Her daughter lifted her tearstained face to look at her, then threw herself into her arms. “The masked man tried to get me,” she sobbed.
“It’s just a dream. He’s not here. Grady is guarding us, remember?” She pressed a kiss to Lucy’s temple. “You’re safe, sweetie. I’m here and so is Grady.”
Lucy’s crying turned into a few hiccups. Then the little girl swiped at her face. “I don’t want to have bad dreams.”
“I know you don’t.” Lauren continued holding Lucy close, wishing there was a way to spare her daughter from having nightmares. A noise in the hallway caught her attention, and she looked over to see Grady hovering in the doorway. His thick brown hair was tousled, but she didn’t think he’d been sleeping any more than she had.
He arched a brow, silently asking if everything was okay. She was touched by his concern. Granted, he was being paid to be there, but he seemed to care about Lucy. One thing was clear, he wasn’t overly impressed with her wealth.
She smiled wearily and bobbed her head to let him know they were fine. He nodded and stepped back from the doorway to leave them alone. She had to squelch the urge to call him back.
Grady was a nice man. Different from what she’d expected, which was a good thing. She knew he would have rushed in to comfort Lucy if she hadn’t gotten there first.
She wondered briefly why he was still single, then forced herself to concentrate on Lucy. Grady’s lack of female companionship wasn’t any of her business. The only reason she’d even asked about it was because she’d hoped to use the fake engagement ruse to her advantage. Obviously, their pretend engagement would only hold off the annoying men determined to pursue her for a short while. Once the kidnapper was caught, she and Grady would end their relationship. She could probably use her broken heart as an excuse to continue avoiding unwanted advances for a few weeks after that.
Maybe. At least for those who had half a brain.
Why didn’t these men understand their attempt to pursue her was so exhausting? She had tried being polite, but many of them didn’t know how to take no for an answer. Now she didn’t bother to be nice, but even her rude and abrupt comments didn’t seem to deter them.
Could one of them be involved in the kidnapping attempt? A chill snaked down her spine at the thought. Maybe one of the men who were more persistent had arranged the kidnapping so he could heroically swoop in to save the child.
No, that was something out of a movie. Real life didn’t work that way. She told herself to stop letting her imagination run wild. She couldn’t believe any man who wanted to date her, with the goal of marrying her, would stoop that low.
This was the work of a stranger looking for easy cash or someone else who thought she owed them. Nelson would fit the bill perfectly, except for his being in jail. He could have arranged for someone else to do the dirty work, but how would her ex get access to the ransom demand? The more she considered that angle, the more that didn’t play out for her either.
She was driving herself crazy imagining different scenarios. She gave herself a mental shake and continued to rock back and forth with her daughter cradled in her arms. When the little girl finally relaxed, she eased her down onto the bed and pulled up the covers.
“Stay with me,” Lucy said sleepily.
“I will, sweetie. Go to sleep now.” She stretched out beside her, listening as Lucy’s breaths deepened. Lauren closed her eyes and tried to do the same. They were safe, now that Grady was nearby, watching over them. For the first time in what seemed like eons, rather than days, she relaxed.
She must have fallen asleep because something caused her to wake up. Pushing up on one elbow, she blinked in the darkness, looking down to make sure Lucy was still sleeping. Had she heard something? Or was it nothing more than her imagination?
Listening intently, she forced herself to relax. Maybe she’d heard Grady moving around. She’d left the door to Lucy’s room open. She rolled away from Lucy to slip out of the bed. Her daughter hadn’t moved, so she tiptoed past her to head to the door.
A loudcrackfollowed by shattering glass startled her. She froze, trying to assimilate what she’d heard. It almost sounded like the gunfire that had shattered the back window of Grady’s Jeep.
Then Grady was suddenly there. “Get your shoes and your coats while I grab Lucy.” Without waiting for her to respond, he brushed past her to pick Lucy up from the bed, bringing her blanket along with the little girl. “We need to get out of here.”
“What happened?”
“Hurry!” he snapped, carrying Lucy out of the room.
She darted into her bedroom to slide her feet into running shoes. Her heart thundered against her sternum as she followed Grady out to the living room. The cold wind blowing through the shattered window made her gasp in horror.
Someone had shot at the apartment!
“Move it,” Grady said. “We can’t stay here.”
She gave a jerky nod, then grabbed her coat and Lucy’s, belatedly realizing Grady was already wearing his.
“Do you have keys for the Porsche?” He had opened the door leading to the elevator vestibule and was staring out into the hallway.
“What’s going on?” Lucy asked, her voice thick with sleep.
“Nothing to worry about, we’re just going for a ride.” Grady stepped forward and pushed the button to summon the elevator.
Lauren had to detour into the kitchen to grab the keys to the car. By the time she joined Grady, the elevator had arrived. She quickly entered the elevator, then used the keycard so the elevator would go all the way down to the parking garage.
