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Chapter Nine

S am and Claire arrived back at Mark’s house so quickly that Claire barely had time to process what had just happened.

The ride over had been quiet. Sam had turned the radio on, and the classical music soothed her.

For some reason, she never took Sam to be a classical music kind of gal, but then she hadn’t thought about what kind of music Sam liked.

In her other life, she never spent much time thinking about music.

Keith always chose contemporary jazz. Although she liked it, she didn’t love it, but it wasn’t like she was given a choice.

Claire still felt overwhelmed by the fact that Sam and Mark wanted her back and promised to protect her.

Her experience in the past with people who knew Keith was that they viewed her as arm candy and unimportant.

Keith had teasingly said at one point that if anyone helped her, he would ruin their lives. She wished she had paid more attention.

It had been a surprise to see Sam sitting in Penny’s office.

She wasn’t sure why she felt confident that Sam could protect her and probably all by herself, but it was a good feeling to have.

No one had protected her in, well, never.

Not that her parents wouldn’t have, but Keith was too powerful.

She ruined her life. She didn’t want to ruin theirs.

The good part was that Sam had the means and willpower to take on Keith. Things she had been lacking.

It was déjà vu pulling into Mark’s driveway. She had arrived here a few days ago at night, left this morning in the early light. It was mid-afternoon, hot as Florida was in the summer, and now she was back where she started. His Spanish-style home looked calm and welcoming.

“Come on, Claire. Let’s get you settled,” said Sam as she got out of the car. Claire got her suitcase from the back seat. She waited on the front porch while Sam unlocked the door and disarmed the alarm.

They walked into the cool interior, and Claire felt the tension in her body dissipate. She took a deep breath, exhaled. Safety. It wasn’t home, but then again, home was a terror pit.

“I’m starving. How about I make some sandwiches while you unpack?” asked Sam.

Claire nodded. Even though she had eaten a short time ago, she realized she was hungry again.

She walked back to the guest room she had vacated hours ago and looked longingly at the bed.

She was exhausted. The night before, her sleep was disturbed by thoughts of Keith finding her and panic about what she would do next.

After unpacking her meager belongings yet again, she walked into the kitchen. Sam prepared sandwiches and soup. They sat at the table, eating in comfortable silence.

“Claire.” Sam bit her lip and sighed. “I want to do right by you, so I need to know—if I put a male security guard with you, will you freak out? Or would you prefer a woman?”

Now that was a good question. How did she feel about men? She couldn’t trust the women she knew except for Sheri and now Sam. Keith was extremely jealous, so she was never around any men long enough to see whether she could trust them. She used to trust everyone before that bubble popped.

She shrugged. “Either is fine, but I have no problems with a man guarding me. Keith’s issues are on him, not on all men.”

Sam sat back in her chair, relief etched on her face. “Good to know. I don’t have any female team members right now, but I’m hiring two women. I would have personally done it if you were uncomfortable with a man.”

“Great.” Claire nodded and then yawned. “Sorry about that.” Why was she so tired? She guessed stress would make anyone tired. The emotional toll of dealing with Keith was manifesting itself in fatigue.

“Would you mind if I took a short nap? I didn’t sleep well last night.” She gave Sam a small smile. “The past couple of nights have been slightly stressful.”

“No, hon. Get some rest. I have work to do and a plan of action to put in place, and don’t worry. I’ll be here when you get up. We need to get you to the next step, where you’re free of Keith permanently.”

Claire hugged Sam, put her dishes in the dishwasher, then walked back to the guest room. Sam had her work cut out for her if she thought Keith would go away quietly. Today, however, she wasn’t going to pop Sam’s optimistic outlook.