Colton's Secret Bodyguard

After she’d gone, Bree gave a little sigh. “I hate lying to her.”

“Don’t worry,” Rylan said. “She didn’t believe you.”

Bree gave a little laugh. “I had almost convinced myself that the coffee-thing, like the recorder, was due to my own absent-mindedness. But this?” She gently touched one of the cups. “There’s no mistaking this.”

“Someone is sending you a message,” Rylan said tersely, “and it isn’t a pleasant one.” When she raised her eyes to his, he could see the fear in their depths. “It’s time to tell me all of it, Bree.”

She nodded. “Not here. Do you like Thai food?”

He raised her hand to his lips. “You just found my weakness.”

She turned to look at Papadum, who had fallen asleep and looked like a large, unusual rug. “AppeThaizer allows dogs. I’ll make reservations for seven o’clock.”

“Okay.” Rylan got to his feet. “I’ll be in the promotions office if you need me.”

When he reached the door, he turned back to look at her. She was already reaching into her desk, but there was a crease between her brows that troubled him. He wanted to go to her and smooth it away. More than anything, he wanted to tell her that he was there to protect her.

Once Bree knew he was deceiving her, their closeness would be over. That scared him more than the shadowy figure who was threatening her. He could deal with the external danger, but he honestly didn’t know if he could cope with having to watch Bree walk away.

* * *

I should have smashed those cups and used the pieces to slice your pretty face.

The voice Bree had chosen for her text-to-speech software was light and female. Most of the time, she found it soothing. Whenever she converted one of the threatening emails to speech and listened to it, the gentle tones somehow made the words even more frightening.

She gripped the edge of the desk with both hands, feeling as though a pillow was being pressed over her mouth and nose. Enough air was getting through to enable her to breathe. Just. But she was fighting to function. Each thought took a huge amount of effort.

She couldn’t ignore this any longer. This time there was a direct link between the emails and the person moving her belongings.

Rylan. Every instinct urged her to go to him. Relief flooded her veins at the thought of his strong, reassuring presence. She was halfway out of her seat when the alarm on her cell phone buzzed.

“Two o’clock appointment.” This voice was different. Robotic and mechanical. She’d set the reminder for ten minutes before her meeting with Lucas Brewer, the lighting engineer she employed for her shows.

Biting back an exclamation of annoyance, she headed for the hall. Papadum, who had been snoring like a freight train for most of the day, decided to accompany her.

“I guess you must be thirsty, big guy.” Bree patted the end that didn’t wag.

Pausing in the kitchen, she found a bowl and filled it with water. Leaving Papadum to the noisiest drinking she had ever heard, she went into the bathroom. A glance in the mirror confirmed her worst fears. She looked flustered and wan at the same time. Splashing cold water on her face helped a little. A fresh spray of perfume and a new application of lip gloss restored a little more normality. With a nod at her reflection, she returned to her office to collect the documents for her meeting.

“Oh, my goodness!” She gazed at Papadum in horror. “What happened to you?”

The dog was seated next to her desk. Long frothy strands hung from his jowls. He made a soft moaning sound.

Since Rylan was at the opposite end of the building, Bree decided to call him. “Papadum is foaming at the mouth.”

“I’m on my way.”

Bree ducked into Kasey’s office. “Tell Lucas I’ve been delayed.” She thrust a file at her assistant. “Here’s the lighting specification. I’ll be with him as soon as I can.”

She returned to her office and sat on the floor next to Papadum, stroking his back. The dog hiccupped miserably. Rylan arrived a few minutes later.

“I don’t know what happened,” Bree told him. “I gave him a drink and left him alone in the kitchen for a few minutes. When I got back, he was like this.”