Always Watching (10 page)

SUNDAY MORNING

Olivia rolled over in the bed and stared at the clock. Everyone had survived the swim in the pool, including a nervous Olivia. The girls swam better than fish, and Olivia never had to contemplate whether she'd actually be able to jump in if someone required it. She'd walked the edges of the pool and the perimeter of the grounds several times. Thank goodness, all had been quiet.

Katie had taken over guard duty at midnight and Olivia had come home to get some rest. Seven whole hours felt like a vacation. There'd been no nightmares and no one had called with any emergencies during the night. Maybe Wade's stalker needed some sleep too, she thought with no little sarcasm.

Her phone rang and she rolled over to snag it from the bedside table. “Hello?”

“This is Quinn. Just wanted to let you know that we're still trying to track down that particular caller who seems to like the DJ so much.”

“His name is Wade.”

“Yeah. I know. Anyway, we finally managed to get her address from the trace on her number. Her name is Valerie Mathis. She's one of the few remaining people with a landline. She used that number to call Wade at the station numerous times. When we got to her house around 8:00 this morning, the place was empty.”

“You went in?”

“Nope. No reason to. But her car was gone and the neighbors say they haven't seen her since early yesterday morning.”

“Convenient.”

“Seems like it, but apparently she was talking about visiting a sister out of town, so they think that's where she went. We'll check again later this afternoon. She works as a waitress at that little restaurant on Coffee Street downtown.”

“Thanks for the update. I appreciate it.”

“I know you do. That's why I don't begrudge sharing with you. I'll be in touch.”

And then he hung up just as her phone beeped another incoming call. She tapped the screen. “Hi.”

“Just checking in,” Katie said.

“I'm getting ready to get up and get dressed. How did last night go?”

“Quiet. Eerily quiet.”

Olivia nodded, even though her friend couldn't see her. “Good. Let's hope it stays that way.”

“Hmm. We can hope.”

“Right.” She caught the nuance behind Katie's words and agreed. “The eye of the storm?”

“Oh yeah.”

“All right. I'll be on my way shortly. What's on his agenda for today?”

“Church.”

Was it Sunday already?
Ugh.
“Don't you want to cover this morning? Church is more your speed than mine.”

The silence echoed back at her and Olivia closed her eyes. Where was her professionalism? Why had working with the Savage family sent her spiraling into emotions and uncharacteristic actions? She cleared her throat. “Sorry. I must not be fully awake yet. It's my shift. I'll be there shortly.”

“Are you all right?”

The soft question vibrated within her. “Of course, I'm fine. I'll see you in about fifteen minutes.”

“I'll do the church duty if you want, you know that.”

“You need your rest too. Haley and I are up for this one.”

“Oh, by the way, Charlie and Lizzie both answered the text Haley sent them. They're ready to work whenever you need them. Haley said she really stressed the urgency of the situation, and after today, their schedules are cleared for however long you need them.”

“Great.” Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. “I'll email them everything we have so they can play catch-up on the Savage family. I'll see you soon.” Olivia hung up. She rolled out of bed, walked to the mirror, and stared at her reflection. “Get it together, girl. You have a job to do. Emotions don't get to have a place in it.” She lifted her chin a notch, then turned and walked out of the bedroom door.

Wade straightened his shirt over the top band of his jeans and slipped on his brown loafers. Amy and Stacy were already in the kitchen devouring whatever had produced the mouthwatering smells that had him hurrying from his bedroom. He'd been unable to reach Stacy's mother last night, which had him concerned. He'd called three more times and left messages
reassuring her that Stacy was fine, but he really needed to talk to her.

He glanced at his phone. She still hadn't returned his call.

He shoved his wallet in his back pocket and glanced at the clock. They needed to leave in about thirty minutes. The service started at ten sharp. He entered the kitchen.

Martha looked up from the stove. “Grab a plate. I've got pancakes and bacon and a side of eggs if you want it.”

His stomach rumbled. “I want it all.” He ruffled Amy's hair, then Stacy's, eliciting giggles and protests all at the same time.

Amy finally huffed. “Now I have to brush my hair again. You really have to stop doing that, Dad.”

He gave her a mock frown. “I'm so sorry, I forget you're almost grown.”

He saw Martha hide a grin while he loaded his plate. “What made you go all out like this?”

“The girls asked me yesterday.” She shrugged. “And I know you like a big breakfast on Sunday morning.”

Katie stepped into the room and her gaze landed on the two girls. “Good morning,” she said.

“Morning.” He nodded to the food. “There's plenty if you're hungry.”

“I'm fine. I'll grab something on the way home. It looks delicious, but if I eat all that, I'll fall asleep at the wheel.” She looked at her phone. “Olivia will be here any moment.”

Wade's pulse accelerated at the mention of her name and he drew in a steadying breath. His reaction to the woman had taken him by surprise at their initial meeting. The fact that he was still reacting said it wasn't due to sleepless nights or someone trying to kill him. He wanted to get to know her. But why? Why her and why now? How could he even consider that while he was trying to evade a stalker? It didn't make
sense, but berating himself for bad timing wasn't going to do any good.

Martha finished a quick clean-up and headed for the guest house to get ready for church. A few minutes later, a knock on the door sent the girls into a flurry of activity. Katie placed a hand over her weapon and moved to peer out the window. She relaxed and opened the door. Olivia stepped inside. Wade could see she'd rested after she left last night. While her eyes looked a bit shadowed, the fatigue had faded.

