Someone To Watch Over Me (11 page)

William turned to her. “Maybe you should pull
back from the fundraiser. I'll take charge if you need me to.”

Morgan shook her head. This is exactly what
she feared he'd say. “No, I can handle this.”

Morgan shot a glance at Shawn and hoped he'd
read her silent plea for support.

“Mr. Kennedy, Morgan’s safe,” Shawn said. “If
she goes into seclusion, we risk never stopping her stalker.”

William stared at Shawn and gazed at his
jacket. “Are you carrying a gun?”

Shawn hesitated and cast a guilty glance at
her before replying, “Yes, I am.”

William's expression turned grim. “So you
think this guy is dangerous?”

“Very.”

“Morgan, perhaps you should move back home
with your mother and I until this blows over. You shouldn't be
alone at your house.”

Morgan stammered, “Shawn doesn't think that
would be a good idea.”

“Nonsense,” William snapped. “You'll be safe
with us.”

“I would strongly recommend against that.”
Shawn said.

William glared at the bodyguard,
“Because?”

Morgan crossed her arms and watched the two
men. Her father wasn’t used to being countermanded. Shawn's polite
respectful demeanor evaporated, replaced by a cool steely
expression which left no doubt that he strongly disagreed with her
father's suggestions.

“The threats today were directed at me. Given
what's happened, I think he's quite capable of hurting anyone who
stands in his way of getting to her. You, your wife, and Morgan
will be at risk if she stays with you.”

Morgan studied her father as he considered
Shawn’s point.

“What do you recommend?” William asked.

“I'm recommending she does not stay at her
house alone.” Shawn bit off the words 'not' and 'alone'. “My loft
has restricted access. She will be far safer there than at her home
at this time.”

Her father frowned. “So she should move in
with you?” His voice dripped with skepticism and disapproval.

“Yes, for the time being.” Shawn matched her
father's stare.

Morgan loosened the grip on her arms. She
wasn't a psychic, and in this case she didn't need to be to have a
pretty good idea of what was running through his mind. William
Kennedy was a traditional man. Having his daughter move in with a
man and live under the same roof wouldn't sit well with him. He was
old school all the way. He glanced over at her and exhaled. “Keep
me in the loop.”

She nodded, surprised her father had given in
so quickly. “Thanks Dad.” She leaned over and gave him a hug. “I
love you. This will turn out okay.”

William sighed as he wrapped his arms around
her. “Have you got any suggestions of how to break this to you
mother? I'm all ears.”

Morgan choked back a laugh. “Don’t terrify
her too much.”

William pulled back and looked at her. “I'll
try.” Her father's eyes shifted to Shawn and he ordered in a firm
voice, “Take care of my daughter.”

“I will.”

Her father then clapped his hands together.
“Well, I think the web designer has done enough shopping for the
time being. Let's see this auction site that's going to make a
small fortune for the hospital.”

She smiled at him and reached for the phone.
The tension that had filled the room moments before had evaporated,
and both men appeared relaxed and comfortable with each other.
Within minutes they were walked through the site which had been in
test mode for several days.

***

The dead rabbit on the windshield had been a
nice touch. When he saw the body on the side of the road, he
improvised. If the man in the gray suit didn’t take the warning and
leave Morgan alone, let him face the consequences.

The arrival of the new guy had been a
surprise. He’d been watching Morgan for weeks and there hadn't been
anyone else sniffing around. The thought of the new guy being with
her made him want to punch the first person who looked at him the
wrong way. Morgan was meant for him, and “suit man” needed to take
a hike.

She had been at the resort earlier, but he
didn't need a tracking device to know that. The fundraiser auction
was a few days away. Morgan would visit several times to check up
on the arrangements and make any last minute adjustments. Her
visits were as expected as the hundred degrees plus heat on a
summer afternoon.

He quickly went to his locker and pulled out
his small netbook. As he glanced around the room to confirm he was
alone, he sucked a shallow, ragged breath and pressed the power
button. A light glaze of sweat beaded on his brow as he sat down on
the wooden bench and waited for the computer to power up.

