The Agent

by Herkness, Nancy

  “Better than good,” Natalie agreed.

  Tully’s cell phone pinged and he glanced down at where it lay on the table. “Jenya’s here. She’s your bodyguard for the weekend.” He tapped his index finger on the table a couple of times. “Look, Jenya’s excellent, but I’d feel better if I took the night shift at your house. I’ll sleep in the guest room.”

  Every cell in her body yearned to say yes, to keep him with her just a little longer. She gave him a level gaze. “There’s no way you’d sleep in the guest room. And I’m not suggesting that it would be your fault.”

  For a moment, they simply looked at each other, the air around them charged with the truth of that.

  He shoved his half-eaten omelet away and stood. “Right. Jenya stays.”

  Natalie rose too, feeling awkward about how to say goodbye. “Thank you,” she started.

  He waved off her gratitude as he came around the table. He leaned down to kiss her briefly on the lips. “We’re okay, Nat? No hard feelings on either side. That’s keeping it neat.”

  His mouth was so warm and firm. She wanted to grab his shirt and yank him back for a longer farewell kiss. “We’re okay,” she agreed, lifting her hand to press her palm against his cheek for a mere second. It would have to be enough.

  She pivoted toward the kitchen door, somehow managing to get through it without releasing the sob trying to climb out of her throat. Worse, Tully was right behind her in the hallway. She could feel his presence even though, as usual, he walked as silently as a cat.

  “I’ll introduce you to Jenya and then you can be on your way. Back to your normal life,” he repeated with a slight edge.

  She nodded because she couldn’t trust herself to speak, grabbing her bag and heading for the back door. She waited until he’d disarmed the alarm before she reached for the knob, their hands colliding as he also extended his arm to open it. The unexpected contact wrenched a strangled sound from her, but Tully either didn’t hear it or chose to ignore it. He opened the door for her to pass through.

  A tall woman with huge dark eyes and lustrous black hair pulled back in a ponytail stood by the now-familiar black SUV. She wore a white silk blouse and navy trousers.

  “Natalie, Jenya here will be taking care of you,” Tully said as they walked down the steps. “Jenya, slight change of plans. You’ll be staying with Natalie in New Jersey the entire weekend.”

  A flicker of surprise crossed Jenya’s face before she smiled and came forward with her hand outstretched. “A pleasure, Natalie.”

  “Same here,” Natalie said, forcing an answering smile. Maybe it was better to have a buffer when she parted from Tully.

  He opened the car door for her and offered his hand to help her climb into the high vehicle. One more painful reminder of how perfect it felt to be touched by him. And then she was in the seat and the door closed firmly between them. Tully lifted a hand in farewell as Jenya pulled the car onto the quiet cross street.

  Natalie kept her gaze resolutely forward even as she felt every fiber of her heart and body being ripped away from the man she’d stupidly fallen in love with.

  As the SUV rolled out of the courtyard, Tully let his hand fall and trudged up the steps to his house. Walking into the grand entrance hall, he stopped and stared at the piano, images of Natalie spinning through his brain. He walked over to it and ran the back of his fingers up the keyboard in a ripple of sound that echoed off the walls and ceiling.

  That was how he felt: empty enough for echoes of her to ricochet around inside him.

  He pressed his fingers on a random set of keys, a discordant jangle, as anger seethed inside him.

  What the hell had he done to spook her? She wouldn’t be frightened away by his revelations about his family. She didn’t judge people that way.

  She was firm on the fact that she didn’t want to get married again, so his stance on that subject wouldn’t have bothered her.

  He slammed his hand down on the keyboard once more. What had made her run?

  Because that was what she had done.

  He tried to hold on to it but the anger drained away, leaving that hollowness again.

  He sank onto the piano stool and put his elbows on the keys in another clash of sound before he dropped his head into his hands.

  He’d gone into this with his eyes open. He’d been attracted to Natalie since he’d met her at one of Derek and Alice’s parties. When they’d had to spend so much time together during the run-up to the wedding, the attraction had flared hotter and he’d seen the reflection of it in her eyes. So he’d acted on it, figuring they were both going into the relationship with the same expectations.

