Guardian Angel (2 page)

"Don't expect any pity from me, Chris Stevens." She wasn't moved by his act. "As for reading minds, let's just say I've always been blessed with ESP. I'll see you later."

"How did the press conference go?" Dena, Alex's secre
tary, greeted her when she stopped at her desk for mes
sages.

"The usual." She shrugged as she sifted through her message slips. "Did Mr. Ford call with the estimates for those new cameras for the parking garage?"

"Not yet. Do you want me to get in touch with him?"

She shook her head as she glanced down at her watch. "No, it can wait. At least it will have to because I have to fly out with Mr. Templeton tomorrow morning."

"Anyone who didn't know better would envy you your travels," her secretary told her. "Chris already called me with the details. You'll be picked up at your apartment at six A.M."

Alex grimaced. "Sometimes I wonder why I bother having an office or a home. I never seem to spend very much time in either. Why don't you go home
now?
I'm going to stay and catch up on my paperwork and leave
some dictation for you. There's also no reason why you can't make it an early day tomorrow."

"Um, I knew there was a reason why I enjoy working for you." Dena's eyes spar
kled. "Even if you are a slave-
driver," she teased.

"You got it." Alex's laughter was husky. "Have a good evening, Dena. I'll see you day after tomorrow."

She always felt her office was one of the few places she could relax in. She had been allowed to decorate it anyway she wished and had furnished it with antiques. She was especially fond of her prized possession, a highly polished oak rolltop desk. A comfortable-looking dark blue sofa sat against one wall along with an old-fashioned wooden ta
ble. Instead of carpeting, a deep burgundy rug covered the floor. Even the file cabinet was an antique. A large book
case with glass doors stood near the window.

Alex glanced out the window to the narrow strip far below that was, in reality, a busy main boulevard in Cen
tury City. She was tired, more tired than she cared to admit. She sat down in her deeply cushioned chair and rested her head against the back. She closed her eyes for a few blessed moments. The day before, she and Jared, along with Chris, had returned from a three-day trip to Alaska and she still hadn't had a chance to catch up on her rest.

"I'm getting too old for this." She gave a short laugh, then
turned back to her paperwork.

As usual, when Alex worked, she lost track of time. When Jared first hired her he had made it clear that she was to be on call to travel with him at all times. He had wanted a bodyguard, nothing more. At the same time, Alex stressed the point that she wouldn't sit around doing nothing when she wasn't needed. Hence, she was groomed to take over as Chief of Security when John Lyons, the previous chief, had retired four months ago. She had been
lucky that he was an open-minded man who appreciated her value as an expert in security devices. John had taught her a great many of his own secrets before his retirement and enjoyed meeting Alex for lunch whenever she had a free day.

Lately Alex had been working to set up a tighter s
ecuri
ty system in the employee-parking
garage. She had read enough newspaper stories about women being assaulted when they left work to know she had to do whatever was possible to
ensure
it wouldn't happen here.

It wasn't until after nine that Alex finally descended in the elevator and signed herself out with a brief smile to the security guard stationed near the entrance.

"Have a good evening, Mrs. Page," the man told her as he let her out the front door.

Alex was able to grab a cab at the nearby taxi stand and gave the driver her address. All she wanted now was a hot shower and bed.

Needing an easy access to the downtown Los Angeles area, she had chosen to live in Marina del Rey, where the many apartment buildings and condominium complexes reminded her of a rabbit warren. But she didn't spend
much time at home, so it didn't
matter.

When she reached her apartment she slipped off her shoes and carried them into the bedroom. Habits carried over from growing up in a military family and being in the service herself decreed that everything have its place.

After a hot shower Alex dismissed the idea of a late dinner and fixed herself a cup of tea instead.

There were few personal items scattered about the spa
cious one-bedroom apartment, the most prominent being photographs of her family. All the men were in naval uniforms and there was one of Alex in her dress whites, a set of lieutenant bars gleaming on her shoulders. How long ago that was!

Alex scribbled a note for the cleaning woman who came in twice a week, then decided bed was the best place for her if she had to be ready early the next morning. Jared's driver would pick her up for the short trip to the airport. There had been so many of these trips this past month, yet it didn't even bother her. Not even the lack of a social life seemed depressing. She considered herself too busy with her work to think that she actually led quite a lonely life.

"Damn!" she muttered the next morning when she dis
covered she was out of coffee. "Now I'll have to wait until I board the jet," she grumbled, slamming the cabinet door shut and making a note to pick up coffee when she did her grocery shopping that weekend.

Her gun and holster were taken out of its locked drawer and slipped over her crimson blouse and under a black wool jacket. "No wonder I feel like a gangster." She laughed to herself, picking up the oxblood-colored leather briefcase that doubled as a purse.

Promptly at six Alex stepped into a black limousine waiting outside her apartment building.

"Another early morning for us, Frank," she told the stocky, gray-haired man. "Tell me, does Mr. Templeton ever give you a chance to sleep?"

The driver replied with a laugh. "I could ask the same of you, Mrs. Page. Except for Mr. Templeton, you're usually the first one in and the last one out of the office." He respected this quiet woman who never kept him wait
ing and never patronized him the way Mr. Templeton's lady friends had a habit of doing.

"I'm surprised you didn't pick Mr. Templeton up first," she commented, settling back against the plush seat.

"He's already at the airport, I expect. Said he'd be having a late night and would drive himself in."

Alex's green eyes sparkled with suppressed humor. A
late night meant a woman and Jared certainly had his pick of those!

Frank drove to the part of the airport that housed the private planes. After being passed into the hanger area, the limousine sped toward a waiting white and gold
Learjet
.

