Page 59 of Risk Assessment
She shook her head. “Yeah, not a chance.”
He sighed and took a sip of coffee. “Well, if you’re going to be that way.”
She stuck out her tongue at him.
“Don’t give me ideas.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, and she laughed. Then his face sobered up.
“What?” she said and then took a sip of her coffee.
“I’m still not keen on you going to this wedding.” He held up his hand to ward off her protest. “I know what you’re going to say, but I think it’s too dangerous.”
It was her turn to sigh. “I’ll keep an eye on Clark and do my very best to avoid him.” She loved that he was protective of her. It made her insides all warm and squishy, but it did get in the way of her doing her job, and that was most important at the moment.
Dylan flung the covers off and got out of bed. Raleigh couldn’t help but stare at his chest. Then her gaze drifted lower and heat pooled in her core. God, this man was so sexy. She got hot just looking at him. Tearing her eyes away, she took another sip of coffee.
Dylan pulled on his jeans. “I’m going to call Gabe. I want to check in, see if anything new has come to light.” He reached for his phone on the nightstand. “Don’t worry, I’m going to make sure you’re okay to go to the wedding.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Be back in a minute.”
Raleigh sipped her coffee. What didthatmean? She let her mind wander.
Dylan had asked her last night if anyone else had made her uncomfortable. She was so angry at the time, she didn’t hesitate to point the finger at Clark. And she still thought it was him, but were there other men that gave her an off-vibe?
She remembered the times she was uncomfortable during the weekend.
Jenkins, Mark the waiter, even Phil had all given her an icky feeling at one point or another. All the sparkle from last night fizzled out and a wave of darkness settled in her chest.
No. She stood up quickly. It was definitely Clark. She was so on edge that everyone seemed to be giving her a vibe.
Turning toward the closet, she admired the dress she’d bought for today. It was an A-line sundress that had a flared skirtand halter-style top. It was a soft white with lots of big green flowers on it. She’d been so excited to find something that suited her so well. Now, she didn’t really feel like putting it on.
She sighed heavily. She’d hoped to enjoy the weekend—at least as much as a person could at a work event. She had relished parts of it, the Dylan parts, but it hadn’t solved her stalker problem. She was right back where she started. Maybe Dylan and Gabe could figure this mess out.
Fatigue hit her. Not mere sleepiness. This was more like a bone-weary tiredness she knew came from being stressed for weeks on end.
Giving herself a mental shake, she went about getting what she needed for her shower. She had work to do today, and it could really advance her career if Lydia was happy with it. Time to pull up her big girl panties and put aside the stalker business. She wasn’t going to let him stand in the way of her success. Not only was she going to write an amazing piece about the wedding, she was going to write a Pulitzer-Prize-winning piece about catching her stalker once it happened. She grinned. That was more like it.
She turned on the spray and closed the door. Once the temperature was just right, she stepped into the shower and let the water wash away her tension. There was a knock at the door. Dylan said something, but the pulsing water drowned out his voice.
“I can’t hear what you’re saying,” she yelled. “Come in if you want to talk to me.” She heard the door open.
“I said, I don’t think you should be on your own so if you insist on going to the wedding, then I am going with you.” Dylan’s voice sounded strained to her ears.
She sighed. “We’ve been through this, Dylan. You can’t wreck Jenn’s moment by being there. It wouldn’t be fair to her. Plus, Lydia will have a cow. Can Cosgrove help out? She could addsome extra security to the wedding and I can sell it to Lydia that the hotel wants to make sure it all goes well since their top paying guests are involved.”
“I can ask but it’s doubtful. The church is not part of the hotel. Look, I’ll explain to Lydia if you want. I don’t have to tell her who we think your stalker is, just that he’s here.” Dylan’s voice had that calming tone she’d come to hate.
“No! Are you crazy?” She fought down her panic over his suggestion. “You cannot tell Lydia anything. I’m on thin ice as it is.” She took a deep breath and tried to keep calm.
“It’s my job to protect you. You have no idea what Clark is capable of, and I don’t want you to be alone. Besides it’s not your fault Clark is here. Lydia invited him. He’s here to curry political favor with her. The fact that you’re here must be icing on the cake to him. It’s probably one of the reasons he’s always at Lydia’s many events. He knows you will be there."”
“I won’t be alone. Have you seen the number of people on the guest list? There is no possible chance for Clark to do anything today. This place will be flooded with guests.” She took a breath. “Please, Dylan, just let it go. I’ll be safe. I’ll stay with Phil. He’ll keep an eye on me.”
Dylan’s sigh was so loud she heard it over the shower. “Raleigh, you were on your own before, and how’d that work out for you? Clark will do whatever he wants today if I’m not there to stop him. You are in danger and I’m not letting you go alone. This is what you brought me here for, and I’m doing my job whether you like it or not. You were so scared you were shaking yesterday so don’t tell me you can take care of yourself."
She crushed the body wash bottle she’d been holding, sending a stream of green gel down the wall of the shower. The heat crawled up her neck and bloomed across her cheeks. Her back was rigid. Howcouldhe? If he thought he could makedecisions for her just because they’d had mind-blowing,rock-my-worldsex, he had another think coming.
This was ridiculous. They were arguing through a shower. Hell, she had conditioner in her hair. She spoke through clenched teeth, “I’ve got to finish my shower and get ready. This discussion is over, Dylan. I can handle everything from here. Feel free to head home. I can catch a ride from Phil.”
“Stop being so stu—”
