Personal Protector Read online

  Chapter Five

  “This just isn’t working.” Piper stood before her boss’s desk staring down at him, her hands on hips, her expression the sternest she could muster. She remained standing rather than taking a seat, a blatant attempt at intimidation that she already knew wouldn’t work, but she was too angry to care.

  Dave leaned back in his leather executive’s chair and studied her for a time before speaking. She hated when he did that. It was a sure sign that he had no clue what he was going to say, and even less idea of how he was going to handle the situation. More often than not it meant that he wasn’t going to do a thing in the world to solve the problem except to deny its existence.

  “Personally,” he finally began, “I don’t see the problem. Martinez appears to be doing a good job.”

  Piper resisted the impulse to pat herself on the back for seeing that one coming. “But he abandoned his camera,” she refuted.

  Dave cocked an eyebrow. “To save your neck, as I heard it,” he countered.

  Piper huffed out an impatient breath and dropped into the closest chair. “You know as well as I do that the story comes first. Good reporters put themselves in dangerous situations all the time. That meeting with Taylor was no different.” She leveled a gaze on her boss that carried a clear rebuke. “We’re in the news business, not the hero business.”

  Dave planted his feet on the floor, leaned forward and matched her chastising gaze. “Piper, I’ve been in this business for thirty years and no one knows what we’re about better than I do. But—” he paused for effect “—my perspective has changed recently. Sometimes I think maybe we sacrifice too much in the name of the news and to keep the people informed. Maybe the people don’t need to know some of the things we show them.”

  She couldn’t believe her ears. Dave Sullenger, the hardcore newsman who’d taught her everything she knew, was obviously going soft. This didn’t add up. She knew him too well.

  “What’s going on, Dave?” She searched his gaze, her own more than a little suspect. This didn’t sound like him at all. “Has Lucas been talking to you?”

  Her boss released a heavy breath. “Yes, he has.” Before Piper could rail against the injustice of her uncle’s interference, Dave pressed the intercom button. “Keith, bring us some coffee in here, would you?” An instant “Yes, sir” reverberated through the speaker. Dave settled his solemn gaze back on Piper. “Look, I know it’s not fair, but I agree with your uncle.” He held up a hand to stay her protests. “I just don’t think it’s safe for you to be on the streets. So, I’m going to ask you one more time to take a vacation until this is over.”

  She shook her head. “No way.” She blinked back the wall of hot tears burning behind her eyes. She refused to cry. “I admit that this SSU business makes me as nervous as hell, because I don’t see it coming when they strike. It’s not like I’m consciously choosing to walk into a hot zone. But I won’t let them win. I’ve thought long and hard about this, Dave, and I will not back down. What good did it do Sorrel to hide from them?”

  Keith breezed in, carrying two cups of coffee. Knowing which side his bread was buttered on, he placed Dave’s cup before him first, then, with a wide smile, he offered the remaining cup to Piper. “With cream, just the way you like it, Miss Ryan.” He smiled as if this mundane task were an immense pleasure.

  “Thanks, Keith.” She took the cup and sipped from it. She needed something, anything, to soothe her nerves at the moment. And a little caffeine boost wouldn’t hurt, considering the meager amount of sleep she’d gotten last night.

  When the desk assistant was gone, Dave continued. “All right, Piper, I won’t push the issue.” He sipped his own coffee, looking thoughtful for a time. “I’ve been keeping some pretty exciting news from you for the last three days in hopes that you’d change your mind, but it’s apparent now that you don’t intend to. So I see no reason not to tell you.”

  Piper almost burned her mouth with a gulp of hot coffee. “Tell me what?”

  “You’re aware that a few months ago the President set up his own antiterrorist organization specifically designed to focus on fighting terrorism in this country.”

  She nodded. “Of course. You know I did the informative piece on it shortly after the announcement was made.”

  “They’ve selected Senator Rominski from right here in Georgia to head up this new organization.”

