Bodyguard

Chapter Five

Ronan went after her without hesitation. There was nothing better than a cute female with the hottest ass he'd ever seen ordering him around.

Behind him he heard Olaf say, a little fearfully, "Ronan . . . he will punish Lizbeth?"

"No, sweetie," Rebecca said. "But she might punish him ."

The back door swung shut, cutting off Olaf's reply.

Elizabeth waited by her truck, arms folded. This morning she wore tight blue jeans and a little top that exposed both her navel and the tattoo on her collarbone. It was a butterfly. Nice.

Ronan didn't usually like small women, but decided he'd make an exception for Elizabeth, who was not tall but generously curved. Her smallness made him want to be gentle, although the fire in her eyes said she wasn't about to be gentle with him. Rebecca had that right.

"Let me explain something about the retail business," Elizabeth said as soon as he was within earshot. Human earshot--he could have heard her all the way in the kitchen, and he knew that his family was listening hard. "If your store closes unexpectedly, people think you're not opening again, and they go away and don't come back. I spent years building up this business, and it's the only thing between me and Mabel and the wolf at the door. If I don't open up, I don't make money. In fact, I lose money, because I still have to pay for my inventory and the lease and taxes and everything else. So I'm not letting a full-of-himself kid with a gun stop me. I learned a long time ago that you can't let yourself be a victim--or else you might as well crawl into a hole, block it up behind you, and stay there the rest of your life."

Elizabeth ran out of breath but not fire. Her blue eyes snapped and sparked. Ronan wondered how those eyes would look, blinking sleepily at him from the pillow next to his.

"You done?" he asked.

"I'm not going to argue about this, so don't bother trying. I'm explaining, that's all. I'm very grateful to you and Rebecca for putting us up. I'll give you some cash for the food, but we're out of here."

She tried to walk around Ronan back to the house. Cute. He stepped in front of her.

"Now, let me explain, Lizzie-girl," he said. "The kid who robbed you, Julio Marquez, is the brother of the leader of one of the hardest gangs in Houston. He's now moved into Austin to try to take over here, and he's decided that you need to be punished for getting his kid brother arrested. Plus, you're the only witness to the crime, so if you are too dead to testify, so much the better. I'm a witness, but I'm a Shifter, so my testimony doesn't count. Besides, the older Marquez and his crew would have to get to Shiftertown to off me, and they can't. Which is why you're safe here, and why you're staying here until Liam, his trackers, and I make sure they understand that you're off limits. Got it?"

Elizabeth listened with her mouth open, fear at last showing in her eyes. "Are you talking about the Red Avenue gang?"

"I think that's what they're called. You heard of them?"

"I knew a guy whose brother killed by one of them. Shot while he was walking his little sister home from school, because he owed them money. The leader's name wasn't Marquez, though."

"It is now. According to Sean, he took over not too long ago, and he wants to expand his enterprise. They're into running drugs and guns up out of Mexico. They're like a little army."

Elizabeth's worried look intensified. "Shit."

"So, you aren't going anywhere. Not while these guys are out to get you and your sister."

Ronan watched her battle her fear. She had resilience, he had to give her that. "This is exactly what I mean about not being a victim," she said. "Mabel can stay here--I don't want her getting mixed up in this. But I have to open my store. I have to keep going. If I let a gang close it, I'm done for. They won't attack me in broad daylight, with all the other open stores around, and I can close up early. That won't be a problem--I don't get as much traffic at night. How's that?"

Ronan started shaking his head and kept on shaking it. "No, sweetie. I'm not taking a chance they won't do a drive-by on you or something. You're staying here."

Now she looked rebellious. The defiant lady who'd streaked her hair and knew how to pick pockets glared at him. "I'm not jeopardizing everything I've worked for to make you feel better."

"It's to keep you safe!"

"How safe am I in a houseful of Shifters? When one won't even get out of the bathroom?"

She wasn't afraid of them, Ronan could tell. Cautious, yes, but not afraid.

"A hell of a lot safer than you are out on the streets."

"But I'm not allowed to leave?" Elizabeth planted her hands on her hips. "There's a saying, that those who give up freedom for safety don't deserve either one. I don't remember who said that--I missed a lot of school as a kid--but it was someone smart."

Ronan lifted his hands. "I get where you're coming from. I really do understand. But damn it, I don't want to see you hurt. I don't want to see them try to burn down your store--with you inside it. When that guy pulled the gun on you last night . . . it seriously pissed me off."

"Well, it seriously pissed me off too. If they try to burn down the store, I can put out the fire faster if I'm there."

