Protecting The Billionaire (21 page)

Before he did anything more than hit reply, his phone rang.

“Trent’s taking Addie to the hospital. She’s in labor,” Allison said before he managed any kind of greeting. “Dad just called me.”

“Got a text from my mom. Are we canceling dinner tonight?” He understood if Mark Sherbrooke wanted to head back up to Providence. A guy’s first grandbaby wasn’t born everyday.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re afraid of seeing my dad.”

Afraid? Hell no. A bit reluctant perhaps.
“Figured he’d want to be there for your brother.”

“He does, but he also wants to have dinner with us since he’s already in the area. We’re meeting them at the Washington Grille instead. It’s closer to the airport. Right after dinner, they’ll head back to Providence. He’s already told his flight crew about the changes.”

Sounded like they had it all figured out.

“He invited us to fly back with them.”

Stuck on a plane with her dad and stepmom wasn’t how he pictured his Friday night.

“Don’t worry. I declined the offer,” Allison continued on before he said a word. “I didn’t think you’d want to travel with them, so I told Dad you couldn’t leave the area this weekend.”

Already he regretted the words he intended to say. “If you want to fly back with him, we can.” Her stalker was in Virginia not Providence. By the time he figured out she’d left, she be in Rhode Island. Assuming they stayed at her father’s estate, which he guessed had a top-notch security system, he could protect her just as well in Providence as he could here.

“I love you,” Allison said.

She’d told him the same thing early today, but it still sounded surreal.

“I already told him we can’t fly up tonight. How about we plan on going up next weekend?”

As long as she was willing to wait, he’d go next weekend or any other time she wanted. “You got it. See ya soon. Love ya.”

How? How had he made such a stupid mistake and not locked the deadbolt on the back door? He’d been so careful each and every time he’d gone inside. And it had always been so easy. Only the very first time had it been tricky.

It was Raimono’s fault he’d made an error. If the jerk hadn’t touched Allison, he would’ve remained calm and not slipped up. Now, not only did she have Raimono living with her and bodyguards in tow, but the police were involved too. If not for Kitty at the station, he wouldn’t know the reason behind the police visit to Allison’s house earlier in the week. Her knowledge had kept him from visiting Allison’s house again. The first thing the police would’ve told her when they came out was to change her alarm code, which meant he’d have no way of turning it off. He didn’t need half the Alexandria police department arriving after him. Assuming he was able to get in at all with his key. He suspected the police would’ve suggested she get her door locks changed too. It didn’t matter now anyway.

Their little precautions only meant his plans required adjusting. He’d made all the changes without any difficulty. Having a friend who could hack into any computer or security system came in handy. Too bad he’d have to die too. Who knew when he’d have need for such talent again? Unfortunately, if he let Roger live, there’d always be one person out there who knew the truth. Right now, Roger agreed to keep his mouth shut and take the money they’d agreed on. What if he changed his mind and demanded more money? Or even worse, went to the cops? No, he couldn’t risk it no matter how valuable Roger may be in the future. When Roger came back to collect his money, he’d not leave.

Yes, tonight everything would occur as planned. This time tomorrow, Rocco Raimono would be dead, his body burned past recognition along with Roger’s. Even better, he and Allison would be at his house in Maine where no one would find them.

Just a few more hours.
He watched her walk inside with her bodyguard and then he turned away from the windows. Too bad he’d been forced to change his original plan. He liked this house. It had a lot of character to it. History too, if what the real estate agent told him when he bought the place was true. Maybe when he came back from Maine he’d see if he could find a house similar to this one. He liked the area and planned on staying in Alexandria for the foreseeable future.
I wish you could’ve lived, my love. If only you’d waited for me.

Mark Sherbrooke’s face lit up and he enveloped Allison in a hug. Before letting her go, he kissed her check. “I’ve missed you. You need to come home and visit us.”

“Miss you too, Dad, but I’ve been busy.” She moved away toward her stepmother, leaving Rock inside her father’s crosshairs, not the place he wanted to be.

“Rock, it’s nice to see you again. How have you been?” Mark extended his hand, a welcoming smile still on his face.

