The Danforths: Marc, Tanya & Abe: The Laws of Passion / Terms of Surrender / Shocking the Senator

He kept on gently stroking her face and gazing into her eyes. Soothing and stirring. She felt her pulse begin to jackhammer and her senses went on hyperalert.

When he leaned closer and his eyes zeroed in on her mouth, the heat between them exploded. With a shake of her head, she caught herself before she fell into his arms. She had to remember that he was just part of the job.

Dana took a step back and averted her eyes toward his desk. She’d never before given herself over to a man. And she would definitely not be starting with someone who was a suspect in a case she was working.

“You’d better check your messages,” she said in a raspy voice. “Is it too warm in here for you?”

The dreamy look disappeared from his eyes, but he smiled and cocked his head toward her. “You’re hot? Why don’t you take off some of those clothes.”

Okay. She might be a virgin, but she wasn’t totally naive. That was a come-on she’d heard often enough before.

She rolled her shoulders and narrowed her eyes at him. “Just check your messages. I’ll be fine.”

He shrugged a shoulder, but the smile stayed put as he turned to punch the Play button on the machine.

The first couple of messages were from various family members asking him if he needed anything and to please call if he wanted company or a place to stay. The distress and genuine concern in their voices was quite evident.

Dana wasn’t sure how such obvious love amongst family members made her feel. It was an interesting side note to Marcus’s character profile. But deeper than that, and on a personal level, it almost made her feel…lonely.

“Marc? We need to talk.” A deep voice boomed out of the machine. “I just got a call from…well, it was about you. And it’s important that we discuss this as soon as possible. I’ll be at the office until ten or eleven o’clock tonight. I’d rather not talk about it over the phone, so why don’t you come over? Give me a call.”

The message clicked off and Marcus touched the button on his machine that erased the previous messages.

“Who was that?” she asked. If it was one of the cartel members, this might be the break she’d been waiting for.

“That was my brother, Ian.”

“It was? He sounded worried.”

“Yeah, he did, didn’t he?”

“Is he the one that heads up the family company?”

Marcus nodded. “I think I’d better go to the office and talk to him. Do you mind?”

Suddenly, it struck Dana that maybe their entire company was a front for the cartel. Were they all involved in money laundering? Perhaps the family was using Marcus as a scapegoat.

“I don’t mind at all,” she said. “In fact, I insist.”

“Great. I’ll go throw on a shirt and see you later.” He picked up his keys off the desk and started for the door.

“Hold on.” She grabbed his arm and swung him around. “You don’t go anywhere without me, remember? Like it or not, from now until your trial we’re stuck with each other as if we’d been put together with Crazy Glue. Get used to it.”

Three

Was he glad that Dana had insisted on coming along to the office? He couldn’t quite settle his thoughts when it came to her. But they were both about to leave for his meeting with Ian, just the same.

He wanted her to trust him and believe in him, though he had no idea why. But would she inhibit his efforts to prove himself innocent? He sighed, resigned to having her company whether he wanted it or not.

“How about if we take my SUV and I’ll drive?” he asked, as they locked the front door and set the alarm system.

She shook her head and headed for the driver’s side of her small, bland sedan. “No thanks. You don’t have the training, and the whole world already knows what kind of car you normally drive. In the protection business, the idea is to vary your routine…change cars, times and the routes to your regular haunts.”

Well, Marc had certainly found one thing he was not happy about. He didn’t like riding in her car. He wanted to drive himself around like usual, and he liked his normal routine. This whole business was really starting to suck.

He directed her to the Danforth corporate office building via the back roads and downtown side streets. The parking lot was all but empty at this time of night. A security van patrolled the exterior grounds and Ian’s car was parked in his normal spot.

“Nice office,” Dana said as she parked the car where he’d directed. “These brick buildings that are so common in old Savannah are very efficient. And I imagine all the trees and flowers make a nice impression on clients. Do you have many muggings or break ins in this part of town?”

He opened his car door and “tsked” at her. “You look at a beautiful historic building and fantastically lush landscaping and think of muggings? You’ve been in the bodyguard business too long, Ms. Aldrich.” He breathed deep and took in the sweet smell of honeysuckle that he’d loved since he was a kid.

She shrugged her shoulders, climbed out and locked her car. “To be the best at my job, you have to work at it twenty-four hours a day. Everything I see has some significance to the…uh…protection business. I don’t pay attention to the superficial things in this world.”

“You never take any time off to just enjoy yourself—to smell the flowers?” He slid his key into the door lock at the employee entrance and opened it. “What’s that old saying about all work and no play…?”

She grimaced and stepped ahead of him into the darkened downstairs hallway. “I don’t mind being dull. The job has all the excitement I need.”

While he led her down the hall toward the elevator behind reception, his heels clicked loudly against the polished-pecan floors. Again, Marc began to wonder about the intelligent and strong woman who’d become his bodyguard. Just what kind of person was she?

There seemed to be so much hidden about her. Did she have any kind social of life? Like, for instance, a husband or a boyfriend somewhere? When she’d talked about not caring much for family, he’d thought she had only meant her parents. Now he was becoming convinced that she was a real loner. With no one in her life who mattered.

And it was becoming very important to him to figure her out. If she’d let him, he wanted to be the one to show her how to relax and enjoy herself. To appreciate history and learn to see the beauty of the world around her. She was beginning to matter. But for the life of him, he couldn’t pin down the reason he cared so much.

That kind of reflection would have to come after he’d cleared his name. And kept himself out of jail. First things first.

The elevator reached the fifth floor and they stepped out onto the Persian carpet runner and headed in the direction of the CEO’s office. Marcus pointed out his own office down the hall the other way.

Ian was waiting for them at his desk. He stood when they came in and shot Marcus a wary glance.

“Ian, this is my new bodyguard, Dana Aldrich.”

“Yes, I heard all about her from Adam.” Ian turned to her. “How do you do, Ms. Aldrich. Michael Whittaker tells me he doesn’t know you personally, but he speaks quite highly of your reputation. Thank you for taking this job on such short notice.”

She shook his hand. “I’m glad to help.”

“Good.” Ian turned back to his desk. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have a few things to say to my brother in private. You may wait in my reception area. I don’t think there’ll be any attempts on Marc’s life while he’s in my office.”

Dana straightened her spine and stood her ground. She turned to Marcus for his word on the matter. Marcus looked hesitant but didn’t jump in to ask her to stay.

“I won’t be in your way, Mr. Danforth,” she insisted to Ian. “But I believe a good bodyguard should know where all the threats are coming from. If what you have to say to Marcus pertains to his arrest or the charges against him, I’d like to be made aware of it at the same time.”

“Yes, Ian. I want her to stay,” Marcus finally urged. “She’s going to be with me as I find the evidence to prove my innocence. She might as well know what we’re up against.”

Ian laid a hand on his arm. “All right, baby brother. I guess you need as many people on your side as you can get right now. If that’s what you want, she can stay. Both of you have a seat.”

Ian eased into his huge leather chair and drove his fingers through his hair. “You’re not going to like what I have to say.”

Marcus leaned his big six-two frame toward the front of the high-backed visitor’s chair. “What’s wrong? Is it the family? Are they all okay?”