Someone To Watch Over Me (8 page)

Had there been any signs she was being
stalked? Did she ignore those too? She opened her eyes and looked
out the front windshield. Had she seen him around and discounted
it? Did she know who he was?

Needle pricks stung her eyes and she closed
them in an effort to fight off the tears which threatened to spill.
She wouldn’t cry. Not here, not with Shawn sitting next to her.

She glanced over at Shawn while he was
focused on driving. He sat straight in the seat with a firm grip on
the wheel. Even with his aviator glasses, the precise moves of his
head indicated he was scanning the side and rear view mirrors. What
did he know that she didn’t?

“Would you mind if we turned on the radio?”
Shawn asked.

Morgan glanced away and looked out the side
window. “Sure, go ahead.”

Shawn reached over and punched the button. A
soft ballad came on and she saw the station number on the radio
screen. Strange, her first impulse would’ve been to peg him as a
sports station or rock-and-roll listener.

“Is this okay? Do you want to change the
station?”

“No, it’s fine.”

The lunch-hour traffic slowed their exit from
downtown and she relaxed as the music continued. Her empty stomach
growled, demanding food.

“Do you want to stop and get something to
eat?” Shawn asked.

Morgan placed her hand over her stomach,
realizing he must’ve heard the rumble. “Not right now. Let’s get
something when we get to the resort. With all that’s going on, I
don’t think I can handle greasy fast food today.”

He shrugged. “Your call.”

Morgan felt a slight twinge of guilt at his
reply. She never thought to ask if he wanted to stop and eat. “We
can stop if you want,” she added hastily.

“No, I’m good.”

***

Shawn focused on the driving and tried to
ignore the awkward silence filling the cab. Morgan underwent a
total change from this morning after the note was left. The fun
easy-going woman had retreated into silence, thinking only God
knows what. It didn’t take a psychic to see stress rolling off her
like steam.

Please, spare me from a woman who never
eats
, he prayed silently. It was an epidemic among the women he
dated in California. No matter where he took them, they all pushed
their food around their plates, fearful one bite would spiral into
some shark-like feeding frenzy.

He glanced over at her and made a silent vow
that once the business was finished at the resort, they would take
a lunch break. The last thing he needed right now was a client
collapsing from a combination of low blood sugar and heat.

Thirty minutes later, Shawn drove through the
manicured entrance of the resort and slowly snaked along the curved
driveway toward the hotel’s main building. He marveled at how well
the resort balanced its seventy-year-old history with contemporary
luxury. Nestled at the base of Mummy Mountain, the adobe building,
which served as the main entrance and lobby, retained its
traditional southwestern architecture. Once inside, guests were
surrounded by expensive Western and Native American art any museum
would’ve been proud to showcase. He had to admit, the location was
an impeccable choice to hold a high dollar charity fundraiser.

Shawn pulled into a nearby parking lot and
drove around.
No burgundy Honda.
Satisfied, he pulled into a
space. Given recent activity, he preferred not to use valet parking
because that meant handing his keys to a stranger who parked his
SUV in some out-of-the-way lot. He’d had enough surprises for
today.

He went around to the passenger side of the
car, helped Morgan out, and escorted her to the resort’s front
entrance. Upon entering the lobby, Morgan led them to the event
planner’s offices.

“Ellen, are you ready?” Morgan asked.

The short petite woman stood up from behind
her desk and came over to greet them. “Yes, Ms. Kennedy. Please
follow me.”

Morgan smiled in approval and introduced
Shawn as a security specialist. If Ellen thought anything was out
of place, Shawn couldn’t tell as the woman smiled graciously and
extended her hand. “Mr. Randall.”

He’d have to give it to Morgan. Her
introduction as a security specialist was a nice touch. Not the
complete truth, but not a lie either.

“If you will follow me down to the Arizona
Ballroom, they’re setting up the tables and chairs at this time.”
Morgan nodded and they followed Mary out and across the outside
entrance to the wing where the conference and meeting rooms were
located.

