As Chad looked around the room, the Anderson men began entering. Mark had left him sitting on the couch while he hunted down his father. He was being tight lipped and Chad’s suspicions rose when he saw Mark’s cousins’ step into the room. They eyed him warily and he didn’t back down. He stared them straight in the eye, wondering why he felt like he was in enemy territory all of a sudden.
He’d brought back a lot of battle wounds from his years of service, not just mentally, but physically, too. He unconsciously rubbed his rib where a bullet had struck. One more inch to the left and he’d have been dead. All that remained was a minor scar but it was something he looked at often to remind himself to be careful who he trusted. That bullet had come from someone who was supposed to be on the same side as him.
“Sorry to keep you waiting so long, Chad,” Joseph said as he entered the room followed by Mark. If Chad had been nodding off, Joseph’s booming voice would’ve certainly woken him. The man had a way of making people stand at attention better than Chad’s old commander.
“It hasn’t been a problem. I’ve been enjoying your whiskey,” Chad responded as he swallowed down the last of the amber liquid.
“You have excellent taste, my boy. George got me that bottle for my last birthday. It’s almost out so I’ll have to hunt down some more. It’s hard to find truly exceptional products these days,” Joseph answered, not even blinking at the five-thousand dollars’ worth of whiskey Chad had drank without tasting.
“What was the big emergency?” Chad asked. He didn’t want to be rude but he had a lot to take care of and didn’t want to stand around discussing liquor.
“I like a man who gets straight to the point,” Joseph replied, not answering Chad’s question. Chad looked again at Mark’s cousins and felt like he was being assessed – and they found him wanting.
“Alright, if you don’t want to tell me why you wanted me here, then do you want to explain why your nephew, Max, looks like he wants to tear my head off?” Chad said. He smirked at Max, who looked like he was thinking about stepping over and slugging Chad. After a second, Chad raised his brows at him in a bring-it-on gesture, then smiled as he watched Austin grab his brother’s arm when it looked like he was about to step forward.
Chad hadn’t been around Mark’s cousins much; just saw them a few times when he was in town, but not enough to really feel he knew any of them. They’d never before been hostile, though and he couldn’t understand why they felt a need to act macho all of a sudden.
“Sorry about my boys, Chad. We have a situation and my brother and I have come up with a solution that the boys aren’t too thrilled about. They can’t beat down their sister so they want to take their frustrations out on you,” George said as he stepped forward.
“What do I have to do with this?” Chad asked, wanting to know what was going on. He was sick of them sidestepping the issue.
“There’s no way to say this but to just come out with it, Bree’s gone missing,” George said. Chad instantly tensed – his full military training coming to the front. This was something he could handle.
“Have you put in a missing person’s report, hired an investigator? Have there been any threats made against her?” Chad fired off questions.
“No, no, it’s nothing like that. She was feeling a bit overwhelmed by her brothers and cousins. We found where she is. She’s not all that great at hiding, and we were able to trace her credit cards. She’s staying in a small town in Oregon. I went there to try to find out what was going on and she refused to come home. She said she was being smothered and she’s determined to make it on her own. Apparently, she’s refusing to come back until everyone backs off,” George said a bit sheepishly.
“Then, I don’t understand what the problem is,” Chad said with confusion. She wasn’t really missing after-all. Why were they acting as if it was an emergency?
“Bree’s been very sheltered her entire life. She’s never known about the danger involved, coming from a family like ours. She’s determined to make it on her own, but she’s a target, being my only daughter. I’ve received threatening letters before regarding all my children, but lately there’s been several targeted at Bree. I have surveillance on her at the moment, but I need someone I can trust. Mark regards you as the best man he knows,” George trailed off.
“You want me to babysit?” Chad asked with horror. They were asking a bit much of him if they wanted him to keep an eye on a spoiled heiress.
“I know it’s asking a lot,” Joseph piped in and Chad turned to look at the man who had kept him out of the legal system. If it weren’t for Joseph stepping in and taking responsibility for him when he’d been an angry teenager, he never would’ve shaped up. He wouldn’t have joined the military and he certainly wouldn’t have the same life he did. How could he refuse him anything?
“We hate to ask you to do this but if any of the family goes down there we know she’s going to try to slip away again. She wants to have independence, which I can understand, but she needs to be watched over. This last letter that came in, scares the crap out of us,” Mark jumped in.
Chad reached for the note Mark was holding. The words sent a shudder down his spine. Some person was infatuated with her and Chad knew how that could turn out. If she refused the man and he had no hope of winning her over, he very well could take her life.
“What makes you think she won’t run if I’m in the picture?” he asked.
