Silver Shield Security Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  Later, Hope would swear that she saw her life flash before her eyes. She gripped the wheel, her heart pounding in fear as the car finally came to a stop. From a distant, she heard a vehicle rev up and the sound of a vehicle speeding off.

  She held on to the wheel in a death grip, her entire body shaking at the close call. She knew she should get out of the car or call someone, but she was frozen to the spot.

  “Hello, are you okay in there?”

  There was a rapid tapping on her window. She jumped as she blinked, suddenly becoming aware of her surroundings. She looked up and saw a brunette standing outside her window. She quickly lowered the glass.

  “Are you okay? I saw what happened?” the woman said.

  Hope shook her head. “I’m not sure what just happened. I’m still in shock,” she said, her voice trembling.

  She opened the car door and stepped out. She was shaking so badly, she had to lean on the car for support.

  “I saw what happened. That asshole side-swept you and didn’t even stop!” She sounded indignant.

  “My brakes…,” Hope began. Her voice sounded like it was coming from far off. “I tried…my brake…it didn’t work.” She waved her hand in bewilderment.

  The woman’s gaze sharpened. She took hold of Hope’s arm and gently lowered her into the driver’s seat of the car. The door was still standing open.

  “Sit,” she said firmly. “You look like you’re going to pass out.”

  “Yeah,” Hope said with a sigh. “I certainly feel that way. It’s been a crazy day.” Then for no apparent reason she told the stranger about the awning that had almost crushed her just a few minutes ago.

  “It’s like someone’s out to get you,” the strange woman said.

  “Right?” Hope agreed. Except, she had no enemies, not unless some of the meaner kids from her foster homes had traced her and decided to make her life miserable. But she seriously doubted that. “It’s just a coincidence,” she dismissed with a shrug.

  “Hmm. Stranger things have happened, trust me,” she said with an enigmatic smile. “I’m Sierra Newman, by the way.”

  “Hope Conran.”

  She noticed when the name clicked with the other woman. She sort of went still and her gaze sharpened.

  “Hope Conran of desireu.net?”

  Hope glanced at her suspiciously. “Please, tell me you’re not a reporter.” She was weary to her bones and the last thing or person she needed right then was a reporter.

  “Sorry, can’t do that,” the woman said, suddenly sounding really cheerful. “I’m with the Chicago Daily.”

  Hope groaned. She searched for her phone. She had thrown it on the passenger seat when she’d ended the call with Jared. She ran her hand all over the seat, but could not find a phone.

  “Damn,” she muttered.

  “Hey, we reporters are not so bad, are we?”

  “Worse,” Hope muttered, earning a laugh from the woman.

  “Well, you’re honest, I’ll give you that. Listen, I would like nothing better than to have an exclusive with you. You are one of the most elusive people you know that?” she asked. “But I’m not going to prey on you now. I just stopped to offer help.”

  “Are you telling me the truth?”

  “Scout’s honor.”

  Hope snorted, but the woman made her smile. So she shrugged. She leaned back into the car and searched the floor for her phone. Finally, she found it and sat up.

  “Is there someone I should call?” Sierra asked.

  Hope shook her head, “I’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t feel right about your getting back into that car. You said the brakes didn’t work?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Has that happened to you before?”

  “No. The car is just a few months’ old. There’s no reason why the brakes should be acting up.”

  “Okay. Why don’t you call a towing company and I’ll drive you home?”

  Hope hesitated. She did not know this woman, but there was something about her that said she could be trusted, and Hope did not trust easily. But she did not want to try driving the car that night again. So she took a deep breath and decided to take a chance.

  “I’ll take you up on your offer, thanks,” she said.

  “Wow, that must have been really hard,” Sierra said in amusement.

  “What do you mean?” Hope asked, puzzled.

  “I could almost hear you weighing all possible angles, wondering if accepting help from me was worth the risk.”

  Hope smiled, she really liked this woman. “Yeah. I guess I’ll take my chances with you, seeing as you’re a reporter and all.”

  “Yeah. Must have been a really tough choice,” she said dryly. “I’ll be in my car. I’m parked over there, just come over when you’re ready.” She waved to where what looked like a Ford was parked.

  “Thanks,” Hope said, meaning it.

  Sierra paused, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

  “No, I’ve got it.”

  “Okay.”

  Hope watched her walk back then turned to her phone. She quickly placed the call to one of the twenty-four-hour towing services. They arrived in less than ten minutes. She gathered her stuff and walked to Sierra’s vehicle as hers was towed to a workshop.

  The drive to her house was quick. She thanked Sierra for the ride and was about to step out when the other woman handed her a silver call card.

  “What’s this?” she asked suspiciously.

  “So suspicious, woman!” Sierra chided gently. “It’s a security firm. If you discover that this is not just a coincidence, call them. They have the best protection services in town.”

  Hope took the card from her. Using the light in the car, she read the print on the card: Silver Shield Security.

  She didn’t think she would need them, but it was kind of the woman and Hope let her know.

