Chapter Four
“Geoff, I really appreciate the offer,” she insisted, gripping her cell phone. “Truly I do. And thank Delia for me, too. But I’m perfectly safe here. I have a great security system and someone . . . helping with the crowd and everything. And I really don’t want to bring the craziness into your home.”
“I want you to know I’m here for you,” he told her.
Her brother hadn’t been too happy about the articles in the papers and online, and the broadcasts on television, but then she couldn’t blame him. The results of her notoriety couldn’t help but spill over onto the rest of her family. Her mother still refused to accept that she had a special ability, denying her own Cherokee heritage when anyone mentioned it. Her father, as usual, supported her mother and resented the surrounding hoopla. Geoff and Delia had been neutral, which Summer supposed was something to be thankful for.
She wanted to tell her brother his timing sucked, but she didn’t want to be rude. It was just that today had been a little quieter, with a Phoenix Agency guard keeping things under control outside and all the phones unplugged from the landline except the one in her office. She wasn’t stupid enough to think it was over, but at least she had a few moments of respite.
“I know that and I appreciate it. Really. But I don’t want to bring this craziness to your house. This damn circus will just shift location.”
“I’m not sure you should have a stranger staying there with you,” Geoff went on. “I’m not comfortable with you living with a man you hardly know.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Geoff. I’m not living with him.” Not exactly, she thought, and smiled. “And he’s not exactly a stranger. He’s a very good friend of the Hallorans and a partner in Mark’s business.”
“Oh.” The disdain in the one word sliced through the connection. “So he’s a mercenary.”
“No, he’s not.” Damn it. “And we’ve covered this ground before. Listen, thanks for your concern, but I’m doing fine.”
“I want to meet hm.”
“What?” She held the phone away from her and stared at it. “What did you just say?”
“I said I think I should meet him. Look, I can stop by your house on the way home from the office. I won’t stay long, but please do this for me so I’m not going out of my mind, imagining all sorts of wild things.”
“Are you going to put on your lawyer suit and cross-examine him?”
Geoff had the good grace to laugh. “No, honey, I’m not. I just think he needs to know your family hasn’t dumped you on strangers.” He paused. “At least not all your family. And that someone’s watching out for you.”
“Okay,” She sighed. “But please don’t grill him. Show up with an open mind. Can you do that for me?”
He chuckled. “I’ll be on my best behavior.”
She disconnected the call and shoved the phone in her pocket.
“Problem?”
She hadn’t heard Troy come up behind her, and the touch of his hands on her shoulders sent a burst of warmth through her.
“Not really. Just my brother being his usual self. He’s going to stop by for a little bit on his way home from his office.”
“To check out the strange man in your house?”
She relaxed a little when she saw the twinkle in his eye.
“Got it in one. Sorry about that, but . . .” She lifted her hands helplessly and let them fall. “I haven’t really given you the entire lowdown on my family, and I suppose I should.”
“If they make you unhappy, then damn right I want to know about it. It’s bad enough for you that the bloodsuckers are still camped outside on your doorstep and the damn stalker keeps calling. You don’t need added stress. So let’s talk about your family and why they’re giving you a problem.”
Taking her hand, he tugged her over to the big armchair and sat down with her in his lap. Summer wanted to just sink into him and pretend that nothing else existed. She loved inhaling his male scent and feeling the heat of his body. With his arms around her she could almost pretend the craziness didn’t exist.
“I think it’s always been like this,” she told him, leaning against his shoulder. “Ever since I discovered my . . . gift. My mother hated it. Hated her mother, who also was a healer. Hated that she herself had inherited the power and refused to accept it. She even stopped talking to her mother when Nonnie helped me realize my own abilities.”
“What about your Dad?”
She shrugged “He doesn’t understand it, so he supports my mother. Keeps trying to tell me to stop all this woo-woo stuff.”
“But you’re his daughter,” Troy protested.
“I know, and it hurts. But my mother is his wife.”
His big hand was stroking her back in soothing motions. “And your brother? I gather that was him you were talking to.”
