Love's Protector: A Maverick's Shield Novel

by Charisma Chloe

  “Do you think she would do it? She would be majorly risking her job. I don’t want anyone to get into trouble. If I do, so be it but I don’t want to ruin anyone else’s life behind this.”

  “Well, she can always say no and we won’t pressure her if she does but if I get Mack to ask her, she’ll definitely do it. She’s so ridiculously in love with him she’ll do anything he asks if she thinks it will get her closer to being with him.”

  “Isn’t she already with him?” she asked.

  “Not really. They sleep together, he takes her out from time to time but that’s about it. He cares about her as a friend but he’s nowhere near as serious about her as she is about him. Believe me; she’d do anything to change that.”

  She bit her bottom lip and then released it. “Ok, let’s do it.”

  CHAPTER 6

  The plan to get Mack to ask Chandra to help them out was a successful one. He’d agreed to it and so had she. After two weeks of making calls, searching the internet and one unproductive day in Los Angeles, Amour had to admit to herself that she had thoughts of granting her father’s wish and giving up. But now, there was a plan, be it an illegal one, but a plan all the same. Anxiety hit her like a ton of bricks as she and Jason headed to the diner where Chandra and Mack had said to meet them. The French toast she ate for breakfast started to rumble in her stomach making her instantly queasy.

  “Are you okay?” Jason asked.

  “What?” She barely comprehended what he’d said. Her mind was in a million places right now.

  “You’re holding your stomach and you don’t look so well. Are you sick?”

  “No, I’m just a little nervous. This is the kind of help I’d hoped for going into this but now that I’ve gotten it, I’m just a little anxious that’s all.”

  “We can forget the whole thing if you want; that’s perfectly fine Amour. Believe me, as a bodyguard as well as a private investigator, I provide people with a lot of information that they wish they hadn’t found out. Sometimes wanting to know certain things sound good until you’ve actually accomplished that. Then you realize that you were better off not knowing.”

  Her stomach muscles clenched. Did she really want to know? Ninety percent of her said yes but the other ten percent of her was unsure. What if her mother was actually murdered? How would she handle that? More importantly, how would she break that news to her ailing father? “I’m aware of how difficult it will be either way but I’m prepared to handle it.”

  “Alright, as long as you’re sure…we’re here.”

  “I’m sure.”

  The mid-sized café in Ladera looked like something straight out of old Hollywood. From its triangular shape, large red and yellow neon sign that read “Mandie’s” and medium sized palm trees planted in the small garden on the side of the building, she could easily picture the place featured in an episode of “I Love Lucy”. The fifties style diner had all the classic décor of the time; everything from the puffy white stools attached to a huge bar that stretched from one end of the place to the other, to the huge cushioned booths. Small circular light fixtures hang from the ceiling and red and white paint covered the walls. It even had an old fashioned jukebox loaded with music from the era. Amour felt like she had stepped into a time machine.

  “This is an interesting place,” she said as she observed the array autographed celebrity headshots on the wall above the bar.

  “It was my favorite place to eat as a kid. They have really good food here.” Jason gestured across the room to a large corner booth at the back of restaurant. “There they are.”

  Mack and Chandra were having lunch when they’d arrived. She and Jason slid inside the booth on the opposite end of the two of them. “What did you find?” Jason asked placing his elbows on the table.

  Chandra called to have all the dishes removed from the table. Once the waitress had done so, she slid a large brown bag labeled “evidence” in large black print to the middle of the table and then tore the red seal off the top of it. She looked up at Amour and said, “This is what was in the evidence room at the station. I had to do some digging because it’s such an old case but here it is. I haven’t looked inside yet.”

  “Thank you so much for doing this Chandra,” Amour said appreciatively. “I know you’ve risked your job for this and I can’t thank you enough. I’ll pay you for your trouble.”

  “Don’t mention it.” She sipped her cola. “It was no big deal. I doubt if anyone even notices it’s gone. I won’t get in trouble. The guy that guards the evidence room is a good friend. He’ll cover for me and like I said, no one will miss it. Besides, it’s important to Mack so it’s important to me.” She gave Mack a wink and a small peck on the cheek.

  “You really think your mother was murdered?” Mack asked in an inquisitive tone. Obviously Chandra had filled him in on everything.

  “I’m not sure. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

  “Well Chandra and I will be glad to help you guys sort through all this if you’d like.”

  “Sure,” Amour said quietly. “Thank you.”

  “I think it would be best to go somewhere more private to go through all this stuff,” Chandra said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to spread a bunch of illegally obtained evidence on the table of a restaurant.”

  “Yeah you’re right,” Jason said. “We can go to my place.”

  It took a while to navigate through the Sea Breeze apartment complex in Venice that Jason lived in. It consisted of about five tall brown buildings that were surrounded by huge palm trees and housed a small gym, a wreck center, two swimming pools as well as two small Jacuzzis. The tiny one bedroom apartment he rented, though it was new and plush, had very little décor pass the basic needs items. The small living room had only a brown couch, a coffee table that looked ancient and a big screened television that sat on an old black TV stand. There was a small kitchen to the left of the front door and a bedroom and bathroom towards the back. She also noticed what looked like a small balcony area outside the large window in the living room.

