Falling For Her Bodyguard

Detective Walsh held his palms up. “Whatever you want to do is fine by me. I’m not going to stop you from calling your uncle, but I am asking you not to throw me under the bus when you do. Your job is on the line and so is mine.”

She didn’t want to get the guy in trouble, but she had to make a case for getting rid of him at the same time. “I’ll do my best,” she promised.

Kelly started back to her makeshift work area but Detective Walsh touched her arm. “This is a bad idea, by the way. Leaving yourself out in the open like this. Shouting it from the treetops exactly where you are and how long you’ll be here. It makes you an easy target.”

“How is it any different than being at the studio? He knows where I am every day I work.”

“Yeah, but can he walk right into your studio? Can he sit a few feet away from you during your entire show? Whoever your little stalker is, he can get his hands on you here if he wants that.”

Kelly wrapped her arms around herself. She sure hoped he didn’t want that. There wasn’t a chance this guy would really show his face. Was there?

“Well, you’re here now. If he was spying on me and saw what you did to Lyle, I should be fine.”

Detective Walsh tipped his chin. “For today. Until you call your uncle. In the future, you need to think about this kind of stuff.”

She had been so gung ho about getting rid of her bodyguard a few seconds ago, but now, it seemed like one of Uncle Hal’s better ideas. Her uncle would catch this stalker, obsessed fan, whatever he was. She wouldn’t need someone to protect her forever.

* * *

DONOVAN HAD BEEN on a few stakeouts in his day. This wasn’t exactly like those but close. Instead of sitting in a car all day, he got to hang out at one of his favorite barbecue places and eat the free food the manager kept bringing him. Standing behind the table where the radio station crew sat to do their show, he slathered the pulled pork in some of the tangy and sweet Kansas City–style sauce.

“How’s it taste?” the manager asked, checking in for the third time. Donovan wasn’t sure if he was simply being generous or was afraid of getting slammed to the floor like that Lyle guy.

“It’s delicious, sir. This might be even better than the brisket, and that was heaven.”

The man’s whole face lit up. He took pride in what he did and it showed. “Glad you like it. Can I get you anything else? Did you get some cornbread?”

“I’m good, thank you. I’ve had two pieces of cornbread. You guys make the best.”

“Appreciate that. Let me know if there’s anything else we can do for you while you’re here.”

Donovan gave him a will-do nod before the manager did a quick check on Kelly and her crew. She was off-air at the moment and chatting it up with a couple of female customers. Kelly laughed at something they said and thanked them for stopping by. She had a way with people. There was something very down-to-earth about her that people seemed to be attracted to.

“Kelly Bonner, I am your biggest fan.” A man the size and height of a professional basketball player appeared at the table. Donovan could see Kelly’s back straighten and her shoulders tense. He set his sandwich down on the counter behind him and quickly wiped his hands. He had let the food distract him from watching the room.

“Glad to hear it. Would you like to spin our wheel and win yourself a prize?” she offered. Kelly’s producer had set up a prize wheel that listeners could spin for radio station paraphernalia or free food from the restaurant.

“Can I win a dinner date with you if I spin?” he asked, causing Donovan to inch closer.

“You can definitely win dinner,” she replied, ignoring the come-on.

“This place is fine for lunch, but I want to take you somewhere real nice. I know this great Italian place on the north side of town.” He placed his hands on the table and smiled down at her like a fox in the henhouse.

Donovan stepped in. “Sir, I’m going to need you to back away from Miss Bonner, please. Either spin the wheel for your chance to get your hands on a free can cozy or get in line for lunch.”

The man stood up and reached into the inside pocket of his suit coat, pulling out a business card. “I don’t need any can cozies, but if you want to have some of the best lasagna you’ve ever tasted, give me a call.” He slid the card across the table.

Kelly’s producer picked up the card. “I love lasagna. I’ll drop your card in our drawing for tickets to the Grace Note concert.”

The guy looked like he was about to say something when Kelly said, “Good luck and thanks for listening to K104.”

Taking the hint, he made his way to the register to buy himself some lunch. Donovan hoped he himself had never made a woman feel that uncomfortable before and been so clueless about it. He prided himself in being able to read people better than that.

