by Gina Kincade
Ty handed her a full plate in exchange for the glass that she held. Well, well. She’d thought he was fixing the plate for himself. The bear is thoughtful, eh? “Thank you. You gave me too much.”
“Just eat what you can and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“All right. Well, one of you can take the chair. The floor is clean if you prefer that.”
Agent Cartwright glanced at the floor then shook his head.
Shayne shrugged. “The officer said I must have been the shooter’s target. Do you think he’s right, Agent Cartwright?”
“Ty.”
“Excuse me?”
“My name is Ty.”
Oh, god. What a sexy name. Shayne’s heart thudded against her chest. Easy Shayne.
“I’m Grady.”
Shayne nodded at Grady then looked over at Ty again. “Okay. So, do you think the shooter wanted me dead?”
“Don’t know.”
“Come on, guys. I’m not a little girl. I can handle the truth.”
“Too soon to tell.”
“Fine. So, what’ll happen with my cello?”
“Your cello is part of an evidence now,” Ty explained. He ate while leaning against the doorjamb.
“I really need it.”
“It’s broken,” Grady stated with a mouthful.
Shayne scowled at him. She didn’t need a reminder that her cello was beyond repair.
“What?” Grady retorted. “Seriously, it’s beyond repair. You saw it, Ty, right?”
Ty nodded.
“I have to show it to Seattle Symphony Orchestra Director. To prove that it’s not my fault that it has an extra hole on it now.”
“Can you get a replacement?” Ty asked.
“Replace a cello that was once belonged to a renowned cellist? Ty, that cello is basically irreplaceable.”
“That sucks.” Grady served himself more rice.
Shayne sighed. “Do you think whoever tried to shoot me, shot Lisa Mae, too?”
“That’s what the investigation shows.”
“Lisa Mae,” she whispered. “Why would someone shoot a little girl?”
“My guess is the shooter missed you and hit the girl instead,” Grady said. His tone turned hard.
Shayne frowned trying to digest this. “Please explain.” Please, please don’t tell me Lisa Mae died because of me?
The agents shared a look again.
They were so astute, keen, and if she were right…they could read minds.
“It’s not your fault about what happened to Lisa Mae. Don’t even entertain that thought or it’ll eat your insides.”
“Should have been me. A little girl—”
“Stop, Shayne. What you could do is think if you’ve made enemies lately,” Ty suggested.
“I don’t have enemies.”
“No one that you know of,” Ty remarked. His gaze burrowed into hers before pushing off the doorjamb. He went into the kitchen.
Shayne was surprised when she heard the water run. Okay, was he washing his own plate? And then she heard her cupboard open followed by the soft clink of her plates. Really? Did he just wash his own plate? “No.”
When Ty came back, he eyed her man-eating-couch, sighed then sat on the edge of it. “Anybody you know who is really pissed at you?”
“Pissed?”
“Upset. Enough to put a lead inside you. Anybody?”
“Goodness. No.” She made a move to leave her chair.
Ty shook his head at her.
“I’m a doctor, okay? I operate, heal, try to cure ailments. And save lives. That’s what I do. Not sell marijuana, meth, cocaine, morphine, hydrocodone, or vicodin. So no. I don’t have enemies.”
Grady pushed his chair back then crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re an active volunteer at Inpatient Rehab Center, right?”
“Right. But—”
“Someone you said no to getting a prescription?”
“I’ve said no to a lot of them.”
Grady waved a hand in the air. “There you go, Ty. Maybe she really pissed someone off.”
“Oh, God. Most of those people are my friends. They wouldn’t want to shoot me. Besides, I don’t think they’d spend their money on a gun. They’d buy drugs first.”
“How about a suitor or ex-boyfriend?”
“Suitor?”
“Admirer, beau, any man who follows your footsteps.”
“No one serious.” She broke Bart’s heart, but the man would never touch anything except for his violin. He would probably pass out if he touched a gun.
