Private Bodyguard (18 page)

“We need to get you help,” she said, not apologizing.

“The police—” he said between his teeth “—will—will be here soon.”

“You need them now.”

Her voice shook as she said it. Oliver wanted to let her know everything was going to be okay, but the truth was, it wasn't. He looked down at his wound again.

He was losing too much blood, too fast.

He was going to pass out soon.

He dropped the knife and picked up the gun again. “There are ten shots left,” he said, handing it to her. “Just pull the trigger if you see him.”

If Jace thought Oliver was down for the count, he wouldn't hesitate in underestimating Darling and trying to finish her.

Oliver watched as a myriad of emotions crossed the woman's face.

“You shouldn't have jumped in front of me,” she said, matching his tone.

“It's part of my job description.”

“It's not,” she whispered, “but thank you.” Oliver didn't miss the red in her eyes. The pain in his stomach intensified. He was sure his own eyes were starting to tear, too. He reached out and took her free hand.

She was beautiful.

“I wanted to, Darling,” he started, pausing once again to make sure he didn't hear Jace moving around. Maybe his bullet had also found its mark. Darling raised her eyebrow. He was happy to see she kept control of the gun in her right hand. She could defend herself if push came to shove.

“You wanted to what?” she asked.

“I wanted to run away with you,” he continued. “When you asked me, there was nothing I wanted to do more, but—” Oliver sucked in a breath. Darling squeezed his hand.

“Don't.”

The pain tripled from his wound. He couldn't hide it. Darling's face softened in acute concern. He needed to finally tell someone—finally tell
her
—the reason he had left the girl in the daisy dress all those years ago.

“I didn't want to hold you back,” he whispered. “You would have given up everything for me, and I didn't want you to have to do that. I'm no good for you, Darling, but —” he took his hand from hers and placed it against her cheek “—I'm no good without you, either.” His vision started to tunnel. He was on the cusp of unconsciousness. Before Darling could respond, Oliver let his hand drop. “Now focus. I can hear him coming.”

Without much furniture in the house, Jace's attempt at stealth echoed off the walls and down to their room. Oliver half hoped he would leave them and make a run for it, but he knew the millionaire's son had too much to lose. In his mind, Oliver and Darling were the only two people who knew about his connection to Jean. Their deaths could ensure his continued freedom, especially since two men were already in custody for it. Although if Jace really stopped to think about it, he'd realize running was his best option.

However, he didn't.

* * *

D
ARLING
FELT
AS
if she was having an out-of-body experience, watching the horrible scene unfold from somewhere else entirely. Jace was almost to the door—all caution apparently abandoned—and the life was visibly draining from Oliver. His revelation had touched a deep part of her, but it had also been terrifying. The bodyguard's breathing had shallowed. She knew he was giving it his all just to stay conscious.

Darling could feel the urge to distance herself and wait for the inevitable to happen. Wait for Jace to make it to them and finish the job while Oliver bled out. To give up and give in. She bit down hard on her lip. She didn't need to distance herself. Oliver needed her now.

She tightened her grip on the gun and took two deep breaths. Jace was nearly at the door.

“I love you, Oliver Quinn,” she whispered.

And then she was up and shooting.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Darling was uncomfortable but trying her best not to show it. She was sitting in the hospital hallway with her foot propped in the chair next to her, waiting for Nurse Jones to come back out.

The older woman, along with the doctor on duty, hadn't seemed surprised when Oliver was rushed through the ER doors with Darling limping by his side hours earlier. The chief or Derrick must have given them a heads-up, which was fine by her. It had meant Oliver had gone into surgery almost immediately.

An ache had crossed her heart at seeing him go limp in the Slate House's bedroom. His state hadn't changed in the ambulance, either. There had been so much blood...

“I thought you might need this.”

A woman with dark red hair, wearing a smart burgundy pantsuit, took the seat to Darling's left. She held out one of two coffee cups. Darling's eyelids fluttered closed for a moment. The coffee smelled like heaven.

“You must be Nikki,” Darling responded once her coffee euphoria was over. The woman nodded and handed the second cup over. It warmed Darling's hands. “You came into town to fire Oliver.”

Nikki let out a chuckle. “I've been warned you say what's on your mind.” She smiled. “I have to tell you, I like that in a person. But yes, that's why I came. I won't apologize for it, though. I have an obligation to protect all of my agents, even if it's from themselves from time to time.”

Darling nodded. Oliver still hadn't told her what he'd done that was so bad when he was trying to find her, and she didn't care. He had saved her. Twice. She wasn't going to nitpick him about it.

“Which brings me to this point,” Nikki continued, leveling her gaze with Darling's. Her expression softened as she spoke. “Thank you for protecting him when no one else could.” It was an admission Darling hadn't expected. She bet it was a rare show of emotion for the founder of Orion. Especially with a stranger. “Starting Orion and trying to keep it afloat have left me little time to do much else. I have few friends, and Oliver is one of them. So, thank you.”

