Love's Protector: A Maverick's Shield Novel

by Charisma Chloe

  “Are you talking about the case?”

  She laughed softly. “Of course silly.”

  “Well, I want to try and figure out which safe deposit box that key we found belongs to. I also want to try to find out a little more about the two cops we talked to as well as that Angela woman.”

  She let out a low moan as he washed between her thighs lightly grazing the sponge across her clit. She felt the arousal begin to build back up inside of her but she pushed it back. She was much too tired for another round of intimacy. “Why her?”

  “It was just something about her that bothered me. Some of the things she said didn’t sit well with me.”

  “Well you know how I felt about what she was saying. I really wanted to kick her ass.”

  “I noticed. That’s why I was glad you walked out. I knew that if that would’ve happened, we wouldn’t have gotten anything accomplished. Not that I blamed you for feeling that way though. You had every right, but it was just something about the way she so adamantly tried to portray your mother as a heartless tramp and your father as an abusive killer but yet she claimed that she and Carly were friends. That whole conversation was just weird.”

  “I know my father would never have hurt her or anyone else for that matter. And he certainly wouldn’t have wanted to be with my mother if she were that horrible to him, I know that much.” But did she? Her lips spoke the words with confidence but her mind…that was another story. With all that has been going on the past few days, she wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. She hated that she even questioned her father’s innocence in all of this. It gave her a guilty feeling inside and that was very unnerving to her.

  “I’m sure he didn’t do those things,” Jason said.

  “What was your father like?”

  “Why?”

  “Just curious.” She knew this must be a touchy subject for him, but she couldn’t help it, she wanted to know more about him. She also wanted to get her mind off of her own father’s possible guilt.

  “When I was a kid he was pretty normal. Much like most fathers.”

  “What about now?”

  “What do you mean?”

  When he looked into her eyes, she knew she was pressing the issue a little too hard, but she also knew deep down inside that his parents were somehow the route to his obvious emotional problems especially judging by that phone call he’d had with his mother this morning. She didn’t notice it until then, but now she could definitely tell he had something bottled up inside. By getting him to talk about it, maybe it would help to relieve some of the tension he obviously held on to. Much like it did for her when she’d confessed her former drug habit to him. “Do you still have a relationship with him?

  He hesitated to speak, but continued to bathe her, this time gently running the sponge over her legs and feet. “Not really.”

  “Why not?” She knew he was starting to get irritated by all of her questions, but after the day she’d had, she also knew he wouldn’t snap at her so she decided to continue to use that to her advantage.

  He breathed in deeply and then slowly let it out. “He’s away.”

  “Where?”

  “In prison.”

  She frowned. “Why?”

  His eyes left hers and looked down into the water. “Attempted murder and rape.”

  Amour’s heart skipped a beat in surprise. “What? Who did he…” She paused for a couple of seconds and then said, “Was it your mother?”

  “Yeah,” he said in a low tone.

  “Is that why you were arguing with her this morning? About him?”

  He took in another deep breath and then let it out. “Yes. She told me that she had been going to visit him and that they were writing each other regularly.”

  “That bothered you?”

  “Of course it did. I don’t want her having any contact with him.”

  “I know that upsets you Jason but you can’t tell her what to do. She’s an adult.”

  “I don’t care! She’s my mother and I’ll do anything to protect her. He can try to convince her that he’s changed all he wants but I’m not buying it.”

  “She’s forgiven him?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I don’t know why.”

  “Maybe she just felt it was time to let go of the past and move on.”

  “That’s bullshit! He’s just manipulating her. That’s what he does Amour! You don’t know him.”

  He was right, she didn’t. So she had no choice but to accept that he knew his father much like he had when the question of her father’s capabilities had come up. The bath water was getting cold and she didn’t want to torture him with anymore of her prying. “I’m very tired now. I just want to go to bed and forget this day ever happened.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” he said.

  After stepping out of the bathtub, he scooped her up in his arms and sat her on the edge of it. Grabbing a large towel off the rack, he dried her body starting with her face and hair before running the towel over the rest of her. He was so gentle with her, and judging by the way he looked at her as well as touched her, she could sense there was loving man beyond that rough exterior. A loving man that he kept trapped inside of his heart because he was too afraid to release him. She wasn’t sure why, but as he lifted her back in his arms, she knew for a fact that if she let the intimacy between them continue, it was only a matter of time before she wouldn’t want to live without it. His touch made her feel like no other man had before. And one thing was for sure, the feeling of being in his arms took her to a place that she was beginning to never want to leave.

  CHAPTER 16

  Jason had decided to get up early and go for a run on the treadmill in the small gym in his complex. He hated to leave Amour alone in the apartment but after the day she’d had yesterday, he didn’t want to wake her. Besides, he would only be an hour or so and he was right downstairs if she needed him. Running always helped to clear his mind and he had a lot on it. As his feet pounded on the rubber belt of the machine, he tried to make sense of what happened between them last night. He swore to himself as well as to her that this type of thing wouldn’t happen again. But it was becoming painfully clear that the more time he spent with her, the more he craved to touch her.

