Guarding her, p.15
Guarding Her, page 15
Trembling, she wrapped her arms around herself and he reached out, squeezed her thigh.
“Lyosha is very good at tracking people down. If possible, he’ll find out who sent those pictures.”
“I hope it’s Fay, because the thought of someone else sending them, of two people hating me so much…” She shuddered again.
He kept his big hand on her thigh, his expression gentle. “Are you sure you don’t want to cancel today? They’d understand.”
“I’m sure. It’s indoors anyway and will be hard for anyone other than the staff to get to me, especially with you around. And if I cancel, it’ll cost Clarita money. I read the contract thoroughly and I won’t do that to her. BARE Miami is paying for a bodyguard, so if I back out today, they could use it against her, say she’s breaking the contract when they’ve done everything possible to do their part to keep me safe. And they’d have grounds.”
“They’ll understand and Clarita definitely will.”
Gia shook her head. “Maybe, but I can’t cancel.” She also didn’t want to be the cause of more stress for her friend.
He was quiet for a long moment as he scanned the parking lot again. “For now, that’s fine. I’ll make the final decision once we get there and see the setup, but I’m not pretending to work for Odette anymore. I don’t leave your side. Okay?”
“That’s more than okay with me. Today’s shoot is supposed to be short anyway.”
He paused again and she could see the indecision in his eyes.
“What would you do if this was someone else you were guarding, not me?”
“Well, I wouldn’t be fantasizing about stripping them out of their clothes 24/7.” His tone was dry.
She let out a bark of laughter even as heat spiraled through her. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Sighing, he pulled out of the parking spot. “If something happens I don’t like, we’re gone.”
“Okay.” Shivering again, she tucked her hands under her legs and tried to get herself under control, to stop shaking.
It was impossible to feel normal, to stop the rapid beat of her heart as those images replayed in her mind. Whoever had sent them had been in the same vicinity as her, near her. Maybe not close enough to touch, but still.
Gia felt violated and afraid. Terrified. “Will I need to pay Lyosha for all his work?” she suddenly asked. He was doing all this for free and she figured it probably cost him time, which would cost him money. As a contractor, she definitely understood that.
Lawson shot her a surprised look. “No way.”
“You’re sure?”
“I mentioned paying him. Me paying him,” he added. “And he just scoffed. He considers you family. So don’t worry.”
Gia nodded, though it was impossible not to worry at this point. She’d been under Lawson’s roof for almost a week with nothing happening. No one had tried to break into her house again, no one had come to his. No contact.
Now this, on her last photo shoot day. It had her rattled and ready to quit. If it wasn’t for Clarita, she would.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Lawson ignored the dirty looks the photographer was giving him—he gave zero fucks about what the man thought.
The shoot today was more secure than any of the others so far, in an actual studio, with a big white background where the models were all posing in various ways. They weren’t in bathing suits today either, and the most caveman part of him was glad. He could admit that he didn’t like Gia posing with a bunch of good-looking men with just her bathing suit on.
The place itself was a four-story brick building that BARE Miami used exclusively. The entrance two floors down also had security so it would be difficult for anyone not on the approved list to enter.
And it was the only reason he’d agreed to let Gia stay. Because if he’d doubted the security of this place, he’d have tossed her over his shoulder and not given a damn what she or anyone else said as he carted her out of here. Which…he knew wasn’t professional. He shouldn’t be guarding her, he knew that. And if his boss found out they had a relationship, however brief and undefined, he knew it could affect his employment. He’d probably get fired.
But he didn’t care.
She was his to protect and that was that. He’d been keeping his distance, sexually at least. Barely. Being under the same roof as her 24/7 was pushing his limits.
“Would you mind grabbing me some coffee?” Evan strode up to him, an obnoxious expression on his too handsome face. As if he thought he would snap and Lawson would obey.
Oh, the stones on this one. Lawson kept his expression neutral. “I don’t work for you and the coffee station’s over there.” He looked away from the man, completely dismissing him as he focused on Gia again.
She was with three other women, all a good half foot taller than her, laughing at something one of them had said. The other women had on black dresses but hers was a deep purple. Eggplant, she’d told him was the proper description. Her darker skin glowed against it, the V of the cut showing off cleavage he wanted to bury his face in. She’d been posing in the middle of the three women—a bright, shining star.
He rolled his shoulders once. He had to cut it out, had to stop letting his mind wander down that road.
“I don’t even know why you’re here,” Evan continued, his tone annoyed.
The gnat was still here? Lawson let out a sigh, and glanced around the room. A couple of the other models had noticed what was going on and were watching with interest. Lawson wasn’t sure what this guy’s problem was. Maybe he was used to being in charge and didn’t like that he had no control over Lawson. He knew the type, had unfortunately guarded some like Evan.
“You’re distracting everyone,” the man continued.
