Chapter Three
Lindsey changed into jeans and a T-shirt as soon as she got home, told Mary not to fix dinner for her, and said she’d be back sometime later in the evening.
“Big date?” Mary asked, raising a hopeful eyebrow.
“Dinner with Quinn and Kate,” she explained.
“You need to have dinner with a man who’s not attached, Lindsey.” Mary had definite ideas about what she should be doing with her life that Lindsey found both humorous and exasperating.
“When I find one, I’ll let you know.” She grinned.
She kissed Mary on the cheek and dashed off to pick up the pizza. Saturday night she had resisted the idea that this was more than a sick joke. Now she wasn’t so sure. McCune didn’t seem too positive about getting results, but she knew Quinn would have his own ideas.
“Come on in.” Kate hugged her at the door. “Quinn opened wine to go with the pizza. He thought you might need it.”
“No kidding.” She handed the pizza boxes to Kate and grinned at Quinn as she took the glass of wine he held out to her. “Thanks. You know how to take care of a friend.”
“That’s if the friend lets me.” He narrowed his eyes. “Let me guess. Something else happened.”
“Yes, and I just want to make sure I’m not overreacting. But food first. I’m actually hungry.”
For a while, as they ate, Lindsey almost forgot why she was here and what was creating such tension in her life. But then, after she and Kate cleared the debris away, Quinn refilled their glasses and turned to her.
“Okay, you’re not given to looking over your shoulder and freaking out, so let’s have it. Something happened today, right?”
She took another small sip of the wine. “I got another photo today.”
Quinn and Kate exchanged glances.
“Like the last one?” Quinn asked.
“Sort of.” Lindsey described what this one looked like, and the message written at the bottom.
Quinn frowned, processing the information. “And Brianna said she found it taped to the door?”
“Yes. When she came back from lunch. I called the detective, and he came by and picked it up. But he didn’t seem too optimistic about finding anything.” She fiddled with her wine glass. “So…what do you think? Am I making something out of nothing?”
Quinn set his glass down carefully. “Someone went to a great deal of trouble to take these pictures, Lindsey. And to put personal information on one of them.”
“That means this isn’t random,” Kate added.
Lindsey sighed. “Damn. I was afraid of that.”
Quinn leaned forward. “I don’t want to alarm you, honey. God knows you’ve had enough going on these past months with your mother and everything. But I’d say someone is going to a great deal of trouble to stalk you. That makes this a dangerous situation.”
“A stalker?” Lindsey felt the blood drain from her face. The word alone made her stomach knot and nausea bubble up inside her. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Someone’s following you and has a message to send,” Quinn told her. “Maybe even has a plan in place, one that we don’t know about yet. Don’t think for one minute that this is something to blow off.”
“I can’t even think who’d do this.” She massaged her temples with her fingertips, the headache trying to build to full force. “McCune said to make a list of everyone I know who might be angry at me for something, no matter how small. It’s just so hard to believe that someone I know is doing this to me.”
“Unfortunately, there’s only so much the cops can do until after a crime is committed.”
“Swell.” Lindsey gripped her wine glass, thinning her lips. “I don’t know what to do, Quinn. I go here, there, everywhere. Sometimes I stay in town overnight. I can’t look over my shoulder every minute, wondering who’s following me.”
“You need to be aware at all times, no matter what,” he cautioned. “But that won’t take care of the entire problem. And it sure isn’t a great idea to wait around and see what happens next.”
“So what can I do? I thought maybe you’d have some suggestions.” She slammed her fist on her thigh in a sudden spurt of anger overriding the fear that had been building. “I can’t believe some nut case is making me lose control of my life.”
“I’d take care of this myself if it were the old days.” Meaning before Kate. Between the violent death of his first wife and his marriage to Kate, Quinn had hidden up here in the hills and occupied himself doing “favors” for people. Nobody ever talked about exactly what those favors were, but she knew the people he’d helped were committed to him for life.
“Oh, I wouldn’t even expect that,” she said quickly. “I’m really just looking for an evaluation and some suggestions.”
“I’ve got some thoughts about this. Tomorrow I’m going to call Nick.”
“Vanetta?” Lindsey raised her eyebrows.
Nick Vanetta and his partner, Reno Sullivan, owned a large corporate security agency. He and Quinn had been friends for a long time, but Lindsey had never met him.