  Maybe it was time for him to just shut all of his emotions down for the moment. He was good at that. If he did, he wouldn’t have to worry about the constant thoughts of how it would feel to be inside of her and the feeling of her hands and mouth on him. He wanted so much for her to reciprocate his caresses last night, but he couldn’t allow it because he knew if he did, it would’ve driven him crazy. He needed to remain focused now and he needed to stay that way.

  Finishing his run, he grabbed the towel that was draped on the small handle of the treadmill and wiped the sweat off of his face. Amour would be awake soon so he had to get back to her. He quickly arrived back up to his apartment and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. He took a large gulp of it before stepping into the living room and sitting on the sofa. He realized Amour had awakened when he heard the sink running in the bathroom. Her being occupied at the moment provided him with enough privacy to see what was inside the envelope he’d gotten off of the dead maid’s body. He was too tired and distracted to open it last night so he’d just thrown it on the coffee table and gone to sleep. Picking up the large white envelope, he opened it and dumped its contents.

  Pictures of Amour in various locations were scattered across his wooden coffee table. “What the hell?” he said to himself. There were candid shots of her at the hotel, the restaurants she visited, even shots of the two of them together. Throwing the pictures back onto the table, he rubbed his temples. What the fuck was going on here? Now they’re being spied on? This was turning into so serious deep shit. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Amour’s cell phone ringing on the kitchen counter. He wasn’t going to answer it at first, but he quickly realized that it could possibly be her father calling to check up on her. He might
as well reassure him that she was okay.

  Picking up her phone, he hit the talk button and pressed the phone up to his ear. “Hello?”

  “I see she has you answering her phone for her huh?”

  The man’s voice on the other end was low and eerie which made Jason easily come to the conclusion that this must be the person who’s been threatening Amour. “Who is this?”

  “I think the bigger question is who are you?” He laughed. “Do you really think that you’ll be able to protect her?”

  “Yes I do and I will!” Jason said.

  “Really? Well I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you. That little hotel incident was only the tip of the iceberg. To send you a little…message. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes and if you don’t want that little blonde bitch to end up like the maid I would suggest you tell her to stop being stupid and get the hell out of L.A.!”

  Jason’s breathing began to deepen as anger started to consume him. “Or what?”

  “Or…you’ll end up finding her with a bullet in her head too!”

  “Well you know what? You have no idea what I’m capable of either and if you come anywhere near her, I swear to god I’ll kill you!”

  “You can try.” He laughed. “But as I’m sure you’ve discovered by the little gift I left you, I know where you are at all times but you can’t say the same about me!” Then he was gone.

  Jason quickly placed the phone back on the bar in the kitchen. He could feel his heart racing as he paced back and forth through the living room. At that very moment, he realized that this wasn’t about business anymore, this was becoming personal and he was not going to rest until this son of a bitch was out of their lives for good. He turned around only to find Amour standing in the small hallway of the apartment. He wasn’t sure if she’d heard the conversation he’d just had with mystery man, but judging from the look on her face, something had spooked her.

  “Who was that?” she asked. “Was that my father?”

  He contemplated on lying to her, but he knew she could tell something was wrong from his actions. “No. It was him again.”

  Her eyes widened. “What did he say?”

  “Nothing that he hasn’t already. If your phone rings again, I’ll answer it. Let him deal with me from now on.”

  Her lips parted but she said nothing. It was obvious that she was trying to be brave through all this, but he could tell this was scaring the shit out of her. He couldn’t imagine someone who came from a somewhat small mid-western town would be used to this kind of thing. Since it was obviously too late to back out now, he had to protect her. He couldn’t allow her father to lose someone else he loved. Walking towards her, he held her close to him when he reached her. He could feel her trembling as well as the warmth of her body against his.

  “Why are they doing this? Why did they kill her?” she asked softly.

  “I don’t know sweetheart.” He kissed the top of her head. “Go finish getting dressed. I have to shower and change as well.”

  “Are we going back to the police station today?”

  “I am but I’m going to drop you off at Alex and Shyla’s in the meantime.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I have to go there anyway to get another weapon and I don’t think you should be with me when I go question the captain. I might get more out of him since he’s so hell bent on not telling you anything without proof which we don’t have.”

  “But I want to go Jason! I think I should be there. She was my mother!”

  He released her. “I know Amour but I would rather you be safe until I can figure some things out. I might have to get other people involved in this and I don’t want to have to worry about you right now. Please just do what I say for now. I promise I’ll keep you informed okay.”

  She nodded her head. “Alright, just this once Jason.”

  “For now, but if I feel the need to leave you behind to keep you safe I will.”

