Silver Shield Security Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  She’d done that to him.

  It was too much for her. Janey clutched her hair and gave way to the heartbreak that had taken over her soul. She let the sobs wrack her body as she poured out her grief.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Drew walked through the streets of the central business district of Tampa. He’d walked these streets aimlessly for the last three days.

  And then just when he was losing hope, he’d seen her at the coffee shop.

  Janey.

  His heart thumped in his chest. Twelve weeks, two days and eighteen hours. That was how long she’d been gone.

  Three months.

  He could not believe that he’d found her. She was so different, and it was not just the changes she’d made to her hair or the makeup on her face. She had lost a lot of weight and while Janey had never been overweight, she’d had deliciously delectable curves.

  There was also a brittle look to her. His Janey was soft and gentle and he’d caught a glimpse of that Janey when she’d first seen him. Then the hard outer layer had covered it up. The changes disturbed him.

  Regardless of the changes he’d seen, he recognized her. Even if she were covered from head to toe. His soul would recognize her anywhere.

  He had entered Florida state lines with the team and lost Janey’s trail. She did not seem to have stopped anywhere, and was not using her credit card. After they’d lost her trail, he’d sent the others back to Chicago and continued on alone, driving from city to city.

  From Tallahassee to Jacksonville. He would drive into a city, drive around or if it was night time, book a hotel, then spend the next few days driving around.

  He’d even stopped at the other towns; Lake City, Gainesville and Daytona Beach. But the moment he’d driven into those towns, he hadn’t felt right. They did not seem like places Janey would end up.

  He tried to think like someone on the run. If he wanted to disappear, he would go to a large city. It was much easier to disappear there and it was also very different from Janey’s comfort zone.

  Janey was smart. She would not go to a town that was very much like hers. It was too easy.

  He’d wanted to go all the way to Orlando then on a hunch, he’d ended up in Tampa.

  He didn’t know what he’d expected. He hadn’t really expected to run into her the way he had. He thought of what Rusty had told him about the phone.

  It had definitely been hacked and the IP led them back to Chicago. To a particular area of Chicago. Each time he thought of the implication, a chill went through him.

  Then there had been that text message on Janey’s phone.

  He needed to find her desperately. If the people after her were those they suspected, then she was in grave danger and it was only a matter of time before they caught up with her.

  He stopped and peered into a window display. Through the reflection from the windows he saw the woman sitting with other shoppers, pretending to read a book, but watching him intently.

  She’d been following him for a couple of hours. When he stepped out of the hotel that morning, she’d been there, stopping a taxi. She’d probably found out where he was staying, which wasn’t difficult to do since he’d left his details with the dude at the coffee shop, in the hope that maybe Janey would contact him.

  He had seen the anguish and yes, love, in her eyes before she’d shut down.

  A thick vice wrapped around his chest and squeezed. Since she left, his life had lost meaning. Okay, well, that was overly dramatic. He was beginning to sound like his mother.

  But it was no exaggeration.

  Without Janey, his life was…he searched around for the right word.

  Desolate.

  His life was desolate. Like a black and white clip, without sound, with all the colors leached out. It struck him then that he’d lost his joy.

  She was his joy.

  These days he slept in fits, just enough to keep him slightly above functional. He forced himself to eat to maintain his strength, but most times, he plain forgot. He was functioning, because he’d been trained to do so.

  Which was why he’d noticed the man trailing him several weeks ago. He’d followed him for a few days. Drew managed to shake him off in Jacksonville. He thought about the black eye and the broken nose he’d left the stalker with and felt satisfaction course through him.

  And now, this woman thought she could follow him unseen.

  He would have been amused, if he was not curious and hopeful. Curious because she was an amateur and he could have ambushed her at any given point in time. Hopeful because she had been with Janey the other day and he knew she would lead him to her.

  He doubled back and walked towards the entrance of a mall. She ducked, hiding her face behind her book. He pretended not to see her.

  He walked in and turned right, knowing that he was not visible from outside. Then he turned another corner and pressing his back to the wall, waited. He had chosen his spot strategically. He had a clear view of the sliding doors at the mall entrance.

  It wasn’t long before she walked in through the doors. She paused and looked around her. She had three options. She could either walk straight on, turn left or turn right towards where Drew was waiting.

  Or she could take a fourth option and walk out, which he didn’t think she would.

  Straightening her shoulders, she marched forward. Drew let her walk some distance, then followed. The hunter had become the hunted.

  It was still quite early, so there weren’t a lot of people in the mall, which suited Drew just fine. He followed her at a distance without losing her.

  Up ahead, he saw the sign leading towards the restrooms. She turned in that direction. He picked up speed, walking stealthily. When he got to the turning, he slowed down. Shoving his hands into his pocket, he brought out his cell phone and came to a complete stop. He brought the phone to his ears, nodding every few seconds.

  With the phone pressed to his ear, he leaned against the wall and then peeped in the direction where the woman had gone. He saw her disappear into the ladies room. Walking to the door through which she’d just walked, he stood and pressed his back to the wall.

