Midnight Of No Return (Midnight Blue Beach Book 2) Read online

  He shoved the last bite of omelet in his mouth. “My last girlfriend was about a year ago. She liked me well enough but it turns out she had a phobia regarding large dogs. I can’t change who I am or what I do so there went that. Dancing? Honey, I have no rhythm. None. You don’t want to see me widely gesticulating out on some dance floor like I’m playing a bizarre game of charades.” He took a sip of his coffee. “And as for travel, I do enjoy that but it’s hard to get away. The other vet at my clinic doesn’t like to work long hours so when I’m out of the office I tend to get texts from him asking questions and complaining constantly so it’s not often worth it. It’s eight-thirty in the morning and last time I checked he’d already sent me three.”

  Now she felt like a terrible person. “That’s awful. You came here for me and he’s driving you crazy. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Josh laughed and scooted her still full plate closer to him. “Do you mind?”

  “Help yourself. I’m too upset to eat more than this toast.”

  “It’s sweet that you want to help but there’s nothing to be done. He’s a good guy and I like him, he just doesn’t want to spend his life at the clinic. I respect that. I’m not thrilled that he feels the need to pull me into every little decision he makes but I mostly just ignore him. It’s all fine.”

  Willow let her gaze run up and down Josh, head to toe. “Do you ever get mad?”

  He paused in devouring her breakfast. “Yes, but not often. I have a long fuse but when it goes, get out of the way, honey. Nothing good can come of it.”

  “When was the last time you got mad?”

  He put the fork down on the plate. “I think that’s enough about me. Let’s talk about you.”

  No way. He knew the bare minimum and that’s all he needed to know.

  “Have you heard from Ellis yet?”

  Josh laughed, showing off even white teeth and a dimple in his right cheek. “Good save, honey. I barely noticed the non sequiter. I’ll go check my phone. I left it inside.”

  He picked up their plates and headed into the kitchen, whistling a lilting tune. There was no way this man was that happy all the time. There had to be something he was hiding, and she didn’t need another man in her life with secrets.

  Who was she kidding? She didn’t need a man. Period.

  Too much trouble. Too much maintenance.

  She’d stick with man’s best friend.

  Chapter Three

  It took the better part of the day before Ellis called them back. Willow and Josh had spent the day trolling the web for information about Evandria. It was amazing how many obscure message boards and articles there were. Many were by conspiracy theory nuts and after several hours reading their diatribes, Willow was feeling more paranoid than ever. If even half this crap was true, the world was a horrible place.

  Josh placed Willow’s phone on the patio table. They would only speak when they were outside the house. “Who’s on with us?”

  “I’ve got Bailey, Chase, and myself,” Ellis replied. “It seemed easier to tell everyone at the same time. I, personally, have never seen a listening device so I called in a friend at the FBI who confirmed for me that’s what this is. He told me how to turn it off or destroy it and I’m forwarding you those instructions in your email. He agrees that the whole home has to be swept and he’s recommended a security agency that he trusts. I’m sending that information too.”

  “What about Bailey and Peyton’s homes?” Willow asked. “Shouldn’t they be swept as well?”

  “They should,” Ellis answered firmly. “I’m also recommending that our houses up here are swept as well. Just in case.”

  “Glad I’m not the only one paranoid,” Willow joked but Ellis didn’t laugh.

  “It’s not paranoia if they’re really after you. Someone wants to listen in to your conversations, Willow. It may be Evandria or it could be someone completely unrelated. Do you have an admirer that won’t leave you alone?”

  “You mean a stalker,” Josh cut in. “Some asshole who obsesses and won’t take no for an answer.”

  “Not that I know of but I guess anything is possible.”

  “Willow, are you okay coordinating our homes or should I fly down there?” Bailey queried. “It’s no trouble.”

  Willow didn’t even have to think about the answer. “You stay there with Peyton. We can handle this, no problem. Someone needs to be there for her when she wakes up.”

  “That should be soon,” Bailey said. “The doctor is weaning her off the medication so it’s up to her now.”

  “Keep talking to her. I hear that helps.”

  There was an awkward silence on the other end of the line but then Bailey resumed speaking. “We are. Books, the newspaper, fun gossip. I even gave her the recipe to my Dark Chocolate Dream Cake yesterday.”

  “I’d ask for it too but I’m useless in the kitchen. So I only have one more question for Ellis. Should we go stay somewhere else until the house is swept? Every time we want to speak we have to walk outside.”

  She could hear Ellis’s laughter booming through the phone. “I wouldn’t worry about it unless you’re talking about the case.”

  It still creeped her out.

  They talked some more about questions for Archer Caldwell before they hung up. Willow promised to call them the minute the meeting was over.

  “I don’t think I want to stay here tonight,” she pronounced as she tucked her phone back into her purse. “Just the thought that they might be listening or watching bothers me. What about you?”

  Josh tapped his lips and nodded. “If it were me alone I would be fine because I probably wouldn’t say anything all evening, but I see your point. Do you have any ideas as to where we could stay?”

  She batted her eyelashes and gave him her best mischievous smile. Didn’t he know her at all? “Of course I do. Can you imagine a scenario where I wouldn’t?”

