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Chapter 5
The rest of the day at the ski shop was uneventful. That made Thaddeus uneasy. It was acceptable that Jana could focus on work, and that she was secure in her office. But that didn’t mean she was out of trouble.
Thaddeus kept a sharp eye on things, but the activity in the shop appeared normal. Customers came and went, lugging purchases out the door. Clerks helped get skis to the vehicles and cheerfully answered questions.
It would have been boring, if Thaddeus hadn’t known that something was up. It was too quiet. He didn’t believe the attacks had stopped. It was a lag in activity; that was all. The question was: when would the next one come?
On the plus side, lunch had provided an opportunity to chill things out with Jana. She seemed to tolerate his presence, at least for that brief interlude. Whether that would continue or not, he’d have to see. It was vital that she gave her full cooperation.
That was the only way that Thaddeus could protect her. As the client, she had a right to do whatever she liked. But one stupid move could jeopardize her safety, even her life. He wasn’t certain that she saw it that way. As long as she did what he recommended, he could keep her from harm.
Thaddeus was determined to keep his distance and not allow the situation to get personal. Jana was a client. He’d do his job then move on. He wasn’t the type of guy she should hook up with anyway. He was lousy at relationships—not that he’d tried, but he was certain that would be the case.
He’d joined the Navy because of his instinct to protect and defend. As a SEAL, he’d fallen into roles that required stealth and long periods of working alone. He’d gotten good at it, and through years of deployment, he’d seen plenty of conflict.
Battle wasn’t something he ran from. If truth be told, he missed the excitement. He’d forayed into dangerous areas in other countries and been forced to function without the aid of his team. The duties had required an unemotional approach and a war mentality. The military environment hadn’t been conducive to forming any attachments.
Thaddeus was a warrior, a defender…a machine. He didn’t begrudge that. It had been his choice. But one thing was certain: he wasn’t a people person. And he wasn’t relationship material; marriage was for other guys. He didn’t see that in his future, hadn’t even considered the possibility.
Whatever was happening between him and Jana couldn’t go anywhere. He’d make sure it didn’t, because her welfare was most important. Thaddeus was a professional and he’d behave accordingly.
When Jana emerged from her office in the late afternoon, she didn’t look worn out from a day at work—quite the opposite. She looked vibrant. There was a glow about her. She was lovely; that’s all there was to it.
From her demeanor, Thaddeus assumed her day had been rewarding. It was likely that she’d worked on her invention, one that she believed was private. Yet if he was to guess, he’d say that the secret was out. Word about projects that involved money usually leaked, spreading like rumors do.
At the first opportunity, Thaddeus intended to ask about the project and glean more details. But he didn’t want to do so in a public place, so lunch hadn’t been the time to bring it up. By learning more, he hoped to get a clue about who was after her.
Jana glided through the shop, letting the staff know that she was out for the day. She gave Thaddeus a cursory glance, which he took as a bad sign. At the entrance, he opened the door for her and she sailed through.
Without a word, Jana went to the Jeep and opened the passenger door. “You can drive me home. I’m going to meet a friend for drinks tonight, so I won’t need your services.”
There it was: what Thaddeus had been expecting. But he couldn’t allow it. As long as he’d been hired to protect her, he wasn’t going to back off, dammit.
Thaddeus walked around the car and grabbed the door before Jana could shut it. She looked directly at him, challenge in her eyes.
“You need to take your security seriously,” Thaddeus said, then paused. When he saw no change in Jana’s expression, he continued. “You are in deadly peril.” He stared at her. “Why doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
Jana looked away. “I said, take me home.”
Thaddeus slammed the door and went around to the driver’s side. He started up then peeled out of the lot. He didn’t look at her. The woman was infuriating.
“You swear that I’m in peril, but I don’t see any,” Jana said. “Just because some prankster sent me a few letters, and I happen to be in the way of a stray bullet, doesn’t mean my life is at risk.”
Thaddeus didn’t say a word.
“Ooh, you make me so mad.” Jana looked forward, watching the roadway in front of them. It didn’t matter if she looked at him or not—he’d damn well be looking at her. Because he was going to watch out for her.
For a few minutes, Jana was quiet. She sat stiffly, gripping her purse in her lap. Then she looked over at Thaddeus. “You don’t understand. You don’t know my grandmother,” she said. “She lost her only daughter and her husband. I was all she had left. She’d protect me with her life.”
Thaddeus focused on traffic.
“She worries. If you knew her better, you wouldn’t take it to heart,” Jana said. “I make allowances, but I can’t live with you glued to my side.”
The tension between them ratcheted up. But Thaddeus wasn’t about to relent.
Jana huffed. “Why won’t you say something? Conversation isn’t at a premium, you know. People iron out disagreements by talking.”
Thaddeus glanced at her. He’d already said what he needed to, so he didn’t know what she was driving at.
