Security Detail

by Lisa Phillips

  “I asked my handler for a picture of Andis’s wife and daughter, the ones who disappeared. After you told me about the work you do helping women, it struck me this might be why Andis wants to talk to you.” And then kill you. Neither of them said it, but it hung between them nonetheless. Conner said, “Did you help them get away?”

  “It was a bad situation. She was being beaten, and she was scared for her daughter’s life.”

  “I believe you. Kayla, it isn’t a bad thing that you helped them. But it likely is the reason you’ve hit Andis’s radar and why he sent men to flush you out of your office and bring you in.”

  Kayla handed him his phone. She didn’t know what to say. Each day she prayed for every woman and child she’d ever helped. No matter how many there were, Kayla never forgot them.

  A few had left town; a few had rebuilt their lives in town and were thriving—some even in new, loving relationships—but a couple of the women had gone back to the men who hurt them. They were never far from Kayla’s heart. Once in a while she got an email on a separate web-based account she kept active. But not often. If Sofija had sent her an email, though, Andis might be able to use it to find her.

  “I have to get to my office. Or what’s left of it.”

  “That’s it?”

  “What do you want me to say? Sofija and Lena are long gone, and that’s where they need to stay. If I can get to my computer first, then I can make sure he won’t ever find out about the email account and they will stay safe for good.”

  Conner leaned in. “Andis won’t stop. He’ll send Manny or someone else to bring you in. And they won’t be nice about it. He’ll make you talk.”

  “There won’t be anything to say. I don’t know where she is.” She folded her arms. “Maybe while we’re in town I’ll go to the sheriff and give my statement. I can tell him it was Andis who destroyed my office and tried to kill me. Get him arrested.”

  “You should do that, because the sheriff will likely follow up.”

  “I can leave your name out of it so you don’t have to worry about Andis learning you’re still Secret Service.” She lifted her hands and let them drop by her sides. He was freaked out—for her. “Don’t worry about me, Conner. Just finish your job. That’s why you’re here.”

  “It’s not why I’m here. With you. Why do you think I came to your office as soon as I heard them say your name? They know we know each other—we just have to use that to our advantage. Stick together.”

  She could see him reasoning out the problem, the way his eyes looked at her but didn’t really see her. He didn’t get it. He didn’t understand that she was trying to help him, to let him off from protective duty so he could concentrate on work. She could call her father, get a detail of Secret Service agents. Conner could move on. He didn’t need to stay with her.

  Conner touched the skin of her elbows with his warm hands. “You think I’d let you swing in the breeze for my job?”

  Kayla shrugged. “I told you that you don’t need to protect me. It’s not your job anymore.” Yet he was here with her. He’d looked out for her. Taken a bullet for her.

  Why did that make her want to cry?

  “I know you don’t need me, Kayla.” There was hope in his eyes. Where was that coming from? “Things have changed for both of us. Life has changed, but it’s brought us here. Together.”

  What was he saying? “Conner, I really have to get to my office and then see the sheriff.” Stopping Andis from getting what he wanted was the most important thing.

  *

  They were supposed to just go their separate ways? Sure, it was probably logical. If her life wasn’t in danger. If he didn’t have to protect her from Andis. But Conner wasn’t going to just watch her walk away into the sunset. It would hurt to be around her and know they could never be together. If he could help her, for the sake of what was between them, he would do it.

  She’d said she missed him. The sweetest two words Conner had ever heard, and it didn’t seem like she even remembered she had said them.

  “Conner.”

  Yep, he was staring at her like a weirdo and not saying anything. “You want to call in the Secret Service, that’s fine by me. But you don’t leave my sight until either you have a protective detail or your life is no longer in danger.”

  “Conner!”

  He’d just have to protect her regardless. He could keep watch on her without her even knowing he was there. If she wanted to think that was the better option, fine. He wasn’t going to argue about it. He wasn’t in the position to change things, but how hard would it be for her to just admit she wanted to see what could be between them?