“Sorry we had to interrupt your lunch back there,” Kelly said, cracking a smile. “I think this is the first time since we’ve been on the air that I’ve seen you empty-handed.”

Donovan tried not to roll his eyes.

“Do you think that was the guy?” her producer asked. “I listened to him talk, hoping I would recognize his voice.”

“That wasn’t him,” Donovan said.

“How do you know? You didn’t hear the guy when he called yesterday,” Kelly challenged.

“I know because you told me your stalker is angry at you for saying you had a boyfriend. That guy strode up to you like there wasn’t a chance you’d reject him. I’m less concerned about the men who approach you than the guys who hang back and watch you without saying a word.”

Kelly scanned the room with wary eyes. She bit down on her bottom lip.

Her producer put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Kel. Between me and Detective Walsh, no creep is going to touch you.”

“You’re sweet, Lyle, but I’d like to be able to take care of myself.”

Donovan admired the way she thought, and given the ease with which he took Lyle down earlier, her friend wasn’t going to be much help if things got physical. It was best she learned to defend herself.

“Maybe you could get some pepper spray,” Lyle suggested.

Kelly glanced back at Donovan and fought a smile. “I hear that’s not the best idea, actually.”

Maybe she wasn’t as stubborn as he’d assumed.

Lyle’s computer chimed. “Shoot, you’re on in thirty seconds.”

Kelly put on her headphones and Donovan slipped back behind her. It was his turn to scan the room for anyone out of the ordinary.

There was a group of women gathered around one of the tables. Their laughter came in bursts in between their raucous conversation. There was a dad and his two kids at another table. Both kids had to be under the age of five. The older child knocked over his cup and spilled red punch. His dad jumped up and grabbed the roll of paper towels off the holder at the other end of the table to wipe it up. The man’s patience was admirable. He didn’t yell or make the little boy feel bad for spilling; he simply had his son help clean it up.

Donovan wished he had that kind of patience with Graham and Avery. He was a military man who was used to always having things in order. Clutter wasn’t something that existed on a military base. Kids created clutter without even trying. His niece and nephew were like two tiny tornadoes who could mess up a room in the blink of an eye.

A group of thirtysomething professionals walked in together. Behind them was someone wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt. He wasn’t with them but stayed close enough to them that Donovan couldn’t get a good look at him.

“We’re going to be hanging out for another hour, so I hope you’ll come on in and spin our wheel of prizes and enter for your chance to win two tickets to the Grace Note Records Concert for the Kids,” Kelly said into her microphone. “Speaking of Grace Note, let’s play the new song from Boone Williams. This is ‘One Mountain at a Time.’” She clicked a button on her laptop and took off her headphones. “I cannot wait until the real promo for this show starts. You think I’ll get an in-studio interview with Boone Williams? I have been in love with him since I was six years old.”

Lyle laughed. “Careful, you don’t want him getting a bodyguard because you’re the obsessed fan.”

Donovan’s attention was split between Kelly and the guy in the hoodie ordering his lunch. The group of work buddies came over to the table and took turns spinning the wheel and chatting it up with Kelly and Lyle. The lone wolf sat in the far corner with his back to the radio station’s setup. It began to irk Donovan that he couldn’t see the guy’s face. He didn’t even know what color his hair was.

Something inside his head told him to get a better look, so he waltzed over to the mystery man’s table. “Want to spin the wheel for some prizes? They’re giving away free pulled pork sandwiches on your next visit.”

The guy didn’t move. “No, thanks.”

“Come on.” Donovan tried to cajole him. “You can sign up to win tickets to some big concert, too. Boone Williams is going to be there.”

The guy kind of chuckled. “Don’t need any tickets. Especially to Boone Williams.”

Donovan still couldn’t see his face but could tell he had a baseball hat on under that hood and sunglasses on. “You got something against Boone Williams? Kelly over there loves him. You know, Kelly Bonner. From the local radio station.”

“Everything all right over here?” The restaurant manager was back with a worried expression and a tray full of cornbread slices. “Can I offer you gentlemen some cornbread while you wait for your food?”

