Vulnerable: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 1) (7 page)

“I will.”

Tyler seemed a little shaken. He was always protective of her, but this was different. He was worried.

“I love you, kiddo,” Tyler said, reaching out to muss her hair again.

This time she let him do it.

* * *

Beth walked through the kitchen and out the French doors to the backyard where she found Gabrielle working in her herb garden. With its neat little rows of carefully marked plantings, the herb garden was Gabrielle’s pride and joy.

Beth crouched down beside Gabrielle and began pulling weeds from between the flourishing oregano plants.

“How was your lunch?” Gabrielle asked.

“Good. Tyler seemed a little distracted, though.”

“Oh?” Gabrielle said, moving over to weed around the dill plants.

“Yeah. Something’s bothering him. And then he got weird right before he left, reminding me to ‘be vigilant.’”

“Well, you know how protective he is of you.”

“I know,” Beth said. “But this was different. He told me to always tell you where I am.”

“We do that anyway, Beth. That’s nothing new.”

“I guess,” Beth said.

Chapter 6

After finishing up paperwork and returning e-mails, Shane headed to his suite and crashed. He needed a few good hours of sleep if he planned to camp outside Beth’s house again that night. During his time in the Marines, he’d learned to fall asleep anywhere at any time. That skill came in handy in his civilian life, too.

He woke at noon, hungry. He grabbed socks and running shoes and headed to the kitchen. Cooper had left him a note telling him to help himself to the leftover Chinese food in the fridge, which he did. He guzzled a bottle of water, then headed down to the gym on the 14th floor.

The gym was crowded, which was good. Maybe he could find someone to spar with. Kicking the shit out of someone sounded like a really good idea. If he couldn’t find someone in the gym, maybe he could talk one of his brothers into going a few rounds with him.

After a quick warm-up, he grabbed an employee to spot him and hit the bench press. The physical strain of lifting 280 pounds helped him rein in his thoughts. After he finished with the bench press, he ran three miles on the indoor track, setting a grueling pace that helped him stay focused. Otherwise, he was liable to do something stupid like check in on Beth. If there was a problem, his people would let him know.

About the time he was done running, a text came in. He stepped off the track and checked the message. It was from the surveillance team assigned to monitor Kline. Finally, something.

K’s on the move. On foot.

Shane texted back:
Watch and report.

He wanted to know Kline’s every move. If the guy sneezed, Shane wanted to know. If Kline was on the move, he wanted to be sure it wasn’t in Beth’s direction.

He texted Miguel, who was on duty watching Beth:
Report Bookworm location. K on the move.

Bookworm
. Shane grinned at Beth’s nickname. It was definitely growing on him. When Miguel had first come up with the nickname, Shane hadn’t like it much.

“The Bookworm’s home from work, safe and sound,” Miguel had reported once via a phone call to Shane.

“Don’t call her that,” Shane had said.

“Why not? She’s a librarian, for God’s sake, and she hangs out in bookstores. Ergo, the girl’s a bookworm.”

Since Shane couldn’t argue with Miguel’s reasoning, the name had stuck.

Miguel texted back:
Bookworm still at lunch w/T-Rex @ Mario’s.

Another text came in from the team shadowing Kline:
K walked to public library. Using PC.

All right! Now they would finally get somewhere. Kline surely wasn’t surfing the Internet for cookie recipes.

Shane replied to the Kline team:
I’ll alert IT. Stand by for forensics team
.

Shane called AJ Byer, head of the IT department. “I want a computer forensics team mobilized and ready. Howard Kline is using a PC at a public library. I’ll have the surveillance team send you the exact location. As soon as Kline leaves the library, I want a team on that computer. I want to know everything he did. Every search, every keystroke.”

“No problem, Shane,” AJ said.

Shane headed upstairs to the apartment. After a quick shower, he parked himself on one of the kitchen counter barstools and booted up his laptop.

Another text came in from Kline’s surveillance team:
K left the library on foot, heading home.

Shane replied: 
Secure the PC. Forensics en route.

The Kline surveillance team confirmed the order
:
Roger that.