Each time she gave the agents a reply they would look at each other as if they were communicating. Kind of annoying. She wished they would just tell her what they thought, instead of leaving her wondering. “How long is this investigation going to be?”
Ty stared at her. “Until we nail the son-of-a-bitch.”
“All right. So in the meantime, I’ll just have to keep looking behind me. Is that it?”
“Behind, front, back, side,” Grady replied in a hard tone. “Someone is trying to kill you. You have to be vigilant at all times.”
“Live in fear, you mean?”
“Fear is good sometimes, Shayne.” Ty replied. “It’ll keep you safe. Running away from a fight doesn’t mean you’re a coward. Besides, it’s too soon to poke your head out to see what’s happening outside, love. We know little. So be patient.”
Oh, my. Did Ty just call me love? “I understand, but I can’t just sit here. I’m a doctor and—”
“I already talked to your supervisor,” Ty snapped.
Shayne frowned at him. Annoyed at the way he talked to her as if he ruled over her life. “About what? I’m on call at the hospital. But I’ve always been beeped. So—”
Ty stood up. “Until we’ve figured things out, you can’t leave this apartment alone. Not until I tell you it is safe to go.”
“Excuse me?” Shayne didn’t know how to react to Ty’s attitude, so she looked over at Grady questioningly. But the man only grinned at her. What in the world? “What do you mean?”
“You have to stay indoors. If you need to go out, whoever is on duty, will go with you.”
“One of us will be with you twenty-four seven,” Grady added.
“That’s not necessary. Sheez. That’s preposterous!”
“It’s not, if you want to stay alive, Shayne.” Grady pointed at his plate. “Besides, I don’t mind watching you if you cook a meal this good all the time.”
“But what do you think could happen if I’m in the hospital? I always stay there most of the time. I even sleep there. My apartment is just a place to keep my stuff in.”
“What stuff?” Grady asked with a big grin.
“Ha. Ha.” Good lord. She couldn’t imagine having one of these big lugs in her apartment. Lounging, watching her every move. If Ty stayed, how was she going to concentrate? Yeah, he’d been acting like a bear around her, but still he looked like a yummy dessert she wanted to pig-out on. It was hard enough to have him sitting an arm’s length away from her, but to have him here as just the two of them, might make her do something irrational. Like running her hands over his arms, touch his ass, or kiss him.
Jesus! Her hormones were jumping out of her skin already. To top it off, she would have to let them know what she had scheduled and needed to do. Hell, she moved out of her parent’s house at eighteen because she wanted to do things on her own. She didn’t need an agent watching over her!
“Shayne?”
She blinked. “Yeah?”
“I said I’d take the first shift.”
Shayne met Ty’s gaze. “You two really are going to be my shields, bodyguards or something?”
Ty nodded.
“Ty, I really understand what you’re trying to do. You two want to keep me safe. But I can’t just put everything on hold. I have to go to the hospital to check my schedule. I need my things and have people to call.”
“Fine. Just let me know when to leave. We can
be in the hospital in no time.”
“Shayne, one piece of advice. When we tell you to stay put, you stay. Got it?”
Shayne stared at Grady. “Stay put?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’m not a little—”
“We know,” Ty said. “Just listen to us and things will be easier.”
“Okay, you guys. Let me sum up what happened here. The shooter, who must be really blind, shot and killed Lisa Mae, instead of me. Today, the ugly shooter tried again and killed my cello instead. Obviously, someone is trying to kill me. Why….We don’t know yet. Correct?”
“Yes. But whoever the bastard is, will fail.”
“How do you know?”
Ty grinned. “Because baby…I will kill him first.”
Chapter Two
Ty couldn’t believe it. The stubborn woman left her apartment at six in the morning and left a note on her fucking front door. How thick can you get? For a genius doctor, Shayne just made a stupid move. What in the world, did she miss when he explained that someone could be out there with a mission to take her out? She understood. Those were her words. Obviously, though, she didn’t. Damn it!
