Chapter Nine
One day. That's how long it took her to fall for him completely. Josie looked at her reflection in the mirror on Monday morning, feeling like someone who'd stepped through the looking glass into a whole new world.
Yesterday had changed everything. Even now she flushed as she thought of what happened. She'd never dreamed she would be turned on by getting spanked. That was quite an awakening. Dillon enjoyed making her squirm, bite back a protest and even call uncle when she reached her limit. And he enjoyed showing her pleasure that far surpassed that small measure of pain.
And that portion of pain was all he cared to inflict. Aside from that, he seemed genuinely interested in giving pleasure and boy was he talented in that respect. They'd made love, cooked and ate, cuddled on the couch, made love, gone for an afternoon bike ride, made love in the shower and started again with the evening meal.
Josie woke in Dillon's arms this morning and that's when it hit her. She'd fallen for him. Completely. It was terrifying and spawned a battle inside her. Emotions raged against her sense of duty and responsibility. What was she going to do?
You're going to be even more vigilant in your job, that's what you're going to do because now he's more than just a client. He's someone you care about.
She wasn't ready to say, even to herself, that she loved him. Love was frightening because it stripped away all your defenses and made you way too vulnerable. She couldn't be vulnerable or weak. That wasn't how she'd keep him safe.
And she damn well intended to do that. Nothing was going to happen to Dillon on her watch. Not as long as she was breathing.
"Hey! You about ready?" Dillon called from the hallway. "I thought we could ride in together."
"Sounds good," she turned from the mirror and opened the door. "But I need to grab a coffee to go."
That's when she noticed he held a travel coffee cup in each hand. "My hero," she said as he offered her one. "Okay, let's do it."
"I wish, but right now we have jobs."
Josie smiled at his tease and secretly thrilled at the gentle but sensual kiss he gave her. "You're pretty incredible Josie Harper."
That shocked her. Surely the words were intended as a flirt. Why, then, was his tone so genuine and the look on his face so honest? Did he really mean what he said?
She started down the hall for the kitchen, knowing he'd leave through the back door. "So are you, Dillon Walker and the answer is better than I imagined."
"Am I that obvious?"
"No, but I thought the question might come up so—"
"So just how good did you imagine?"
Josie tossed a smile over her shoulder as she opened the door and walked out. "Very."
"Just very?"
With a laugh she continued to his SUV and got into the passenger seat. "Well?" he asked when he'd started the vehicle.
"Very very."
"Not amazing or exceptional or astonishing or mind-blowing or—"
"Wow, egotistic much there, Coach?"
"Not a bit. Just competitive."
"Ooh, I see, it's a competition."
"Isn't everything?" The look he gave her said that despite the kidding, he was serious. Competitiveness was in his makeup.
"Well, I suppose."
"Aww come on, Josie. Throw a guy a bone."
Josie laughed and took a drink of her coffee. For the next few minutes they talked football, one of their mutual favorite topics. He was looking forward to the fall season and couldn't wait for practice to begin.
Just as they made the turn onto a shortcut, a county road that cut about four miles off the drive, she noticed the vehicle behind them. Damn, it was one she'd seen just as they left his neighborhood. She'd allowed herself to be distracted and now they had a good three miles of wide-open space with no turn offs during those miles.
Josie put her cup into the door holder and reached for her bag that she'd tossed into the floor. "Whoa, hold on." Dillon exclaimed when she pulled her handgun from the bag.
"Just drive normally and don't do a lot of looking into your mirrors. We're just on our way to work, okay?"
"What's going on?"
"Not sure, and maybe nothing but I saw that car when we left your community and it may be tailing us."
"Shouldn't you call someone?"
"Not until I know it's an actual threat. Like I said, just drive like normal."
"Uh, they're speeding up."
"Yeah, I can see that." She watched the side mirror as the vehicle tailing them got closer.
"Don't react, okay? Just drive." She instructed as their tail roared up beside them.
The passenger window of the other vehicle was rolled down as the car paralleled them. Two men wearing ski-masks were inside. The one in the passenger seat lifted his hand and made the motion of a gun hand, pulling the trigger.
Josie lifted her weapon and the pursuing car immediately dropped back. She watched as it slowed, executed a precision turn and drove back the way it'd come. It was too far away for her to see the tag number.
"What the hell?" Dillon slowed, coasted to a stop on the shoulder of the road and then looked in all the mirrors.
Josie knew he was freaked out and didn't blame him. The enemy had made their point quite clearly. They could get to Dillon at any time. She got that. But more importantly, she now realized that whoever these people were, their job was to intimidate. If they'd wanted to harm or kill Dillon, they'd just passed up the perfect opportunity.
Which meant they would not be snipers, or assassins who struck under the cover of darkness or on a long lonely road. That wouldn't cause the kind of terror they needed to inspire. Killing one of the Senator's family would not bring about their desired results.
They had to terrorize the Senator into obedience.
And that put Dillon into a situation far more sinister than any of them had imagined. She stepped out of the vehicle, stuck a blue tooth earpiece into one ear, pulled out her phone and placed a call. "We have a situation," she said the moment the call was answered, and proceeded to recite the events that had transpired.
After she finished speaking, she walked back to the door of the SUV. "Yes, I agree. Yes, I'll be in touch."
She slid the phone into the side pocket of her pants and motioned for Dillon to get out. She knew his phone was in the cupholder in the console, which meant even if he was bugged, they couldn't be heard standing outside. "Okay," she said when he met her at the rear of the vehicle. "The plan for today just changed and I know you're not going to like it, but you need to cooperate with me on this."
"Who did you call?"
"My superior. I imagine he's filling your uncle and father in as we speak. Those men in that vehicle could easily have killed you. You do realize that?"
"I thought that guy was going to shoot me, if you want to know the truth. Why the hell would he do that? That pretend thing with his hand?"
"To let us know they can get to you."
"Then why didn't he? Shoot me, I mean?"
"Because that's too easy and it won't make your uncle back down. If anything, it would fuel him. He'd stop at nothing to bring your killers to justice and to uncover the power behind the assassination."
"Then what was their motive?"
"Again, to let us all know they can get you whenever they want. Dillon, I need you to turn around and go back to town. Once we get there, we're going to pack a bag, get in my car and leave Cotton Creek."
"Leave? I can't leave. I have—"
"We have to leave."
"No, we don't have to."
"We do if you want to live."
He stared at her in what appeared to be disbelief for a few seconds. "Are you serious?"
"I am."
He shook his head, turned to look at the road behind them and then ahead and finally back at her. "This is crazy. You know that, right?"
"No, I don't. I know that you're in danger and I know we need to get you somewhere safe. Somewhere no one knows where you are. Then we can figure out how to stop whoever it is that's pulling the strings."
"I don't want to leave." She heard the truth in those words and understood. No one wanted to believe there was someone in the world who wanted to cause them harm. Even more chilling was the idea that someone would have you harmed or killed for no reason other than to try and exert control over another person.
"I know, and I understand, but I need you to do this, Dillon. If not for you, then for me."
"For you?"
"I need you to live."
"Because it's your job to make sure that I do?"
"You know it's not that simple. I want you to live because I care. I want you in my life."
His gaze connected with hers for a moment and then he nodded. "Get in."
Once they were seated, he turned the SUV around and headed back the way they'd come.