“Fine, sir. And you?” Rock returned Mark’s surprisingly firm handshake.

“Well, but please call me Mark. None of that ‘sir’ business,” he answered.

Calling her father by his first name would take some serious getting used to. His parents had installed the belief that you never address your elders by their first name. The Corps had only further drilled respect into him. “I’ll try to remember.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll remind you if you forget,” Allison supplied, sitting down at the table.

“That’s my girl.” Mark’s comment sounded similar to something his dad would say, and it somehow made the guy seem more approachable.

“Have you talked to Trent again?” Allison asked.

Other than the text message he’d received from his mom, he hadn’t gotten any more information about Addie’s condition. He considered trying his sister’s phone, but figured it would be pointless. If she was still in labor, the last thing she’d want was a conversation. And if the baby had been born, she’d want to be holding the baby not her phone.

Mark’s smile faded. “He hasn’t called again.”

“Be honest,” his wife added as she patted his hand.

Mark cleared his throat at his wife’s comment and then spoke again. “I called him before we came here.”

“He couldn’t resist. You know how impatient he can be,” Abby said.

Rock knew the woman wasn’t Allison’s biological mother, but judging by the interaction between them, the two women shared similar personality traits.

“Dad impatient? No way.” Allison tried to maintain a shocked expression. “He’s the most patient man I know,” she said as she lost the battle and her expression changed to one of pure amusement.

“I wanted to make sure they’d gotten settled in at the hospital.”

“Understandable, don’t you agree, Allison?” Abby asked, her lips twitching. The woman enjoyed giving her husband a hard time. Judging by the way Mark went along with it, he didn’t mind.

“Completely. Did Trent give you an update?”

“He said they’d been admitted and that Sal and Marta were there with them.”

Good.
Addie would want their parents close.

“I’m anxious to get there myself tonight. There’s nothing like meeting your child, or in this case, grandchild for the first time.” Mark’s voice grew thick with emotion. “I was right by your mom’s side when all of you were born, although I almost didn’t make it in time for Gray. He couldn’t wait to get into this world. Hopefully, Addie will have a similar delivery to Gray’s tonight. But enough talk about Addie and Trent. Tell me about things here.”

Allison gave him a sideways glance. If they’d been in a private setting, he would’ve encouraged her to get it over with and tell her dad about the current problem. With so many people around them and considering the response she predicted from her dad, Rock kept his mouth closed.

“Jake’s a slave driver,” Allison said. “Do you know he took two weeks off when Garret was born and left me all his work?”

Rock sat back and listened to the conversation between Allison and her family. Although it was only one meeting, it appeared as though she had a strong relationship with both her dad and stepmom. A few of his buddies in high school had stepparents and, with one exception, all their relationships had been cold. In those cases though, the parents had divorced before remarrying. He didn’t have the details about the how, but he knew Allison’s mom passed away several years ago. He guessed his sister knew what happened. It seemed like something a man would share with his wife. He’d stopped himself from asking his sister despite his curiosity. He’d dislike someone poking around in his personal life, especially about something like the death of a parent. Besides, he figured enough people poked into her business because of her last name. He didn’t need to do it too. When she wanted to tell him, she would.

“It’s too bad you cannot get away this weekend. I’m sure Addie and your parents would love to see you. Marta mentioned you don’t make it home much,” Abby said once Allison had finished filling her dad in all about her work at the Falmouth Foundation.

Abigail Sherbrooke and his mother discussed him? He couldn’t picture such a conversation. “Not too often. She gets it though.”

“Understanding and liking it are two very different things. It’s only been a few months and I miss my regular lunch dates with Allison. I can’t imagine going a year or more without seeing her and the boys.”

Sounded like not only Allison but also her four brothers had a close relationship with their stepmother.

“We’ll be up next weekend. Maybe we can have lunch then and ask Addie along too. We’ll leave the men in charge of the baby. By then, Trent will have had a whole week to master changing a diaper.” For about the third time since they’d sat down, Allison checked her phone for any text messages. He’d noticed her dad doing the same thing.

