Thea pushed back from the window with a sigh. “How are you feeling?”
Meeting her soft eyes, Hope smiled. “Better than if I were alone, I guess.”
“You guess?” Thea’s forehead wrinkled and her lips pursed.
There was a knock at the door, saving her from having to lie about how she was truly feeling. Thea uncrossed her arms and strolled to the door, her troubled gaze leaving Hope when she placed her hand on the knob.
“It’s me, baby. Open up,” Lex’s voice called from the other side of the door.
Thea opened the door and Hope ran to the bathroom for towels for the men. While her place was incredibly small, the builder had decided to reward the tenant with a rather large and comfortable bathroom. After pulling two large towels from the linen closet, she headed back to the living space.
She held the towels to her chest as both men entered her home. Their large, intimidating bodies dominated her small living room. Hope tried to meet Abel’s golden gaze, but he was too busy surveying his surroundings. She watched as his eyes bounced from each window, to the barren space she used as her home/office/bedroom. He took in everything, from the carpet, to the small desk under the second window. He turned and shut the door behind him, testing the locks on the doors.
Hope had asked her landlord to add two chains and an additional deadbolt. He’d looked at her as if she had two heads, but in the end, he added them for her. She felt a tug and turned to see Thea was pulling one of the towels from between her fingers.
“Sorry,” she muttered, unclenching her grasp.
Abel had moved onto every homemade alert system she’d made. Only, a frown had taken residence on his face, flaring her annoyance when he moved the string of Coke cans she’d strung from the window. The cans did just as they were intended to do, and made an obnoxious noise as he yanked them down and dropped them onto the floor.
Hope crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a brow when he made his way to the large picture window. He stood there for a moment taking in the surrounding woods. Moving closer, he inspected the privacy film she’d placed over the windows, so that during the night no one could see in. She growled when he picked at a peeling piece of the film and shook his head.
When he turned, his eyes briefly met hers, and Hope saw a glint of mirth in them. She wasn’t sure if he was amused with her extra attempts to protect herself, or laughing at the situation. Either way, he annoyed her. His tall lean body was thinner than she’d expected it to be. Though his frame held a healthy dose of lean muscle, his swimmer’s body conveyed, to her at least, that his greatest strength would perhaps be in endurance more than physical force.
He stalked around with the grace of a sleek panther. His golden-brown hair, longer on top than the sides, had been pushed back—slick and wet with rain water. Hope wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but each time he passed her, she got a whiff of light aftershave and wet earth. The scent was strangely calming, and her earlier anger fled.
Finally, Abel stopped in the middle of the room and met her gaze—a zip of warmth traced up her spine at the connection. “I see what you’ve done to protect yourself. And while most of it is ineffective, I’m sure you did the best you could with your limited knowledge and funds.”
She licked her dry lips and nodded, unsure of what to say. It was extremely hard to hock jewelry worth thousands in a small, crumbling town like Blackwater, and while Thea paid her a decent wage, Hope still had to fork over a large chunk for rent that included utilities.
“Figured as much. Still,” he waved a hand to the window and soda cans, “all ineffective. As well as the fact that you live in the middle of nowhere.”
Wasn’t that supposed to help? She wondered. “Yeah, but—”
He put a hand in the air, stopping her words. When he moved toward her, Hope shoved away the urge to shirk back. He was at least a foot taller, and a hundred pounds heavier. If he wanted, he could wrap his hands around her neck and there would be nothing she could do. Hope felt the first flutter of panic build in her belly and her cheeks heated, no doubt flaming red.
Abel stopped in his tracks, and took two deliberate steps back. “Better?” His knowing eyes bore into hers and softened just a bit.
Hope, completely embarrassed, nodded and swallowed. She had to remember this man wasn’t here to hurt her. She’d treated bigger, scarier men in the clinic. Taking a few deep breaths, she felt Thea come up beside her and take her hand.
“It’s okay. This is a stressful situation. But you no longer have to go through this alone, Hope.”
Unable to speak as emotion clogged her throat, she nodded again, feeling like a bobble head on the dash of some college student’s old beater.
“I’m going to be direct.” Abel spoke in a loud and clear voice. “You are a sitting duck out here in the middle of nowhere. Whether it be that you think you are harder to find, or that you are protecting your loved ones, it doesn’t matter. You’ve placed yourself at a disadvantage. Cell service is horrible. It’d be easy to cut your phone lines, and no one would hear you scream.”
Hope listened to this man explain how vulnerable she’d made herself, and hot, angry tears welled in her eyes as he broke down why each of her added protections weren’t worth shit.
4
Abel
Abel sensed her caginess the second he’d walked through the door. The overwhelming sense of despair hit him in the gut the moment he’d made eye contact with the little underweight sprite and he’d had to look away. He’d seen that look in clients too many times before, so instead of taking in her beautiful face and slender frame, he walked through her house, obliterating the only semblance of safety she’d established for herself.
She’d tried, he’d give her that much.