Finally, the guy turned and looked over his shoulder. “I’m not going to say no to that.”

The manager’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Boone Williams?”

“He’s not interested,” Donovan said, getting a good look at this creeper. The man was in his forties. Dark hair under his hat and hood. Strong jaw. No visible scars on his face.

“Boone Williams!” a petite brunette from the table of women shrieked.

Before Donovan knew it, pretty much everyone in the place, save the dad and his two kids, was huddled around them asking for pictures and autographs. That was when it hit him.

“Ah, Boone Williams.”

CHAPTER FOUR

“I CAN’T BELIEVE that Boone Williams walked into my Great Barbecue for lunch.” Kelly helped Lyle load up the station van with the last of the equipment.

“Oh, it’s your Great Barbecue now, is it?” Lyle slammed the doors shut.

Kelly smirked. “You know what I mean. He must have heard me on the radio and couldn’t stay away.”

“I’m pretty sure the guy had no idea there was a radio station inside. He was definitely trying to avoid being recognized. My guess is he did not plan to show up where someone was playing his song and giving away tickets to see him in concert. Walking into your show was probably his biggest nightmare.” Detective Walsh had an affinity for being no fun.

“Okay, so I know he’s a private guy, but I don’t think he’d call it his biggest nightmare to walk into a restaurant where I’m doing my show.”

“Your Great Barbecue. Your show. Someone sure is all about what’s hers,” Lyle teased.

Kelly nudged him with her elbow. “Keep it up and I won’t put in a good word for you with a certain someone we both know.”

“Did I mention what a great show you had today?” Lyle asked, changing his tune. “Top-notch, Kel.”

“I’ll meet you back at the station,” Detective Walsh said, backing away.

She was happy to be free of her shadow even if it was only for the short drive to the radio station. When she got back to her office, she would call her uncle and see if there was any other possible solution to this problem. Maybe she could convince him there wasn’t really a problem. Yes, the guy messed up her car yesterday, but maybe that was it. He was mad, got his revenge and now he would move on.

She could hope.

“It’s overkill to have a bodyguard, don’t you think?” she asked Lyle. She wanted him to agree with her and put the lingering doubts she had to rest.

“Maybe,” he answered quickly. He glanced her way. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s not. This guy had to know what car you drove to mess with it, which means he’s watched you come and go. That’s a bigger deal than someone sending you gifts in the mail. A bodyguard might be what you need until your uncle finds the guy.”

It bothered her to think about being watched. How long had that been going on? Was he still watching without her being aware? The thought made her skin crawl.

At the station, Kelly contemplated asking the detective to stay in the parking garage instead of coming inside. She hadn’t yet explained to Caroline that she had been given private security and wasn’t sure how that would go over with the boss yet. He was there to open her door as soon as Lyle parked the van, however.

“If you can give me a quick tour of your office, I should be able to wait outside for you to finish up. It would be helpful for me to have a lay of the land in case anything was to happen while you were inside,” he said.

The relief was immediate. Kelly’s shoulders were no longer tight. “That sounds like a good idea. I’ll show you around right now.”

He offered to help Lyle carry the equipment into the building. With his arms full, he used his body to hold the elevator doors open for her. Kelly noticed the scar on the left side of his neck as they rode the tiny elevator up. She wondered how he got it but didn’t ask.

“Do you have a first name?” she asked instead. “I’d like to be able to introduce you as a friend of mine if we run into my boss.”

He stared at her with his hazel eyes. Outside they had looked greener, but inside they were a golden brown. “You can call me Donovan.”

“Okay, cool. You can call me Kelly instead of Miss Bonner. That sounds so formal and I’m not really a formal person,” she said. Donovan nodded and Lyle snickered. If he had been close enough, Kelly would have given Lyle’s shins a little kick. She hated that the detective made her feel so awkward. Maybe now that they were on a first-name basis, he would lighten up and things would be a bit more relaxed. “Donovan. That’s a good name.”

“My mom thought so,” he replied.

For some reason the elevator was taking forever and silence made Kelly nervous. “Anyone ever call you Don? Donnie? Dono?”

“No. And please don’t try to be the first.”

