Guarding Raine Part 14

In not allowing her fear from the past to take over, she'd failed to respond appropriately to the threats at all.

Raine swallowed, self-doubt welling inside her.

She'd worked very.

hard to overcome most of the demons that had haunted her for years.

But somehow, today, her modest triumphs over the shadows in her past seemed trivial, like so much window dressing to disguise a vacant storefront.

Shivering, she wrapped her arms closer.

Staring sightlessly at the wall, Raine wondered bleakly whether she had the courage to face being the target of someone's malice yet again.

"Raine."

Mac's voice held a note of impatience.

He'd looked all over the whole house, fully expecting to find her in

her studio, doing that work she was always claiming she was behind on.

He hadn't expected she'd still be in the room in which he'd left her, staring into s.p.a.ce.

She turned her head slowly to look at him, but didn't get up.

"The crew has arrived. I'd like you to meet the men who'll be doing some work here for the next few days."

She took a deep breath, then rose.

"All right."

He glanced at her sharply as she pa.s.sed by him on her way to the front

door.

Her tone was subdued, as was her manner.

He'd grown weary of her constant debating with him, but he thought that

he'd prefer it to the way she seemed now, as if a light inside had been snuffed out as easily as a candle flame by careless fingers.

He wondered if he'd been too rough on her earlier.

He didn't have a lot of polish, and he made little effort to hide the fact.

When her bravado had been stripped away, she'd revealed real fear.

Mac shook his head and followed her to the door.

He couldn't expend any remorse for that.

Getting her to admit a threat existed had been necessary to enlist her

cooperation.

It was d.a.m.n near impossible to protect a person who refused to recognize the seriousness of the situation.

He followed her out on the porch.

"Over here, everyone,"

he said tersely.

Raine slanted a look at him as the men moved immediately.

No wonder he ordered her around as if he was a drill sergeant.

If he was used to commanding this kind of reaction from the people

around him, she was probably lucky he hadn't a.s.signed her to hard labor for being insubordinate.

Despite her dismal mood, her mouth quirked at the thought.

Mac ran through the introductions quickly.

What would have seemed a courtesy by any other man was clearly not, in this case.

He turned to her and said curtly, "Take a good look at their faces,"

She obeyed, smiling at each of the men in turn.

"Hi,"

she said to the crew a.s.sembled.

"I understand you're the guys who are going to make my life unbearable

for the next few days."

Most of the men smiled, some responded.

"Only for a little while, ma'am."

"We'll try not to be in your way long."

"Yeah, then it will be up to Mac to make your life unbearable." Raine

turned to look at the man at her side Consideringly. " A role I'm sure he'll fill nicely," she responded in a wry voice, and Yet another manwalked up then, in time to hear the exchange. " You won't be the first to have that opinion of o1' Mac, here," the man said. " He doesn't waste a lot of energy on charm.

" " That's your area, not mine," Mac agreed. He made a motion with his hand, and the other men dispersed, going back to their task ofunloading equipment.

The man to whom he'd spoken leaned forward with his hand extendedtoward Raine. " Trey Garrison, Mac's partner.

As you can probably figure, I'm the brains of the outfit. " Raine laughed and shook his hand. " If that's so," she said, castinga look at Mac, " then I'-m sea~xl to death.

Macauley's mind clips along at a rate faster than the speed of light,and I'm not always thrilled with the things it comes up with.

" Trey's eyebrows lifted at her use of Mac's full name. " Sounds like you've been busy, then," Trey addressed his friend, climbing the stepstoward them. It wasn't until the two men stood side by side that Rainewas struck by an incredible similarity between the two, a similaritythat owed nothing to the physical. Oh, they were both tall and broadthrough the shoulders, but Trey's hair was black, his thickly lashedeyes a glittering emerald green, and his chin bore a deep cleft. She observed both men carefully, her artist's eye charmed even as her mindpuzzled over their resemblance. She'd give anything to paint them likethis, standing side by side, or, better yet, profile to profile. Both were frankly wonderful specimens of manhood, and she was grateful thatsuch examples were wasted on her. But it was much more than their physical attributes that she'd wish to convey in a picture. There were edges to Macauley that he made no effort to hide, and she thought shecould discern such edges in Trey also, although he made attempts todisguise them. Though he was still smiling, amus.e.m.e.nt didn't touch his eyes. They remained watchful and alert, and somehow Raine knew thatalthough he was looking at her, his attention was equally attuned totheir surroundings.

