Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

R estless currents of energy buzzed through Delaney as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her brown eyes were muddy, filled with fear, her skin pale beneath the makeup. Was Hugh out there in the crowd of people, waiting to exact his twisted form of justice?

She heard a tap at the window. Her heart leapt in her throat as she whirled around, her hand going over her chest. She laughed, feeling a weak relief, when she realized the sound was rain splattering against the glass. She turned again to face the mirror. A guest room in the Senator’s home had been converted into a dressing room. She was set to perform in one hour. It was comforting to know that Corbin was right outside the door. He’d asked if she wanted him to come into her dressing room after she got changed into her stage clothes, but she told him she needed a few minutes alone to mentally go over the set. When Corbin was around, it was hard to focus on anything but him. Right now, she needed to focus on the performance.

Today, at the recording studio, she’d felt Corbin’s eyes on her as he sat outside the glass booth. Several times, when they made eye contact, he gave her an encouraging nod, which was more comforting than Delaney wanted to admit. She couldn’t believe she was forming such a strong connection with someone she hardly knew. Maybe it was time she turned the tables and asked Corbin a few personal questions, see what kind of man he really was. Then again, she didn’t trust her own judgement. Tuck had fooled her. Why couldn’t Corbin?

A knock sounded once before the door opened. She looked up as her hairstylist Gina rushed in.

“Sorry I’m late,” she blustered. “Traffic was a beast.” She hurried over to Delaney and air-kissed her cheek before dumping her items on the nearby bed.

Delaney smiled. Gina was always a bundle of nerves. To the point where Milo questioned if Delaney should find someone else. Delaney had no intention of starting over with another stylist. She loved what Gina did with her hair, how she could make it look glamorous without weighing it down with an excessive amount of hairspray. And, besides, Gina’s nervous demeanor helped distract Delaney from her own anxiety.

Tonight, Gina’s round face was beet red, her hair windblown and damp from the rain. Delaney could tell she’d been rushing to get here.

“Is it raining hard outside?”

“Yes, it’s horrible.” She wrinkled her nose. “And I forgot my umbrella.” She waved a hand. “Oh, well. C‘est la vie.” Her hand went to her hip as she jutted her thumb at the closed door. “Who’s the hunk outside?”

Gina was notorious for switching topics midstream. Delaney sputtered out a laugh. “W—what?”

“You know the guy I’m talking about. The one parked outside your door. He’s gorgeous. Those intense eyes, perfect body.” She clucked her tongue, her eyes dancing wickedly. “Is he real?”

A giggle bubbled in Delaney’s throat. She was glad she wasn’t the only one so taken with Corbin. “He’s my new bodyguard.”

“Well, he’s got my vote,” Gina said, then trilled her tongue. “I wouldn’t mind having someone like him guarding me.” She frowned. “If I didn’t have fourteen rowdy kids, a husband, two dogs, and a fish, that is.”

Delaney laughed. Gina was happily married to a great guy with three boys, but she often joked that it felt more like fourteen.

“Okay, enough about Captain America. We need to make this quick.”

Now that she thought about it, Corbin did kind of look like Captain America, maybe with a little rebel mixed in—Captain America meets Iron Man. Yes, definitely Iron Man with Corbin’s messy hair and keen wit.

“You doing okay?”

“Yes, why?” Delaney asked reflexively, then saw the look of compassion in Gina’s eyes.

“I heard about your ex. I’m sorry, I know it can’t be easy.”

The familiar tension settled like a rock in Delaney’s stomach. “No, it’s not,” she said, clenching her hands. Gina didn’t know the half of it. No one did, except for Milo, Sutton Smith, and Corbin.

“If you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”

“Thanks.”

Gina turned to the bed, opened the latch on the metallic blue suitcase and lifted the lid. She pulled out a flat iron and blow dryer, along with a dozen or more hair products, which she placed on the table beside Delaney. She took a quick assessment of Delaney’s red blouse. Rhinestones dotted the top section. The bottom edge was cut at an angle, swooping down in a triangle on Delaney’s right side, long fringe hanging over her jeans. The final touch was the red leather cowboy boots.

Gina pursed her lips. “I think we should do your hair down tonight, but big with loose curls.” She glanced at the rhinestone earrings on the table. “We’ll need to push the sides of your hair back to showcase those babies.”

“Sounds good to me.” Delaney spotted a narrow, silver package wrapped in a matching bow. About two feet long, it was beside Gina’s purse. “What’s that?”

Gina slapped her forehead. “I’m glad you said something. I’m such a twit. A delivery man handed it to me right as I got here. It’s for you.” She handed Delaney the box.

Delaney took it, trying to decide if she should open it or call Corbin to check it out.

Gina gave her a funny look. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

She forced a smile. “Yeah, it’s just been rough … with Tuck’s death.”

“I know. I was surprised you didn’t cancel tonight.”

“Believe me. I thought about it, but this is such a great opportunity. I couldn’t afford to pass it up.”

Gina nodded in understanding. “That’s the nature of this business, honey. You’ve gotta pay those dues before you can take a breather.”

“Yep,” Delaney mumbled, her focus on the package. A sense of foreboding trickled over Delaney as she looked at it. She was about to say that she needed to get Corbin when Gina reached for it.

“Look at you … all shy about a secret admirer.” She rumbled out a deviant chuckle. “I’ll open it. It’s probably the closest I’ll ever come to a secret admirer. Also, we’re running out of time. I’ll need at least thirty minutes to do your hair justice.”

