A Knight Before Christmas

by Alicia Dean

  and pick up a package, but before I go, can I use your

  computer real quick?"

  "Sure. I have some things to take care of. Help yourself to

  my office, and I'll be back in a few minutes."

  "Great. Thanks."

  Heath sat in her chair and watched the gentle sway of

  Nicolette's hips as she left the room. Those same hips had

  rested where his were resting now. A slight movement in his

  groin had him shaking his head and admonishing himself to

  get back on task. He went to the DOC web site and typed in

  Noah Forsythe. Bingo. Convicted of minor drug possession in

  142

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  '04. Out on parole since. Ted Wellington had to know that.

  Apparently, he was a sucker for a hard luck story.

  Heath tapped a pen on the desk as he stared at the

  screen. So, Noah had a history of drug use. He wasn't in the

  Renewed Hope program, so he may or may not have to

  submit to regular drug screens. If he was on parole, he most

  likely did, but a lot of times those things fell by the wayside,

  especially when the convict had been out of prison for a

  while. Based on his actions when Heath questioned him Noah

  was keeping some kind of secret to do with Rudy. If not the

  blackmailer, then he was almost certainly a drug buddy. It

  would pay to keep an eye on Mr. Forsythe.

  Nicolette came back in just as he was finishing. "Any

  luck?" she asked.

  "Yeah. Got what I needed. I'm going to head out and take

  care of a few more things."

  She nodded. "I'll see you back at the house?"

  He did his best to ignore the warm feeling those words

  evoked. "Sure thing."

  "Great. I'll be there in a few hours, but then I've got

  something to do later this evening."

  "Anything you need help with?"

  "No. But you're welcome to come along. I just have an

  apartment to look at."

  Heath lifted his brows. "You moving?"

  "No. Looking at it for a client."

  "I may tag along, if you're sure you don't mind."

  "I'd like the company."

  143

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  "Okay then, it's a date." Heath felt a silly smile trying to

  break through. He did his best to fight it off, but wasn't sure

  he succeeded.

  Heath picked the package up from the FedEx office and

  waited until he was back in the Tahoe to rip it open. Burke

  had sent everything he'd asked for.

  Good. He could install the devices right away.

  Then it occurred to him he hadn't even told Nic about the

  surveillance equipment, or that he was tapping her phones.

  How would she take the news? Would she be pissed, or would

  she understand it was a necessary step to find out who was

  making her life a living hell?

  Judging from her reaction when he'd asked for the names

  of the people she'd sent to the barbershop, she wasn't crazy

  about invasion of privacy. He was pretty sure she was less

  crazy about blackmail and murder, so she'd better just go

  along with it.

  He called Nicolette's cell. When she answered, he said,

  "I'm heading back up there. I have something I need to do at

  the charity."

  "I've already left. What is it you need to do? I'm not sure if

  anyone's still there, but I'll turn around and go back if you

  need me to."

  "If you've already left, it can wait till tomorrow. I also need

  to do it to your cell and home phone."

  "Do what to them?"

  "I'm going to tap your phones."

  "Heath, I don't think—"

  144

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  "Nicolette, please don't fight me on this. You asked for my

  help, and I want to be able to catch the call the next time the

  blackmailer phones. I have to tap your phones."

  "I'm fine with my cell and home, but the charity just

  seems wrong."

  "Has he ever called you there?" Heath waited for an

  answer and heard nothing but silence. "Nic? He has, hasn't

  he?"

  She sighed. "Yes. Yes, he has."

  "Then I'm going to tap your phone there, too. Look, I'm

  only going to listen to your calls, not the other employees,

  and I would never do anything that would hurt you. You know

  you can trust me on that, right?"

  "Of course, I do. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be questioning you.

  You're doing me a huge favor."

  "You know I'd do anything for you."

  Silence again, then her voice thickened with emotion.

  "Thanks, Heath. See you at home."

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  145

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  Chapter Ten

  While Heath waited in the driveway for Nic, he booted up

  his laptop and entered Noah Forsythe's name in the search

  engine, along with Kansas City. Nothing came up. He tried

  Ted Wellington.

  An article from the Brady County Gazette appeared on the

  screen. It was about Ted opening the shop, and it went into

  detail about his past. He had received a purple heart in the

  Gulf War. Heath sat back and stared at the screen. A guy like

  that most likely wasn't involved in the blackmail or Rudy's

  death.

  He plugged in the other names on the sticky note, but

  didn't learn anything about the people listed. Shutting down

  the computer, he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel

  while he waited for Nicolette to arrive. He could go on in to

  his side. He had a key, but he wanted to know the second she

  arrived so he could get those taps on her phones.