Shane called AJ. “Kline just left the library. Someone from the surveillance team will hang back at the library to guard the PC until your folks get there.”

“Got it,” AJ said. “We have the location, and the forensics team has already left. Their ETA is 30 minutes.”

An app on Shane’s phone chimed, alerting him to the fact that he was about to have company. Someone had entered the passcode to the private elevator. He checked the bank of CCTV monitors in the kitchen and saw Jake and Liam in the elevator. They were undoubtedly here to give him a hard time about his whereabouts last night, but at least they had the decency to bring food. A moment later, Shane heard a ping as the elevator doors opened in the foyer.

“We heard there are some developments,” Liam said as he came through the foyer doors. He was carrying two large pizza boxes, which he laid on the counter.

Jake walked in reading an incoming message on his phone. He headed for the fridge and grabbed bottles of beer, handing one to Shane and one to Liam.

Shane opened a pizza box and pulled out a slice. “Thanks for the food. I’m starved.”

“No problem,” Liam said. “Anything concrete yet from IT?”

“Not yet,” Shane said. “The forensics team is en route to the library. We should be able to get some good intel from his browser history.”

Liam opened his beer.

The three brothers sat on barstools at the counter, eating pizza and drinking beer.

Forty-five minutes later, Shane’s phone chimed with an incoming call. “AJ, I’m putting you on speaker.” Shane synced his phone with the speakers in the kitchen. “Liam and Jake are here, too.”

“We’ve got problems, Shane,” AJ said. “Our perp was a busy boy at the library. He searched for second hand computer shops and cheap Internet plans.”

“Figures,” Shane said. It was only a matter of time until Kline got himself an Internet connection at home.

“He searched for local employers who hire cons,” AJ said.

“He needs an income,” Liam said, grabbing another slice of pizza. “To pay for the second-hand PC and Internet service.”

“He tried to download some porn, but the library filters caught him,” AJ said. “But here’s the kicker, Shane. He ran a search on Beth Jamison. He accessed her home address and phone number. He searched for her on social media websites, but he didn’t find much there. She has a Facebook page, but it’s restricted to friends only. He also went to the Kingston Medical School website and viewed a map of the campus.”

“Fuck,” Shane said. “Thanks, AJ. Send me the full report when forensics is done.”

Shane called Tyler Jamison, whom the guys had aptly nicknamed T-Rex. He knew Tyler was with Beth, but this couldn’t wait. Tyler answered on the third ring, and it was noisy where he was – they must still be at the restaurant.

“What is it?” Tyler said, his voice coming through loud and clear over the speaker.

“Kline just searched the Internet for Beth’s address and telephone number on a PC at the public library,” Shane said. “Threat confirmed.”

“Understood,” Tyler said. “But now’s not a good time. I’ll call you later.”

Shane texted Miguel, who was parked outside the restaurant where Beth and Tyler were, and gave him the update.
Threat confirmed.

“I guess it’s official now,” Liam said, pulling another beer out of the fridge. “You want one?” he asked Shane.

“Yeah.” Shane caught the bottle Liam tossed his way.

Jake grabbed another slice of pizza. “Defcon 4. Now we wait for him to make a move toward Beth, and we nail him.”

Shane realized he’d been hoping that Kline had moved on by now, but no such luck. Kline was still fixated on Beth. Covert surveillance on Beth was no longer enough; he wanted close personal protection on her 24/7. He’d be having a talk with Tyler as soon as he could arrange it.

“Anyone up for a few rounds in the ring?” Shane said, finishing off his second beer. Right now he needed an intense work-out. When he and his brothers hit the mat, it was no holds barred.

“I am,” Liam said, hopping off his barstool. “I’m always happy to kick your ass. What do you feel like? Jiu Jitsu? Krav Maga? Kickboxing?”

Jake laughed. “Be careful, Liam. The boss is in a shitty mood. You know how he gets when he’s like that. He fights mean.”

Shane stowed the leftover pizza in the fridge, and the three of them headed down the hall to the martial arts studio. Liam and Shane hit the locker room and stripped down to shorts and muscle shirts.