“The one and only.”
“I thought Guardian only took corporate contracts.”
“Nick owes me some favors. He’ll be glad of the chance to repay them. I’ll have him get in touch with you, but until then, don’t take any chances.”
“Oh, Quinn, I don’t know if I’d be comfortable with bringing a stranger into it. Besides, even I know Guardian has a top reputation, and I’m sure they’re super busy. I don’t want to feel like this is an imposition.”
“You won’t. I promise. And it’s better to be safe, honey. Trust me on that.”
She nodded, still uncomfortable with the situation. “I know. I just hate letting someone take over my life this way.” She paused, forming the next question carefully. “You really think you need to bring Nick into this?”
Quinn nodded. “I do. And I want you to listen to whatever he says. He’s the best in the business. Believe me, Lindsey, this is nothing to ignore. I don’t want to frighten you, but I’ve seen some of these situations really escalate.”
“I’m more mad than frightened right now.” She grinned. “I even thought about carrying Dad’s old .38 Special with me.”
“Absolutely not.” Quinn shook his head. “You don’t have a license to carry, you haven’t practiced in years as far as I know, and you have too much of a temper to safely carry a firearm. No, no, and no.”
She sighed again and clenched her fists in frustration.
“And don’t stay in town again for a few nights,” he cautioned. “Have you told Ruben and Mary about this?”
“Lord, no.” She sighed. “Ruben would be literally riding shotgun every minute if I did. Although maybe that’s not such a bad idea.”
“He’ll need to know,” Quinn pointed out. “He needs to be told your safety is at risk. How about if I talk to him?”
“No, you’d better let me do it. Otherwise, he’ll get his feelings hurt. But I want to wait until I hear from Nick, okay?”
“Just promise me you’ll be extra careful until then.”
“I promise to be alert and watchful.” She hugged both Quinn and Kate. “Thank you so much for helping me.”
“No problem,” Quinn said. “You’re as good as family, and family sticks together.”
****
Guardian Security Services took up the entire tenth floor of the Bank of America building on Northeast Loop 410, a multi-lane highway that circled the city. One side of the floor held the offices, including a large open area where the agents worked at their desks. The other side was all technology, containing the monitors for the security systems they installed, the labs where engineers worked on sophisticated devices, and other related sections.
Nick Vanetta leaned back in his desk chair, jacket off, shirt sleeves rolled up, feet propped on an open drawer while he studied a report. The huge oak desk dominated the office, and floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the Interstate. A wall of monitors faced the desk. Nick liked to be able to keep track of everything from his office, and his technical staff had obligingly set it up so he could.
His specially cut sports jacket hung on an old-fashioned clothes tree in one corner, along with the shoulder holster he always wore and his Sig Sauer 9 mm. As the size of the staff had grown, he had slowly removed himself from active bodyguard work. However, years of habit made the gun a regular part of his wardrobe.
A glass case in one corner held his trophies from his days as a football jock, both in high school and college. His diplomas hung next to them. Few people knew that Nick had graduated from the University of Texas Law School, although he’d never intended to practice law. Once he met Reno, building the security firm became his main focus. He soon discovered, sometimes to his dismay, he’d become more of an administrator than an active security specialist. His background qualified him to make the right choices when hiring the agency’s legal staff and supervising the work of the agents. Still, there were many days he itched to get back in the field.
He looked up at the sound of a knock on his door jamb, a slow smile creeping over his face as he saw Quinn standing there. He got up to shake hands. “What an honor. The mountain man comes down to civilization. How about some coffee?”
Quinn shook his head and dropped into a chair. “No, thanks.”
“Well, you certainly are a pleasant sight these days. Never thought I’d see a smile on that ugly mug again. Life’s good up in the hills, right?”
Quinn chuckled. “You’re just jealous because I don’t have to wear a tie to work. Not to mention going home to a great looking wife every night.”
“Still trying to marry off your single friends?” Nick joked.
“Don’t knock it ’til you try it. But believe it or not, I actually did come to you with a case, if you’ve got someone you can spare. I know you guys usually limit yourselves to corporate work now. Even the home security stuff you do is tied into it, but I figured I could call in a favor or two here.”
Nick raised his eyebrows. “This must be someone pretty special.”
Quinn nodded.
