Chapter 4

4

W ill slowed now as they entered Gwen's small commuter town, passing the Metro North train parking lot. "Is your car here at the station?"

"No. I left my car at home and caught a ride with my upstairs neighbor this morning since there is little parking at the train stop." Gwen pointed out the windshield. "Keep driving this street and turn right at the next light."

"Okay." He did as Gwen instructed. The lights of the town center faded in his rear-view mirror, and they entered the hilly residential area with mostly large mansions and big two-storied homes.

Though only a little past sunset, the overhanging trees opposite the dwellings blanketed the pavement in darkness. He swept a glance over the thick foliage crowding the roadway on the left where the land apparently dropped away.

"See that two-story white colonial up there with the glowing second story windows?" Gwen gathered her belongings. "The street continues around the corner. Erin and I are in the lower apartment."

As Will made the turn, the street light glinted off something metallic in the shrubbery on the left. He looked closer and found a dark SUV in the bushes across from her house.

Right then, the faint red glow of a cigarette appeared and disappeared, confirming someone sat in the driver's seat. From there, the smoker would be able to see anyone arriving or leaving the big, rambling house where Gwen lived.

Will straightened in his seat. The woods hid the car so well, other drivers might have focused on the turn or Gwen's two-story residence, but his years in covert operations had trained him to always search his surroundings. After what had happened in Manhattan, he'd been especially vigilant. But which apartment was the driver spying on? Gwen's or the folks upstairs?

"I should have left a light on," Gwen said. "But I expected to be back before dark. You can park right in front of the side door."

Will kept driving, forcing himself to maintain the same pace rather than accelerating. They had driven past the house, heading up Tremont, when Gwen threw out a hand.

"Stop. You just passed my place." She released her belt and cracked the door. "You can let me out here. I'll walk back."

"No!" He kept his foot on the gas, and lowered his voice. He did not want to frighten her. "Sorry, didn't mean to be so abrupt. That's not a good idea."

"Why?" she asked, pulling her door shut.

"Someone's watching your house. There was an SUV hidden in the woods across from your place."

"Who?" She turned around to look behind them.

"I have no idea." He glanced in the rear view but saw only the empty street. "I saw an occupied car trying to hide in the bushes. Back near the turn."

Will drove another fifty yards, half a football field, found a shoulder wide enough and parked. "I'm going to pull over so we can talk about this situation."

Gwen had gone along with him when they'd been rushing through the streets of lower Manhattan, but she might have latched onto anyone who felt safe. What about now?

He couldn't protect her if she didn't trust him.

Her seatbelt swooshed into the keeper device, and she turned to him. "You really saw someone watching my apartment?"

"Or that of the people upstairs. I'm assuming the car in the drive is theirs, and they're home. Most people might not have noticed the SUV watching, but my training kicked in."

"Your training?"

"For covert operations." He released his own belt. "I want to see if I can get a license plate number."

"Wait." She tapped his arm, frowning. "What if he recognizes you?"

"I don't think he will. He saw the Jeep, not our faces." Will opened his door. "I won't be long. You stay here."

"I'm coming, too." She got out and closed her door before he could say anything else.

Staying with the car was the safest thing she could do, what he wanted her to do. But he also didn't want to hang around any longer than necessary. He met her at the rear of the Jeep and lowered his voice. "We need to stay in the shadows. We don't know what or who we're dealing with here."

With no sidewalk or curb, she clutched his arm, pressing so close he again caught the floral scent of her soap or bath powder. The intimacy that scent evoked made his blood race. He stared ahead, squelching those urges and held aside a branch for her to go first. "After what happened in the city, we need to be suspicious of anything out of the ordinary."

She clung to his arm again. "You think they're related?"

"I don't know, but it's prudent to be careful." He stopped as the lights on the second floor of her house came into view. He took her hand. "Crouch down. We'll creep up but not too close. Look across the intersection and into the bushes. There's a solid black bulk."

