Hide and Seek. Desiree Holt
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hooked up,” the driver called out, “and I’m ready to leave. I’ve got your cell number, Miss Cole. I’ll call you when the mechanic assesses the damage.”
“Thank you. Listen, where can I rent a car in this town?”
She couldn’t be without wheels. Right now she’d get one of them to give her a ride back to the house, and she’d make a call and take care of it. She pushed herself out of the truck, then had to lean against the open door, surprised to find she was lightheaded and unsteady on her feet.
Avery was next to her in a hurry, reaching out to steady her. “You’re okay. Take a breath. Delayed shock, and probably adrenaline crash.”
“That’s what Logan said before. Holy Hannah!” She put a hand to her forehead.
Avery looked her over to make sure she was steady on her feet. “What’s up?”
“I need a ride back to the house.”
“Devon, you can’t go back to that house alone.” Avery looked at her sister. “Right, Sheri?”
“Absolutely. Until we know what the hell is going on with your father, it isn’t safe for you to be there alone. Those guys from today aren’t finished with you.”
She’d been afraid of that. “So what am I supposed to do?”
“I’ll stay with her.” Logan’s deep voice startled her.
Devon stared at him. “What?”
He grinned. “Looks like you need a bodyguard. That’s part of my job.”
“B-But I can’t pay you,” Devon protested.
“Did I say anything about money?” He glanced over at Avery. “I just finished a job and I have nothing up on the books right now. This okay with you?”
Avery shrugged. “Hey, it’s your time. And I agree she needs protection. God knows who else is out there waiting for her. And let’s not forget the reporters hanging around.”
“I—I don’t know what to say.” Devon was independent but she wasn’t stupid.
Logan’s mouth curved in that killer smile again. “Say ‘Thank you, Logan. I’d love to have you stay at my house with me.’”
A little shiver of anticipation raced along her spine, making her wonder if she’d truly lost her mind. She needed to focus on something besides how sexy her new bodyguard was. But then she thought about what had brought her to this point. The chill that raced over her had nothing to do with sexual awareness and everything to do with fear.
Chapter 3
“If this is all settled, we need to get moving.” Logan pulled his keys out of his pocket. “Avery, I need to stop by my place and get some things.” He looked at Devon. “Avery and Sheri will take you out to the house and I’ll be there right after.”
“Like I said before, we’ll get some hot coffee into you,” Sheri said. “Maybe some food. My guess is you haven’t eaten a thing.”
Devon shook her head. “I just jumped right in my car and hit the interstate. But there’s plenty of food at the house.”
Avery shook her head. “We’ll take a look but you need to get some food into your system.”
Devon shook her head. Suddenly her hunger had disappeared. “I don’t know if I can eat anything.”
“Try, okay?” Her lips curved in a kind smile. “We can’t have you passing out.”
“Logan, would you stop by Fresh From the Oven and get a dozen of those muffins with all the chocolate? Devon should eat something and the sugar is good to combat shock.”
“Will do.” He cranked the engine in his truck and pulled out onto the road.
Devon swallowed. “Sheri, when do you think we’ll hear from the Coast Guard again?”
“I wish I could answer that.” Sheri took her hands and squeezed them. “But be prepared. If they haven’t found him after three days, they’ll call off the search. That’s protocol.”
“It’s just that not knowing is a bear.” She nibbled on her bottom lip.
“Come on. Let’s get going and get you up to the house. You’ll ride with me.”
Clutching her purse, Devon climbed into Sheri’s copmobile. As they drove back up Seacliff Road, she sat with her fists clenched in her lap, looking out the windows wondering if the black SUV would appear out of nowhere again.
“They’re gone,” Sheri said, guessing what was on her mind. “For one thing, there’s too much traffic here right now for them to try anything. For another, you and Logan both saw enough of their faces to make them regroup before they give it another shot. By the time they do, you’ll be situated with Logan glued to your side.”
Logan! In her house with her. Right. The thought of that made the butterflies resting in her stomach decide to do a tarantella. She must be crazy to be so affected by the man considering the situation she was in. A man she’d known for, what, three seconds? Damn!
The minute they were inside the house, Sheri headed for the single-serving coffeemaker on the counter, then rummaged in the cupboards until she found the mugs.
“Here, sit.” She nudged Devon toward the table and set a full mug in front of her. “Drink this.”
Sheri had just seated herself with her own mug when Avery arrived.
“Whew! The barbarians are at the gates already.” At the raised eyebrows, she added, “Reporters.”
Every muscle in Devon’s body tightened. “Are they here? Outside?”
Avery nodded. “Two of them pulled up the driveway behind me. Devon, you’ll have to talk to them eventually, but right now you have nothing to tell them. They can spend their time pestering the Coast Guard or asking questions in town. They’ll do both, anyway.”
“Damn.” Devon closed her eyes and took a breath. “I keep thinking I’ll wake up and find out this is all a mistake.”
“We wish. Sheri, can you get that nice young patrolman to come out here and throw some muscle around? Just until I get a new security system in here?”
“On it.” Sheri unclipped the radio from her belt and called in to the dispatcher with what she wanted.
Devon managed a weak smile. “Thanks.”
“Oh, and before I forget…” Sheri reached into her pants pocket and brought out a key ring. “To the house and both boats. The Coast Guard gave them to me for safekeeping. They were still in Princess Devon’s ignition.”
Devon wrinkled her forehead. “So isn’t that a sign he was on the boat and fell overboard?”
“Honey, right now it’s a sign of nothing. Let’s wait until we have more information.”
“Waiting. Right. Something I’ve never been very good at.”
“Once Logan gets here,” Avery added, “we’ll talk about a new sophisticated alarm system. Plus, Logan won’t hesitate to throw some muscle around if need be.” She blew out a breath. “Let me fix myself some of the good-smelling coffee and we can talk.”
She had just finished filling her mug when the landline rang. Devon got up and reached for the instrument, a reflex, but Avery grabbed her arm.
“You don’t know who that is. You wouldn’t be getting calls for yourself at this house, right?”
Devon shook her head.
“So it’s either the thugs Logan ran off, or others like them, or a reporter.”
Devon jerked her hand back. “What should I do?”
“Answer