“You realize you’re doing exactly what he wants you to do,” J.L. warned her as he jammed the last bite of pizza into his mouth. “He sends the damned apples to lure you in.”
“I can’t threaten him without seeing him,” Olivia said. She jumped when a knock sounded on the door.
“Expecting anyone?” J.L. strode to the door while he unsnapped the shoulder holster containing his sidearm.
“No.” Olivia grabbed a napkin to wipe the pizza grease off her fingers, then rushed to the console where she’d left her weapon.
J.L. peered through the peephole in the door. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“What? Who is it?” She envisioned a UPS man with fifty boxes of apples. Or maybe Otis’s enraged brother with a shotgun. She aimed her weapon at the door.
J.L. gave her a wry look. “Is that any way to treat your boyfriend?”
She blinked. “My what?”
He grinned. “Robby MacKay is on your front porch.”
CHAPTER 17
The door opened and a tall Asian American greeted him with a wary look. “You must be Robby.”
Robby shook hands with him. “Ye must be J.L.”
“Robby!” Olivia grinned at him.
“Olivia.” He strode into the apartment and pulled her into his arms. His heart swelled with joy when she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight.
He enveloped her, burying his face in her hair, breathing her sweet scent. She felt so right in his arms. In his life. What a fool he’d been over the last few months, courting her from afar. Now that he had her in his arms again, he never wanted to let her go.
“Whoa! Is that a sword on your back?” J.L. asked.
Robby lifted his face from Olivia’s curls. “Aye. I brought it for protection.”
Olivia leaned back in his arms. “I guess you got the message I left? You must have caught the next available flight.”
Robby knew she would assume he’d flown there. “I came as quickly as I could. How is everything?”
“You traveled with a sword?” J.L. asked, still eyeing the scabbard on Robby’s back. “What kind of sword is that?”
“A claymore.” Robby slipped the halter off his shoulders. He’d dressed in a black T-shirt and black jeans, to be less noticeable teleporting in. He offered the scabbard to J.L. “Would ye like to see it?”
“Whoa! It’s heavy.” J.L. unsheathed the sword. “Sweet! This is massive!”
“Are ye all right?” Robby turned back to Olivia and touched her face. “I was worried about you.”
“I’m fine. J.L. changed the lock.” She motioned toward the front door. “I should be safe here now.”
Robby shook his head. “There are ways to get past a locked door. Where are the apples?” He glanced about the room. The kitchen table was bare, and an empty pizza box lay open on the coffee table.
“We took the box to Forensics.” Olivia winced when J.L. swiped the sword through the air. “Careful with that! You nearly slaughtered the ceiling fan.”
“This is so awesome!” J.L. made a jab at an imaginary opponent. “I’ve got a Chinese sword and a samurai at home, but they’re not nearly as big as this.”
“Ye know how to fence?” Robby asked.
“Sure.” J.L. ran a hand along the flat of the blade. “I took fencing in college, but there’s not much demand for it at the Bureau.”
Olivia snorted. “They have this bizarre notion that guns might be more effective.”
J.L. rolled his eyes. “A sword like this is a piece of art.” He sheathed the sword and lay the scabbard on the table.
“I’ll be happy to spar with you sometime,” Robby said. “I could loan you a claymore.”
“You’re on.” J.L. motioned for Robby to join him at the table. “Dude, if you hurt Olivia, it’ll be more than a sparring match.”
She huffed. “I heard that. I don’t need big male protectors who like to play Conan the Barbarian.”
Robby smiled at her. “Even so, ye have two.” He rested a hand on J.L.’s shoulder. “I appreciate everything ye’re doing for Olivia. Ye’re a loyal friend.”
J.L. blushed. “Well, I meant what I said. You hurt her, and I’m coming after you.”
She groaned. “I can take care of myself.”
“I would never want to hurt her,” Robby confessed quietly as he looked at her. “I love her.”
She drew in a sharp breath and her eyes misted. “Oh, Robby,” she whispered.
“Okay.” J.L. grabbed his jacket off the kitchen chair. “I can tell when three’s a crowd.”
