Chance Encounter (9 page)

“I’ve had better. But I’ve had worse, too.” She glanced at the bedside clock. “You weren’t gone very long.”

“I just needed to pick up a few items.” Needing to get away from the intimate setting and the totally inappropriate desire rushing through him, he started backing away. “Come into the living room after you get dressed, and I’ll show you some things I bought.”

At his mention of getting dressed, she apparently remembered she wasn’t exactly wearing street clothes. She glanced down, saw how see-through her T-shirt was, and slid beneath the covers again. The tinge of pink blooming on her face was both delightful and charming. Kacie Dane was a paradox of conflicting personalities. And as Brennan walked out of the room, he had the insane thought that he wanted to get to know every single one of them.

Chapter Ten

Instead of throwing clothes on and following Brennan into the living room, Kacie took a quick shower and then dressed in a pair of jeans and a white cotton button-down shirt. She not only wanted to wash away the cobwebs from her nightmares, she needed the extra time to settle herself down.

For the first time since before her abduction, she had felt a flash of desire for a man. And even more extraordinary, it had come in response to the heat she’d seen in Brennan’s eyes.
 

Her therapist had told her at some point those kinds of feelings would return, but she hadn’t believed her. Having desire for a man, being intimate with him, making herself vulnerable, wasn’t something she believed could ever happen again. And though she couldn’t say she wanted to just jump in bed with Brennan, feeling the beginnings of arousal was both heady and exhilarating. She clicked a mental check mark next to ‘feel sexual interest to a sexy guy’ on her list of mental health goals. Progress indeed.

She entered the living room to find Brennan on the sofa and an array of items laid out on her large coffee table.

“What’s all this stuff?”

Brennan waved her over. “Come take a look.”

Curious, Kacie went to the table and looked at the odd display, trying to figure out why Brennan had bought, among other things, a metal comb and a curling iron.
 

“I checked to see if you have a license for a handgun, and you don’t.”

“No. Not crazy about guns. I do have pepper spray on my key chain, and I’ve taken several self-defense classes.”

He nodded as if he already knew this. “Tomorrow you’ll fill out an application to carry a handgun. Then I’m going to take you to a shooting range and help you overcome your dislike of guns. You need to be able to use one without fear.”

“I’m not—”

“Kacie.”

His voice, patient yet commanding, sparked more heat, and another ripple of arousal swept through her.
 

“Come sit down and let’s talk about these items. They’re everyday, ordinary things that can be used to protect yourself in a pinch.”

He said nothing more about the gun, and she knew it was because it was already a foregone conclusion. He wasn’t going to argue or belabor a point he believed had already been settled.

How did she feel about someone coming in and taking control like that? Her independent
I know what’s best for me
spirit was flashing a big stop sign. But surprisingly, another sign was coming along right after it:
proceed with caution
.
 

She liked that he didn’t push her or snap at her to hurry up. He just gave her time to come to terms with his statements. She took a deep breath. Okay,
proceed with caution
had taken over.
 

Kacie sat on the sofa.
 

Brennan was surprised at her acquiescence. He had expected an argument. Though he could see she wasn’t totally onboard about owning a gun or learning how to use one, he admired her willingness to consider. She didn’t seem to be an impulsive person, in speech or action. He’d noticed she sometimes paused a second or two before responding to a question. Had this carefulness to react always been a part of her personality? He had a strong feeling that it hadn’t. She had learned the hard way that impulsive behavior could lead to disastrous results.

She picked up a steel-toothed comb and grinned. “Okay, so I’ll mesmerize my opponent by combing my long, golden locks and then go in for the kill.”

He couldn’t resist looking at those long, golden locks. She had gorgeous, silky-looking hair that fell well past her shoulders in thick waves. He gave himself a mental shake. Hell, maybe she was right about being able to mesmerize her opponent.

“Not exactly but almost.”

“What do you mean?”

He took her fingers and pressed them against the steel edges of the teeth. “Feel how sharp these are? You could do some damage to a guy’s face or throat.” He took the comb from her and lightly ran it down his face and across his neck. “Enough for you to get away.”

She shivered slightly, and he saw that her amusement had been swallowed by memories. She was remembering her abduction.

“Stay with me, Kacie. That was then…this is now.”

She nodded. “Okay. So…what else?” She reached down and picked up a small curling iron. “I’m seeing a theme here.”

“You may not carry a purse large enough for that, but if you do, it could do some serious damage to an eye or a throat. Even a groin, if you’ve got a good angle.”

“I’ve got a couple of good-sized purses I can start using.”

He nodded. “My wife had a closet full, some of them as large as my suitcase.”

“Your wife?”

Hell, when was the last time he’d mentioned Vanessa in such a casual way? There was something about Kacie Dane that made him let his guard down. He didn’t like the feeling.

“Former wife. Remember…she’s dead.”

Cold, harsh words, but he couldn’t have said them any differently. He had learned to forgive Vanessa her infidelity, knowing a good part of that had been his fault. He’d been a self-absorbed asshole, and she’d turned to someone else to get what she needed. He hadn’t and didn’t believe he could ever forgive her for the other, though. She had ended up taking the easy way out. Even though he’d hated her for what she’d done to their son, he also despised the way she’d handled the aftermath.
 

Bottom line, they’d both been selfish morons who hadn’t appreciated the gift of their son. Cody had paid the ultimate price for his parents’ lack of strength and character.

“I’m sorry.”

He gave a nod of acknowledgment for her sympathy and then went on to explain the other items on the table. A pen in the eye or throat. Small can of aerosol hair spray to temporarily blind an attacker. Manicure scissors and a nail file to stab.