  “This isn’t an argument, Kayla—it’s how it’s going to be. We stay together until someone comes to relieve me. You want to call them in, fine. Do it.”

  Okay, so he was baiting her into making a move but that wasn’t the point. Whether or not it made him feel better about her not wanting to be around him wasn’t the point either. The point was that she would be safe.

  Conner walked his mug to the tiny motel coffeepot and set it down. If she wanted someone else to protect her, that was fine, but he didn’t have to act as if he liked it.

  He grabbed his keys. “Get your stuff. Let’s go.”

  He could take her to her office. She’d have to follow his lead, just like any other protectee. That’s what they were, after all. Just a Secret Service agent and the former first daughter. He’d thought they had something more than that, but apparently he was wrong. When it was important, when it counted that they look out for each other, she wanted someone else.

  They rode in silence to her office, thankfully free of gawkers, who kept regular office hours. It was just past six in the morning, so the only person on the street was a jogger gazing up at the second floor’s burned-out windows. Conner didn’t stop; he drove right past the building. He saw her shift and look at him out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t say anything. She knew the drill. He turned the corner and parked on a secluded street where they wouldn’t be seen and where they could exit in either direction.

  “Don’t get out of the car until I let you out.”

  *

  Kayla sighed. When he opened the door, she climbed out. They trudged in silence to the building, then up the stairs. He was in hyperawareness mode, and she couldn’t help but fall into step with it. It was who they were. Always had been, always would be.

  Kayla pushed open the door to her office but didn’t enter. He had to check it out first. But it was empty.

  “Tread carefully.”

  The whole place had been cordoned off, presumably by the sheriff and the fire department. They’d all gone home now. She probably had a stream of voice mails on her home phone, as she did on her cell, reminding her to come into the sheriff’s office to make a statement.

  Her office was a complete mess. Black soot covered every charred inch, including warped wood and shattered light fixtures. The walls looked like fire had melted the paint, so hot it had dripped down to pool on the floor.

  “Where’s your computer?”

  Kayla looked around. The top of the desk was only slightly less charred than the rest of the room, but her laptop wasn’t there. She’d had it on her when she came back to the office, but in the padded backpack she used to transport it to and from home.

  She circled the desk and scanned the floor for her backpack. It looked pretty well protected, hidden behind the desk. Thank you, Dad, for the expensive desk. If she had planned on telling him about any of this, she’d have sent flowers for that. Instead he’d never know. She could call Locke, get a detail here. They could keep it hush-hush, and her dad didn’t need to find out her life was in danger. His heart wouldn’t be able to take the strain.

  “Superficial damage. It’s more cleaning up than repair work from the looks of it.”

  She glanced back at Conner and gave him a small smile. “That’s good. I’ll have to call my insurance guy, get the ball rolling on renovations
.”

  Kayla pulled out the laptop and set it on the blackened desk. She lifted the lid. “Oh, no.” The buttons were all melted, and the screen had warped. “This isn’t good. I don’t remember my passwords—I make my browser do that—and this email isn’t linked to anything else so I can’t reset it. Now I have no way to warn Sofija.”

  “True.” His voice was soft. “But now neither does Andis.”

  Kayla sighed. It was a really good thing she’d bought fireproof file cabinets and a fireproof safe. She should have put her computer in the safe or grabbed it when that bottle flew through the window. It was like toast cooked on high and forgotten about.

  Conner took up so much headspace with his questions. And his presence. He made her shiver, even though she didn’t want to react to him at all, let alone like that. The bad-boy thing seriously worked.

  “Huh.”

  Kayla sighed. They needed to be done now. She had her laptop, and there wasn’t anything else to do right now, was there? Unless she went to the computer store to see if any of the information could be salvaged. Still, she said, “What is it?”

