“Got it.” He leaned back in his seat, studying Julia. He’d seen her arriving at the compound when she walked past the gym. He’d been attracted to her immediately -- something about the way she held herself, the self-confidence displayed in her tall, slender but curvy body. Now that he’d met her and talked to her, the instant attraction had dialed up to seriously interested.
That, of course, was not a possibility. He was working for her. Protecting her and investigating her incidents. Getting involved with Julia Stewart was not an option.
Which was a shame. Julia came alive when talking about her restaurant. Her food. It was important to her. If he had to guess, Nico would bet that it was the threat to her restaurant that had convinced her to hire Blackhawk Security. Her personal safety would be farther down on the list of reasons for allowing him to shadow her.
When he did a job, the safety of his principal was his primary concern, and that’s what he’d focus on with Julia. But the incidents that had occurred in the past couple weeks intrigued him. He liked to fit puzzle pieces together. And no matter how complicated this jigsaw was, he’d figure it out.
* * *
Three hours later, Julia unlocked the door of her house. As she took a step forward, Nico pulled her back and set her behind him. He wasn’t rough -- his hands were surprisingly gentle on her shoulders. But he was definitely in charge.
“I go into the house first. Always. Same with the restaurant,” he said in a low voice. “You wait outside, phone in your hand. In fact, give me your phone.” He held out his hand, and after a long moment, she slapped it into his palm. “I’m going to install a panic button. If you hear any noise that’s unfamiliar, see anything that alarms you, tap that button on your screen and run.
“And if you hear something inside the house? You run. No hesitation. No trying to ‘help’ me. And you call the police.”
“I run away if you’re being attacked?” She stared at him, appalled.
“Absolutely. That’s rule number one. No exceptions. You hear anything, you take off.” He must have seen her horrified expression, because he turned to face her. “I can defend myself. Deal with a threat. It’s a lot harder to protect you and deal with a threat at the same time.”
He stared at her, his hazel eyes hard. Uncompromising. Julia drew in a deep breath. She got it, sort of. She’d be in his way. A potential hostage. “Two targets instead of one,” she muttered. “Fine. I understand.”
“What are you going to do if you hear anything inside the house?” he asked, keeping his gaze on her face.
“Run away. Call the police. Don’t try to help you.”
“Exactly right.” He fiddled with her phone for a minute, then handed it back with a large red button filling most of the screen. “This icon will be your home screen from now until we solve this case. All you have to do is touch it once and I’ll come running.”
He waited until she nodded, then turned to go. Glancing over his shoulder, he said, “Don’t be a hero. Your job is to stay safe. And wait at the bottom of the steps instead of on the porch. Running down stairs wastes time.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, saluting him.
His eyes narrowed. “You don’t have to like it,” he said. “You just have to do it.”
“I will,” she said. She nodded at her house. “Anyone in there will have already run out the front door.”
“That’s fine. I want to scare him away.”
“You don’t want to catch him?” she asked, knowing she was being snarky. Ungrateful. But it had been an emotional couple of days. Her life had been completely upended, and she’d have a shadow for as long as it took to figure out what was going on. It left her unsettled. Uncomfortable. Cranky.
“I’m going to catch him. Or her. But I’ll protect you while I’m doing it.”
Julia watched him disappear into the house. She’d never thought of her stalker as a woman. But since she had no idea who had targeted her, she couldn’t rule anyone out.
Five minutes later, Nico reappeared at the door and motioned her inside. “No intruders. No hidden electronics. And I don’t think anyone was here while you were gone, but you need to check the house yourself. You’ll notice things I might not see.”
“Why don’t you think anyone was in here?” Julia asked, curious.
“The air is a little stale, the way it usually is if a house has been empty for a few days. No unusual scents -- no cologne. No body odor. No tobacco. Nothing… off.”
“Okay,” Julia said, impressed in spite of herself. “Let me walk through the house.”
She went through the living room, studying everything -- her books on the bookshelves. The cushions on the couch. The partially closed drapes. Nothing was out of place. Same for the dining room and the kitchen.
Nico stayed close, even in the larger rooms. She was too aware of his scent, fresh air and water that was both plain and very appealing. This close to him, she was uncomfortably aware of his size. He was a head taller than her, and she was tall for a woman. He was rangy rather than bulky, but he was comfortable with his body in a way that was very attractive.
When Nico followed her into her bedroom, his arm brushed hers, and heat washed over her. This was her private space. She hadn’t had a man in this room in a very long time.
The heat was stupid. Nico had been nothing but professional. But she felt him behind her. Big. Strong. Significantly larger than her.