The elevator signaled they had arrived at their floor and the doors opened. No nicknames for the detective. At least he had a first name. Calling him Donovan made things feel less threatening. Hopefully, the only person she’d have to introduce him to was Nancy. Caroline liked to stay in her office anyway. It was unlikely they’d bump into her during the quick tour.

“Kelly, you’re back already?” Caroline, in her red power suit and killer heels, stood next to the reception desk because of course she wasn’t in her office like she usually always was. Kelly’s luck lately kind of stank.

“We’re baaaack.” Kelly regretted saying it that way the moment it came out of her mouth.

Caroline’s sense of humor was nonexistent. She appeared more annoyed than amused. “I need to talk to you. Who is this?” she asked, staring at Donovan, who had a box full of K104 promotional material in his hands.

Kelly hoped her broad smile didn’t come across as fake as it was. “This is my friend Donovan. He was kind enough to help us carry things up from the van.”

Juliette, the receptionist, frowned. Her eyebrows pinched together behind her glasses. “Aren’t you the police officer investigating what happened in the parking garage?”

Donovan looked to Kelly for help. Of course, he must have introduced himself to Juliette when he was here earlier, and Juliette never forgot a face.

“He is,” Kelly answered. “He’s a friend, who also happens to work for the police department. It’s nice to have friends on the force, right?”

“Nice indeed. Well, I hope you figure out what happened,” Caroline said to Donovan before turning to Kelly. “You remembered to lock your car, right?”

“My car wasn’t broken into. It was vandalized.”

“Oh, well, it’s still important to lock up. When you don’t, you invite trouble. That’s all I was trying to say.”

Kelly reminded herself not to take offense. Caroline didn’t get where she was by thinking bad things just happened. She was a strong believer in being in control of one’s destiny. In Caroline’s mind, if Kelly wanted something, she simply had to work hard for it and she’d get it.

Kelly wanted a new contract.

“You wanted to talk to me?”

Caroline fiddled with her earring. “I did. Come on back to my office.”

“Lyle, can you show Donovan around before he has to go?” Kelly asked, wanting to get the detective out of there as quickly as possible.

“Yeah, sure,” Lyle replied even though it looked as if he’d rather do anything other than that.

“Thank you,” she mouthed as she followed Caroline back to her big, corner office.

Caroline’s office was immaculate. Everything was in its place. The only thing on her desk was her mammoth computer monitor and keyboard. Her tidiness was as intimidating as she was.

“I know you’re anxious about your contract coming to an end soon. I want to reassure you that there is a place for you here at K104.”

Kelly nearly leaped out of her seat. “That’s great. Thank you. I love it here and I definitely don’t want to be anywhere else.”

“That’s good. But I do need to put some serious thought into where you fit in the lineup. There’s been some discussion about moving you to the morning spot. I need to know you’re willing to do what it takes to help this station maintain its top spot in the ratings.”

The coveted morning spot? The most listened-to time of the day? Kelly wanted to do cartwheels across Caroline’s spacious office. “I am willing to do whatever you want me to do. I have some great ideas that I wanted to run by you, as well.”

Caroline held up a hand. “Hold on. I’m not looking to brainstorm with you. I want to challenge you.”

Kelly swallowed hard. She was up for any challenge, but the way Caroline said it made it seem a bit scary.

“Whatever you want.”

Caroline opened a file drawer to her left. She pulled out a folder and set it on the desk. She handed Kelly a flyer for the farmers market near Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.

“I’ve heard you’ve been asking to do some more promo for us. Stan keeps trying to convince me that you’re the next big thing here and I should let him find more ways to use your popularity,” Caroline said, making it clear she didn’t agree with him yet. “I’d like to see what kind of draw you really are. I’ve agreed to let you make more public appearances. We’ll start with sending you out to this farmers market every Friday after your show for the rest of the summer. There are also a few smaller concerts we’re sponsoring that I’d like you to attend before we have you onstage at the Grace Note fund-raiser.”

“I’m happy to do all of that.” This was what she had been begging Stan to let her do. Finally, Caroline was on board.

“Great. Once we see how things go, we can meet to discuss your new contract and a possible move to mornings.”