  “Don’t thank me. My partner works there so it would be more like shameless self-promotion, except, they’re really good,” she said with a shrug.

  “Well, thanks anyway.”

  “Sure. Goodnight.”

  Hope watched her drive away before entering her house. With a sigh, she dropped her stuff and went to run a bath. She could not wait for that week to be over. She was going to spend the weekend holed in her apartment, recovering from the week from hell she’d had.

  Chapter Two

  Getting inside the house, Hope turned on the lights then threw her laptop carryall and her purse on the sofa and kicked off her shoes. She walked into her kitchen. Turning on the light there, she surveyed the neat little kitchen with a sigh. Since she never had the time to cook anything, the kitchen was always neat and looked unused. Oh well, it really was impossible to have everything.

  “Damn myth,” she said as she picked up a cup and turned on the water faucet. She drank down the water and grimaced as her tummy chose that moment to let her know she hadn’t had anything to eat all day. Well, not since the hurried breakfast of donuts and coffee she’d had on her way to work.

  She retraced her steps to the living room to retrieve the takeout she’d bought earlier. She got to her bags and when she didn’t see the takeout bag there, began to search. She knew it was not likely that the takeout had suddenly developed legs and walked out, but she could not help hoping.

  “Shit!” She stood with her hands on her hips when the horrible truth dawned on her. She had forgotten her food in her car. Some lucky bastard was probably devouring my food. She growled at the thought.

  She walked back to the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. The contents of her fridge almost made her weep.

  “Serves me right for not doing any grocery shopping,” she muttered in aggravation.

  The problem was that whenever she decided to get groceries, she ended up throwing most of them out because they’d either gone bad or were stale. She never had the time to cook. Looked like she was going to have to put something together.

  She brought out
the last two eggs in the fridge, praying that they were still edible. She scrounged some more and came up with some stale cheese, which was okay because really, cheese was made from stale milk, right? Whatever, she was not going to look too closely at the thing.

  She found some stale bread as well as one soft tomato. It would have to do. She arranged her find on the kitchen island and brought out a chopping board and a knife. At least she had all the necessary stuff. Before long, she’d come up with a decent-looking omelet. It could have done with some onions and maybe fresh mint leaves, but that could not be helped.

  She pulled out the kitchen stool and sat at the island to eat her dinner. She took a bite and sighed. It tasted even better than it looked. She had grated the cheese on to the omelet and the tangy taste gave the meal a full burst of flavor.

  “I should cook more often,” she said idly to herself. Which was what she said each time she managed to put a meal together.

  “Maybe if I invite Jared over, I could make something for us.” He’d been nagging her to cook them a meal, but most days when she got home, she just wanted to hit the bed. And since she left all her chores for the weekend, that was also out.

  She looked around her, at the pristine white interior of her kitchen and not for the first time, she felt a deep pang of loneliness. She could not remember the last time she’d sat to a meal with company. She either ate on her desk or on the go. Or alone. As she was doing at that moment.

  All that was left now was to get a shitload of cats, except they would probably die of neglect. What a depressing thought.

  Am I going to be alone all my life? Talking to myself like a crazy woman?

  As soon as the thought crossed her mind she banished it. It was better to be alone than to be with a man you hated so much that you ended up murdering him, and then leaving your five-year-old daughter at the mercy of social welfare.

  “And it is time to call it a night,” she said, getting up abruptly. She looked at the half-eaten omelet and felt bad that it would end up in the trash. She hated wasting food, but more than that, it was the result of her rarely-used cooking skills.

  “No help for that,” she said as she emptied it in the trash.

  She washed up quickly. Then picked up her laptop bag and her purse and headed up the stairs to her bedroom. She was going to have a long luxurious bath and think of all the ways her life was much better than anything she’d ever dreamed about.

  Later that night, Hope was fast asleep when the security alarm for her house went off. She sat up on her bed in confusion. She’d installed the alarm a year ago when she’d bought the house and her alarm had never gone off before. She sat there, not sure whether to get out of bed and investigate or to turn on the lights. The phone by her bedside rang. She jumped and then quickly reached for it.

  “H-hello?”

  “Miss Conran? This is the police department. There’s an intruder trying to get into your home,” a calm voice said.

  “What?”

  “Someone’s trying to break in. Now I want you to go lock yourself in your bathroom and stay quiet. Two patrol cars will be at your location in a few minutes.”

  Hope jumped out of the bed. “Okay, thank you.” She dropped the phone back and hurried into the bathroom. She bolted the door and sank to the floor with her back against it.

  She thought of calling Jared but then discovered that she’d left her cellphone out in her bedroom.

  She glanced at the luminous hands of the clock that hung on the wall. It had the picture of a cute little puppy with a shower cap. She’d bought it because the clock made her smile, usually. She saw that it was two a.m. Would the day never end? It was ridiculous the way she went from one disaster to another, almost like she was living in someone’s idea of a horror movie.

  She must have been in the bathroom for a couple of minutes, though it felt like an eternity when she heard the wail of the police vehicle. Not sure whether it was safe to come out, she got to her feet and placed her ear by the door. She could not hear any sounds coming from her bedroom.

