Living Dangerously (18 page)

His understanding gaze said more than words. Once again it struck her that he had put his own life on hold for her. He might be a man of few words, but his actions spoke for themselves.

Julie picked up her burger if only to end the conversation so Troy would finish his dinner. She’d heard his stomach rumbling the past two hours of the drive and knew he was starving. He demolished his steak in minutes and pulled out his wallet.

“Let’s go,” he said, yanking a couple of bills from his money clip. “I don’t like how these two guys keep looking over here. You might’ve been made.” He tossed the cash on the table.

Julie’s pulse jumped and she set her napkin on her almost-empty plate. “I’ve got this ridiculous wig on. I can’t imagine they really recognized me.”

“I can.” He got up, reached for her crutches and they escaped out the side exit.

Hours later, Troy hauled their luggage into another hotel room outside of Denver, this one much like the last with the exception of one king-size bed. Julie made another call to the detectives and had to leave a message. She didn’t expect a call back in the near future. Troy used the bathroom first then crashed on the bed as she hobbled her way toward the toilet. By the time she came out of a quick—albeit shallow—bath, feeling fairly refreshed and ready for bed, he was sound asleep. He hadn’t even taken off his shoes.

Julie put her crutches on the floor, sat next to him on the bed and studied his face. Sleep softened the worry lines on his forehead and bracketing his mouth. When he smiled, those lines got deep and his eyes sparkled bright, and it turned him into one hell of a sexy package.

She pulled off his boots. His eyes opened into slits and he started to sit up. She pushed him back. “I’ve got them. Go to sleep.”

He leaned back on the white sheets and watched her, his eyes dark and sexy. She noticed the hard ridge in his jeans and held back a grin since she hadn’t done anything to warrant his erection. After all, her baggy T-shirt and sleep shorts did nothing for her figure. Like his hands, his feet were big: solid and strong, just like the man. When she got his socks off, he tugged her down next to him on the bed. He didn’t make any moves, didn’t even try to kiss her. He just held her close and Julie soaked up the contact. The sense of safety she felt with this man was unparalleled.

It seemed she’d just fallen asleep when his voice woke her up.

“Julie,” he whispered. “Time to get up. We need to hit the road. I brought you a chai and some breakfast.” He looked guilty for waking her up while it was still dark outside and because he was going out of his way for her, she didn’t want him feeling bad.

“Did you put it on my tab?” she asked as she gently stretched sore muscles.

“This one was on me. Sorry I crashed on you last night.”

She peeled back the covers, sat up and took the chai he offered. “It’s okay. Driving is tiring. I could take a turn, you know.”

He shook his head. “I like knowing you’ve got your leg up in the backseat. It’s not a problem. Besides, I don’t want you to get behind in your pain meds.” He zipped up his bag on the luggage rack and turned toward her, his face expectant.

Too late for that. Her leg was throbbing already. “I guess you’re giving me another twelve minutes to get ready?” she asked.

“Take fifteen. You deserve it.” He flashed a rogue grin and her heart tumbled over. “Hey, I was thinking since you’re not at home, now’s the perfect time to get the garage door fixed. I know a guy with a garage business and he owes me a favor.”

“Wow, first plywood and now garage doors. You know all kinds of helpful guys.” Julie didn’t see a reason to argue. “I may as well. I have to fix it before I can sell it. Between Abbey and Cal, someone can be there while the workers are there. Thanks.”

Troy nodded. “You’re welcome. I’ll leave a message for him while you’re in the bathroom.” He glanced at his watch. “You’re down to fourteen and a half.”

Julie groaned as she sat up. “That shouldn’t count as my time. You stalled me.” This close to him, she smelled his aftershave. She could breathe him in all day long.

Sitting in the close confines of the car, she realized she would.

* * *

Abbey unlocked Julie’s front door and set her backpack on the entry table. She thought she’d get a little vacation time with Julie gone, but she should’ve known better. It didn’t matter where Julie was, she always had something going. Something that required Abbey’s time or energy.

