Chance Encounter (10 page)

Kacie closed the door in her mother’s face and then turned to the man who’d defended her. She wasn’t quite sure what to say.

Brennan flashed a slightly embarrassed grin. “My mail-order degree in the art of diplomacy should be arriving any day now.”

Brennan strapped on his ankle holster and slid in his .38 Colt Cobra. Kacie had emailed her agenda to him, and though the rest of the week looked busy, she planned to stay inside today. Didn’t matter, though. He rarely went anywhere without at least one weapon. Even inside the apartment, he planned to be prepared.

Last night, after Sonia had left, he had gone to the lobby to have a talk with building security. Kacie had halfheartedly suggested that she go down, too, but fortunately, Skylar and Gabe had shown up before Brennan had to tell her she didn’t look as though she could handle a conversation with an infant. Her eyes had held an empty helplessness that said she had reached her limit.

Skylar had taken one look at her and herded her up to her bedroom. Brennan had suggested Gabe accompany him to discuss who should and shouldn’t be on Kacie’s approved-visitors list.
 

They’d learned that though building security was tight, Kacie’s list of approved visitors was appallingly long. With Gabe’s help, they’d whittled the list down considerably. Brennan had no qualms about doing so. He wasn’t denying Kacie visitors, but she damn well would get a warning before someone like Sonia showed up on her doorstep again.

The security guards on duty had been different from the ones he’d seen earlier. Vincent Deavors was a grandfatherly older man who spent a good ten minutes talking about his grandkids. The other guard, Billy Barton, looked barely old enough to have a driver’s license and blushed every time they mentioned Kacie’s name. Both the men, however, appeared to take their jobs seriously.
 

After he and Gabe returned to Kacie’s apartment, he had noted a definite improvement in Kacie’s demeanor. Skylar was good for her.

He had been surprised that his comments to Sonia hadn’t come up in dinner conversation but was glad they hadn’t. Telling the woman off had not been his finest moment. He actually hadn’t intended to butt in, but when he’d seen Kacie’s face, nothing could have stopped him. She’d looked crushed, defeated. He had held back—maybe not as long as he should have—waiting for Kacie to defend herself. Instead, she’d stood there as if planning to take whatever abuse her mother doled out.

Considering his own horrendous failure at parenthood, it was laughable that he could criticize another parent. However, for her mother to know what Kacie had endured, to see her not only overcome those things but triumph, and not be proud of her was inconceivable. Hell, he’d known her for only twenty-four hours, and he was in awe of her courage and grit.

The sound of her walking downstairs brought him back to where he needed to be.

Do the job, Sinclair.

He left his room and went downstairs. Hearing her in the kitchen, he headed that way and felt the punch to his gut and then below. He knew she hadn’t slept well last night. He’d gotten up a couple of times to check on her, and she’d had the light on in her bedroom, the television on low volume. Yet now she looked as if she’d just come from the spa. Wearing a white skirt that showed off her beautiful legs and a sleeveless yellow sweater, Kacie Dane was the girl next door personified. Fresh, lovely, and innocent.

“Good morning.” She flashed him a smile that one prominent magazine had referred to as pure sunshine. “Sorry I wasn’t up to offer you breakfast or coffee this morning. I overslept.”

“No problem. I got my own coffee and even managed a couple of eggs.”

“I’m surprised I had anything in the fridge for you to cook.”

“Actually, you didn’t. I had some things delivered this morning.”

“Oh gosh. I’m so sorry. I’m a terrible hostess.”

“I’m not a guest, and you’re not my hostess.”

Her smile dimmed for a moment as she registered and dealt with that fact.

“You’re right.” She gave a small shrug. “This is all new to me. I don’t exactly know how to deal with a twenty-four-hour bodyguard, much less all the other stuff that’s happening.”

“There’s nothing you need to do about me. I’m here to protect you. I can get my own coffee and meals. When we’re out for a meal, unless it’s a business thing, I’ll pick up the tab to maintain the illusion that we’re dating.”

“Okay. That helps. I emailed my weekly agenda to you. Did you see it yet? It’s a little lighter than usual.”

He barely refrained from grimacing at that news. Other than today, she had multiple appointments every day this week. “Any way you can arrange for those meetings to take place here, in your apartment?”

“I guess. Maybe some of them.” She nodded after a moment’s thought. “Yes, I can do that.”

“What’s a busy week look like for you?”

“If I’m on location, I stay in a hotel close to the shoot. Depending on the job, I can be tied up from a couple of hours up to twelve.”

“Any projects coming up?”

“I’m due in Barbados in a couple of weeks for a shoot at a new resort that’s opening.”

“If I’m still around then, are they going to be able to deal with an overprotective, hands-on boyfriend?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. I’m working with another model, David Stallings. He always brings along one of his girlfriends.”

It wouldn’t be an ideal situation. He wouldn’t be close to her while they were taking the photographs, but at least he’d be close enough to watch out for her.

“I wanted to thank you for yesterday. I didn’t get the chance…” White teeth chewed at her bottom lip as she struggled with her words. “My mother is…difficult.”

“I’d say that’s an understatement.”

She snickered and then sobered immediately as shadows clouded her eyes. “We never had a good relationship, even before…it happened. After…well, it just got worse.”

“Seems like a mother would be proud of what you’ve accomplished. What you’ve overcome.”

The tremble of her lip told him he’d hit his target with bull’s-eye accuracy.

As if aware of what she’d given away, she took a shaky breath and straightened her spine. “Anyway, thank you for speaking up for me. No one other than Skylar has ever done that.”

“You ever do it for yourself?”

Color heated her cheeks. “I can defend myself against anyone, verbal or otherwise. It’s just, with my mom…”

“Your mother is a horse of a different color.”