Lawson snapped his gaze to his, done with this. “If you have a problem with me, take it up with Odette. Because I’m not in your way.” He took a small step forward, knew his body language radiated aggression. “You’re the one who can’t stay focused and I wonder why that is?” He narrowed his gaze at him, noticed the slight dilation of his pupils. “What are you on right now?”
Evan blinked, then snarled at him. “Get the hell out of h—”
Clarita was suddenly there, her expression pinched as she attempted to get between the two of them.
Lawson wasn’t letting her put herself in any sort of danger. Not that he thought Evan was actually dangerous. He was just a man-child having a temper tantrum, and his toned arms were pure gym muscles. Nothing more. Lawson smoothly stepped forward, putting himself half in front of Clarita.
Evan jumped back, held up his hands. “Don’t touch me.”
“No one is touching you,” Clarita snapped, causing both of them to look at her. “You’re acting like a child right now.” All her attention was on Evan as she spoke. “Worse than one, and I’ve got three at home. Gia is done for the day and I want to remind you that you’re not part of my contract. I’m only using you because Odette suggested you, and you do amazing work. But you are not the only photographer out there. Not even close. I get to pick who works for these shoots, so if you were under the impression that you’re in charge here, think again. Normally I wouldn’t do something like this in front of everyone but since you have no problem acting like this in public, I am. Finish this shoot and then we’re done. Am I clear?”
Lawson blinked, impressed. She’d give his former drill sergeant a run for his money. She hadn’t even raised her voice but the entire floor had gone quiet.
Evan’s ears turned slightly red. Then he nodded once. “Apologies for my rudeness. I’m under a lot of stress.”
Clarita raised an eyebrow.
“But it’s not an excuse,” he added, looking at Lawson with a dark expression that was anything but apologetic.
Lawson simply shrugged, then focused on Clarita. “You said Gia’s done for the day?” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Evan start to shake his head.
But Clarita nodded, gave Evan a sharp look. “Yes. You’ve got great material from her. It’s enough for the advertisements. More than enough,” she added.
Evan’s expression was brittle as he tried to force a smile, then nodded.
Gia, clearly having overheard everything, hurried over. “I’m done?”
Clarita nodded, smiling softly at her. “Yes. I scheduled all your stuff for the first part of the day just for this reason. Go ahead and wear the dress home. It’s yours.”
Gasping, Gia looked down at it. “Really?”
“Yes. I made this one with you in mind. It’s gorgeous and so are you.”
Gia flushed under the praise. “Thank you so much. I just need to grab my bag then and we’re good to go?” she asked as she looked at Lawson.
He nodded, his gaze straying back to Evan, who was thankfully back to work and not paying any attention to them.
By the time they made it to his truck and onto the main road, Lawson could feel the tension leaving him. Mostly.
“I can’t believe how you and Clarita put that jerk in his place,” Gia said, laughing lightly. “I actually liked him at first but he’s such a bully with everyone. I get that he’s good at what he does, but it doesn’t mean he has to be an absolute dick all the time.”
Lawson nodded, keeping an eye on the rearview as he shifted lanes. “Now you won’t have to see him again.”
“Right? Ugh, thank God.” She smoothed her hands over her dress, grinned. “I can’t believe she let me keep this.”
“Once you’re able to go out, I’ll take you somewhere you can wear it.” And then he hoped to strip it off her afterward, slowly.
“I love that idea.” Her cheeks were flushed, the tension from before the shoot mostly gone.
Though he knew she still had to be feeling it, especially after those threatening pictures someone had texted her. And something else about the photos was bothering him. He’d covertly reviewed them while she’d been working. Long-distance cameras could pick up anything, but it still bothered him that they were so up close and personal. No one should have been able to get that close to her except the other models and photographers.
When his phone rang, he glanced at the caller ID and answered immediately. “Hey, detective. You’re on speaker with Gia and me.”
“We’ve arrested Fay Kramer.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“She’s a bit of a mess,” Detective Duarte said, looking between Lawson and Gia, who’d been waiting in his office.
Lawson hated that he noticed how damn good-looking the guy was. The man had on a wedding ring and had been the picture of professional since all this started but…he looked like an actual cover model. But not like the wimpy-looking guys from the photo shoots Gia had been at.
“Crying, apologizing for what she did.” Duarte shook his head and a touch of pity flickered in his eyes.
Lawson didn’t feel one ounce of sympathy for the woman. “What kind of charges is she facing?”
Duarte winced slightly. “It’s not going to be much—we have no proof she was the one who attempted to break into your house,” he said, looking at Gia again. “The only thing we’ve got her on is assault and the theft of the flowers from the cemetery. Other than that, she’s got a clean record. She might not even do time, just depends on how they plead it. And depends on what we can get her to confess to. My partner’s in with her now and she hasn’t asked for a lawyer. Just food—which I need to grab.”
Lawson wasn’t surprised, not really. But he still hated it. “Has she confessed to sending the pictures? Or trying to break in to Gia’s place?”
Duarte sighed. “Not yet. She’s mainly just apologizing ‘for everything’ at this point and blubbering all over herself.”