  The neighborhood was nearly deserted. It was early

  afternoon and adults were likely still at work, and kids were

  likely reluctant to play out in the frigid temperatures.

  Back in his day, this kind of weather wouldn't have

  stopped him and his buddies, but kids had gotten a little soft

  it seemed. They'd rather be parked in front of a video game

  than explore the dangers of sledding down a snow-covered

  hill on a thin piece of cardboard.

  At the end of the block, a couple of kids were outside.

  They were trying to build a snowman, but the snow wasn't

  146

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  sticking for them. After a few minutes, they gave up and

  began lobbing snowballs at one another. Snow was falling

  more heavily; the blizzard conditions reported by the local

  meteorologists seemed likely.

  That was another reason he should accompany Nicolette

  when she went to check out the apartments. He didn't want

  her out in a snowstorm alone.

  Movement on the side of Nicolette's duplex caught his

  attention. He leaned toward the windshield for a better look

  and saw a man climbing a ladder that leaned against the

  building. Heath wiped frost off the window with the sleeve of

  his jacket and took a closer look.

  The man slid open a window. Nicolette's bedroom?

  Son of a bi
tch.

  He vaulted from the truck and rushed to the ladder.

  Grabbing it by the rungs, he shook violently. The surprised

  occupant shouted, "Hey, what the..."

  Mutual recognition dawned.

  "Heath?" Jerome Badgett asked in bewilderment.

  "Jerome! What the fuck do you think you're doing? Get

  down from there. Now!" Heath shook the ladder again.

  "Hey, man. Take it the hell easy. Chill."

  "Get your ass down here now. You can either come down

  the easy way or the hard way, but you have two seconds to

  decide."

  Heath gave the ladder another forceful shake.

  Jerome scrambled down. When he reached the bottom,

  Heath grabbed him by the collar and slammed him to the

  ground, landing on top of Jerome as he rolled to his back.

  147

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  "Shit! That hurt." Jerome blinked up at him. "What the hell

  you doing? Are you crazy?"

  Heath gripped Jerome's collar, still straddling him. "What

  the hell were you doing up there? Was that Nicolette's

  bedroom?"

  "Yeah," he gasped.

  Heath lifted him slightly, then shoved downward. Jerome's

  head knocked against the ground, not hard enough to render

  him unconscious but hard enough to get his attention. "What

  were you doing looking in Nicolette's bedroom?"

  "Hey, dude, I work here, remember?"

  Actually, Heath had forgotten. Jerome had mentioned he

  was Nicolette's maintenance man when Heath bumped into

  him at Juniper's Cafe. But that didn't make a hell of a lot of

  difference. Jerome also said, in so many words, he wanted in

  Nic's pants.

  "So that gives you a right to be crawling into Nicolette's

  bedroom?"

  "I wasn't, man. I was fixing her window."

  "Fixing her window?"

  "Yeah, man. She called and said cold air was pouring in

  around it. I was just checking to see if I could caulk it or if it

  needed replacing."

  Shit. Heath was starting to realize he'd made an ass of

  himself. Good thing Nic wasn't here to see it.

  "Heath? What do you think you're doing?"

  Double shit. He looked up into Nicolette's furious face.

  He climbed off Jerome and helped him to his feet. Jerome

  grabbed his back and groaned in exaggeration.

  148

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  Oh, please.

  "He just attacked me," Jerome said, his voice quivering. "I

  don't know what the hell his problem is."

  Nic's brows rose questioningly. She crossed her arms and

  tapped her foot on the ground. Waiting.

  Heath shrugged, feeling more foolish by the second. "I saw

  him at your window. I thought he was...up to something."

  "Ah," she said. "You saw my maintenance man with a

  ladder and a tool belt working on my window, and you

  automatically suspect he's up to no good. I get it." She rolled

  her eyes and stalked over to Jerome, taking his arm in her

  hand. "Are you okay?"

  He sniffed and shot a triumphant look at Heath. "My back

  hurts. My head, too. And I'm freezing. Would you happen to

  have some coffee or tea or something? I need to warm up

  before I head back home."

  "Of course."

  Nicolette led Jerome around the house and up her steps,

  totally ignoring Heath. He gritted his teeth and stalked over to

  the SUV. Reaching inside, he snatched up the FedEx box he'd

  left on the seat.

  Here he had been freezing his ass waiting for Nicolette so

  he could tap her phone and protect her as soon as possible,

  yet she'd chosen to fall for Jerome's bullshit act and delay

  Heath from doing his job. Swear to God, that woman was

  starting to try his patience. As soon as she finished her

  Florence Nightingale bullshit, he would have a serious talk

  with her. One more time she opposed his methods or got in

  the way of him doing his job, she was on her own. To hell

  149

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  with her. He was helping her for free, and she bucked him at

  every turn.

