Someone To Watch Over Me (4 page)

His eyes were crystal blue and had an edge to
them which left her with the impression that they missed little and
had seen much. For a brief moment, a flicker of appreciation
appeared as he studied her. Almost instantly, the expression faded,
and cool analytical detachment replaced it. Morgan’s mouth went
dry. She didn’t know anything about him, but from the “don’t mess
with me” aura he exuded, she’d bet he was former military, police,
or both.

He extended his hand. “I’m Shawn Randall from
Sonoran Security. How can I be of assistance?”

Morgan stepped forward and shook it. “Morgan
Kennedy. I’m glad to meet you.”

A small smirk broke on his lips and the irony
of what she had said hit her. He took her hand. Attraction and
nervousness sent an adrenaline surge coursing through her. She
searched his eyes, hoping for an indication he had the same
reaction, but he regarded her with calm scrutiny.

I’m being studied like some insect.
She pulled back and crossed her arms defensively. Taking a shaky
breath, she wondered what she should say next.
Just give him the
facts.

She willed herself to stay calm as she
explained, “I’ve got a stalker. I don’t know who he is, but this
morning he vandalized my car. This afternoon, he sent flowers to my
home as an apology. The police haven’t been terribly encouraging. I
don’t know what to do.”

There. She said it. A short, simple, direct
reply. Morgan blinked as she fought to hold back the tears.

“Okay, let’s start from the beginning.” His
voice possessed a patient polite tone which echoed the policeman’s
conversation earlier today.

Morgan gestured for Shawn to sit in a nearby
chair, and she sat opposite him on the sofa. She took a deep breath
and began to recount the activities in detail. Shawn listened. Only
when she detailed her car’s vandalism did he stop her.

“What did he take?”

Morgan stopped and tucked a strand of her
hair behind her ear. “He stole some clothes out of my gym bag.”

“What kind of clothing?”

She pondered how to phrase her answer.
Exactly how do you tell someone you met less than five minutes
ago a stalker took your bra and panties?

“Did he take lingerie?” Shawn asked.

Morgan gulped and heat flushed her face.
“Yes. He took my bra and panties.”

Shawn nodded and sat back from the edge of
his chair. “So, he has a souvenir.”

Morgan snorted a laugh, “That’s an odd way to
phrase it.”

Shawn grinned. “Yeah, I know. But you have to
remember today he talked to you. He made personal contact, and
although taking your clothes is the type of thing which will freak
you out, it’s a trophy to him. What did the police say?”

“Not much, because I can’t identify this guy.
Unless they get a fingerprint match, I’m out of luck. Do you have
any suggestions? At this point, I don’t feel safe.”

“Good,” Shawn replied.

“Excuse me?” Morgan couldn’t keep the
incredulous tone out of her voice.

“Trust your instincts on this. You’re not
safe.”

Morgan glanced over at Stella, whose
expression mirrored Morgan’s shock. She turned back at Shawn. “This
is crazy. How can I make him go away?”

“When he’s caught, or when he moves on to a
new victim.”

Victim
. The word pinged through her
mind and made her feel uneasy. She managed a retail store, staff,
and one of the largest fundraisers in the metropolitan area. She
helped victims, Morgan never thought she’d be one.

Shawn leaned forward, and Morgan detected
sympathy in his demeanor and voice. “I don’t want to add fuel to
the fire but here’s how it goes. You didn’t know until today, but
you’ve had a stalker for some time. He’s followed you, knows your
routine, what you do, and where you live. I’ve worked in the
personal security business for a number of years. It happens to
celebrities often. Most of their fans are harmless, but
occasionally, they get stalkers too.”

“Well, I’m no movie star. Why me?”

“If I had the answer to that question, I’d be
rich. We aren’t dealing with a normal person here. Thanks to the
fundraiser’s publicity, he’s fixated on you. In fact, not being a
celebrity has worked to your disadvantage. He’s had an easy time
tracking you.”

Morgan glanced over at Stella and caught her
friend’s alarmed expression. “How do I stop him?”

“You start taking precautions. I have a few
ground rules you’ll need to follow. Then be prepared, it’ll get
worse, maybe a lot worse. But if we’re ready, we’ll catch him and
get him out of your life.”