  Piper nodded. That was old news. The announcement had come more than a week ago. Why was Dave rehashing that now? If it didn’t happen today it wasn’t news. “And?”

  “Senator Rominski is going to be in Atlanta next week speaking to the law-enforcement groups regarding his plans for involving the authorities at the local level.”

  Piper sat up a little straighter. Anticipation zinged through her. This could be big…really big. “Do we have an inside track?”

  That old sparkle she recognized and loved twinkled in Dave’s eyes. “We have the only track. Senator Rominski has agreed to an exclusive interview with our station and he asked for you by name.”

  The cup in her hand was suddenly too heavy to hold, and she plunked it down on Dave’s desk. “He asked for me?”

  “The senator feels that since you were invited to SSU’s secret press conference, you’re the only logical choice.” Dave pegged her with his most authoritative gaze. “But I haven’t given him my decision yet.”

  “Don’t even think about trying to keep me from doing this,” Piper warned. Though she loved her uncle Lucas, she was plenty angry with him for interfering with her career. In the past, Dave would never have hesitated like this.

  “The interview will be in the studio under heavy security. But there’s still a risk that SSU will come after you, and maybe even the senator. Think hard, Piper. You’re sure you want to do this?”

  “You know I do.”

  Dave nodded, a slight smile creeping into his otherwise concerned expression. “I knew you would. Since that’s settled, there’s one more thing. I can’t make any promises just yet, since all the details haven’t been worked out, but there’s a good chance that it’ll be picked up by one of the networks.”

  “National? It could go national?”

  He nodded. “It’s a strong possibility.”

  Piper drained the rest of her coffee. She was going to need all the caffeine she could absorb today. She had a ton of research to do on this new organization. Chances like this didn’t come along often in this size of market. She fully intended to make this interview one no one would forget.

  “Miss Ryan!” Keith burst into Dave’s office just as she stood to leave. The desk assistant bubbled with excitement, his face flushed, his eyes wide.

  “What’s up?”

  “I took this call for you.” He flashed a lengthy message. “I wanted to put the woman on hold and pass her to you, but she couldn’t wait and insisted I take a message.”

  Piper frowned when she noticed SSU in the text of the message. “Slow down and tell me what she said.”

  “She’s the mother of an SSU member. She wants to talk to you. She’s worried about her son.” Keith pointed to an address on the note. “This is where she lives. She said she’s ready to talk, to give her story to the press to see if she could stop this from happening to other mothers.”

  Renewed anticipation scorched through Piper’s veins. This could be a huge break. “Where’s Martinez?”

  “He’s going over the location with those FBI guys to see if they think it’s safe to take you there.”

  Piper took the note from Keith. “Like he has any say in the matter,” she muttered.

  “Piper.” Dave interrupted the interview strategy already in motion inside her head. “You listen to Martinez. He has your welfare in mind.”

  She chewed her lip to prevent the sharp retort as to just what Martinez had had in mind yesterday afternoon. The kiss she’d struggled to keep out of conscious thought all morning slammed into her like a speeding bus. His taste…the feel of his li
ps on hers. The fit of her body against his. Need and desire whirled instantly inside her as remembered pleasure cascaded over her. She’d hardly slept last night for reliving that mind-blowing moment. Piper closed the door on those thoughts. She couldn’t think about that now.

  And she darn sure would not allow anything like that to happen again. She was a professional. Martinez was her cameraman. In just over a week Jones would be back and Martinez would be assigned to someone else. She wasn’t about to jeopardize her position at the station or her reputation with her constituents for a night of hot sex with the man. Automatically her brain conjured up the image of Martinez’s lean, golden body moving over hers. She clenched her teeth and forced the unbidden fantasy away. She definitely would not go there. No touching, no kissing. From now on their relationship would be strictly business as it should be. What happened last night would not happen again.

  No matter how much her traitorous body wanted it to.

  “MRS. OLSEN, I’M NOT SURE I’m following you,” Piper said, interrupting the older woman’s lengthy monologue.