They crept closer, hiding in the shadow of a tall oak. He caught the gleam of a hubcap now. "He's got a New York plate." Will squinted but the shrubbery made the plate number indiscernible. "I'm going closer."

"I'm going back." She let go of him and spun around.

He glanced back at the big SUV then followed her. Staying with her was more important than getting a plate, which he couldn't do if he had an encounter with anyone inside the car. When he caught up to her, he said. "You're right. We need to leave."

She dashed the last twenty feet and, as soon as he clicked the doors open, climbed in immediately.

"You okay?"

"Freaked out." She laughed. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize." He started the engine. "I think anyone would. This is creepy."

"I'm going to call the cops." She lifted her tote.

"Good idea. But I wouldn't be surprised if they find nobody here."

She pulled a band out of her pocket and caught her hair in a stubby ponytail before retrieving her phone. "W-Why?"

"It's just a feeling, Gwen. I don't know any more than you do, believe me. If, and that's a big if, this guy is waiting for you, he knows where you live and can come back any time he wants."

She stiffened. "Are you sure? We didn't stop. I didn't get out. We merely drove past, and there's no reason he would know to be watching for your Jeep. Nobody followed us from the city, right?"

He nodded.

"Since I'm sitting in the passenger seat, I doubt he would have seen me. Especially, since it's dark. He probably doesn't even know what I look like."

"You sure about that? He might have seen you somewhere that you didn't notice."

"Don't say that." She sagged against the seat. "I've been worrying whether that's true about the creep who followed us earlier." She straightened suddenly. "You realize someone could come after you because you were seen with me?"

"I can defend myself."

"I have no doubt about that, Will." Her gaze found his for a long second. "But it's my fault you're involved in this mess, whatever it is, to start with."

Her look sparked something hot inside him, but he ignored his reaction. Now was not the time. "This situation is no-fault." He faced her. "You are not to blame. I take full responsibility for coming with you." Protecting you .

He reached across the console to squeeze her hand, but she slipped out of his hold and looked out the rear window at the quiet, dark street. Sweat glistened above her pretty brows, and the air in the car stretched tight like a rubber band. "I cannot believe someone is watching my apartment. This isn't just some guy getting kicks from following me around the city. That's almost understandable because New York is one of the world's biggest cities, but Thornwood is a quiet suburb."

Gwen swiped at her cheeks. Her cell phone slipped off her lap onto the floorboards.

Was she crying? Will pushed back his seat and reached for her. "Come here."

He lifted her and cradled her in his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder. He smoothed back the lock of soft hair that had escaped her pony tail. "Hey, don't let the situation get to you."

"Easy for you to say. It's not your apartment that's being watched," she protested, her voice muffled against his shirt collar.

He pulled her closer, loving the feel of her against his body. His pulse revved, and his body tightened. He should let go and lift her back to her seat, but he wanted to hold her, wanted to soothe her.

She got to him all right, but good.

* * *

Gwen snuggled against Will's chest, breathing in his distinctive male scent, relishing the strength in his arms. She wanted to stay right where she was all night. She lifted her head, took the handkerchief he handed her, and blew her nose. "I hate this. I'm already acting as if the driver of that car is really after me."

He squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry to say this, but it does fit with that long-haired guy following you this afternoon. I don't believe in coincidences."

She shifted back into the passenger seat and groped in the footwell for her phone. "How can we tell exactly who that car is spying on? The couple upstairs… The husband's a lawyer, and the wife owns a shop in town. They might have enemies. Who knows?"

"Exactly." Will held her gaze. "But just because we don't know now doesn't mean you should stay here and risk finding out."

"That's what I was afraid of." She rubbed her arms, cold again.

Will cradled one of her hands between his two. "Take a deep breath, Gwen. You're not alone."

No, his deep voice, the wonderful heat of his palms, assured her of his very real and very calming presence. She looked into his blue eyes and coaxed out a smile for him. "Thanks."

"What do you want to do now?"

