Page 21 of Death Wish

“White was more than a bully, sweetheart. He was abusive.”

She stared. “You saw the pictures?”

“I plugged his name into the Fortress database. What do you think?”

Simone flinched. “I didn’t want you to see me like that.”

“If he comes after you again, I’ll stop him by any means necessary. You know that, right?”

She nodded. “All I ask if that you do nothing to get you into trouble with the cops.”

“No guarantees,” he countered. “He hurt you. That’s unacceptable. If he comes around again, I’ll stop him from touching you. Period. He’ll have to go through me first, and I’m difficult to get around. Not only that, you have my teammates plus Brent and Zane who will also go after Trevor with everything they have. Take my word for it, Simone. If he bothers you again, he’s toast.”

“Hopefully, he’ll find someone else to pester.”

“Don’t bet on it. He’s not just a pest. White is obsessed. Men like that don’t quit until they’re behind bars or dead.”

She shoved her fingers through her hair. “I can’t think about this right now. I need to focus on work. If I don’t, I won’t sleep at all tonight.” After another quick glance at Jesse, she went back to her task.

Jesse seethed inside, a volcano ready to blow at the first sighting of one Trevor White. He’d seen several pictures of the creep and knew what he looked like. He’d be looking for him. If he showed up, White would regret showing his face.

He shoved back from the table. “I’m checking the perimeter,” he said and left the house without another word.

What he needed was a good hard run of ten miles but that wouldn’t happen. It would leave Simone alone and vulnerable. A circuit around the property would have to do.

He returned minutes later, grimaced at the taste of the cold coffee in his mug, and poured out the drink in favor of the steaming brew still in the pot.

Jesse resumed his exploration of White’s life, growing more disgusted with the information he learned as each minute passed. Simone’s ex-boyfriend had been arrested on multiple charges over the years. Attempted rape, assault, battery, illegal drugs and weapons. You name it and the authorities arrested White for the crime. Unfortunately, he’d been released more often than not except for the charges Simone had filed against him. As soon as the police told her she could leave, she moved out of state and attended college where she met Poppy Reynolds Fletcher. They graduated together, then Poppy moved to Tennessee to be closer to her sister Sage. Simone stayed near Washington, D.C.

Simone had to know what White was like. Jesse hated she had felt as though the creep was her only option for a dating relationship. She deserved better, and Jesse intended to show her as much if she gave him the chance.

The woman at the forefront of his mind pushed back from the table and stretched, looked at him, and froze. “Jesse, what’s wrong?”

He couldn’t help it. Everything protective inside Jesse demanded he act. He rose, circled the table, and pulled her gently into his arms. “I wish I had known you before last month.”

“Why?”

“I feel like I’m too late to make a difference in your life.”

She was silent a moment. “You’re talking about Trevor.”

“I’m sorry, Simone. No woman deserved the treatment you received at his hands.”

“So you said at lunch today.”

“I meant every word. If I’d been in your life sooner, I would have stopped him from abusing you.”

“Lucky for me you don’t have to intervene.”

“But he keeps popping up, doesn’t he?”

“Sometimes.”

Right. He resolved to dig deeper and figure out how this guy was tracking Simone. She was too good with computers to leave electronic footprints for White to track back to her. Was someone at the think tank where she’d worked before joining Fortress to blame? Perhaps she kept in contact with someone in her old neighborhood.

In his pocket, Jesse’s phone vibrated. Leaving one arm around Simone since she seemed content to remain in his embrace, he checked the screen. “We have a visitor.”

She leaned back to look at him. “Who?”

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