Guardian Angel (6 page)

"Now, you just be nice to me, cutie, and I'll be nice to you." Stale beer fumes assaulted her nostrils. The man's hand left her mouth, reached around for her briefcase, and dropped it to the ground, then groped upward to her breast. "Get the picture?"

Alex's next moves were purely instinctive. One high heel jammed down hard on her attacker's foot while a lightning-quick jab of the elbow rammed his midriff and punched the air out of his lungs. When he dropped his hands, she immediately spun around and grasped one of the man's arms and twiste
d it behind his back in a bone-
breaking grip.

"I suggest you be the nice one, cutie," she informed him in an icy voice. "Because we are going upstairs, and don't try any tricks, because, if necessary, I can very easily break
this arm." She twisted it to make her point until he cried out. "Get the picture?"

Now subdued, the man willingly accompanied her up
stairs to the security office and he answered her questions while they waited for the police to arrive.

Harry Simpson, the evening shift's chief security guard, wasn't too happy at the cold glitter in Alex's eyes. It usually meant someone was in big trouble and this time
it was
him.

"This was inexcusable, Simpson," Alex uttered in an unladylike growl once they reached her office. "Most of the lights were out in the garage and should have been replaced immediately. Why wasn't it done?"

Harry was on the defensive at her caustic voice. "Maybe they just went out tonight," he argued, resentful that he had to answer to a woman twenty years his junior.
"Be
sides, isn't that part of m
aintenance's job?" His jaw jutted out.

"No!" Her palm slammed down on the desk top. "It's up to Se
curity to e
nsure that every precaution is taken to
prevent what could have happened tonight. What if that slimy creep had come across one of the secretaries or one of the women managers? They could have been raped or even killed!"

"Then we're lucky that he got our lady comman
do, aren't we?" There was no mis
taking the sneer in his voice this time.

"That's enough, Simpson!" A third voice lashed out with the cutting sting of a whip.

Alex looked up and Harry turned around just as Jared strode into the office. The dark scowl on his face wasn't pleasant to look at.

"I'm not going to be blamed for something that isn't my fault, Mr. Templeton," the guard protested with a faint whine in his voice.

"I heard you caught a mugger." Jared now turned his attention to Alex. "How did he get in?"

"He stole a parking key card," she replied crisply. "He's been hanging out where a lot of the clerical staff meet for drinks after work, and by listening in he was able to get an idea when they have to work late. He has a past record of rape and assault."

Jared's jaw tightened at the thought of what could have happened in the garage. He spun around to Harry. "Any woman who is still in this building will have an escort out to her car," he rapped out.

The man gave a sullen nod.

Jared walked forward and took Alex's arm in prepara
tion to lead her out of the office. "That's all, Simpson," he arrogantly dismissed the man.

"What were you trying to do in there?" Alex demanded, jerking her arm from his grasp when they reached the elevators.

"Backing you up," he replied smoothly, then gently prodded her into the empty elevator car.

"You took all authority out of my hands," she accused him, her eyes narrowed like a cat ready to pounce on its prey. "I was handling the situation just fine until you walked in and took over."

"I merely echoed your sentiments regarding the securi
ty measures in the garage." Jared punched the button marked Garage. "You have my word that this won't hap
pen again."

"Little do you know," she muttered under her breath, thinking of her arguments with Accounting. She looked up when he followed her back into the garage. "What are you doing?"

"Escorting you to your car as per my orders." His explanation was silky in response.

"I didn't realize you felt the need for protection," Alex said sarcastically.

Jared halted next to her car and stood aside as she searched the interior of her briefcase for her keys and unlocked the door. "Actually, I was thinking more in the line of protection for the mugger." His eyes danced with laughter.

"He came out very lucky," she clipped. "Any man who preys on defenseless women deserves to have the book thrown at him."

Jared inclined his head in agreement. "A driver will pick you up at nine tomorrow," he informed her. "Thank you for the escort, Mrs. Page. Have a good evening." He walked away and heade
d for his Maserati. Although he
got inside, he didn't start the engine until Alex had backed her car out of her parking slot and drove slowly toward the exit, all the time aware of the silver car following her onto the main boulevard.

During the drive home Alex mentally reviewed her tasks for the evening. Packing would be easy; all she needed were jeans and shirts, and sweaters for the cool
days. She'd also take her boots in case she did get a chance to ride, as Jared mentioned.

Her mind was still on the trip when she unlocked her front door. Her steps halted when her nape prickled again. What would it be this time?

"It's about time you got home!" A man's laughing voice banished her caution.

Alex's eyes widened at the sight of a man dressed in a naval uniform, minus th
e jacket, and an apron wrapped
around his waist.

"Wes!" She yelped an uncharacteristic squeal as she threw herself into his arms.

"Hey!" he laughed, trying to disengage himself from her tight embrace. "Give me a chance to breathe, sis."

Alex drew back and looked up with glowing eyes at her brother's face. "When did you get in?"

"About four. Luckily I remembered I had a key to your apartment and could save the price of a hotel room. I knew you'd let me bunk here on your couch."

Her thoughts of a long visit dissolved. "I have to travel with Mr. Templeton tomorrow." Her shoulders slumped in dismay.

"Don't worry," Wes soothed. "I've been reassigned to San Diego and have to report in tomorrow anyway."

Alex's face
waned
with her smile. "No more European posts?" she teased. "My, my, won't the lovely ladies in those exotic ports miss you?"

"Hey, I've got dinner pretty well ready. I'll give you the rest of my news while we eat."