“Yeah. He’s okay. He and Delia, his wife, are really supportive of me, but they kind of walk a tightrope between me and our parents. Not a comfortable place to be.”
“He wanted you to come and stay with him,” Troy guessed.
“He said that, yes, but I think he was secretly relieved when I turned him down. They live a very conservative lifestyle, just like my folks. All this is hard for them to deal with.”
Troy’s hand tightened on her for a moment. “Do they know about your stalker?”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t tell them. They’d freak and create an impossible situation.” She gave a nervous laugh. “Anyway, it seems Geoff’s more worried about someone staying here he knows nothing about. He doesn’t know Mark and Faith well. He’s only met them a couple of times, and he’s trying to play the role of parent and big brother at the same time.”
Troy shifted, and his hand came up to cup her chin, turning her face toward him. “And you, Summer? How do you feel? Am I making you uncomfortable by being here? Are you nervous?”
She smiled at him. “No. At least not now. I admit I was a little at first when you walked in yesterday.” She wet her lips. “Part of it was because I felt such an unexpected connection to you.” She dropped her gaze. “I haven’t had the best luck with men in my life. My family keeps telling me it’s because I make poor choices. That a lot of them are just curious about my gifts.” She made a rude noise. “They come on so nicely, then like to brag about how they . . . slept with the crazy woman.”
She felt the tension race through his body at her words then slowly relax. “I hope you don’t put me in that category.”
“Oh, Troy, no. I haven’t known you long at all, but I told you that I feel that connection, that my inner senses are telling me you’re different from all the others. Besides, you said you’d studied about healers so you know I’m not nuts.”
“It’s a lot more than that, Summer. Forty-eight hours ago, neither of us even knew the other existed. Now I feel as if we’ve been together forever.” His gaze darkened. “Am I wrong in thinking you feel the same way?”
She shook her head. “I told you. People say danger escalates things, and I think they’re right.”
He threaded his fingers through her hair, his eyes searching her face. “It’s a little calmer right now. Dan’s had a security guard parked down the block all day, and I think that kind of keeps the lid on things. All the security sensors are set, and the phone’s switched over to the answering machine. Let’s say we enjoy a little downtime while we can. Sound good to you?”
Summer smiled “Sounds great to me.”
He lifted her in his arms and carried her up the stairs, his mouth pressing softly to hers as he walked. Late afternoon sunlight slanted in through the windows, giving the air an amber glow. He set her on her feet while he drew back the covers of the bed, then proceeded to very slowly undress her. He drew her T-shirt over her head and tossed it to the side. Then came her slacks, followed by her bra and panties. His eyes drank her in, memorizing every inch of her naked skin. At last he leaned toward her and brushed his lips over hers. His mouth traced kisses along her jawline and her neck, on the upper swell of her breasts.
Shivers skated over her as his tongue traced little circles at the hollow of her throat and his hands palmed the cheeks of her ass. Desperate to feel him, to touch him, she tugged up his T-shirt and smoothed her hands over the hard plane of his abs, up, up to feel the soft mat of hair on his chest. His heart beat beneath her fingers, accelerating as she dragged her fingernails back and forth over his nipples.
When he unhooked her bra and bent to take a nipple into his mouth, she let her head fall back and arched into him, feeling the sensations race through her straight to her core. Little whimpers drifted from her mouth as he sucked and pulled on first one nipple then the other. Harder, she wanted to tell him. Suck harder. His teeth nipped lightly at the pebbled flesh, and the pulse in her womb ratcheted up.
“Off,” she said, desperately pushing his T-shirt.
He yanked it over his head and pulled her against him, crushing her breasts against his solid chest. She lifted her face, and he took her mouth in a hot, searing kiss. His tongue in her mouth moved over every surface, gliding over hers and teasing it to dance with his. She clutched his biceps, trying to anchor herself as the kiss went on and on, and his hands brushed over her shoulders, her arms, then up to cup her breasts.
He moved to the waistband of her jeans, undid the snap, and slowly lowered the zipper. The rasp sounded so loud in the room. He lifted his mouth from her, drew a line with his tongue to her navel, and then knelt before her as he slowly pushed her jeans and her panties down to her ankles.
