Page 7 of Sizzling Nights

"Also in my mother's name."

"So now they know you're here. They know what kind of car you have. And since they found your cell phone number, they've connected the dots to your mom. It’s no longer safe for you."

She bit her bottom lip. "Right."

He didn't hesitate. "Come to my place."

Her eyes grew round, and she abruptly stood. "Marco, I can't..."

He stood but didn't move toward her. "I have two bedrooms. I have security. The building has additional security. My friend, Mitch DeMario is in the security business, I'll have him take your car and get you another one. I can keep you safe."

"Why?"

"You need it. It's part of who I am." He shrugged. "And I like you."

He watched her throat constrict as she swallowed. "You have to go somewhere. It's not safe out there on your own. I can keep you safe."

She took a deep breath. "I don't know. It's not..."

"It's not safe for you in the wild alone. Here you have friends. You have me. I have the means to keep you safe and help you with this. What else are you going to do?"

They stood staring at each other for what felt like an hour. But he was willing to wait her out. Then the window above the sink shattered and a rock skittered across the floor and stopped near her feet. She turned and ran across the room, he ran to the window to see if he could see someone. A man with reddish hair darted across the lawn and into the woods. Marco ran to the door and darted out after him. He chased him for a while, but the man had too much of a head start. Plus, he could be leading him into a trap.

He ran back to the house to find Theresa rushing toward her car. He met her in the driveway and held his hand out for her keys. "My place is safe."

She swallowed again and nodded. He held his hand to the small of her back and led her to the passenger side of the SUV. After seeing her inside, he hurried around the front of the vehicle, but his eyes were watching the horizon. Especially in the direction the man ran.

He hopped in the driver's side of the vehicle and backed out of the driveway. He pulled his cell phone from his armband and found the notes app he used. He handed it to Theresa.

"Write in here, your cell phone number. Your mother's name, your landlord's name, and anything else we need to secure for you."

She took the phone from his hand and began typing into the app. He focused on the road and watched for anyone who might be following. He thought he saw someone duck behind a building as they neared, but didn't see anything else that seemed out of place. Driving past the hospital, he scanned the parking lot. As he turned down Main Street he didn't make his usual appreciative perusal, he was in duty mode. He was watching for danger. Sometimes the man can leave the military, but the military doesn't leave the man.

Driving into the parking area in front of his building, he parked at the space directly below his unit. Theresa looked out her window, then twisted in the seat and looked out the back window. Then she turned her head toward him. "Can you park in the back?"

"This won't be here long. Mitch will take care of it. And..." He pointed to the two cameras on the building focused on the parking lot. "See those? We'll be able to see anyone nosing around here."

"Oh."

"As soon as we get inside, I'm calling Mitch to come and get your car. He'll find a place to store it until things are safe for you. He'll get you another one and he can make sure it's titled in his name. Harder to trace to you."

He saw her swallow and her chest heaved as she inhaled deeply. "I don't know how I'll be able to thank you."

"Don't worry about it. For right now, let's get things taken care of with Mitch. Then let's get you settled. We'll ride to and from work together so you're safe. I'll mention to Jace that someone is bothering you and I'm helping you."

Her fingers shook as she tucked a lock of dark hair behind her ear. He couldn't look away as her silky hair wrapped around her ear. Her fingers shaking made him feel bad for her. She was scared. And she was a tough cookie, so her being scared said a lot.

"Let's get you and your things inside."

He opened his door and stepped out of her SUV. He immediately opened the hatch and pulled the totes from inside. Theresa pulled her suitcase from the back seat, and he led her inside the building. Once they'd entered, he relaxed. "This is the common area. Pool tables, ping pong table, microwave, sink, and refrigerator. Once in a while, the guy down the hall shoots pool with me in the morning. We both work nights. And bonus, Mitch DeMario lives at the end of the hall."

She nodded. "That's cool."

He grinned and started up the staircase to the upstairs. Once upstairs he stepped down the hall to the last door on the right. He set the totes on the floor and unlocked his door. He stepped back and let her enter first, then he brought the totes inside and closed the door.

"So, obviously this is the living room. He nodded to his right, "The kitchen is over there."

Moving toward the spare bedroom he set her totes on the floor. "This is your room. You have your own bathroom right outside the door. I have one in my room, so we don't have to share."

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