31

Selena

Mortified.

There was no other word for me after my near insanity.

“I’m so sorry. We need to see what I did,” I insisted.

“Stop worrying about me.”

“I almost killed you.”

“But you didn’t,cherie. Take a breath for me. I need you to tell me what the fuck happened to make you so terrified.”

I backed away, remaining horrified. Since when had I become a crazed killer?

The truth was I’d never felt this unsafe in my life, even with his presence. He couldn’t stop the freight train coming and I was certain it was already speeding down the railroad tracks, prepared to run us both over. “Let me see what I did to you.”

His larger-than-life figure remained looming in the doorway, flowers and a bag in his hand. I started to crumple to the floor, the fear finally getting the better of me.

Within seconds, he’d dropped the items in his hand, catching me before I hit the floor. “Not until you tell me what happened. My God, you’re shaking like a leaf.” He held me close, his breathing labored as he struggled to close the door behind him, managing to find the foyer light.

When he flipped it on, I realized I was clinging to him, even wrapping my arms around his neck. The sight of his bloody shirt was horrifying. “Oh, God.”

“Okay. I got you. I’m right here. You need to tell me what happened.” When I said nothing, he purposely pushed me away, cupping both sides of my face. “Talk to me. Now.”

Instead of answEricag, I rose into my toes, kissing his lips. It was crazy, my mind obviously shifting somewhere else. The last thing I needed was to kiss him, encouraging him, but he was safe and protective.

He allowed me to continue for a few seconds then pulled me away, keeping a firm grip on my arms. “Nope. You’re going to tell me what’s going on.”

I took a deep breath before answEricag. “Someone followed me home. At least that’s what I thought. I’m not sure but after the threats, I was… another threat was made.” I managed to control my voice and my breathing.

“What do you mean another threat?” Joshua gripped my arms. “Talk to me. What about another threat?”

“A second note. On my car in plastic. Maybe someone from my past. I don’t know. I just… Stupid. It was just stupid. The storm. There was a case I prosecuted that went terribly wrong. I think he’s back. I truly believe the killer has returned.”

He took a deep breath then shook his head. “Listen to me. I’m going to check your property. You’re going to stay right here. Do not move but to lock the door behind me. You’ll know it’s me. Okay?”

“I… That’s not necessary. I’m just being silly.”

“Yeah, it is. Do as I say.” He backed away, instantly pulling a weapon from his jacket, nodding reassuringly. As if that was going to help me feel any better. “Do you hear what I’m saying?”

When I didn’t respond, he shook me. “Yes, I understand. But you’re bleeding.”

“Good girl and that’s nothing new. I’ll be right back. Turn on the outside lights for me.” He stopped once just outside the door, turning around and studying me. “I will protect you,cherie. With my life if necessary. But you will need to trust me. There are things going on that are out of our control and that can’t continue.”

“I know.”

“Good. I’ll be right back.”

As I closed and locked the door behind him, I struggled to breathe, staring down at my hands as if they had blood on them. Could I trust him? Could I control my feelings?

What I knew at that moment was my life was in the powerful man’s hands.

And for once, I wasn’t afraid.

Joshua

Jesus Christ.

The woman was petrified, the terror prompting her to almost kill me. I was angry, enraged to the point I could easily kill anyone who dared get in my way. Whatever was going on was a dangerous game and the fact she was caught in the middle was becoming unacceptable.

After she flipped on the front light, I moved from the walkway into the shadows surrounding the house, the hard pelting rain enraging me further. Whatever had terrified her had little to do with the storm or the darkness. I’d spent a better part of the afternoon researching not only Liam and his organization for tomorrow’s meeting but everything I could find about my beautifulcherieand her past.

I hadn’t been able to shake the belief that someone was using her against me for a particular purpose, the threats simply a method of control. What I couldn’t understand was whether it was meant solely as incentive to go through with the prosecution or if there was something more heinous in mind.

Whatever was going on, she’d been shoved into the middle on purpose, boxing us in step by step. Paint by number, as my father would say. I moved to the edge of the house, listening for any sounds. Other than the wind whistling through the limbs of the half dozen trees she had surrounding her property, there was nothing I could detect out of the norm. That didn’t mean herfear wasn’t rational and that she hadn’t heard someone or been frightened by a vehicle following too closely. On a stormy night like this, that happened all the time.

Still, what I knew about the stunning woman was that she wasn’t prone to hysterics under any circumstances. If she had been, she wouldn’t have such an impressive win record. I moved to the back of the house, the floodlights effective in lighting up the majority of her small yard. However, given there was a shed and at least a dozen tall shrubs and dense trees, there were ample places for someone to hide.

