“What’s the matter?”
“That’s your car, isn’t it?” He pointed behind her.
Kelly spun around and gasped. Both headlights had been smashed and on the hood of her car someone had keyed the word TEASE into the paint.
“This is my fault,” Lyle lamented.
Kelly’s heart beat double time and it was hard to breathe. She scanned the parking lot, fearing that her secret admirer turned hater was still nearby. No one else was around. The garage was eerily quiet. It was definitely time to call Uncle Hal.
* * *
“WALSH! GET IN HERE, right now.”
Hal Bonner was not the kind of boss you wanted to cross. He was similar to all of the commanding officers Donovan had ever had in the Marines. Unfortunately, Donovan had been on the captain’s bad side ever since he had lost his temper and broken the jaw of a known drug dealer. The guy completely deserved it but had better lawyers than Donovan had expected. While the case was under investigation with Internal Affairs, Donovan was stripped of his gun and badge and stuck on desk duty. It was worse than prison.
“Sir,” he said, standing in the captain’s doorway.
“Come in and shut the door.”
Donovan did as he was told and waited for permission to sit, something the military had ingrained in him. Captain Bonner didn’t look up from his computer because he was too busy typing. Two fingers pecked at the keys. Technology wasn’t his strong suit.
Captain glanced up and noticed Donovan standing there. “For the love— Sit down!” he snapped. He shook his head as Donovan complied. “If only I had been there to say, ‘Don’t break his jaw,’ you wouldn’t be in this mess, apparently.”
Donovan was very good at following commands but did have a tendency to let his emotions get the best of him in the field. That had been an issue in the Marines, as well.
Captain finished typing and rubbed his eyes. The man looked exhausted. “I’m putting you on a special assignment.”
Donovan sat up a little straighter. Special assignment sounded so much better than desk duty. “I’ll do anything you need me to do, sir.”
“Glad to hear that.” He jotted something on a scrap of paper and handed it to Donovan. “I need you to go to this address and pick up my niece, Kelly. You will then spend the rest of your shift watching her. I have squads sitting outside her place at night, but I need someone on her during the day. Wherever she goes, you go.”
Babysitting? Desk duty wasn’t sounding so bad all of a sudden. “Sir, I don’t—”
“You don’t what? You don’t think you want to help me keep my niece safe from harm?”
“No, sir. That’s not what I was going to say.”
“Good, then it’s settled. I’ve got some unidentified jerk running around Nashville obsessed with her. Yesterday, he vandalized her car. I want to make sure he doesn’t get the chance to lay a hand on her. You start now.”
Donovan tried to think of something to say that could get him out of this, but there was nothing. Nothing that would change Captain Bonner’s mind. Babysitting someone in relationship trouble was worse than desk duty.
“Goodness, Walsh! Stand up, walk to your car and go to the address I gave you,” Captain said in a huff.
Donovan did as he was told.
He said a silent prayer that she wasn’t in high school. If Donovan had to spend the whole day surrounded by teenagers, he might just quit. Living with one was bad enough.
“Where you headed, Walsh? Did they put you on administrative leave?” Detective Steven Dillon was Donovan’s partner.
“Special assignment. I have to go babysit his niece—” he pulled out the piece of paper with her name and address on it “—Kelly. Know anything about her?”
Dillon’s head fell back as he laughed. “Oh, man. My only words of advice are look but do not touch. Captain will crush anyone who even thinks about having inappropriate thoughts about that woman. Good luck with that.”
Not a teenager at least. Donovan wasn’t worried about having inappropriate thoughts about anyone. Once his niece and nephew were out of his house, he planned to live the rest of his life very much alone.
He drove to the apartment building and took note of his surroundings. It was a quiet street. Not a lot of cars. No traffic lights or businesses nearby with cameras, however. The complex was secure but there was no one manning the entrance. He punched in her apartment number in the intercom.
“Hello?” A voice came through the speaker.
“Miss Bonner, I’m Detective Walsh. Your uncle sent me. I’m supposed to—” he wasn’t sure she’d take too kindly to him calling it babysitting “—keep you company today.”
There was no answer and no opening of the door. Donovan buzzed the apartment again.
“Hang on.” She sounded exasperated.
She was annoyed? He was the one who had to follow her around doing whatever mundane things she had on her agenda for the day. This could be a bigger nightmare than he imagined.
A woman on her phone pushed open the door. “I understand you’re trying to protect me, but this is a little extreme don’t you think?” she said as she jogged down the steps and onto the sidewalk. Ending her call, she turned around and glanced up at Donovan. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her eyes were covered by aviator sunglasses. “Well, come on. He’s going to send you to the station regardless of what I have to say about it.”
This must be the niece. Dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt knotted at her hip, she didn’t give him many clues as to what she might have to do today. Donovan could see why Dillon told him Captain was protective. She was attractive, albeit a tad rude. She stormed ahead before coming to an abrupt stop.
“I was about to call for a car, but I assume you have one?”
Donovan moseyed up beside her. “I do. Where are you headed in such a hurry?”
She took off her sunglasses, revealing the most stunning crystal-blue eyes. “The station,” she said in a flustered tone. “I have a meeting before my show.”
“Station?” The only station Donovan was aware of was the one he just left.
Kelly’s head rolled back and she sighed. “He didn’t tell you anything, did he?”
“I was directed to go where you go, miss. That’s what he told me and that’s what I’ll have to do.”
“I work at K104, the radio station. I need to get there in the next twenty minutes or my station manager is not going to be happy with me. This would be the same station manager who will hopefully be renewing my contract soon and I really don’t need her to be unhappy. Maybe I can drive? Which car is yours?” She held out her hand as if he might actually consider relinquishing his keys to her. That was not happening. No one drove his truck except him.
“I’m right over here,” he said, pointing to his black F150 and wishing he had asked for one of the station’s cars. Being on desk duty meant he was only allowed to use his personal vehicle.
Kelly didn’t follow him. “Since when does the Nashville PD drive around in pickup trucks?” she asked. “Can I see your badge?”
Donovan grimaced. That was a problem. No gun or badge. “Funny story,” he said, slowly spinning around to face her and the can of pepper spray that was pointed at him.