“All right. Let’s have it.”
Nick was all business now, pulling a legal pad over and uncapping his pen. He listened to the story, and then asked Quinn for his assessment of Lindsey Ferrell. Was she a nutcase? A shrinking violet easily scared? Someone who could have made this up for attention?
Quinn laughed out loud. “If she heard you ask that, she’d give you a good punch in the ribs. Lindsey is the most fearless person I know, which is why she could ignore this situation when she shouldn’t. She was a firebrand in high school and still has a temper that frequently gets her in trouble.”
“Sounds wonderful.” Nick rubbed his jaw. “I love women who are a pain in the ass. What does she do for a living? Or does she do anything?”
“She’s an architect. A damned good one, too. I’ve seen some of her work.”
“Wait a minute.” Nick snapped his fingers. “Are you talking about Ferrell Designs?”
“You bet. Have you heard of her?”
“She designed a house for a client of ours. We installed the security system. A real showplace. I understand if you want a house to blend into the Hill Country, she’s the one to go to. But she hasn’t been around that long, has she?”
“Actually she’s been in practice for some time, but she worked with a couple of big firms in Austin. About a year ago, when her mother died, she decided to move back here and set up shop for herself.”
“So this could even be someone from Austin who’s followed her here, right?” Nick made notes on the pad of paper.
Quinn shrugged. “Anything is possible. That’s why I thought I’d come to the experts. You know the cops won’t really do anything until something happens to her. I’m not willing to wait that long.”
“Exactly how special a friend is she, anyway? And does Kate know?” He grinned broadly. “Don’t tell me the romance is fading so quickly. I’d be shattered. You guys are my idea of the perfect marriage.”
“Get your mind above your waist, Vanetta.” Quinn shook his head. “Lindsey and I have been friends for years. Our families knew each other, and we kind of grew up together. She and Kate also happen to have become very good friends. Anyway, even without Kate, this is one spitfire I wouldn’t want to get burned by.” He looked at Nick. “So what’s the deal? Yes or no.”
“Do you happen to have a picture of this wonderful friend of yours so I can see who someone is chasing?”
Quinn pulled a photo out of his wallet of the three of them they’d taken at Christmas. “I want this back, though. You can make a copy.”
Nick took the picture from him, not expecting much, but when he looked at the brunette in the middle, something slammed into him. She wasn’t so much beautiful as captivating. Energy radiated from her, a zest for life. He felt as if her eyes, a silvery hazel emphasized by the sexy glasses she wore, were looking directly at him, mesmerizing him.
“Okay,” he said, shaking himself. “I’ll pay her a visit. Got her number?”
“You’re going to take this one yourself?” Quinn stared at him. “I thought you only handled the big guys these days. Reno will have a fit.”
“I want to do my own evaluation here. Anyway, Reno chooses his own cases; I choose mine. We don’t throw chains on each other. If there turns out to be anything there, I’ll fill him in. Besides, at the moment everything else is covered, and I’m bored reading reports.”
“Aha! She intrigues you.” Quinn couldn’t help grinning. “You want a look at her in person. Better wear asbestos clothing. This one’s more than even you want to handle.” He pulled one of Lindsey’s business cards from his wallet and handed it to Nick. “Let me give her a call and let her know someone’s coming to see her before you jump on her.”
“Jump on her? Is that a way to talk to a friend?” He tucked the card in his shirt pocket.
“I hate turning to the poster boy for love ’em and leave ’em ladies’ men, but I want the best for Lindsey.” The smile disappeared. “Just remember, though, whatever game you might be thinking of playing with her, this is business. And I’ll be looking over your shoulder.”
“It gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling.” Nick winked and held out his hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll behave.”
Nick sat in his chair for a long time after Quinn left, studying the picture. Why did this woman intrigue him so much? He literally had his pick of females in the city, every kind, size and shape, but no relationship ever lasted more than a couple of months. He had no intention of settling down, although sometimes he envied the depth of feeling Quinn and Kate shared. But life was a smorgasbord to Nick, one he continued to sample. So what absurd itch made him decide to see this woman himself when she had trouble written all over her?
Half an hour later, Quinn texted him that Lindsey Ferrell was expecting a call from him. He punched the number on the card into his cell and listened while it rang on the other end. Time to see if she lived up to her billing.