“Sit,” he whispered, and nudged her until her ass landed on the edge of the bed.
With infinite care, he slipped off her shoes, then slid her jeans and panties the rest of the way until he could toss them to the side. Then he lifted one foot, cradling it in his hand as he kissed her toes and her arch and on up to her ankle. She moaned softly as he moved his lips up the inside of her leg to the top of her thigh, blew softly on the curls covering her mound, and then kissed his way down the other leg. She was trembling all over by now, the need a tremendous pressure building inside her.
When he separated her thighs and put his mouth directly on her sex, she cried out and grabbed his hair to pull him even closer. His tongue was a flame on her clit, swirling around it and brushing over it, then dipping into her hot channel. Her inner muscles clenched around his tongue and his fingers tightened on her thighs. She tugged and pulled on his hair as he worked her with his tongue, in and out, then teasing her clit until without warning, the orgasm burst from her. He held her tightly as she rode his tongue, drawing the very last tremor from her, licking the lips of her sex and grazing her clit with his teeth.
She fell back on the bed, exhausted yet still unfulfilled. Troy rose, a smile of satisfaction on his face.
“I purely love pleasuring you, Summer. You are so damn responsive.”
As he spoke, he divested himself of his jeans and boxer briefs, his gaze raking over her with barely disguised hunger.
“I want to touch you,” she said, mouth watering at the sight of the rigid cock extending from his body. She reached out a hand. “Please let me touch you.”
He knelt over her on the bed, straddling her, his shaft barely an inch from her mouth.
“Take it, darlin’. It’s all yours.”
She wrapped her fingers around him, feeling the thick vein pulsing on the underside of his cock.
Troy sucked in a breath at her first touch. Her slender fingers sent heat pouring through him straight to his balls. When she opened her mouth and licked the head of his shaft, he closed his eyes at the surge of pleasure. Every muscle in his body tightened at the gentleness of her tongue, so teasing and tantalizing. She swiped over the soft flesh once, twice, then closed her mouth around him completely.
Oh, Jesus!
He ground his teeth together at the intense pleasure, digging his fingers into his own hips to maintain control. He’d always prided himself on being able to take his time with a woman, make sure he had satisfied her in every way possible before giving in to his own needs. But Summer Cahill was different. One touch of her fingers, one brush of her lips against his, and he was hotter than a two-dollar pistol.
One hand slipped between his thighs to cradle his balls as she took him deeper into her throat, sucking hard. And God, he wanted to come in her mouth. Just shoot down that lovely throat and let her swallow it all.
Maybe next time, when I have a little more control over myself.
Abruptly, he pulled from her mouth. She looked at him, stunned. “Did—did I do something wrong?”
“No, baby, you did everything right. It’s me. I’m so aroused with you I want only to be inside you.”
Her smile was tremulous. “That’s good, then.”
“Damn straight.”
He fished a condom from the pocket of his jeans, thinking how smart he’d been to stick it in there that morning. His hands actually shook slightly as he rolled it on, and then he was back between Summer’s thighs, his hands sliding beneath her butt to lift her to him. He paused for a second, his gaze locking with hers, then he rolled his hips and drove into her.
Shit! She felt so damn good, her inner muscles like a hot, wet fist clenching around him. He looked directly into her eyes as he thrust into her, slowly, steadily, until she tightened around him even more, her eyes glazed with desire, and those sexy little moans burst from her mouth. He accelerated his pace, driving into her harder and harder, loving the liquid feel of her, the heat that flushed her body, the sound of her breathing as it grew more ragged.
When her body signaled him that she was close, he rocked into her harder and faster, driving both of them up to that peak and over it. When he came, when he pumped into her, he cried out her name as if it were a prayer. He felt as if he were caught in an explosion of fireworks, blinding him with its myriad colors. Tossing him like a whirlwind, Summer’s body convulsing beneath him again and again.
And then at last they were still. He rested his forehead on hers, his breathing as rough as hers, and he wasn’t sure whose heartbeat he heard, his or hers or both of theirs. Finally he kissed her, gently, softly.