She nodded. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

Katie gave them all a short salute. “I'll see you all later.”

Katie left and Wade gestured to the food. “Would you care for any?”

She hesitated a brief moment, then gave him a small smile. “I'd love some.”

While she fixed herself a plate, he looked at the girls. “Go over and tell Aunt Martha we'll leave in about ten minutes, will you?” He stood at the window while the girls scampered out the kitchen door, across the connecting overhang, and into Martha's living area. He'd kept the two wrought iron gates shut last night, minimizing the access to the back of his house via the drive. It also ensured added protection for Martha. The girls could go back and forth between Martha's apartment and the main house without him worrying about someone snatching them. He shuddered at the thought and waited for Olivia to seat herself opposite him.

She wore dark blue jeans and a black T-shirt with a long-sleeved denim shirt over that. He figured the overshirt was to cover the shoulder holster. She looked professional and capable. And somehow vulnerable. She ate slowly. “This is good.”

“You didn't eat breakfast?”

“I didn't have time.”

“Slept in, huh?”

“Actually, yes. Figured I'd take advantage of the opportunity while I could.” She rested her fork on her plate. “Tell me about this church.”

“What do you need to know?”

“How big is it?”

“It's a big church. About eight thousand people.”

Olivia winced. “Would you please consider staying home?”

“Amy's in a play this morning. She's been so excited about it, I can't take that away from her unless you can give me a very good reason.” Amy might not care—in fact, she would probably be relieved—but after their last conversation about it, he didn't want to give her any excuses to back out.

“Someone trying to kill you twice isn't good enough?”

He sighed. “I hear what you're saying. I tossed and turned all night as I thought about what to do. I considered not going. But the more I thought about it, the madder I got.” He met her gaze. “I won't become a hermit,” he said softly. “I won't live in fear or let Amy see me hiding. I can't. There's no telling what that would do to her.”

She stared at him like he had no common sense. “There are too many people, Wade. I won't be able to effectively protect you and Amy.”

“No offense, but what's the point in having you around if that's the case?”

She sighed. “The point is, my presence lessens the odds of something happening. But in a crowd that big, it's easy for someone with evil intentions to hide—then strike when the opportunity presents itself. Anything could go wrong. I've got two more people to add to the team, but they can't start working until tomorrow. If you can just lay low until then.”

He narrowed his eyes and gave it some thought. Then he echoed her sigh. “You have a valid argument, but this is what we do on Sunday morning.” He held up a hand when she opened her mouth. “I know what you're going to say. It's too predictable. Maybe so, but with her anxiety issues, Amy needs consistency. She's been practicing for this play for weeks. If I tell her she can't do it, it may throw her into an anxiety attack that will last all day. She's looking forward to going and I have to take her.”

“What about at a different time. A church that big has got to have more than one service.”

“It has four, but this is the time we have to go so she can be there for the play. If we change on her, a panic attack will ensue and it won't be pretty. I can't do that to her.”

“What happens if she's sick and can't go or something happens to throw her schedule off?”

He shook his head. “Like I said, it's not pretty. But usually when she's sick, it's not as bad because she's too sick to care.”

The door to the kitchen opened and the girls rushed back in. “She's almost ready,” Amy said and shut the door behind her. “Are we still taking the boat out today?”

“Of course.”

Olivia blanched. “What are you talking about?”

He frowned at her reaction. “I promised to take Amy out on the boat and let her go swimming after—”

A knock on the front door brought Olivia to her feet, her hand on her weapon. Wade tensed when she moved on silent feet to look out the window. He noticed her movements mimicked Katie's from earlier. “It's a woman on your front porch,” she said. “Come here and tell me if you recognize her.”

Wade stood and made his way to stand beside Olivia. She parted the curtains and he looked out. And relaxed. “That's Joanna.”

“Joanna Clement. I recognize the name.”

“She's Martha's best friend and like another aunt to Amy.” Joanna stood at a statuesque five foot ten inches. Just about three inches shorter than Wade. “You can open the door,” he said. He liked Joanna, but even after all this time, her presence brought back memories of the past. He'd gotten used to them popping up in his mind whenever she was around and knew it was just because when Martha and Joanna were together, he kept expecting to see Pamela with them.

His dead wife, Pamela.

Joanna, Martha, and Pamela had been inseparable in high school. When he and Pamela had married the day after high school graduation, they'd been so young nothing much had changed for the three friends. He'd been happy to hang out with his guy friends while Pamela did the girl thing. And sometimes they gathered as couples. Always fun. Sometimes trouble. And then Amy had been born and Pamela had resented the intrusion of the baby. Taking care of an infant didn't figure into her life of parties and nonstop fun. He frowned, not wanting to go down that path of thought.

“I remember her name, she's on the list.” Olivia's words shook him back to the present.

“The list?” he asked as she opened the door.

“Of people in your life who we did a background check on.”

“Compliments of my father?”

“Indeed.”

Joanna stepped inside, brows raised. “Hi?”

Wade gave her a brief hug. “Hi. What are you doing here?”

“Martha and I are going out after church, so she told me to bring my car over here and just ride with her.” Her curious gaze landed on Olivia. “Are you the bodyguard I've heard about?”

“One of them,” Olivia said and held out her hand.

Joanna shook it. “Nice to meet you.”

“And you.”

The kitchen door shut and footsteps sounded behind him. The girls hurried to him and Martha was right behind. She spotted Joanna. “Oh good, you're here. Is everyone ready?”