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She popped one pretty brown eye open. “One dollar for what?”
“One dollar to hire me as your bodyguard, and we have a binding business contract. Beating the hell out of something or someone evil will fix some of my issues that therapy won’t ever touch.” The things I’d do
to Chad if awarded the opportunity. It would be like Christmas in July. At least give me that if I couldn’t have her.
Dr. Johnston revealed both eyes. “I can’t ask you to do that. You’re under my clinical care, and Chad shouldn’t be your problem.”
I’d like to be under something else of hers, but my ‘likes’ weren’t relevant. “You’re not asking, I’m offering. I won’t let working with you interfere with my therapy. If Chad is true to form, he came to case the place for opportunities of getting to you. It’s just a matter of time, as it is with all predators.” Chad was hunting the wrong woman now. He’d regret it. That was if I could get Cherise to cooperate, and I would.
“What if it does interfere with your therapy? What if I…” she broke off abruptly, swallowing hard.
I waited for her to finish. When she didn’t, I decided she needed a push in the right direction. “When you figured out who sent the food and wine, I watched you lose something of yourself right then. How much of yourself have you lost since this started? What else are you willing to lose before accepting help?”
“I don’t want to lose anything else,” she whispered, like the will to fight was already diminishing inside her.
That only made me madder. “Then, you need protection.”
Visibly shrinking in on herself, she stammered, “I can… I can protect myself.” She fell short in convincing me of that.
“Do you have a gun, a knife, any weapon you’re trained in using? Taking Krav Maga, karate, some form of defense class?”
She looked away, clutching an emerald pendant on a silver chain at her neck. “No.”
I didn’t think so. “Okay, can you counsel yourself after you develop PTSD if this goes on any longer? You’re already in the beginning stages of it, aren’t you? Are your parents able to come to stay with you, so you’re not alone anywhere? Can Malaysia’s parents come to stay with her? Because he’ll escalate and target those close to you when he can’t get to you, but he won’t send fettucine. It could be a bullet next time. Are you willing to take that chance?”
Her head jerked to me. “No, our parents can’t come from Alabama. We wouldn’t ask. They’re all middle-aged, most of them sickly.” With each negative response, she grew quieter, extremely worried for everyone. “I don’t want anyone hurt, Mr. Graham.”
“I can guarantee they don’t want you hurt either. Does the police department nearest you know what’s going on, know to be on alert?” I’d have reported to them myself, but they’d have contacted her.
She wrapped her arms around her middle as if holding herself together. If she had nothing else in the way of defense, she had some wicked-looking, pointed acrylic nails painted dark blue. “No. I didn’t bother telling the cops here about Chad after learning the hard way in California that unless—”
“Unless he hurts you or breaks one of the anti-stalking laws, the cops can’t do anything about him harassing you with gifts,” I completed for her. “He knows that. That’s why gifts are his chosen method of intimidation. I’ll put a stop to it, I promise. Chad needs someone his equal to make him leave you alone. I’m it. Use me.” If need be, I’d kill him.
When she didn’t say anything else, I took that as her turning me down flat. I’d have to continue going rogue behind her back to keep her safe. She reached down, lifting up a designer purse. Placing it on the desk, she took out a wallet with an identical designer logo. Getting out a five-dollar bill, she slapped it down on the hard surface separating us. I reached for the money, so relieved that she was seeing things my way it was ridiculous.
“Wait,” she said forcibly enough to immobilize my hand in midair with just her tone. “I don’t have a dollar, but you can keep the other four if you teach me how to shoot and some defense moves. One dollar for each.” The fire was back in her, the fire that burned me years ago. The same fire that made it hard to be with others without picturing her underneath me.
And there began my mental sliding away from the matter at hand. What were we talking about? Oh, fighting and shooting people.
“Yes, I can teach you moves and how to shoot. When do we start?”
She extricated her hand. “Tomorrow is good. It’s a Saturday, and I have no appointments besides yours. There’s no way in hell I’m doing a consultation with him again. It’ll take me all night to ease Malaysia into you being around.” They could bank on me being around a lot.
I pocketed the five, silently treasuring it because she gave it to me. “Malaysia hates me, doesn’t she?”
Cherise snorted. “With the passion of a thousand burning suns. You and Shane scarred her for life that night. She’s too hard to admit it, though.”
“Did I scar you too?” What she said next may scar me for life.
Several heartbeats passed. “Honestly, you confused me. I couldn’t understand why you were with Shane when you didn’t exhibit the same evilness he did. Now, I know you were doing what you had to do to live. I can’t condemn you for that.” She was giving me a pardon for my actions.
I would never give her a reason to regret it. “I appreciate that, Cherise. Tell Malaysia I’ll start making it up to her by bringing breakfast and coffee with me in the morning when I come to check out your place.” Different times of the day provided different settings for criminals to take advantage of.
The corners of her mouth went from up to down. “What for?”
“To see how easy it is for Chad to get to you. You’ll need something to warn you before that happens. Something that’ll hold him off long enough for me and the cops to get to you. I can’t promise anything will scare him off for good except death. I won’t plan for that yet. Chad may be rehabilitatable. Since his mind frame determines his actions, I can’t guarantee that he’s easily scared off, though.”
She blew out a long stream of air, swiping tiredly at her forehead. “He’s not, he’s one of too many psychopaths. Their strength and fatal flaw are being damn near impossible to scare. It’s almost like a superpower for them.”
