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  “Never married.”

  “What's that got to do with anything?”

  They laughed—Blade shook away the mental image of a tiny blonde with big gray eyes that suddenly came to him—clinked mugs and drank.

  Blade spent a few minutes catching up before he ordered two more beers, then moved the conversation to a private table in the corner and took it in the direction he wanted.

  “Is Johnny Rincon still the big man in the neighborhood?” Blade asked, voice low.

  “For some people.”

  Leroy was Carla's cousin, and with his love of family, he'd never been overly fond of Johnny, the wife-beater.

  “I hear Carla dumped him.”

  “Yeah, she finally got some sense.”

  “And I hear he wasn't too happy with her attorney.”

  Leroy swirled the beer in his mug and scrutinized him. “What's this about, Blade?”

  “Fishing expedition. Last Friday, someone grabbed that lawyer and threatened to kill her. She doesn't know who.”

  “You think it could be Johnny?”

  Blade shrugged.

  “What's your interest?” Leroy asked.

  “The lawyer.”

  “She hired you?”

  “Not exactly. It's personal.”

  “Aah. Ain't seen you this intense since Mary Elizabeth Ferguson.”

  A short-lived romance that had ended when he'd joined the military.

  About to tell Leroy that it wasn't that kind of personal, Blade stopped himself. The hell it wasn't. He couldn't deny he wanted to be more than Lynn's bodyguard. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to let Leroy think whatever would get him the best answers.

  “I don't want anything bad to happen to her,” Blade said. “You know how it is when you want to protect a woman.” As far as Blade knew, Leroy had been true to his Theresa since high school. “So, was Johnny around last weekend?”

  Leroy grew thoughtful. “Don't know as I saw him. Course I weren't around on Sunday. That's family day. Tell you what I'll do, being that I hate that bastard for what he did to my little cousin and all, I'll ask around, see what I can find out.”

  “Find out what?”

  The tavern quieted again, as if every man there was holding his breath. Blade felt Johnny's presence behind him like something crawling up his spine. Leroy's expression closed. He might hate his cousin's ex, but he wasn't about to challenge him outright.

  “I was telling Blade here I'd ask around, see who has an old Corvette for sale,” Leroy said.

  A bold-faced lie and yet one that was plausible since Carla's cousin was a mechanic, Blade decided.

  “Thought I'd go for something a little easier on the eye than that old Jeep of mine.” Blade glanced up at Johnny, then turned back to Leroy, who was getting up from the table. “I particularly like red.”

  “Like I said, I'll see what I can do for you.”

  “I'll be in touch.”

  Leroy waved and sauntered toward the door like he was in no hurry.

  “You want a red Corvette.”

  Johnny moved more directly into Blade's line of sight. He was wearing sunglasses but didn't remove them despite the low light. He'd been almost handsome once, but the scar that split his right cheek made him look feral, especially when he smiled as he was doing now.

  He flipped a chair around backwards and straddled it. The vest he wore over a white T-shirt was loose and probably hiding a holstered gun at Johnny's back. Then he snapped his fingers at Skipper without so much as looking the bartender's way.

  “I can probably find you whatever you want. How much you willin' to pay?”

  Blade just bet Johnny dealt in stolen vehicles and could have anything picked up off the street on command. “I don't think I can afford you.”

  “Not even if I make you a deal you can't refuse?”

  “That's what I'm afraid of. And when the police catch up to me, they'll make me another deal I won't be able to refuse, one entailing jail time.”

  Johnny threw his head back and laughed. And then he sobered. The low light over the table threw long shadows down over his face, making him appear even more menacing than usual. Skipper set two beers down on the table and Johnny waved him away.

  “On me.”

  “Thanks, but two's my limit,” Blade told him. “I'm driving.”

  “Soon, I hope. And when you go, stay away. You got no business in this neighborhood anymore.”

  “Last I heard, it was still a free country.”

  “Yeah, I heard you went off to protect it from guys tougher than me. How did that go for you?”

