They were such a lovely bunch of assholes.
“When’s he getting out?” she asked, pushing up from the floor.
“Three days, give or take a couple of hours to process everything,” Rhonda said. “Listen, I know you hate the idea of getting some security or a bodyguard…”
Sighing as her friend trailed off, Tamara knew she would have to rethink that. She’d survived the “friends” and their crap. But she wasn’t going to be able to put up with Damien and his psychological warfare. “Yeah, but I’m rethinking things. Send me some names and numbers, Rhonda.” It was time to plan ahead.
Chapter Two
Sliding his key card down the reader, Shawn Camden pulled open the front door and stepped inside. The two story warehouse was home to his baby, C&M Security. Actually, it was his and his best friend’s. Robyn Matthews, his partner and co-owner, was a woman that didn’t let anyone walk over her. Ex-military like himself, and many of those they hired, she wasn’t a delicate flower by any stretch.
Nodding to Chandra Devons as he stepped up to her desk, he took the message slips she handed over. She was both the receptionist and the one that kept them all in line. She was also their first and most important line of defense. Chandra was a tough little thing, trained as well as any of the bodyguards that came through the doors, and yet she looked like a china doll. Which she used to her advantage.
“Is Rob in yet?” he asked, flipping through the messages marked important. One thing he loved about Chandra, she knew what was actually important, as opposed to what clients claimed was important.
“She was, but she had to rush out to go and see to Grant.” Chandra’s lips were twitching when he glanced up.
Chuckling, since he had a good idea just why Robyn had to rush off to see her fiancé, he cocked a brow. “Oh? Really?” He felt his own lips twitching.
“Yup, something about a pair of handcuffs,” Chandra nodded, pursing her lips.
“Oh, God, too much information.” He slapped his hands to his ears. “Gad, why? Why would you tell me that shit?”
Chandra laughed at his antics. “Because you do shit like that, too, Shawn.”
“You,” he pointed a finger at her. “You are a horrible human being. Now I’m going to have that thought running around my brain all day.”
“Well, you could always find someone to handcuff and scrub the other thoughts out,” she called after him as he headed for the stairs.
Not a bad idea, really. Shaking his head at her, Shawn headed for his office, throwing a nod to John Timmons, one of their trainers and ex-Special Forces, as they passed on the stairs.
He loved the building that was the home for the security business he and Robyn had set up. It was all wide-open spaces, with high ceilings and lots of windows. The second floor was office spaces for the staff, meeting rooms and a couple conference rooms where they held their general meetings.
The main floor was reception, the gym, and the training rooms. It also held the shooting range where they all got together to practice or try out the newest gadgets safely. He’d managed to negotiate the price of the place for a steal, and unlike most of his neighbors, owned the building outright.
Of course, he also owned many of the neighbors buildings, too. A man had to have a plan for retirement after all. Especially a guy that got shot at, punched, or even blown up. Attempted anyway, on occasion. While he might be the boss and co-owner, he didn’t shirk on going out in the field and taking jobs. He was too much of an adrenaline junkie not to.
Flopping into his chair in his corner office—being top dog had its perks—Shawn scrubbed a hand through his dark brown hair. While he kept it short normally, it was definitely starting to get a bit longer than he liked on top. Shaggy as his mother would call it.
Grinning at thoughts of his mother, he flipped back through the message slips, really looking at them. One from Rhonda Delacour, a detective with vice for the SFPD, had him pausing. Picking up his phone, he dialed the number she’d left.
“Delacour,” her voice was rich and a little gruff.
“Detective, this is Shawn Camden from C&M Security. You left me a message,” he said.
“One sec,” she told him. She muttered something to someone else and then he got to sit and listen to her moving and, at a guess, stepping outside. If the sudden street noise was anything to go by.
“Sorry about that,” she said. “Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.”
“Hey, we at C&M Security are all about helping our brothers and sisters in blue when we can. What’s up detective?”
