A Sense of Duty: A Former Navy SEAL Falls in Love and Begins a New Journey with his Private Consulting Company: Dark Horse Guardians (13 page)

Lara was concerned about Stephens. He was a new electrical contractor and she didn't like his attitude or his electrical work. In the last few discussions she had with him, he became belligerent and used the F-word too much. Lara was amazed he had the audacity to make design changes without running them by her. He was not following the design specifications Lara was required to adhere to for the client. Bill Stephens had not only changed some of the lighting fixtures but placement, as well. He made decisions on his own that really ticked her off. As a result, the electrical work had to be redone. This ate into the contingency budget and pushed the completion date out. Lara could not tolerate contractors who made decisions without consulting her. She thought it would be best to meet him on site in person to walk him through each detail to make sure it s
ank into his thick skull. Bill Stephens' face at the meeting looked more like a scolded child than a professional contractor, and Lara sensed he was suffering from a bruised ego because their conversation took place in front of the other men. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as his surly face turned red and he spit tobacco juice into a paper cup.

Located in the West end of the city, the Williams Street condo project was the biggest job Lara had undertaken during the two years of her internship. The project would be her master's project. The building was originally built in 1885. The Mansard roof was hipped with two pitches and had dormers set in. With patterned shingles and deep eaves, the building had decorative brackets, two over two. The windows had elaborate pediments
.
The style was close to Italianate, but the Mansard roof characterized it. The first half of the year, the outside of the building was restored with painstaking detail and it was oozing charm. The condo interiors were a combination of lovingly restored ancient details mixed with ultra-modern features. The floors, ceilings and windows were 1885, but the lighting, appliances, and surfaces were sleek in design.

Lara was now filled with anxiety and impatience as she paced the oak kitchen floor of the unit. Where was Stephens? She looked at the time on her phone. The condo was in the throes of renovation. The kitchen was almost completed, but the walls in the rest of the rooms were still being taped and sanded. The electrical work was just wrapping up. There were tools and materials everywhere. Stephens was to meet her at 4:00 PM. Lara glanced at her phone again. He finally rushed through the door at 4:30. "Thanks for coming, Bill." she started. "This project is a mixture of old and new. The building is antique, but the interior of these condos are to be modern in design, and that's why
these
lighting fixtures were chosen." She had the catalog open on the quartz countertop and pointed to the correct fixtures. She sensed that Stephens was ignoring her. "I really don’t think this meeting was necessary, boss lady." He was staring at her now and she got the impression he was not paying attention to anything she was saying. He was a big man, about six-foot-four and probably weighed well over two fifty.

Without warning, Stephens slammed Lara up against the kitchen counter hard. Grabbing both of her arms with his huge hand, he pinned her against the quartz countertop with his hulking body. It took her a second to realize what was happening. His other hand reached up to her throat, "You need someone to put you in your place, bossy lady." Bill's face was now red and spit flew from his lips as he yelled. He grabbed Lara's body with great force attempting to push her to the floor. Her mind was alive with adrenaline. The building was vacant and no one would hear her scream. She instantly knew she couldn't let him get her on the floor, as she would not have the body strength to shove him off. However, her legs were still able to move. With all of the strength she could muster she jerked her knee and kicked him in the crotch. For a micro-second, she felt him wince in pain. He stopped breathing and released his tight grip on her. The pink leather sack was on the counter behind him and she could not reach it. Somehow she got her arms free; she shoved him back with all of her strength. The big man hit the floor hard. In one swoop she pulled her leather sack off the counter. With only a split second to think, she grabbed the 9mm Glock and trained the laser dot on him as she moved toward the doorway. He was on his feet now, red-faced and angry. She pointed the Glock at him and yelled, "Get on the floor or I'll shoot you!" She saw a glimmer of fear in his crazy eyes and Bill Stephens complied. He was now on the floor. Lara took a deep breath and dialed 911. She waited for police to arrive as Stephens remained prone on the floor. She threatened to kill him if he moved. He shouted a few profanities, but he did not move toward her. She would have pulled the trigger if he had. As soon as police arrived, Stephens was handcuffed and taken away. Lara made the police report; she wanted to press assault charges. The police officer asked if she felt she could drive to the station. They wanted to photograph her injuries. Lara said she could drive. But her hands were trembling slightly as she walked to her car. Adrenaline, she thought. It would soon subside. She had been through this before.