“Thank you so much, Caroline. You won’t be sorry you gave me this chance.”

Kelly practically floated back to her office, where Lyle and Donovan were chatting with Nancy.

“Someone looks happy,” Nancy said when Kelly walked in.

“Maybe that’s because Stan has finally convinced Caroline to give me a chance to prove my worth around here.”

Lyle and Nancy applauded. “That’s awesome!” Lyle said. “Did she offer you a new contract?”

“Not yet.” Kelly stepped over the pile of promo material on the floor and sat down on the corner of her desk that surprisingly didn’t have anything on it. “But she’s going to. She wants me to get out and do more promotion at some of the concerts we’re sponsoring and at the farmers market every week.”

“But you told her about your stalker and how it would be safer if you were here in the studio instead of out there in the public for the time being,” Donovan chimed in. It felt like he took a pin and popped her balloon.

“No, I didn’t tell her that because that would have made her very unhappy, and a very unhappy boss means bad things for my impending contract negotiations.”

Donovan rubbed his forehead as if she had given him a headache. “The detectives working on your case aren’t going to crack it in one day, Kelly. Having you out in the public is going to make it a lot harder to keep you safe.”

“Maybe there’s nothing to worry about. Maybe he’s done with me. He messed up my car and thinks I have a boyfriend. It could all be over.”

Donovan shook his head. “It’s not over.”

* * *

DONOVAN DIDN’T KNOW why he was so sure that Kelly’s stalker wasn’t through with her yet, but he had such a strong feeling about it, he couldn’t ignore it. Hearing that her job was going to take her out of the studio and out in the spotlight again (and on the regular) made him uneasy.

His phone alerted him to a text. The officers investigating the vandalism had some luck getting some surveillance camera footage from outside the parking garage and were going to follow up on a couple leads. Perhaps they would wrap this up faster than he thought.

“What’s your cell number?”

Kelly rattled off the number. Donovan put it in his phone and sent her a text message so she could contact him.

“That’s me,” he said when her phone chimed. “Let me know when you’re ready to leave and I’ll be waiting in the station’s lobby for you.” He wanted to do a little investigating on his own while he had some time.

“I just need to plan for tomorrow’s show and I’ll be ready to go.”

Donovan left her and her friends to finish their work. He stopped to talk to Ms. Delgado before heading down to the parking garage.

“Can I ask you a question about the items that were delivered here for Miss Bonner?”

The observant receptionist tilted her head. “Sure, what do you want to know?”

“I’m wondering if you remember how the packages were delivered. Did they come through the regular mail? Or maybe delivered by someone from wherever the gift was purchased?”

Juliette shook her head. “Same guy every time. Except for the singing telegram. That was a different guy, obviously. But all the rest were delivered by a young guy with sandy blond hair.”

“Can you remember anything else? Was he tall or short, fat or thin?”

“He was about your height. Sturdy-looking guy. I remember faces better than I remember other things about a person.”

“Did he appear to work for a delivery service? Was he wearing a uniform?”

“No uniform. One time he was wearing a hat, but it wasn’t from a delivery company.” She paused for a moment. She pursed her lips and rubbed her chin. “It was a college hat. Alabama maybe. Their colors are red and white, right?”

That was an excellent observation. “You are a gem, Juliette. If you see this man again, would you please call me?” He snatched a pen out of the holder on her desk and wrote his cell number on a scrap of paper. “And if he comes when Kelly is here, could you contact me right away so I can ask him a few questions. If she’s here, I’ll be nearby.”

“Absolutely. Whatever you need, Detective.”

Donovan headed down to the parking garage to take a look around. The officers who were investigating had probably done their due diligence, but it never hurt to have an extra pair of eyes searching for any clues that the stalker may have left behind.

There were no cameras in the garage. No way to be sure who had vandalized Kelly’s car. On the lower level, there was a valet. The officers had surely asked them if they had seen anyone suspicious. Donovan had one question for them the officers wouldn’t have known to ask, however.

Two men with jackets that clearly identified them as the valets were finishing up with a customer, who tipped the one who had retrieved the car. Once the man had driven off, he counted the wad of dollar bills.