Tossing the binoculars aside, he started his car and pulled out onto the road, reminding himself that soon Kendra would be in his arms. Soon he would be able to kiss her and hold her the way he had dreamed of doing for so long. He thought back to the afternoon he had spent on her bed, dreaming of them together. It was time to make it a reality. He was ready, and he knew she was ready too. Her body—her heart—was practically begging to be his.
* * *
Kendra knew the exact moment Charlie stepped into the little three-bedroom rambler. She would have sworn something in the air changed and pulsed with a familiar energy. Doing her best to ignore it and the voices coming from the cozy living room, Kendra dutifully hung her clothes in the walk-in closet in the master bedroom.
The room was sparsely furnished with only a queen-sized bed and a dresser, but not much else would have fit anyway. The front door opened and closed repeatedly, presumably from Ray and Charlie unloading whatever luggage and supplies Charlie had brought with him. Ray hadn’t given her many details about what to expect over the next month, but he had mentioned that Charlie would be the only agent staying with her full time at the safe house.
She was prepared to ignore him, unwilling to consider why he’d lied to her during their time in Pinewood. Her grandfather had said Charlie had been ordered to hide his profession from her, and in the back of her mind, she realized how skillfully he had danced around the truth. He had never actually said he wasn’t with the FBI or that he was still working for a law firm. But a lie of omission was still a lie. And the truth still hurt.
Up until the moment when he’d announced that he was FBI, she had let herself get caught up in her growing feelings for Charlie. Now her emotions were tangled at the prospect of spending the next month with him. She couldn’t think of the kisses they’d shared without flushing with embarrassment. Was it possible that he really cared about her, or had everything been an act on his part? Not knowing was driving her crazy, but she knew she needed more time before she would be ready to face him.
A door slammed closed, followed by the sound of an engine. Kendra peered out the window to see Ray pulling out of the driveway. She heard footsteps sounding in the hall and busied herself with the last of her unpacking. When those footsteps halted, presumably as Charlie went into one of the other bedrooms, Kendra felt her heart sink. Yes, she was prepared to ignore him. She simply hadn’t expected him to ignore her first.
She glanced over at her guitar, considering whether she could motivate herself to write. With a shake of her head, she dug her copy of Pride and Prejudice out of her bag. Climbing onto the bed, she flipped the book open and began to read—well, tried to read.
The words blurred in front of her as her anger and embarrassment surfaced once more. The image of their last morning together crowded her mind, her stomach knotting at the realization that she had kissed him first.
But he had kissed her last. He had made her feel something, reminding her of forgotten emotions and stifled dreams. Because of Charlie, she had let herself imagine a life shared with someone else.
Her jaw clenched as footsteps sounded in the hall. She braced for a moment, listening carefully, waiting to see if the footsteps came toward her. She ignored the twinge of disappointment when she heard Charlie walk back down the hall away from her room.
One month, she reminded herself. That was all she’d promised to give the FBI. One month that she could work on her songs uninterrupted. One month for them to investigate and trap the Malibu Stalker. With her grandfather’s help, she had already contacted her manager to update him on her plans. Her appearance at one upcoming charity event would have to be canceled, but she was determined to fulfill her commitment to the benefit concert for St. Jude’s Research Hospital that would take place in about five weeks. Until then, she would remain under FBI protection.
The agent who had explained the process to her had seemed honest enough. He hadn’t given her details of their plans other than his assurance that their top priority was to keep her safe and catch the man they believed was after her. His offer of a female agent to protect her had been tempting, but man or woman, the effect would be the same. She would still feel like she had a bodyguard.
She might end up feeling that way with Charlie, but as her grandfather reminded her, at least he shared her religious beliefs. If she was going to have to be in close quarters with someone, they might as well have some common ground. Not that she planned to actually speak to him, of course.
* * *
I can do this, Charlie assured himself. Of course, life might have been a bit easier had the FBI given them a more spacious safe house. But such luxuries were rare, he supposed, even when the person living there was famous. Kendra’s celebrity status had actually been one of the main factors considered when choosing the remote location north of Phoenix.
The house itself was adequate enough for their purposes. There was a small study just inside the front door, and three bedrooms were clustered on one side of the house. The master bedroom occupied the back corner opposite the other two rooms.
Charlie hadn’t been surprised to find that Kendra had claimed the master as her own. He would have suggested it had they arrived together, assuming that she would have actually talked to him. The living areas all connected, the decent-sized kitchen opening up into a great room that spanned the back part of the house. The open area beyond the backyard was all desert, with a mix of sagebrush and cacti growing on the hill that gently sloped away from the house. A concrete patio spanned the width of the structure.
He noticed the ring of large rocks that had been fashioned into a fire pit outside. A grill was angled near it, and Charlie was surprised to see that the patio furniture looked relatively new. The furniture inside the house was anything but. The kitchen table was small and round, the wooden chairs scarred. The couch and loveseat in the great room were well worn and mismatched. The entertainment unit was outdated and oversized, although the television and DVD player appeared to be relatively modern.