  He still had the phone attached to the side of his face and was now carrying out an imaginary conversation in hushed tones.

  To the casual observer, he looked like a shopper who just stopped to answer a call. His stance was very casual even though he was far from casual. His eyes shifted in different directions, looking for any sign of trouble.

  A few minutes later, she stepped out.

  Drew took a step towards her, pressed his body against hers and said, “You’ve been following me.”

  **

  Alicia froze. She could feel the outline of something round and metal pressed against her side. She knew instantly that what she felt was the barrel of a gun.

  She cast fearful eyes at the man standing almost too casually beside her. She wasn’t fooled by this. She could feel the tension running through his taut muscles and even though he had his eyes focused on her for the most part, he was consistently scanning the area.

  Amelia-slash-Janey should have trusted this man. It didn’t matter who was after her friend, she knew with bone-deep certainty that this man, whoever he was, could keep her safe.

  “You’d better start talking. Why have you been following me?” he asked in a deceptively soft voice.

  But Alicia was not deceived. A chill passed down her spine and she shivered. She looked into his eyes and she knew that he was very dangerous.

  She licked her suddenly dry lips and raised her chin defiantly. “We need to talk. But if you’re going to keep jabbing me with that thing, then this isn’t going to work out.”

  “I don’t think you’re in a position to make demands,” he said, but she saw a flash of admiration in his eyes before he masked it.

  “Fine then. I guess you’re not interested in finding out where Janey is,” she said crossing her arms over her chest.

  He narrowed his e
yes. “I could make you tell me, but I’m willing to play it your way. For now.”

  She nodded. “We need a place we can talk. There are some seats just around the corner.”

  “Lead the way.”

  Several minutes later they were seated on one of the benches arranged around the indoor water fountain.

  She slanted a sideways glance at the man sitting beside her. She swallowed. Alicia was no coward, but boy, the man was huge. What had made her think she could follow him undetected?

  “Look lady, I’m sure the scenery here is damn hot and all, but you need to start talking, and fast.”

  Gah. He was hot and sexy, but bossy as hell. She didn’t care much for his attitude. She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “You might want to adjust your tone,” she snapped.

  Sure, she knew he could probably snap her neck with one hand, but that didn’t mean she had to take his bullshit.

  He gave her a level stare. “Don’t mess with me.”

  She heard the nasty in his voice and another chill slid down her spine. The man was deadly. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her mind flashed back to the desperation she’d seen in his eyes when he gazed at Amelia-slash-Janey and that centered her.

  He was crazy about Amelia-slash….Oh this was ridiculous! She could not keep referring to her as Amelia-slash-Janey. She needed to pick one. Pursing her lips, she decided on Janey. Her new friend looked more like a Janey; soft and gentle with a backbone of steel.

  So yeah, he was crazy about Janey, but more than that, her friend loved him. That told her all she needed to know.

  She met his gaze and held it.

  “I know that you’re probably some tough, badass son of a bitch. But Janey loves you. I don’t know much about you, but she’s an excellent judge of character, so I’ll overlook your rudeness.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “That’s damned magnanimous of you,” he said with heavy sarcasm, but she saw the faint amusement in his eyes.

  She waved her hand. “Why, thank you.” She batted her eyelids at him, then got serious. “Look, I know you want to know why I was following you—”

  “That would be helpful,” he said mildly.

  Alicia shot him a frown and continued. “I needed to convince her that you were not being followed. I’ve tried to get her to come to you, but she’s scared. She does not want to place you in danger.”

  His jaw clenched and he kept his gaze on the fountain in front of them, not saying anything for a while.

  “She should have trusted me,” he said at last.

  Alicia felt the pain in his voice and felt bad for him and for Janey.

  “She loves you and was just trying to protect you.”

  He opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head. He heaved a sigh and turned to her.

  “I have to see her.”

  Alicia nodded slowly. “I will take you to her.” Relief flared in his eyes. “But…”

  His expression closed up. “But?”

  “I don’t think her fears are unfounded. By taking you to her, I could be leading the baddies straight to her as well.”

  He ran his hand through his hair then whipped out his phone. He tapped it a few times and placed it to his ear.

  “How soon can you get to Tampa?” he spoke into the phone. Waited a beat then, “Yeah…No contact yet...See you at eleven fifty,” he said, glancing at the watch on his wrist.

  Alicia was impressed, but she was also scared. She cast a furtive glance at the slim watch on her wrist. If she’d understood him, he was expecting some folks in the next two and half hours.

  And they were coming from out of town. She did not know what to think. Had she made a grave mistake? These days it was damn hard to tell who to trust.

  She gazed at him suspiciously. “Who did you call?”

  “My team. I don’t think I’m being followed. I was, but I shook the bastard off in Jacksonville. Still, just in case I’m wrong, I’ve called for backup.”

