Keeping Guard (17 page)

“Quaint place you have here.” Larry's gaze roamed the kitchen.

“It's ample.” Nate stopped by the refrigerator. “Kylie, would you mind helping me while Deanna and Larry go sit in the dining area?”

She shrugged. “Sure thing.”

Both Deanna and Larry stayed in the kitchen a moment longer, as if they didn't want to leave. But the look Nate gave them soon sent them scurrying. As soon as they left the kitchen area, Nate turned to Kylie.

Kylie wasn't sure she wanted to hear what he had to say. Instead, she walked to the refrigerator and pulled out some stew they'd made on Friday. As she went to the stove, ready to put it on the burner and warm it up, Nate touched her arm.

“Kylie, we need to talk.”

Just feeling his hand against her skin sent shivers up her spine. “There's nothing to say, Nate. It was just…we were just…a mistake. Now normal life has to resume.”

“That's what we were to you?” Anger clouded his eyes. “A mistake?”

“Isn't that all we were to you?” The ache in her throat only got stronger, more painful.

His face softened, as did his voice. “Kylie, don't go yet. Not like this. I want to sit down and talk to you. Really talk to you. More than I can do here in the kitchen with two people waiting for us only feet away.”

She grabbed a pot and set it on the stove—a little harder
than she intended. “You need to start warming the stew up. It will take a while. I'll put on the bread.”

Nate sighed and poured the stew into the pot. He turned the stove top on. “Kylie, Deanna—”

He didn't finish his sentence. The stove exploded. Nate threw Kylie to the ground, his body absorbing the flames that licked the room. Panic squeezed Kylie's heart. Was Nate okay? And was this another coincidence or was someone still trying to kill them?

“T
hat restaurant is apparently one big safety violation.” Larry shifted again in the waiting-room chair at the hospital. “It's a good thing you won't be there anymore. Next it could be you who's injured. I wonder what their inspection reports are? Probably failed every time. The place is probably just waiting for county inspectors to shut it down.”

Kylie pushed back tears, each opinion that Larry freely poured out only adding to her headache and her heartache. She rubbed her temples, wishing desperately that he'd never traveled to Virginia to find her. It was just like Larry to do so, though. “Larry, please stop talking. I just need some quiet right now.”

She had to see Nate, to make sure he was okay, but Deanna had insisted on staying with him and Nate hadn't objected. So instead Kylie sat in the waiting room with a grumpy Larry, who more than anything wanted to get on the road and out of this “podunk” town as he'd called it. Kylie had told him he could leave, but assumed he stayed out of some kind of obligation.

“I just can't understand what happened,” Kylie whispered, replaying the scene in her head. The stove exploded. A big gas ball hit the air. Nate pushed her out of the way, but the flames caught the bottom of his forearm.

“I thought you didn't want to talk?” Larry said.

As she scowled, Larry chuckled and put his arm around her, pulling her into an awkward hug.

“You just care about everyone, don't you, Kylie?” Larry muttered.

Kylie cared about Nate more than she wanted to admit. But Larry had never been one that she'd talked about her love life with. They had somewhat of a brother-sister relationship, but she'd learned not to mix business with pleasure, if at all possible.

“Even men who just want to rescue you so you can be obedient to them for the rest of their lives,” Larry finished.

Kylie pulled away from his embrace. “What does that mean?”

Larry tilted his head in what appeared to be sympathy. “Kylie, it's no secret that you always fall for the control freaks. Seeing the way your family treats you, it's no surprise. Nate sees you as someone who's weak, who needs saving. You can't blame him. He's ex-Coast Guard, right? That's what his old girlfriend was telling me, at least.”

Kylie tried to blink back her hurt as the truth crashed onto her, the truth that had been nagging at her since she arrived here but that she'd tried to ignore.

She thought about Nate's career with the Coast Guard. Thought about how her brother talked about sometimes having to choose the people you'd save from a sinking vessel, knowing you wouldn't have time to save them all. So you saved the ones who needed you the most. She thought about Nate's revelation that he still felt guilty over the woman he couldn't save, that he'd vowed to never let that happen again.