Stella spoke up for the first time, “What
does she need to do?”

Shawn cast a quick glance to Stella and
returned to Morgan. “Are you hiring me?”

Morgan glanced at Stella.

“You should. This is getting out of control,”
Stella urged.

She looked at Shawn. He waited for her
response, and a little flicker of irritation rippled through her.
She glanced down and fingered the green tourmaline ring on her
right finger. “Too fast,” the voice in her head warned. Her first
instinct was to resist. Think things through, have a plan. She
didn’t have to do this. “No thank you” was an option. But since the
phone calls this morning, she’d been dancing to her stalker’s tune.
When he made his next move, then what? She pressed her lips
together and took a deep breath. “Yes, I suppose I am.”

Shawn nodded. “Okay. I’ll have a contract
sent over to the store for your review and approval. We’ll need
your signature tomorrow.”

Morgan stared at her new bodyguard and tamped
down her immediate reflex to stand up and say she’d changed her
mind. His no-nonsense attitude reassured and irritated her at the
same time.

“What does Morgan need to do?” Stella asked
again.

Shawn leaned forward in his chair. “Okay,
first, no contact. Let your phone calls go to voicemail so they can
be screened. We don’t want to encourage him by letting him talk to
you. Next, vary your routine. Mix things up and he’ll be thrown off
balance. Then we gain the advantage. Last, you’ll amp up the
security. I’m assuming the jewelry store has an excellent system,
but what about here?”

“I have an alarm and a monitoring service.”
Morgan replied.

“Deadbolts on the doors?”

“Yes.”

Shawn rose from his chair. “Good. Let’s take
a quick walk through. I want to make sure everything is locked and
all’s clear.”

Morgan stood up. “Where do you want to
start?”

“Let’s start with the garage and the
entrance,” Shawn said.

Morgan paused. Should she lead the way or
would he? She waited for him to make the first move for a few
seconds, then she cracked a nervous smile. “Follow me.”

For the next twenty minutes, the trio went
from room to room as Shawn checked locks and possible hiding
places. Once the inspection was completed, they returned to the
living room.

“I want Matt, my partner, to come and check
the outside and evaluate how we can make things more secure.
Tonight, one of our security cars will patrol your house several
times. What are your plans for tomorrow?”

“I have to tape a television interview at
KDEZ at eleven a.m.”

“Okay, I’ll pick you up at nine. From now on,
when you are out in public, someone from Sonoran Security will be
with you.”

“Morgan, do you want me to stay with you
tonight?” Stella asked.

Morgan smiled at her friend, thankful for her
moral support. “No, I’ll be okay.”

Stella looked over at Shawn.

“You and Morgan can decide. With the house
locked up and the security car outside Morgan won’t be in any
danger,” he said.

“Stella, you don’t have to stay.”

Stella paused. “Are you sure? I have to be at
a home inspection in Chandler at eight a.m., but I can
reschedule.”

“No, don’t cancel. Go home and get a good
night’s sleep.”

“All right, but if something happens or you
change your mind, call me.”

“Right after him,” Morgan replied nodding in
Shawn’s direction.

Stella picked up her purse and stood up to
leave. “Shawn thanks for coming over. Tell Matt I said, hi.”

Shawn flashed a relaxed smile at Stella,
“Will do.”

Morgan noted his blue eyes twinkled as he
smiled. She wondered if there was some unspoken conversation going
on between the two of them. They’d worked together for a while last
year and shortly after, Stella broke up with her boyfriend.

“I need to be leaving too.” Shawn said.

They headed for the front door with Morgan
bringing up the rear. Opening the door, Stella leaned forward and
gave Morgan a sisterly hug. “Take care, I’ll call tomorrow.” She
turned and walked out to her vehicle.

Morgan glanced at Shawn as he stepped up to
her. “When I leave, set the alarm. Here’s my card. If anything
happens, call the police and then me. The police can get to you
faster than I can. Do you have any questions?”

“Shawn, you said things will get worse. What
am I in for?”

The relaxed look that he had when he spoke
with Stella faded and the no-nonsense attitude re-appeared. “I
don’t know,” he answered quietly.

Morgan crossed her arms as a chill settled on
her shoulders and back. She took a slow breath, “You’re not
reassuring.”