  It was the most she’d heard him say in the time she’d been speaking with him. She shifted her gaze to his and looked into his eyes. She saw the sincerity there and honesty, and relaxed.

  “Fine.”

  The barrier in his eyes slipped and she saw his vulnerability gaping out. “Does she know you came to find me?”

  Alicia shook her head. “If I told her, she might have done a runner on me.”

  He nodded slowly, and then just like that, the mask was back in place. His eyes had gone remote. Distant.

  “Let’s move,” he said.

  They both stood up, but Alicia touched his arm. He stilled and turned to look at her, his expression closed.

  “I just have one question,” she said hesitantly. He nodded once and she went on, “How did you know it was her?”

  She did not need to explain who she was referring to, he knew. She saw it in the way his expression softened slightly, then became hard again.

  “It’s impossible for me to not know her.”

  Alicia sighed. That didn’t tell her anything, but come to think of it, maybe it did. So she nodded and walked towards the exit, knowing he would be right behind her.

  Chapter Thirty

  Mikey listened to the conversation on the phone then let out a string of swear words. This was too much. He pinched his nose and began to pace.

  “What the hell are you saying?” he snapped into the phone.

  “The man just met with a woman. It’s not our target, but they were pretty intense. There’s a possibility that the woman might be somewhere in Tampa.”

  Mikey swore again. What the fuck was happening?

  The damned Moore bitch had them running around in circles. He could feel his stomach filling up with acid just thinking about it.

  They’d lost her trail after Mobile and though they’d followed the stupid Silver Shield bastards to Tallahassee, the others had made for the airport and headed out of town. It had seemed damn suspicious to him, so they’d waited with the man who had been protecting the bitch.

  Then the tracker they had on her had suddenly shown up in Chicago. In fucking Chicago of all places!

  He’d called off the posse, leaving just one person to keep trailing the man, while the rest of them had flown out to Chicago.

  The trail led them straight to the Silver Shield HQ. He had considered storming the place, but it was too well guarded. Hell, there were armed guards patrolling the premises and each of the bastards in there was a fucking enforcer.

  Even if he got the woman, too many of his men would go down. He blanched to think about what Slim’s reaction would have been to that.

  So he’d staked out the house anyway.

  And now he was discovering that they might have fooled him after all. After three fucking months!

  He wanted to destroy something.

  Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he tried to get hold of his rage.

  “Call up our men in Tampa. If she shows up anywhere, I want you to get her. Bring her alive,” he said through clenched teeth.

  After the call, he flung the phone against the wall.

  He wanted the damned woman alive. He was no longer content with just killing her. Now he would make damn sure she suffered for every single day she’d played him for the fool. By the time he was done with her, she would be begging for death.

  **

  Janey was at the back of Alicia’s salon, prepping for a client who was coming in for a pedicure. She had always loved receiving pedicures, but she had no idea giving one could be so soothing.

  In the months that she’d been working here, she’d come to… she paused and searched for the right word. While she couldn’t say in all honesty that she loved the job, she did appreciate it. In a lot of ways, creating the perfect style for someone or working on a regular, every day hairstyle was a lot like gardening. She found to her surprise that she had a knack for it.

  She brought out the lavender oil and a few other oils and arranged them besid
e the armchair where the client would sit. She would use them to massage the client’s feet after the pedicure.

  She tried to focus her attention on what she was doing. That way, she wouldn’t have to think about Drew.

  Her heart squeezed. She stared at the bottles but what she saw was the look in Drew’s eyes when he’d seen her several days ago.

  She’d wanted to go to him. God, how she’d wanted to go to him. Even now, she longed for him. His touch. The warm look in his eyes when he gazed at her.

  Sucking in a deep breath, she squeezed her eyes shut. It was almost too much.

  Why had she gone away from him? Had she really believed in her heart that Drew was incapable of taking care of her?

  Deep inside her heart, she knew that he would have kept her safe.

  But at what cost?

  That question had been her reason for leaving his parents’ place in New Orleans the way she did. The cost had been too high.

  She sank into the chair and buried her head in her hands. She could not stop the tears from flowing.

  “I miss him so much,” she whispered to the empty room. She missed him too much.

  “You didn’t really think that you could get away from me so easily, did you?”

  Janey gasped and her head flew up. Her jaw dropped when she saw Drew leaning against the door, watching her.

  She felt shock course through her body, then a sense of inevitability settled on her.

  After they’d met at the coffee shop, she’d somehow known that it was only a matter of time before he found her. It was why she had already packed her stuff. She’d been waiting for Alicia to return, to let her know that she’d made up her mind to move on.

  Her gut had told her to leave anyway even though Alicia hadn’t returned, but Janey hadn’t wanted to just leave without seeing her. She should have listened to her gut.

  She hadn’t wanted to risk his finding her. Well, it looked like he’d found her anyway.

  Hastily brushing the tears away from her eyes, she looked at him. Her eyes moved all over him. And each place her eyes landed, her hands itched to follow. She stood up slowly.