  Natalie had stayed true to hers. He wasn’t so sure he had.

  There was always some fallout when two people split up, but it had never before made him feel like his life had turned gray.

  So maybe he’d gotten in deeper than he thought. Maybe that was what Natalie had sensed last night. And she didn’t want that from him, so she’d ended it.

  Or maybe she didn’t want him because he had so little to offer. She was a smart woman.

  But he felt like shit.

  Natalie was grateful that it was Saturday and therefore the salon was hopping, although the howl of blow-dryers gave her a headache. Gino made her eat lunch at about two o’clock because he said she looked pale. Little did he know that it had nothing to do with physical hunger.

  She had just finished a blowout when Deion appeared beside her chair. She’d noticed the sudden drop in chatter and now she knew why. When she glanced around, most of the customers, as well as her female stylists, were either openly or surreptitiously eyeing him in his well-cut suit. Deion, however, was frowning and oblivious.

  “Nat, I need to talk to you in private,” he said in a low voice.

  “Give me about three minutes, and I’ll meet you in my office.” She needed to check her client’s bangs for length now that they were dry.

  When she got to her office, Deion was pacing the small space in front of her desk. “You look like you’re dressed for work at the mall. I thought your boss let you go without the two weeks’ notice,” she said, sinking into her chair as the depression of Tully’s absence swamped her.

  “Someone called in sick, so I did her a favor and filled in.” Deion sat down but exuded a coiled tension that made him seem ready to spring up again at any moment. “I just got back from the store and was unlocking the back door when a woman came up to me. Her name is Sarah Lacey and she says she’s a customer here.”

  The name was familiar but Natalie couldn’t put a face to it. “What does she want?”

  “To use your guest room to hide from her husband.”

  Natalie sat up in her chair. “Tonight?”

  “Yes. She has a bag with her and she looks scared shitless.”

  “Where is she?” Natalie couldn’t believe this was happening right now. She had never felt less able to be someone else’s pillar of strength. And her stalker was watching her house.

  “She’s in the kitchen,” Deion said. “But before you start with her, you need to make sure that she’s really a client.”

  “Why would she lie about that?” But Natalie flipped open the laptop to query her client database.

  “Because of the timing. Maybe your stalker sent her.”

  Natalie glanced up at Deion’s stern expression. “Wow, you’ve already gotten in the security mindset. But it seems a little farfetched.”

  He shook his head and shifted his gaze to her laptop.

  Natalie typed in the woman’s name. “Sarah is one of Gino’s clients. She’s been coming here for about two years.”

  “I want Gino to see her in order to confirm she’s really who she says she is.”

  Natalie was touched and a little impressed. Deion was taking this seriously. “I’ll get him and meet you in the kitchen.”

  “Jenya should join us too.”

  “You know Jenya?” When Natalie had left her chair to come to her
office, Jenya had checked in on where she was going.

  “She vetted me before she let me come to your office,” Deion said. “She’s good.”

  As Natalie and Deion walked into the spa room, Jenya got up from the sofa and joined them, a frown on her face. “I think we should find Sarah Lacey somewhere else to stay.”

  Natalie was tempted but she couldn’t do that to a woman in need. “It’s not just a room. It’s support from someone who’s been there.”

  Jenya and Deion both looked unconvinced. She waved them down the hallway and detoured through the salon to find Gino.

  “What’s this about?” Gino asked as she led him toward the kitchen.

  “Sarah Lacey is your client, right?”

  “Yeah, since a couple of years ago. Why?”

  “She’s here.” Natalie lowered her voice to a murmur. “She wants to stay in my guest room. I just want you to confirm it’s her.”

  “Not good timing with the stalker around.” Gino kept his voice low as they passed the reception desk. Halfway down the hall, he came to an abrupt halt. “Shit, could this have something to do with your stalker?”