It was Darling's turn to smile. “I don't know if I did the best job at protecting him. He did still get shot.”

“Don't sell what you did short. You shot and then disarmed a man hell-bent on killing you both before the cops even got to you,” Nikki pointed out. “If that's not protecting someone, then I don't know what is.”

Darling replayed the moment after she had told Oliver she loved him. Jace had been right outside the door, and she hadn't taken any chances on him getting past it. Shooting through the wall, she had hit her target. She rushed him when she heard his gun clatter to the ground. Like Oliver, Jace had passed out from his injury. Unlike Oliver, Jace's wound hadn't been serious. He was currently handcuffed to a hospital bed on a different floor, surrounded by cops.

“I suppose I should listen to the owner of a bodyguard service,” Darling said with a smile.

“You've got that right.”

They lapsed into a mutual silence as they appreciated their coffees. Darling took the moment to marvel at the past week. It would be a while before Mulligan returned to normal. The gossip alone would carry them into the new year.

“You should let Oliver come back to Orion,” Darling blurted after a minute had passed. “I can tell he really loves working there.” She expected some kind of pushback, but Nikki kept smiling.

“I'm going to offer him his old job,” she said. It made Darling happy and sad at the same time. She wanted to be greedy. She wanted to keep Oliver in Mulligan, to stay with him and live out the rest of their lives together. But she also wanted him to be happy. Orion was a big part of that. “However, I have a feeling he won't take it.”

Darling raised her eyebrow. “Why wouldn't he?”

“Have you tasted this coffee?” Nikki shook her cup. “I wouldn't want to leave this place, either.”

“The coffee is good but not
that
good.”

“Something tells me Oliver feels differently.” She paused, letting her double meaning sink in. Darling didn't want to smile, but she couldn't stop it. “On a completely unrelated note, since there is no issue with Nigel paying Orion for its services, we now have enough money to start expanding.”

“That's great!” Darling was glad something good had come from everything that had happened.

“I'm thinking of creating a new analyst division. One that would cover finding and assessing threats, and building strategies for the more complicated cases. I wouldn't start it right away, but I do think creating a freelance position now would only help Orion in the long run. So whoever took the job could work from home. Wherever that might be.” She winked at Darling. “It would only make sense that that someone would need to have a thorough knowledge of the group as well as an unwavering loyalty...”

“You know, I think I might know someone who fits that description,” Darling said, already picturing a certain bodyguard wrapped up in winter clothes, grumpy at the Maine temperature. The thought warmed her heart. “But don't get your hopes up,” she said more to herself than Nikki. “This person might be fine staying with his old job.”

Nikki took a long pull from her coffee and smirked.

“I think we both know that isn't true.”

* * *

“I
CAN
'
T
BELIEVE
you crashed your rental.”

Orion Zeta team lead Jonathan Carmichael, Oliver's closest friend, was shaking his head at Oliver. It had been a week since his surgery, and he was finally being okayed to leave the hospital. Oliver had been surprised when Jonathan had shown up instead of a certain private investigator to give him a ride. Though he wasn't going to question his friend. He knew the man had been worried.

They all had, including Oliver.

“I'm telling you, it wasn't my fault,” he said. “There should be a clause in those contracts that says if a crazed idiot is trying to kill you by using a stolen car, then the rental place can't get mad at the renter.”

Jonathan laughed and helped Oliver into the car. Although no long-lasting damage had been done by Jace's bullet, Oliver was still mighty sore.

“Nikki said the cops thought you had killed that idiot and left him on the side of the road,” Jonathan said as he got behind the wheel.

Oliver smiled. It wasn't sweet.

“After what he had done to Darling, I would rather he rot in jail for years and years to come.” George had been released two days before with a straight shot to jail. Jace Marks was right behind him. After Jace had awoken in the hospital, he had cracked under Chief Sanderson and Deputy Derrick's unrelenting questioning. Jace had admitted to murdering his half-sister as punishment for his father after convincing his old friend George to help. The two of them had tried to pin the murder on Nigel but hadn't expected the millionaire to have such a great alibi. Then, when Darling started to figure out Jean Watford's connection—which would have shown Jace had a great motive to kill her—they had panicked. George had jumped the gun and, instead of dropping Darling off next to Jean's car with evidence showing Nigel was lying, he had tried to kill her through exposure. It had just been a happy accident the private investigator had found the car. Another accident that ended up benefiting them was Jace's knowledge of CFO Lamar Bennington's and executive assistant Robert Jensen's drug addictions. Framing them was easy, especially when both businessmen were picked up under the influence of narcotics.

Now Jace and George were going away for a long, long time.

Nothing made Oliver happier.

Well, almost nothing.

“I still can't believe that girl of yours tackled a killer to keep him from getting to you
after
she shot him,” Jonathan observed. “Sounds like you got a good partner in crime there.”