“I’d try to tell you how great that was, but I don’t think I can even find the words.”
She smiled, a slow, tempting curve of her lips. “Same goes.”
He eased himself from her body, then managed to lift her in his arms. “I think a hot shower sounds good about now, wouldn’t you say?”
Reid McFadden looked at the woman sitting across from him in the coffee shop. She looked exactly like the picture he’d been given. Gayle Hauser could have been one of a million other middle-aged women, neatly dressed in slacks and a sweater, dark hair streaked with gray and pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail, except for two things: her posture was that of someone defeated by life, and her face was lined with anxiety and distress.
Olberman had given Reid the woman’s cell-phone number, but he knew she had to keep it turned off in the hospital. However, during the two days he and Fred Bonner had taken turns watching the building, looking for an opportunity to approach her, they’d seen her come out periodically to check her messages and return calls. Eventually she’d returned his. He’d used an alias, as Olberman had instructed. Whatever happened, there could be no trails leading back to his boss.
He watched now as she fiddled nervously with her cup of coffee. “You said you could help me. What did you mean?”
“Exactly that.” He kept his tone of voice even. Comforting, even. That’s what would get her.
“That’s the only reason I agreed to meet you,” she told him. “I still don’t understand why you couldn’t come to the hospital. If it’s about helping my husband, wouldn’t that be the best place to meet?”
Convincing the woman to meet with him had taken all his persuasive skills. He’d had to work hard, phrase his words just right—enough to tempt her into squelching any misgivings about a meeting with a stranger.
“I represent a man who demands no notoriety or recognition. If word got around that he was giving out huge sums of money to strangers, you can imagine what a circus his life would be. His only reward is helping others. There are too many chances for exposure in the hospital. Too many people to overhear a conversation and gossip.”
And Reid also didn’t want anyone there to see him and remember his face.
Even then, she’d told him ahead of time she didn’t quite trust him. Good. That showed intelligence on her part. People shouldn’t trust too easily. But she had an Achilles heel, and that’s where he’d hit her to get her to accept his offer.
“You said you could solve all our problems.” She took a nervous sip of her coffee, set the cup down carefully. “I don’t see how you can do that. Our medical insurance has run out, and we’re over our heads in debt. Not that anything has done any good. The doctors have tried everything to set my husband on the road to recovery, and I get the feeling they’ve about given up. Nothing is working on the infection that’s set in. His condition seems to have them baffled.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, obviously trying to maintain her composure. Reid hoped she didn’t burst into tears. He wasn’t much good with crying women.
“That’s why—”
“I can’t imagine what you have to offer,” she went on, overriding his words. “My husband is desperately ill and getting worse every day. I shouldn’t even be away from him this long. While I’d appreciate and be so grateful for the money, as you obviously know, what I really need is a miracle cure.”
Okay. Now was the time to spring it on her.
“That’s exactly what I’m proposing, Mrs. Hauser. Someone who can work miracles.”
He steeled himself against the sudden look of hope in her eyes. He hoped Olberman knew what he was doing. Reid himself was not given to sentimentality, but neither was he as brutally cold as his boss. If Summer Cahill couldn’t work her magic on Gayle’s husband, he didn’t want to be around to see the emotional fallout.
He watched the look of hope change to one of suspicion.
“What kind of line are you feeding me? And if you’re right, why didn’t you just give me the information over the phone?”
This was the tricky part. “This is a very delicate situation. The person I’m going to tell you about demands absolute anonymity. When word leaks out, it becomes a feeding frenzy for the media, and she is a very private person.”
“She? Is this a woman doctor?”
“Not . . . exactly a doctor.”
“Exactly what, then?” Gayle Hauser pushed.
He’d practiced this part of his conversation, turning it over and over in his mind, yet he still wasn’t sure how to present it. The concept was so foreign to him he had to make himself believe it first. Oh well. Olberman paid him incredible wages to do shit like this, so he’d best get to it.
“Have you ever worked with a healer before?”