  Refusing to be baited, Blade sat back and stared at the other man. Not that he could get through the dark glasses that Johnny wore pretty much 24/7. Lynn hadn't seen her attacker, so she didn't know what kind of glasses he'd been wearing. Just the thought of Johnny's hands on her made Blade's blood boil. If Johnny was guilty, he would have to hold himself back from doing his nemesis personal damage.

  “Those new sunglasses?” Blade asked him.

  “Thinking of getting some fashion sense?”

  “I'm comfortable in my own skin.”

  “You'd be more comfortable wearing it elsewhere.”

  “That's the second time you said that, Johnny.” Blade spoke in a low growl so that no one else could hear. “Is that a threat?”

  Knowing that Johnny was armed and dangerous, Blade let his hand fall toward his leg and the knife strapped there as he stared steadily at his old nemesis.

  Suddenly, Johnny laughed again, though he didn't seem in the least amused. “I was just making an observation. You're not one of us anymore.”

  “I was never one of you.”

  “What are you doing here in the burg? What is it you're looking for, Blade?”

  Sticking to Leroy's story, he said, “A red Corvette, but not from you.”

  Then he rose and strode over to the bar where he squared his tab with Skipper. As he left, he felt Johnny Rincon's gaze burning the middle of his back until the door closed behind him.

  Blade could only hope the bastard didn't go after Leroy to get the real answer to his question.

  Chapter Seven

  Showering and washing her hair had put Lynn in a better mood, and so she'd decided to check on her parents, this time in person. If Blade could go off on his own, then she could, as well. Only she wanted to do this fast and get back before he did.

  Not that she was afraid of his disapproval.

  Deciding that freaking out her folks with her disguise would not be a good move, she left applying fresh blue streaks until later and stuffed up the ultra-blond hair under a straw hat that went nicely with a pair of summer tan slacks and a white top, all from her own wardrobe. A touch up over the faint bruise left on her cheek and a slash of peach gloss across her lips and she was ready.

  At the last minute, she left Blade a note to let him know where she'd gone, just in case he returned before she did.

  A taxi left her off on the northwest side of the city, her old monied neighborhood with its wide lots and long lawns and large houses reminding her of a suburb. Unsure of what prompted this desire to enter the two-story Georgian she mostly avoided these days, Lynn felt as if it was fate when she noted the familiar car in the drive, a black Beamer belonging to her ex-brother-in-law.

  “What is he doing here?” As if she didn't know.

  The moment she let herself in through the side door, she heard Nathan Sennet trying to charm her mother.

  “C'mon, Mother Cross, give a guy a break. I've changed. I swear I have. Shouldn't Danielle have the chance to see that for herself?”

  “Well, I, uh, don't know.”

  And able to tell her mom was ready to give away the store, Lynn stepped into the kitchen saying, “I do know. Dani wants nothing to do with you, Nathan. She left the country to get away from you.”

  Handsome, blond, tanned, charming and successful in business—always an athlete himself, he was a sports agent by profession—Nathan Sennet
was many a girl's fantasy. He'd certainly been Dani's.

  “Left the country?” His smile faded and he had a little-boy-lost look about him. “You mean on vacation? Where to? For how long?”

  “Where or why or how long doesn't concern you.”

  “Yes, it concerns me. I love Danielle, for God's sake. I always will. Look, Evelyn, I know you think I'm like your father, but I'm not,” he said in a low tone as if trying to spare her mother's feelings. “I admit we had some problems and maybe I was a little overprotective, but I've been working on my shortcomings with a professional.” Seeming anxious that she believe him, he said, “I swear to you that I'm a different person now.”

  “Good for you.”

  “Not for me. I've been seeing a psychotherapist for your sister.”

  “You could have done that last year, when she was still interested in saving your marriage.”

  “I needed a wake-up call,” he admitted. “And I'm doing what I have to now.”

  “Now is too late.”

  “That's not for you to say. You have these pre-conceived notions. You can't see what's in front of your nose. But Danielle will want to know that I'm doing this for her. She still loves me.”