  He’d turned to the corner and her high cabinet. “Right here.” He pushed aside two books and pulled something from the top corner of the shelf. A collection of wires came out, attached to—“This looks like a tiny camera, maybe even a recording device, meant to transmit back to whoever set it up. Audio, video. Why would this be in your office?”

  Kayla blinked and stepped back. Could they see her now, or had it fried like her laptop? “Who could have put that there?”

  He broke the camera off the wires and held it out, but Kayla didn’t take it. She didn’t even want to touch it. She didn’t want to think about who they were or what they’d seen and heard in her office. Her thoughts crystallized into perfect clarity as Kayla realized—

  “Someone has been watching you.”

  She couldn’t move. “Andis?”

  “He does use technology sometimes, but why listen and watch if he intends to bring you in? There would have had to be a trigger that made him make a move now if it was him listening.”

  Kayla shook her head. “So, then, someone else? But who? Who could possibly want to spy on me at work?” The breath whooshed from her lungs in a rush that left her dizzy. “Are these in my house, too?”

  Conner’s face hardened. “I don’t know, Kayla.”

  SEVEN

  Conner tossed the surveillance device on the desk. He didn’t figure Andis or any of his men had planted it. Covert operations weren’t their style, though he’d seen them use it to entrap people before. Mostly when they were owed money.

  Someone wanted access to Kayla’s life without her knowledge. Could it be her father watching over her? Or the Secret Service? Surely they’d have let her know they were bugging her office.

  “We shouldn’t stay long,” he said. “We don’t know how close Manny is behind us.” He glanced at her, taking in all that pale skin and those big eyes that eclipsed her whole face. The fact that he cared about her made it a thousand times worse, not better, that he was her entire security detail.

  At least for now.

  If he called in the standby team he’d be able to leave her with professionals whose lives weren’t tied up in what happened to her. Kayla had been through way too much so far for his peace of mind. It likely wouldn’t let up until this was over, but at least he could minimize the danger to her.

  She clutched the laptop to her chest now. “You have that ‘you helpless woman, me big strong agent’ look on your face again.” Her lips curled up on one side, not like she was amused. More like she thought it was cute. “You can’t wrap me in Bubble Wrap, you know.”

  “It’s worth a thought, at least.” Conner didn’t mean it. Okay, maybe a little. Keeping her safe was creeping up his priority list like an incessant spider, now neck and neck with closing the case against Andis. His obligations tore him in two different directions. If the man wasn’t targeting Kayla, Conner would have chosen to take her far from here and given up the case. But bringing down Andis would ensure Kayla’s safety.

  He scanned Main Street outside the window. Businesses had opened for the morning, and the coffeehouse seemed to be over its before-work rush. A steady stream of traffic meandered in both directions, but it was the blue truck that caught his eye. Manny was in town.

  “New tires.”

  “What was that?”

  Conner turned. He strode toward her, handing over his cell phone as he did. “Take my phone.” He gave her his code. “My handler is listed as Mom. And give me yours.” She’d charged it at the hotel, and kept it on her since, but the numbers stored on his were their lifeline. “Sit tight here for as long as you can. If you don’t feel safe, find somewhere that is. Do whatever you need to, okay? Call the sheriff if you don’t like what you see, but if you need something, call Greg.”

  “What do you mean…?”

  Conner was already in the hall. No one was there, nor was anyone on the stairs or in the parking lot. He skirted the building and sprinted toward the pharmacy. This morning he and Manny were supposed to lean on the pharmacist, and he figured that was exactly what Manny had planned.

  It was probably a trap, but he wasn’t going to let Manny hurt the pharmacist just because he wanted to draw Conner out. That was why he’d left Kayla behind. She could call the sheriff, get protection for herself. The pharmacist had no one.

  The man hadn’t been paying Andis his “protection” money the way the other businesses in town did. He couldn’t afford it, because his grandson had leukemia.

  Conner hadn’t been sure how to help the situation. Manny was ruthless, and Conner couldn’t intervene in stuff like that without Andis realizing he wasn’t one of them. The last time this situation came up, his hands had been tied, so he’d managed to get a gig at a construction site instead.