  Amour sat on the end of the couch while Mack and Chandra sat on the floor in front of the coffee table. Jason hit a switch on the wall turning on the light as well as the ceiling fan and then sat next to her on the sofa. The evidence bag consisted of the clothing that her mother was wearing, a small plastic bag that had a pair of gold hoop earrings and two gold rings inside, and another small plastic zipper bag that was filled with pieces of broken glass.

  “I also pulled the police report from that day; I figured it would be helpful,” Chandra said as she pulled a red folder out of her large bag and handed it to Amour.

  Jason picked up one of the small plastic bags. “What’s with all this glass?”

  “It was around her body,” Chandra said. “The detectives probably assumed whatever it was had fallen off the book shelf when she’d hit it. There was bruising on her back and arms that would indicate that. If she had a sudden heart attack while standing that would explain her fall.” She handed him one of the crime scene photos. “See, there are pictures of her surroundings and here is the glass in this one. I’m sure that’s where it came from.”

  “Why would they need that?” Mack asked with a curious frown.

  “A piece of it was found in her right hand. She could’ve been handling it right before she died. If it was anywhere on or near her body, they collected it. It probably doesn’t mean anything.”

  “One of the pieces has dark stains on it and it looks like it’s been dusted,” Jason said.

  “Yeah, I thought about that also but then I remembered you telling me earlier that Amour’s father had gone to the police back then with his suspicions. Anytime there’s a dead body and someone suspecting murder, especially if there are marks on the body of the victim, the detectives will investigate. If the evidence they collect doesn’t prove anything or if the medical examiner rules it natural causes then the case is dropped. The only fingerprints that were on the glass were hers
and the stains were probably from her hand. She may have cut herself with it accidently.”

  “There was a witness,” Amour said tenuously after picking up the police report and reading it.

  “Who?” Jason asked.

  “An Abigail Pruitt. In her statement, she claims she saw a woman over my mom’s house that day. They didn’t question whoever that was Chandra?”

  “Well, I questioned one of the former officers that worked the case at the time of her death. He said from what he could remember, Mrs. Pruitt didn’t know what the woman had looked like. All she could remember was that she was a red head and that she was an older woman.”

  “She could tell her age range without seeing her face?” Amour asked in disbelief. “How would she have known that?”

  “I’m not sure; that’s what she told the detectives. You’re probably going to have to question her yourself.”

  “Where there any other witnesses?” Jason asked.

  “There probably weren’t or they would have been included in the report.”

  “Is Mrs. Pruitt still living there?”

  “Yes, but she’s got to be pushing eighty now. Provided her memory is still even intact, that was such a long time ago. It’s doubtful she would even remember all the details.”

  Amours cell rang as she began to speak. “It’s worth a try; we have to check it out.” She grabbed her phone out of her purse and hit the answer button. “Hello?” There was silence but she could definitely tell someone was there. She spoke again. “Hello?”

  After a few more seconds of silence, a male voice came from the other end. “It would be in your best interest to end this little investigation you’ve started and leave L.A. or you’ll be sorry you didn’t.”

  The man’s voice was creepy enough to send a chill down Amour’s spine and she all of a sudden felt cold. “Who is this?”

  There was a few more seconds of silence and then a slightly louder “You’ve been warned.” and then he was gone.

  The chill she felt grew increasingly stronger as she sat frozen with her eyes locked on her cell phone in her hand. Her heart was pounding so hard and fast she could hear it and she instantly got a headache. She blinked several times as she rubbed her temples.

  “Amour?” Jason said as he scooted closer to her placing his hand on her back. “Are you ok? Who was that? Was it your father?”

  Her pounding heart made it difficult to hear him fully. “N…No it wasn’t.” She swallowed hard and started to tremble.

  “Who was it then?” She remained silent. He lifted her head up to his and looked into her now frightened eyes. “Tell me!”

  “I’ve just been threatened.”

  “What do you mean threatened? Who was that?”

  “I don’t know; it was a strange man. He said that if I don’t end my investigation I’ll be sorry. Then he said that I was warned.”

  “What the hell?” Mack said as he stood up from the table.

  “How the hell would anybody know about this? Did you give your number out to anyone Amour?” Jason asked as he rose to his feet as well.

  “No I didn’t”

  “Well how the hell did this person get it?”

  “Mack faced the three of them and said, “I know but she’s only been here for two days and besides us, the only people that know she’s inquiring about this case are the cops that handled it.” He walked across the room. “This is some weird shit! Why would anybody even want her number?”

  “Chandra, are you sure this person you talked to earlier can be trusted?” Jason asked.

  “Yes, he has nothing to gain from telling anyone about this. He’s retired from the force now and asking about an old case, especially one that wasn’t considered criminal is not unusual nor is it illegal.”

  Amour rose from the couch but her knees were so shaky she could barely stand. “I’m scared Jason. I want to go now; please take me home.” He glided his hand gently across her back causing a slight sense of comfort to break through the massive trembling she felt.

