Forced to Hide, page 5
But if Garcia wasn’t trying to hurt the judge, then the threat to Adele’s life must be tied to one of her other cases. Or something from her past?
Either way, she needed him to keep her safe. And he would do whatever it took to protect her.
The door to the supply closet opened and the nurse they’d talked with earlier stepped in, carrying a small disposable cup and a bottled water. “The doctor prescribed this antianxiety medication for Judge Weston.”
Adele shook her head. “No drugs.”
Brian leaned back so he could stare into her lovely, tear-stained face. “The medication will help you. It won’t knock you out.” He looked to the nurse for confirmation.
“Exactly,” the brunette said. “This will take the edge off. These won’t harm you in any way. I promise.”
Brian held Adele’s gaze. “Do it for me.”
She released her hold on him and turned to the nurse. “What are they?”
The nurse rattled off the medication’s name.
A parade of emotions played across the landscape of Adele’s beautiful face. She closed her eyes for a heartbeat. When she regained her composure, resolve shone in her features. “A half of one.”
The nurse gave a nod. Brian decided it was better than nothing. He needed Adele to be composed when they left here. As soon as word got out that there had been a shooting involving a judge, the press would show up wanting information. Information they didn’t have. And he and Adele still needed to give their statements to San Antonio PD.
The nurse broke one of the tabs in two and dropped it into Adele’s palm, then handed over the bottled water.
Adele took the medication and looked up at Brian. “It’ll take about thirty minutes for it to really come into effect. Between now and then, I need to get out of here. Because when it does take effect, I want to be home.”
Surprise washed through Brian. Clearly, she had some experience with antianxiety medications. Had she had panic attacks like this before? Or was this a one-time situational episode? He wasn’t about to question her now. Whatever got her to the safety of her house, he’d accept. “Understood.”
Keeping her tucked into his side with an arm around her, they followed the nurse out of the supply room.
“Any news on Rachel Brown?” Adele asked the nurse.
“She successfully came through surgery. She had a ruptured spleen. Her prognosis is good.” The nurse looked at Brian and gave him a smile. “I have your number. I’ll call you if anything changes.”
Brian returned the smile. “I’d appreciate it.”
The nurse gave him a long lingering look before walking away. Beside him, he heard Adele give a little huff, drawing his attention, but she glanced away. With a hand to the small of Adele’s back, he escorted her to the exit. A forensic team was already busy collecting bullet casings and photographing tire marks.
“We need to give our statements,” Brian told Adele.
She nodded. “I understand.”
He kept an eye on Adele as she talked with a female officer, while he spoke to another officer.
“We have the whole incident on video,” Jace told them. “Hospital security alerted us, which is how we got down here so quickly.”
“Is the shooter visible on the video?” Brian asked, hoping they could resolve this situation quickly.
“Unfortunately, no. The car windows were too tinted and the angle of the camera not conducive to a clear photo,” Jace told him.
Brian let out a low growl of frustration. “I’ll take the judge home now.”
“I’ll follow,” Jace offered.
Brian was thankful for the backup. Getting the judge home safely was paramount. All of his questions as to why the judge was in danger and from whom would have to wait.
With Jace watching their six, they exited the hospital for a second time and made it to his boss’s SUV without incident. Brian opened the passenger door and offered her his hand. There was the barest of hesitations before she slipped her hand over his, their palms pressed together as she climbed into the passenger seat.
He jogged around to the driver’s side and hopped in. He plugged her address into the navigation system of the vehicle. The drive to the posh neighborhood outside the city limits was quiet save for the low volume of jazz music playing from the radio. Brian didn’t dare touch the dial because his boss, Gavin, was very particular.
At the community entrance, Adele gave him the code to open the large iron gate. Jace honked and peeled away as Brian drove through the gate. He turned the vehicle down a cul-de-sac drive and parked in the driveway of the smallest house in the neighborhood, which was still massively impressive.
“Your house keys?” He held out his hand. “I’ll make sure it’s safe before you enter.”
She frowned but dug through her purse and handed him a set of keys. “Highly unlikely anyone would be able to discover where I live. The deed is not under my name. It’s under my father’s corporation. And no one can get through the gate without a code.”
“No security is infallible,” he told her.
“The alarm code is four-five-four-six.”
He stepped out of the SUV and went into her house, making quick work of clearing each room. He didn’t linger long enough to take in all the details, but he had the impression of a very modern, tidy home.
Helping Adele out of the SUV, he told her, “We’re good. I noticed you have a dog kennel, but no dog.”
“Scout is with the dog sitter. She’ll drop him off soon.”
At the front door, Adele paused and blocked the entrance. “You’ve seen me home. You can go now.”
He cocked his head. Did she really believe she was sending him away? “What part of me sticking close to you did you forget about?”
Her gaze narrowed. “You can be unstuck to me now.”
“No, ma’am,” he said. “Until we have neutralized the threat against you, I’m here as your shadow for the duration.”
She made a face and marched inside.
Suppressing a smile, Brian locked the door behind him and followed her into the kitchen. He leaned against the gleaming marble counter. She grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge. When she handed one to him, he gratefully took it. “Thank you. I promise you, Adele, you’ll hardly even know I’m here.”
