didn’t disappear.
Cal Colter in the flesh looked better than he had any right to. Better than she remembered. And her memory was pretty damned good. He’d always been the kind of man people noticed. It wasn’t his looks so much as the way he carried himself. He had an aura about him that screamed danger.
His hair was black as sin and he wore it longer than he had ten years before when he’d been on active missions. Crystalline blue eyes stared at her mockingly and black brows winged over them. He hadn’t shaved in a couple of days and his growth of beard was thick.
She worked her way down his body, her mouth going dry the farther she went. She didn’t know if she was normal when it came to what she found attractive on a man. But she’d always been captivated by Cal’s shoulders. The breadth and strength of them, and how nicely they filled out the black t-shirt he wore. The black ink of tattoos showed below his sleeves, more than he’d had the last time she’d seen him. He wore linen pants the color of wheat and she wondered if he was carrying a weapon. She wasn’t sure it mattered if he was armed. If she saw Cal Colter walking toward her in an alley, she’d turn around and go the other direction. He was dangerous with a capital D.
“Like what you see, sugar?” he asked.
Her cheeks flushed red and she looked at her father accusingly, but he was suddenly very interested in his water bottle.
“Oh, no,” she said, shaking her head. “No, no, no. This is my worst nightmare.”
“Come on, Evie,” Cal said, coming farther into the room. “It’ll be just like when we were kids.”
His voice sent a shiver down her spine. How could one man have such power over her? She hated that about herself. She knew she was smart. Could make her own decisions and live an independent life without the help of anyone. Yet one man had controlled her entire destiny for a good portion of her adult life—a man she couldn’t trust far enough to throw him. And still his presence affected her like no other man’s ever had.
Her pulse fluttered in her throat and her breasts grew heavy with need, her nipples tightening into tiny beads. No matter how much she’d told herself she hated him, it was still Cal she saw in her dreams. A childhood crush that never faded. It was his face she imagined at night when her hands slipped beneath the covers, and the weight of his body she yearned for when her fingers were slicked with syrup and buried in her folds.
“Go away, Cal.”
“It’s the middle of summer and we’re at the beach,” he said. “Let your hair down for a while. Stop being such a tight ass. You used to be fun.”
“And you used to not be an asshole. I guess time changes us all.”
She closed her eyes for a moment and counted to ten, focusing on the sound of the ocean. The sliding glass doors were open and if she made a run for it she could have the sand between her toes in just a few seconds.
“Well then,” Robert said, getting to his feet. “It looks like three’s a crowd. I’ll leave you two to get acclimated. I’ve got a plane to catch.”
“Oh, no,” Evangeline said, standing. “You’re not going anywhere until you explain what the hell is going on.”
“I told you, Evie. You need a bodyguard and I’m out of eligible bachelors. That leaves Cal. You agreed to take precautions for the week. Don’t go back on your word now.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, but it was a wasted effort because he’d already turned toward Cal.
“Son, you always did have a way of making women want to claw your eyes out.”
“It’s a gift,” Cal said, grinning. She could count the number of times she’d wanted to do violence to a person on one hand, and she was pretty sure they all involved Cal.
There were very few people in the world who knew the real Cal Colter. Hell, maybe not even her come to think of it. He was brilliant, no doubt, and only one of the aspects she’d found fascinating about him over the years. The layers of Cal had always intrigued her. And it was obvious to anyone who knew him well that he covered a whole world of hurt with smartass remarks and general rudeness if it suited him.
He’d never cared one bit about being anyone other than himself, and he never made apologies for his behavior. People either loved Cal or they hated him. There was no in between.
“You might as well take him back with you, Daddy. There’s no way in hell I’m going to let Cal be my bodyguard. You know his attention span won’t last the week. He’ll be playing poker with the staff and fleecing them out of all their money after two days.”
“Still bitter about that are we, Evie?”