"Give me five minutes." She hurried into her bedroom.

Alex's charcoal and pale gray plaid skirt and charcoal wool blazer were exchanged for a pair of well-worn jeans and an equally well-worn
dilapidated
sweat shirt with the Naval Academy insignia on the front. When she came out,
Wes had the table set and the aroma of a ham-and-noodle casserole surrounded him.

"Smells good." She looked at the food with appreciative eyes.

"No thanks to you," he admonished. "Your cupboard was extremely bare, madam, so I had to go hunting for the nearest grocery store." He settled his six foot four inch bulk in the chair across from her.

"So tell me what you've been doing lately," Alex urged, ladling the delicious casserole onto her plate.

"After I left Italy, I flew to D.C." The smile disap
peared from Alex's eyes at her brother's words. "Mom sends her love." The smile briefly appeared, then vanished again.

"And the admiral?" Her low voice betrayed a deep bitterness. "Did he also send his love?"

"Alex," Wes entreated. "Please don't dredge up old memories. They'll only hurt you again."

"Again!" she laughed harshly. "Wes, I've been hurting since I was ten years old."

Wes reached across the table and gripped her hand. "You've
come a long way, Alex. You were
in the top fifty of your class at the Academy, o
ne of the up-and-coming at N.I.
A., and now Chief of Security in a company that's known on an international level. You're young, beautiful, and in a position where you can have anything you want. Women envy you."

"Do they?" Her lips twisted bitterly. "Wes, every night my secretary goes home to a loving husband and two children. I come home to this." She waved her hands about the warm yet sterile surroundings. "No one envies me.

"Do you regret the divorce?" Wes asked softly.

Alex shook her head and offered him a wan smile. "No,
it was for the best all around, even if Dad was furious with me for daring to divorce a navy man."

He nodded, understanding her feelings. "Mom has a new boyfriend." He swiftly changed the subject.

"What?" This piece of news took her by surprise. When their parents had divorced ten years before, Jenny Hayden had decided to give herself a new life away from the stern confines of her husband. She remained in Washington, D.C., attending all the parties her husband had scorned, and cultivated the friendships of high-ranking government officials, but not once had any of her escorts been a mem
ber of the navy. "Who this time?"

"A senator from Montana. He's a widower and seems pretty serious about her." He grinned. "Who knows, she might give in and marry the guy."

Alex laughed, her previous sorrow now forgotten. "Good for her! She deserves all the happiness she can get."

The balance of the evening was spent in reminiscing and catching up on family news about Alex's three other brothers until Wes's jet lag caught up with him. Alex went to bed promising herself to get up early and pack then. Her visit with her favorite brother was worth the loss of sleep.

She had no warning that night. None, except the revival of old and bitter memories. She knew only that her bedside lamp was on and she was sitting upright in bed with a distressed Wes leaning over her.

"It hasn't gone away, has it?" he murmured, his hand gently brushing the tears from her cheeks. "How often does it come now?"

She shook her head. "I haven't had a nightmare in almost a year," she whispered.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and offered silent comfort.

"Thank you, Wes," she whispered against his chest, glad that he had been there when she needed him most.

"Why? You used to get me out of enough tight spots." He injected a light note. "I'm just glad I was here. No one should be alone when they hurt, Allie, not even you."

"The woman who finally gets you is going to be a very lucky lady." She smiled through her tears.

"Babe, at the ripe old age of thirty-six, I think we can guarantee my ending up as a crusty old bachelor. I'll let Troy, Nat, and Cal perpetuate the Hayden clan." He set
tled her back against her pillows. "Think you can get back to sleep now?" He smiled, reassured by her nod. "Then close your eyes and think of the great breakfast I'll whip up for you."

Left alone, Alex breathed deeply to dispel the tremors still running through her body. It was a long time before she could drift back into sleep.

CHAPTER THREE

The fragrance of frying bacon was better than any alarm clock. As promised, Wes had fixed pancakes and bacon for breakfast, then pushed Alex out of the kitchen, reminding her she had packing to do if she was going to be picked up at nine.

One valuable habit the military had taught her was how to pack quickly. In no time, a suitcase and tote bag were filled with essentials and she had dressed in a pale gray divided skirt, a claret-colored silk shirt
, and black boots. The sides of
her hair were clipped back from her face.

"You're out of dishwasher detergent," Wes announced when Alex moved her suitcase into the living room.

"What did you do, use the whole box?" she teased, knowing his fondness for believing that the more you used the cleaner things got.

Wes walked out of the kitc
hen, still dressed in his paja
ma bottoms, and sat on the arm of a nearby chair. "How long do you think you'll be at your boss's ranch?"

She shrugged. "Who knows? These meetings could be wrapped up in a matter of days or they could take a couple
of weeks. Both sides of this negotiation are stubborn and refuse to back down, so I can see it ending up as a tie, if there can be such a thing with them."

"When it's over, why don't you take some vacation time and come down to San Diego. By then I should know the town well enough to find us some night life," he promised her.

"I have
an idea you'll find a new girl
friend before you learn anything at all about the town," she mocked him with sisterly affection. She rose from her chair when the doorbell rang.

"Templeton doesn't happen to have a woman chauffeur, too, does he?" Wes asked, looking down at his half-naked state.

"No, thank goodness, I don't think she could handle the shock." Alex was still laughing when she opened the door, a laugh which disappeared when she found Jared standing on the other side, dressed casually in jeans and a sweater.