The tables were arranged in clusters with a
clear path up the front where a podium and empty display cases
waited to be positioned. Morgan spent a few minutes in discussion
on layout, making some minor revisions, confirming timelines for
dinner service and arrival of the jewelry.

He couldn’t help but admire her while she
reviewed the plans. Morgan was in her element. Always pleasantly
clear in her instructions and the changes she requested, Morgan
demonstrated her knowledge and experience with this type of
project. When finished, she glanced over at him and smiled. She’s
relaxed, he thought.

“Shawn, do you like Mexican food?” Morgan
asked.

“Love it. Where do you want to go?”

Ellen interjected, “Lupe’s is off the
swimming pool terrace and the food is wonderful. Please be our
guest.”

Morgan grinned. “What do you think?”

“I’m game if you are.”

Morgan turned back to the hotel
representative. “I think we’ll take you up on your offer.”

“Wonderful,” Ellen replied. “Please follow
me.”

The event planner chatted briefly with Morgan
as she escorted them to the restaurant. Shawn scanned the dining
room when they arrived. The restaurant’s décor had a more
contemporary touch than the lobby. Leather chairs and Native
American sculptures complemented the earth tones and sleek copper
accents. As they settled into their chairs and surveyed the menus
he asked, “Dine here often?”

“No,” Morgan replied. “I haven’t been here
for ages.”

He grinned and shook his head. “Too bad, I’m
depending upon your recommendation on what to order.”

Morgan grinned. “The food was wonderful the
last time I was here. Anything you choose will be great. Just be
warned, the portions are huge.”

After they placed their orders, Morgan took a
sip from her iced tea. “How did you start with the security
business?”

Shawn’s stomach gave a sharp twinge at her
question. He fiddled with his knife to collect his thoughts before
responding. He had to be careful. Certain topics he couldn’t
discuss and Morgan’s innocent questions could detour into forbidden
territory.

“I started when I got off the LAPD about five
years ago. I first worked for an agency that specialized in
security work for the entertainment industry.”

“Sounds interesting. Why did you come to
Arizona?”

Shawn stopped fingering the knife and studied
her. Morgan had managed to get to the heart of what he couldn’t
discuss in two short questions. He set the knife down, reached for
his iced tea, and took a sip.
Time to take a page from her
playbook. Tell her the truth, but not all of it.
“I needed a
change and decided to leave the LA scene to start my own business.
So, I came here.”

The waiter arrived with their meals and gave
Shawn a reprieve. They ate in silence for several minutes, but just
as Shawn began to believe he was out of the woods, Morgan asked,
“So where did you meet Matt?”

Safe question, easy answer, he thought. “Matt
worked for the same agency I did. When I decided to start a new
agency in Phoenix, he wanted in on the ground floor and came
along.”

“Does he work for you?”

“No, he’s my partner. He has expertise in
electronic surveillance and security systems. In fact, he’s
assembled quite a team for the installation of security systems for
businesses.

“Is he married?”

Shawn, who had been ready to take a bite of
his burger, threw her a glance. She had a curious expression,
leaving no doubt she’d picked up on the mutual interest between
Matt and Stella. He suppressed a grin. If offering up his partner’s
love life would keep her out of his, he’d be happy to oblige.

“No,” he replied. “Matt dates off and on. No
serious relationships, as far as I know.”

Morgan smiled and took another bite of her
salad. “What did he recommend for my house?”

“Matt doesn’t like the fact that the whole
property is open to the desert. Anyone could walk up to your house
with nothing to stop them. Would you consider building a
fence?”

“Not unless I had no choice. I love the view
at sunset and the wildlife. I had a family of javelina travel
through my backyard a couple weeks back.” Morgan paused and her
expression darkened. “Do I have a choice?”

“I’m not sure,” Shawn said. “This situation
with your stalker could resolve itself quickly or it could take a
while.”

Morgan glanced down at her salad and pushed
the greens around with her fork. Shawn could see that she had
questions but didn’t want to spill any more information about
California. “I have a loft over by Kierland Commons. It’s got a
nice view of the mountains to the north, but no wildlife.” -

She looked up at him. “Give me a few days to
decide about the fence.”