Was that what Nate was doing with her and Deanna? Was he simply trying to rescue the woman who needed to be saved the most? Was he still trying to make up for that fateful night when someone had died under his watch and a broken promise?

The realization caused her heart to drop into her stomach.
A relationship built on penance for a past mistake would never last. No, she needed someone who'd love her for who she was. How could she have not seen it earlier?

The door into the E.R. clinical area opened and Kylie sat at attention. A red-eyed Deanna emerged. She barely gave Kylie or Larry a glance before hurrying down the hallway. Kylie stood, knowing she had to check on Nate. He'd saved her life—multiple times—and she at least had to say goodbye, tell him thank-you.

“I have to see if he's okay.” Without looking back at Larry, she approached Nate's door, knocking lightly as she did so. A surprisingly strong “Come in” sounded on the other side. She pushed into the room and saw Nate sitting up in bed, his gaze unexpectedly alert.

He smiled when he spotted her. “Kylie. I was hoping it was you and not that grumpy old nurse again.”

Kylie tried to smile, but every step she took toward his bed, she contemplated turning back. But she didn't. Her breathing felt labored as she asked, “How are you?”

“First-degree burns. Could be worse.”

“Not much.” Her heart pounded in her throat as she remembered the moment.

“And the flames only got my arm.” He pointed to the bandage on his forearm.

A tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped the moisture away, hoping Nate didn't see it. He must have, because he grabbed her hand.

“Were you worried about me?” His voice sounded surprisingly tender.

Another tear escaped. She chuckled, self-conscious, before looking at him. “You could say that.”

“Thank you.” His voice sounded low, serious.

She wiped her eyes with her free hand. “Nate, I can't do this anymore.”

His eyes widened. “Can't do what?”

“I can't let you play hero with me. You don't really love me. You just love rescuing people.”

“Kylie, that's not true—”

She held up her hand. “I'm sorry, Nate. I have to go. John knows you're here and he can pick you up.”

Before he could say anything else, she retreated. Larry joined her on the brisk walk to the car. She had no desire to talk as tears spilled down her cheeks.

“You did the right thing, Kylie. You don't want to find yourself in another bad relationship. You've had enough of those.” His hand rested awkwardly on her shoulder.

Kylie nodded and wiped at a tear. If she'd just done the right thing, then why did she feel so awful about it? Why couldn't she ever just have a normal relationship?

Larry insisted on stopping for a bite to eat on the way home. Kylie wanted nothing more than to go back to her apartment and get her suitcase and leave this whole place behind. Forget about Nate, the restaurant, her new friends. Instead, she sat stoically through a meal at an Italian restaurant and listened to Larry go on and on about new ideas for her show.

She barely tasted her lasagna or heard Larry, for that matter. This was the right thing to do, right? She and Nate couldn't base their relationship on the events of the past two weeks…could they?

When they pulled into the restaurant parking lot, John was there dropping off Nate. Kylie's heart sank. She'd hoped to avoid him for the rest of her stay here.

“You want me to go with you?” Larry asked.

She shook her head. “No, I can handle this alone.” Not feeling equipped to handle it at all, she climbed from the car and started toward the back door of the restaurant. Nate waited for her there, his eyes shadowed, his shoulders tense.

“Can we talk?” His voice sounded strained, mellow.

She paused at the bottom step, looked up at him and pulled down in a frown. “I need to get my suitcase.”

He stepped down to meet her. “Don't go, Kylie. Not like this. Remember what you said about the restaurant? That if I close it, I need to do it right, not to end on a bad note. I don't want you and me to end like this.”

“Was there ever a you and me?” Her voice caught in her throat, the question barely escaping.

“I thought there was.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “Kylie, please.”

She closed her eyes, fighting exhaustion, weariness and a broken heart. “I can't think right now, Nate. Let me get my bag. I'll…I'll talk to you before I leave.”

“I'll be downstairs waiting.”

She unlocked her apartment and went inside. As she zipped her suitcase and lifted it off the dresser, a paper drifted to the floor. Where had that come from? She didn't remember placing anything on her suitcase before she'd left. Kylie picked it up and stared at the picture on the other side. Realizing what the image was, she gasped.