He fished his cell from his pocket then dialed Shayne’s number. She didn’t pick up. Fuck. He should’ve stayed last night, instead of going home to get his duffel bag. But he had to take a short time away from Shayne. The woman had an annoying effect on him. He couldn’t stop staring at her, whenever he saw her, his insides melted and…there was this strong urge to touch her hair to see if it was as silky as it looked. Every minute he sat on her lumpy couch, the apartment seemed to get smaller and smaller. Shayne’s shampoo lingered in the air, her voice—soft and angelic—played in his ear, and her fucking pajama pants with elephants printed on them were too sexy. He would have to leave the room. Otherwise, he might attack her like a sailor who spent months at sea, using only his hands to please himself.
The moment he laid his eyes on Shayne, an odd feeling of wanting to wrap his whole body around her, to protect her, almost overwhelmed him. She looked fragile, so feminine, but oozed strength. The top of her head barely touched his chin, her sunkissed skin, and her face….damn. He couldn’t stop staring at her. Her lips beckoned to be kissed and her body called out to be touched. He wanted to see her dark hair down. He wanted to look into her blue-eyes when she came. He wanted her.
And what the fuck was he going to do about it?
According to her record, she’d finished her undergraduate two years early and landed at the top of her graduating class. A genius some of professors quoted and an answer to a patient’s prayer request at the hospital. He also found out that her father wasn’t just a governor of Washington but also a retired CEO for the biggest computer company in Seattle, owned shares from the number one coffee company in the world, and numerous office complexes in Seattle. Shayne moved out of their house when she was just eighteen. She had a stepmother and stepsister whom Shayne didn’t get along with.
The woman was so gorgeous and smart. He couldn’t think of anyone who wanted to do her harm. Except, maybe a woman riddled with jealousy. Or a man. But who? Shit. He had a feeling this case wouldn’t be solved in a hurry.
No matter. Whoever shot at Shayne would fucking bleed.
Ty shook his head thinking about the woman. Shayne said she didn’t have a boyfriend. That little information made his heart smile. Fucking weird. The feeling he’d had when he saw her picture had turned into a full blown infatuation. A strong one, too. Ty thought about how Shayne looked at him last night before closing the front door. She was freaking enchanting. Damn. He couldn’t even remember feeling like this since he was a teenager. Not good.
A few hours ago, he got a call from the lab. The bullet that killed Lisa Mae came from the same gun that hit Shayne’s cello. However, it wasn’t registered. One thing for sure though, someone wanted her out. And that’s what he should be thinking about and not how good Shayne looked in her dammed pajamas.
Fuck! Why target an innocent doctor? Her future brother in-law had been walking on the wrong side of the law. He’d done time, but Ty didn’t see any crumbs in the bastard’s file for him to follow. Fuckin’ A.
He read the note again, then pocketed it. Lake View Park. Yeah, he knew she liked to run there, but he didn’t think that she would actually do it this morning—a day after someone had tried to kill her no less. Ty got back in his car as he dialed Shayne’s number for the third time and drove over the speed limit. When he found her, he would wring the damn woman’s neck then maybe, just maybe, he’d kiss her.
After the short but rushed drive, he could see that the lights from the posts provided visibility around the park, but not bright enough to see anyone. The whole place looked like a cemetery. Quiet. Who would go out jogging at this early? Oh, yeah. The doctor. The woman he’d instructed to stay in her damn apartment. Where in the fucking world was he supposed to find her?
Ty was looking around when it dawned on him that maybe Shayne wasn’t even at the park but in the hospital. No. She wouldn’t lie. He didn’t think this woman was capable. He started walking fast following the long narrow path. What a perfect place to get killed. Deserted. No witnesses. She could be tossed into the lake and no one would find her. Damn it, Shayne.
He was about to dial Shayne’s number again, when a small figure appeared around the corner. He recognized her right away. Ty let out a deep breath, relieved to see her still among the living. He stopped walking and waited. Light from the post gave Shayne an ethereal look. What a beauty. It was a wonder she didn’t have a boyfriend.
Shayne slowed her walking and looked ready to bolt.