Delaney held her breath as Gina untied the bow. She lifted the lid, smiling. “It’s a rose,” she announced. Then her expression grew perplexed. “A black rose.” Her features tightened, her lips going down in a frown. “There’s a note, with red splotches on the edges.”

Red splotches of blood . Somehow Delaney managed to speak. “What does it say?”

Gina’s voice trembled. “Blood always remembers.”

At the sound of Delaney’s shrill cry, Corbin sprang from his seat and ran full speed into the room. His hand went to his Glock as he scoured the room. “What’s wrong?”

Terror ringed Delaney’s eyes as she pointed to the box on the bed. The hairstylist was standing beside Delaney shaking her head back and forth. She also looked petrified.

Corbin’s pulse raced as he peered into the box. A single black rose.

The stylist pointed to the square of white paper on the bed. Corbin only had to glance to discern the blood splatters. He read the note, then looked at Delaney.

“Where did this come from?” He’d done a sweep of the dressing room before Delaney entered.

“Someone gave it to Gina on her way into the mansion.”

“A delivery man,” Gina added.

“Why didn’t you come and get me?” He glared at Delaney, not trying to hide the frustration in his voice.

“I was going to?—”

“But I grabbed it and opened it,” Gina finished. She spread her hands. “I had no idea what was inside. I assumed it was from a secret admirer.” Her voice dribbled off to silence.

The thought of what could’ve happened rolled over Corbin like a semi-truck. “This could’ve been a bomb!” He raked a hand through his hair, exhaling loudly. He’d been sitting outside the door, assuming everything was fine. Then the stylist waltzed in with a package. He looked at the middle-aged, heavy-set woman with the ruddy complexion. She seemed harmless enough, but one could never be sure.

Delaney’s face drained as she bit down on her lower lip. “I’m sorry. Everything happened so fast.”

“Who was the delivery man?” Corbin demanded.

Gina drew back. “I—I don’t know.”

“What did he look like?”

“Muscular … young … closely cropped, brown hair.”

“What was he wearing?”

“Gray delivery clothes.”

“Anything else you can tell me?”

Gina looked at the door like she wanted to dart out of it. “Um, he had a tattoo on his wrist.”

“What kind?”

“Some type of line.” She hugged her arms, looking at Delaney as an explanation gushed out. “I was in a hurry and didn’t pay much attention.”

He glared at the woman. Her lower lip trembled like she might break into tears, but he wasn’t about to cut her any slack. Not if it meant putting Delaney at risk. He surveyed Delaney. “How well do you know her?”

Delaney’s eyes bugged. “Gina?”

“Yes.”

“Very well.” Delaney flashed Gina an apologetic look as she touched the woman’s arm. “She didn’t have anything to do with this, Corbin.”

“You’re darn tootin’ I didn’t,” Gina retorted, her face going red. She rolled her eyes. “I appreciate him wanting to keep you safe, but Captain America needs to take it down a notch.”

Corbin made a face. “What?” When Delaney’s cheeks turned pink, he realized they’d been discussing him. He didn’t know if he should be flattered or insulted. At any rate, they had more pressing matters to deal with right now.

Delaney started trembling, tears pooling in her eyes. “He’s coming for me.”

A wild look came into Gina’s eyes. “Who?”

“Tuck’s brother Hugh. He said if Tuck died,” her voice choked, “he’d kill me.” Hysteria coated Delaney’s voice, and Corbin could tell she was on the verge of losing it.

Gina’s jaw dropped, fear creeping into her eyes. “What’s going on here?”

Corbin wasn’t about to explain himself to this woman. “Could you please step outside? I need to talk to Delaney alone.”

Gina turned to Delaney. “Really? He’s ordering me out? I don’t want to leave you alone with him.” She glared at Corbin.

“It’s okay.” Delaney flashed a wan smile. “Really.”

Gina straightened her shoulders, giving Corbin a look that said, Go jump in a lake . “I’ll be right outside,” she clipped as she marched out, closing the door behind her.

“Are you all right?” Corbin asked, going to Delaney’s side.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. A self-deprecating laugh crackled through her throat as she swiped her tears with her palms. “I don’t know.” The haunted look in her eyes cut Corbin to the quick. “Do you think Hugh’s here?” she asked hoarsely.

He let out a breath. “It’s a possibility.” He sat down on the edge of the bed facing her. He leaned forward so they’d be eye-to-eye. “We knew this could happen, which is why we requested extra security.”

She nodded, biting down on her lower lip. “You’re right,” she finally said. “I knew this was coming.” Her voice caught. “But the rose … and the note … it makes it a thousand times worse.” She clenched her hands, her lips vanishing into a tight line.

Corbin wanted to gather Delaney in his arms and whisk her away from the danger. “You don’t have to go through with the concert tonight.” He saw her hesitation, could tell she wanted to flee. But then she tightened her jaw. “No, I’m done running. Cancelling this show wouldn’t bode well for my reputation.” Her voice gathered confidence as she continued. “I’m doing the show.”

“You sure?” While he applauded her courage, he didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. Protecting her while she was on stage in front of hundreds of people wouldn’t be easy. His mind ran through the protocols which were in place. Senator Fleming had his own security team, and they were supposedly checking the credentials of every guest prior to entry. Also, Sutton’s guys were here, along with Anton. Still, there was a large margin for error. There would be no way to guarantee Delaney’s safety. She seemed to be reading his thoughts.

“It’s okay. I know the risks.”

He searched her face. “You sure?”

She lifted her chin. “Yes.”

He touched her arm. “I promise, I’ll be by your side the whole time.”

A strained smile stretched over her lips. “For better or worse, huh?”

“For better or worse,” he repeated.