How had someone gotten a picture of her and Nate at John's house, standing on the balcony and smiling at each other? Who would have done this?

The blood drained from her face.

Her stalker. He'd been in Yorktown. Been in her apartment. The police in Kentucky had arrested the wrong man.

She had to get downstairs. Tell Nate. Call the sheriff.

She spun around and started to run toward the door, but someone wearing black stood in front of it.

“L
arry! You scared me to death.” Kylie grabbed her heart and noticed her hands trembled uncontrollably against her shirt. “What are you doing here? How'd you get in here?”

He didn't smile, only shook his head. “I've been there for you through everything. Why don't you ever see me?”

The serious tone of his voice caused a shudder to zip down her spine. She found her voice and tried to steady it. “What are you talking about, Larry? I see you at work all the time.”

He shook his head again, his eyes dull, solemn. “No, you never really see me. I've been waiting for you to run to me, but it's always someone else.”

Kylie took a step back. “Larry, you're starting to scare me. I don't understand what you're trying to say.”

Nate, please come up and check on me. Please!

Larry took a step toward her, suddenly seeming much more foreboding than before. The businessman had been replaced by someone…barbaric. “I've cared about you since before I was your producer.”

“I didn't know you before that.”

He glowered down at her. “But I knew you. I used to come to all of your cooking demonstrations. You don't think it was just by chance that you got your cooking show, do you? I fought for you. I fought for that show, just so I could work with you, Kylie Summers.”

His proclamation caused her heart to stutter. “I had no idea. That's very…very flattering, Larry. Thank you for believing in me.”

“I wanted to be your hero, the one you turned to. But then you started dating Colin. He treated you like dirt, but you didn't believe it until someone mysteriously sent you emails from the other woman he'd been in contact with. Finally you realized what a jerk he was.”

“That was you? You sent those emails?”

“You weren't seeing Colin for who he really was. I had to do something to make you realize you could do better. I didn't want to see you hurt.”

“And you wanted me to do better with you. I had no idea, Larry. You should have told me.” Larry was her stalker. How could she have not seen it earlier?

He scowled. “I tried to. Several times. I even asked you on a date before I knew you were dating Colin.”

She remembered the day he'd awkwardly come into her office and blurted out a dinner invitation. “I thought you were talking a business dinner. I didn't know you were thinking of it as a date.”
Keep him talking, Kylie. Keep him talking.

“I comforted you when you broke up. I gave you a shoulder to cry on. I made you a favorite local TV personality. But you just never saw me in a romantic light, did you Kylie?”

“You should have told me. We could have talked.” Her voice trembled.

“Don't placate me, Kylie. You know I'm not your type. I never was. I never will be.”

“You're the one who's been stalking me, aren't you?”

He laughed, guttural and devious. “You're just now figuring this out? I thought you were brighter than that.”

“But the man they arrested in Kentucky…”

“One of your fans. It was so easy. He used to come by the studio every week trying to talk to you. He sent you letters. He called. So I decided to start feeding him information about
you, including the time and location of that sting the police set up. Anyone who'd seen you before knew you weren't the one doing the demonstration. Couldn't you have thought of something a little more clever, Kylie?” He touched her hair and she sucked in a breath. “You're beautiful, you know. I've always known there was something special about you.”

“If you think I'm so special, why did you want to scare me so bad? I thought you didn't want to see me hurt.”

He shrugged, suddenly looking relaxed and comfortable. “I thought you might run to me. That's all I've ever wanted Kylie—to be your hero.”

“There are other ways to be a hero, Larry. I've always thought highly of you.”

“I wanted you to need me, Kylie.” The dark look returned to his eyes.

Unstable. He was becoming unstable. She had to get Nate's attention or find a weapon to protect herself.

“Larry, don't do something you'll regret.”

“I've already done things I should regret. Three times, as a matter of fact. Of course, I don't regret any of them. It sounds so clichéd, but if I can't have you, no one can.”

A gasp escaped before she could stop it. “You were the one who tried to run us over? Who pushed me into the water? And the exploding stove—that was for me, too?”

