she set her tote bag of groceries on the floor and moved quietly to her bedroom. all her senses tingled high on alert. she might not be alone in the apartment. she was good at martial arts, but she'd feel a lot safer with her gun in her hand. she reached her bedside table and removed her sidearm from the top drawer.

with a quick glance, she verified that the pistol was loaded. she flipped the safety off, then quickly checked the bathroom and closet. she did a more thorough check of her bedroom, looking underneath the bed and behind the curtains. then she checked the living room and kitchen. empty. the box on the table wasn't clicking like a bomb, but she wasn't taking any chances opening it.

she examined the front door. no sign of forced entry. she called the apartment manager and asked if they'd let anyone into her apartment. no.

someone has a key. her heart thundered in her ears.

she called j.l. "the box was in my apartment. the bastard's been inside my house!"

"calm down," he told her. "i'll be right there."

she hung up. calm down? someone could enter her apartment at will. she wasn't safe in her own home.

damn that otis. how long was she supposed to put up with his stupid game? her supervisor, barker, had told her to leave him alone and stay away from leavenworth. once otis realized she wouldn't play his game, he'd leave her alone. but it wasn't working. otis was not giving up.

she was tempted to go tell him once and for all to buzz off. of course, that was what he wanted. he wanted her to visit. he wanted to keep a connection between them.

she groaned with frustration. there had to be a way to stop this. she was ready to rip her hair out. instead, she called robby. since he worked nights, his phone would be turned off during the day while he slept, but she could still leave a message.

"robby, another box of apples came. i went out to run some errands, and when i came back, they were in my apartment! sitting on the kitchen table. the accomplice wants me to know he can enter my house whenever he damn well pleases. and you know what? i'm not running away this time. i've had it! i'm staying here, and if that bastard dares to come back, i'll - "

beep. the allotted time for the message ran out.

she snapped the phone shut. just stating her thoughts out loud had left her feeling stronger and more empowered. she wasn't going to take it anymore.

a knock sounded on her door, and she immediately grabbed her gun. get a grip. the bad guy didn't need to knock. he either had a key or knew how to pick a lock.

"olivia!" j.l. yelled through the door. "are you there?"

"yes." she opened the door.

he slipped inside and looked quickly about. "are you planning to shoot me?"

"no." she set the gun down on the console. "sorry about that."

"don't apologize. i'm packing, too."

she locked the door, then groaned. "why do i even bother? the bastard can come in whenever he likes."

"we'll get a new lock put in today." j.l. walked toward the kitchen table. "so this is it. the infamous apple box. no postage or delivery markings. you checked the rest of the apartment?"

"yes, everything else is normal."

"look inside your closet or chest of drawers. he may have taken a souvenir."

olivia shuddered at the thought. "okay." everything appeared normal in her closet. she rifled through her drawers and noted one thing missing - a pair of red lace panties. damn, now she really felt violated.

"the scumbag swiped a pair of - " she froze at the bedroom door. j.l. was standing an arm's length away from the cardboard box while he used a spatula from her kitchen to open it.

"stay back," he warned her.

so he'd purposely managed to make her leave the room while he opened the box. it was heroic of him, but not the smartest move if he actually suspected the box would explode if opened.

"there's never been anything dangerous about the apples," she reassured him. still she held her breath when he flipped the box open. nothing.

he scooped an apple out, and it bounced onto the table, then rolled off the edge to land on the floor. "have you ever had the apples tested for drugs?"

"the first time, yes. they were normal." she watched a second and third apple plummet to the floor. "they're just meant to be a threat to my peace of mind. it's a psychological game."

"yeah." j.l. flipped the rest of the apples out of the box with his spatula. "but criminal behavior can escalate over time, when the creeps need a bigger thrill."

"so far he hasn't shown a desire to hurt me." olivia approached the kitchen table. "he just wants to manipulate me and keep a connection between us."

"because you two are destined to be together forever," j.l. repeated what otis had told his mother. "if he ever realizes you're not agreeable to that plan, he'll turn on you in a second."

"i know."

with the spatula, j.l. dug around in the green plastic grass that had cushioned the apples. "it seems all right, but we should still take this to forensics and see if they can lift any prints off it. the creep obviously wanted to scare you by putting it inside your apartment, but it may have been a big mistake for him to deliver it himself."

"i think he must be watching the apartment. he knew when i had left."

"good point." j.l. tapped the spatula on the tabletop while he considered. "let's see if he'll come back."

olivia and j.l. made a show of leaving the apartment, locking the front door, and driving off in his car. then, a few blocks away, olivia exited the car and j.l. proceeded to a nearby hardware store to buy a new lock.

she jogged back and hid behind a dumpster to watch the apartment. no one approached. she sighed. it could be that the accomplice's job was done and he'd left.

j.l. returned and installed the new lock while she finally put away the groceries she'd bought earlier. wearing latex gloves, she returned the apples to the box and wrapped it up in a trash bag. they took it to the forensics department, then picked up a pizza on the way back. even with the new lock, j.l. refused to leave olivia on her own.

they sat on the love seat, eating pizza and discussing options. as the sun went down, olivia finally decided on a course of action, but j.l. didn't approve because it required a trip to leavenworth to see otis. he finally relented when she agreed to let him accompany her.

"you realize you're doing exactly what he wants you to do," j.l. warned her as he jammed the last bite of pizza into his mouth. "he sends the damned apples to lure you in."

"i can't threaten him without seeing him," olivia said. she jumped when a knock sounded on the door.

"expecting anyone?" j.l. strode to the door while he unsnapped the shoulder holster containing his sidearm.

