In the Arms of Danger

SEVEN

Cory studied Taylor and Zack through hooded eyes as he pretended to be paying attention to Leland Mitchell. Cory couldn't take his gaze off the woman he'd tried for so long to forget. He kept the wall up around his heart and wouldn't be a fool like he'd been last time. Lust and tequila, along with her seduction, had been the reason he'd fallen so hard for her. But she looked better now than she did in Bermuda. Why did she have to wear a belly shirt that showed off her skin and tight stomach?

He balled his hands into fists and stuffed them in his pants' pockets, and when pain shot through his arm from his wound, he grimaced. That bullet had grazed him deeper than he'd wanted. Too close for comfort. His skills were rusty, and their situation was a matter of life and death. He couldn't afford to make a mistake. And he definitely couldn't afford to be distracted by a woman from his past.

Taylor and Zack smiled and joked with each other. An annoying ache grew in Cory's gut. At the same time, something familiar tugged at his memory. Almost deja vu.

The certain tilt of her head, the sparkle in her eyes, and the memorable way she laid her hand on Zack's shoulder, all reminded him of something Cory had seen before. Even Zack bothered him. Cory had seen that man's face before, heard his laugh, and recognized the way he touched Taylor.

Cory growled. He willed himself not to think of her that way. From now on, she was just his assignment. Nothing more.

Zack stood and flexed his hand as he walked toward her father. "So boss, what's going to happen now?"

"Well, Ross and I have been talking. We both agree Taylor and Meggie need to return home."

Cory blinked as he looked at Leland. I did?

Taylor gasped, and his attention flew to her for her reaction. She spun around so fast, her hair flipped over her shoulder.

"We've decided," Leland continued, "my estate is too open for them to remain here. Obviously, somebody was able to take a shot through the window without causing any disturbance. We think Ross can better protect Taylor if they stay at her house in the city."

Zack nodded. "I agree."

Cory's heart clenched and he fisted his hands again. He had to stay with that woman and her daughter, alone, and in her home? No! This was not an option. Yet he couldn't think of anything else that would work, either.

Would they have the opportunity to discuss the events that happened five years ago? Would she confess to being part of the shooting? And more importantly, would she be honest and tell him Meggie was his daughter?

His throat tightened. Did she still want him dead?

* * * *

Tension hung thick inside Taylor's father's den almost to the point of closing in around her and choking her. Then again, holding her breath for so long was probably the reason her lungs burned. Cory's heated gaze did a good job of making her smolder inside, too. His accusing glare caused her stomach to clench. The way his mouth smirked into a gloat had her digging her nails into her palms and seething. No way was that man coming to her house...she'd move Heaven and Earth to make sure it didn't happen.

First she had to move her father who was much stronger, and stubborn, than all of them.

Cory's gaze stayed on her as she walked toward her father. She tried not to look at the man who'd once held her heart, but his suspicious glare was hard to resist. What could he possibly be worried about? Unless...perhaps he suspected what she'd witnessed in Bermuda and couldn't wait to get her alone so they could discuss it.

Not in a million years. At least not if she could help it. She didn't want to be the next witness he killed for knowing too much.

Taylor swallowed the cotton dryness in her throat, stopped beside her father, and touched his arm. His scent of tobacco tickled her nose. She rubbed her finger against the irritation, hoping not to sneeze.

"Dad? Can we talk?" Taylor gazed deep into his eyes, trying to impart some of her feelings to him. "In private?"

"Taylor, I don't think..."

"Please? It will only take a second."

Her father glanced across the room at Zack. The bodyguard built like a linebacker looked at Cory and rubbed his chin. When Zack's gaze returned to her father, he nodded. Bumping his elbow into Cory's, Zack motioned his head toward the door. Both men walked out of the office.

As soon as the door closed, Taylor breathed a little easier...but not much. She still had to make her father see what a mistake it would be to have Cory at her house.

"Father, I appreciate how you hired someone to protect me and Meggie, but I really don't think Mr. Ross should stay with me."