Abel was soaked through, and leaking rain water onto her tattered carpet, but he had a job to do. He stepped back onto the piece of linoleum patch at the entrance and stood. He’d scared her earlier and hadn’t meant to do so. Perhaps he was a bit rusty at his job, but he should have known to treat Hope as if she thought him untrustworthy. He, like any other man in her life, would have to go through extra steps to gain her trust.
“First, let’s start with you,” he said soothingly, watching as she gripped the plush towel tighter, twisting it with her hands.
“Me?” A hand left the towel and flew to her chest. “Why?”
Abel resisted the urge to smile at the dimple forming in her cheek. Her desire to know why he needed to start with her, instead of showing anger, pleased him. And the answer was simple: he truly wanted to get to know Hope. There would be no better way to protect her than to know more about her. Her daily activities, what she liked, and what she hated. What she wanted for dinner tonight because he was damned sure going to feed her.
Slowly, Abel moved toward her and pulled the towel from between her delicate fingers. Her pale flushed skin had turned red from how tight she grasped and twisted the towel. “I’d like to start with you, because I have to know who I’m safeguarding. I need to know if you are defiant. For instance, if I were to yell run, what would you do?”
His eyes traveled over her smooth skin. She was beautiful and he hoped she was just as smart. Because there was no way he would be able to help her if she didn’t answer this question right.
Hope eyed him with confusion bright in her gaze. “Run?” Then her eyes shone bright with understanding. “Assuming you decide to take the job, and you yelled the words run, I would freaking run.”
“Good job.”
“And no, I’m not defiant.”
Even better. A person would be surprised how many of his clients responded with ‘why’ to that question, even after they’d hired him as a bodyguard.
He took a moment to dry himself off, watching her hazel gaze following his movements. Then asked, “Have you ever used a gun?”
She gave him an adorable wry smile. “Of course. I’m from New York.”
He chuckled. “Noted.” He’d have to test her skil
l with the weapon, of course, but he was pleased to hear she at least knew how to fire a gun. “Have you been living under an alias since you’ve been gone?” He didn’t think she had been, especially since she was working in the clinic, unless Thea had been paying under the table. Her furtive glance to Thea gave him her answer before she spoke.
“Um, no. I didn’t want to get the clinic in trouble, so I gave my real name when Thea filed about a week or two ago. I mean, she didn’t even know that I was running from my husband until I got here.”
And therein lay the problem. It was most likely how her husband found her, but it also confused Abel. “Why?” he asked. How did she expect to stay in the clear, when the man was salivating to harm or even kill her?
Hope nibbled on her bottom lip before speaking. “Because I didn’t want to get Thea or the clinic—”
“No,” he interrupted. “I know that part. My question is, why did you come here at all?”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, because I was running out of money and Mark’s father had gone to the pawn shops I’d used to hock the jewelry he’d given me, and gave my picture to the shop owners, telling them to call if I came in.” Abel noticed a quiver in her voice and hated hearing it. “One older gentleman had been extremely nice and gave me a ten-minute head start before he called the cops.”
She went to the small couch and sat down. Moving beside her, Thea placed an arm over Hope’s shoulder. “It was then I knew I needed to leave New York. Without that money, I couldn’t pay rent, buy groceries, or anything. When Thea called, I thought about turning her offer down, but I realized I couldn’t afford to, in more ways than one.”
“Did you really think leaving New York would solve your problem?” he asked not unkindly. When she nodded, he spoke again. “But it made it worse.” It was more of a statement than a question, but Hope nodded again. “I need you to show me everything he’s sent you. And I have to see it in the exact order he sent it.”
Abel had decided to take the job the moment he’d gotten in Lex’s truck. The question was how hard would this job become? Would his ward drive him insane, or would she pull a Whitney Huston in the movie Bodyguard and nearly get herself killed by being rebellious? He’d had these things happen to him on more than one occasion. In one instance, he had to quit a job it’d gotten so bad.
He didn’t sense that would be the case with Hope, but he still had to treat her as he would any other client—even if he found her insanely attractive. He inwardly commended her for setting traps around her apartment, albeit ineffective, and he made a mental note to ask her about the glass shards under the carpet at the threshold of her home.
Lex spoke up. “Man, if you give me the key to your storage and a list of shit you need, I can go pick it up for you.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Abel quickly jotted down a list and handed it over, along with the key. Heading over to Hope’s tiny kitchenette, he opened the fridge and saw exactly what he’d expected. Low fat, diet TV dinners, and a few pieces of fruit and veggies. Turning to Hope, he asked, “Is this all you have?” When she nodded, Abel gestured to Lex. “Stop by the grocery store, too. I’ll give you a list of things to get for now.”
“The fuck do I look like, your errand boy?” he asked good naturedly.
“For the next day or so, yeah,” Abel replied. He assumed Hope thought the food he was about to purchase was for his consumption only; little did she know, Abel planned to put some weight on her bones, and demand that she get more sleep. She couldn’t be alert and aware of her surroundings if she was always tired and hungry.
Turning to her, he asked, “Are you okay to be alone with me, or would you rather have Thea stay?”
Thea took Hope’s hand in hers. “I’ll stay if you want, but you should know Abel is a great guy, and the only reason I am letting Lex take me away on this honeymoon is because I trust him.” Thea gave Abel a warm smile.