The woman’s eyes widened. “A healer? You mean like a faith healer? Like in those tent revivals?”
Reid shook his head and did his best to keep his expression calm. “I represent a benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous. He’s heard of your situation and is aware of a young woman who is a psychic healer.” He held up his hand as Gayle opened her mouth to object. “Just hear me out. This woman has had fantastic results.”
Gayle frowned. “I don’t know. I don’t put much stock in stuff like that. I’m not even sure how it works.”
“As I understand it from the benefactor, in the type of healing this young woman does, the psychic ‘builds up energy or life force’ internally, and then transfers the same to the patient. She’s able to identify by touch where the spots are that need healing and places her hands over them.”
The woman took another sip of her coffee, although Reid could tell she was just doing it to take a moment to pull herself together.
“Listen to me.” She leaned across the table, pinning him with eyes filled with misery. “If this is some kind of scam—”
He held up a hand. “No scam. I wouldn’t be that cruel.”
“You know I’m really at the end of my rope in trying to help Clark. But this?” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Although I suppose I really have nothing left to lose at this point.”
He watched her silently, letting her turn things over in her mind. If he rushed her she’d become suspicious again, and he couldn’t let that happen.
“And the money?” she said at last. “Do you have any idea how much we owe that the insurance didn’t cover? Not to mention other debts that keep piling up.”
Reid nodded. “The same benefactor is offering you a gift of five hundred thousand dollars, no strings attached, to help with all that.”
This time her eyes really popped wide. “Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?” She shook her head. “I don’t know what kind of thrill you get out of playing with people’s lives like this, but—”
“This is no joke, Gayle.” He made himself smile. “May I call you Gayle? Just think of this as a new twist on that old television program, The Millionaire, where a very wealthy man gave himself pleasure by making anonymous gifts to deserving people.”
“But why us?” she persisted. “How does he even know about our situation?”
“He keeps his fingers on everything going on in the world. He looks for people like you that are in a bad situation. He’s amassed a fortune, and it pleases him to be able to help others. In fact, these days it’s his main goal in life.”
More silence. Reid could almost see her brain working, the combination of suspicion and desperation battling each other inside her. The research on the Hausers had been very thorough. Olberman had chosen them out of dozens of other possible candidates because they lived in the same city as Summer Cahill. He was banking on the fact that the desperation would win out over everything else.
“All right,” she said at last, hope warring with skepticism in her voice. “Who is this young woman, and how do I go about getting the money?”
“Easy.” Reid took a slip of paper from his pocket with Summer Cahill’s name and phone number on it. “First you contact the person I told you about. You’ll have to plead your case with her. She demands absolute privacy and anonymity. But occasionally someone will leak information, and the media hounds her. That happened with her last patient, and she’s still dealing with it.”
“Maybe she won’t take my call, if she has all that going on right now.”
“I’m going to keep checking her house to see when the media is finally gone. Then I’ll let you know it’s time to call her.” Reid gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “She’s very kind and very sympathetic. If you present your circumstances to her, I know she’ll agree to see Clark.”
Gayle frowned. “If your—benefactor—knows of this young woman, why doesn’t he just contact her himself?”
Reid smiled. “I told you he’s obsessive about anonymity. Even more so than Summer Cahill. Your story touched him, and he just wanted to help. He doesn’t like to intrude into a situation.”
“He must be a wonderfully selfless person.” She twisted a paper napkin in her fingers. “I just can’t imagine someone doing this and not even wanting any credit for it.”
“Yes. He’s an unusual person.” That’s an understatement, Reid thought. “You call her, and when the arrangements have been made, call me at this number.” On the back of the slip of paper he’d just taken out, he wrote the number of the burner phone in his pocket. Once she’d called, he’d throw it away. “After I get your call that the appointment is confirmed, I promise you the money will be transferred immediately into your bank account.”
“Why do I have to make the appointment first? Is this some kind of trick? If she won’t come we don’t get the money?”
“It’s part of the gift.” Jesus, all he needed was for her to harp on that. “They just go hand in hand.”
“I hope you’re telling me the truth.”