  Chuckling, Josh shook his head. “No, I cannot. I’ll follow wherever you lead.”

  Damn right, he would.

  After dropping the dogs off at the home of her housekeeper for the night, they arrived at the hotel. Willow had reserved a penthouse suite overlooking the beach. A suite. The damn thing was bigger than his first apartment when he got out of vet school. Josh wasn’t a poor man; he made an excellent living running his own practice but his resources didn’t run to something like this. Marble floors. Floor to ceiling windows. Crystal chandeliers. Fine oak furnishings. He would have been happy with a motel room that had a decent bed and a television.

  “Does it come with a butler named Jeeves?” he asked after the manager exited, closing the door behind him. Josh had told the man that he didn’t need a bellman to carry two small overnight cases but the night manager had insisted on escorting them to their room personally up the private elevator, and then stuck around to show them all the amenities. The only one Josh cared about was the free beer in the well-stocked refrigerator. He’d declined the couples massage they’d been offered.

  “Funny. It’s a very nice room in a lovely hotel.”

  He picked up their bags and headed for the bedroom area. “Never said it wasn’t. It’s just a little over the top, don’t you think? We’re only here for one night.”

  There were two bedrooms on either side of the hall with a gigantic bathroom in between. Since they were identical, he dropped her bag in one and his in the other. If she had some weird thing where she had to sleep in the room on the right, he’d be happy to trade.

  “We might be here for longer. It depends.”

  The security agency had agreed to come out to the house tomorrow morning while they were meeting with Archer Caldwell. In the afternoon, he’d sweep the other two homes. Another friend was handling the houses in Williamsburg.

  “So what’s the plan? We’ve got a lot of hours to kill before ten in the morning.”

  Josh was struggling with his less than pure thoughts. Willow was more than attractive and he hadn’t had a girlfrien
d in quite a while. Now they were in a hotel suite. Yes, his brain had gone there even though she’d given him no indication that she thought of him as anything more than a pesky friend she was required to have around. To be fair, he didn’t really know what they were to one another either.

  They were kind of friends but not really. He was attracted to her but she probably wasn’t to him. She was trying to find the truth about her husband’s death so this wasn’t exactly the most opportune time to start a relationship. All in all, the entire situation was ambiguous at best.

  Willow looked out of the windows and smiled. “How about a walk on the beach?”

  “Whatever you want to do I’m fine with.”

  That’s how Josh found himself stripping off his shoes and socks at the bottom of a small wooden staircase to the sand below. His gaze scanned the horizon, checking for any threats to her physical well-being but there was only an older woman power walking down the beach and a mother with her two children building a sandcastle. Still he needed to be vigilant, never letting his guard down. Whoever was watching the women might just be biding their time, waiting for the right moment.

  Sunset this time of year was late in the evening so the day was still quite hot and humid despite it being almost six o’clock. A warm breeze blew off of the water, tousling Willow’s dark blonde hair. She looked every inch at home here, a real Florida girl, dressed in a bright blue sundress that showed off her golden skin. Digging her cherry red toes into the sand, she danced at the water’s edge as the water lapped at her feet, a radiant smile on her face.

  She didn’t look like the wealthy, perfectly groomed woman he knew her to be. At this moment, she looked more like a happy child playing in the sand, the pure joy of life lit from within. How she managed to be both he didn’t know but it made it impossible for him to tear his gaze away from her. The slanted sun created a perfect halo around her body as if she was from another world. Which she wasn’t. She was of this world and in danger. It was his job to keep her safe.

  Frankly, he feared he wasn’t up to the job.

  “Josh, you’re not having any fun.”

  He shook off his thoughts, bringing his attention back to reality. Back to the job he was here to do. If anything happened to Willow, he’d never forgive himself. She was too full of life and happiness.

  “I most certainly am. Nothing like a walk on the beach.”

  She tilted her head and eyed him up and down, clearly not believing a word he said. “My bullshit detector just went off. For a relaxed guy, you’re kind of tense. What gives?”

  He’d found the direct approach was best when dealing with Willow.

  “My job is to keep you safe. You play and I guard.”

  Something he couldn’t identify flickered across her face. It might have been determination or anger, but the smile she’d been wearing only moments before was now gone, leaving a more serious woman in its wake.

  “I brought you with me to make Bailey feel better about my coming down here. My safety is not your responsibility. It’s mine. If I was truly worried I’d hire a phalanx of bodyguards that used to work for the KGB or the Secret Service. Do I feel safer when you’re around? Yes, I do, but you’re not a cop, Josh, you’re a goddamn vet. You hang around with four-legged friends all day and I think that’s the coolest job in the world, but make no mistake. This is not all up to you.”

  Her little speech should have made him feel better but instead it did the opposite.

  “I made a promise to Chase and Bailey that I would protect you, and by God that’s what I’m going to do whether you like it or not. I’ll have you know that dogs immediately know that I’m the alpha in any pack.”

  Her brows went up in surprise. “I believe you. I’m not casting aspersions on your abilities, just stating that this isn’t really your job. I don’t expect you to jump in front of a bullet for me. I think that’s asking a little too much.”