  Lynn knew that to be the truth. Thankfully she'd been able to convince Dani to take the job in London, so she could put enough distance between them so she wouldn't be seduced back to Nathan and compound her mistake.

  “I don't know what I can do to convince you,” Nathan said. “I love Danielle with all my heart. She's my life, my world. That's why I've spent the last several months making myself worthy of her love. I'll give you the name of my psychotherapist. Check out my progress for yourself. I'll give him permission to talk to you. Unless you don't want your own sister to be happy.”

  “Of course, I want her to be happy.” Torn because he seemed sincere, Lynn said, “Let me think about it and I'll get back to you.” She supposed she would have to call Dani and let her decide.

  Nathan beamed at her. “That's all I ask.” Then his expression grew serious. “Hey, I was shocked when I saw you on the news the other day. I couldn't believe some crazy man abducted you. Thank God, you came out of it all right. Have they caught the creep and locked him up?”

  “Not yet,” she said, her stomach tightening at the reminder.

  “Well, until they do, lay low.” He patted her arm awkwardly, as if what he really wanted to do was hug her but didn't dare. “Stay safe, okay?”

  The moment Nathan was out the door, her mother said, “I'm so glad you came, Lynn. I didn't know what to tell him.”

  “As far as Nathan is concerned, Mom, you can't tell him anything, not unless Dani says she wants him to know where she is.”

  “He is her husband.”

  “No, Mom, he's not. They're divorced.”

  “I don't believe in divorce.”

  Her eternal excuse for sticking by her own husband, Lynn thought. Not that she didn't love her father. He had been a good provider and he could be affectionate and fun when he wasn't in one of his dark moods. Only those moods had shattered their home life too often.

  “How is Dad today?” she asked, knowing he'd just had another round of chemotherapy and wanting to be prepared before she went in to see him.

  “Poor man, I can't seem to do anything right for him today.”

  “That's it, Mom, blame yourself, as usual,” Lynn muttered.

  She crossed through the dining room and into the living room where her father was ensconced in a reclining chair before the television. Dozing, he looked much more vulnerable and thinner than the last time she'd seen him.

  “Hey, Dad, how are you doing?” When she leaned over to kiss his cheek, the brim of her hat scraped him.

  “Get that thing out of my face,” he grumbled. “Why are you wearing that silly hat in the house?”

  “I just washed my hair and couldn't do anything with it. You sound like your normal self,” she observed. “You can't be doing too badly.”

  “I don't need your sarcasm. That mouth of yours is what got you in all that trouble.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “A man doesn't just go off and take a woman hostage for no reason.”

  Taken aback, Lynn couldn't believe she heard him right. “You aren't saying that I deserved to be abducted and have my life threatened?”

  “No, honey,” her mother assured her, “he's not saying that.”

  “Don't speak for me, woman.”

  For once her mother ignored him. “He was so worried over what happened to you he was all agitated. It's just the chemo talking.”

  Her father wasn't saying anything now. He was staring at his television as if she weren't there.

  “No, Mom, it's not the chemo. That's pure Dad. I knew I shouldn't have come here. But it's not too late to correct that mistake.” She kissed her mother on the cheek and headed for the door, wanting to get away from this house before she burst into tears. “Take care of yourself. I'll call you to see how things are going.”

  She left accompanied only by the sounds of the television.

  Once outside, Lynn realized she hadn't called a taxi. She pulled out her cell phone and did so, then sat on the curb to wait.

  How could her father have said such a horrible thing to her? Even Nathan had been more compassionate—that psychotherapy must be doing him good. Yes, she believed her father had been worried, but this was a pattern she recognized. He got worried or upset about something and he struck out, making it her mother's fault, usually. This time it was hers. Well, her mother might have chosen to put up with it, but she didn't have to follow suit.

  Even so, she couldn't help the tears that rolled down her cheeks. She slashed them away with the back of her hand as the taxi came barreling down the street. And as she settled in the back seat and gave the driver the address, she thought she would give anything to have Blade wrap his arms around her and just hold her.

