Guarding Kelsey ((Books We Love Romantic Suspense)) (6 page)

She recoiled from his words.
He wanted to frighten her.
To make sure that she thought before she tried any of her childish pranks on him. And more importantly, to widen the emotional gulf between them.
But it wasn't his tone of voice that caused her to pale.

"It is Mrs., isn't it?"

She recovered quickly, but not before he caught the pained expression in her eyes.
"You've been doing your homework, Detective."

He hadn’t meant to be so callus as to remind her of her abusive husband.
Hell, he couldn’t say anything right around her.
“You should have told us that Winston was your married name and Richard Carlyle was your father.”

“I didn’t know my divorced status or my father’s name had anything to do with the case.”

Technically it didn’t, but Wolf hated getting caught off guard.
The woman already affected his equilibrium.
He didn’t want any more surprises getting in the way of his job.

Daniel joined them at the door and placed a kiss on Kelsey's cheek.
"I for one, am relieved that you will be safe in your home instead of out interviewing those lowlife characters?”

“I am not interviewing lowlife characters, Uncle.
They are abuse victims and they span every economic class.”

“Well, it’s unnecessary in any case.”
Her uncle turned toward Wolf.
“I think it’s only fair to warn you that she isn’t very keen on the idea of having you here.”

Wolf laughed.
"I
figured.”

"Of course he did.
The man is a genius.
After all, Uncle, they didn't give him that gold shield for nothing."

Daniel sighed.
"You know, if you keep that up he might let you take your chances with the gunman alone. He is here to protect you but how long do you think he's going to stay if he has to run for cover anytime you open your mouth?"

Kelsey wrinkled her nose at her uncle. "I love you too, Uncle Daniel."

Daniel tossed his hands up in a gesture of helplessness.
"I give up. Make sure you bring earplugs next time you come."

Wolf chuckled again.
He needed more than earplugs to tune out the woman’s presence. Kelsey Winston had brains, beauty and an attitude; qualities not easily ignored.
He could only pray the
hit man
would be found before they killed each other.

* * *

Kelsey sighed at her uncle’s chastising.
Like Wolf didn't deserve everything she said and more.
The man was every bit the predator his name implied.
His mother must have been psychic when she named him.

She left the men in the hall and went to make herself some dinner. Nothing in the refrigerator sparked her appetite but she decided to make something anyway rather than admit his presence upset her.
What was it about Wolf that got under her skin?
Since her divorce, she had consciously kept men at a cool distance.
Yet ten minutes in the detective’s presence and her hard-earned icy reserve deserted her and an irrational, lunatic took over.

For the next half hour, Kelsey avoided Wolf by hiding out in the kitchen.
She made a tuna salad surrounded by a platter of fresh cut vegetables.
The simple meal allowed her to work mindlessly.
As she carried her plate to the dining room she noticed that Wolf had vacated the seat by the door. She left her dinner on the table and went in search of him.

All the doors along the corridor were open wide. A scraping sound emanated from her bedroom.
She entered as Wolf slid her queen size bed across the carpet.
Soft, worn denim encased powerful legs and a really great rear-end. Heat infused her face.
Now, why had she noticed that?

She’d
lost her
mind. And
control of her home as well. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm moving the bed out of range of the window."

"We are up fourteen floors and the window has blinds.
Who is going to know where my bed is?"

"Someone who has been in your apartment at least once."

His reminder that her home had already been broken into sent a chill down her spine.
Still, he should have asked first instead of taking over as if he owned the place.
"Wouldn't it be easier if I slept in the other bedroom or in the living room?"

Wolf stood up. "Yes it would.
But we both know if I suggested it, you would have refused."

"I have no desire to end up dead, Detective Krieger. Despite my hair color, I’m not the dumb blonde you seem to take me for."

“I never said you were.”

“So far you’ve questioned my morals, my intelligence and my honesty.
And I’m supposed to feel safe with you here?”

His eyes narrowed to angry slits.
She seemed to touch a raw nerve.
"You know, Kelsey.
With a mouth like yours it's no wonder
.
." Wolf cut off the sentence abruptly.

Since he obviously knew about her marriage, she could guess what he started to say. "Go ahead and finish it."