The police officer was waiting for her at the station and quickly brought her to a private interrogation room and closed the door. Officer Randall Bettencourt told her he would bring a female officer in the room to record her statement and take photos. Lara looked into his soft brown eyes. He was young, under thirty, and stood straight and tall, about six foot four. There was an air of authority about him. He removed his hat in Lara's presence and she noted the shaved brunette haircut. In under a minute, Lara's eyes swept over him and she sensed she could put her life in his hands. She told him she was fine with photographs, she just wanted to get it over with.

The officer stepped out of the room briefly and returned with a petite blonde woman in a navy blue police uniform. She shook Lara's hand and introduced herself as Officer Rebecca Benson. Officer Bettencourt took great care to make Lara feel comfortable and secure. He brought her a bottle of water and spoke in a deep soft voice as if trying to soothe her. He sat in on the interview as Rebecca Benson asked questions. At one point, Lara didn't answer some of the questions, and Bettencourt looked up from his notes. When his brown eyes met hers, it was as if he knew this was not the first time this had happened to her. "Take your time." he coaxed her gently. She focused on the details of his uniform. His arms were well developed and his hands big. She detected a slight southern accent. Through her blurry eyes, she finally became conscious of the fact that he was exceedingly handsome. But, he never once smiled. He was somber, efficient and professional.

After Rebecca Benson recorded her statement, she got out a camera and set it on the table; then handed Lara something that looked like a hospital gown. "We'll step outside while you put this on, Ma'am. Just open the door when you're ready." Randall Bettencourt and Rebecca Benson left the room. Lara undressed, leaving only her panties on, and slipped into the garment. She could not stop shivering as she opened the door and Rebecca Benson returned alone. "This will just take a few minutes, Miss O'Connell." she said. "It's important to have this evidence for your case."

Lara closed her eyes as the officer photographed the red and purple bruises on her arms and neck. Then she shifted the garment opening it in the back. She heard the camera click and whir as she zoomed in on the purple bruises on her back where Lara was driven into the quartz countertop with tremendous force. Her bare feet felt cold on the tile floor. She couldn't stop shivering. Rebecca Benson left the room and Lara got dressed. She dialed Eliot's phone number but there was no answer. She sent him a text saying she could not see him tonight, but she needed to talk to him about a serious incident that had just occurred at the Williams Street work site.

Randall Bettencourt walked Lara to her car. Lara's whole body shook uncontrollably as she drove home. Once inside, she ran to the bathroom and vomited. She took a hot shower and brushed her teeth. As she made her way to the kitchen for a cold ginger ale, her phone vibrated and it was Ben. His voice sounded happy and excited. "Hey Lara, I am cooking one of my specials tonight. I would love you to join me and Einstein for a light dinner and a walk." She was silent. Ben said, "Lara, are you there?" She replied in a terse manner, "Yes, just give me some time to shower." They agreed to meet at 7:00 in Ben's apartment. Lara robotically dressed to go to Ben's. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to be with him.

~Ben~

When Ben hung up the phone he immediately sensed something was wrong. He already heard Lara take a shower thirty minutes ago. So, why would she say she was going to take a shower when she had already taken one? And, her voice sounded strange on the phone. Lara arrived at Ben's apartment door precisely at 7:00. Before she even tapped on the door Einstein scrambled from his dog bed. His nose pressed against the door, he made a snorting sound. Then he squealed with delight knowing Lara was on the other side. Ben opened the door and took her into his arms. The embrace was long and he held her tightly. "I missed your afternoon visit today." Ben whispered as he held her. Lara pulled away gently. "I had that contractor meeting…" Ben noticed her eyes were red and she avoided eye contact with him. He thought she may have been crying earlier. "Are you all right?" Ben asked cautiously. "Sure, I'm fine." Laura quipped. Slipping a dog treat to Einstein, she asked, "What's for dinner?" Ben smiled with dimples, "My special mushroom and Asiago cheese omelet and a salad. And, you are to sit in a comfortable seat and have a glass of ginger ale while I prepare the food. I'll put the television on for you."