I covered every inch of the backyard, finding almost nothing. Then I noticed a portion of a shrub had been trampled on. I moved closer, crouching down and studying it with the limited light. I was no plant expert but if I had to guess, I’d say the damage had been done recently. There was little I could do until it was light and the storm had passed.

Standing, I studied the area, noting the access from a parallel road in back of her house would have been easy, the house backing up to hers without a fence surrounding the property. No one would have noticed an intruder in the middle of a storm of this nature. Fuck. I didn’t like this at all. Whoever was toying with her would face my anger. One way or another.

I made my way back to the house, noticing the lid to the panel box was standing open. That could be sheer coincidence, but my gut told me someone was preparing to cut the power. What the hell was going on?

My beautiful girl had done what I asked, locking the door behind her. She’d also turned on several additional lights inside, the glow through the windows a reminder of how terrified she was. I rapped on the door, still trying to determine the best courseof action. I slipped the weapon into my jacket. I’d noticed how much seeing it had bothered her. However, it was time she became used to the fact that given she was a part of my world, protection included guns and other weapons as necessary.

She opened the door tentatively, the knife back in her hand. This time, she lowered her arm, allowing the weapon to slide from her fingers to the floor. The hard clang caused her eyes to open wide, and she rushed toward me, wrapping her arms around my neck as she’d done before.

“That’s some weapon you got there,” I told her, eyeing the finely crafted piece.

“It belonged to my grandfather. He gave it to me against my father’s wishes. I never thought I’d need to use it.” There was a coldness to her tone that troubled me, as if the horror of what she’d almost done had taken a significant toll. For such a strong, resilient woman, being at a loss of control was difficult. In my eyes, she reflected more strength than I’d ever experienced.

I closed and locked the door, pulling her tightly against me. She was still shaking, her breathing ragged. I was no goddamn hero yet here I was, trying to comfort her.

“It’s okay, baby. Come on. Let’s get you a drink. And a dry towel. Whatever you thought you saw is gone.” I grabbed both the odd knife and the items I’d picked up on the way to her house, simply hoping we could enjoy spending time together. And to gain her trust. This wasn’t what I had in mind. “I got these for you.” I handed her the roses, noticing her eyes were still misting. As she brought the bouquet to her nose, I held back for no particular reason, other than hating that I didn’t have a full force of men with me to be able to protect her. However, Zephyr would berequired to become her bodyguard until I figured out what the fuck I was going to do about the mess we were both in.

“They’re beautiful. You didn’t need to do this.”

“Who said I needed a reason? I brought steaks and wine as well.”

“I’m not sure I can eat.”

“We’ll see.”

Selena remained quiet as she led me into the kitchen, immediately placing the flowers on her counter then moving into another room. When she returned, she had two towels in her hand. As she handed me one, she smiled but the darkness in her eyes remained. The person threatening her had done an excellent job of rattling her to the core. That increased my rage, my need to break the son of a bitch’s neck. She blotted her face, attempting to dry her soaked hair. Yet drops continued to fall to the floor, which added to the uneasiness.

“I need to see what happened. Unbutton your shirt.”

I wasn’t going to argue with her at this point. I did as she asked. “See, it’s just a nick. It’s not even bleeding any longer.”

“I can’t believe I did that.”

“People do things they wouldn’t believe themselves capable of while under duress.”

“You’re right, I guess. I just feel terrible.” She exhaled as she pulled away, nodding then reaching for the flowers. “You didn’t find anything outside?”

“There’s no one out there.” I had no intention of telling her what I suspected. That wouldn’t do either one of us any good at this point, not until I had a full understanding.

“Okay. Thank you for checking. I’m certain I was just reeling from the note left and the way my boss acted. Someone wants me to make certain you end up behind bars for good.”

Her boss. I hadn’t thought about doing any research on her. That would need to change.

“Are you certain that’s what is going on with the threats being made?”

After tossing her towel onto one of the highbacked kitchen chairs, she grabbed a vase from under the sink, adding water, her face remaining pensive.

“Answer me, baby,” I encouraged.

“No, I’m not certain of anything except for someone doesn’t like you very much. In turn, they don’t like me either. I’m not sure if I have any scotch. Is bourbon okay?”

“Bourbon is fine.” I removed my soaked jacket, placing it on the back of one of the chairs.

She continued to shake as she grabbed two glasses, taking her time to place them on the counter as she continued to relive whatever the hell she’d experienced. “Your suit is ruined.”

“I have dozens of others.”

“Of course you do. I’m certain you go to Italy or somewhere else exotic to have them tailored for you.”

“Does that trouble you so much?”