“One more thing,” he added. “No one is to know anything about this except an anonymous benefactor decided to help you. Understand? The name of the healer and the gift of the money came to you anonymously, and that’s that. Don’t discuss it any more than you have to, no matter how many questions people ask you.”
“I understand.” She gathered her purse and slid from the booth. “I have to get back to the hospital. I’ve been gone too long already.”
Reid paid for their coffee and walked her out to the parking lot.
“I don’t know how to thank you.” She was facing him, and for a moment he worried again that she’d burst into tears. But she took a deep breath and pulled herself together. “But you know how much I appreciate it. If this all actually happens, please tell your employer for me that he’s saved us. Really saved us.”
“I’ll convey your feelings.”
He watched her climb into her car to head back to the hospital. Olberman was right. It was ridiculously easy to manipulate someone who was desperate. Well, he’d done all he could. Now he could only wait, banking on the predictability of people.
The day had been a busy one, despite the chaos that continued outside. Mark and Dan spent more than an hour at the house, going over everything until things were to their satisfaction.
“I’m still amazed at the abundance of articles on psychic healers,” Dan said. “Andy tapped into more than a thousand items from both newspapers and magazines.”
“And I bet not too many of them flattering.” Summer couldn’t help the edge in her voice.
Dan nodded, his mouth a grim line. “Most of it is because of ignorance,” he told her. “But that doesn’t lessen the impact.”
“Were you able to narrow all that down to something manageable?” Troy wanted to know.
“I had Andy do some runs with specific parameters. Healers who are women, in a certain age group, and who have received threats. We eliminated all those who charge a fee for their service. Then we ran a list of those in areas where you actually left here to attend a patient.”
“I usually keep my travel limited.” Summer rose to refill her mug, aware that she was guzzling far more than her usual allotment of caffeine. “I suppose if someone called and was truly desperate, I’d go. But usually I recommend someone closer. Someone I trust.”
“What else?” Troy asked.
“We ended up with about two hundred possibles when we filtered everything else out.”
Summer frowned. “I know I haven’t worked with that many people.”
“That’s right,” Mark agreed. “But every one of your patients has relatives and close friends. Even when you’ve been successful, there could be people who resent what you do. Who thought calling you in was just too much black magic. Any number of reasons we can’t even begin to imagine.”
“So what happens next?”
“Andy will do an in-depth run on every name on the list,” Mark answered. “By the time he’s finished we’ll know everything including the color of their underwear.”
Summer lifted an eyebrow. “You can really do that?”
Mark laughed. “Honey, the database hasn’t been invented yet that the Dragon can’t dissect.” He sobered. “Troy, we’ll keep you updated as we check them all out. And we’re still working the trap and trace. I hate to say it, but it may end up being necessary for you to talk to him just to keep him on the line long enough to pinpoint his position.”
Troy rested an arm protectively over her shoulders. “I think that needs to be a last resort. You’ve heard the kind of crap that comes out of his mouth. I really don’t want to subject Summer to that.”
“Neither do we,” Dan assured him. “And like Mark said, it’s only a last resort.”
“I’ll do it if it helps catch him,” Summer insisted.
Troy squeezed her shoulder. “Let’s just see if we can locate him without it.”
“The one thing we all agree on,” Mark said, “is that you should not take any more cases until this is resolved.”
“I’ll say yes now, but if someone calls with a situation that’s really desperate, I’ll have to reconsider. You know that.”
“If that happens,” Troy said, “we’ll discuss it and figure out what to do.”
Summer managed to get in some good solid time at her computer, answering emails and updating websites. She also returned calls to clients who had contacted her. Troy spent a lot of time on his cell, checking in with Andy, then analyzing results with Dan and Mark. He also kept tabs on the crowd outside and made regular checks of the security system. At five they both quit what they were doing, and she poured a glass of wine for each of them.
“I think we’ve both earned it, don’t you?” She smiled at him.
“I’ll drink to that.” He touched his glass to hers.
When the doorbell rang at six thirty, Summer turned to Troy with a wry look on her face.
“Get ready for the Inquisition,” she warned.