Ben noticed her hand was shaking as she held the glass of ginger ale. He watched as she gently set the glass down. She sat near the window and nervously twirled a tendril of hair around her index finger and stared off into space. Lara wasn't smiling or talking and Ben knew something serious had happened today. He placed the food into the oven to keep it warm and moved toward her as she continued her absent-minded trance. When he approached her near the window, he noticed the deep purple bruise on her neck and immediately knew someone had hurt her. She looked into his eyes and no words were spoken. Ben held her in a tight embrace and felt her body shake involuntarily as she heaved and sobbed. Fifteen minutes passed. Ben stroked her hair as Lara's tear-stained cheek was pressed against his chest. "Do you want to tell me about it?" he gently whispered. Lara's voice was muted, "It was the electrical contractor. He's a big bastard, but I took him down. I was scared, Ben. I kicked him and got him onto the floor. I left my bag on the countertop and almost couldn't reach it. I thought about it afterward and realized how lucky I was to have escaped. I pulled my Glock out and came very close to using it." Ben held her tighter now. "So that's what you carry in your leather sack. I thought it was a little heavy to be make-up, seeing as you hardly wear any. Now I get it."

Ben felt Lara relaxing in his arms. The sobbing stopped as he stroked her hair and continued holding her close. If anyone knew the experience of violence up close and personal, it was Ben Keegan. And, he was very familiar with the adrenaline rush and its crash afterwards. Human beings were wired for flight or fight and no matter how much training or preparation, the let down was a series of involuntary bodily reactions that were not very pleasant. He was glad Lara had come to him tonight. He wanted nothing more than to soothe her. She felt like a broken bird in his strong arms and Ben was overwhelmed with the feeling of being her protector. He could think of nothing now but Lara and helping her through the aftermath.

~Lara~

As she splashed cold water on her red eyes in Ben's powder room, Lara took a deep breath knowing she had barely escaped this afternoon. What was she thinking leaving her bag on the counter? Meeting a man she did not know at a job site after hours? She couldn't believe she had been so careless. She blamed the whole incident on herself. Meanwhile, she had an uncontrollable urge to beat the crap out of Bill Stephens. She felt the old anger rising in her again and fought to regain control. Lara's primal fear had flooded back as Bill Stephens shoved her against that countertop, and for the first time in years she experienced raw unrelenting panic. She decided to learn from the incident and move on. The dark purple bruises would fade away. Breathing deeply she lowered her blood pressure. She emerged from the powder room feeling exhausted, but she managed a smile for Ben.

It was a tender moment when Ben held her and soothed her raw nerves. She was grateful for his compassion. The smell of butter heating in a frying pan wafted through his apartment. Unlike Lara, Ben was a skilled cook and dinner was delicious. After eating they walked Einstein in the cold night air and came back to his apartment discussing the news events of the day. It was getting late, but Ben was preparing his favorite dessert. He removed the fresh strawberries and whipping cream from the fridge.

Lara watched him in the kitchen desperately wanting an excuse to linger in Ben's apartment. For the first time in years, she didn't want to be alone. While Ben sliced the strawberries, Lara studied the graceful form of his body. She suddenly experienced the strongest urge to embrace him. She rose from her chair in the kitchen and stood behind him, gently encircling his chest with her arms. She laid her cheek upon his muscular back inhaling his clean soapy smell. It was the same position she had on the motorcycle. She closed her eyes for a moment remembering the sensation of trust and safety she felt so strongly with him that day. Ben stopped moving and Lara knew he was reading her mind.

~Ben~

Ben sensed Lara's feeling of vulnerability and sheer exhaustion. He had to persuade her to stay with him for the night. He knew she was shaken by the attack and needed his companionship. However, he did not want her to think he was trying to exploit her in any way. He would need to restrict his physical urges and pay attention to her emotional needs. "Lara, that reminds me of the motorcycle ride, and how thrilled I was to take you on your first ride." He turned toward her and brought her lovely face close to his. He endearingly kissed her cheek lightly and whispered into her ear. "Stay with me tonight….please…I will be on my best behavior, I promise." He felt Lara relax into his embrace. "It's settled then. I have a spare toothbrush. That's all you need. You can wear my robe." She clung to him and Ben knew she needed nothing more than his tenderness and compassion at this moment. Although the tremors had stopped on the outside, Ben knew she was still reeling inside with the aftermath of the attack. He knew exactly what she was feeling.