  Knowing she could not remain indefinitely in the bathroom, she unlocked the door, her hand shaking as she gently pulled it open. She peered around, her eyes already accustomed to the darkness. The room seemed empty.

  Just then the land line began to ring again. She jumped back into the bathroom, then summoned courage and hurried to the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Miss Conran, are you okay?”

  It was the same voice that had called her earlier.

  “I’m fine. Have you found the intruder?”

  “He got away before our people got there. If you can come downstairs and assure us that you are fine, that would be great.”

  Hope nodded then remembered that they could not see her. “Sure,” she said.

  She grabbed a housecoat and put it over the lace teddy she wore to bed. She started towards her bedroom door, then paused and went back. After a quick search, she found a baseball bat she kept in her bedroom. It was Jared’s favorite bat and she’d won it off him fair and square.

  Clutching the baseball bat, she crept down the stairs, past the living room to the front door. She stood at the entryway and paused. Then she heard the doorbell.

  “Miss Conran. Are you in there? This is the police.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief and undid the locks and bolts before opening the door to find the cops on her doorstep.

  “Miss Conran?” One of the cops stepped forward.

  Hope shook the hand of the petite woman standing before her, “Yeah, I’m Hope Conran. Thank you for coming.”

  “I’m Tiffany Woods. We were patrolling the area when the call came.”

  “Thanks for responding so quickly, Officer. I just…what exactly happened?” Hope was confused. Why would anyone try to intrude into her home?

  “Your home alarm system was triggered when someone tried to get into your house.”

  “And you’re sure this is not just some rodent?” She needed to be sure that she was not just freaking out for nothing.

  “We’re sure. We saw a young male hovering around your property.”

  “Really?” Hope was mad. A young male, or whatever had terrorized her, making her cower in her bathroom? She was ready to give him a piece of her mind. “Where is he?”

  “Er, well, he got away.”

  Hope paused. “He got away? You let him get away?”

  The officer shifted uncomfortably.

  “We did all we could, Miss Conran. But he was really fast and we lost him.”

  She turned to face the cop that spoke. He stepped forward, his skin shiny with a film of sweat. He looked a little out of breath and she could tell that he’d been running.

  Hope felt a keen shaft of disappointment. She would have loved to know why the person was lurking around her property. It could have just been a harmless homeless man, but what if it wasn’t. She would never know and that troubled her.

  Taking a deep breath, she glanced at both cops. “I wish you’d caught him, but that’s okay. I really appreciate the way you turned up like this. Thank you.”

  They smiled at her, “It’s our pleasure. We will patrol this area tonight if that makes you feel comfortable.”

  Hope thought about it and nodded. “Yes, actually it does. Thanks.”

  Later on as she snuggled beneath her covers, she thought of everything that had happened that week. Could they have been connected somehow? It seemed farfetched. She had lived in fear for so much of her life and she was not going to let anything take her down that road. She was a stronger person now and she’d created a life for herself. No one was going to intimidate her out of her life.

  As she went back to sleep, she had to admit that having the cops patrol the area did make her feel a whole lot better. She was brave, usually. But she could go back to being brave when the sun came up.

  **

  The next day, Hope woke up filled with determination. She had planned to spend the day at home, b
ut she did not want some random person to think he had succeeded in sending her into hiding. So she changed her plans. She was going to get her hair washed, get her laundry done, pay the extra fee for delivery of her laundry and then go party the night away. It was a Saturday and she was young. At twenty-eight, she had built up a very successful dating company. They had a couple of million subscribers and several who paid the monthly subscription for added value. She did not like to think about it, but she was rich. Well, not like the owners of Yahoo or Amazon, obviously, but enough that she was not in debt and could afford to pick up several designer shoes and bags without thinking too much about the cost. That’s if she was the designer shoes and bags type.

  She wasn’t.

  She was more like the video games and latest gadgets freak. Okay, she was addicted, she knew that. But whatever.

  She’d just taken her shower and washed her hair when her doorbell rang. She paused with the towel on her hair. The bell rang again, this time impatiently.

  Hope rolled her eyes. There was only one person who would dare come to her house so early, yes ten a.m. on a Saturday was early, then ring the bell with so much impatience.

  She ran her fingers through her short hair and tightened the belt around the bath robe, before walking downstairs to fling the door open. At the last minute, she checked the peephole, just to be sure, then opened the door.

  “Are you not supposed to be in the Big Apple?”

  Jared folded his hands and leaned against the wall. “I took the first flight out last night.”

  She eyed him. He had his curly black hair nicely cut and styled. His dark jeans and the black jacket flung over the pristine white tee he wore only complemented his dark good looks, making him look like he belonged on the cover of some fashion magazine. Not that he hadn’t been on them already. As the co-founder of a successful dating site, he was in high demand. And since he was more or less the face of the business, and he loved the attention, he did not have anything to complain about.

  “Should you not be looking I don’t know…more tired or something?”