  “So now you’re jumping on the bandwagon? Jenya and Deion are worried about the same thing.” Natalie just didn’t see how Dobs Van Houten could persuade one of the Mane Attraction’s clients to pretend she needed Natalie’s help. What would he gain by it, even if he did?

  “You can’t be too careful.” He squared his shoulders, shifting into the role of protective male. “Let’s see what’s going on here.”

  She didn’t need Tully now, did she? She had plenty of people to protect her. The thought didn’t cheer her up.

  They walked through the kitchen door to find Deion, Jenya, and a young woman seated at the long table where the staff ate. Sarah Lacey’s hair was brown with subtle blonde streaks, cut to just above her shoulders. Natalie gave Gino kudos for his good work.

  The woman had wide blue eyes in a fine-boned face and wore a pink polo shirt, gold shell earrings, and a diamond engagement ring and matching wedding band that seemed too big for her delicate hand. Deion was right: she looked nervous to the point of terror, her pink lipstick half-eaten off her tightly pressed-together lips, her gaze jerking toward Natalie and Gino in panic.

  “Sarah, so good to see you.” Gino flashed his flirtatious smile. “When Natalie told me you were here, I had to say hello. How’s the brightening shampoo working for you? Good?”

  Sarah looked confused. “The shampoo? Oh . . . it’s fine, I guess. Yes, it’s great.” She nodded emphatically. “I love it. Thank you.”

  “Great! Just wanted to check in.” Gino turned so his broad back was to the table. He nodded to Natalie and gave a thumbs-up close to his chest to indicate Sarah was the real deal.

  Natalie gave him a nod in return. “Thanks for checking on Sarah, Gino. I know you have a client waiting.”

  Gino hesitated, his glance traveling between Deion and Jenya before he nodded and walked out the door.

  Natalie took a seat beside the frightened woman. “Sarah, I understand you need my help.”

  Tears leaked from Sarah’s eyes. “Oh, God, yes! Yes, I do!”

  “Deion, could you grab that tissue box from the counter?” Natalie asked before she took Sarah’s shaking hands in hers. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  Sarah looked down at their joined hands and said in a low voice, “I need to stay with you. My husband is awful to me. I want to get a divorce, but I’m afraid to be in the house with him.”

  Natalie gave Sarah’s hands a comforting squeeze. “Of course. Do you have children?”

  Sarah’s head lifted as though she’d been hit by an electric shock. “Why do you ask?”

  “Because I want to make sure they’re safe too.”

  “Oh.” A sob shuddered through Sarah. “I have a daughter—Sophia—but Harry would never hurt her. He adores her.”

  “Even if you leave him? He might be angry about that.” Natalie kept her tone gentle.

  Sarah shook her head and repeated in a quavering voice, “Harry would never hurt Sophia. He would be so upset if something happened to her.” She drew in a breath. “I know you think it’s wrong that I didn’t bring her with me, but he would come after me if I did. I was too afraid . . .” A fresh spate of tears ran down her cheeks.

  Natalie didn’t push it. However, she was still surprised that Sarah would leave her daughter behind.

  “Please!” Sarah begged. “I need to stay with you. I’m so scared.” She broke down and cried full out, her slim body shaking.

  Natalie looked at Jenya and Deion. How could they not believe that this woman was in genuine distress?

  She turned back to Sarah. “Of course you can come. I have one more appointment and then we’ll take you there. For now you can sit in my office, where it’s quiet and private.”

  Sarah leaped up from her chair. “Yes! I’ll never be able to thank you enough.” She grabbed her big tote bag from the chair and clutched it against her chest as though it held her most precious belongings. Maybe it did.

  “I’d like to take a look in your bag,” Jenya said to Sarah in a strange echo of Natalie’s thoughts.

  Sarah shrank back and stared at the bodyguard like a deer in headlights. “What?! Why?”

  Natalie started to object, but Jenya gave her a warning look before she held out her hand to Sarah. “Because I’m in charge of Natalie’s safety.”

  Confusion clouded Sarah’s face. “It’s just my wallet, my toiletries, and some photos I didn’t want to leave behind.”