"no." olivia grabbed a napkin to wipe the pizza grease off her fingers, then rushed to the console where she'd left her weapon.

j.l. peered through the peephole in the door. "well, i'll be damned."

"what? who is it?" she envisioned a ups man with fifty boxes of apples. or maybe otis's enraged brother with a shotgun. she aimed her weapon at the door.

j.l. gave her a wry look. "is that any way to treat your boyfriend?"

she blinked. "my what?"

he grinned. "robby mackay is on your front porch."

chapter 17

right after hearing the message olivia left on his phone, robby made arrangements for phineas and connor to take over at romatech. then he teleported to the shadowy, overgrown area next to the parking lot. now, on the front porch of her second floor apartment, he could hear her and a man talking inside. his heart sped up at the sound of her voice.

the door opened and a tall asian american greeted him with a wary look. "you must be robby."

robby shook hands with him. "ye must be j.l."

"robby!" olivia grinned at him.

"olivia." he strode into the apartment and pulled her into his arms. his heart swelled with joy when she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight.

he enveloped her, burying his face in her hair, breathing her sweet scent. she felt so right in his arms. in his life. what a fool he'd been over the last few months, courting her from afar. now that he had her in his arms again, he never wanted to let her go.

"whoa! is that a sword on your back?" j.l. asked.

robby lifted his face from olivia's curls. "aye. i brought it for protection."

olivia leaned back in his arms. "i guess you got the message i left? you must have caught the next available flight."

robby knew she would assume he'd flown there. "i came as quickly as i could. how is everything?"

"you traveled with a sword?" j.l. asked, still eyeing the scabbard on robby's back. "what kind of sword is that?"

"a claymore." robby slipped the halter off his shoulders. he'd dressed in a black t-shirt and black jeans, to be less noticeable teleporting in. he offered the scabbard to j.l. "would ye like to see it?"

"whoa! it's heavy." j.l. unsheathed the sword. "sweet! this is massive!"

"are ye all right?" robby turned back to olivia and touched her face. "i was worried about you."

"i'm fine. j.l. changed the lock." she motioned toward the front door. "i should be safe here now."

robby shook his head. "there are ways to get past a locked door. where are the apples?" he glanced about the room. the kitchen table was bare, and an empty pizza box lay open on the coffee table.

"we took the box to forensics." olivia winced when j.l. swiped the sword through the air. "careful with that! you nearly slaughtered the ceiling fan."

"this is so awesome!" j.l. made a jab at an imaginary opponent. "i've got a chinese sword and a samurai at home, but they're not nearly as big as this."

"ye know how to fence?" robby asked.

"sure." j.l. ran a hand along the flat of the blade. "i took fencing in college, but there's not much demand for it at the bureau."

olivia snorted. "they have this bizarre notion that guns might be more effective."

j.l. rolled his eyes. "a sword like this is a piece of art." he sheathed the sword and lay the scabbard on the table.

"i'll be happy to spar with you sometime," robby said. "i could loan you a claymore."

"you're on." j.l. motioned for robby to join him at the table. "dude, if you hurt olivia, it'll be more than a sparring match."

she huffed. "i heard that. i don't need big male protectors who like to play conan the barbarian."

robby smiled at her. "even so, ye have two." he rested a hand on j.l.'s shoulder. "i appreciate everything ye're doing for olivia. ye're a loyal friend."

j.l. blushed. "well, i meant what i said. you hurt her, and i'm coming after you."

she groaned. "i can take care of myself."

"i would never want to hurt her," robby confessed quietly as he looked at her. "i love her."

she drew in a sharp breath and her eyes misted. "oh, robby," she whispered.

"okay." j.l. grabbed his jacket off the kitchen chair. "i can tell when three's a crowd."

olivia dashed over to hug him. "thank you so much for everything. i don't know what i'd do without you."

"if you need me, call," he whispered. he glanced at robby. "i wasn't going to leave her alone tonight."

"i'm staying," robby announced. "but i need to leave shortly before dawn."

"you have to go back to new york?" olivia asked.

he nodded. "they're expecting me." she would assume he was catching an early morning flight. he hated misleading her, but didn't think this was a good time to reveal his secret. she'd been through enough stress and turmoil today.

"liv, i'll check on you tomorrow morning." j.l. fished his keys out of his jacket pocket as he headed for the door. "good to meet you, robby."

olivia gave j.l. another hug before he left, then locked the door. she turned to face robby. "well?"

alone at last. his fingers curled with a sudden desire to grab hold of her. her gaze wandered over him, and he could hear her heart rate speeding up. the apartment seemed suddenly smaller and warmer, as if a hot, humid cloud of desire had descended on them. his own heart rate increased, even though he tried to stay calm. he didn't want his eyes to start glowing.

think about something else, something not sexy. "i forgot how beautiful ye are." no, that didn't help.

she smiled. "i thought the same thing when i saw you in those wedding pictures." her cheeks flushed. "you looked very handsome in your kilt."

she was taking on a pinkish tint, and he didn't think it was all due to her blush. he glanced down and rubbed his eyes.

"are you tired from your flight? i can't believe you came all this way. it was so sweet." she rushed to the coffee table and folded the empty pizza box. "sorry about the mess."

"'tis all right."

she scurried into the kitchen with the box. "can i get you something to eat or drink?"

"i'm fine. thank you."

she came out of the kitchen with two glasses of ice water. "pizza makes me so thirsty." she set the glasses on coasters on the coffee table. "are you sure you're not hungry? i've got chips and ice cream and - "

"i'm fine. but if ye wish to eat, please go ahead."

"i'm full." she clutched her hands together. "i'm just...nervous. it's been so long since we were in the same room together."