He laughed. “Third time wasn't the charm. In fact, your Prince Charming got it worse than you did. I'm about to change that.”

Kylie reached behind her, trying to find something, anything. Nothing. She'd packed up everything. She had to keep him talking.

“Suzy. Larry, did you do something to Suzy?”

His lips cracked in a sadistic smile. “Such a naive little girl. She spotted me taking pictures of you outside the restaurant. I told her you were under investigation by the FBI and I was doing surveillance. The young girl was intrigued. I have that
effect on some women. Just not the one I want.” His eyes darkened. “I had to keep her quiet, though. She asked too many questions, got too suspicious.”

“Please tell me you didn't hurt her, Larry. She didn't do anything.”

“You won't be around long enough to find out, Kylie. I have my own plans for you.” He ran a finger down her arm.

“What did you do to her, Larry?”

He scowled. “Don't worry. By the time they find her, we'll be long gone. I gave her a little sleeping medicine and stuck her inside Cornwallis's Cave. The locks were way too easy to pick.” He laughed. “Don't worry your pretty little head over her. You should be worried about yourself.”

Kylie's throat went dry and her heart beat uncontrollably. “Nate's downstairs. You're not going to get me out of this apartment without him knowing.”

Larry laughed. “Don't worry, my dear. I have a plan. I always have a plan.”

 

The last conversation he'd had with Kylie hurt far worse than the bike crash, the water rescue or the oven exploding. What had happened to convince her that he only wanted to save her? And how could he convince her that wasn't true?

The fire marshal waited in the kitchen to review the damage with Nate. The explosion hadn't done as much damage as Nate had feared. He hardly even cared at the moment. All he cared about was talking to Kylie, convincing her to stay here and take over the restaurant. He feared he was too late.

He glanced at his watch, thinking she would have come down by now. As he began walking to the door, Darlene's face appeared on the other side. Her normally cheery expression was gone.

He pulled the door open and she briskly stepped inside.

“Nate, I need to tell you something.”

He took her arm and led her to his office. “Okay, Darlene. Go ahead.”

She frowned and wrung her hands together. “It's about the man who's been staying at the bed-and-breakfast this week. I went in to clean his room and found a picture of Kylie on the floor. I think Kylie might be in danger.”

 

“Here's what we're going to do,” Larry said. “We're going to go downstairs and head back to Kentucky together. If you see Nate and give him any indication that something's wrong, he's dead.” He pulled a gun from his jacket, his eyes absent of any compassion or sensibility.

Kylie's gaze traveled to the gun. Her mouth went dry as she stared at the shiny metal, as she imagined a bullet slicing into Nate's chest. Her entire body shuddered at the thought. Not Nate. If something happened to him because of her, she wouldn't forgive herself.

God, help us.

Larry laughed again and cupped her face with his hand. “It's okay, sweetie. You still have me. I'll always be there for you.”

It took everything in her not to flinch, to pull back.
Think, Kylie, think.
She'd survived cancer. Certainly she could beat her producer at this game he was playing with her. “Larry, we can get you help. You should stop this now.”

He dropped his hand and scowled. “There's no turning back now. I've already done enough that if I'm caught, I'll be in jail for the rest of my life. Why stop now?”

“Larry, you can make things right. You don't have to do this.”

“I'm just getting started with you, Kylie.” He grabbed her arm. “Let's go. We're getting out of here.”

“No!” She screamed and thrashed away from him. Her hand smacked against his face. He fumbled backward a couple of steps before righting himself.

“This is no time to get feisty, Kylie.” He wiped his lip, saw the blood there and narrowed his eyes. “Don't make this harder than it has to be.”

“I'm not going anywhere with you, Larry.” She backed up, adrenaline surging through her. Her hands came up in fists, as if she was starting a boxing match. Her breathing was labored, but her eyes focused solely on Larry.

He laughed again and stepped toward her. “Come on, Kylie. Drop the act. You're not a fighter.”

“I am a fighter. I've always been a fighter. I just forgot for a while. Never again.”