Right now, Abbey needed to be at the studio practicing for an upcoming audition. She wanted to work on the signature moves the choreographer was known for. She brought a couple of DVDs to aid her rehearsal. If she could nail down a few numbers now, it would be easier when she got into the audition. Or so she hoped. Luckily the original audition had been postponed from now to tomorrow, which gave her more time to rehearse. This way, she didn’t have to panic about getting to Julie’s house to open up for the workmen coming to fix the garage door.

Abbey strode into Julie’s huge den, glad for the bamboo flooring. She wouldn’t be able to do any of the spin moves on carpeting. She stripped off her baggy T-shirt, tossed it over the leather recliner and got down to her dance threads, a form-fitting strappy black top and leggings.

After shoving the DVD in the player and moving the furniture back, she stretched to the introduction of the video. Things were just getting started when she heard a truck pull up out front. Already? She thought she’d have time before the workmen came. She’d gotten here an hour early on purpose to get these moves under her belt.

Something caught her eye in the backyard, but the closed blinds blocked her view. Her heartbeat thumped between her ears as she inched to the window and peeked through the slats. A man was creeping along the outside of the house. Abbey’s pulse leaped and her palms slicked. Maybe this was the guy after Julie. Maybe he thought he could get in and wait for her, surprise her when she came home.

Anger joined the mix of fear and panic as she backed away from the window. She needed to call for help. She headed for the wireless phone, but the receiver was gone. Julie had a terrible habit of never replacing the phone on the charger. If Abbey didn’t put it back, the thing would die on a regular basis. She held back the urge to groan and scurried to her bag near the front of the house for her cell phone.

The man was at the backdoor now, jiggling the knob. Abbey’s heart jumped into her throat. Even if she called for help the police wouldn’t get here fast enough.

The
alarm
! Abbey ran to the keypad in the hallway and flipped the top. She heard the squeak of the backdoor as it opened. Panic shot through her. She hit the alarm button on the pad, but it stuck. Glancing over her shoulder, she heard him coming closer. She jabbed at the button but nothing happened.
What
good
was
this
stupid
fucking
alarm
!

Run
! She should run out the front and to a neighbor’s house.

Wait! The workers! The guys out front would help her. She raced into the entryway and opened the door, ran outside, ready to call for help, but didn’t see any workers. A lone truck sat parked across the street. The neighborhood looked deserted. Where was everybody?

Oh shit. The workers hadn’t come early after all. It was the man stalking the house who’d come. Her pulse tripled. She heard something behind her and panic shot through every cell. Abbey bolted for the neighbor’s house. She heard him behind her and wanted to scream, but she couldn’t pull any air into her frozen lungs. She’d barely gotten ten yards when a massive weight brought her down, tackled her to the lawn. She hadn’t even called the police! No one knew what was happening. No help was on the way.

Abbey fought like a wild woman, bucking and kicking as she wiggled and squirmed to get out from under the massive weight surrounding her.

Not
again
!
Not
again
! Tears leaked out of her eyes as she struggled. Her ponytail came free and her hair obscured her vision.

“Nowhere to go, doll. I’ve got you now.”

Abbey barely heard his words through the roaring in her head.

The man flipped her on her back, trapped her wrists to the ground and stopped suddenly. He’d probably just now realized she wasn’t Julie. Although their skin tones were dramatically different, their body shape and hair color were remarkably similar.

“What the hell?” he muttered.

Abbey still fought like a mad woman. She wasn’t a teenager anymore. She had the ability to fight this guy. All those self-defense classes hadn’t been for nothing. She opened her eyes and screamed, a whole new burst of adrenaline racing through her.

Surprise stopped her cold and her scream died in her throat.
What
the
hell
?

“Abbey?” the guy said, breathing hard. His weight crushed her to the lawn. “What the hell are doing sneaking around in Julie Fraser’s house?”

Gasping for air, Abbey searched her terrified brain for his name. She’d never forget him. Elevator guy. Tall, auburn hair and a spectacular body. “Blake?”

He nodded and sat up, not one bit of humor on his grim mouth, his hand wrapped around her arm. “Answer me,” he said. “What were you doing in her house?”

