Harlequin Romantic Suspense April 2021

sweet, sexy voice over the phone wasn’t enough. He wanted to be there to share in her happiness, to take her in his arms and dance around her kitchen the way she always did when she was happy. He could see it as clearly as if he was there.
Beautiful, sexy, sweet and smart Carly. The back of his throat stung with emotion. Whatever emotion she experienced, she did with gusto. Her joy was infectious, infusing him with hope for a brighter world. He had no idea how she did it, but merely by her existence, Carly made him want to be a better person. Worthy of someone as special as her.
At this very moment, there were two things Micha craved in this world. The first was to keep Carly safe. After that, the second would be for her to finally understand that they were truly meant to be together.
She belonged with him and he belonged with her. No terrorists or helicopter crash, burns or long convalescence could take that away from them. He felt it deep in his soul. Once, Carly had felt it, too. Their connection had been instant and deep, searing them forever.
Two years and a huge miscommunication had separated them, driven a wedge in between them. Yet when he’d first seen her, every emotion had come rushing back, filling him with love and desire. And Carly had felt the same things, too. They’d devoured each other, fallen into each other’s arms as if no time had passed since they’d been apart.
Imprisonment, horrific injuries and learning she’d been wrongfully notified of his death had conspired to keep them apart. He’d almost let those things and two years apart change him, letting himself believe that he could continue in life without her. Until he’d actually caught sight of her once more and realized how wrong he’d been.
Micha had never been a poetic man. He considered himself a realist, pragmatic and grounded. Except when it came to her. Carly changed everything. He had no doubt that they were each half of the same soul, destined to be together for as long as they drew breath.
He knew she would realize this eventually, he just didn’t know when. He knew he had to go slowly, cautiously, so he didn’t scare her away. She held the pain and grief she’d been through wrapped around her like a shield. Regaining her trust would only be accomplished slowly. He knew he’d have to resist every impulse to rush things.
As for keeping her safe, at least Chicago PD had gotten involved. While a start, that wasn’t nearly enough, so Micha had decided he would become her personal bodyguard and do his best to keep her safe. Considering that he didn’t want to freak her out, he planned to do much of that as quietly as possible in the background.
Since he knew he’d be staying in Chicago, he needed to look for a place to rent. His only real criteria would be the location—he wanted to live near Carly. In Hyde Park, if possible.
He figured he’d ask her if she’d mind going with him to look. After all, she’d lived in the city and knew all the good areas as well as places to avoid. He’d bring that up Sunday night when he saw her.
Saturday had a completely different traffic pattern than the days of the week.
With little to do while Carly was at work, Micha drove by her house, with the idea of searching the neighborhood looking for For Rent signs.
He slowed as he approached her place. A white, windowless van was parked at the curb in front. Other than that, the neighborhood appeared quiet.
Telling himself a vehicle like this was nothing out of the ordinary, nevertheless he reduced speed even more. That was when he saw the guy coming out from Carly’s backyard. He wore a dark hoodie, too warm for such a nice day, black jeans and a baseball cap pulled low. His furtive movements combined with his odd attire set off all sorts of alarm bells.
Was this the guy who had been stalking Carly? Did he have something to do with the murders of Carly’s father and uncle?
Pulling up behind the van, Micha jumped out. He intercepted the intruder halfway between the fence and the sidewalk. “Can I help you?” he asked, as if he actually owned the place.
The guy looked up, clearly startled. Micha caught a glimpse of a short, reddish brown beard.
Instead of responding, the man took off running. Not for the van, but down the sidewalk. Micha ran after him, wondering if he might actually be one of Carly’s neighbors. That would definitely explain her feeling of being watched for a good while.
But no, instead of dashing into one of the other houses, the guy kept running. Micha heard the sound of a vehicle starting. He glanced over his shoulder, realizing too late that there had been someone else at the wheel inside the parked vehicle. The runner had an accomplice, who was driving the white van.
And it was headed directly toward Micha.
Turning, Micha faced the van and waited. If it swerved up onto the sidewalk, he planned to jump left, behind the wide trunk of an old oak tree.
Instead, it barreled past him, screeching to a halt long enough for the man Micha had been pursuing to jump in. Once he had, it roared off, running a stop sign before disappearing around the corner.
“Damn.” Micha grabbed his phone and called Charlie Crenshaw. His friend picked up immediately. Once Micha relayed what had happened, Charlie promised to send two officers to Carly’s house right away.
Jogging back down the street, Micha waited by his rental car. He dialed Carly’s number, aware she probably couldn’t take the call while working. As he’d suspected, his call went directly to voice mail. Not wanting to unduly alarm her, he simply left a message asking her to call him.
Dragging his hand through his hair, Micha couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d failed. He should have