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Chapter Thirteen

A n early morning thunderstorm the next day kept Joe and Claire indoors.

Joe was grateful Pete Carson was free and available to keep watch on Keith.

Especially after yesterday, when Keith found that outdoor café and he had been stuck with no place to go in a torrential rain shower.

That would be the last time he left without a rain cover.

It almost seemed like the jerk recognized and was playing with him.

Anyhow, it felt good to be dry and warm.

Claire slapped down her cards and yelled out, “Ante up, boy.”

They had been playing five-card stud for an hour, and he was very good at letting her win. He threw another penny into the pot, which she gathered up in glee. He didn’t feel the need to tell her that she should never play cards professionally; her face gave away every thought.

“Good job. You beat me again,” Joe said, throwing up his hands. “Las Vegas, here you come.”

She scrunched her face, stared at him and smiled. “Don’t think for a minute that I don’t know you’re letting me win. ”

He only shook his head and zipped his lips.

“How about I make some coffee?” she said as she got up.

“Sounds good.”

He watched her turn the water on and get out the mugs—an innocent domestic act. Too bad an animal was out there aiming for her.

“Here you go,” she said as she placed a mug in front of him a few minutes later. She sat down and took a sip.

“We haven’t had much time to talk. Can you tell me what you’ve been up to since graduating high school?” Her whiskey-colored eyes twinkled.

Whoa, wasn’t expecting that. What had he been up to that he could share? Sharing made him uncomfortable. He wasn’t a sharer nor a talker. But with Claire, he felt he could do anything.

“Hmm, well, after graduation, you know I joined the Navy.” Didn’t want to.

Had to. If he hadn’t left, Claire wouldn’t have gone to college.

She would have been stuck with a loser. He had to find himself.

Make his way in the world. He knew he hurt her when he left.

Was she still mad at him after all these years?

He would be. They needed to have that talk, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.

When they were younger, he and Claire had never talked about moving forward with their relationship, although she hinted at a future with him.

They’d only kissed—a lot. Sweet, warm kisses that sustained him all these years.

And double damn if he didn’t want to get up, pull her into his arms and kiss her some more.

Claire was a married woman, and he knew without a doubt that she would never cheat on her husband even though he was the worst kind of human being.

However, if she divorced Keith… Hmm, have to wait and see.

He sure wasn’t going anywhere this time.

He always knew Claire was it for him. He wondered if she still felt the same .

“Joe? If you don’t want to tell me, it’s okay.”

He was pulled back from his thoughts. “Just mentally reminiscing. No, I’m fine.

So, I joined the Navy, made it through SEAL training, spent a few years on ops overseas, and contrary to how most SEALs feel, got tired of the adrenaline rush and killing.

I wanted to settle down a bit and, to my complete surprise, moved back here and bought a house. ”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, slay me with a spoon. The mighty Joe moved back to the place he said he never wanted to see again, to”—she gulped— “settle down.” She started giggling and couldn’t stop.

Joe loved seeing Claire relaxed and laughing.

The decision to move here had been an easy one.

Mr. and Mrs. G lived close by. They were his family, along with a couple of boys, now men, that had spent time there.

They were good kids—good men—and they frequently kept in touch.

They were all as close-knit as a foster family could be.

Plus, it felt good to be in a place with memories of Claire. He treasured those roots.

By mid-afternoon, they had finished lunch and were reading when the doorbell rang. Claire looked at him, and a small glimmer of fear crossed her face. He hated seeing the fear in her eyes.

“Who do you think it is?” she whispered.

Joe pulled out his gun as he got up and peered through the peephole.

“It’s a flower delivery man.”

He opened the door a little, still holding the gun against the back of the door. He saw the local flower shop van in the drive.

“Yes?”

The delivery man cleared his throat and held out a bouquet of white tulips that looked cheery and out of place in the dreary day. His hands were shaking, and Joe realized he needed to dial down the “I’m going to kill you now” look.

“I have a delivery for a Claire Willis.”

Joe heard Claire gasp behind him.

“Who are they from?”

“Don’t know, but there’s a card.”

Joe tucked his gun into his back and opened the door wider. Grabbed the flowers and card and slammed the door in the guy’s face. Probably should have tipped the guy, but he was furious. There was only one person who was looking for Claire. How did he know she was here?

“Oh, my God. It has to be from Keith. He’s the only one who ever bought me white tulips. He loved them.” Claire’s voice cracked. “Read the card.”

Joe put the flowers on the table and looked at the envelope. The flower shop’s name was on it. He carefully peeled open the envelope and took out a white card.

“What does it say?” Claire’s face was pale, and she was trembling.

He looked again at the card. “It says, ‘Claire, I love you. All is forgiven. Come home. Love, Keith.’”

Claire rushed over to the window, stood to one side and peeked out. “Is he here?”

“No, honey, he’s not. I looked around when I took the flowers.”

“How did he know I was staying here? Oh, God.” She sank into the chair, holding her head. A small groan escaped her lips. “No,” she muttered as she stood up. “I’ve got to pack and get out of here. You’re all in danger.”

Son of a bitch. Joe cracked his knuckles and punched the wall.

He wanted to kill the bastard. He was grateful his outburst hadn’t dented the wall.

That wouldn’t be a good look for a bodyguard who was supposed to remain calm.

But this was Claire. His Claire. And he wanted to punch the son of a bitch who was tormenting her.

He took a deep breath and walked over to Claire, who was halfway to her bedroom, and put his arm around her waist. “Claire. Stop. We’ll figure out what’s going on.”

She let out a little sob, and Joe wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go. Instead, he led her back to the chair, sat across from her and pulled out his cell phone. “I need to call Sam or Pete and see if Keith is still in the area.”

Sam answered on the first ring. “What’s up, Joe?”

“Sam, we just got a delivery of flowers from Keith. Is Pete still watching him?”

Silence. Joe heard her phone ding.

“Damn. I just got a message from Pete. Keith left for the airport late this morning.”

“Where’s he going?”

“I’ll call the office and ask Phil to check the airlines. Let me call you back.” Sam hung up, and Joe turned to Claire to pass on the news.

“I can’t believe this,” she moaned as she held her head in her hands. “He’s never letting me go. I’m never going to be safe.”

Joe reached over and took her hand. “It’s probably a guess on his part that you’re here. But you will be safe. I promise. Sam and Mark will be over soon. I have a plan to protect you.”