Hot Secrets (Tall, Dark & Deadly #1)(39)

“A caveman trying to keep you alive. This escalated to way beyond a few phone calls today, Lauren. Did he threaten you?”

“No. Not really. He was just very aggressive. Family members get that way, Royce. I’m used to it.”

“Did you feel threatened?” he asked.

She hesitated. “I was on edge.”

“Did you feel threatened?”

“Damn it, yes, but I told you. I was on edge. It wasn’t long after we had our little,” she stopped herself mid-sentence. “It was right after you dropped me at work.”

He pushed to his feet. “Make time to tell me these things, Lauren. One mistake, one missed clue, could be critical. I’m going to talk to Luke. Don’t open the door to anyone.” He glanced at Julie. “Knock on Luke’s door before you leave. I don’t want you walking to your car alone.” He headed for the door, not giving her a chance to answer.

“Wow,” he heard Julie say softly, but not soft enough. “He’s a big sexy, grizzly alpha of a man, isn’t he? I know how the sexy is working out for you, but how’s the grizzly alpha thing going?”

Royce didn’t allow himself to hear the answer, he couldn’t risk the distraction, or his reaction. He pushed open the door and locked it before pulling it shut, with one focus. Protecting Lauren, so that when this was over, she could scream and shout and kick him to the curb if she so wished. All that mattered was keeping her safe and alive.





***

After spending a good hour that she should have been working talking with Julie, Lauren dived into her work, ignoring the rumble of her stomach and the throb of her arm. The Advil Julie had brought her had worked all of half an hour, so she popped some aspirin she found in Royce’s bathroom cabinet. She had to try and get some work done before she took the more powerful pain medication the doctor had given her.

She picked up the box of her work from the coffee table and walked to the large oak desk that set just off the living area, and by the kitchen door. She set it down at her feet and started pulling out her files, remarkably comfortable in her sexy grizzly alpha’s home. She smiled at Julie’s creative description, thankful for a good friend who could make a smile possible at a time like this. Lauren wasn’t sure who was more surprised, her or Julie, over just how much Lauren liked her alpha male’s alpha side.

A loud sound filled the silence of the room and Lauren jumped to her feet, her heart thundering in her ears, to scan the room. The sound clamored again and her gaze riveted to the fireplace opposite the couch, air rushing from her lungs. It was the clock above the mantel chiming. Oh yeah, she was rattled all right. She sank back to the leather chair beneath her and wished Royce would return. Alone wasn’t all that appealing right now. She unloaded her files onto the desk, deciding work would be the best distraction, but pausing at the smaller letter sized flat box Alice had told her about.

She sighed and snatched a letter opener to break the seal down the middle. Though she knew what the reports were supposed to say, she never took a verbal as final when headed into trial. She flipped open the double-sided lid and stared at the contents, her heart dropping to her stomach. A calendar page lay on top with today’s date marked off.

“Don’t touch it,” she whispered to herself and stood up, afraid something was going to explode or bite her or… she took off running for the door. Once she was there, she fumbled with the lock. “Damn, damn open!” It jerked towards her and she burst into the hallway, her bare feet padding on the wooden floor, as she started yelling, “Royce! Royce!”

The door down the hallway opened and Luke appeared, rushing towards her, grabbing hold of her, and pulling a gun from somewhere. “Talk to me, Lauren. What’s happening?”

“Lauren!” Royce shouted charging up the stairwell.

Lauren tore herself away from Luke and threw herself at Royce. He folded her into his big, powerful arms. “Package,” she managed to get out. “There’s a package. It was delivered to my office and Julie brought it and I opened it…”

“What’s inside?” he demanded quickly.

“A calendar page and I don’t know what else. I didn’t touch it. What does this person want from me? Why won’t they just leave me alone?”

“Where is it?” Luke asked from behind her.

Lauren turned in time to see Luke holster his gun at his ankle, under his pants. “The desk. It’s open on the desk.”

He lifted his chin at Royce. “I’ll check it out.”

“Be careful,” Lauren said. “Please be careful, Luke.”

“Careful is my middle name.”

“He’ll be okay,” Royce said, pulling her against him. “And so will you.”

Lauren melted into Royce, and for the first time in her life, she felt more secure in a man’s arms than she did on her own.





Chapter Fourteen





Thirty minutes after the discovery of the box, Lauren stood in Royce’s kitchen, staring at the twenty newspaper clippings from her various trials, all spread out on the table.

“Is there anything in all of this that rings a bell?” Royce asked. “There’s a message here. We need to try to understand what it is.”

Lauren sank down into a chair and pressed her hands to the side of her face. “Other than he’s been watching me for a long time and wants me to know, no. Nothing else comes to mind. They’re random trials over the course of years.”