That got a giggle from her, delightful and carefree. His heart lightened as he realized he enjoyed making her smile. But he also wanted an answer.
 

“You’re a strong woman, that’s obvious. So why wouldn’t you stand up for yourself with your mother?”

“It’s complicated.”

Yeah, he knew all about complications. Who was he to question her method of handling parents? He hadn’t exactly done a stellar job with his own. His parents, however, had been polar opposites to Sonia Carson Musgrave.

“Justin and Riley should be checking in within a few days. We’ll see what they’ve been able to uncover, then go from there.”

“You think they might have some leads? The list of people who know the truth isn’t long.”

“Probably not yet. If they had, one of them would’ve already called. I did hear from McCall this morning. The IP address came from one of those coffee houses here in the city that provides limited computer time for their patrons. Hundreds use their computers daily…so there’s no way to determine who sent the email.”

She shivered and wrapped her arms around her waist. “I was afraid of that.”

“McCall also double-checked the people who helped with the cover-up...and your name change. He’s certain the culprit’s not on that end.”

“So it’s definitely someone here, in New York.” She shook her head, her eyes dimming. “Maybe we’re exaggerating the threat. It’s not like anything major has happened.”

Denial was a normal human reaction but also dangerous. Hiring six kids to knock her down and scare the hell out of her wasn’t minor. And that might be just the beginning.

“And our job is to make sure nothing major happens. I’ll keep you safe, Kacie. Trust me.”

“I do. I just—” She gazed around the kitchen, looking lost again.

“How do you like your eggs?”

“You can’t make me breakfast.”

He almost smiled at her shock. “And why not?”

“I can make my own. Besides, I was just going to eat some fruit and yogurt.”

“My mother always said that a good breakfast makes dealing with the rest of the day that much easier.” He took a skillet out of the cabinet beside the fridge. “So, tell me how you like your eggs.”

“Over easy.”

“That’s my favorite, too.” He opened the refrigerator and took out the eggs, as well as a carton of orange juice.” Handing her the juice, he said, “Pour us a couple of glasses to go with breakfast.”

“You’re eating again?”

“Can’t have you eating alone, can I?”

Ten minutes later, Kacie was sitting down at the table to a plate of eggs, a slice of bacon and buttered toast. She lifted her fork to take her first bite, and her stomach growled in anticipation.

Brennan smiled as he dug into his own breakfast. “See? Your stomach is already thanking me.”

“I haven’t had anyone make breakfast for me in forever. Well, except at a restaurant.”

“Easiest meal in the world. Now, when it comes to lunch and dinner, I’m lost.”

“Do you live in Virginia, close to LCR headquarters?”

“No…at least not yet. Right now I have a little place close to Glens Falls.”

“New York?” When he nodded, she continued. “I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”

“It is.”

Silly, but she waited to see if he would invite her to visit sometime. When he continued to eat, Kacie mentally shrugged. It wasn’t as if they were actually dating.

“How did you get started with LCR?”

“I knew Justin when we were kids, but we lost touch once he went into the Army. We reconnected a few years back. He told me about LCR then.”

“How long have you worked for them?”

He surprised her by checking his watch, and then his words stunned her. “Almost thirty-six hours.”

“Seriously? But I thought Noah said you were trained.”

“I am…just not with LCR.”

Kacie took one last bite of her meal and then thoughtfully sipped her coffee. She knew enough about LCR to know that Noah never would have put Brennan on this job unless he was completely confident in his abilities.

And Brennan had the same kind of look about him that Noah, Gabe, and Justin had. Like they could handle any situation that came their way. She was used to big, hard-faced LCR operatives because she’d been around several, but she had to admit that Brennan made her a lot more nervous than Noah or Gabe ever had. She looked upon the two men as family—like brothers almost. She had absolutely no sisterly thoughts when it came to Brennan Sinclair.

Her phone rang, startling her from her thoughts. Grabbing it, she never thought to check the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Kendra?”

Blood seemed to drain from her body, and she dropped the phone. Before it could land on the floor, Brennan was around the table to catch it. Holding the phone to his ear, he barked, “Who is this?”

It had been his voice. She would recognize it anywhere. She still heard it in her nightmares. He really wasn’t dead.

“Kacie, look at me.”

She raised her eyes to Brennan’s face. He was crouched in front of her, and the anger on his face felt good, bracing.

“What did you hear?”

She took a calming breath. “It was a man…Harrington’s voice. He said ‘Kendra.’”

“Anything else?”

“No, I…when I heard his voice say my name…did he say anything to you?”

“No. The line went dead. I’m going to call LCR and see if McCall can get his tech people to trace the call.”

She nodded numbly. Yes, that was the sensible thing to do. Find out who had placed the call and from where. She swallowed a small sob. Were there phones in hell?

“Listen to me.” Brennan shook her shoulders to get her attention. “Someone’s playing a cruel trick on you to scare you. Don’t give them what they want. We will find this bastard, and we’ll put him away.”

When she nodded and whispered a soft, “Okay,” Brennan stood and started talking on his cellphone.

Kacie went about clearing the table of their meal and then cleaned up the few dishes in the kitchen. The task calmed her nerves. Brennan was right. This was just someone trying to scare her or extort money from her. She imagined that soon she would be getting a call or letter demanding money to keep the truth of her identity quiet.
 

And if it isn’t?
 

When she was a kid, she’d feared the boogeyman. Her mother, never the most patient person at any moment of the day, had been even less so late at night when Kacie would go running into her room. Occasionally, when she didn’t have company, Sonia would allow her to sleep in her bed. Most of the time, she’d sent Kacie back to her room. Kacie had eventually outgrown the phobia, realizing her fears had been groundless.