Defending His Own

and bring it up in just a little while.'

'Tea would be nice.' Halting on the landing, Carol grabbed Deborah's arm. 'Let him do whatever he has to do to put an end to this.'

'Mother, what are saying?'

'I'm saying that Ashe knows how to deal with those people. However he chooses to handle the situation. I don't want you trying to persuade him otherwise.'

'Ashe is not a hired assassin, Mother. He's not going to kill Buck Stansell.'

'You two go on,' Ashe called out from the downstairs hallway. 'I'll fix you both some tea and bring it up.'

'Thank you,' Miss Carol smiled.

'Mother!' Deborah glared at Carol. 'Do you honestly think Ashe would murder someone?'

'Not murder, my dear, kill. There is a difference. And Ashe McLaughlin has been trained to kill. There is no doubt in my mind that he would kill anyone who'd harm you.'

'I don't want him to have to kill to protect me, but… Perhaps Buck Stansell wasn't responsible for the fire. Besides, no one was harmed.'

Downstairs, Ashe put on the water to boil, set two cups on a tray and laid two Earl Grey tea bags in each cup. Lifting the phone out of the wall cradle, he dialed Roarke's cellular phone number.

'Roarke, here.'

'Keep a very close eye on Allen.'

'What's wrong?'

'We've had a fire here,' Ashe said. 'Someone doused the garage with gasoline. They left the cans for the firemen to find.'

'Looks like we'll be hanging around Sheffield for a while longer than we thought.'

'Yeah. I'd say Buck Stansell is back to playing games with us. The question is just how deadly will his games become.'

* * *

Deborah took care of her morning phone calls, dictated several letters and closed a deal on the old Hartman farm before her ten-thirty coffee break. She had wanted to stay home with her mother, whom she worried would fret the day away there at the house with only Mazie, the eternal pessimist, as company. But her mother had insisted she didn't need a baby-sitter, so Deborah had found an alternative plan.

She glanced in the outer office where Ashe sat with his long legs stretched out, his big feet propped up on a desk in the corner, situated where he could see directly into Deborah's office. He had begun work on his second crossword puzzle book since his arrival in Sheffield.

Deborah dialed the telephone, hoping her plan for keeping her mother occupied would work out.

'Hello.'

'Mama Mattie,' Deborah said. 'I have a favor to ask of you.'

'What is it, child?'

'Mother's at the house all alone with Mazie, and I'm afraid, after the doctor's news and the fire in the garage yesterday, she'll spend the day fretting.'

'You need say no more. I've just baked an apple cinnamon coffee cake. I'll take it over and spend the rest of the day with Miss Carol.'

'Thanks so much, Mama Mattie.'

'It'll be my pleasure.' Deborah hung up the phone and glanced back at Ashe, who looked up from his puzzle and grinned at her. She lifted her hand to her mouth in a drinking gesture. Ashe nodded agreement. They met at the coffeepot, one of three set up on a table in a small, open room directly across from the office rest room.

'Good morning.' Holding a mug of hot coffee in one hand, he cupped her hip with the other and brought her close enough for him to kiss.

She returned the kiss, then pulled away, turning to pour her coffee. 'Get your hand off my hip, Mr. McLaughlin. This is an office, not a bedroom,' she teased.

'I'm glad you told me,' he said. 'I was planning on backing you up against the wall over there and ravishing you. But since this is an office, I don't suppose ravishing the boss lady is allowed.'

'Most definitely not.'

'You've had a busy morning.'

'I've accomplished a great deal.'

They carried their coffee back into the outer office, pausing just outside Deborah's private domain.

'Ashe, have there been any threatening phone calls or a letter today?' she asked.

'No, honey, not a one.'

'I'd thought that since … well since the fire yesterday, the harassment might start all over again.'

He nudged her through her office door. 'There may not be a connection. But…' He didn't want to alarm her.

'But what?'

'If Buck Stansell was behind yesterday's fire, I'd say phone calls and letters are a thing of the past. Simple harassment will no longer be the order of the day.'

'I see. You're saying things will get nasty.'

'They could.'

'Do you think Allen and Mother are in danger?'

'Possibly.'

'Oh, Ashe.' The coffee sloshed over the edge of her mug. Quickly holding the mug outward so the liquid could run down the sides, she averted being burned.

Just as Ashe started to close the door to Deborah's office, a string of loud, piercing blasts sounded. The front office windows shattered. Glass blew across the room. The office staff screamed and dived for cover under their desks. Ashe knocked Deborah to the floor, covering her body with his as he drew his gun.

'Crawl to the left,' he told her.

She obeyed silently, not questioning Ashe's order for one minute. Standing, he lifted her to her knees and sat her in the corner behind a row of metal file cabinets.

'Stay put.'

She nodded. He made his way to the outer office where he found the staff in hiding. The front of the office wall consisted of a line of long windows, all of which had been destroyed by a barrage of bullets.

Annie Laurie looked up from beneath her desk, her eyes wide with fright. 'Ashe? Oh, my God, what happened?'

'Everyone stay put,' Ashe said.

Cracking his office door a fraction, Neil Posey peered outside. 'Is everyone all right?' he asked. 'Is Annie Laurie okay? Was Deborah hurt?'

'As far as I know the only damage is to the windows,' Ashe said as he made his way to the bullet-riddled front door. He walked out onto the sidewalk. People were staring at him and at the Vaughn & Posey building. In the distance he heard a police siren and knew, the police station being only a few blocks away, the authorities would arrive at any moment. Returning inside, he made his way toward Deborah's office.

'It's all right,' Ashe said. 'Whoever did all this damage is long gone.'

One by one the staff of Vaughn & Posey emerged from under their desks.

Neil opened his office door. 'Annie Laurie, are you sure you're all right?'

'I'm fine, Mr. Posey. Just scared to death.'

Ashe found Deborah still sitting in the corner behind the filing cabinets. She stared up at him, her eyes dry, her face pale.

'It's okay, honey.' Reaching down, he lifted her to her feet. She shook uncontrollably. 'Deborah?'

She clung to him, her trembling growing worse. 'Was anyone hurt?'

'Everybody's fine. Nothing's hurt but the building.'

'I can't let the people who work for me be at risk because of me.'

Ashe stroked her back, trying to soothe her. 'You can't blame yourself for this.'

'Yes, I can. And I do. I'm Buck Stansell's target. If I hadn't been here at the office, then he wouldn't have sent someone here to shoot up the place.'