of home.”
He could relate. His family home was on a beach much farther north and rockier than those found on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but still, the music reminded him of home, as well.
“It was so dark and quiet where I was, all I had were the songs I remembered to keep me company.” She glanced out the window, her mouth turning down, her eyes darkening. “I only sang the happy ones.”
His chest tightened, imagining her tied up in a basement, alone and scared. His fists curled around the steering wheel. He wanted to be on the investigation team searching for the bastards who’d kidnapped her. When he found them, he’d be hard-pressed to control his anger and resist the desire to kill them for what they’d done.
“Are you angry at me?” Shelby asked.
Daniel glanced her way, shaking out of his thoughts. “No, why?”
“You looked like you wanted to kill someone.”
“I was thinking about the men who kidnapped you.”
“And you want to kill them?”
“Yes,” he said through gritted teeth.
“What good would that do?”
“They’d be off the street and unable to hurt anyone else, for one.”
She stared at him a moment, then said, “Despite what they did to me, I don’t wish them dead.”
“You’re much nicer than I am.”
Shelby sat back in her seat and gazed out the window at the road in front of them. “I’d want to know why they kidnapped me.”
“You’re related to a very influential and wealthy woman.”
“But that’s her. I’m not influential or wealthy.”
“Yeah, but she’s known for taking care of her family.”
“Who would have known I was her granddaughter?” She laughed humorlessly. “I didn’t know I was her granddaughter. I still find it hard to believe. Did they demand a ransom?”
“No.” Daniel shook his head. “That’s what has us all stumped. They never demanded anything. Did your captors say anything to you?”
“Not a word. It was as if I was a dog at the pound, to be fed and locked up until it was time to euthanize me.” She sighed. “Well, that was one of the thoughts I had at the time.”
“Not a particularly good one.”
“I know. Thus the beach songs.”
“You were lying on the floor in the kitchen when I found you. How did you get there?”
She straightened, her lips curling. “I broke a brace off my chair and used it to break the zip tie binding my wrists.” She glanced down as she rubbed the sores there. “I would have made it out if I’d run a little faster. But after sitting still for so long, my legs weren’t cooperating.” She smiled. “But I kicked one of my captors in the face and hit the other with a heavy flashlight.”
Daniel’s stomach tensed. She’d been kept in the dark both physically and mentally. It had to have been tough. But she’d been tougher. To have the inner strength to figure a way out of her predicament was a testament to her resilience.
Shelby wasn’t what he’d thought the granddaughter of Kate Winston would be like. But then she’d been raised by her grandfather and thus she was much more down-to-earth. He found himself drawn even more to her, and not just because of her physical attributes—all of which he’d seen and admired, and many of which he’d touched and wouldn’t mind touching again.
Shelby’s head swiveled as they passed a road. “That was our turn.”
Damn. He’d missed his turn off the highway just thinking about her. Being a bodyguard to Shelby was a mistake when all he could think about was getting his hands back on her delectable body.
Once again, he wondered why he’d agreed to continue on as her bodyguard. To be a good bodyguard, he needed to be impartial, focused and free of distraction. Shelby O’Hara had distraction in every ounce of her gorgeous body.
Shelby sat on the other side of the SUV, her mind on the man driving instead of the assignments and classes she’d missed. When she should have been planning ahead on the catch-up work she’d have to hustle to complete, she was thinking about how thick Daniel’s thighs were and wondering what they looked like beneath the denim of his jeans.
Hell, he’d seen her naked. She ought to have the same privilege. Not that she should be thinking about him that way at all, but she couldn’t help it.
Her core heated and she squirmed in her seat, inches away from his big hands gripping the steering wheel. The same hands that had carried her from the bath to her bed, naked.
“So how did you become a bodyguard?”
“I work for the Secret Service. I was detailed out to provide protection to former vice president Kate Winston.”
“Secret Service. Sounds impressive.” She tapped her fingers on the armrest. “And interesting. Are all Secret Service agents glorified bodyguards?”
His jaw tightened and his fingers curled around the steering wheel turned white around the knuckles.
She must have bruised his ego. She smiled inwardly, glad she’d gotten beneath his skin.
“Some of us work on investigations into threats against the president and vice president.”
“Why aren’t you working on the investigation? Did you make someone mad?”
His fingers loosened and he sighed. “I was injured when someone shot at Mrs. Winston. I’ve been sidelined from the investigation.”
“You were injured? Is that why you limp?” Now she felt bad for poking fun at the man.
He nodded. “I took the bullets meant to kill your grandmother.”
Shelby sat for a moment in silence, the full extent of what he was saying hitting hard. “Who would have it in for her and why?”
“If we had the answers, wouldn’t we have caught him by now?”
“I suppose.” She glanced out the window as they passed houses and businesses. “I don’t understand why people have to be so callous and angry all the time.”
“Being a part of the Winston family, with all their wealth and property, has its perks.”
“And apparently its price.” Shelby pushed a hand through her hair and stared forward. “I didn’t ask for it.”
“No, you didn’t. But you can’t deny