A few hard rounds in the ring with Liam would feel good, if his brother didn’t manage to pummel the shit out of him first. He and his brothers were pretty evenly matched – they were about the same size, with similar builds and musculature. But Liam clearly had an advantage; he was a martial arts instructor who’d played professional circuits for several years during his rebellious phase. And Liam hit hard.

Shane handed his phone over to Jake to monitor the incoming chatter from the field while Shane and Liam climbed into the ring.

The martial arts studio was part fight club and part hang-out. A boxing ring stood on one side of the large industrial-looking space. The other side featured a full-service bar with a small kitchen and plenty of seating. There was even a kick-ass sound system and a small dance floor. The floors were wood, the interior walls were weathered red brick, and the lighting fixtures were steel and glass. It was called “industrial chic,” according to his sister Sophie. Having an interior designer in the family came in handy.

Jake made himself comfortable on a black leather sofa across the room. “This had better be good,” he said, leaning back and crossing his leg.

The brothers had their own method of fighting, their own version of kickboxing meets back-street brawling with a little fast-and-hard thrown in Krav Maga-style.

Liam threw the first punch. Shane dodged the half-hearted movement and followed up with a sharp jab to Liam’s right side.

“Hey!” Liam groused, when Shane’s fist connected with the side of his torso.

Shane shrugged. “Too bad. You were slow.”

Now Liam was pissed. Good. So was he. And Shane wanted to play hard.

“I told you he’s in a shitty mood,” Jake said.

“Oh, it’s on, asshole,” Liam growled, coming at Shane with a roundhouse kick that sent Shane halfway across the ring.

Shane regained his feet and shook it off. “You’ll have to do better than that, Liam.”

Liam came at him again, relentless, getting in several good hits, but Shane was okay with that. If Liam was going to play hard, then so was Shane. They got at it, pummeling the hell out of each other. It was fast and furious, with fists and feet flying, not to mention a whole lot of sweat and a few splatters of blood, especially when the edge of Shane’s bare foot connected with Liam’s mouth. They took turns knocking each other to the mat.

“Are you two
trying
to kill each other?” Jake asked, as he stepped up to the edge of the ring.

Both brothers were panting from the exertion, drenched with sweat and not a little bit of blood. Liam looked like he’d have a black eye, and Shane was definitely favoring his right leg.

“Nah, we’re just having fun,” Liam gasped, as he drove his foot into Shane’s right kidney.

Shane hit the mat, using his inertia to roll right back up onto his feet. He drove his foot into Liam’s side, knocking Liam down and following up with a head lock.

“Want to join us?” Shane said, breathing hard. He released his hold on Liam and jumped back to avoid retaliation.

“No, thanks,” Jake said. “I’d rather not piss blood for a week.”

After a solid hour of merciless pounding, Shane and Liam called it a draw and headed to the locker room for showers.

As the two men were getting dressed, Shane looked at Liam. “At some point, I want you to give Beth Jamison some basic self-defense lessons.”

Liam’s brow arched. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. She’s completely defenseless. She needs to learn situational awareness and some basic defensive moves, at least enough to stall an attacker.”

Liam shrugged. “Sure, no problem. Let me know when.”

Jake poked his head through the locker room doorway. “We’ve got company. Tyler’s downstairs, asking to come up.”

“Oh, there’s a surprise,” Liam said, pulling on his jeans.

“Send the elevator down for him,” Shane said. “I’ll be right out.”

Shane was surprised it had taken Tyler this long to come to the apartment. He knew Tyler’s curt response on the phone wasn’t the end of it. Tyler could hardly speak to Shane about Kline in front of Beth. Now was when the arguing would begin.

He pulled on sweats and a t-shirt and headed to the foyer to meet Tyler.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Tyler stepped out and glared at Shane. “I want that fucker behind bars!”

“So do I,” Shane said.

Tyler followed Shane through the foyer doors into the apartment.

“I can’t believe they let him out!” Tyler said. “What the hell were they thinking? He’s no longer a threat to society, my ass!”

Shane shook his head. “Believe me, Detective, when we find something we can use to take him down, we’ll let you know.”