Charlie dumped his suitcase on the double bed in the bedroom he had chosen, the room directly across the hall from the master suite. He sorted his clothes into two piles, lights and darks, and then headed back down the hall to the laundry room located off the kitchen. Even though he had been back in Phoenix for two days, he had been so busy reading up on the Malibu Stalker cases that he had yet to find time to catch up on his laundry.
Now that he was babysitting Kendra, he decided he might as well take care of the basics. As soon as he started the first load, he headed back to the study. Ray had helped him set up his laptop and printer. His government-issued internet access keycard would allow him access to his work e-mail account and also scramble the IP address so no one would be able to trace his location.
The concern that someone had been following Ray after he’d left Kendra’s grandparents’ house weighed heavily on him. Ray had called in the local police for help, requesting they pull over the vehicle of interest for a routine stop, a ploy that would have identified the driver. Unfortunately, the car changed course right before the police arrived.
Aware that the stalker was believed to have some kind of military or law enforcement background, Charlie wondered if the man following Kendra had heard the dispatch and broken off his pursuit to preserve his anonymity. Charlie had been reassured that after the incident, Ray had followed protocol and taken additional precautions before bringing Kendra to the safe house, including switching cars in a secured underground garage.
Charlie logged into his e-mail account and began searching for the promised updates. The surveillance detail on Zack Prescott had reported three hours ago that everything was normal. Prescott had been spotted going into work after a lunch with friends shortly before one o’clock, which definitely placed him in California, not Phoenix. He also considered the possibility that the car Ray had spotted hadn’t really been following them at all.
He unlocked his briefcase and pulled out the files on the other two
prime suspects, Jed Burgess and Steve DeFoe. The possibility that Jed Burgess or Kendra’s ex-boyfriend could be the man they were after terrified him. It led back to the fact that Kendra was the woman the stalker was obsessed with.
With a frustrated sigh, Charlie began studying Jed Burgess’s information. Somewhere, there was a clue, something that would lead them to the man haunting these women. And if he was right, Charlie needed Kendra to forgive him enough to help him. If she was the key, she might just be the person they needed in order to unlock the secret of the Malibu Stalker’s identity.
* * *
She read and reread pages in her book. She fiddled with her guitar. She wrote a terrible song about lies and revenge only to tear it into shreds. Every ten minutes, she glanced at her watch, wondering when Charlie would appear at her door to check on her. He was supposed to be protecting her, so how was it that he had arrived hours ago and hadn’t once even peeked into her room to make sure she was indeed still alive and breathing?
She shifted her guitar, trying to find the right lyrics as she played through her newest creation once more. Then she caught the scent of meat cooking. Her stomach grumbled in protest, and her teeth clenched together. She couldn’t even get something to eat without facing him. How had she thought she could do this for weeks on end?
Drawing a deep breath, she set her guitar aside and moved toward the door. She pulled it open to find Charlie standing on the other side, his hand lifted to knock.
A flash of discomfort crossed his face before he adopted the same professional composure he had worn when he’d appeared at her cabin almost two weeks earlier. His eyes met hers. “Dinner is about ready, if you’re hungry.”
Kendra simply nodded and then followed him to the kitchen. The table was already set for two, and Kendra could see why she hadn’t heard him in the back part of the house for so long. He had clearly been busy in the kitchen. A simple white tablecloth covered the ugly kitchen table, and dinner rolls were nestled in a small bowl next to a larger bowl of broccoli salad.
Charlie motioned to the table. “Go ahead and sit down. I’ll go get the steaks off the grill.”
She waited until he disappeared through the sliding glass door before she took a seat and tried to tighten her grip on her shifting emotions. She managed to keep her focus away from Charlie when he set the steaks on the table and even through most of the blessing he offered. But when he added a plea for her safety, she felt herself weakening.
She kept her eyes on her plate, as though she could pretend Charlie wasn’t sitting a few feet away, even though she couldn’t mistake the faint scent of his aftershave. She cut into her steak only to discover that it was annoyingly perfect—medium, just the way she liked it. The broccoli salad tasted like it had come from a restaurant, a suspicion that grew increasingly stronger until she broke a roll open to find that it was still warm from the oven.
They ate in silence, Kendra only managing to finish half of the steak Charlie had grilled for her. Realizing that she couldn’t eat another bite, she pushed back from the table and began rummaging through cabinets to find something to put her leftover steak in.
“There are some food-storage bags in the second drawer over there,” Charlie said in an unexpectedly gentle tone.
Refusing to look at him, she pulled open the drawer, fished out a bag and slid the steak into it before crossing the kitchen to put her leftovers in the refrigerator. She rinsed her dish, slid it into the dishwasher, and started to leave the kitchen. She thought she was going to make it past Charlie without a confrontation until he stood up and stepped into her path.
“We need to talk.”
She looked up at him now. “I seriously doubt we have anything to talk about. You lied to me so that I would be protected. Now I’m protected. You got what you wanted.”