Where was she now? He had to know. His right
leg bounced on the ball of his foot as he waited. He cocked his
head and listened to the muffled conversation of two men walking
down the hallway. At first, he couldn’t make out what they were
saying, but as they approached the dressing room, their
conversation became louder, easier to overhear. “Keep walking. Keep
walking,” he whispered.

He shoved his tongue through his lips and
licked them. The two men were arguing about the Arizona
Diamondbacks. “Who gives a damn about baseball?” he wondered.

The voices got fainter as the men traveled
down the hall and he wiped the beads of sweat off his upper lip
before he glanced down at the screen. The ‘unable to connect’
message flashed. “Damn.”

He tightened his grip on the computer and
resisted the urge to hurl it across the room. He refreshed the
screen and the failed connection message appeared a second time. He
shook the computer before he set it down roughly on the bench.

He glanced up.
How much time do I have
left on my break?
The clock on the wall showed three forty-two.
Five minutes.
All he had left was five lousy minutes. He
initiated shut down, placed the netbook in the locker, and slammed
the door.

What was he going to do? She was out there,
somewhere and with the “suit guy”. He closed his eyes and leaned
forward, resting his head on the locker door. The coolness of the
metal worked like a cold compress against his forehead.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to think where
Morgan would go. The store, she must be at the store. He opened his
eyes and smiled. His shift would be over in six hours and then he'd
go to her home.
When she comes home tonight, I’ll be
there.

***

Morgan glanced over at Shawn. “Are you sure
you want to do this? I mean, you don't have to.”

Shawn smiled back. “I insist.”

“Okay.” She walked over to the safe in the
work area. The nervous fluttering in her stomach returned as she
turned the dial and entered the combination. He'd worked a lot of
Hollywood Red Carpet events over the years and had seen many world
class pieces up close. Would he like her work?

In her experience, the only time men took an
interest in jewelry was when they shopped for someone. Over the
years, Morgan had worked with many nervous men as they chose
engagement rings. Morgan paused after he turned the handle to the
safe. It wasn't long ago she had thought somewhere in the city Brad
would've gone through the same ritual of selecting a ring for her.
But now, she knew better. A dull heaviness settled on her and she
shook it off.

Morgan scanned the trays holding the jewelry
and considered what she should pull out to show Shawn. The
assortment ranged from earrings to wedding rings. After a few
moments of consideration, she decided to bring everything. By the
time she returned to her office, Shawn had moved the items on the
top of her desk back so she could spread everything out.

“Here you go.” She set the velvet-clad trays
on the desk and sat on the chair across from his. She studied his
face, hoping she’d get a read on his thoughts. His hand reached for
a bracelet and pushed it aside for a better look at a ring
underneath. Morgan held her breath as her mind made the quick
mental leap to his hand on her skin gently pushing back the
neckline of her dress to plant a kiss.

“What do you like to design the most?”

Morgan's attention jumped back to reality.
“Um,” she paused to swallow and collect her words. “I don't quite
know. I tend to follow my ideas as they come.”

“Yet your pieces share the same design
approach. They all have a sleek contemporary quality about them.”
He picked up a tanzanite ring. The lavender trillion was nestled in
a thick wavy band of yellow gold. “I like this one. If you had
added a lot of diamonds, you would’ve detracted from the
stone.”

Their eyes met, and Morgan felt drawn into
him. She held her breath and drew back in her seat. His
relationship with Christy made him off limits. Morgan broke eye
contact and stared down at the ring. She sensed his eyes upon her
as she avoided him, but she refused to meet his gaze. If she did,
he might kiss her, or worse, she'd take the initiative and kiss
him.

He set the tanzanite ring down and she
glanced over at his hand. No wedding ring. She peeked up as Shawn
turned his attention back to the jewelry. Every now and then he
pulled an item out to inspect it closely.

“Morgan, you have a genuine talent for
design,” he said as he returned a bracelet to the tray.

