Beneath the Badge. Rita Herron
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place again.
And he wouldn’t…not even in his mind.
He had escaped and had a job to do, and he’d damn well do it without allowing Taylor to get under his skin like she had earlier.
He’d survived that hellhole of a family. He could survive being assigned as her bodyguard.
All the more reason to find her attacker quickly, though, so he could leave Cantara Hills.
The door opened and the doctor appeared, Taylor’s chart in hand. “She’s dressing, then she can go home.”
He nodded. Margaret had brought Taylor an overnight bag. A nurse appeared with a wheelchair, and he went and retrieved his SUV from the parking garage, then pulled up in front of the hospital. Taylor climbed in and fastened her seat belt, and he maneuvered into the early morning traffic and drove to Cantara Hills.
“If we’re forced to spend time together, we should get to know each other,” Taylor said, filling the awkward silence.
He glared at her. “I intend to learn everything about you.”
Her blond brows rose, eyes sparkling. “Really?”
He pressed his mouth into a frown. “Yes, and all your friends.”
The light left her eyes. “Then tell me about yourself. About your family.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I’m here to do a job, Taylor. My personal life is off-limits.”
For a brief second, hurt tugged at her expression.
He turned away from her, refused to feel guilty. “I need to go by my room at the country club and pick up my duffel bag.”
“Excuse me?” she said quietly.
“I told you I’m your bodyguard. That means I’m moving in.”
She shivered and hugged her arms around her waist. “I certainly hope you find whoever did this quickly.”
He chuckled. She obviously didn’t want him around any more than he wanted to be with her. “That’s the plan. In fact, I’d like to clean up and then I want to talk to your brother and Kenneth Sutton.”
She stared out the window, her expression pained. “I just can’t believe one of them would try to kill me.”
He clamped his mouth shut. She was too damn innocent. Just because these people were related to her or acted as if they were her friends, didn’t mean they didn’t have secrets or a motive for murder.
Taylor grimaced at the way Hayes had cut her off when she’d inquired about his family. She felt for him, but she couldn’t continue offering friendship if he was going to be so rude.
Besides, as soon as he found out who’d tried to kill her, he’d ride out of Cantara Hills and never look back.
She’d had it with men either using her or disappearing when they’d finished their agenda.
He parked in the circular drive, and she jumped out, not bothering to wait for him to open the door for her. The inside of the car had been too crowded, too hot, too filled with his male scent.
So why did his eyes haunt her?
Frustration mingled with fear as she unlocked the door. But Hayes pushed her aside and ordered her to wait while he checked the house. She paced nervously. She’d always felt safe here, but after the night before, would she ever feel safe again?
At least her estate was large so she and Hayes wouldn’t be trapped in close quarters together. She noticed her office door ajar and veered inside to see if anything was missing. Thankfully, she kept her important papers, stocks and bonds, in a safe, and she examined it first, then breathed a sigh of relief. Next she searched the desk files, but didn’t notice anything missing. Even the file she’d been reviewing regarding the discrepancy with the city council bids seemed intact.
What had the intruder been looking for? What had been important enough for him to have killed her to get it?
HAYES NOTICED THE STRICKEN look on Taylor’s face. The reality of her home invasion had finally hit her. But he steeled himself against sympathy. “Did you notice anything missing?”
She shook her head, then tucked a strand of her long blond hair behind one ear. “The safe hasn’t been open, and all my files are intact.”
So what had the killer been looking for?
“Inventory your jewelry.”
She nodded and he followed her to her suite. She looked wary as she entered her bedroom, and he remained at the threshold, shifting to lean against the frame while she sorted through her jewelry. The sight of diamonds and the glittering emeralds and sapphires served as a reminder of the yawning distance between them.
“Is everything there?”
She bit down on her bottom lip. “Yes…wait. Let me look at my other jewelry box.”
She had two?
He tugged at his Stetson as she opened her closet and retrieved a smaller box from the top shelf. The box was intricately carved, black lacquered, an Asian design although small, almost as if it had belonged to a child. She traced a finger over it lovingly and he wondered if it held special meaning for her. Maybe a gift from Daddy or a former lover?
The thought sent a small pang of jealousy streaking through him, but he brushed it off. What did he care if she had a dozen lovers? He would never be one of them.
“Taylor?”
She inhaled sharply, then lifted the lid, and her chin quivered. “It’s gone.”
“What?”
“My charm bracelet,” she said softly.
“What was it worth?”
She lifted her head, and emotions splintered her eyes. “Not much, but it was priceless to me. My mother gave it to me.” Her voice broke. “She used to add a charm every year at Christmas.”
And her mother had died when she was eight.
“Why would someone take that piece instead of all those jewels in your other chest?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said, although the odd catch in her voice told him she was lying. “It’s not valuable, not monetarily, I mean. But it was special to me.”
He cleared his throat. “It had to be someone who knew where you kept it.” Meaning the thief had meant to hurt her because he knew she valued the piece. “You think your brother stole it?”
She hesitated so long he had his answer. “Let me clean up and I’ll pay Miles a visit,” she said.
“I’m going with you, but I’d like to shower first.”
He wanted to question Miles without her, yet he couldn’t leave her alone, not knowing she was in danger, so he agreed, then headed downstairs to the guest suite.
But as he stripped and climbed in beneath the warm water, he imagined her upstairs doing the same. They could have conserved water if they’d showered together.
A bitter laugh lodged in his throat. Hell, he had to be honest, at least to himself. He didn’t care about conserving water.
He was a hot-blooded man. He just wanted to see the damn woman naked.
TAYLOR STEWED OVER the bracelet while she showered. She didn’t want to believe her brother would take the charm bracelet, because he understood its significance to her.
Yet he had been furious with her the last time they’d run in to each other.
She dressed in a pair of her