Personal Protector

She pushed the thought away. She had to find Jones and head out. She had an interview set up with several families residing in Hope Place, the area currently suffering from serious gang problems. Next week it would be another block near that same area. It was an ever-evolving situation. But this time someone was trying to make a difference, trying to break that never-ending cycle.

Thus, a serious, in-depth look into the increasing gang problems in Atlanta’s less fortunate areas had been born. Piper planned for the story to include about five segments. And hopefully, call enough official attention to the issue to get something done. In an effort to help themselves, the families in the area now hit with the most strife had formed a neighborhood watch, which was good, but they needed far more help from local law enforcement. If telling the ugly truth on the news would get the residents that attention, Piper would take it as far as she could.

“What’s up?” Piper paused at her boss’s door and waited expectantly for whatever it was he wanted to say.

“There’s a situation we need to discuss that I didn’t want to bring up in this morning’s staff meeting.”

Dave looked too serious. He had that you’re-not-going-to-like-what-I’m-about-to-tell-you air about him. Tension raced up Piper’s spine. “What kind of situation?”

“Jones had to take an emergency leave. He’ll be out of town for a couple of weeks.”

Piper blinked, taken aback. “But I just talked to Jones last night. He didn’t mention anything to me then.”

“He didn’t know until this morning. It’s a personal family issue that he didn’t want to discuss at length. So he left for Detroit on the first available flight this morning.”

It must have been really urgent for Jones to leave without so much as a quick call to Piper. She couldn’t remember him ever doing that before. They were more than co-workers. They were friends. “I should call and see if there’s anything I can do,” she said more to herself than to Dave.

“I’m—I’m not sure that would be a good idea,” Dave hemmed and hawed. “Jones gave me the impression that it was a very private matter and that he would call us when he could.”

Piper flared her hands in a gesture of bewilderment. The whole thing sounded entirely too clandestine and made absolutely no sense at all. “Well, okay, if that’s the way it has to be.”

“In the meantime I’ve got a new cameraman for you,” Dave went on. At Piper’s distressed expression, he added, “Don’t worry. He’s only temporary until Jones gets back.”

“I didn’t know we had any new temps.” Piper tried to stay on top of personnel changes at the station. It made life easier when you needed something in a hurry. And she was relatively certain that no new faces had appeared recently. Well, other than the desk assistant, but he’d been there a couple of weeks already. Tech support personnel were usually replaced by temps who had understudied to the point that their ability to do the job could be counted on. It was the first rule of the station’s manager.

“I interviewed the guy just a few minutes ago,” Dave explained. “Here he is now.” The news director shifted his gaze beyond Piper. “Martinez, I’d like to introduce you to Piper Ryan.”

Great, just what she needed, some hotshot off the street. Piper turned to greet WYBN’s newest staff member. She felt her mouth drop open the moment her gaze lit on the guy in question, but she was too stunned to snap it shut again. A tall, extraordinarily handsome man walked slowly toward her. His hair was short and raven’s-wing black. A square jaw and chiseled features lent masculinity to a face that was most accurately described by the word perfection. And then there was that body. Piper felt the air rush out of her lungs as her gaze moved over that awesome body. Broad, broad shoulders were covered in one of those black silk shirts that wasn’t tucked into his black, loose-fitting trousers, the cutting edge of fashion. The man looked as if he’d just stepped off the cover of GQ.

He definitely did not look anything like any cameraman Piper had ever met. To make matters worse, the closer he came to her, the more convinced she grew that he knew just exactly how handsome he was, too. Confidence screamed in every move that lithe, muscular frame made. His walk, his posture, every part of him exuded blatant, cocky male attitude and a kind of smooth rhythm that made her mouth go dry. But it wasn’t until he stopped directly in front of her that Piper was certain of her assumption. It was right there in those dark, devastatingly alluring eyes that said, Close your mouth, baby, ’cause I already know just how good I look.

This man didn’t belong behind a camera, Piper protested silently. He belonged in front of one decked out in Ralph Lauren’s latest. Either that or on MTV belting out a Latin pop song and showing off that to-die-for body and the seductive moves he could no doubt execute. But he damned sure didn’t look like a cameraman Piper wanted to drag around Atlanta for the next two weeks. And if his ego in any way compared to the attitude that emanated from every square inch of his unbelievable body, she wasn’t sure it would fit into the WYBN-TV news van.

“Ric Martinez,” the Latin hunk said smoothly, then extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ryan.” Just a hint of south-of-the-border flavor accented his rich baritone.

Several seconds passed before Piper had the presence of mind to place her hand in his, and when she did, she lost whatever ground she had gained. Long fingers curled around her hand, sending a shiver through her, followed immediately by a flash of heat.

“Could you excuse me, please, Mr. Martinez?” she said abruptly, yanking her hand back with equal suddenness. Swiping her tingling palm against her hip, Piper rounded on her boss and ushered him backward into his office. She waited for the door to close behind them before she spoke.

“You can’t be serious,” she demanded in a stage whisper.

Dave frowned, then glanced at Martinez who waited outside the glass walls of his office. “I don’t see the problem,” he countered as his concerned gaze came back to rest on Piper’s. “Hell, he’s more than qualified. I called every single one of his references before I even interviewed him.”

Piper immediately suppressed the ridiculous quivering her insides seemed determined to do at the mere thought of that…that…Martinez. “Look at how he’s dressed.” Piper stole a glance at the tall, handsome man waiting patiently outside the office. “He looks like he’s about to stride down a fashion runway or pick up a hot Saturday night date, but he definitely doesn’t look like a cameraman. At least not my cameraman.” Jeans and T-shirts were Jones’s favorite fashion statement.