  Of course you're helping her for free, you ass. She's your

  friend. And you love her. You're not exactly a pro bono knight

  in shining armor. You want in her pants. Plain and simple.

  "Fuck," he muttered as he turned the key to the duplex

  and slapped the door open. Once inside, he punched

  Nicolette's number into his phone.

  "Yes?" she answered, her tone cold.

  "I need to take care of some things if you're finished

  kissing little Jerome's boo-boos."

  "Booboos you gave him. I'm glad you think it's so funny to

  rough up an innocent man."

  He sighed. "Look. I'm sorry about Jerome, but you have to

  understand I'm trying to do my job. We need to talk and take

  care of some things. I'm heading over there, so you need to

  send your patient on his way, providing of course, he can still

  walk."

  Her frustrated growl came over the line, but Heath

  disconnected the call before she could say more. He took the

  contents of the FedEx box and marched next door.

  When Nic opened the door, Heath could tell by the set of

  her jaw that she was still angry with him. She stepped aside

  to let him enter. The loud bang as she closed the door would

  have tipped him off to her mood, even if her expression

  hadn't.

  Jerome was nowhere in sight. "Jerome leave?"

  "Yes," she said, her lips set in a grim line.

  150

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  Apparently Jerome hadn't been too incapacitated to walk,

  but Heath figured that thought was best left unexpressed.

  Since the best defense was a good offense, he said, "Look,

  I'm sorry, but you have to understand I'm trying to help you.

  I'll do whatever it takes to get the job done. You can't

  question every little thing I do."

  "Every little thing? You mean like invading my clients'

  privacy and punching out my employees?"

  "I didn't punch him."

  "Ah. My mistake. By manhandling him like some out of

  control UFC fighter and slamming his head on the ground?"

  "But I didn't hit him."

  "You hadn't hit him yet."

  He gave her the grin that more than one woman had told

  him was irresistible. "Right. Yet."

  The grin must have lost its power. She stalked across the

  room and threw her hands in the air. He followed her and set

  his equipment on the coffee table.

  "I don't get it," she said. "What were you thinking? You

  could have hurt him badly."

  "I need your phone."

  "What?"

  "I need your cell and your home phone." He held up one of

  the transmitters. "I'm going to bug them. Tomorrow, I'll

  install one in your work phone."

  "Are you not even listening to me?"

  "I am. But you don't seem to be listening to me." He

  tossed the transmitter back into the box and stared at her,

  arms crossed over his chest
. "You don't seem to understand

  151

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  how serious this could be. We're dealing with a blackmailer at

  the very least. Possibly a killer. I told you. I'm going to do

  what it takes to protect you."

  "I don't know how you could think it was Jerome. You've

  known him forever. He's been great to me since Rudy died."

  Heath shook his head. "He's been great because he has a

  thing for you. Not much of a leap from stalker to

  blackmailer."

  "You don't know what you're talking about. He doesn't

  have a thing for me, and he's not a freaking stalker. He's my

  maintenance man."

  "Look. We have no idea who's doing this. Until this guy's

  caught, we have to suspect everyone. Why can't you realize

  I'm trying to help you?"

  Sighing, she brushed her hands through her hair. "I'm

  sorry. You're right. I know you're only doing what you think is

  best. I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

  He reached down and picked up the transmitter again. "If

  you let me put this in your phone."

  "Okay, fine." She walked over to her purse. Digging inside,

  she pulled out her cell and handed it to him. "Go for it,

  Inspector Gadget."

  He laughed and took the phone from her. When he'd

  installed the transmitter in her cell and her home phone, he

  explained, "Your conversations will be recorded. If he calls,

  tell me right away, and I'll listen to the recording. I promise

  I'll only listen to his calls."

  "Okay. Do what you have to do."

  152

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  "I'll do whatever it takes to protect you, Nicolette." He

  moved closer and looked down into hazel eyes that had

  flashed green fire only seconds ago. Now they looked sort

  of...soft. "You understand that's my number one priority,

  right? That's what I'm here for."

  She nodded. "I know. And I appreciate that."

  Tingles moved along his spine, a condition he seemed to

  experience every time Nicolette was near. Another inch or

  two closer and they'd be touching...

  He moved back a step so he could breathe. "No problem. I

  really need you to let me do it my way." He made his voice

  hard. "If you're not going to do that, I'm out of here."

  She didn't have to know it was an idle threat. No way

  could he leave her, not until he had to. Until he knew she was