"Goddess, woman, I thought she-bears were stubborn."

Elizabeth fixed him with a steely stare. "You ain't seen nothing yet."

Ronan wanted to laugh. Not only was she stubborn but crazy and brave. He knew right then that if he didn't lock her into Rebecca's bedroom, she'd light out for that store as soon as his back was turned. Even if Ronan did lock her in, Elizabeth would find a way out. She was that kind of girl.

"All right." Ronan forced his voice to come down from the frenzied arguing. "We'll do it your way. Partly. Mabel stays here, and you go open your store. I come with you, and we have a couple trackers lurking around outside to keep an eye on things."

Elizabeth's anger didn't diminish. "Shifters lurking around my parking area all day will worry the other shop owners. What if they call the police?"

"No one will see the trackers. They're pretty good at stealth, when they want to be. And Shifters are at your store all the time. You're one of the few who lets us in."

"They come in to shop . Not lurk. There's a difference."

"Why don't you ban Shifters? It's your choice."

Elizabeth stopped, annoyed at the change in conversational direction. She obviously didn't like her arguments interrupted. "Because I think laws banning Shifters are stupid. Why shouldn't you be allowed to wear lame T-shirts like everyone else?"

Ronan chuckled. "I'm keeping the Red-Hot Lover one. My point is, because you've been a friend to Shifters, Shifters are happy to look out for you when you need it. I'm putting you under my protection. I already have. All of Shiftertown knows that if anyone wants to mess with you, they mess with me first."

"All of Shiftertown?" Elizabeth regarded him skeptically. "Already knows this? We didn't get here until late last night."

"Liam put the word out."

"At three in the morning?"

Ronan shrugged. "I told you, Felines are nocturnal. By this morning, everyone knew. There's not a Shifter within a hundred miles who'd want to go one-on-one with me, so they'll help you but leave you alone. The Morrisseys outrank me, but that's about it. And they like you too."

"They don't know me."

"You'd be surprised what they know. You are safe here, and so is Mabel. Now, if you're done arguing, let's go open your store."

Ronan started to walk away. He'd learned that the best way to finish an altercation with females was simply to leave. They'd stand there and shout things at your back, but better that than having the argument go on and on and on .

"There's one big problem with you going with me," came her voice behind him.

Ronan turned. "What's that?"

Elizabeth had calmed down a little, but her eyes were still alight with determination. "The judge sentenced you to house arrest. You're not supposed to leave Shiftertown at all, except to go to your job."

"Why don't you let me worry about that? Now, are we going?"

"You're not. I get why you want to post the trackers outside my store to keep an eye out. That makes sense. But what happens when a cop comes by and sees you in there with me? Then I get arrested too, for aiding and abetting. I can't run my store if I'm in jail."

"I said, let me worry about that."

"Forget it. Stay here and take care of Mabel, and your Spike guy with his tatts can watch out for the gang."

Ronan came back to her. "Here's the deal, Lizzie-girl. I go with you, or you don't go."

"Stop calling me Lizzie-girl." She jabbed her finger at his chest. "It's my store, my life, my sister, and we'll do this my-- Hey! What are you doing?"

Ronan had his giant hands on her soft waist, and he lifted her off her feet. She squirmed and glared, but he lifted her higher, higher, until she was over his head. He often picked up Olaf like this, and Elizabeth was not much bigger than the cub.

"Ronan, you put me down!"

"Nothing doing, sweet thing. Not until you realize that I'm your bodyguard now, and that's all there is to that."

"You arrogant . . ."

Ronan saw her hand coming at him, fingers stiff, right for his eyes. He ducked out of the way in time, but the move made him lose his hold. Elizabeth kicked out, not contacting him, but with enough force to twist from his grip and land on her feet. She never touched him, and yet, there she stood, a couple yards from him, hands on hips, breathing hard, triumph on her face.

Ronan growled. "You fight dirty."

"I learned how to a long time ago."

"You know something, Lizzie-girl?"

Elizabeth canted one hip . . . Aw, wasn't that adorable? "What's that?" she asked.

"I fight dirty too."

Before Elizabeth could scream, Ronan ran at her and lifted her again, letting the momentum carry them forward until her back was against the outside wall of the Den. Ronan pinned her tightly, his body against hers, so that she couldn't squirm, kick, or do any neat karate moves with her hands.

Elizabeth struggled, and she glared, and the more she glared, the more Ronan wanted to laugh. She smelled sweet, like the honey she'd poured on her toast. One drop of that honey lingered on the corner of her mouth, and Ronan leaned down and licked it away.