Sensual Confessions - Brenda Jackson [93]
He enjoyed her. She was a novelty. She was a first for him in many ways. A woman he had shared sensual confessions with. But she knew that once he got tired of her, he would walk away without looking back. She knew it and she accepted it because she loved him. She appreciated him caring enough to protect her. But he’d explained in the beginning that the reason he was doing it was to keep Mac, Peyton and Luke from worrying.
“You’re expecting a delivery?”
She glanced up at Blade and then at the box that was sitting on her doorstep. “No.” She glanced at the label. “It looks like a box from Mom. She’s always sending me stuff if she sees something she thinks I’d like. Unfortunately, I inherited her shoe fetish. I’m sure you’ve noticed I have quite a few.”
Blade nodded. He had noticed. But still…
“When you get inside I want you to call your mother to verify she sent you this package.”
Sam rolled her eyes. “Is that really necessary?” she asked, opening the door.
“Yes,” Blade said. “It’s necessary.”
“Fine, I’ll do it,” she said, tossing her purse on the table. “Will you at least bring the box inside the house?”
Blade looked over at her. “I’m not touching that box and neither are you. Just get your mother on the phone, Sam.”
Sam glared. “I hope you know if I call her she’s going to wonder why I’m even asking, when I know she’s sent me stuff before.”
“Doesn’t matter, Sam. Call her.”
When she narrowed her eyes, he said, “Please.”
She smiled sweetly as she went back to the sofa and grabbed her cell phone out of her purse. “Sure, Blade, now that you’ve begged.”
He ignored her comment as he thought about the box sitting on her doorstep. He wasn’t a paranoid person, but for some reason he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He heard the conversation between Sam and her mother and knew what she was going to say before she’d hung up the phone.
Blade was already pulling out his cell phone and dialing 9–1-1.
Chapter 23
The man meant to kill her.
That was a fair enough assessment to make, Detective Adams thought, as he glanced over at Sam and Blade. Blade was holding her in his arms while her face was pressed against his chest.
The bomb squad was leaving after detonating what had been a bomb. Had she opened the box, it would have blown her and anyone standing within twenty feet of her to smithereens. He could tell that Sam was upset and afraid, and rightly so. To finally realize someone meant to kill you was enough to cause anyone distress. And it hadn’t been one of those amateur, homemade bombs. Whoever had put it together knew exactly what he or she was doing. It was someone who knew enough about chemistry and physics to make a fairly sophisticated explosive device.
“I suggest the two of you find somewhere else to go tonight,” Detective Adams said. “And the fewer people who know where you are the better until we can find out who’s behind this. The only thing the guard at the security gate knows is that the package was delivered by the regular FedEx delivery man for this route.”
Detective Adams took in a deep breath. “Chances are the deliveryman didn’t have a clue what he was delivering. In fact, if someone had broadsided his truck, he and everything within twenty feet would have been blown up.”
Blade’s lips tightened. Although he had called the police he had hoped it was a false alarm. The bomb squad had closed off the area while they investigated the package, and once they discovered it contained live explosives set to go off when the package was opened, they went to work.
“Mr. Madaris?”
“I heard you,” Blade said, trying not to show his anger, especially toward anyone associated with the police. They had been more than helpful, considerate and very efficient. He just didn’t want to think about what could have happened to Sam if she’d opened that box. His arms tightened around her just thinking about how he could have lost her.
“I understand you’ve called Alex Maxwell into