She smiled. “Thanks. Coming from you it's a
real compliment.”

“Oh? I don't know about that. My knowledge of
jewelry is pretty limited.”

“I figured you've seen a lot of spectacular
stuff on the Red Carpet.”

“Yeah, I have. Hardly makes me an expert
though.” Shawn frowned as he stared blankly at the array of items
before him.

Morgan froze. She had just stepped on a
landmine with the reference to Los Angeles, but exactly how escaped
her.

“We should leave for your house and pick up
the clothes you will need for the next few days before going over
to Stella's for dinner,” Shawn said.

She regarded him. He appeared polite and
professional. The connection she'd experienced a few moments ago
had evaporated so quickly she wondered if she had imagined it.

Morgan leaned over and picked up the trays.
“Yes, you're right. Let me lock this up.” She walked across the
room and went over to the safe.
Note to self: Keep this on a
strictly business basis. Remember, when this is over, he'll be with
Christy and his daughter.

By the time she returned, Shawn had moved the
items back in place on her desk. “Let me get my purse.”

Within minutes, they were in his vehicle. The
first thing Shawn did after starting the ignition was turn on the
radio. Morgan stared out the window. She wasn't in the mood for
conversation and, from the looks of things, neither was Shawn.

***

I almost kissed her.
The thought
pinged through Shawn’s mind as he navigated out of the parking lot
and headed north up Scottsdale Road. If Morgan hadn't pulled back,
he would have. What was wrong with him? Clearly, he was dumb as a
box of rocks and couldn't learn from past mistakes.

After all these years, he had only one simple
rule. Never get emotionally involved with a client. Why was this so
hard to keep? The last time he broke the rule, it nearly destroyed
him.

Maybe there was a psychological term for this
type of situation, like Stockholm Syndrome for hostages. Living in
proximity with someone for hours every day tended to create a sense
of intimacy. Perhaps that accounted for the blurred lines between
common sense and desire.

Now what was he going to do? The idea of
putting her up in his condo didn't appear as sound as it did
earlier this afternoon but unfortunately, there weren’t other
options.

He pulled into the driveway at Morgan's house
and turned off the ignition at the garage door.

“Give me your house keys,” Shawn said.

Morgan looked at him, “My keys?”

“Yeah, I'm going in first to make sure no
one's inside. Do you have the alarm on?”

“Yes, the combination is zero one zero one.
The key pad is on the left side of the door.”

“Okay, stay here. Lock the doors.” He stepped
out, and walked around the back of the house; nothing looked out of
place. Shawn continued to patrol the exterior of the building and
ended in the front yard. He spied Morgan sitting in the vehicle.
Their eyes locked for a moment before he entered the front
entrance.

Shawn took a few minutes to check the house
out. After he deemed everything clear, he opened the garage door
and motioned for Morgan to come inside.

“You better pack for at least a week,” he
said as she walked past him and through the kitchen to the other
side of the house.

“Give me thirty minutes.” Morgan continued
down the hall to the master bedroom. Shawn took a step and stopped.
Following her back there wasn't a good idea. He opened the arcadia
door, and the hot humid air caused him to hold his breath as he
stepped on the patio. Cumulus clouds rose up over the top of the
jagged peaks of the mountains in the distance.
We're going to
get another windstorm tonight
, he thought.

He carefully made his way across the yard to
the wash at the back of the property. He stepped down into the
sandy trail and walked to the ironwood tree Matt had told him about
earlier. When he reached the spot, he turned toward Morgan's house.
His partner was correct, there was a perfect line of sight into
Morgan's den through the arcadia door.

The sick son-of-a-bitch studied her like a
microbe under a microscope. With the lights on and the drapes open
Morgan had provided quite a show. Not intentionally of course, but
the only thing better would be actual in-person contact. He shook
his head and took a deep breath to release some of the tension
which cinched his chest. After this ended, he'd insist she put up a
solid fence, for both safety and privacy's sake.