“He doesn’t scare me.” He brushed his mouth over hers. “It will be fine. Don’t worry.”
It was end of the day for Geoff. He’d ditched his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and rolled up his sleeves.
“Is this ‘business casual’?” Summer teased.
“It’s the end-of-a-rough-day casual.” He lifted a hand. “You going to ask me in, or do we have our discussion on the front porch?”
“Oh. Sorry. Would you like something cold to drink?” she asked as he followed her into the living room.
“Yeah, that would be great. Thanks.” He eyed Troy, then held out his hand. “Geoff Cahill.”
“Troy Arsenault,” he said as they shook hands.
“Play nice,” Summer warned as she headed into the kitchen.
Better get right to it, Troy thought. “I know you’re worried about your sister,” he began, “and I want to assure you she’s being well taken care of.”
“Yeah?” Geoff cocked his head. “Exactly how do you mean that?”
Troy had to fight to control his irritation. Summer was no teenager, and her personal life really was her business. “I mean that the Phoenix Agency is doing everything to ensure her safety until this latest situation dies down.”
“The Phoenix Agency. Right.” Geoff dropped into the armchair. “Mercenaries, right?”
Troy sat on his temper. This was Summer’s brother, and it wouldn’t do to punch his lights out. He took a seat on the couch, crossed his legs so one ankle rested on the opposite knee.
“I’m guessing you don’t know very much about us,” he said. “If you researched us at all, you’d know we’re as far from that as possible.”
“I know that you take jobs all over the world. That Mark Halloran, who I’ve met once or twice, is always off fighting something or other, according to Summer.”
Troy raised an eyebrow. “Is that what she said? Off fighting something or other?”
“Well, not exactly, but—”
“We’re all former military, so maybe that’s what gives you the idea. But I can assure you we run a top-flight security business. We train corporate security guards, handle hostage negotiations for high-level kidnappings, and provide security for private citizens on a case-by-case basis. And we also do some contract work for the government. Does that fit your idea of a mercenary?”
Geoff Cahill at least had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed. “Sorry. I guess I just have a tendency to rush to judgment where my sister’s safety is concerned. And I know absolutely nothing about you personally.”
Troy nodded. “Fair enough. I served in the navy for sixteen years, most of that time as a medic. Now I’m a partner in Phoenix. I have great parents who complain they never see me enough, a sister who’s married to a SEAL and lives in Coronado, and a brother who works on an oil rig. I’ve never been arrested, never been married, don’t have any stray kids littering the landscape. That about do it for you?”
“Children, children, children.” Summer paused just inside the room, holding a tray with three glasses on it. “Didn’t I tell you to play nice? Geoff, I’m smart enough not to let Troy stay here without Mark vouching for him. You think I’m an idiot?”
“I just—”
She gave Geoff a dirty look before setting down the tray. “Troy, my brother’s really been the only one in the family who’s stood up for me as far as my gifts are concerned. He even took me to see my Cherokee grandmother when my mother shut her out completely. Nonnie was great with me—taught me not to be afraid of the skills I’d been given and how to use them properly. I owe him a lot.”
“I’m aware of that. You already explained that to me.”
“Then both of you dial it down on the testosterone level and quit the pissing contest.” She handed out the glasses of iced tea before taking a seat next to Troy. “Now. If we can all act like adults, Geoff, I’ll give you a rundown on what’s been happening and what we’re doing about it.”
Troy sat in a relaxed pose, letting Summer take the lead with her brother. It was obvious there was a great deal of affection between them, so Troy could forgive him their earlier exchange. As she laid it all out for him, including the stalker, Geoff clenched his fists, and a muscle twitched in his cheek.
“How come you never told us it was this bad before?” he demanded. “Didn’t you trust us to be able to help you?”
The smile she gave him was tinged with sadness. “First of all, you know how Mom and Dad would have reacted. Mom would love for me to deny all my gifts as it is, and they’d use this to try to force me into not accepting any more patients. I can’t do that. They’d also demand I move in with them, which would be a total disaster. And finally, I’ve been handling it, and I don’t want this mess to spill over into anyone’s life.”