Shawn nodded and the corners of his lips
curled up. “I’m sorry, but these types of things are unpredictable.
Good night.”

She closed and locked the door behind him.
Curious, she peered out through the security peephole and observed
Shawn as he talked to Stella for a few brief moments. After Stella
walked to her SUV, Shawn pulled out his cell, and dialed a number
as he headed toward his vehicle.

She heard the engine start and a dark
Escalade passed the front entrance before disappearing from her
line of sight. She turned and walked back to the living room and
stopped at the arcadia door. The lights of Cave Creek twinkled in
the distance, and she knew he was out there. She sensed him.

***

Hidden in the shadows every night, he
watched, waited and worshipped. Who needed cable TV? All they
offered was a conga line of interchangeable bleached blondes. Those
shows portrayed them as smart, beautiful, and rich, but he knew
better. Morgan was the real thing and perfect for him. They
belonged together.

Tonight she’d left the drapes pulled back. He
saw her dump the flowers and eat take out with her friend. Who was
the new guy? He wasn’t family or Morgan’s ex-boyfriend Brad. That
jerk had been out of the picture for several weeks now. Was this
another boyfriend? Resentment and possessiveness coursed through
his veins with each heartbeat.
Mine.

“Come on. I need to see you, just one more
time.” He whispered and as if God heard his plea, Morgan appeared
at the arcadia door and stared into the darkness. “Soon baby,
soon,” he murmured. She reached over and began to draw the
blinds.

“No, No,” he whined. “A little longer,
please.” Morgan never heard him and closed them. “Show’s over” the
voice in his head announced. He sighed and moved back from behind
the dense shrub surrounding the ironwood tree. The undergrowth
provided excellent cover. The access was even better. All he had to
do was go a few hundred feet down the dry wash to his car.

He trekked slowly down the sandy trail in
darkness. He couldn’t use a flashlight and risk discovery. Off to
his left, the brush rustled. Startled, he paused and listened
closely. Whatever the animal was, it moved away from him, and he
exhaled in relief. The desert came alive after dark as the
predators hunted in the coolness and cover of the night. He
wouldn’t have to hide out in the shadows much longer.
We’ll be
together in just three days.

***

“Matt, this is Shawn. We’ve got a new client,
give me a call.”

Shawn set the phone down on the console
between the driver and passenger seat. His partner would have to
pick up the concert job, in addition to the inspection. The lion’s
share of his time and attention for the foreseeable future had just
been commissioned. If this had been a standard security assignment,
he’d be very comfortable turning this case over to the team, but
Stella Adams’ call was a personal request. She was one of a handful
of people in the valley who knew his professional background would
make him the perfect candidate to protect her friend.

How would Matt take it when he found out
Stella had entered the picture again? Last year, his partner worked
with her family to resolve some construction site theft problems.
His interest in the blue-eyed blonde had been obvious, but she’d
been dating someone else at the time, and Matt stepped back from
any personal entanglement. His business partner had been smart and
stuck to business. Shawn pressed his lips together and tightened
his grip on the steering wheel. On the other hand, it seemed he
always needed to learn his lessons the hard way.

He thought about the current case. Nothing is
tougher than dealing with an unidentified stalker. At least if the
client knows who is stalking them, you know who you need to be on
guard against. They have a name, face, address, history, and
patterns of behavior. With this case, he’d be on the defensive
until they figured out the stalker’s identity.

His most recent experience occurred a couple
years back when he’d guarded a well-known recording artist who came
to party at the Super Bowl events. Before the celebrity arrived in
town, Shawn had received a folder on “questionable” fans. The
folder contained a long list of people, but what concerned Shawn
most was the “wild card”, the unpredictable and possibly dangerous
person whose name wasn’t on the list.

Shawn took a deep breath as he remembered
what happened. A young woman showed up and demanded to be let into
the VIP area. She claimed to be an invited close friend and
threatened to get anyone who stood in her way fired. The security
team did what they’d been trained to do and denied her access, but
the woman refused to be stopped. As the stand-off worsened, Shawn
made the call and had her removed from the club. His last vision of
the fan was still crystal clear. She’d stood in the parking lot
with tears running down her face. Once outside, she pounded on the
door and screamed to be let back inside. She disappeared only after
the police showed up.