shorts in a twist?” She shook her head. “I’m the granddaughter of a man who owns a bar. I don’t live in a mansion, I’m not a debutante with a purse for every outfit and a room full of shoes. I’m Shelby O’Hara.”
“And I’m your bodyguard. Nothing else.”
“Damn right it’s nothing else. And I thought you were down-to-earth and a straight shooter. But I believe you’re something of a snob.” She pushed past him and marched back into the bar. “Just stay out of my way. I have work to do.”
Much as he’d like to stay out of her way, he couldn’t. Not when the danger was real. If the first kidnapping hadn’t convinced her, the second attempt sure as hell had convinced him.
He spent the rest of the evening jumping at every loud noise, dogging every one of Shelby’s footsteps and hating that all the guys in the bar were falling in love with the petite brunette with the perpetual smile for everyone but him.
The more he frowned, the brighter her smile grew, to the point he wanted to throw her over his shoulder like a caveman and take her back to the Winston Estate just to put an end to his agony.
Near eleven o’clock, Patrick O’Hara returned to the bar, having taken Lana to a twenty-four-hour clinic for the stitches and dropped her off at her house on the way back.
Patrick hugged his granddaughter as soon as he walked through the door. “I was worried sick the entire time I was gone, thinking I’d get back to find you had disappeared again.” He kissed her forehead and she hugged him again.
“I’m not going anywhere. We had a good night and nothing out of the ordinary happened.”
Daniel noted that Shelby hadn’t bothered to tell her grandfather what had happened at the university. Had she informed him of the near miss, he’d have been even more determined to stick to her like glue, something Daniel had discovered Shelby didn’t like. She was an independent young woman, sometimes too independent for her own good. His job was hard enough keeping her safe without worrying about her taking off because she was mad at him for something.
Thankfully, the rowing team had to be up at the crack of dawn to work out. One by one, they filed out of the bar, leaving it nearly empty.
“You two can head back to the Winston Estate now. I’ll be right behind you as soon as I give the order list to Marisa.”
“Are you sure?” Shelby wiped her hands on a towel and tossed it on the bar. “I can stay and help clean up.”
“No, the staff handled it fine while you were gone. I’m sure they can do it again.”
Her brows furrowed. “Don’t think you’re going to get rid of me altogether. This arrangement is only temporary.”
“I hope so, dear. The sooner they figure out who was responsible and lock him up, the sooner you won’t have to have a bodyguard and the better I’ll feel. Now get going so I can finish up.”
When Patrick put it that way, Daniel didn’t know how he felt. On one hand, he’d be free of babysitting duties. On the other, he’d have no need to be around Shelby. They’d part ways and that would be the end of it. A Secret Service agent’s life wasn’t geared toward long-term relationships. “You heard your grandfather. You’re slowing him down.” Daniel hooked Shelby’s arm and guided her to the exit and his vehicle.
Shelby jerked her arm free. “You don’t have to be so pushy, bodyguard.”
He prayed she’d stay mad. After the fiery kiss in the hallway, he wasn’t sure he could keep his distance. “I do if I want to get you back to the Winstons’ place before dawn. As it is, it’ll be nearly one in the morning before we arrive.”
“Well, then, let’s get crackin’.” She led the way out the door to Daniel’s SUV.
When she placed her hand on the door handle, he stopped her. “Let me check first.”
Shelby stood back while Daniel shone a pocket flashlight under the car. He opened the hood and checked inside the engine compartment for anything that didn’t belong. When he was satisfied there weren’t any explosive devices attached to the vehicle, he waved a hand toward the passenger seat. “Your chariot awaits, princess.”
Her lips thinned. “I’m not a princess. I’m a waitress.” She got in and slammed the door shut.
Daniel hid a grin as he slid into the driver’s seat and buckled his seat belt.
The long drive back to Raleigh was completed in silence. Shelby fell asleep against the window, the shadows beneath her eyes more pronounced.
Daniel had to remind himself she’d only been free from her captors for a little more than a day. A lot had happened in that time frame. She was exhausted. When she wasn’t mad, her face softened and her lips relaxed, full and pink and completely kissable.
Daniel forced himself to concentrate on the road ahead. If he wasn’t careful, he’d drive into the ditch. He stayed alert by going over everything that had happened. D’Angelis had told them enough to save the girl before he died. But he’d died in custody. Someone at the police station had to have poisoned him.
D’Angelis had been a Secret Service agent like Daniel, with one huge difference: he’d gone bad. Sold out to the highest bidder, and it was suspected he’d worked for the Cartel. If there were dirty agents in the Secret Service, there could be dirty cops at the police station. But who had access to the man? Who could have slipped him the poison between the time he was brought from his cell and the time he died?
Daniel’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. He didn’t know who to trust anymore. Anyone could be after Shelby. If he asked Kate to find a different agent to provide for her safety, he couldn’t be certain that agent was a good agent.
The only reason he could come up with that would make someone target Shelby was her connection to Kate Winston. And who would have known Kate’s daughter had survived? For all these years, Kate had presumed her child was dead. The only others who knew about her pregnancy were her mother, father and the hospital staff who helped deliver the baby. And, of course, her grandfather.
Daniel pulled up to the gate of the Winston Estate, no closer to the truth than when he’d left and a whole lot more frustrated by a couple of incredibly hot kisses.
He parked at the front of the house. As late as it was, he didn’t want to make Shelby walk any farther than she had to. She was still asleep when he rounded the car, grabbed her duffel bag out of the backseat, looped it over his shoulder, then opened her door.
She tipped slightly until her seat belt caught her and kept her from falling out.
Daniel reached across her lap and unbuckled her belt, then gathered her in his arms and carried her up the steps to the big house.
The door opened as soon as he stopped in front of it and Kate Winston stood there in her bathrobe, her face clean of makeup. “I was beginning to worry, until Patrick texted me to say you were on your way back. Any mishaps?”
“Not on the trip back. Let me get her up the stairs and then we’ll talk.”
“I can get there myself.” Shelby’s eyes blinked open and she stared up at him. “Put me down.”
“Are you sure, dear?” Kate asked. “You look so very tired.”
“I can walk.” Shelby pushed at Daniel and he set her on her feet, keeping one of his arms behind her back to steady her.
“Let me check your room before you go up,” Daniel insisted.
“I’m sure it’s the same as I left it. You and Mrs. Winston need to talk, and I need a shower. I can manage on my own.”
Daniel hesitated. “I’d rather not leave it up to chance.”
“And I’d rather be alone,” she said. “I’ll be sure to scream if there’s a monster under my bed.”
Kate