Colton K-9 Bodyguard. Lara Lacombe
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And why would it? He’d been the one to break up with her. It only made sense that he’d moved on with his life in the years since she’d received his letter. The thought of Micah with another woman left her feeling mildly nauseous and she swallowed hard. It doesn’t matter, she told herself. It’s none of my business.
It was the truth, but a pang of jealousy speared her heart as the image of him holding another woman flashed through her mind. Micah’s actions had hurt her badly, and yet she couldn’t deny she still felt drawn to him.
“Bea?” The sound of her name drew her out of her thoughts, and she focused on Micah to find he was watching her with a concerned expression. “If you’re not feeling up to it, I can talk to you later.”
“No, now is fine.” Better to get this over with so she could simply go home. “I was closing up the store when I heard a strange thump in the storage room.” She told him about how the lights had gone out as she’d headed to the back of the store and the strange smell in the air. “I heard the sound of movement, and the next thing I remember is you leaning over me, telling me to wake up.”
Micah frowned. “Can you describe the scent?”
“It was definitely perfume,” Bea responded. “Something floral, but with a sharp note to it that burned my nose.”
“Did you recognize it?”
Bea tilted her head to the side. “It seemed familiar, but I don’t remember where I’ve encountered it before.” She searched her memory, but it was no use. Finally, she shrugged. “Maybe I smelled it as I walked by the perfume counter at the mall?”
“It’s possible,” Micah said. “When you’re feeling up to it, we’ll go there and see if you can identify it for me.”
Before she could reply, Micah asked another question. “Did you see anything in the darkness?”
Bea closed her eyes, thinking back to that moment. “Just a shadowy form. I couldn’t make out any real details.”
“Was it bigger or smaller than you?” Micah probed.
“About my height,” she said. “Maybe a little shorter?”
He nodded, as if she’d just confirmed something for him. “Did they say anything or make any kind of sound before hitting you?”
“No.” She saw his mouth tighten, and realized she wasn’t being very helpful. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It all happened so fast, and I really couldn’t see much of anything with the lights out.”
“This is fine,” he said, flashing a quick smile. “Are you absolutely certain the store was empty when you heard the sound in the back room?”
“Well, I thought I was alone,” Bea said, frowning. “But that clearly wasn’t the case.”
Micah made a thoughtful sound low in his throat. “Do you think a customer snuck into the back room while you weren’t looking?”
“No. I only had three customers yesterday, and I watched them all leave.” Former customers, she amended silently, as all three women had come to either cancel their dress orders or return a dress they’d previously purchased.
“All right.” He ran a hand through his hair, mussing the auburn strands. “We’ll need to keep your store closed tomorrow so the evidence techs can finish processing the scene—”
“Wait...what?” That seemed like a lot of trouble for what amounted to a hit-and-run attack.
Micah frowned, as if confused by her reaction. Then realization dawned in his eyes and his expression cleared. “You don’t know,” he said softly. “How could you?”
“Know what?” Bea asked. Her stomach churned uneasily at this sudden turn in the conversation. Something else had happened in the store, and given Micah’s reaction, it wasn’t good.
He took her hand, and she felt the calluses on his palm. “We found another Groom Killer victim in one of the dressing rooms.” His voice was soft, belying the horror of his words.
Bea felt the blood drain from her head. “What?” she whispered. Surely there had been some mistake. If word got out that the Groom Killer had struck again, and in her own bridal boutique, no less, her business would never recover.
Guilt flashed through her at the selfish thought and she shook her head. “Who?”
Micah didn’t need her to elaborate. “We think it’s Joey McBurn.”
Bea closed her eyes, picturing Joey’s fiancée. Angelina Cooper had come into the shop a few months ago, bubbling with excitement. Joey had just proposed, and Angelina was wasting no time planning their wedding. She’d tried on several dresses, but unfortunately, her tastes ran to the expensive and she hadn’t been able to afford her dream dress. Bea had tried to steer her to a similar, less pricey style, but Angelina hadn’t budged. She’d left the store, swearing she’d be back once she’d saved up enough money. She must have found something at the department store in town, because the wedding was tomorrow.
Or at least, it should have been.
Bea’s heart went out to the other woman. Did she even know Joey was dead? Or was she waiting at home, expecting him to walk through the door at any moment?
Micah leaned forward, his hand tightening on hers. “You’re the first person to encounter the Groom Killer and live to talk about it,” he said quietly. “I want to put you in protective custody, to make sure you’re safe in case the killer targets you again.”
Bea’s heart began to pound. “Do you really think that’s a possibility?” The Groom Killer went after men, not women. And she hadn’t seen anything in the dark—surely the killer would know Bea couldn’t identify them.
“I think it’s a risk we can’t afford to take.” He gave her hand a final squeeze and released it, and Bea immediately missed the warmth of his touch. “I can start the paperwork—”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Disappointment flashed across Micah’s face. “Bea, please,” he began, but she lifted her hand to cut him off.
“I’ll agree to a bodyguard, but only under one condition.”
“What’s that?” There was a note of wariness in his voice, as if he was worried about what she was going to say.
“It’s got to be you,” Bea said firmly. “No one else.”
“Me?” Micah made a strangled sound, and Bea fought the urge to laugh. She knew how ridiculous her request must seem to him. They hadn’t seen each other in years, and after the way he’d ended things between them, he probably figured she wanted nothing more to do with him.
Truth be told, Bea herself was surprised by the intensity of her determination. But she felt safe with Micah, and she knew he would protect her if the Groom Killer did come back around. Besides, maybe if they spent more time together she could finally get him out of her system and truly move on. The man had flaws—he was only human, after all. Hopefully seeing them up close again would be enough to take the shine off of her memories of their time together.
It was a long shot, but she was just desperate enough to take it.
Micah stood frozen in place, too stunned to do much more than blink at Bea as he processed her words.
“You want me to...guard you?” He spoke slowly, hoping that Bea would really listen to his words and see her request for what it was.
A mistake.
She nodded, her expression determined. “That’s right.”
It was the concussion talking—that had to