Being Chased (8 page)

--Noticed that did you?

--…

--It’s a Celtic knot… my bros and I got one… for family

--
Aha!

--
Aha what?

--
U just admitted to being schizo

Who was being
schizo now? She’d moved from one topic to the next then back without a hitch.

--
What the hell are U talking about?

--
I'm saying UR so moody all the time there’s no other explanation what's up w/ that?

He so didn't want to do this now. He already felt like an ass for what he'd done tonight and didn't wa
nt to get into this with her now. Besides, she’d been with her boyfriend, so why should he feel bad? Hm. He wondered why she wasn’t with her boyfriend at the moment. He ran a hand through his hair. God, his head hurt.

--
We can talk about it on Monday

--
No we can talk about it now

God, she was stubborn.

--What do U want me to say?

Well, duh. She wanted answers.

--I wanna know why

--
Why what?

--
Why UR so moody

--I’m not

--Yes U R

--
No I’m not

--
Yeah U R

--
Nope

--
Yep

--ARRGH!

--What?

--
Tell me Y

--
Y what?

--
OMG Y UR so moody?

--
I don't know what to tell U

--
C'mon, college boy I'm sure U can think up something

Deflection. He was a master at it. Maybe if he
kept avoiding everything, she'd give up.

--
I don't know what UR wanting to hear

Oh,
he was so frustrating! She wanted to junk punch him right now.

--
GOD UR even infuriating on the fucking phone

He barked out a laugh. Her and that badass temper.

--It's a hidden talent of mine

--
UR a jerk

--
I know this

--
I hate you

--
I know this too

--
ANSWER ME

--
What's the question

"Oh, my God. I so hate him right now."
Julia took a deep breath, wanting to get things back on track.

--
Chase please tell me what's going on

He sighed. He knew he needed to be up front with her. It was only fair.
And he fucking hated fair. He wanted to be with her. Take her out. Spend time with her. Maybe even fall in love with her. But it was too risky.

--
Look I know U think what I do is easy but it's not

--
Oh driving me around is so tough huh?

With
that attitude and smart mouth of yours, sometimes, yeah.

--
Julia I'm UR bodyguard if something happened to U, I'd be responsible don't U get that?

--
Yeah I get it so what?

--
U don't get it

--
What's there to get?

Alright. Time to man up.

--If I got involved with U it would be dangerous

Huh? How in the wor
ld could their being involved be dangerous? Julia rolled her eyes. “He’s got to be kidding,” she murmured before texting him back.

--
I knew it U really are in the mob aren't U?

He snort
ed. Such a smartass. Okay, Captain Inarticulate, time to cut to the damn chase.

--
Julia I gotta stay focused… I know UR safety hasn't been jeopardized but if it was I gotta be alert… emotions would get in the way of doing my job

Emotions?
Did he have feelings for her?

--
U saying U have feelings for me?

Holy shit. Just great. After several
minutes he answered her.

--
Y… do U have feelings for me?

There. That wasn't junior h
igh-ish at all. Not one bit.

--
Asked U first

--
Asked U second

Julia
rolled her eyes.

--
Y do U always have to be such an ass?

--
Another hidden talent

--
4 someone who acts so cocky and brave all the time U sure are a chickenshit

--
I'm also a dickhead a fucktard and an asshat what's UR point?

--
I give up all I can say is UR loss

And
she was so right.

--
I know

Whatever.
She tossed her phone on the nightstand. Okay, from here on, she was moving forward. No more thinking about Mr. Chase Murphy. No more!

Chase ran a hand over his face tiredly, making sure to avoid his fucking swollen eye. Well, damn
. He told himself he needed to let it go. Let
her
go.

Ha. Easier said than done.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Brock yelled. He looked at his clock. Seven? Who the hell would be calling this early? And on a goddamned Monday morning? Christ.

Chase
's phone had been ringing forever it seemed, and Brock was tired of hearing the opening riffs of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” playing over and over again. Great song, but hearing it on repeat for the past thirty minutes was getting old. He got out of bed looking into Chase's room to see why he hadn't answered the damned thing. Oh. He was in the shower. Brock knocked on the bathroom door.

"
Stop jacking off in there! I need to piss, damn it." He pounded on the door now.

"Shit, hang on, man!
" Chase yelled back. He finally came out dripping wet with a towel wrapped around himself.

"Your fucking phone's been g
oing off for thirty minutes now. Jesus." Brock went in the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Going to his
room and picking up the phone, Chase saw that Allen had called him. Five times. Christ. He was going to be fired. He knew it. Allen had found out about him and Julia.

Or
maybe he was going to talk to him about the extra time. Chase had talked to his dad the day before who’d informed him that Sam’s mother was ill and he’d be leaving. He hoped that was it.