“I’ve got a restraining order against her, so…” Gia sighed, her expression just as frustrated.
Because a restraining order was a joke. It was good to have it on record, but it wouldn’t keep her safe. Not truly.
“If she shows up at your house again, you’ve got cameras now, right?” Duarte asked.
“Yeah, Lawson installed them already.” She reached out and took his hand.
Glad that she reached for him, he slid his fingers through hers, held tight. She could just stay at his place indefinitely as far as he was concerned. The detective knew Lawson was her bodyguard, but his gaze tracked their hands, the quick flick of his eyes landing on them. He didn’t look surprised either.
“Good. Keep them on at all times. And I know you’ve got a security system. The other thing I recommend is getting a dog. Seriously, they’re the best deterrent in general and they’re very loud when someone invades their territory. People don’t want to break into homes with dogs. Too much noise attracts attention. I’m sorry that you’re dealing with this, and we’re going to question her a little longer. She’s been fairly forthcoming…in between her crying jags.” His tone was dry as he shook his head.
“Do you need anything else from me?” Gia asked, shifting slightly in her seat.
Lawson could sense her distress, her anxiety. She was ready to get home, to feel safe again.
“No. I’m just sorry I can’t do more for you. I’ll keep you informed with what’s going on here. But more advice—be aware of your surroundings. Just be careful. She’ll be locked up for a couple days at least, but…she’s going to make bail. I can tell you that for sure.”
Gia sighed as she stood. “I will, thank you.”
Lawson stood with her as the detective rounded his desk.
“Take your time in here, gather yourself before you head out.” Then he stepped out, leaving the door cracked open as he went.
“I’m ready to go now,” Gia said.
Lawson pulled her into a big hug, held her close. “We’ll go to my place.”
“Okay,” she murmured against his chest. “All this feels so anticlimactic. And I don’t feel any better at all.”
“I know.” He cleared his throat. “I texted Juan, let him know what’s happened.”
“Thank you. I didn’t even think of that.”
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he guided her out. Hopefully Kramer would admit to more, to enough that they could hit her with stalking charges. But Lawson wasn’t too hopeful. Unfortunately he knew how broken the system was.
It was why he wouldn’t be letting Gia out of his sight anytime soon.
“I’m mentally exhausted,” Gia murmured, staring out the window of Lawson’s truck. They’d been at the police station for hours, so late that it was now dark. And she just wanted peace and quiet in her life for a while. To sleep and not think about any of this.
“You want to talk about anything?” Lawson asked as he drove down his street.
“No. Not really. Just mentally exhausted. I’m glad Fay’s been found but it feels like it doesn’t matter.” And Gia wanted to scream over it. She understood that Fay wouldn’t go to jail for long, but she’d thought she’d do some time, face some consequences. She’d been stalking her, sending her nasty texts. “It’s like I have to wait until she actually hurts me for anyone to be able to do anything reasonable.”
“I know,” Lawson murmured, his voice soothing, calm.
She rubbed her hands over her face, ready to get out of this gorgeous dress. She wanted to change into her pajamas and crawl under the covers and just sleep. At least at Lawson’s house she felt safe.
“Your brother is here.” Lawson’s voice was even.
She dropped her hands and looked up to see Juan’s truck parked right in front of the garage door, next to her own car. What on earth was he doing here?
Lawson parked at the curb and let out a tired-sounding sigh.
“Did he tell you he was coming by?”
“No.” Lawson moved quickly, was out of the driver’s side and opening her door before she’d managed to unstrap and gather her things.
As they approached the front door, Juan jumped out of his truck and hurried toward them.
Lawson’s body language was tight, controlled as he opened the front door.
Juan pulled her into a hug. “I’m glad they caught her.”
“Yeah…” But she wasn’t feeling good about anything right now. She squeezed him back, fighting a wave of tears. She knew she couldn’t control the outcome of any of this, but the reality of it all still sucked. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she stood back.
“I just wanted to check on you.” His expression was worried as he faced her. It shifted slightly when he looked back at Lawson.
“Come on in. I know Gia wants to get out of that dress.”
Juan’s expression darkened at Lawson’s words—his very innocent words, because she knew what he meant. Gia pulled in a steadying breath and decided to ignore the tension between them as she hurried inside. Juan was going to have to deal with the fact that she was into his best friend and that Lawson was just as into her.
“I’ll be back,” she tossed over her shoulder as she hurried to Lawson’s bedroom.
Once inside, some of her tension ebbed away. But not much, not even close. After a few tries, she managed to get the zipper at her back pulled down, then shimmied out of the gorgeous dress. After washing off the gobs of makeup they’d put on her today and changing into a T-shirt and comfortable jeans, she froze at the sound of raised voices.
Panic punched through her and she stepped out into the hall, stilling when she realized it was Juan and Lawson.
After hurrying into the kitchen she found her brother and Lawson facing off with each other. “What the heck is going on?” Both men just glared at each other, staring daggers. Ooookay. “Juan—”