Dave’s brow furrowed with impatience. He hated conflict. Especially among the members of his staff, temporary or not. “You know I’ve never dictated dress unless you’re in front of the camera. So the guy’s a little flashy. What’s the big deal?”

“Flashy?” Piper lowered her voice an octave. “He looks like…a high-priced gigolo.” A heart-stunningly good-looking one, she had to admit. She squared her shoulders, her irritation building as the possible complications related to her new cameraman piled one on top of the other in her whirling thoughts. “This isn’t going to work. Can you see me walking around Hope Place with him strutting along beside me? How will I ever get anyone’s attention? They’ll all be looking at Lover Boy as if he were the last loaf of bread on the shelf before a winter blizzard. This isn’t going to work.”

Instantly, as if she’d said something completely hilarious, a broad grin spread over Dave’s thin face. He glanced Martinez’s way once more, then settled a knowing gaze on Piper. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid this slick guy will get more attention than you?”

Piper seethed at his remark. She bit back the first retort that came to mind. After all, Dave was her boss. And her friend. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. You know that isn’t what I meant.”

Dave narrowed an accusing gaze at her then. “If you think you can’t handle yourself around him…” He shrugged noncommittally. “I mean, if you think there’s some sort of unprofessional attraction that might—”

Her drop-dead glare stopped him cold. “You don’t want to go there,” she warned. She had a contract and a high-powered agent. For that matter, she had definite seniority. She shouldn’t have to do this if she felt uncomfortable. She definitely wasn’t going to be accused of…whatever Dave had just accused her of.

A weary breath huffed from her boss as he passed a hand over his face. “Look, it’s only for two weeks. Besides it’s out of my hands.” Dave sagged onto the arm of a nearby chair. “Martinez must be related somehow to the station manager since he instructed me to hire the guy.”

Piper rolled her eyes. This just kept getting better and better. “Great. So I’m supposed to baby-sit the Casanova for two weeks while he learns the ropes of his long-lost relative’s business.” She threw up her hands. “That’s just perfect. It isn’t bad enough that I’ve got the Feds tailing me everywhere I go, now I have to entertain Mr. Too Sexy.” She glowered at Dave, some of her resolve crumbling as the memory of this morning’s episode nudged at her. She refused to think about it. If she let that slip back into her thoughts now she would definitely lose it. She had to be strong. “He’s just not going to work, Dave. His whole—” she searched for the right words “—persona just isn’t right, especially the attire.”

Dave tugged at his tie. “He looks fine to me. What do you want him to wear? A three-piece suit? It’s August, for Pete’s sake.”

Piper fell silent as the unbidden image of Martinez wearing an elegant suit filled her mind. Another wave of heat that had nothing to do with anger and everything to do with sexual awareness washed over her, irritating her all the more.

“Just try to get along with him, okay?” Dave pleaded. “I’d like to keep my job a little longer.”

Banishing the infuriating images from her head, Piper straightened her lightweight rayon jacket and adopted the “calm in a storm” attitude for which she was known. It was only for a couple of weeks. She could deal with it. There was no point in making Dave miserable, too.

“Fine. I’m sure he’ll do an adequate job until Jones returns,” she relented.

“His credentials are impeccable,” Dave reiterated hopefully.

Piper manufactured a halfhearted smile for her boss. This wasn’t his fault. As long as he made sure Jones got his job back when he returned, she would be happy. She could do anything for two weeks. “Well, we’ll just be on our way then.”

“Piper.”

She hesitated before turning to the door. “Yes.”

Dave’s gaze searched hers. “I really want you to be careful out there. Martinez has been briefed on the situation, but I’m worried about you. You know it would make me feel a lot better if you stuck close to the station until this is over.”

If he heard about this morning…

“Who’s to say it’ll ever really be over?” she argued. “I’m not going to stop living my life or stop being who I am because some scumbag terrorist has decided to sentence me to death.” She smiled, a genuine smile this time. Dave cared and she appreciated that. They were like family here at WYBN. “Don’t worry, boss. That’s what the Feds are for. Let them worry about keeping me safe. Lord knows they’re never far away.” Of course they had been a little too far away this morning, but it wasn’t their fault.

Piper frowned. Who the heck was the guy who’d saved her? Just a passing Good Samaritan? That seemed a little too unlikely. She dismissed the question. Probably another federal agent, or maybe one of her uncle’s friends. She was quite certain Lucas was leaving nothing to chance.

After giving Dave a quick pat on the arm, Piper started for the door again. “Everything’s going to be fine,” she assured him. All she had to do was stay alert. This morning was a perfect example of not keeping up her guard and allowing too much distance between herself and her designated protection.

“Don’t give Martinez too hard a time,” Dave tossed out, again slowing her departure. “I have a feeling there’s more to him than that flashy exterior.”

“Let’s hope so.” She hated that Martinez was now privvy to her personal situation, but she supposed it was only fair. As if fairness had anything to do with any of this.

RIC BREATHED a sigh of relief when Piper exited the news director’s office and actually made eye contact with him. He’d been worried there for a minute that she was going to put up a fuss about accepting him as her new partner. But he doubted she could be any more upset than her regular cameraman. The guy had been royally ticked off at having to take this little unplanned vacation. Ric checked the smile that twitched his lips. Lucas Camp could be a very persuasive man.

Piper glanced at her watch, then at Ric. “We have a ten-o’clock shoot. We’d better be on our way.”

“My equipment’s in the van already.”