He led Lara back to the sofa and they enjoyed the strawberries and freshly whipped cream. He turned on the television and distracted her by feeding her strawberries with his fingers. She smiled and curled up in his lap as he fed them to her one by one. The television was distracting her and the close contact with Ben was helping, too. Her head was now lying against his chest. He knew she was fighting off sleep. Ben would sleep on the sofa tonight and Lara would have his comfortable four-poster bed. He grabbed his robe off the hook and gave it to Lara in the bathroom. He listened by the door as she quickly slipped off her clothing and got into his robe. He led her to his comfortable bed and turned the covers down. Lara looked so beautiful and fragile at that moment. He embraced her as she wore his robe. Then he moved her into the bed without words and covered her up as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I'll be right here on the sofa." He said with his subtle Irish brogue. Ben sat on the edge of the bed as he watched her fall asleep. With her lovely dark hair sprawled upon his pillow she looked like sleeping beauty. He wanted nothing more than to climb in beside her and hold her body close to his, whispering, "I'll protect you." Instead, he moved off the bed and left the door half open so he could hear her if she needed anything.

Turning off the television, Ben grabbed the blanket off the back of the sofa, found a pillow, but he could not sleep. His SEAL training kicked in. He reviewed Lara's incident focusing on every detail she told him. He made a mental note to start working with her at the shooting range and working out at the dojo, giving her some SEAL self-defense techniques. It was imperative for her to gain her confidence back. Plus, he would find out who this Bill Stephens character was and maybe pay him a visit.

Once during the night Ben heard Lara crying. He jumped off the sofa and ran to her. She had a nightmare and needed to use the bathroom. He brought her to the master bathroom and waited outside near the door. When she emerged, she was disoriented and he wrapped the robe snugly around her and tucked her back into his bed. He lay beside her on top of the covers and stroked her hair. In a few moments, he felt her drift back to sleep. Although he wanted to stay with her on the bed, he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. Once Lara was soundly asleep, he moved back onto the sofa and slept.

~Lara~

As the sun came up, Lara opened her eyes and realized she was in Ben's bed wearing his robe. Ben's sandalwood scent was on it and she wanted to stay wrapped in it forever. Her eyes took in the details of Ben's sumptuous bedroom. It was a masculine room, red, green, gold and ivory in its color scheme. The floor to ceiling windows had gold and ivory silk draperies covering them. She had no idea what time it was. Recalling the events of the night before, she felt a strong feeling of gratitude sweep over her. Ben instinctively knew what she needed. There were no words spoken. He looked into her eyes and he just knew. She could never imagine the violence Ben had experienced in Iraq and Afghanistan. He never spoke of his years in battle, but she somehow knew he experienced horrors that could not be described with words. There was so much more to Benjamin Aiden Keegan than she had originally thought. He had shown tenderness and kindness when she most needed it. Ben was a man of mystery, yet she longed to know everything about him.

Lara's phone rang, it was Eliot Stone. He returned her urgent call from yesterday. "Lara, I got your message. What's going on?" He said with concern. "Eliot, something terrible happened at the condo project yesterday, I was attacked by Bill Stephens. You need to fire him officially. The incident occurred at 4:30 yesterday and the police hauled him away." She heard Eliot perk up on the other end of the phone. "What exactly happened, Lara, are you hurt?" he sounded worried. She explained the details to him. "Oh god, I am so sorry, Lara. I will personally take care of it. I'd like to meet with you to go over everything. I think a quiet dinner might help. Can I send the driver tonight?" Lara decided Eliot should hear her first hand account so he could understand the gravity of the situation. She told him to have the driver arrive at 6:00 and she would come to his house.

Ben appeared in the doorway, "Coffee, tea, breakfast?" He smiled with dimples as his blue eyes lit up. "I'll take a quick shower and be right there." Lara replied. As she moved to get out of the beautiful bed, she realized Ben's masculine scent of sandalwood was in the sheets. She inhaled slowly thinking how wonderful it would be to sleep in this bed with him. Showering, she examined the black and purple bruises on her body. They were particularly dark across her lower back where she was shoved against the countertop. Although ugly, she felt lucky as she scrutinized them, knowing it could have been much worse. She left her hair damp and loose and slipped into her clothes from the night before. She brushed her teeth with Ben's extra toothbrush, and then carefully applied fresh pink lipstick.