That intense observation was what reminded her most strongly ofMacauley, she decided. Both men gave her the uncomfortable feelingthat she'd been sized up in the s.p.a.ce of an instant, and neither gaveaway their reactions to that sum. There were auras of strength andpower surrounding them, as if in any crisis these men could be countedon to take control. They hadn't gained that presence by years in thesecurity business, Raine knew that instinctively. Something much moredangerous, much more lethal 48 Guarding Raine had shaped these men, hadleft indelible marks on their psyches. She wondered why it suddenlyseemed so important to her to find out just what those experiences hadbeen. " Did you come to work or to satisfy your need for amus.e.m.e.nt?

" Mac asked his friend. " Well, since you're so rarely good forlaughs, I must have come to make myself useful," Trey answered. " Thought I could use this time to discuss the rest of our cases withyou, if you can spare a few minutes?

" This he directed to Raine, and she snapped out of her reverie to answer. " Go ahead, I'm on the way to my studio, anyway.

It was nice meeting you, Mr. Garrison.

" She turned to walk away but hadn't gone more than a few steps whenshe was stopped by Macauley's low voice. Ignoring the way the twosyllables of her name took on a life of their own when uttered by him,she turned to look back inquiringly. " If the phone rings, I'll beanswering it.

" Her lips pressed together at the reminder, one that had beencompletely unnecessary. He'd already made it crystal clear in thestudy earlier just how thoroughly he would be taking over her life. Heramber gaze dashed with his icy blue one for a moment. Then she broke the contact, looking beyond him to address Trey with a brittle smile." See?

Not only do I get around-the-clock protection, I get a free secretarythrown in, too.

Your company offers one beck of a deal.

" Both men watched as she turned on her heel and strode into' the house, and then Mac let out a sigh. " Let's go into the house.

I've got sort of an office set up on the first floor.

" Upon entering the family room, Mac sank down into the desk chair andindicated for Trey to pull up a seat. " I think I noted a bit of h.e.l.lcat in that last exchange," Trey remarked. " What's going on?

" " It's a long story," Mac answered, his voice sour. " Suffice it to say that Simon Michaels did a number on me when he hired me, and hisdaughter is continuing in the flue tradition of her old man.

" " You think this job was overreaction on Simon's part?

" Trey asked. " Or was he right to be alarmed?

" Mac rubbed the back of his neck reflexively. " He definitely hadreason for concern.

From what I can gather, the police haven't gotten too far.

There hasn't actually been a physical threat made, but the tone of theletters was nasty enough.

There's every possibility that she's in real danger.

" " So what's with her att.i.tude?

" Trey jerked his head toward the door. " Either you haven't convincedher of the risk or you've failed to bowl her over with your smooth manner.

" It was a long-standing joke between them that Mac's personality couldcause the kind of friction needed to light a match. Real, Mac calledit. Abrasive was a term Trey threw around a lot. The humor of it was that the two of them were more alike than different. Trey just knewhow to use the pretty words to cover up what he was really after. Mac believed in calling a black one-eyed jack a spade. " You'd definitelyhave been better in this job than me," he admitted without rancor. " I knew that from the start.

" " Not necessarily," Trey argued lazily. " That terse, dictatingmanner of yours might actually be considered by some women asG.o.dlike.

It just apparently hasn't convinced Raine Michaels that you have herbest interests at heart.

" Mac's fingers drummed restlessly on the desktop as he leaned back inhis chair. " I don't think that's it, at least not all of it," hesaid. " I actually got through to her a while ago.

Despite her att.i.tude, I think this whole mess really has scared her.