  Jenya’s hand remained outstretched. Natalie held her breath, wondering if Jenya was right, until Sarah unlocked her grip on the tote and handed it over.

  “Jenya’s job is security,” Natalie said soothingly as the bodyguard practically turned the bag inside out on the kitchen table. “She’s very careful.” It sounded ridiculous, she knew, but Sarah nodded, even though her gaze was riveted on Jenya.

  The bodyguard put everything back in the bag and returned it to Sarah. “Thanks.”

  Once again Sarah cradled it to her chest. As the little group made its way toward Natalie’s office, Sarah cast nervous glances at Jenya and Deion. When Natalie had settled her in one of the chairs in front of her desk, Sarah leaned in and whispered, “Are both of them coming to your house with us?”

  “Just Jenya. She’s staying with me right now.” Natalie didn’t want to add to Sarah’s fears by telling her about the stalker. “Don’t worry. I have room for both of you.”

  Although Jenya would have to sleep on the sofa bed. She didn’t want to put Sarah on the ground floor near big glass doors. That would probably make her even more anxious.

  “Oh.” Sarah subsided into the chair, her bag still held tight against her like a child’s teddy bear.

  “Do you want something to drink?” Natalie asked, kneeling in front of her.

  “No, I just want to go,” the other woman said, her mascara streaked down her cheeks. Natalie reached over to her desk and grabbed more tissues to hand to Sarah.

  Natalie stood. “I’ll finish up as quickly as I can.”

  When she came out of her office, Jenya and Deion were huddled together in the hallway, talking in low voices. They stopped when they saw her.

  “Let’s go somewhere private,” Natalie said. She led the way to the treatment room where she and Tully had made creative use of the massage table. The memory sent a flash of heat followed by a wave of sadness through her. She turned her back to the table. “I know what you’re going to say, but how can I turn her away? No one could cry that much if she wasn’t truly upset and terrified. Was there anything suspicious in her bag?”

  “It had exactly what she said in it,” Jenya said. “But that doesn’t mean she’s not a problem. What if your stalker decides to escalate while Sarah is staying with you? Then she’s in danger too. And her presence might even be used as leverage against you.”

  “You mean he would threaten her to get to me somehow?”<
br />
  “Something like that,” Jenya said. “I can get her to a safe house that we use for KRG clients.”

  Natalie understood that Jenya—and now Deion—had to expect the worst in every situation. That was their job. Her job was to help a fellow human being through a tough time. She wasn’t going to let the stalker prevent her from supporting Sarah Lacey when the terrified woman needed it most.

  “It’s a generous offer, but my sanctuary is about more than a place to stay. It’s about support and sympathy. Your safe house doesn’t offer those.”

  “I can take you there too,” Jenya said.

  Natalie shook her head. “The stalker hasn’t bothered me in almost three days. I want to sleep in my own bed.” She needed to wrap herself in the familiarity of her own home to help her get through the regret and misery of her breakup with Tully. Focusing on Sarah would keep those thoughts at bay too. “Besides, you’ll be there to protect both of us, if necessary. Not to mention all the surveillance cameras.”

  “I figured.” Deion shrugged at Jenya.

  The bodyguard’s mouth tightened. “Tully won’t be happy about this.”

  The sound of his name plunged a dagger of pain into Natalie’s body. She swallowed a gasp of shock. Thank God she’d broken it off with him now. If she’d let it continue any longer, she wouldn’t have survived the ending.

  Jenya opened the door of the treatment room and waved Natalie out without further argument.

  Two hours later, the big black SUV pulled into Natalie’s driveway and Jenya jumped out to do reconnaissance. Sarah started to open her door, but Natalie turned in her seat and forced a smile. “We need to wait. Jenya likes to make sure everything is safe, even at my house. Being a security pro, she’s a little paranoid, so I humor her.”

  “Oh, okay.” Sarah settled back against the seat, but her eyes were stretched open with fear again and she hugged her bag closer.

  “To be honest, I’ve had some trouble with vandalism recently,” Natalie said, deciding to embellish her thin story.