She took a long swig from the water bottle. After briskly replacing the lid, she gave him a look rife with skepticism. “I doubt that very much.” She headed down the hall but stopped when he made to follow. “I’m going to my bedroom. The one place you will not venture.”
He saluted. “No problem, ma’am.”
She rolled her eyes and disappeared behind the last door on the right.
Brian sank onto the French country blue leather couch and swept a hand down his face. He’d meant to discuss the panic attack with Adele before she’d disappeared into her room, but now he’d have to wait. He’d like to know if the episode at the hospital had been triggered purely by the high-stress situation or if panic attacks were something she dealt with on a regular basis.
For now, he’d be patient and take advantage of the downtime to decompress and formulate a plan to keep her safe. On two sides of Adele’s house were her neighbors. But the backside of Adele’s fenced yard butted up against the green expanse of the golf course. An easy access point. He made calls to the golf course management company to ascertain their level of security as well as calls to check on the neighbors. There was no such thing as overly cautious.
Two hours later, there was a noise at the front door. Brian vaulted to his feet and rushed to the window to look outside. Any view he might have had of the front door was obscured by the porch enclosure. With his hand on his weapon, he reached for the doorknob just as Adele rushed out from her bedroom.
“Deputy Forrester. Move away from the door.”
He paused and turned to stare at her. Her auburn hair was loose about her shoulders, framing her delicate face. She’d changed into comfortable-looking lounge pants and a pink fuzzy sweater. Her feet were bare, revealing pink nail polish on her toes. His mouth went dry.
With effort, he pulled himself together with a frown. “Somebody’s trying to get in.”
She made an impatient gesture with her hand. “It’s Teresa Watts, my dog sitter, and Scout.”
He couldn’t keep the skepticism from his tone. “How do you know?”
Adele tapped a finger on the smartwatch encircling her wrist. “I can see them on my screen.” She stepped closer to him, put her hand on his chest and applied a bit of pressure. He backed up a few steps. “You’ll only scare them.”
“I thought you said I was charming.” He couldn’t refrain from teasing.
She wrinkled her nose at him, and he barked out a laugh.
“Scout’s skittish around new people,” she explained. “Especially men. He’s a rescue and I think a man must have abused him as a pup.”
Skittish like his owner. The last thing he needed was a dog charging him. Brian retreated a couple more steps but not so far away he couldn’t reach out and grab Adele if needed. Regardless of how safe she believed her home to be, until they caught whomever was after her, he couldn’t let his guard down.
FIVE
Adele suppressed amusement while watching her forty-five-pound Dalmatian sniff Brian. Scout’s big old paws were on Brian’s chest, and his snout stretched out to meet Brian’s nose. Brian held himself still as if afraid her boy would attack.
Adele refrained from intervening. It was best to just let Scout discover for himself that Brian was a decent guy. She’d never seen Scout be overly aggressive. Nor had she seen him be so curious with a male guest, except with her dad.
She’d chalked up Scout’s acceptance of her father as good judgment on the dog’s part. Her dad was the best man she knew.
Was Scout’s curiosity about Brian an indication the dog judged Brian to be an upright guy?
She had to admit, as far as she could tell, Brian was better than most.
He hadn’t embarrassed her by sharing her anxiety attack in the hospital with his colleagues. Though he had asked the nurse for meds. But that was expected. See a problem, throw medication at it.
She could only guess it must’ve been scary for him to see her so freaked out.
You have to be strong.
The words played on repeat through her head like a vinyl record with a scratch. She straightened her spine and squared her shoulders. She would be strong.
This maniac trying to kill her would not win.
The anxiety would not win.
She made a noise into her cheek. Scout’s head snapped around, his eyes meeting hers. She gestured with her hand, palm face-out. The dog dropped away from Brian’s chest and hurried to her side, putting his nose into her hand. She gave him a good scratch behind the ears and cooed that he was a good boy.
Then Scout leaned into her legs, his sign that he wanted more attention. Right now, she had other things to deal with. She turned to the dog sitter, who stared at Brian with rapt curiosity. Adele cleared her throat, drawing Teresa’s focus. “I really appreciate you taking care of him. I don’t think I’ll need you tomorrow.”
Adele sought Brian’s gaze. He gave a nod. Just as she suspected. There was no way she was going back to work tomorrow. Besides, her courtroom and judge’s chamber would take days, if not weeks, to be put back in order. But the justice system would not sleep. She didn’t know how much damage had been done to the courthouse as a whole. She assumed other cases would be heard in courtrooms that hadn’t been damaged. She made a mental note to check.
A little V appeared between Teresa’s dark blond brows. Her gaze bounced between Adele and Brian. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
“You were out with the dog all day?” Brian asked.
Confusion clouded Teresa’s eyes. “I was. Is there a problem?”
“I’d like you to write out your itinerary for the day.” Brian added, “And for the last few days.”
Adele’s mouth opened with a protest but a quelling look from Brian had her snapping her jaw shut. He didn’t really consider Teresa capable of bombing the courthouse, didn’t he?