  Bodyguard duties for the contractor—a man who owed Andis—was a better use of his Secret Service skills. But that wasn’t exactly what it had been.

  He’d kept his eyes and ears open and made sure the man wasn’t skimming off his income. Andis wanted to get paid as soon as possible, which meant Conner’s presence had been more about intimidating the man into making as much money as possible.

  At least he hadn’t had to resort to assault.

  Conner blew out a breath as he ran. Helplessness was not a feeling that he liked. Kayla would be okay, but if he didn’t bring down Andis, the town wouldn’t be. Hardworking people were being pressured into making payments to a mobster in exchange for being left alone.

  Manny’s truck roared down the street and pulled up in front of the pharmacy. Usually he was somewhat discreet, using the back parking lot. Today the man clearly wanted to make a statement.

  Conner’s stomach knotted as he watched Manny enter the pharmacy in broad daylight carrying a shotgun. Manny was happy to make an example of the pharmacist, making Conner look soft in comparison. He’d pulled Manny back from going too far and permanently hurting someone on more than one occasion.

  The door opened again. Manny dragged the pharmacist off the curb and onto the street. A car swerved, honked and then sped off. People screamed. A lady pushing a stroller started to run, dragging her tiny leashed dog away from them. Doors slammed. Some people rushed to get away, while others gawked, digging phones from pockets to videotape the situation.

  “Get out of here!” Conner couldn’t protect a whole crowd. One gunshot in their direction could hurt many, depending on what kind of shells Manny had in that thing. Didn’t they know they were close enough to get hit?

  Manny shoved the pharmacist to his knees and pointed the shotgun at the back of his head. He yelled something Conner couldn’t hear. The pharmacist went white and said something back. His hands trembled as he lifted them in surrender. This wasn’t about him, but it didn’t matter. He was going to get hurt in the cross fire with absolutely no idea it wasn’t a turf war or two bad guys fighting. No one here, except for Manny, knew
about the Secret Service. Conner didn’t exactly hang out with people in town and share his résumé or stories of being fired from the president’s detail.

  Only Kayla knew the whole truth, and she was the only one he wanted to spend time with. He needed to get this done and get back to her.

  Conner pulled his gun and held it with two hands low in front of him as he crossed the parking lot to the street as fast as he could.

  “Manny!” Not waiting for the man’s attention to shift to him, Conner aimed his gun. The pharmacist probably didn’t expect a war between Manny’s guys, but that’s what it was going to be.

  “I knew you’d come out to save him.” Manny grinned. “Now you’re a dead man, Conner.” He lifted the gun.

  “Don’t do it,” Conner yelled. “Put it down.” He should arrest this man, but then he’d never bring Andis down.

  “I knew you were still an agent. I knew it! And now I’ll prove it to Andis. Prove you aren’t the golden boy he thought you were.” Manny had no sense of self-preservation. Didn’t he know he was on camera?

  They faced off on the street, the pharmacist on his knees between them.

  “Put the shotgun down.”

  “So you can shoot me?”

  Conner held his aim. “If I was planning on it, I’d have done it already. Now let the pharmacist go back in his store. This is about you and me.”

  “And Kayla Harris. Where is she?”

  “Safe.” Please be safe. Please be calling the sheriff before this escalates any further. Conner wasn’t sure he was going to be able to contain the situation. Hopefully, Kayla was praying, too. He hadn’t gotten the chance to ask her about that cross which hung around her neck, the one that reminded him of the cross his mom had worn.

  “Bring her out. Let’s have a party.”

  “I don’t think so, Manny.”

  Andis’s man held the barrel against the pharmacist’s head. Sweat ran down the sides of the old man’s face, all caught on camera by this crowd of idiots hanging around in the line of fire. The sheriff needed to get here fast before people lost their lives.

  “Let the old man go and I’ll go with you.”