“Sure.”

Morgan’s request made sense. They may have a
better feel about how things might play out in a few days anyway.
Shawn’s cell phone vibrated. He reached down and looked at the
number. “The office,” he announced before he answered.

“Good news,” Matt announced. “KDEZ has a
security camera on the parking lot. I sent Sabrina down to pick up
a copy of the footage. We should be able to see who put the note on
your SUV.”

Shawn exhaled in relief. Finally, a break.
“Great. We’re finishing lunch and will come straight in.”

Morgan placed her napkin on the table and
bent over to reach for her purse. “In fact, we’re on our way
now.”

Morgan picked up her purse, removed some
money for the tip, and pushed her chair away from the table. On the
way out, she specifically stopped to thank the restaurant
manager.

Shawn took her arm as they weaved around the
people and their luggage on the way through the lobby. He thought
they had almost cleared the area when a young child who had been
playing, knocked over a small pile of suitcases. The luggage
slammed into Morgan’s leg and she toppled into him. Without
thinking, Shawn wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her. She
glanced up and flashed an embarrassed grin. As she regained her
balance, her hair brushed against his jaw and he caught a slight
scent of lavender. He swore he could hear the pounding of his heart
and loosened his grip slightly. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Morgan replied. “I didn’t wear the
right shoes for the obstacle course today.”

Shawn smirked. “Yeah, who would have thought
you’d need track shoes.” He exhaled slightly and released his hold
as she steadied herself. For a fleeting second he became keenly
aware that his arms were empty and he consciously dropped them.

Shawn turned his gaze to the young boy who
started the avalanche. He stood off to the right, frozen in
slack-jawed amazement. “Sam.” A woman’s voice barked. A young
blonde woman walked up and grabbed her son’s hand. She turned to
Shawn and Morgan. “I’m so sorry.”

Morgan smiled. “No harm done.”

“We’re okay.” Shawn said.

“Here, let me help.” A bellman stepped over,
began to stack the suitcases, and once a clear path had opened,
Shawn placed his hand in the small of Morgan’s back and urged her
forward out of the entrance.

Once outside, they picked up their pace as
they walked to his vehicle. Shawn scanned the parking lot looking
for anything suspicious. Anxiety edged his gut as he checked the
gaps between the parked cars as they passed by them. He couldn’t
shake the feeling that they were being watched. He glanced back at
the front entrance. Nothing appeared out of place. A car had pulled
up to the covered entrance and the bellman from the lobby arrived
with a cart to unload the trunk. For a brief moment, the uniformed
employee glanced over at them before focusing on unloading the
luggage.

As they approached his SUV, another piece of
paper stuck under his windshield wiper.

“Dear God, please, not another note.” Morgan
murmured.

Shawn didn’t comment. He gripped her arm and
he steered her to the passenger side. After he opened the door,
Morgan slid into the seat, but before he could close the door she
let out an anguished gasp and pointed to a small mass on hood.

Adrenaline coursed through him as if fuel
injected. He glanced over at Morgan. Despite the heat, her face was
drained of color. I’ve got to hold this together for her sake, he
thought.

Shawn closed the door, stepped around the
front of the SUV and cautiously approached the driver’s side. He
recognized it, a dead rabbit.
The son-of-a-bitch had placed road
kill on his vehicle.
The blood was still wet and the few organs
that peeped through the fur were still moist. Taking the note off
the windshield, he read it. “You’re next.”

Shawn folded the note and placed it in his
jacket pocket before he went to the back of the SUV and opened up
the tailgate. He reached into the metal box in the back, pulled out
a pair of disposable vinyl gloves, and donned them. He’d seen much
worse in his days on the LAPD but his stomach still tightened and
churned as he gently lifted the rabbit from the windshield. He set
it in a trash receptacle a few feet down from his vehicle, removed
the gloves carefully so as to not touch the external surface, and
dropped them inside.

By the time he returned to the driver’s door,
Morgan sat in silence and stared at the mountains in the distance.
“This has got to stop.”