She rubbed her forehead. She had to stop reacting, and really think about this situation. Consider the ramifications. She was a good planner. Her boss told her that all the time, only he used the term meticulous, which is one of the first requirements of any medical researcher.

"Not sure." She shrugged. "I'm afraid to go to my family's home. Or stay with a work colleague—even if I could get ahold of one this late on a Friday night. There are some motels in the area. If I stayed in one, I wouldn't be endangering anyone. That's maybe not true, but I don't know what else to do."

Will seemed to consider that option, tapping a long finger again his lips. "You'd still be alone. And earlier I sensed you might be nervous about staying in your apartment by yourself. We can drive back to the city, and I can put you up if you want to stay with me."

Gwen gawked at him. They barely knew each other, never mind the sizzle simmering between them. They had spent no more than three hours in each other's company and he was willing to put her up overnight?

She rubbed her sweaty palms down her legs and glanced out the Jeep's back window.

This was like being caught in a tornado with three seconds to decide whether to hide in the bathtub or a cellar. If only she had someone to talk this out with. Like Erin. Or Will Strongbow. Will sounded like he had experience surviving undercover operations, not that she believed that was what she faced now. But would it hurt to listen to him?

"You're sure you want to be stuck with me?" she asked.

"It's my pleasure." A sparkle glittered in his gaze.

His deep voice rumbled through her, leaving in its wake a fissure of sexual awareness curling in all her vulnerable places. This guy was sex on a stick, though why he was attracted to her, she didn't know. Erin was the beautiful one. She tugged on the bottom of her top, rearranged the sweater on her lap, and blotted the sweat on her upper lip. She'd never been in this sort of situation, and she had to get this right. "I need to know if your offer comes with certain expectations?"

"No strings." He held up his hands. "No ulterior motives."

The serious way he regarded her said he intended to keep his word, but inside, a stupid flutter still sprang to life.

"Thanks." She stopped twisting her hands, smoothed her palms down her thighs and smiled at him. She would trust him on this just as she had earlier in downtown Manhattan. There weren't any other good options, anyway. Thinking about her friend's experiences with a stalker, she sure didn't want whatever was going on to affect her work colleagues.

"That sounds like the best idea." She wouldn't call it the perfect plan, or even the best, but she could always change her mind later, if necessary. "Would you mind stopping for ice cream? There's a Bailey's not far from here."

"Only if they have Rocky Road."

A laugh escaped her. "All respectable ice cream parlors carry that."

"Just making sure. I need to buy gas before we head back, and I wouldn't mind grabbing some grub."

"That sandwich…" Her thoughts flashed back to Henry's deli. "I didn't give you a chance to finish at the coffee shop. Sorry."

"I didn't have to follow you."

"I'm glad you did." She gave him directions that would take them to a casual restaurant in the next town. "In the meantime, I'm going to report the SUV to the police."

Will pulled the Jeep back onto the road. "Give them the location but tell them you can't stay at the scene to wait for them."

"Do you think they'll still check it out?"

He glanced over. "Let's hope so."

The dispatcher answered, and Gwen took a deep breath. "I need to report a suspicious car outside a residence."

The policeman took the details and told her they'd send a cruiser. Gwen finished that call, saw where Will was driving and swallowed a gasp. A vise compressed her chest. She always avoided going this way. The only other route would take longer, but they had time. "Take a right here."

Will turned without question. She admired his handsome profile and looked out the rear window at the road he'd almost driven. Maybe she was being silly. A lot of years had passed, and she wasn't a teenager anymore. Maybe she should drive that road again someday, but only when she was alone. She didn't want anyone else to see her freak.

Minutes later, her phone chimed and her cousin Leslie's number flashed on her screen. Gwen glanced at Will.

He slowed and glanced over. "What is it?"

"My cousin's calling again. If I ignore the call, she'll get worried and scare my uncle and aunt and grandmother. She could even drive by my place." Gwen bit her lip. "I'm going to cancel."