Keeping Guard

“You know you can’t go to sleep after taking a blow like that, right?”

He scowled again. “Yeah, I know.” He stomped toward the steps before yelling, “And call your brother. He’s worried sick.”

Kylie closed the door slowly and clicked each lock into place. She then leaned against the door and looked at her new temporary residence. She’d be safe here. No one knew where she’d gone except for her brother, and he’d never tell. Everyone else thought she was out doing research.

Her brother…she had to call him. She rushed across the room to where an old rotary phone rested on the breakfast bar and dialed the familiar number.

Bruce answered halfway through the first ring. “Where have you been? I keep trying to call your cell phone and it goes straight to voice mail.”

His voice sounded tight and anxious—just what Kylie had expected. “I know. I dropped my phone into a puddle on the way here. The weather put me behind schedule.” She twisted the phone cord around her index finger and shivered. The chill from her wet clothing seemed to seep through all the way to her bones. She’d have to get some dry clothes before going to bed.

“But you’re there now? You found Nate?”

“Yeah, I’m here now.” She glanced around the small apartment. “But I don’t know about Nate. I think I’m just going to be in his way. And you know me, I like to do things my way.”

“Yes, believe me, I know you.” Her brother chuckled. “Listen, I know Nate comes across as tough, but once you get to know him, he’s the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. He’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”

Kylie raised an eyebrow as she remembered their introduction earlier. “I have my doubts.”

“Kylie, believe me. You can trust Nate. I wouldn’t have sent you there if you couldn’t.”

She didn’t know who she could trust. And of all the people who came to mind, Nate Richardson sure wasn’t one of them. Not with the cold reception she’d received from him. Not that she could blame him. He had been rendered unconscious because of her.

“Thanks for your help, big bro. You’ll let me know as soon as he’s arrested, right?”

“You’ll be the first person to know. One of the officers here is a dead ringer for you. She’s going to do the cooking demonstration on Friday and we’ll wait for your ‘friend’ to show up. Then we’ll arrest him. We’ve got him on breaking and entering and harassment. This nightmare will be over soon. I promise.”

Kylie closed her eyes and said a feeble prayer that things would go as planned. “Thanks, Bruce.”

“Tell Nate I said hi. And Kylie? You can trust him.”

She still wasn’t sure about that. “Thanks.”

She hung up and shivered again. She had to get some dry clothes.

She glanced out the window as lightning flashed across the nighttime sky. The last thing she wanted was to go outside again. Was the only way to get to her car through that dark alley again? There had to be another way. She bit her lip, considering her options.

Beneath her, a nice-size puddle had formed on the floor. She opened a door beside the bathroom, hoping to find some towels. Nothing. She frowned. She couldn’t—or shouldn’t, at least—complain. At least the place was furnished. But the furnishings would do nothing right now to keep her from catching cold in her soaked clothing.

That settled it. She had to get to her car. She could ask Nate to go with her.

She shook her head, remembering his rotten mood and realizing she’d only further perturb him by disturbing him now. They’d already gotten off to a rough start.

As quietly as possible, she opened the door and tiptoed into the hallway. A wooden floorboard creaked underneath her and she shushed it. Lightly, she crept down the stairs. She paused at the outside door, trying to gather her courage before plunging into the night.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Nate stood at the top of the steps and watched as Kylie gasped, turned around and pressed herself against the door with wide eyes. A hand went over her heart. The woman looked almost childlike with her big eyes and delicate features.

“You scared me to death.” Kylie’s hand moved from her heart to her forehead and she closed her eyes, looking as if she wanted to melt right then and there.

“Yeah, same here. I thought someone was trying to break in.” He lumbered the rest of the way down the stairs, his head still throbbing. When would that aspirin kick in? “What are you doing? You have no business going out at this hour.”

“I need my bags.” She looked down at her clothes. “I’ve got to change or I’ll end up sick and be no help to you at all.”

It was true. Nate had already changed into some sweats and a T-shirt. He hated to go back out into that rain again. But he would, like it or not. His mother had raised him well.

He nodded the opposite way of the back door. “Come on. We’ll go through the kitchen and avoid some of the storm outside.”

He didn’t check to see if Kylie was following him. He could hear her soft steps behind him, though. He unlocked the door leading to his kitchen and allowed her to go inside first.

She stopped in the doorway and her face lit up as she looked around. “This is fabulous.”

Her compliment gave him a small amount of satisfaction. “Thanks. I like it.”

She stepped forward and gingerly ran her finger across the tile counter. “You’ve kept this as original as possible to a Colonial times restaurant, haven’t you? That’s just brilliant.”

Nate watched her carefully, surprised by her fascination and knowledge. “Yeah, I wanted to give people the experience of what it would be like to eat in Revolutionary War times—with a few modern amenities, of course. That’s why they come to Yorktown, after all. To experience a bit of the past.”

She twirled around, apparently forgetting about her wet clothes and whatever problems had brought her here. Her eyes seemed to absorb each and every appliance—or lack thereof. She looked like a girl who’d woken up on Christmas morning to find she’d gotten everything she’d asked for.

“This is going to be amazing.”

Nate actually felt his lip begin to twitch in the start of a grin. Seeing someone who actually had some passion for the place felt nice. He only wished he had a touch of that same fire. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I more than like it. I’m just…I’m amazed. Maybe being here won’t be so bad after all.”

The beginning of Nate’s smile slipped into a frown. She seemed to catch what she said and she dropped her hand from the countertop to look at him with doelike eyes. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize, Kylie.” He stepped around her, going toward the front door.

If she didn’t need to apologize, then why did he feel so annoyed? He knew the answer. He’d already screwed up one rescue mission and he had no intention of screwing up another. But Kylie—the very person he was trying to save—could very well be his biggest obstacle also.

Just as he reached the front door, lightning brightened the sky to purple. The flash of light illuminated a man at the restaurant’s front window. The man stood with his hands to his eyes, peering through the glass into the darkness.

Before Nate could say a word, a splitting scream cut the air.

FOUR

“Harvey,” Nate mumbled, walking toward the door.

The tall, lanky man grinned and waved from outside, clueless to how shocking it had been to see his face pressed to the glass.

Nate unlocked the door and pushed it open. “All due respect, Harvey, but are you crazy?”

Harvey stepped inside, shaking the rain from his coat. His miniature poodle walked in behind him and followed suit, sending water all over the entryway.

“No, I’m not crazy. Your earlier fiasco, you know, the one where you drug me out of bed? Well, that woke up Tinkerbell and she insisted on coming outside in the rain for a little potty break. As I was walking past, I saw the light on and just wanted to make sure all was okay.”

Nate glanced behind him at Kylie, who still stood with a ghost-white complexion. Her hands gripped the countertop, the skin tight over her knuckles. The woman was a basket case. He knew she needed to hide for a few days, that someone had threatened her. But he would need to find out more. Terrified seemed to be an understatement.