“I can't complain,” Oliver responded with a smile. Right before passing out in the Slate House, what he thought would be the last thing he ever heard had been Darling saying she loved him. He had been ready to die happy at those three little words.

However, now that he wasn't on his death bed, he was ready to make those words into something much more.

* * *

F
OR
THE
FIRST
time since Elizabeth had hired her, Darling had no trouble walking up to the front door of the Markses' Mulligan home. Since George was no longer on the payroll, and Grant and Thomas were still doing their Orion bodyguard duty until the end of the month, the front gate was left open, and the gatehouse was kept dark. All it took was one knock on the heavy front door and a smile to be welcomed inside the mansion.

“Which Marks invited you?” Thomas greeted her. He had met Darling while Oliver slept in the hospital. Both he and Grant had made sure to check that their former partner was okay.

“Elizabeth, but I'd like to talk to Nigel for a quick second if that's okay.”

Thomas and Grant hadn't hidden their new respect and appreciation for Darling keeping their friend alive when she'd talked with them in the hospital. Thomas wasn't hiding it here, either. Without a question he led her to the second-floor office and through its open door.

“Sir, Darling Smith would like a moment,” he said to the millionaire. His tone had gone almost stern, as if warning Nigel that declining her presence wasn't a good idea.

Nigel looked up from the papers on his desk and nodded. Darling bet the man hadn't slept well in days. Everything about him sagged. Only his eyes remained strong, no doubt holding the confidence he had garnered over a lifetime of experience.

“Thank you, Thomas,” he said. The bodyguard left but didn't go far, standing on the other side of the open door. Darling wasn't afraid of any more attacks, but she was grateful for the watchful eye. “I'm sorry it's taken so long for us to meet, Ms. Smith. Life has been...” He ran his hand through his hair and let out a long sigh.

“I hadn't expected you to want to meet with me in the first place,” she said honestly. From the brief phone conversation she had had with Elizabeth earlier that day, she knew the millionaire's wife had admitted to her husband that she had hired Darling to prove his infidelity. Beyond that, Darling didn't know where that left the couple. What was more, if Darling hadn't kept digging, his son wouldn't be in jail.

“I admit, at first I was angry, but then I realized it was at myself,” he said, guilt ringing clear in his words. “I could list the things I should have done differently in my life, but there's no point now. My son killed my daughter, and the simple truth of it all is that it was because of me.”

“When did you find out about Jean, if you don't mind my asking?”

“A year ago she approached me at a business convention in Miami. Her mother was a good friend of mine in college. Our paths crossed one night while she was on business. It was only a one-time thing, though I know that doesn't make it right—I was with Elizabeth—but I didn't see her again after that. She passed away a few years ago, and Jean decided to start looking for me. Her mother never told her who I was, and she certainly never told me who Jean was.” His brow furrowed. “I would have been there for her growing up if she had.” Darling had just met the man, but she felt in her heart he was telling the truth. Finding out he had a daughter had seemed to soften a big part of him. “When we met, I thought maybe she only wanted money, but the more time I spent with her, I realized she just wanted family.”

“You tried to set her up with a job in Charisma?”

He nodded. “Her mother was sick for a while, and that drained almost all the money they had. Jean dropped out of school to take care of her but couldn't afford to go back. She was smart—very smart—and I told her that if she did well at her job, after a year the company would pay for her to get a degree. It was the only way she'd let me help. A lot of good it did in the end.” Nigel averted his gaze, and Darling pretended not to notice his eyes rimmed with red. He was a strong man but, like everyone else, had a breaking point.

Darling cleared her throat. “I should go talk to Elizabeth now, but I wanted to stop by and give you this.” She handed him the folder she had been carrying and stood. “I did a little more digging the past few days and found something that you should know about.” Confused, Nigel held up the picture of a little girl that was attached to the file. “Her name is Isabella, she's five and I've been told she is a ball of energy.” Darling smiled. “She's your granddaughter.”

Nigel's mouth opened to say something but words never formed. He looked back at the picture of the red-haired girl.

“But Jean never said...”

“According to Jean's best friend—who is taking care of Isabella right now—Jean was going to use this trip to tell you about her. She wanted to get to know you a bit before she included her. Just in case.”

“She looks just like Jean,” he whispered. Nigel's reddened eyes were now shining.

“I can't stand here and tell you that everything is going to be okay. That the little girl's existence is going to help make everything that has happened better,” Darling said. “But maybe someday it will help.”

Darling left Nigel with his new revelation without another word. There wasn't anything more to say.

* * *

L
ESS
THAN
AN
hour later, Darling walked into Acuity in a much better mood. It only intensified when she saw Oliver lounging on the lobby's couch. She hadn't seen him since the night before, having visited him every day since he had been admitted. Though they had talked, neither had brought up the topic of their future.

“Well, don't you look better,” Darling said as she sat down next to him. “I'm sorry I wasn't the one to pick you up, but Jonathan insisted he could handle you.”