He could hear her huff out a breath. “Okay, look. My best friend is in for a rough ride soon. Her psycho ex-boyfriend is getting out on parole in the next couple of days. The shit has friends that can make her life miserable, have in fact. He tried to kill her and got put away, but not nearly long enough in anyone’s opinion. His daddy pulled some big ass favors and got the sentence reduced. So he’s getting out. He has to wear the bracelet, but he’s a smart fuck and will figure out a way to track her down and then proceed to fuck with her head. She’s finally getting back to a normal life and…” Rhonda heaved disgusted breath.
“Now this,” he said softly.
“Yeah. I told her I’d do some digging in the event she needs to hire a bodyguard or some security for one of her shows. She’s a photographer, by the way,” the detective told him. “She’s open to the idea, but she’s also stubborn. She knows that Damien’s a sick fuck with plenty of friends who are just as sick and sadistic. She’s not dumb, but she is independent and hates relying on others. Makes her feel beholden or some such shit.”
Chuckling softly, Shawn rubbed a finger to his nose. “Got it. So, the point of this call is?”
“You know her,” the detective said. “Not well, but you met her and had your tongue down her throat.”
“Uh,” was all he could come up with. Say what? Blinking, he frowned. “What?”
“Three years, two months, one week and six days ago you and she met in a club. Sparks flew and the two of you ended up in the shadows making out. She got a call she thought was from me, but was actually from the ex. And yeah, he was an ex then. We just didn’t realize how off the rocker he really was. He’d hit her and she’d sent him packing despite all his excuses and shit. He got my phone when he came to pick up something she’d left at my place for him to collect. Used it to call her. I kicked his ass something fierce before throwing him out, but that’s a different story for later. She went back out and you two ended up dancing, making out and then going back to your place. She left you a note when she left in the morning. Something to the effect that if you could find her, she’d bring her camera the next time so she’d have proof of just how hot you were.”
Sitting up in his chair he was staring at nothing. “Tamara,” he whispered her name. He hadn’t gotten a last one and the info she’d left with the note had been no good by the time he’d tried to find her. She’d disappeared.
“Yeah, her,” Rhonda’s voice was softer. “You made an impression on her, big guy. But since the ex tried to kill her the very next night, we had to do some fancy footwork and bury her identity while she recovered and got ready to testify.”
Which would explain why he hadn’t found her. Damn it. And he’d been hesitant to use one of the hackers on staff to find her, because he hadn’t wanted to deal with the ribbing involved. Son of a bitch, he should have gone with his gut, which had been screaming to just use them.
“She made an impression on me as well detective,” he said. A big one. She’d ruined all other women for him. Completely. They’d connected in such a way that he only thought of her whenever he tried to talk to a non-client of the female persuasion.
Long, blonde hair and dark blue eyes in a face that haunted his dreams. Full lips meant for kissing, long lashes that had shaded her eyes to give her some mystery, and a tight little five-foot-seven body made perfectly for his. The perfect curves with all the nice hills and valleys that made a
woman. They’d fit together perfectly.
“Anyway...” Rhonda pulled him out of his daydreams. “I figure you’re the best man for the job. You know her, sort of, and what you don’t know, I’ll fill you in on. She was obviously comfortable with you. She’s not the sort to jump a guy in a bar or club. That’s my style.” She laughed. “Tamara’s going to need someone to watch over her, without being smothering. I think you’re the guy. I did a lot of digging on you, Camden. A lot.” There was something in her voice that had him squirming slightly, and he didn’t know why.
“I’m guessing, since you called, I passed whatever test you had going?” he asked.
“With mostly flying colors. Though, I do have to ask, what the fuck were you doing straddling a missile?”
Blinking he tried to think back and then cringed. “Son of a bitch, I’m going to kill him,” he muttered.
A laugh through the phone reminded him who he was talking to. “I’m not the person you should be mentioning plans of murder and mayhem to, Camden.”