“I didn’t want to mislead you.”
“Whatever.” She took a step toward the hall, only to have him shift to again block her path.
“Kendra, I’m sorry. I never wanted to hide my profession from you.”
“But you did, didn’t you?” She felt her chin tremble and struggled against her emotions. “I thought you were my friend. You made me think that you cared about me—the real me.”
“I do care about you.” His voice rose slightly.
“Yeah, as a way to advance your career.” Kendra’s anger erupted against his words, words that were certainly just a lie. Gathering her strength, she attacked before her embarrassment could beat her down any further. “I do have to give you credit on your acting skills, though. If you ever decide to change careers, let me know. I can put in a good word for you with my father.”
The red haze of her emotions prevented her from seeing the recklessness that darkened his eyes. He took a step toward her. She instinctively took a step back. “I may have deliberately not told you who I work for, but I’m still the same person you spent all those days with in Pinewood.”
“Don’t give me that.” She shook her head and took another step back so she could see him more clearly. She felt the wall behind her and wondered vaguely how she had ended up in a corner with Charlie staring down at her. “No one meets me and wants to know who I really am.” Kendra’s voice broke, and she took a steadying breath. “They only want to know what they can get from me.”
“I can understand you being mad at me, but don’t you dare stand there and accuse me of using you.” He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head, even as the muscles in his jaw twitched. Then he let out a ragged breath, and his eyes met hers once more. “The only thing I want is for you to be safe.” He held his hands out to his side and let them drop in a frustrated gesture. “Forgive me for caring.”
Before Kendra could respond, the front door opened, and Ray walked into the room carrying a suitcase. He must have sensed the tension in the room because he didn’t call out his normal greeting. Instead, he stared at them for a moment before motioning down the hall. “I’m going to go unpack.”
Charlie simply nodded at him. Then he stepped back from Kendra and said, “I’ve got work to do,” as he turned and left the room.
Chapter 24
Agent Neal Coramavich stood just outside the hotel room and nodded at his partner, indicating that he was ready. They could hear the television blaring, but the curtains were drawn, preventing them from seeing who was inside. They would try this the easy way first, but Neal’s hand was already positioned to reach for his weapon quickly if needed.
Neal knocked on the door with three hard, quick raps. The television cut off, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps. The door creaked open, and the man inside looked at them inquisitively. “Can I help you?”
“Jed Burgess?”
“That’s right.” He nodded, confusion and a touch of concern showing on his face.
Neal pulled his badge from his inside jacket pocket and identified himself. “We’d like you to come with us, sir.”
“Why?” Jed’s concern flared into panic. “Is everything okay? My family?”
“Everything’s fine. We just need to ask you a few questions.”
Jed put a hand on his chest as though trying to steady his rapidly beating heart. Then he nodded. “Let me just get my shoes.”
* * *
Charlie hated losing his temper. Absolutely hated it. He didn’t know what he had expected from Kendra. He could even admit now that he had deliberately tried not to think about what to expect, but her accusations had gone far beyond whatever worst-case scenario he might have come up with.
Sure, he could have anticipated her being miffed at him for neglecting to tell her why he was really in Pinewood. He could even understand her feeling hurt or annoyed at him for the kisses they had shared. But nothing had prepared him for the accusation that he had mistreated or used her in any way because of her celebrity status.
He might have made a mistake in kissing her, but it wasn’t like he had been alone in that little experiment. She’d kissed him first. The fact that he had kep
t his distance from Kendra up until that point should count for something.
He paced across the little office, annoyed that his pulse wasn’t quite steady as he tried to get a grip on his anger. He paused by the window and looked out into the darkness. He needed to put some distance between himself and Kendra, and he supposed now was as good a time as any to do a quick check outside. He made sure his files were securely locked inside his briefcase and then turned to go. He stopped short when he saw Kendra standing in the doorway.
“I said I have work to do,” Charlie said, a little more sharply than he intended.
“I just have to ask you one question.” Kendra looked at him like a wounded puppy, and her voice was unexpectedly sincere.
“What?” Charlie bit off the word, annoyed both that she hadn’t given him any time to compose himself and that her presence alone caused another wave of guilt to slice through him.
A faint blush rose to her cheeks, but she kept her eyes on his. “Why did you kiss me?”
His eyebrows lifted, and he was suddenly grateful that Ray was still getting settled in his room. “I would think that would be obvious.”
She shook her head, and her voice was barely louder than a whisper. “Not to me.”
He saw it now—the vulnerability and the hurt that was undeniably his fault. She’d told him that she never dated much, but he hadn’t really considered that a woman like her, a beautiful, talented, famous woman, could really be that inexperienced with men. The naiveté he saw in her eyes told him that she had been completely honest with him in that most private part of her life.
Charlie swallowed. Hard. How could he explain that he’d made a mistake? How could he tell her he’d let himself get caught up in the moment, a moment he knew he should regret but desperately wanted to repeat?
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