  Lynn barely knew the man, but she felt infinitely more comfortable with Blade than with any other man in the past who'd come in and gone out of her life. Wondering why that was, Lynn figured it was probably because he listened, and despite her original resentment of his taking over her life, he was pretty much non-judgmental. As to control issues, she guessed he had some, but in this case they were understandable since he was trying to keep her safe.

  Nathan had told her to stay safe.

  How surprising. She and her brother-in-law had never been fond of each other, though they both had managed to be polite for her sister's sake. Maybe psychotherapy had helped him resolve all kinds of issues. If, indeed, they had been his issues. Lynn wasn't so sure now. Nathan had said she had preconceived notions about him, and he'd denied being like her father. His willingness to work with a psychotherapist proved that, she thought.

  Maybe he did deserve another chance. She'd call Dani and talk to her about Nathan.

  And she'd have to rethink Blade.

  She'd have to rethink her control issues altogether, Lynn decided, suddenly wondering if her father's negative influence had warped her so that she'd been unfair to any man interested in her. Had she always looked for the negative?

  Could she have done that to Nathan, as well?

  Startled, Lynn wondered if her own suppositions and her influence on Dani have done damage to her sister's marriage?

  Dear Lord, she hoped not. She'd never wanted to ruin anyone's life.

  “Say, Senorita,” the Hispanic driver called back to her, “you got a friend you want following us?”

  “What?” She swiveled around in her seat to look out the rear window and saw a silver Taurus too far back for her to see anything but a shadow of the driver. “Why do you think he's following us?”

  “Been with us since I pick you up. Came off the side street.”

  “It's probably a coincidence.”

  But when they made the next turn, the silver Taurus turned, as well, Lynn's pulse picked up.

  Could her abductor now be stalking her, waiting fo
r another chance to finish what he'd started?

  Until we meet again...

  “He's still with us,” the driver announced.

  “I know, I know.”

  As unlikely as it seemed that the villain would be waiting for her to show up at her parents' home, what if it were true? Someone had broken into her building, seemingly for no purpose. What if her abductor had been the one and he'd somehow gotten into her place? Her address book sat on her desk next to her computer big as life for anyone to find...

  Lynn's heart thundered so hard the rush of her own pulse filled her ears. Her chest tightened and she felt as if she couldn't breathe properly.

  Thoroughly spooked, she choked out, “Turn right here and let's see if the other car follows suit.”

  “Si, Senorita.”

  She turned in her seat to watch the end of the block as they zoomed down the street. A moment later, the silver car made the turn, as well.

  “We are being followed.” Knowing it was her fault, she tried to stay calm. She'd shown up at her parents' place minus her new identity, and she'd played right into his hands. “Can you lose him?”

  The driver flashed her a smile. “For you, Senorita, si!”

  The taxi shot forward and Lynn grabbed onto the front seat to steady herself as they whipped around a corner, narrowly missing an oncoming car. The other driver slammed on his brakes and blared his horn at them, started up and came to another dead stop to avoid the silver car.

  The taxi barely paused at the stop sign before the driver barreled around the corner onto Western Avenue.

  “Take a detour!” Lynn yelled above the renewed rush in her ears. “Don't bring him anywhere near Bucktown.”

  The driver's response was to throw his left arm out the open window, zoom ahead of the SUV next to them and start making a left turn.

  “Whoa!” Lynn gasped out. “You can't do that! You're in the right lane!”

  But it seemed he could.

  Cars moving in both directions came to a screeching halt as he executed the illegal left turn. Seeing the silver car was stuck back in traffic behind the SUV, Lynn prayed that she wouldn't elude her abductor only to be killed in a multi-vehicle accident.

  Miraculously, the taxi flew onto the thoroughfare heading east without incident. A block later, the driver turned back north on a one-way side street, and with a squeal of wheels, took a right and then a left into the heart of a T-shaped alleyway. Halfway down the block, he pulled onto a parking pad behind a three-flat.