“Yeah, yeah. Fuck.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw and scratched at the two days’ growth there. “We were goofing around on base and one of the guys in my unit took the pic. He swore to me, hand to God, that he would never show that to another living soul. Thus, the sudden need to introduce him to his maker, if you saw it.”
Another laugh came through the line, this one definitely amused. “Well, I still like you for the gig and I know that Tamara, once she stops her bitching and sniveling, will appreciate someone she is comfortable with being on the job.”
“So, are you hiring me?” he asked, confused and desperate to get back on topic.
“No, she will be. I just told her that I’d be vetting the prospects and would give her my number one only. She doesn’t like to waste time,” Rhonda definitely sounded approving of that. “What do you have open for a pre-visit discussion? I’ll be coming with her so that she can’t bolt when she spots you, but that’s all I’m there for.”
Frowning at the idea of Tamara getting away from him again, Shawn wiggled his computer mouse and signed onto the system. Pulling up his calendar he looked over the next couple of days. “I have Thursday at one-thirty open for a half-hour or I have Friday at nine-fifteen for an hour.”
“All right,” Rhonda murmured. “Let’s do the Friday one. I know she has something on Thursday afternoon, but I can’t remember when. And she’s free on Friday until lunch when she’s got a portrait shoot for the afternoon booked.”
“Done. I have you in here detective. Just give your name at the front when you get here and Chandra will show you up. Oh, and detective,” he said with a grin on his face.
“Yeah?”
“Make sure Chandra sees your badge when you set off the metal detectors. Otherwise, she’s likely to fill you full of holes.”
A burst of laughter on the other end was his signal to hang up.
Chapter Three
Glaring at her friend, Tamara slung back some more coffee. The one morning she’d finally slept in had been ruined by her friend’s call to “get her ass out of bed, damn it.” Yeah, exact quote.
“Quit glowering at me,” Rhonda said, a grin on her face. “That shit doesn’t work on me and you know it.”
“You couldn’t have gotten a later time?” Tamara muttered. Okay, she was being a little bitchy about the whole thing, but really? It wasn’t like she needed a bodyguard today, or even tomorrow. She had a little time.
“With your portrait shoots over at Danny’s studio this afternoon? Hardly. I wanted you to get this meeting done, so you could think on it all and make the decision that was right for you. I know you. You need to brood on things for a long time so getting this appointment was the easiest way to let you do that.”
“I don’t brood,” she grumbled. Okay, maybe she did, a little. But really, it wasn’t brooding so much as considering all the angles. Maybe.
“You brood,” Rhonda said, chipper as always. “Besides. It was my day off and I knew you’d never go if I wasn’t there to provide backup. So, here we are, taking advantage of an opening in his schedule to get it all done in one go.”
“I hate you,” she muttered, even as her lips began to curl into a grin. Her friend really did know her too well.
“I hate you too, babe,” Rhonda grinned at her.
Looking around, Tamara frowned. They were in the warehousing district, a place she’d never gone to before. It was clean and a little barren, but she already could see just how the shadows would play off the various buildings as the sun moved through the sky. Damn, she should have brought her camera with her.
Rhonda wheeled them into a parking lot a few minutes later and got them a spot in one of the six visitors’ designated slots. Climbing out of the car, Tamara looked around. The lot was on the side of the building and she could just see a chunk of green space toward the back. Maybe a park or something back there? It definitely softened up the brick and mortar.
Following her best friend around to the front, she blinked when Rhonda pulled out her badge and tapped on the window. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Metal detectors and I don’t want the cute doll at the front desk to fill me with holes,” Rhonda commented.
The door buzzed and they were inside before Tamara could come up with anything to say. The detectors definitely went off, but were cut short soon enough.
“Detective Delacour, I presume,” the little red head at the front desk said, standing up.
“Chandra with the big gun, I’m guessing,” Rhonda said back with a grin.