He moved around to sit behind his desk, reclined in his chair and entwined his fingers together across his stomach. From the lift of his eyebrow, she knew their conversation would last longer than a second as she had predicted.

Nervousness crawled over her skin like ants with prickly feet, reminding her of those long-ago days as a teenager when she wanted to talk him into something she knew he'd disapprove of. Although those days were in the past, the familiar phobia still lingered and made her doubt her own abilities to win. This had been the same room, the exact desk, and the same expression lifting his eyebrows that she recalled from yesteryear. But she wasn't the same woman she'd been back then. This time her backbone was more rigid and her dream for independence wouldn't allow him to bend it.

She cleared her throat and continued. "I would feel more secure if he were outside of the house. Maybe he could stay in his vehicle and park in the driveway? Or maybe even up the street and watch from afar."

Her father's head c****d, the blank stare of his expression of impatience she'd been used to seeing lately didn't change. "Really?"

Crap. It wasn't really a question but more of a statement. His nonchalant attitude grated on her already frazzled nerves. Leland knew what he was doing. He had done this since she was young. Even the people who worked with him cringed at his superior attitude.

She bunched her hands tighter. "Yes, really. I'm not comfortable having him in my home."

"Doesn't it matter to you that your uncle trusts him completely with the lives of those he loves the most?"

She released a heavy sigh. Here comes the guilt trip... Thanks, Dad. "I know Uncle Stephen meant well, and I trust him, but I don't feel right about having Mr. Ross stay with me. Why can't Uncle Stephen be my bodyguard?"

Her father rolled his eyes. "Because he has a job. I don't think the FBI is going to let him take off time to babysit his niece and grandniece."

She clenched her jaw, wanting to lash out at him verbally which would only make things worse. She'd learned that by now. Give Daddy what he wants and everything will go smoothly. Yet she didn't want to give in. She couldn't.

"Then I think Mr. Ross would be fine if he parked outside my house."

Leland slapped his hands on the desk and made her jump. He hoisted his beefy body to stand, glaring down at her with his over-powering stare. "What is the real reason behind this, Taylor? From the first mention of hiring a bodyguard, you've been dead set against it. And since you met him, you have not been very polite at all."

Straightening her back, she held herself strong. "You know I want to make it on my own. I don't want to rely on anyone but myself. I just don't like the thought of a man that I don't know well, staying in my house. In fact, I could hire someone else—"

"That's out of the question," he grumbled. "I know you want to make your own decisions. You've done a great job so far; I'm not complaining about that."

"Then why don't you continue to let me be independent?"

"Why can't you see this is not about you anymore? Meggie is involved, now."

"Then I'll take my daughter and we'll hide somewhere until all of this blows over. Maybe Uncle Stephen will let us stay with him."

Her father's head shook in denial. "It's like I told you before, he's busy. He can't watch over you and do his job for the FBI at the same time. He's one of their top-notch agents." He released a heavy sigh. "The subject is closed. Cory Ross will accompany you home and he will stay by your side until this is over. There'll be no more arguments."

Her blood boiled, rising to the top of her head and making her headache throb harder. Having her temper explode wouldn't help her cause. Not this time. There had to be another way. Maybe if she did something to show her father that Cory Ross couldn't take care of her and Meggie...

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "I'll let Mr. Ross into my house, but it'll be on your head if something goes wrong."

Her father let out his normal victory chuckle. She gritted her teeth.

"Taylor, if Stephen says Ross can do the job, I believe him. My older brother has never failed to come through for me."

"Fine." With a huff, she spun around and marched toward the door. When she yanked the double-doors open, both Zack and Cory looked at her from opposite sides of the hallway. Had they heard? She sure hoped not. The last thing she needed was Cory to know the malicious thoughts swimming through her mind right now. She may not have a say in this, but she'd make Cory look incompetent in her father's eyes. It was the only way to assure he'd be out of her life for good.