  “But…”

  “No!” When she frowned he realized that he was starting to get too aggressive with her so he paused for a second and then spoke in a calmer tone. “I know you’re a capable woman Amour and I know you trust me when I’m with you but if we’re going to do this I need you to trust me when I’m without you as well. Can you do that?”

  She took in a short breath. “Yes, of course.”

  “Great. Now finish getting dressed so we can get out of here.”

  “What is that?” she asked as her eyes moved towards the coffee table.

  “What?”

  “On the table. Are those pictures from my mother’s boxes?”

  Shit! Why did he leave those there? He didn’t want her to see them. “No they’re not.”

  “What are they?”

  When she walked towards the table, he contemplated on stopping her but he figured he might as well let her see them. “Photos of you in various locations around town.”

  She picked up one of the photos, studied it for a second and then shot him a daunting look. “Who took these?”

  “I don’t know. They were on the maid’s body when I found her yesterday.”

  “So you just took them? Jason you could’ve gotten in trouble!”

  “I know. That’s why I snuck them under my shirt when I saw the envelope. I know I was supposed to turn it in to the cops but I figured if whoever that was left it there, it was meant for us to see not them. Judging by the way Riley and Westfield are acting, I don’t trust the cops to help us as far as I can throw them, at least not those particular cops. Getting help from Westfield or any other cop besides Chandra at this point and time will probably not happen.”

  “I agree but why didn’t you tell me about this?” she asked.

  “Because you were so freaked out last night after everything that happened I just didn’t want to drop that bomb on you as well. You have enough to deal with.”

  “I know I’ve shed a few tears in front of you Jason but I’m a big girl I can take it you know. You don’t have to hide things from me especially when it’s concerning me and I don’t appreciate you doing so.”

  “I know.”

  “Don’t do that again Jason. I mean it.”

  “Like I said before, I will do anything that is in your best interest so I can’t promise you that I won’t keep any information from you.” When she frowned and rolled her eyes he lifted her face back up to his. “But…I will keep you well informed of the things you need to know okay.”

  “Okay.” She conceded but he could tell she was still unhappy about it. “You’re lucky you gave me an orgasm last night or I would’ve had a few choice words for you.”

  He chuckled. “I’m sure you would have.”

  She gave him a quick wink before turning and walking towards the bedroom.

  CHAPTER 17

  Shyla greeted them with a huge smile and then hugged Jason tightly before inviting them in. The Manhattan Beach home she and Alex shared was spacious with an equal amount of femininity and masculinity to its décor.

  “Hey Jason! How are you?” Shyla asked.

  “I’m good! And you?”

  “Great! Hey Amour!”

  Amour couldn’t recall ever meeting someone so chipper in her entire life. “Hi Shyla,” she said softly.

  “Alex will be out in a minute, he’s just finishing up some paperwork or something. Why don’t you guys have a seat?” Shyla gestured for them to step into the large sunken living room ahead of them and they did so. She sat to the side of them in a large leather chair that looked very expensive and asked, “Where’s Mack?”

  “He’s on a case and so is Jax,” Jason said.

  “Oh. I sure hope it’s not dangerous.”

  “They all are Shyla.”

  Shyla shrugged and said, “Well Mack can take care of himself. My man is strong and very smart. Our kids are definitely gonna have his street smarts and charm.” Shyla gave them a quick wink just as Alex walked
into the room.

  Amour didn’t know what the hell Shyla was talking about, but she did know for sure that Mack definitely had something going on with Chandra. It may not have been very serious, but it was something. So that meant either Mack was sleeping with both of them, or Shyla was a little off her rocker. Either way, she found the whole thing quite weird.

  “Shyla!” Alex said in an exasperated tone. “That’s enough with all that. Why don’t you go and get everyone something cold to drink okay.”

  “Whatever! It’s gonna happen,” Shyla said as she got up and walked towards the kitchen.

  “She’s still at it after all these years huh?” Jason asked.

  “Yes and it’s really starting to work my nerves,” Alex said before sitting in the chair Shyla had gotten up from. “How are you holding up Amour? I heard about your little incident at the hotel, it was all over the news last night.”

  She hadn’t even watched any television at all since Tuesday and neither had Jason so neither of them was aware of the news broadcast. “I’m fine. Just still a little shaky but since I have Jason with me I’m not too scared.”

  “Was either of our faces shown on television?” Jason asked.

  Neither of them had noticed any cameras, but because it was so much going on, they really didn’t pay much attention.

  “No,” Alex said. “They didn’t show either of you or mention your names. They probably didn’t show up until after you guys left the hotel.”

  “Good. That’s all we need is somebody else having eyes on us.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Jason gestured for Amour to take the photos out of her bag so she did and handed the envelope to Alex. “I found those on the maid’s body.”

  Alex slid them out of the envelope and studied them. “Who the hell took these?”

  “We don’t know,” Jason said. “It could be the guy that was at her suite or anyone else. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

  “This asshole means business,” Alex said handing the photos back to Amour.