Chuckling, Chandra shrugged. “Maybe,” she winked. “Come on, he’s expecting you. He’s just in a meeting with his co-owner, but will be along shortly. I was told to let you wait in his office,” she explained as they all climbed the stairs to the second level.
It was a very clean and clutter-free environment. Pictures and paintings on the brick here and there to break up the starkness. It was very modern, and yet little eclectic touches of bold color and design were intermingled to give it an oddly warm and welcoming vibe.
“Here you go,” Chandra said. They’d reached a large corner office that was very masculine in design. “Can I get either of you any coffee, tea, water, juice, pop?” she reeled off.
Tamara just held up her cup and smiled.
“We’re good, thanks,” Rhonda said with a chuckle.
“Well, grab a seat and he should be along in a couple of minutes.” Backing out of the room, Chandra eased the door partially closed. Likely a signal that a client was waiting inside.
Looking around the room, Tamara’s eyes stalled on a framed print. One of hers, to be exact. Walking toward it, she smiled. It was a mother and child playing in the sun at a local park. The shadows from the trees created an interesting texture effect of light and dark over their faces. It was a great shot.
“I’ve always loved that one,” Rhonda commented behind her.
Nodding, she shot her friend a grin. “Yeah, it’s definitely one of my favorites.”
“You really need to get me a copy of it. There’s got to be some benefits to knowing the photographer,” Rhonda poked her shoulder lightly.
“Yeah, yeah,” Tamara muttered with a chuckle.
“You’re T.K. Wells?” a deep, very familiar voice, said.
Jerking around, Tamara felt her eyes go wide. “Shawn?” she whispered. Staring at the man who had rocked her world, she noted he hadn’t changed at all. Dark brown hair with hints of red, a little shaggy, but sexy as always. Light gray eyes in a deeply tanned face with trademark scruff that accented the cleft in his chin and hid a dimple that only popped out when he smiled. Six-feet-four inches of hard-packed, lean muscles she had intimate knowledge of. And, according to her body, wanted to know again.
“Yeah, she uses her stepfather's surname for her artwork, to keep her private and professional life separate,” Rhonda said.
“Detective, good to put a face to the voice,” Shawn said. Stepping in, he hel
d out a hand and shook Rhonda’s.
Tamara was still trying to wrap her head around everything. So when he held out a hand, she automatically slid her palm to his. He squeezed gently before letting go and waving a hand to the guest seats.
Her eyes fell on his tattooed arm and she felt her pussy clench. She’d spent a good hour licking each and every inch of the tattoos that covered both his arm and his back. Feeling a little numb, a lot shocked, and more than ready to smack her gun-toting friend, Tamara slid into one.
“I reviewed the file you sent over, Detective. Thanks for that,” Shawn said to Rhonda.
“Rhonda’s fine, I’m off the clock today,” she grinned. “And you’re welcome. I figured you needed to know everything if you’re going to keep him off T’s ass.”
“It was definitely enlightening.” He looked Tamara’s way, then and she was trapped by his light gray eyes.
She blinked when she realized Rhonda was staring at her with a frown. “Sorry, what?” she asked, mentally shaking her head.
“I said, I think that C&M Security is the way to go, T.” Rhonda shot her an “are you okay?” look.
Nodding, Tamara smiled. “I’ll trust your recommendation, Rhonda. You know this stuff better than I do,” she said. Better than she ever wanted to, even though she had a feeling she was going to get a crash course real soon.
“Good,” Shawn said. He leaned back in his chair and watched her, his gaze intense. Something else she remembered about him. When he focused, it was seriously focused, like you were the only person in the world he saw. “We’ll need to figure out what events you’ll need security at and what level you are personally okay with. I’ll also want to do a walk-through of your apartment or house and check the system you have as well as all entries and windows. We’re not going to make you a prisoner in your home, or on the job. But we do need to ensure that, through this all, you always feel safe, no matter where you are.”
Dangerous Times Page 2