Olivia dashed over to hug him. “Thank you so much for everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“If you need me, call,” he whispered. He glanced at Robby. “I wasn’t going to leave her alone tonight.”
“I’m staying,” Robby announced. “But I need to leave shortly before dawn.”
“You have to go back to New York?” Olivia asked.
He nodded. “They’re expecting me.” She would assume he was catching an early morning flight. He hated misleading her, but didn’t think this was a good time to reveal his secret. She’d been through enough stress and turmoil today.
“Liv, I’ll check on you tomorrow morning.” J.L. fished his keys out of his jacket pocket as he headed for the door. “Good to meet you, Robby.”
Olivia gave J.L. another hug before he left, then locked the door. She turned to face Robby. “Well?”
Alone at last. His fingers curled with a sudden desire to grab hold of her. Her gaze wandered over him, and he could hear her heart rate speeding up. The apartment seemed suddenly smaller and warmer, as if a hot, humid cloud of desire had descended on them. His own heart rate increased, even though he tried to stay calm. He didn’t want his eyes to start glowing.
She smiled. “I thought the same thing when I saw you in those wedding pictures.” Her cheeks flushed. “You looked very handsome in your kilt.”
She was taking on a pinkish tint, and he didn’t think it was all due to her blush. He glanced down and rubbed his eyes.
“Are you tired from your flight? I can’t believe you came all this way. It was so sweet.” She rushed to the coffee table and folded the empty pizza box. “Sorry about the mess.”
“’Tis all right.”
She scurried into the kitchen with the box. “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”
“I’m fine. Thank you.”
She came out of the kitchen with two glasses of ice water. “Pizza makes me so thirsty.” She set the glasses on coasters on the coffee table. “Are you sure you’re not hungry? I’ve got chips and ice cream and—”
“I’m fine. But if ye wish to eat, please go ahead.”
“I’m full.” She clutched her hands together. “I’m just…nervous. It’s been so long since we were in the same room together.”
“I shouldna have stayed away so long.”
“It’s all right.” She perched on the green love seat. “I’ve really enjoyed our talks. I feel like I got to know you a lot better, and that’s important. If we had met in person, we might not have… talked so much.”
No, he would have been making love to her. “That is true.”
Her cheeks bloomed a brighter pink. “I’d forgotten how strong the…chemistry is.”
She drew in a sharp breath. “I suppose.”
He sat beside her. “Do ye remember our last night together?”
“Yes!” She jumped to her feet and strode to the door to check the lock. “It was very sweet of you to come tonight.”
“I dinna feel verra sweet when I heard yer message. Ye were so upset.”
“The box was
Unfortunately, he could. He still had a pair of her underwear stashed under his pillow at Romatech. “The bastard,” he muttered. “Would ye like me to speak to Otis for you? I could convince him to leave you alone.”
“How?”
“I appreciate that, but I have my own plan.” She paced across the room. “I’m going to see him Monday.”
Robby winced. “I’m no’ sure that’s a good idea. I investigated the man, and he’s verra dangerous. I could take you away, if ye like, and hide you someplace he would never find you.”
“I’m not running away. I did that before when my supervisor insisted on it, but it didn’t work. And I’m not going to spend the rest of my life in hiding. I’m confronting him Monday. My mind’s made up.”
“And how are ye planning to make him stop harassing you?”
She explained her plan as she continued to pace. “Don’t worry. J.L. is coming with me.”
Robby frowned. “I’m glad ye have such a loyal friend, but it vexes me that he’s here for you, and I’m no’.”
“You’re here now.” She sat beside him once again. “And that means a lot to me.” She touched his cheek.
He took her hand and kissed the pad of each finger. “Ye’ve changed me, Olivia. I’ve seen people the last few months, people who aided and abetted the man who tortured me. Before, I would have wanted to kill them.”
“And now?”
He kissed the palm of her hand. “Now I realize they were victims, too. I want a second chance in my life, and I know ’tis wrong to deny others that same chance.”
“What do you want your second life to be like?”
He smiled. “Ever the therapist. I want it to be full of joy and laughter.” He smoothed a hand across her cheek. “I want it to be with you.”
“Yes.” She closed her eyes as he leaned closer. He pressed his mouth lightly against hers.
