She led him to the back row, along the forest’s edge, to where she’d parked. She noticed that as they walked, Xander scanned their surroundings. With her attention on the man beside her,she stumbled on the uneven gravel. She quickly righted herself, and heat washed over her face.Graceful. Real graceful.
“You okay?” he asked, placing his hand around her waist.
She didn’t want to think too hard about how his casual touch had butterflies taking flight in her stomach.
“You should still have security walk you out at night. Even with lights and cameras, it would be safest to have an escort, especially if you’re by yourself.”
She also didn’t want to think too hard about how Xander’s attentiveness made her heart race and also enveloped her in a feeling of safety.
The man had her thoughts and emotions in a whirl. She cleared her throat. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’d hate to inconvenience them...”
Freya’s words died on her lips, and she came to an abrupt halt. She couldn’t make out what she was seeing. Her trusty Kia was about fifty feet away, parked two spots down from one of the new light posts. However, something was off. Something wasn’t right. But she couldn’t figure out what.
Despite the confusion swirling her mind, she was aware enough to notice Xander had tensed beside her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, taking her elbow.
His tone changed. Became serious. What she imagined was his “work” voice. Whatever it was, the two words he’d uttered calmed her, tempered the unease brewing in her gut. She was grateful he was beside her.
“I don’t know,” she murmured.
She stood rooted to the ground and continued to stare at the back end of her Kia. The car was reflecting the light wrong, but she couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing.
Until she did.
She sucked in a breath. “My windshield is smashed.”
Through the back window of her sedan, she could see to the front. There was a large circular hole on the passenger side, the glass sprouting like webs from it. The glass disappeared completely in the middle, its jagged pieces reflecting the light like a rainbow. The glass that was supposed to be in front of the driver’s side was gone. It was completely shattered with only bits remaining in the frame, as if something had hollowed out the glass on that side of the windshield.
She took a step toward her car, but a strong hand clamped down on her arm.
Startled, she glanced at Xander.
Shaking his head, he kept his firm grip on her arm. His eyes scanned the parking lot as he moved her behind him. “Don’t move. Not yet.” With his free hand, he pulled his phone from his pocket, tapped the display, brought it to his ear, and after a moment, said in that assertive work-Xander tone, “Get Kwon on the phone. I need resort security to the employee parking lot immediately.”
She pointed at her car. “But what about?—”
“We’ll take a look once backup arrives.” He pocketed his phone, and with her still tucked behind him and his head on a constant swivel, he quickly crouched down. When he stood a couple seconds later, he had a wicked-looking knife clutched in his right hand.
Freya’s eyes widened.Where had that come from?
“Just a precaution,” he said, taking her hand with his free hand and pulling her back a few steps.
Confusion had her frowning. “But it’s just a broken windshield.” From as far away as she was, she couldn’t see any other damage to her Kia. However, she’d bet good money that aside from the windshield, she was going to find body damage to either the roof or the hood. Or both. Something big must have fallen on her car to cause so much damage.
Then Xander’s words registered.
Her frown deepened. “What do you mean by ‘precaution’?”
Worry stirred in her belly, and her gaze swung back to her car. What else could have caused so much damage to her windshield?
“Just an occupational hazard, Frey. I won’t investigate further until my client is secure. In this case”—he squeezed her hand—“you’re my client.”
She met his gaze. The steel and determination staring back at her both soothed her nerves and sent a heated zing surging through her. Completely inappropriate time and place? Absolutely. However, there was no stopping it. Or denying it. “I’m not in any danger. I’m sure it was just a branch or something?—”
“I need you safe before we figure out what happened to your car. It’s just you and me out here. We’re not going near your car until we have more security with us.”
Any other protests died on her lips, and that zing spread. She’d never been a fan of the damsel-in-distress thing, but if Xander was the one looking out for her, she’d go with it. Not only did the man work in security, but the protective vibe he was projecting was doing something to her insides. She’d follow his lead.