  Ric stood only a few feet away from the sofa where Piper sat. The woman had insisted the interview not be videotaped. She’d been so adamant, in fact, that Ric had stored the camera back in the van to make her more comfortable. The entire interview had taken an unexpected direction. Whatever the lady had said on the telephone, she was singing a totally different tune now.

  “You just don’t understand, Miss Ryan,” Mrs. Olsen insisted. “We stand for what this country should have been all along…what it still could be.”

  Ric could see the surprise and supreme annoyance in Piper’s expression. This had been a complete waste of time. Townsend and Green had checked the place out. There was no one here but the woman. Still, Ric had a bad feeling about the whole setup. And this had definitely been a setup.

  “But when you called the station you suggested that you were concerned for your son.”

  “I am concerned,” Mrs. Olsen insisted evenly. She sat ramrod straight on the edge of her chair. Her hands folded neatly on her lap. “But my fears lie with those hateful reporters.” Something malicious flickered briefly in her gray eyes. “They make it sound like my son is a criminal for standing up for what he believes in.” She cocked her head and studied Piper in a way that fell somewhere close to insane. “You’re not going to say anything bad about him, are you?”

  Ric readied to hurl himself between Piper and the woman if Mrs. Olsen suddenly became violent.

  Piper placed her hand on the other woman’s for a couple of seconds in a gesture of assurance. “You have my word that I won’t say anything at all negative about your son. I’m only trying to understand what motivates the men with whom he associates. What is it they expect to accomplish by killing innocent people?”

  Piper grimaced. Ric tensed. What had that look been about? When the pained expression deepened, he started to step forward, but Mrs. Olsen started talking again.

  “We have plans, Miss Ryan. Plans that include you,” the woman said knowingly. “We had hoped that you and the others selected so carefully would portray our cause in a better light, but you didn’t.”

  “I reported what I heard with my own ears and the actions I observed firsthand,” Piper explained carefully. “The SSU seems determined to wipe out anyone who doesn’t see things their way. What happened to freedom, Mrs. Olsen? In this country we’re supposed to be free to believe as we choose. But those who support the SSU would take that freedom away from the rest of us. Where’s the democracy in that?”

  The woman only smiled patiently. “But they would give us so much in return. No one would want for medical care or the basic necessities of life as they do now. When was the last time you didn’t have enough to eat, Miss Ryan? This country has lost itself by embracing too many outsiders. Why should refugees from another country have food in their bellies and free medical care when many of those born and raised here don’t? It’s time for the pure ones to take back what is rightly theirs.”

  “By pure ones, I would assume you mean those of your own persuasion?”

  Mrs. Olsen flicked a glance at Ric. “Of course, dear. Who else would I mean?”

  Ric ignored the dig at his Latin heritage. This woman was not the first, nor would she be the last bigot he encountered. He’d learned a long time ago that he couldn’t change the way people thought and acted, but he could definitely control his reaction.

  “I think—” Piper stalled abruptly. The color drained from her face right before Ric’s eyes. She stood suddenly. “May I use your rest room?” she asked stiffly.

  “Why, of course.” Mrs. Olsen gestured to the hall behind her.

  Piper rushed in that direction. Ric resisted the urge to follow her and make sure she was all right. He doubted she would appreciate it. Maybe she’d eaten something this morning that didn’t agree with her. They hadn’t bothered to stop for lunch before showing up here.

  Mrs. Olsen flicked another of those disapproving glances in his direction but Ric ignored her. He shifted, suddenly remembering the incident in the bathroom he’d thought was safe at the art auction.

  Thankfully, Piper appeared just when Ric had decided he had to go after her.

  “I appreciate your time,” Piper announced, still looking pale. She extended her hand. The other woman stood and, somewhat hesitantly, accepted the offered gesture that indicated the interview was over even before Piper spoke. “Thank you, Mrs. Olsen, but I think I’ve heard all I need to.”