Alex hurriedly boarded the jet and found Jared and Chris already aboard. Jared glanced up before returning to the papers in his hand.

"Chris, would you let Cal know we're ready to leave now?"

Alex took her usual seat near one of the windows and buckled her seat belt. After following Jared's instructions, Chris dropped into the seat beside her.

"I found a great hamburger joint downtown and I thought we could try it tomorrow for lunch," he suggested casually.

Alex shook her head. "No way, I'm having Dena make reservations at the most expensive restaurant this state has to offer," she teased.

"You're heartless."

"Chris, these figures need to be verified." Jared abruptly interrupted their conversation.

"Sure, boss." As soon as the jet had lifted into the air, Chris hauled himself out of his seat. "There's coffee brew
ing. Since you're not too amiable this morning, you must not have had your morning ration of caffeine yet," he told Alex.

"Ration? I didn't even have enough coffee to make one cup." She also rose to walk over to the bar where a coffee urn sat, unaware that Jared's hooded gaze followed her progress. She poured herself a cup, then turned to catch Jared's eyes on her. "Would you care for a cup of coffee, Mr. Templeton?" she asked politely.

At his affirmative nod, Alex set her cup aside, poured another, and added two sugars. She wondered, with
bemusement, if his mistresses knew his tastes as well as she and Chris did, then corrected herself. Naturally they would know how he took his coffee and even more person
al tastes that she and Chris had nothing to do with.

"What a pity you can't type, Alex," Jared murmured when he accepted the steaming cup. "Then I wouldn't need Chris."

"I'm lucky that Naval Intelligence didn't believe in typing skills then, aren't I?" she countered, walking back over to pick up her own cup and return to her seat. "I do so much better at tracking down the lower elements." She presented him with a dazzling smile.

"She's talking about me again, boss," Chris said.

Amused glints appeared in Jared's eyes that speared and held Alex's gaze. "No, I believe the lady is referring to me this time."

When they reached the Seattle airport, Chris looked out at the rain pouring down in sheets.

"Why does it rain every time we fly in here?" he com
plained, gathering file folders and pushing them into his briefcase.

"Probably because you hate wet weather so much." Alex retrieved her raincoat from a closet that held changes of clothing for all of them for these
types of emergencies.
There had also been times when she had slept in the adjoining bedroom when they were on longer flights.

A limousine waited for them on one of the ramps and Theodore Saunders, in charge of the Seattle operations, greeted Jared with a smile and handshake. It wasn't long before they were transported to one of the more affluent business sections of the city. Mr. Saunders eyed Alex and Chris curiously as he had the other two times they had accompanied Jared to Seattle. It had been hard for him to assimilate the idea that Alex w
as the bodyguard and Chris the
personal assistant, or glorified secretary.

"Has the architect walked over the site yet?" Jared examined the flow of water in the streets from the heavy rainfall. "I want all the soil sample reports on my desk by the beginning of next week," he commanded as Mr. Saun
ders nodded.

They had lunch in a quiet restaurant before returning to the airport and ultimately, Los Angeles.

Once on board the jet, Jared excused himself to make a private telephone call.

"The Miami Missile," Chris said sotto voce when he and Alex had been left alone.

She looked surprised. "This one has lasted quite a long time."

"I think she's on her way out. He ordered the usual diamond necklace to be sent to her."

Alex laughed softly. "To make room for the Sydney Sorceress, I'm sure." She referred to the Australian cattle heiress whom Jared had escorted to several charity func
tions recently. The nicknames had begun as a game be
tween Alex and Chris almost from the beginning of their working relationship. Jared was known for the beautiful women at his side and who probably shared his bed. "Whatever happened to the South Seas Siren?" she asked, referring to the woman who had been relentless in her pursuit of Jared for the past few months.

Chris's lips twitched. "She neglected to mention she had a husband."

"Really?"

"Yep, in his sixties and suffers from gout. As soon as the boss found out he let her know in no uncertain terms what he thought of unfaithful wives. She beat it back home when hubby threatened to cut off her allowance." He got up and poured two cups of coffee, handing one to Alex. "How come there's no L.A. Lover Boy in your life? Of
course, you do know I have to meet him first and pass my seal of approval."

Alex inwardly flinched as the memory of her father ruthlessly inspecting every young man she dated flickered through her mind. "M
y schedule doesn't allow for ex
tracurricular activities." She stifled a yawn.

"Perhaps
I should
rearrange your hours to give you more freedom then."

She didn't blink an eyelash at Jared's note of censure when he had walked back into the room. "I don't need any special compensations, Mr. Templeton," she drawled. "If you can manage a full social calendar, I'm sure I could, too, if I wished to do so."

Again Jared privately wondered about Alex's ex-hus
band. What kind of man turned her into this mechanical replica of a lovely woman?

Alex watched him cross the interior. There were times when she felt as if he were flaunting his virile masculinity at her. He was good looking, although not handsome in the conventional way. He was a man who grew more attractive with each year and she admitted that he fas
cinated her as a man, but that was as far as she'd go. Admitting too much could prove dangerous to her peace of mind.

"Yes, but can he cook?" she murmured under her breath, watching the way Jared's dark gray slacks hugged his lean hips and the cream silk shirt outlined his shoul
ders. He had discarded his jacket when they had boarded the jet and his vest was left unbuttoned. His gray and blue striped tie was loosened from his shirt collar for comfort's sake. For one crazy moment Alex wondered what he would be like as a lover. The women he had been photo
graphed with certainly looked satisfied, if not more.