“I’ll be fine.” Hope shrugged, yet Abel noted the tension in her eyes.
Unsure if it was due to thoughts of being alone with him, or the fact she’d have to go through the threatening letters, Abel clasped his hands together and said, “Okay, let’s get started. First, I’ve asked Gator to keep one of his men on duty until I can set up a perimeter and search the surrounding area.” He pointed to the window. “Second, I have some stuff I can cover that window up with. The stuff you used is cheap, and with the right kind of binoculars, ineffectual.”
“I don’t have a lot of money,” Hope reminded him. “So, I did what I could.”
“Understandable.” The idea wasn’t to make her feel like shit, but to make sure she understood what she needed to do to protect herself.
When Thea and Lex left, Hope pulled a white box from under her twin bed. “He sent letters, but the first thing I got was this.” She removed the lid to reveal another box inside, and Abel recognized the Tiffany’s blue.
He watched from his peripheral as she massaged her ring finger.
“Whenever he would hurt me, he would buy me something from Tiffany’s. When he broke my finger, he updated my wedding band set. And again, when he broke my ankle he bought a diamond studded anklet.” Hope spoke in a monotone voice, as if revealing her abuse by rote.
“What about the letters?” He didn’t reach out to pick one up. No need to add his fingerprints. Since hers were already on the paper, he allowed her to sift through them.
Hands trembling, she pulled a letter from the box. “This is the first one I got after the choker.”
“Read it to me.” His voice was low, and hopefully calming. He leaned against the wall and watched as a shudder made its way through her body.
“Come home, darling. Please don’t make me come for you. Our bed is so cold.”
Hope continued to read the letters out loud, pulling them out in order, until she read the last one. Each letter grew increasingly belligerent and more aggressive. Just as Abel had expected.
He was ready to give his conditions for taking the job. She wouldn’t be happy and he’d have to call in a favor for some cash, but Abel was not allowing her to stay in this place any longer. Not now that he knew what Mark was all about.
Abel thought about the note she’d received with the choker. I’ll give you to the count of three to come back home to me. Something was wrong there. The letters should have come before this final threat, and he wondered if the delivery system Mark was using had fucked up. He didn’t think that Mark himself had left the letters, so that gave them a leg up on Mark’s game. While he knew where Hope had run to, he hadn’t gotten angry enough to come for her … yet. And that was his end goal. But one question remained. What was Hope’s end game?
He’d had clients ask him to guard them just long enough to have the stalker come out of hiding, while one did this solely so she could kill her stalker. Abel didn’t think this was Hope’s goal, but there had to be an end game at some point. In Abel’s experience, obsessive behaviors like Mark’s didn’t just disappear over time, they grew. And while Abel wouldn’t mind protecting Hope for the long run, he knew she was aiming for some semblance of a normal life.
Leaning against the wall, he watched as she packed up the letters and placed them back under the bed. Now was just as good a time as any to let her know that she would no longer be staying in the home. She had one more night here, and then they would hit the road.
“You understand you can’t stay here, correct?”
Hope froze. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, this place. You’ll have to leave it.” Glancing around, he took in the quaint room. Probably no more than four hundred square feet. He wasn’t even sure if it was a legal apartment, but she’d made the place her own by adding various secondhand items that gave the home a cozy feel. Bold, coal drawings of nude bodies adorned the wall, and he made a mental note to ask for the artist’s name later.
She shoved her hands on her hips, and her chin tilted forward. “I am not running anymore. I want my life back. I thought that’s what you
were here to help me do.”
He chuckled. And there it was, her defiant side.
5
Hope
She hadn’t meant to sound so childish, but she’d thought her running days were behind her. When Thea and Lex mentioned hiring private security for the clinic, Hope had jumped at the idea. She’d be safe at work, at least. And when she finally came completely clean about her past, she’d inwardly screamed in delight when Thea offered to hire a bodyguard just for her. Of course, she’d worried about the cost to do such a thing, but Hope couldn’t help the surge of relief that rose inside of her at the idea of feeling safe at night when she was alone. Then Abel came along and mentioned moving for her safety, and the thought of running again killed her.
Abel stood, arms over his expansive chest, an unreadable expression on his face. “I thought you said you weren’t defiant?” he asked with a glimmer of a smile playing across his lips.
This wasn’t funny to her; this was her life—always on edge, unable to sit down and take a true breather. “I’m not.”
“Then you’ll have no problem packing up your stuff and moving into Lex and Thea’s place for the next two weeks.”
Hope sensed this wasn’t a question, but a thinly veiled command. While she didn’t mind doing exactly that, she did worry about her friends.
“And don’t worry about Lex and Thea. They won’t be there. It’ll just be me and you.” His eyes met hers in question.
There was something about Abel that calmed her. Maybe it was his take-charge attitude, or the fact the gun tucked into his pants would be used to protect her if necessary. She glanced down at the bulge in his jeans. Yeah, it was definitely the last part.
“But what about when they return from their trip?” Hope worried. While she understood she couldn’t run forever, she was currently concerned with the danger her presence put her friends in.
Open Wounds: Abel and Hope: Love Against the Odds Page 3