But
Chase
knew
messing around with the boss's daughter would lead to nothing but trouble yet his dumb ass had done it anyway. His mind raced thinking of what he'd say about it. Oh, this wasn't good at all.

Calling
Allen back, Chase felt his face getting red and his stomach tying in knots.

"
Chase."

"Hey
, Allen. I see that you called?" Chase took a deep breath.

"Yes, yes I did. Seems we have a problem."

Chase's heart was about to jump out of his chest.

"A problem, sir?"

"Yes. You haven’t seen this morning's paper, have you?"

What could
’ve been in the paper? Oh, God, were there pictures of him kissing Julia on page six? Photographers, paparazzi, were always jumping out of places to snap pictures of her and there could’ve been someone at the bar Friday night. Shit!

"No, sir, I have
n't."

"I need you to get to the apartment as soon as you can.
You’ve got the code. Come in when you get here. We need to talk," Allen said then hung up.

Chase
sat down on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees, his head hanging down as he ran a hand through his still wet hair. He knew this would happen. Knew it all along, but he’d kept pushing it, not caring that he was fucking away his future.

"Son of a bitch!" he
sat up and roared, tempted to throw his phone against the wall.

From his room,
Brock hollered, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Just gonna go get my ass fired!"

He dressed in jeans and a t-shirt leaving to go meet his doom.

****

Allen had talked to Julia on Sunday letting her know what was going on. Julia had gotten mad as all get out, stomping off to her room and slamming the door, full-well knowing she was behaving like a three year old. Allen had told her he was going to talk to Chase about the situation also, which really threw her into a snit. After going to her room she’d screamed out, "This is so frickin’ stupid!” hoping her father heard her. Allen and his stupid paranoia. She was sick and tired of it.

Monday morning before showering,
Julia, still in a semi-bad mood, walked into the kitchen to get a muffin. The made-from-scratch muffins instantly changed her demeanor. Peggy had baked them Friday and Julia loved when she did because they were her favorites and would provide her breakfast for almost the entire week. She opened the tin on the bar, almost reverently taking a muffin out. Biting into it, she closed her eyes and let out a moan at how good it was, then picked up a piece that had fallen onto the bar, sucking it felicitously into her mouth from her thumb. She savored the entire roll, making several appreciative noises while she did. Finished, she turned around to go back to her room when her eyes landed on Chase and she let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Holy shit! What the hell
are you doing here?" she hissed.

Chase
had been sitting on the couch in the living room, his arms stretched across the back of it, enjoying Julia’s Muffin Show, not ashamed to admit that watching her had turned him on a little. The woman knew how to enjoy a muffin, that was for damn sure. Even as bad as he felt about their last encounter and as nervous as he was about what Allen had to say, he couldn't help his mouth twitch as he’d watched her, but the urge to grin was now gone as she stood there in what he guessed were her pajamas which consisted of a tight tank top and short shorts. Jesus.

When
she saw his eyes roving over her body, she frowned and quickly stepped behind the bar to hide herself. She so didn’t want to see him yet. She’d thought she’d prepare herself as she got ready for work before seeing him in the car. She’d been confused all weekend over what had happened between them at Clancy’s on Friday, including their ill-fated text message session afterward, and then with what Allen had brought up yesterday. She still needed a little extra time to get into I-don’t-give-a-crap mode so she could put a wall up to keep herself from being hurt even more by everything, including Chase’s impending daily rejection of her. Ugh.

As he
continued staring at her, the lip twitch now back, she continued, "I asked a question. Jesus, you must flunk a lot of tests with that awesome answering technique you've got there." She smirked at him. Yep. Emotional girl gone. Smartass back. Protective wall back into place. Thank God.

Running his hand through his hai
r, lurking smile gone, Chase answered her question. "Your father called. Said we needed to talk." He hoped he came off as casual but wasn’t sure if he’d pulled it off.

Julia
narrowed her eyes at him. Great. Allen 
had
 been serious. It upset her anew that he was pursuing it, and, not caring if Chase saw her in her pj's, she angrily stomped back to her room.

"Whatever," she huffed
as she went by.

Chase
chuckled at her agitated exit, not neglecting getting a good look at her ass as she tromped away, then sat up straight when Allen summoned him into his office. Standing, he wiped his palms on his thighs before walking down the hallway, preparing himself for the worst.

"Have a seat," Allen
told him. Julia’s father had a damn daunting presence, standing about Chase's height and probably weighing the same, but he just had an aura of power about him.

"So, you and
Julia."

Chase
's heart sped up. Sack time to commence in three, two…

"Yes, sir?"

"You're getting along okay, right? I mean, after two years of this, I guess things are going well?"

Chase
let out a little of the breath he was holding. "Yes, sir. We seem to have a decent working relationship."

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear. Take a look."
Allen tossed the
New York Times
at him.