  The woman held on when Piper would have turned away. “Don’t be foolish, Miss Ryan,” she warned, her tone and expression stone cold. “You should make your final days on this earth count. Take up our cause, and perhaps mercy will be shown for you.”

  “This isn’t about what I believe or don’t believe,” Piper insisted as she tried to pull away once more. “I report what I see and hear. It’s up to the viewing audience to form their own opinion.”

  Mrs. Olsen jerked Piper close and embraced her. “Bless you, child, for you know not your true destiny.”

  Ric pulled a stunned Piper from the woman’s clutches. “Let’s go.” Piper didn’t resist as he tugged her toward the door. This old lady was nuts and he had no intention of hanging around another second.

  Piper stalled. “Wait.” She shouldered loose from Ric’s firm hold and turned back to Mrs. Olsen. “What is my true destiny?”

  “We don’t need to listen to this,” Ric insisted.

  The woman smiled, her eyes glazed with a strange mixture of hatred and glee. “You will be instrumental in showing our strength and commitment.”

  Piper shook her head, confusion and a hint of fear evident in her expression.

  “Let’s go,” Ric murmured to her. “We don’t need to hear any more.”

  Piper started to say something, but suddenly stiffened. She took a halting breath, grabbed her stomach and doubled over with a harsh cry of pain.

  Startled, Ric crouched down next to her. “What’s wrong?”

  She cried out again. “I…don’t…know,” she gasped. “The pain…” Anguish streaked across her face. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit down on her lower lip.

  “Mierda.” Ric shot to his feet. “I have to get you to a hospital.”

  “There’s a small private hospital very close,” Mrs. Olsen said, concern marring her features. “Two blocks up the street on the right.”

  Ric didn’t bother thanking her. His mind kept replaying the way the woman had grabbed Piper and embraced her. Surely this loco lady couldn’t have done anything that would have caused this. Piper cried out again as he lifted her into his arms. Before he got halfway down the sidewalk, Townsend was out of his car and sprinting in their direction.

  “Open the van door,” Ric ordered.

  “What the hell happened?”

  “I don’t know.” Ric settled Piper into the passenger seat and snapped her seat belt into place. Tears were streaming down her face and she literally writhed with the pain.
“I’m taking her to a hospital a couple of blocks up the street.”

  Townsend swore. “We’re right behind you.”

  AFTER WHAT FELT like a lifetime later, Ric skidded to a halt in front of the hospital’s emergency entrance. Piper was still holding her abdomen and alternating between moans and sobs. When he lifted her from the seat, she cried out in agony, crushing him with the knowledge that he was adding to her pain, but there was no other way.

  Ric rushed to the emergency room admissions desk. “I need help,” he demanded, his voice sounded raw and harsh to his own ears.

  The stern-faced attendant shot to her feet and called for an orderly. “What seems to be the problem, sir?” she asked then, surveying Piper as she spoke.

  Ric shook his head helplessly. “I don’t know. She just doubled over in pain.”

  The orderly wheeled a gurney next to the counter. Ric carefully laid Piper onto it. She cried out, and curled into a fetal position. His heart hammered so hard, he could barely think. What the hell was happening?

  “Just calm down, sir. We’ll take good care of her,” the orderly assured Ric before wheeling Piper away.

  “I have to go with her.”

  “Wait, sir,” the desk attendant called out behind him. “I’ll need you to help me with the admissions forms.”

  Ric watched Piper disappear through the double doors, torn between going with her and doing what he knew had to be done.

  “I’ll take care of the paperwork,” Townsend said, seeming to come out of nowhere. “You stay with her. What about her insurance?”

  “Her purse is still in the van,” Ric shouted over his shoulder. Not waiting for the attendant’s okay, he barreled through the double doors just in time to see which room the orderly wheeled Piper into. A nurse was taking Piper’s vitals when Ric entered the room.

  “I’m sorry, sir, but you’ll have to wait in the lobby.”