Invincible

“I understand. But honestly, that’s not the sort of man I’d be seriously interested in. You don’t have to worry.”

“I do worry. You’re not street-smart, pumpkin,” he added, with the pet name that he almost never used. “You’re unworldly. A man like that could be dangerous to you...”

She held up a hand. “I have weapons.”

He blinked. “Excuse me?”

“If he starts showing any interest in me, I’ll give him my most simpering smile and start talking about how I’d love to move in with him that very day and start having children at once.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Works like a charm. They actually leave skid marks...”

He threw back his head and laughed. “So that’s what happened to the visiting police chief...?”

“He was very persistent. The chief offered to punt him through the door, but I had a better idea. It worked very nicely. Now, when he comes to see the chief, he doesn’t even look my way.”

“Just as well. He has a wife, God help her.”

“What a nasty man.”

“Exactly.” He looked at his watch. “Well, I have a meeting with the church officials. We’re working on an outreach program for the poor. Something I really want to do.”

She smiled. “You know, you really are the nicest minister I know.”

He bent and kissed her forehead before he left. “Thanks, sweetheart. Be sure to check your truck, okay?”

She laughed. “I always do. Don’t worry.”

He hesitated. He wanted to tell her that he did worry, and the whole reason why. But it was the wrong time.

She was already halfway in love with Carson. He knew things about the man that he’d been told in confidence. He couldn’t repeat them. But if Carlie got too close to that prowling wolf, he’d leave scars that would cripple her for life. He had to prevent that, if he could. The thing was, he didn’t know how. It was like seeing a wire break and being too far away to fix it.

He could talk to Carson, of course. But that would only make matters worse. He had to wait and hope that Carlie could hang on to her beliefs and ignore the man’s practiced charm if he ever used it on her.

Carson seemed to hate her. But it was an act. He knew it, because it was an act he’d put on himself, with Carlie’s late mother. Mary had been a saint. He’d tried to coax her into bed, but she’d refused him at every turn. Finally, in desperation, he’d proposed. She’d refused. She wasn’t marrying a man because he couldn’t have her any other way.

So he’d gone away. And come back. And tried the soft approach. It had backfired. He’d fallen in love for the first time in his life. Mary had tied him to her with strings of icy steel, and leaving her even for a few weeks at a time had been agonizing. He’d only lived to finish the mission and get home, get back to Mary.

But over the years, the missions had come closer together, taken longer, provoked lengthy absences. He’d tried to make sure Mary had enough money to cover her bills and incidentals, but one job had resulted in no pay and during that time, Mary had gotten sick. By the time he knew and came home, it was too late.

He blamed himself for that, and for a lot more. He’d thought an old enemy had targeted him and got Carlie by mistake. But it wasn’t a mistake. Someone wanted Carlie dead, apparently because of a face she remembered. There might be another reason. Something they didn’t know, something she didn’t remember seeing. Even the death of the man hadn’t stopped the threat.

But he was going to. Somehow.

2 (#u011b2b5b-d269-5b00-832f-441e1850574c)

CARLIE LOVED THE WEEKENDS. At work she was just plain old Carlie, dull and boring and not very pretty at all.

But in this video game, on her game server, she was Cadzminea, an Alliance night elf death knight, invincible and deadly with a two-handed great sword. She had top-level gear and a bad attitude, and she was known even in battlegrounds with players from multiple servers. She was a tank, an offensive player who protected less well-geared comrades. She loved it.

Above the sounds of battle, clashing swords and flashing spells thrown by magic-users, she heard her father’s voice.

“Just a minute, Dad! I’m in a battleground!”

“Okay. Never mind.”

There were footsteps coming up. She laughed as she heard them behind her. Odd, they sounded lighter than her father’s....

“Sorry, we’re almost through. We’re taking out the enemy commander....”

She stopped while she fought, planting her guild’s battle flag to increase her strength and pulling up her Army of the Dead spell. “Gosh, the heals in this battleground are great, I’ve hardly even needed to use a potion... Okay!” she laughed, as the panel came up displaying an Alliance win, that of her faction.

“Sorry about that...” She turned and looked up into a pair of liquid black eyes in a surprised face.

“A gamer,” he said in a tone, for once, without sarcasm. “Put up your stats.”

She was too startled not to obey. She left the battleground and brought up the character screen.

He shook his head. “Not bad. Why an NE?” he asked, the abbreviation for a night elf.

“They’re beautiful,” she blurted out.

He laughed deep in his throat. “So they are.”

“How do you know about stats?”

He pulled out his iPhone and went to the game’s remote app. He pulled up the Armory and showed her a character sheet.

“Level 90 Horde Tauren druid,” she read, indicating that the player was from the Alliance’s deadly counter faction, the Horde. “Arbiter.” She frowned. “Arbiter?” She caught her breath. “He killed me five times in one battleground!” she exclaimed. “He stealthed up to me, hit me from behind, then he just...killed me. I couldn’t even fight back.”

“Don’t you have a medallion that interrupts spells?”

“Yes, but it was on cooldown,” she said, glowering. “And you know this guy?” she asked.

He put up the iPhone. “I am this guy.”

She was stunned.

“It’s a small world, isn’t it?” he asked, studying her face.

Too small, she thought, but she didn’t say it. She just nodded.

“Your father asked a couple of us to take turns doing a walk-around when he’s not here. He had to go out, so I’ve got first watch.”

She frowned. “A what?”

“We’re going to patrol around the house.”

“Carrying a Horde flag?” she asked, tongue-in-cheek.

He smiled with real amusement. “We’ll be concealed. You won’t even know we’re on the place.”