Larry lunged toward her. Kylie knew she couldn't defeat him in a struggle, simply based on the differences in their body sizes. But she could move quickly, use momentum, find a weapon. She had to do something.

Thinking quickly, she ducked. Her leg swung out and hit him in the ankles. Larry lost his balance and stumbled again. She darted toward the door and grabbed the handle. Before she could turn the knob, a hand grabbed her arm and jerked her backward. Pain ripped through her.

“Not so fast.” Larry jerked her arms behind her back. Tears rushed to her eyes as white-hot heat flared through her shoulders.

He pulled some strips of cloth from his sweatshirt and wrapped it around her wrists. “I tried to do this the easy way. I underestimated you.”

The ache going through her bones zapped her power to fight. Larry tied the cloth around her wrists so tightly that she'd already begun to lose the feeling in her fingers.

“You don't think someone's going to see you taking me out of the restaurant? You're not going to get away with this.”

He pulled his jacket off and threw it over her shoulders, successfully concealing her bound hands. “I'm rushing you to the hospital. You're still not feeling well from your spills yesterday.”

He jerked the door open and started to propel Kylie forward. Before he could step out behind her, Nate appeared from around the corner and charged at Larry. The two tumbled to the floor, exchanging blows.

“Kylie, get downstairs and go to Harvey's!” Nate yelled, successfully pinning Larry on the floor. He raised his fist and jabbed Larry on the jaw. Larry groaned, the fight seeming to drain from him.

Kylie remained frozen where she was.

“Go!” Nate ordered.

By the time she got to the bottom of the steps, a sheriff's car pulled up. She stumbled toward it. The deputy caught her before she fell. “Upstairs. My stalker. Nate's in trouble.”

The deputy sat her in his car. He darted inside just as another sheriff's car pulled up. It was Detective Blackston.

Kylie pointed toward the beach. “Suzy. She's in Cornwallis's Cave.”

Please, Lord, be with Nate and Suzy. Watch over them. Keep them safe.

 

With surprising strength, Larry pushed Nate off him and rose to his feet. Nate stood quickly, his eyes never leaving Larry. His muscles were rigid and tight as he prepared himself for Larry's next move.

Larry wiped the blood from his lip and stared at Nate with a manic look in his eyes. “You're not going to be her hero this time, Nate.”

“It's too late, Larry. Kylie is safe downstairs. The sheriff is on his way. The best thing you can do now is to turn yourself in, to not add anything else to your rap sheet.”

Larry laughed and shook his head. “I'm not going to waltz out of here and let you two live happily ever after. No way am I letting you end up with her.” He reached behind him and pulled out a gun.

Nate's adrenaline surged. He kept his eyes on the gun, on Larry's finger poised on the trigger.

“I just got your attention, didn't I?”

Nate held up a hand. “Shooting me won't do you any good.”

“I'll get the satisfaction of knowing Kylie won't be with you.” He laughed again, his eyes becoming glazed. He was losing his grip on reality, if he hadn't already.

“Why do you think Kylie will be with me? She told me earlier that we don't have a future.”

Larry shook his head. “Don't play dumb. Kylie looks at you like you hung the moon. She was willing to disappear with me so I wouldn't hurt you.”

Nate's heart twisted with concern and love. He'd never want Kylie to put herself in that position, yet it confirmed that she did care about him.

Nate kept his eyes on the gun as he and Larry both paced in a circle. He had to get the weapon away from Larry. All it would take would be one small movement for Larry to end Nate's life.

“I thought you loved Kylie, Larry. Why would you want to hurt her?”

Anger clouded his gaze. “I made her into who she is. All I wanted in return was for her to love me. That wasn't too much to ask, was it? No. But she doesn't want to be with me. She wanted to be with that jerk Colin. I finally got her to see the light with him, and she comes running here and right into your arms.”

“You wanted her to run into
your
arms, didn't you? That's why you kept trying to scare her.” And it had turned into an obsession. “You know, she did love you, Larry. She told me that you were the one behind the success of her show.”

“I was behind the success of her!” Sweat beaded on his upper lip and he waved the gun around. “Kylie was always the selling point. She made the show.”