Geoff glanced at Troy. “But you let a perfect stranger into your life.”
“That was Mark and Faith’s doing.” She wet her lips. “The media mob was a little crazier this time, and my stalker decided to ramp up his calls. And believe me when I tell you that I feel a lot more secure having a professional in charge. No slam on you,” she added quickly. “It’s just what they do.”
Geoff looked hard at Troy. “Who’s paying for all this? The phone setup, the security system, the guard, and you. This doesn’t all come cheap.”
Summer glared at her brother. “First of all, I’m not exactly poverty-stricken, in case you haven’t been paying attention. I can pay my own way.”
Troy cleared his throat. “The Hallorans are good friends of Summer’s, and Mark made her a special deal on the equipment. It’s much safer for a woman living alone than her old one. As far as any fee where I’m concerned, I happen to be on vacation and visiting Mark and Faith, not doing much of anything. I was happy to volunteer my time.” He stared back at Geoff. “For as long as it takes.”
Geoff just shook his head, then looked at Summer. “Okay, kiddo. I guess I have to accept the fact you’re a grown woman and know what you’re doing. But that doesn’t mean I won’t still worry about you.” He glanced at Troy again. “Or make sure this guy is on the up and up.”
“No problem.” Troy stood up, pulled his wallet from his back pocket and extracted a card. “Here’s where to find anything you need about us.”
“Thanks.” Geoff stuck the card in his shirt pocket, then rose to give his sister a hug. He looked from one to the other. “I don’t know if there’s anything else going on here between you two, and you’re right—it’s probably none of my business. But I care a lot about Summer. She’s had a hard time in relationships of any kind because her abilities affect how other people look at her. I just want you to know that from the start.”
Troy nodded. “Point taken. You can trust her with me.”
“Damn it, Geoff.” Summer fisted her hands on her hips. “Enough already.”
“Don’t be too mad at me,” he begged. “I just want to protect you.”
“I know. But don’t you be mad if I tell you to butt out.”
He laughed. “We’ll get through this.” He held out his hand to Troy again. “No offense?”
“Not at all. If it was my sister I’d probably feel the same way.”
When she’d closed the door behind her brother, Summer let out a long breath and turned to Troy. “Thanks for being such a good guy about it.”
He cupped her cheeks in his palms and gave her a slow smile. “It’s fine. I’ve dealt with a lot worse.”
At that moment the tiny radio he kept clipped to his waistband crackled alive.
“Mr. Arsenault? It’s Craig outside in the car.”
“Yeah, Craig. Go ahead.”
“For some reason, the crowd seems to be growing again. I think we could use one more person around here for a short while.”
Troy had answered the door whenever someone was bold enough to actually come up to the porch and ring the bell. He’d thought after he tossed the reporter from Psychic Journeys he’d pass the word, but apparently the ones still out there were more tenacious. Now he moved to the living room window and drew the curtain aside just enough to look out. The guard was right. The number of people had doubled, and they were crowding as close to the house as they could.
“Wonder what set them off today?” he mused.
“It’s Friday,” Summer told them.
He looked at her. “And?”
She sighed. “They want something spicy for the weekend news. All media. The fact that the Flanagans have made themselves scarce is frustrating them. And apparently there haven’t been any exciting crimes or scandals in the past couple of days.”
“I’ll call Mark. We’re borrowing guards from a local agency we often work with. He can get them to send us one more. Then why don’t we see what’s in your freezer for dinner and pour another glass of wine. It will relax you.”
“Sure.” She tugged her hair behind her ears. “I’m not all that hungry, but the wine sounds good.”
Once the arrangements had been made, Troy went into her office to see whether there were more calls from the stalker. Dan had been trying to trace them, but they either led back to a burner phone or a pay phone. Seven calls today. He was escalating. Troy shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from clenching them into fists and swallowed back his anger. It wouldn’t do to let Summer see him this way. He was trying to make her feel safer, not worry her more.
He’d have to talk to Dan and Mark. They needed to find a better way to pin down this asshole.