“Come here,” Ty ordered in a gruff tone.
“Why?” Shayne asked but moved toward him anyway.
He hid his grin. Silly woman. He saw she was holding her phone. So, she knew he was calling but hadn’t picked up. “What are you doing here?”
“Jogging. I wrote it on my note.”
“I saw your note. What I don’t understand is why you would come here jogging at this god forsaken hour. Alone.”
An arm’s length away, Shayne stopped and stared at him. “I’m sure you wouldn’t let me come here if I told you.”
“Got that right.” Ty crossed his arms over his chest. “Forgot about everything that Grady and I explained yesterday? Or maybe you didn’t understood?”
“Hey…” Shayne took a step closer then poked her finger on his chest. “I understood everything. But I figured that if the stupid shooter would miss shooting me, he’s a lazy shot. Therefore, a lazy ass like him wouldn’t get up as early as five in the morning to kill me.”
Ty couldn’t believe the doctor’s logic. He grabbed her hand. “So, you’re tempting fate, is that it?”
“No. I’m not going to let an asshole who shot Lisa Mae and my cello win.” Tears began to roll down her cheeks. “If I stop doing everything that I love doing, then he just took over my life. For your information, I am not going to let that happen.”
Ty kept his hold on Shayne’s hand. Slowly, he pulled her close to him, then wrapped his arm around her. “I’m sorry, love. We’ll get the bastard. But we need to be on the same page. Otherwise, he’ll get us both. Time, Shayne. We need time.” Anger wrapped around Ty’s body when he felt Shayne’s whole body shake. He leaned his cheek against the side of her head and held her tight.
Together, they stood in that position until she stopped crying.
“This is temporary. I promise.”
Ray of lights began penetrating the opening between the lines of trees. Soon, the park would be busy. Maybe Shayne was right that the shooter wouldn’t get up so early in the morning and wouldn’t follow her here, but they were out in the open and he didn’t like it one bit. The other side of him, though, didn’t want to release his hold on Shayne.
When Shayne tried to pull from his embrace, he instinctively tightened his hold on her. Realizing what he’d just done, he quickly let go, then took a step back. “Are you done joggin
g?”
“Why?”
“I want breakfast. I know a hole-in-a-wall breakfast joint.” Ty grabbed Shayne’s hand again. He started walking, but it felt like he was pulling an unwilling pet along when it refused to leave the park. He stopped then turned around. “What? Want me to carry you?”
“No.” Shayne scowled. “Shouldn’t I go home first? I mean, I’m in my sweaty tank top and shorts.”
“Where we’re going, you’ll feel overdressed.”
“What?”
“Trust me.” Ty started walking again.
“You’re not taking me to a nude bar, are you?”
He grinned. “That’s an idea.”
****
He’d had women riding with him in his car, but never felt like a silly schoolboy. Fuck. The whole time he was driving, he kept glancing over to Shayne and her long smooth legs. Luckily, she was busy looking outside. Ty breathed a sigh of relief when they finally parked in front Beth’s Café. He really needed to be in a place with more room than his car and with people around. Being alone with Shayne made his body yearn for something carnal.
“Beth’s Café.” Shayne read the red sign on the brick wall.
“Yup. Beth is wonderful. Beautiful inside and out. She’s a special woman to me. I love her to the moon and back.”
“To the moon and back?”
“Yup.”
“I thought only teenagers said that. Well, teens in the fifties that is. Kind of like I love you ten times over.”
“You do?”
“What?”
Ty grinned. “Love me ten times over.”
“Ha-ha. So, she’s actually working here.”
“Heck, yeah. Why? What’s wrong with this place?”
“Nothing. How long have you known Beth?”
“Five years now. Her door is always open whenever I need her.”
Shayne raised a brow, then mumbled, “I wonder what kind of door she’s got open.”
Ty heard what she’d said. He wanted to laugh, but thought better of it. The woman was so transparent. “She manages the kitchen. If you’re lucky, she might sit down and visit with us.”