He held up the hair spray. “Spray this in a guy’s face, and he won’t be seeing anything until he can wash his eyes out.”

“I see you’ve got pepper spray and mace, too.”

“Yes. The more you have, the better your chances of being able to immediately find at least one or two things that can help you.”

“So how does a former NFL football player become an LCR operative?”
 

He was surprised she hadn’t asked the question before, although they’d barely had time to talk since he arrived.

The doorbell rang, and he figured that explanation would have to wait a little longer.

She stood. “That’s probably Skylar and Gabe. I think they’re bringing takeout from the Italian restaurant at the corner.”

Only, it wasn’t Skylar and Gabe. And from the dread on Kacie’s face, it was the last person she wanted to see.

Chapter Eleven

And her day just became infinitely less pleasant. With a frustrated sigh of disgust, Kacie opened the door. Once this visit was over, she planned to have a long, stern talk with front-desk security about who was allowed up to her apartment without her being notified first. This person most definitely was not on that exclusive list.

“Hello, Mother.”

Sonia floated in on a wave of Chanel No. 5 and acted as if she belonged there. Her confident stride halted for a moment when she spotted Brennan. Light hazel eyes glinted with speculation. “Now I know why I haven’t heard from you. Keeping secrets from your mama?”

Kacie closed the door and resisted an eye roll. She hadn’t seen the woman in almost a year and had talked to her on the phone only a couple of times. Her mother knew full well the reasons for the lack of contact. They could barely be in the same room with each other for more than five minutes without Kacie wanting to either toss her mother out the door or throw up from the stress. Or both.

“Mother, this is Brennan Sinclair. He’s a…friend.”

“I’ll just bet he is,” Sonia practically purred.
 

Kacie suppressed a shudder. There was something exceedingly icky about seeing her mother come on to this man—especially when, for all she knew, he could be her daughter’s boyfriend.

“Brennan, this is Sonia Carson Musgrave. My mother.”

Sonia’s eyes roamed up and down Brennan with embarrassing salaciousness. “You look familiar. Are you a model?”

“No, ma’am, I’m not.”

Kacie swallowed a nervous giggle at Brennan’s respectful answer, knowing her mother would hate it. In Sonia’s book, being called
ma’am
was tantamount to being called
old lady
.

“You must call me Sonia. Everyone does.”

“All right, ma’am. Thank you.”

Sonia’s eyes narrowed briefly in irritation before she turned her attention to Kacie. “Friends of yours visited me this afternoon. Honestly, Kacie. It was so rude of you to send them. They questioned me as if I were a common criminal. I didn’t appreciate it at all.”

“That wasn’t my intent, Mother. I’ve had a few unsettling things happen lately—some threatening messages—and we wanted to—”

“I know what you wanted. You wanted to intimidate me. Well, it won’t work, young lady. I know what you’re up to.”

Completely flummoxed, Kacie asked, “And that would be?”

“You think if I’m frightened, I won’t ask for more money. Well, you’re wrong. It’s the least you can do for all the things you put me through when you were a teenager. Then after you went away with that man, I had to put up with all sorts of questions. Then after you came back…all that nasty media coverage.”
 

It was pointless to remind her mother that she hadn’t
gone away
with William Harrington, or that Sonia was the one who had called a press conference and told the world that Kendra Carson was one of Harrington’s victims. Kacie’s privacy had been violated mostly due to her mother’s need for attention.

“I’ve given you money for almost three years. Your new husband is very wealthy, and I’m sure he—”

“You leave him out of this.” She drew herself up and pointed a long, thin finger at Kacie. “You owe me, young lady. Three years of money is not nearly enough for what I’ve had to put up with from you.”

Yet another reason why she wouldn’t see her mother unless she absolutely was forced to. Sonia blamed her for everything. Not once had she held her and tried to console her after she’d been found. Not once had she told her how happy she was that Kacie had survived. Not once had she told her she was proud of her for what she had achieved.

And not once had Kacie been able to defend herself. Since her rescue five years ago, her one act of rebellion against her mother had been last month when she’d cut off funds. It didn’t look as though she would be defending herself now either. She opened her mouth to speak, and nothing came out.
 

Where’s your backbone, Kacie?

Brennan did not have the same problem.

“Your daughter just told you she’s dealing with some threats, and all you can do is harass her for money that you clearly don’t need?” He walked slowly toward her, causing Sonia to stumble backward against the apartment door, where she froze, eyes wide with shock.

“What kind of mother is so obsessed with her own selfish wants that she can’t be bothered to give a crap about her daughter’s safety?”
 

Sonia’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. She stuttered, “You can’t t-talk t-to m-me like that. Do you know who I’m married to?”

“About the unluckiest bastard on the planet, I’d say.”

“Kendra, are you going to just let him talk to your mother like that?”

Fascinated didn’t even come close to what Kacie was feeling. Other than Skylar, no one had ever stuck up for her like that. It was a testament to how very shaken her mother was that she’d referred to her as Kendra. Having friends and acquaintances believe her daughter existed in a vegetative state in a private hospital suited Sonia quite well.

However, it didn’t mean that Sonia wouldn’t do her best to blackmail her daughter for money if she thought she could get away with it.

 
She glared at Kacie. “Well, don’t just stand there. Tell him he can’t talk to me like that.”

 
Instead of replying, Kacie took her mother’s arm to pull her away from the door so she could open it. “I don’t think we have anything more to say to each other. Please leave.”

“You ungrateful little bitch.” She cast a wrathful glare at Kacie and then a fearful one at Brennan, as if she thought he might come after her.