Rock moved his hand toward his own pocket, but stopped when the hair on his neck decided to march toward his scalp. Someone watched them.

He made a visual pass around the restaurant. Not a single person stood out as not belonging. If Allison’s stalker sat inside, he blended in with the well-dressed individuals. Did that mean her stalker was an older individual? Except for him and Allison, everyone looked to be at least in their fifties. He’d expected the SOB to be younger.

“Abby, is that William and Louisa near the windows?” Mark asked, interrupting his wife as she and Allison further discussed a possible lunch date next weekend.

Allison’s stepmom looked toward the windows. He did the same and found the couple in question staring back at their table.
Explains whose watching us
.

“It is.” She sent the couple a wave, which brought them to their feet and toward the table.

“Louisa and Abby used to serve on Barrington’s Historical Preservation Society together before her husband got elected to Congress,” Allison explained as he watched the couple cross the room and the sense of being watched disappeared.

Even with the minor mystery solved, he examined the room one more time. Everyone looked harmless enough. That didn’t mean they were. The sooner he got Allison home behind a locked door, the better.

***

“Ouch, that looks bad,” Allison said when she stepped out of his truck, her eyes fixed on the accident down the street.

He agreed. Judging by the damage to both the vehicle and the utility pole, he doubted the driver or any passengers had survived the accident. “Probably some idiot drank to much and got behind the wheel.” He’d almost lost a friend in a drunk driving accident. Somehow though, the guy managed to make it through. Unfortunately, he now spent his days confined to a wheelchair. “Hope he didn’t have anyone with him.” Rock touched her back and gave her a little nudge. Outside she remained too exposed.

Allison took the hint and started walking. “Dad really likes you.” Her hair brushed against his arm while he unlocked the front door. “Abby does too. They’re looking forward to our visit next weekend.”

Rock pushed open the door and stepped inside first. The chance of someone waiting inside was slim, but better safe than sorry. “How’d you come to that conclusion?” Allison had left him only once all night when she and Abby went to the restroom, so he’d heard everything her father said.

“Abby told me in the ladies room. And Dad whispered it when he hugged me before we left.” Allison flipped the switch near the door but nothing happened. Considering the accident outside, he expected no power.

“Tell me you’ve got flashlights.”

Just enough light came through the windows for him to see her expression, but the sunlight was fading fast. “Afraid of the dark? Don’t worry, I’ll protect you tonight.” She kissed his cheek before she passed by him.

“The backup battery for the security system is only going to last a few hours. Assuming we can arm it at all. Some won’t let you set them if only battery power is available. It’s a stupid design in my opinion. Either way, it’s getting dark, and if the powers not back soon, it’ll leave us vulnerable. We’ll need some light.” He had one flashlight, but he’d prefer more. “If we can arm the system, do ya know the battery life?”

Her smile vanished. “Right. Sorry. I didn’t even think of the alarm.”

He hated she needed to now. Until they got the bastard, they had no alternative.

“Uh, no. I’ve got no idea how long the battery will last. The system was here when I moved in, so I don’t know anything about it. But I’ve got flashlights and candles. If you want to let Baxter out, I’ll get them.”

Baxter’s whine got louder the longer they spoke. Once the dog heard voices in the house, he assumed it meant he needed out of his crate so he could play or eat. He didn’t seem to care which came first. “Grab any extra batteries you have for the flashlights too.”

Since he’d moved in, they’d kept Baxter’s crate in the laundry room off the kitchen. The dog hated it, and Rock didn’t blame him. Most of the time he left Baxter free in his apartment. Only on those rare occasions did he lock him up for long periods of time. Even when he got deployed and the dog stayed with his parents, Baxter remained free to roam the house while they worked. Allison’s place was a different story.

“How ya doing, buddy?” He crouched down and unlocked the door. Right away the dog bolted outside into the hall, turned around, and raced back to him. Baxter stopped long enough to lick Rock’s hand before he bolted out the door again and toward the kitchen. He’d learned quickly to head for the back door when he wanted outside.