  “Alright we’ll go now.”

  Chandra grabbed her purse and walked up to Amour. “I’ll question the ex-officer I talked to and see if he told anyone. I’m certain he didn’t but I’ll ask him anyway to be sure.”

  Amour was so daunted she couldn’t speak. Her headache was getting worse as fear and confusion simultaneously occupied her mind and body. How could this be happening? She’s only been here two days! She knew this wouldn’t be easy, but she didn’t expect to be threatened. This was serious now and she had a serious decision to make as to whether or not she wanted to pursue this. That call scared the hell out of her. She could tell Jason sensed that her mind was in disarray when she looked up at him and he spoke for her.

  “Thanks Chandra,” he said as he continued to soothe her back with his large hand. “Call me when you talk to him.”

  “Alright I will.”

  Chandra and Mack exited the apartment as Amour stood there remaining silent. She wasn’t sure what to think or say at this point and was still in shock. She’d never been threatened before, especially like this.

  “I don’t think you should be alone tonight,” Jason said from behind her.

  “Why?”

  “Because if whoever that was managed to get your cell phone number, they can find out where you’re staying.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I deal with people like this for a living. They’re relentless and probably won’t stop there. Even if you stop searching for what you’re looking for it won’t matter.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because they know you’re here and you’ve been asking questions. If they’re threatening you like this and so soon, it’s probably because your father’s suspicions are correct and they don’t want you to find out whatever it is they’ve managed to keep hidden for all these years and if that’s the case, you’re playing with fire Amour. It could be nothing but if they’re serious and they haven’t already tracked you down, they will.”

  “So what should we do?”

  “Well you could stay here with me or I can stay with you if that makes you feel more comfortable. If they did manage to find you I’d rather be with you.”

  The distress she felt slowly began to subside at the thought of Jason spending the night with her. Taking a quick glance over his muscular six-foot-three-inch frame gave her a sudden sense of security along with other feelings that also sparked her sudden arousal, which was quite odd at a time like this. Her body abruptly went from being cold to being flushed and warm. She quickly brushed it off as just being because of the fear and anxiety she was feeling. Sure that made little sense, but it was the best explanation she could come with at the moment.

  “Amour?” Jason said as his eyebrows rose.

  “Yes…um…that’s fine.” Her mouth suddenly became dry.

  “Great, let me grab a few things and we’ll be on our way.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Amour’s suite was large and plush and the coolness of the air conditioner greeted them as they entered the living room area. To the inexperienced eye, it was an impressive place to stay but it wasn’t anything Jason hadn’t seen before while guarding wealthy clients. He entered the small second bedroom Amour had pointed him in the direction of and sat his large duffle bag on the queen size bed. He then headed to the second bathroom next to the room to wash off some of the sweat that covered his face from the ninety degree heat outside. Walking out of the bathroom into the small hallway, he could hear Amour’s soft voice as he stepped back into the living area.

  “Hi, I would like to order a large pepperoni pizza and a pint of chocolate ice cream please.” Realizing he was there, she looked up at him. “Do you want anything in particular from the restaurant downstairs?”

  He shook his head and she finished up the order with the person on the phone. “Hungry now?” he asked sitting on the couch next to her.

  “Yeah, a little bit.”

  “You must be feel
ing better.”

  She rubbed her temples again. “Still a little freaked out, but I guess I’ll live.”

  His lips curved into a smile. “You’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”

  She nodded her head in agreement. “My head still hurts.”

  “I have pain killers in my bag if you want some.”

  “Aspirin?”

  “No, Norco’s.”

  She looked up at him and her eyes grew wider. “Isn’t that a narcotic?”

  “Yes.”

  “No, that’s ok. I’ll get some aspirin. They sell it in the gift shop.”

  “I know it’s illegal to take my medication but come on, who’s going to tell on you? This will work much better trust me.”

  She stood abruptly and headed to the door. “I said no! Please, just walk me downstairs to the gift shop!”

  What was up with her? That phone call must’ve really freaked her out. All that

  attitude over pain pills? “Alright, calm down. I’ll walk you down.”

  “Thank you,” she said dryly, and then headed out the door.

  By the time they’d filled up on the pizza she’d ordered and watched a couple of action movies on Pay-Per-View, the sun was starting to set. Jason took a glance behind him out of the large window at the nice view and it occurred to him that maybe a quick swim and the ocean would relieve at least some of her tension. He was about five seconds from suggesting that very thing to her when she’d walked up behind him and spoke before he could do so.

  “Beautiful view isn’t it?”

  “Yes it is.” He smiled as her words offered the perfect segue to his plan. “Why don’t we go and see it up close?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Let’s go for a swim.”

  She looked at him as if he were crazy. “A swim?”

  “Yeah, you do know how to swim don’t you?”

  “I can swim.”

  “Then let’s go. It’ll be fun.”

  “I don’t have a bathing suit,” she said.

  “They had some in the gift shop.” He flashed a provocative smile in hopes of persuading her.