He
still held his breath until he read what Allen had wanted him to see. The paper had been folded to expose a single article. As he read the headline, he realized this meeting had nothing to do with his foolish flirting with Julia. Midway through reading, he started breathing normally again but wrinkled his brow at the seriousness of the situation.

Businessman's Son Murdered in Kidnapping Heist, Police Working On New Leads
,
the headline read.

Chase
looked up at Allen. Well, damn. See? This was what Julia wasn't understanding—how serious his job really was.

"Bad stuff
, that right there. That man is a friend of mine and now he's lost his eighteen-year-old son. That's why I've called you in this morning. We're going to have to beef up security, as they say." Allen looked at him grimly.

Chase
nodded in agreement. "What all does that entail?"

"Constant surveillance, for one.
Julia thinks she can take care of herself, but we both know that no matter how smart or physically strong a woman is, most men could overpower her if she slipped from the line of vision of a protector. So, what I'm saying is, I need you to go with her everywhere for now. You can't just drop her off at places. I want you going in with her. Walk her inside her office building. Go inside when she goes to the bank. Those sorts of things. I'll double your salary for it. I’ll call CEP and let your father know.” He sighed. “Guess we'll just have to be on high alert until they catch the men who are doing this."

Wow.
Chase had gone from thinking he was going to lose his job to getting extra pay for pretty much doing what he'd already been doing. Cha-ching!

"Yes, sir."

"I'm also going out of town tomorrow, and I'll be gone until Thursday of next week. I'll need you to stay the night here during that time. Can that be arranged?”

“Yes, sir, it can.”

“I know Julia will balk, but that's her problem. I don’t need to tell you she’s very important to me. I expect you to make sure nothing happens to her, treat her as if she were your own flesh and blood."

"Yes, sir,
I will."

"Oh, and
I guess your father told you about Sam? His mother being ill? He and his wife are flying to South Carolina to stay with her for a bit, so you'll need to be available for weekends for at least the next four weeks. Does this also work with your schedule?"

"Yes,
sir, it does. I already talked with my dad about it. I have final exams next week, but that shouldn't conflict with anything."

"Great."
Allen stood as did Chase and they shook hands. "How'd you get the shiner, son?"

Chase
was embarrassed to tell him he'd gotten it in a fight, but he also didn't want to lie to the man, especially since his daughter had witnessed it and it might come up sometime.

"Bar fight,"
Chase explained sheepishly.

Allen
laughed. "Been in a few of those myself, but that was, what do you kids call it? 'Back in the Day'?"

Chase
couldn't help but snigger. "Yes, sir. That's what it's called."

They walked out of the office,
Allen yelling for Julia to hurry up, that Chase was waiting.

"I'll be done when I'm done!"
she huffed from her bathroom.

Allen
looked a little abashed at Julia's answer and tone then looked at Chase apologetically, shaking his head.

"Go ahead and relax until she's ready. Would you like a muffin? Our housekeeper can really bake."

Since he hadn't eaten because he'd rushed over, he told Allen that he'd definitely take one. Allen told him to eat as many as he wanted and pointed out the tin on the bar. Allen's office phone began ringing, so he excused himself.

"Wow
. Stuff your face much?" Julia said as she walked into the kitchen fifteen minutes later, all set to go.

"I
wath hungwee," Chase garbled at her, his mouth full of muffin. She was gorgeous in her business suit. He couldn’t help but check her out. And those heels she had on. They did things to her ass and calves that should come with a warning.

She narrowed her eyes at him.
"You ready or do you wanna raid the refrigerator too?"

"Wouldn't mind a bottle of water," he said, swallowing, smirking at her.

Julia rolled her eyes but went to the fridge to get him water. Cute. God, the guy was cute and then some. Ugh. But might as well try to get along with him since he wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Just great.

"
Here. Happy now?" she asked as she tossed him the bottle.

"Inordinately." He chugged the en
tire thing down in one breath then smiled at Julia as she scowled at him. "Here ya go." He handed her the bottle to be put in the recycling bin.

She rolled her eyes again before t
hey walked to the front door and Chase held it for her. "Milady," he said, sweeping his arm toward the hallway. Julia shot him a look. “Man, try to be a gentleman…” he murmured with a chuckle as they stood waiting on the elevator.

"Uh huh. So
, Petey, what'd Allen have to say?" Julia asked, snorting.

"
Petey?"

"The dog on
 
The Little Rascals
…" Chase looked puzzled. "Has a ring around his eye…” She held a finger up to her eye, drawing imaginary circles. “Your black eye…" Jeez. Summa cum laude, huh? The elevator doors opened and they got on, Julia punching the lobby button.

"Oh, ha, funny. Yeah, enjoy this 'cause it'll never happen again. Douche got lucky by catching me off guard.
” An angry scowl covered his face as he remembered the idiot who’d surprised him.