“Sure, I can do that.” Teresa shrugged. “I just need paper and pen.”
With a sigh of resignation, Adele went to her entryway table, opened the middle drawer and pulled out a notepad and pencil. She handed both to Teresa. “You can sit at the dining table. He’s a friend, and he’s being overly cautious. There was some trouble at the courthouse this morning.” No doubt, Teresa would see it in the news or read about it on the internet. “Nothing for you to worry about.”
While Teresa sat and started writing, Adele pushed Brian out onto the patio then shut the sliding-glass door behind her and Scout. While the dog sniffed around the grass, she pointed a finger at Brian. “You can’t honestly believe she had anything to do with what happened today?”
His direct look pierced through her. “Ma’am, I will leave no stone unturned in my duties to protect you.”
“Don’t ‘ma’am’ me,” Adele said, irritated by how his use of the honorarium made her feel old. They had to be close to the same age. “Teresa is not a stone to be turned. She is my trusted dog sitter. Do you honestly think I didn’t vet her before I hired her?”
Brian held up his hands. “Look, my job is to protect you. I can’t do that if I don’t know who we’re dealing with and why they want to harm you. Everyone is suspect until they aren’t.”
She wanted to know who and why, as well. Earlier, she’d thought all she wanted was her normal life back, but how could anything be normal with this man underfoot in her home, crowding her space and digging into her life. “But wouldn’t it be better for me if you were out there investigating?”
His lopsided grin appeared again. So appealing, it was hard to tear her eyes away from him to watch Scout chase a bee around the grass.
“I thought we’d already had this discussion,” Brian said. “I’m here for the duration. Not going anywhere. I can investigate and protect you at the same time.”
It took all her willpower not to retreat inside and lock him out. But she doubted even the triple locking mechanism she had on her sliding-glass door would prevent the determined US marshal from doing his job. He’d probably just lounge on the patio until he had a locksmith come out and remove the door lock.
Getting back to normal was going to look a little different for a while. But she was determined not to let this pushy, gorgeous marshal rattle her any more than he already had. She would have to trust that God would see her through this. Her faith in Jesus had never let her down. Sometimes her faith was the only way she managed to get through the day.
She patted her thigh to call Scout back to her. The dog trotted over and nudged her hand, but she didn’t have a treat, so he wandered away. She sighed. “Fine. I will set you up in the guestroom once Teresa leaves. She doesn’t need to know you’re staying.”
He rubbed a hand over his jaw, drawing her attention to the movement. “Hmm. Might be to our benefit if she does know I’m staying, in case she’s an accomplice.”
Adele jerked her gaze to his eyes and ground her back teeth. “Teresa is not an accomplice. Scout loves her.”
Scout leaned against Brian’s legs, begging for his attention. Apparently, the dog also thought Brian was more than okay. She trusted her dog’s judgment more than she trusted her own. Why did Scout’s acceptance of Brian create a flutter of something unfamiliar in her tummy?
“I’ll leave the call up to you. But just know I will be having Sera dig into Teresa’s background.”
“Knock yourself out.” Adele opened the sliding-glass door and met Teresa’s curious look. Refusing to show her upset at the US marshal, Adele plastered a smile on her face and breezed forward. “Are you all done?”
“I am.” Teresa stood. Her gaze zeroed in on Brian, who picked up a ball and tossed it for Scout. “Do you want me to hang around?”
“You’re sweet to offer. But I promise, all is well.” Adele cupped Teresa’s elbow and propelled her toward the front door. “I’ll contact you when I need you again. However, I’ll pay you for the days we miss.”
“Wow. Very generous of you.” Teresa glanced over her shoulder at Brian, who had stepped back inside. Scout had followed him and now lay on the dog bed in the corner of the living room. To Brian, Teresa said, “It was nice to meet you. I hope you and the judge work out whatever problems you’re having.” Teresa looked back at Adele and lowered her voice, “Oh. My. Word. He’s dreamy. I didn’t know you were dating anyone.”
A shiver of unexplained excitement worked down Adele’s spine. Dating? Hardly. But Brian’s words about anyone being a suspect rang in her head. Maybe claiming Brian as her—her what? Certainly not boyfriend. And not a relative. “We’re not dating. Like I said, he’s just an old friend, here visiting.”
“I wouldn’t mind an old friend like that visiting me.” Teresa laughed as she exited.
Adele shut the door behind her and leaned her forehead against the cool reinforced metal. The house was fortified. Her father had insisted she put in safeguards when she’d had the house built. Did Brian know this? She turned to face him and found him squatted next to where Scout lay flat on his back on his bed, offering up his pink underbelly for the big man to rub. For a moment, she was speechless. Scout barely let her rub his tummy unless it was late at night. She’d never seen Scout in that submissive position with anyone else. “What did you do to my dog?”
“We’re becoming friends,” Brian told her.
Okay, this day had been beyond strange with a bombing and someone using her for target practice. She should be freaked out and writhing with anxiety. But, like Scout, she felt safe and comforted by Brian’s presence. A circumstance neither her nor Scout should get used to.