She paused for an answer, but he said nothing.

"It's no wonder my husband beat me up? Right?”

“No!”

She cut him off with the wave of a hand.
“Because we all know that any woman who refuses to ask her father for money once she's married deserves three broken ribs while she's still on her honeymoon. Right, Detective?"

“That wasn’t what I was going to say.
Would you listen for a second?”

"Forget it," she whispered, her voice choked from the painful memory.
"Do
whatever
the hell you want with the room."

She stormed down the hall to the bathroom and locked herself inside.
A hollow ache settled over her chest. Normally, she looked back on her short marriage with anger at her own naivety.
Her father warned her about men who chased after women with money but she foolishly believed Jason Winston was different.
He never gave any indication that he knew of her family finances. Until they were married.
Her first clue came when she hung up the phone from telling her father about her elopement and Jason asked, "How much did your father give us for a present?"
He didn't like the answer.

His first fit of temper had only destroyed a few household items.
Her later refusal to access her trust fund had sent him over the edge.
His rage unleashed, she saw a side of Jason he’d completely hidden before their marriage.
His acting skills were phenomenal, because she never suspected that her charming, attentive fiancé had a dark side.

To this day, she wasn’t sure which had hurt more-- the physical abuse or the verbal attack that had shattered her self-confidence.
Although she had left him immediately, the emotional scars had stayed with her for years.

She wasn’t surprised that Wolf knew about her past.
The police had access to any information they needed.
But why did they need that kind of information on her?
She wasn't the one who'd committed a crime.

* * *

*

Wolf waited in the dining room, cursing his insensitivity.
He never meant to imply that Kelsey deserved physical
abuse only that
her sassy mouth probably landed her in trouble.
No excuse justified physical abuse, no matter what the provocation.
He’d seen it too many times in his work and it always made him sick.
It would probably be best for everyone concerned if his boss removed him from this detail before he did any more damage.
To do his job effectively, he needed to have her trust.
He wasn’t off to a good start.

She walked into the dining room with her head held high.
Her features were calm but the puffiness around her eyes proved of how deep his words had cut.

"Kelsey.
If I could explain."

She stared right though him and took her seat at the table.
She picked at her dinner, pushing it around on the plate rather than eating it. He wished she would explode and get it out of her system.
The strained silence laid a quilt trip on him worthy of his eighty-five year old grandmother.

Wolf reached into his pocket for a peace offering.
He removed a
micro
-cassette and put it down next to her plate.

She looked at it and then back to him. "What's that?"

"The tape you wanted.”

She picked it up and slid it into her pocket
without
a word.

"You're welcome, Kelsey," he said.

"You want me to thank you for returning something you stole from me?"

"I didn't steal it."

"Of course not.
When the police steal something, it's
gathering evidence
.
When the public does it, it's a felony."

"A two dollar cassette is a misdemeanor, at best. And Martinez took it, not me."

"You knew about it.
In the eyes of the law that makes you an accomplice."

"Pre-Law?" he mused.

"No.
Strict father.
When I was seven years old my friend stole a pack of
gum.
Since I knew about it, he made me go back to the store to apologize to the store owner and pay for it out of my allowance."

"I bet that set you back."

She folded her arms along the edge of the table. Whips of flaxen hair fell across her forehead and she let out a puff of air to blow them off her face. Her cheeks took on a healthy glow.
"Do you think I had a hundred dollar allowance when I was seven years old, Detective?"

He couldn't seem to get his foot out of his mouth today. "Do you think you could call me Wolf?"

"With no trouble at all."

He shrugged off the personal dig.
If she called him Detective one more time he wasn't sure he could be held responsible for his actions.
She made it sound like an accusation rather than a title he worked ten years to earn.

"Good.
Why don't you finish your dinner while I set down some ground
rules?
"

Kelsey coughed and swallowed hard. "I beg your pardon."

"Look.
I know this situation is difficult.
But it will be a lot easier if we understand a few things from the beginning."
Wolf paused, waiting for some angry reaction. She didn't hurl the plate of food at him so he figured it was safe to continue.
"When you’re working, don’t use your head phones.
Two sets of ears listening are better than one."