She turned to face him, putting her hands on her hips. “I was twelve, you moron. And no, I’m not still bitter. Some of us learn to grow up. Want to take a guess who in this room hasn’t?”
“Not really,” he said with a shrug. “If by “grow up” you mean turn into a boring spinster who doesn’t know how to have fun I think I’ll pass.”
“You made me what I am,” she said, and then she remembered her father was standing there and pinched her mouth shut before she said too much. “Get out of my house.” She was surprised by how even her voice was. Because on the inside she was screaming. “If you’re not out in the next ten seconds I’m going to shove my fist up your ass and jerk your cold, worthless heart right out of your body. And then I’m going to feed it to a sharks along with the rest of your corpse.”
Cal arched a brow and gave her an insufferable smile. “You’ve given that a lot of thought, Evie. Kind of disturbing if you ask me. I don’t remember you being so violent. I wonder where all this pent up aggression is coming from. Have you thought of seeing a counselor?”
A sound came out of her mouth that was somewhere between a gasp and a shriek. “I’m going to kill you. Murder you in your sleep. And no jury would convict me.”
Good grief, she had to get a hold of herself. He was turning her into a shrew. The way to deal with Cal was to outsmart him. He thrived off emotional reactions, and she was giving him exactly what he wanted.
She took a deep breath and tried to smile, though she wasn’t sure she was successful in her attempt. “You’re right, Cal. I apologize. I’m completely overreacting. I think it’s because Daddy’s been pressuring me to settle down by throwing men into my path every chance he gets. My reaction is just reflex now.”
The look in his eye was calculating as he tried to figure out her angle.
“You make me sound like a tyrant trying to sell his daughter to the highest bidder, Evangeline.” Robert stared her down, his lips pursed. “I find that highly insulting.”
“Your speech is getting proper again,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him. His lips pinched even tighter together and he gave her a look that would’ve sent any number of his agents running in the opposite direction.
He was really still a very attractive man for someone in the latter half of his sixties. He stood military straight, his shoulders broad and his body still in good shape from years of training. His hair was thick and had been completely silver since she was a child. It was a shame he hadn’t found a woman to keep him occupied so he’d stay out of her business.
“You’re pushing your luck, Evangeline.”
“No, Dad. I’m being serious.” She shrugged and then crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s time I took your advice and settled down. And you’re handpicking these men, so there must be something good about them. I figure one is just as good as the next. You’ve always loved Cal like a son anyway, so maybe we should just see where this goes. ”
The color drained from her father’s face and he went completely still. She would’ve burst out laughing if it woul
dn’t have completely ruined her plan. But when she turned and looked at Cal any humor she saw in the situation dried up immediately. She recognized that look. It meant trouble.
“Now, Evangeline,” Robert sputtered. His eyes cut back and forth between her and Cal, gauging the potential fallout. Just like always.
“It’s okay, Daddy. I’m sure Cal knew exactly what he was getting himself into when he agreed to take this job. It’s not like you’ve been subtle about your attempts. Now if you two don’t mind, I think I’m going to lie out by the pool for a couple of hours. The idea of a vacation sounds nice now that you put the idea in my head,” she told her father.
She’d taken two steps toward the door when Cal stopped her and said, “Just hang tight a minute, Evie. You and I need to go over the ground rules. This isn’t just a vacation. You’re going to take every precaution while you’re here.”
“You do love your rules, don’t you, Cal?”
“Rules tend to keep girls out of trouble.”
“Must be nice to make the rules and never have to follow them.”
The corner of his mouth kicked up and the blue of his eyes deepened until they were almost navy. “It has its advantages.”
“Am I missing something?” her father asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.
“Robert, I think it’s time you left us alone to talk this out. You’ve set this in motion, but it’s time to let us take it from here. Obviously, Evie and I have a great deal to work out. Like the fact that we’re going to be sticking together like glue until this guy is caught. Declan has added security in locations unknown to me, but they’re not on the property so it’s just you and me kid.”