“We thought about that, too. She won’t like having you there but she doesn’t deem you a threat against her independence. Since I moved the family back east for so many years, she hasn’t been around you. I know she won’t like the idea of you babysitting her, but I don’t think she’ll take off again just because you’re there,” George offered.
“Crap, you’re asking a lot. If anything were to happen to her on my watch, I’d never forgive myself,” Chad said as he ran a hand through his hair and started pacing the room. He felt like he was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t.
“You won’t let anything happen,” Mark said with full confidence. Chad looked at his long time best friend and a look passed between them. Mark was right – Chad would take a bullet before he ever let anything happen to a person he was protecting. His hand rubbed his ribs once more, unconsciously. Never again would he lose a person under his watch – he couldn’t survive it, not after his sister.
“Give me the details,” he commanded, putting himself in full control. He was in ops mode and he wouldn’t let the Anderson family down. Joseph and George breathed sighs of relief, while Bree’s brothers stiffened their shoulders. They weren’t happy with the arrangements.
“This is stupid, Dad. I say we drag her back here and lock her in the flipping basement. If she wants to act like a spoiled brat, then treat her like one,” Max growled as he started pacing.
“Your sister is an adult and can go where she wants. Do you want to drive her further away? This is the best thing we can do for her. If you want to be the one to shatter her world and make her afraid to even leave her apartment, then be my guest,” George said while he stood to his full six and a half foot height. He may be getting older but he was still an intimidating man. Max backed down, not from fear, but respect.
“Sorry, Dad, I’m just frustrated. We’ve had some rocky years since losing mom, and I thought it was finally getting put behind us. I’m worried about her,” Max apologized.
“We’re all worried,” George said while placing a hand on Max’s shoulders.
“You know, Redington, if you lay a hand on my sister in any way, I’m going to knock your teeth out,” Trenton said with a smile of anticipation. Chad outright laughed at him. No wonder she’d ran – they really did act as if she was a teenager, instead of a twenty-eight year old woman.
“Tell you what, Anderson, if she doesn’t do it first, we’ll have a go,” Chad said. Trenton sized him up for a moment, before his shoulders relaxed and he realized what an ass he’d made of himself. Finally he laughed and the rest of the tension fled the room.
“I think we’ll get along just fine,” Trenton said as he stuck out his hand. Chad felt like he’d passed some kind of test he didn’t know he was taking until it was over. He shook the man’s hand, then they all sat down and gave Chad the details on where Bree was and what to expect once he got there.
He knew she was going to be a handful but he was suddenly anticipating his babysitting duty. She wasn’t hard on the eyes and he was curious about the fire he knew was just below her uptight surface. He may actually find the next few months enjoyable.
As if Trenton could read Chad’s thoughts, his eyes narrowed for a moment. The two men stared at each other before Lucas said something and broke the moment.
Chad had always liked a challenge and it seemed two were being placed before him. First he had to somehow tame the princess, and secondly, her brothers didn’t want him near her. He fought back the smile wanting to stretch across his face. He didn’t need to make the situation any more tense right then.
Chapter Two
Bree felt like someone was watching her. She looked around and didn’t see anyone, but she could feel the little hairs on her neck rising. Something wasn’t right – it felt like someone was out there – staring a hole into her. It was dark and she was uncomfortable walking to her car alone. Normally, she never thought twice about it. She was in a small town, virtually no crime to speak of, and she knew she had nothing to worry about.
But still…
She picked up her steps, moving faster toward the parking lot. Reaching into her purse, she frantically searched for her keys. She’d feel better once she was locked inside her car. The only reason she was paranoid was the frustrating phone conversation she’d had with her father earlier in the evening.
He’d tried to demand she return home immediately, saying her safety was in jeopardy. She knew it was purely her family overreacting, once again. She was sick of the babying. She was a grown woman and would prove to them she could make it on her own. They’d get a hoot out of the fact she was shaking as she approached her vehicle.
Bree turned her head again and looked around, then laughed inwardly at her own paranoia. No one was there – the boogeyman wasn’t after her. She looked down and searched through her over-sized purse – muttering under her breath that first thing in the morning she’d finally purchase a clip so she could attach her keys to the handle. She always took an hour to find the dang things.
After several frustrating minutes, she realized her car keys weren’t in her bag. She must’ve left them on her desk, grabbing her office keys instead. She’d done that too often to keep letting it happen. She sighed and turned to walk back inside. Her employment was mindless work, but it gave her a paycheck and she didn’t have to spend from her trust fund. She was determined to live on her own dollar – not her family money.