Kaylin scrambled across the sidewalk, her back against the wall of the towering building. Other pedestrians screamed and jumped back, some running down other streets.
“He attacked me!” Jimmy yelled. “This guy attacked me!”
“Are you the one stalking Kaylin Lawrence?” Rusty demanded.
“Don’t get up,” Jimmy said. He got to his feet and hid behind his car door, the gun still pointed at Rusty. “Stay right there.” He got in the limousine and slammed the door, then peeled away into traffic.
“Are you all right?” Rusty asked examining Kaylin and dialing his phone. “Get me Sargent Boyles.” Rusty called for an APB on Jimmy’s car and ran through the situation. Sirens blared toward them, but Jimmy’s limo was long gone.
“They can find him at work, right? He runs a chauffeur service,” Kaylin said distraught. “Is he responsible for all of this? He was my patient. He drove me home from the airport once. Oh God…I even told Natalie to use his service.”
“He’s the one. There’s no doubt,” Rusty said. “He’ll hide out somewhere. If it was rush hour, they’d be able to catch him.” He checked the time on his phone. “Unfortunately, he’s in the lead. Come on.” Rusty strode fast down the street.
“My condo is the other way,” Kaylin said. “Slow down.”
“Not going there. We know who he is. We’ll catch him.”
“Then, can’t I just…”
“No!” Rusty exclaimed, swerving so abruptly that Kaylin bumped into his chest. “No,” he repeated, softer. He stared down at her scared face. He wanted to grab her, wrap her up in his arms like a cocoon. “You’ll stay at my place, locked and armed. It’s just a matter of time before we get him.”
“He had a gun,” Kaylin said. She fought the urge to cry but lost that battle. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt over this. Or killed.”
“Don’t worry. Guys like that always get what they deserve. If he gets hurt or killed, that’s on him.” Rusty started walking again.
Kaylin jogged to catch up. “But…I’m worried about you.”
Rusty stopped. He laughed, both amused and touched that she thought he could get hurt by a guy like that. “You don’t know many men like me, do you?” He strode on, gritting his teeth against the pull of every muscle in his body to swoop her up into his arms, press her into his chest, and keep her with him unit all of this blew over.
9
Burning Desire
“Can I at least order pizza?”Kaylin asked, sitting at the table in Rusty’s apartment.
“There’s no need.” Rusty said. He opened his cupboards and took out olive oil and salt. He’d thought about depositing Kaylin in the unit next door and leaving her alone for the night, but Codex had run out to greet him, and Kaylin looked so scared, he couldn’t bear it. He’d invited her into his. “I’m cooking,” he said.
“You always cook?”
“You don’t?” He grinned. “Joke,” he said. “I know you don’t.”
“Hey,” she retorted. “I’m a busy person.”
“Not judging.” He took out bowls and pans and began chopping a milky onion. “Though, I did see your kitchen counters. Do you have anything healthy in there?”
“Milk,” she said. “And carrots.”
“Do you even eat the carrots?”
Kaylin chewed at a nail.
Forty minutes later, Rusty laid out a dinner of salad greens with herbed dressing, pan-seared chicken breasts with sun-dried tomatoes, and a bowl of sliced apples. He bit into a slice.
“Wow, this looks really healthy,” Kaylin said.
“Keeps me in tip top shape.” He took another and crunched.
Kaylin cleaned her plate quickly, every bite was delicious. He didn’t say much as they ate, and she looked up from licking her fork to see him spearing his lettuce, watching her. He chuckled.