  Scraping his fingers through his short hair, he sighed in frustration. He was taking this more seriously than she was. “Do you think this is okay because you don’t really believe you’re in danger? That the whole thing with Peyton was just a fluke and the listening device was there for the house’s former owners? Is that where your mind is taking you? Because you need to wake the hell up.”

  “I know it wasn’t a fluke,” she said, her voice quiet. “I know that someone is watching us. All of us. They don’t want us to find the truth.”

  He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. “We can’t trust anyone. We don’t know what they want. We don’t know what they’re willing to do.”

  Her lips trembled and she exhaled slowly. “I’ve been trying to put it out of my mind but you’re right. The thought of someone listening in to my conversations threw me so badly. My brain shut down any thoughts from that so I could function. If I really think about this it scares the hell out of me.”

  “It scares me too,” he replied, running his hands down her arms in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. “I’m going to do my very best not to let anything happen to you.”

  She linked her arm in his. “I know you will. I meant it when I said I felt safer with you. But I also meant it when I said that I don’t expect you to jump in front of a bullet or a speeding car. This isn’t your fight, it’s mine.”

  That was true, but…

  “I’ve made it mine as well. I’m here and we’re doing this as a team.”

  She looked up at him from under her lashes. “Can I be the captain?”

  “You want to be in charge?” he laughed. “I’m secure enough in my manhood to let you. Be my guest.”

  He was only guessing, but he had a feeling that before this was all over, they’d both need to take the lead more than once.

  Chapter Four

  Willow was feeling guilty about her earlier conversation with Josh. She was afraid he believed she didn’t think he could protect her and that wasn’t the case at all. Josh was smart and always in control, two qualities desirable in a bodyguard. He also looked to keep himself in excellent shape, which didn’t hurt his chances either.

  The fact was keeping her safe really wasn’t his job. Chase and Bailey may have guilted him into coming down here with her but she didn’t expect him to be Bruce Lee.

  “Dinner’s here,” he called from the living area. “Better hurry before I eat it all.”

  “You better not,” she called from the bedroom, levering up from the bed where she’d been resting. There was so much going on in her life she was having trouble sleeping, which was highly unusual. “I mean it, Josh. Don’t eat my dinner. I’m actually hungry.”

  Padding on bare feet out into the living and dining area, her eyes widened in surprise. The table in front of the window was all decked out with place settings, food, damask napkins, and three flickering tapered candles in silver holders. It looked…romantic. Cozy. She swallowed hard and moved closer to where he stood to get a better view.

  “Wow. This looks great.”

  Josh pulled out her chair and she sat down gratefully, her knees beginning to quiver. Had Josh set this up as sort of a date? A seduction? She liked him. She was attracted to him. But she’d pretty much sworn off the male species after Alex died. They were too much trouble and she liked her life the way it was. Quiet and calm.

  Well, until now. She hadn’t expected to find out that Alex died on the exact same day as his two friends. That had been a shock to say the least and it had certainly shook up her previously rather boring existence.

  “The waiter set it all up. He insisted and I didn’t have the heart to tell him no since he seemed so keen on doing it.”

  Oh. No date or seduction. Was she glad or disappointed? She wasn’t sure.

  “It looks very nice.”

  Shit, now she felt awkward. To cover it up, she reached for the metal covers keeping the plates of food warm. Josh leaned in to help her and their hands brushed, sending sparks through her fingers and up her arm. She snatched her hand back as if
she’d been burned.

  “I think two of us is overkill. I’ll just let you do it.”

  If he thought she was acting strangely, he didn’t point it out. He uncovered all the plates and placed them safely on the other end of the table. They both helped themselves and Josh poured them each a glass of wine. Outside the windows, the sun was beginning to set, turning the sky a watercolor of orange, blue, and pink.

  “I don’t remember the last time I watched a sunset,” she sighed.

  “Me either. Too busy, I guess, but I think that’s what makes it special when I do. The randomness of slowing down and simply enjoying nature’s artistry.”

  “You have a poet’s soul,” she teased.

  “Hardly. I’m just a meat-and-potatoes kid from the Midwest.”

  He was far more than that and she wanted to know more about him. But the social conventions were clear. If she asked him about his life, he could ask her. She wasn’t ashamed of her life. Far from it. She felt it had shaped a great deal of who she was now. She didn’t talk about it much, however, because people either felt sorry for her or they judged her.

  Which would Josh be?

  “So how did you and Chase come to be friends?”

  A safe question and she might find out more about him along the way.

  “I moved in next to him,” Josh answered with a grin. “I needed a place that had some privacy because of the dogs and that house went on the market at the same time I was ready to move from my old place. Not only do the dogs have room to run but Chase and I get along great. It’s a win-win. Although I have to admit that at first I thought he might be a drug dealer or something.”

  Willow almost spit out a mouthful of dinner. The very idea of Chase doing anything against the law was ludicrous. “Are you kidding? Why?”

  Chuckling, Josh dug into his steak. “Because he always had plenty of money but he didn’t seem to have any means of support. He didn’t work. He left the house occasionally and I thought maybe those were his deliveries to clients. We’d known each other a couple of months before I asked him about it.”