Abbey smacked his hand off her as he tried to help her up. “Don’t touch me.” She got to her feet, still leery and shoved her hair behind her ears. She glanced around the neighborhood. He’d been at the hospital and now he was at Julie’s house? That was too coincidental. “Why don’t
you
tell
me
what
you
were doing sneaking around her backyard?”

He held up a key. “I’m under instructions to open the house for the workers that have to fix the garage.” He folded his big arms across his muscled chest and looked down at her like he owned the property. “And you?”

That condescending look of his rubbed her the exact wrong way. “I work for Julie. I told her I’d be able to meet the workers when they got here, but I had a conflict and couldn’t come early. That changed.” She spread her hands wide. “So I’m here.” She folded her arms across her chest and mimicked his stance. She could play this game too. He’d obviously found the hidden house key in the backyard. Julie, Elena, Carrie Ann and she were the only ones who knew about it. So who told this guy? “How did you know where to find the key?”

Blake looked around the neighborhood and sighed. “Can we do this inside? It’s about a hundred and twelve out here.”

He was right. The sun beat down mercilessly and perspiration already dripped between her breasts, but Abbey didn’t know if she wanted to be alone with him. She didn’t have enough information yet. “First tell me how you knew where the key was.”

He exhaled a huff of air. “Troy told me. This morning. Over the phone. Are you happy now?” He spread his arms wide. “Can we go in?”

“Troy?” Abbey asked. A new wave of clarity crashed in her head. She’d met Blake at the hospital when he must have been visiting Troy. “How do you know Troy?”

“He’s my...friend,” he said, clearing his throat. “He’s a friend of mine.”

Abbey narrowed her eyes. Why would Troy be hanging out with a guy so much younger than himself? Something was off about this. “A friend. Right.”

“C’mon,” Blake said, gesturing back to the house. “I’m under orders to move anything near the garage door back toward the interior to give the guys space.”

That made a little bit of sense.

Abbey shook off her panic and headed for the house. “God, you scared the absolute crap out of me,” she admitted.

“Sorry,” he said, opening the front door. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. Are you okay from the tackle?”

She rotated her sore shoulder and glared at him. “I’m fine.”

“Look, I wasn’t expecting you either. I was thinking, what were the chances that I’d be here to catch Julie’s stalker.”

Turning on him in the entryway, Abbey caught his eye. “How do you know about her stalker?”

He made a face and shrugged. “How else? Troy told me.”

Abbey scowled. This was all very convenient. “It’s not his place to talk about Julie’s life to you.”

One of Blake’s eyebrows lifted. “Maybe not, but he seems pretty serious when it comes to protecting her and if calling me to help out keeps her protected, then I think he’s allowed.”

Abbey’s perfect posture went for shit. She felt like a world-class bitch. She covered her face with her hands. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” Residual fear manifested itself in her chest and a knot lodged in her throat. She would not cry. She would not cry. It seemed every time she was around this guy she had a panic attack.

“You okay under there?” His voice was low and soft, and Abbey clenched her jaw to keep her chin from wobbling. She nodded.

Gently, he took her wrists and pried them apart and away from her face. The empathy in his eyes made her feel two inches tall. Before she had a chance to run away, he pulled her into a hug. “I am so sorry I scared you. Really. I had no idea it was you. I didn’t even know you worked for Julie.” He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “I was just getting it in my head that you weren’t ever going to call or email me.”

Ugh. Not that. “I lost that slip of paper you gave me.”

His face brightened. “You did?” He sighed. “Thank God. My self-esteem took a real boot to the head.”

Abbey laughed. She couldn’t help it. His infectious grin had her cheeks heating up. She’d just avoid telling him that after staring at his contact information it had taken her the better part of six weeks to decide to email him. Then she’d promptly lost the information. Brilliant.

“Been in any elevators lately?” he asked.

“Not a one. You?”

He shook his head. “Nope. They’re off my diet. I’m good with the stairs for the next long while. So, where’s the door to the garage? I should get to work.”

“It’s this way,” Abbey said, leading him through the house. “I can help you. She doesn’t have that much near the door. Just some stacked bins.”