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  CJ briskly defended herself. "Morrow, I gave her two no brainer cases. A domestic squabble here, and an arson case in Hell. Neither of those pose any danger. We checked them thoroughly before we gave them to her. Are you sure you're not responsible for whoever is taking shots at her?" From where she stood Sady could hear Morrow bellowing.

  That did it. Sady wasn't about to let the Knight's take the blame for something that was surely a mistake. She grabbed the phone from CJ and said, "It's Sady and if you have a problem, you'd best discuss it with me." There was a shocked silence, so she continued, "That's what I thought." She disconnected and handed the phone back to CJ. Harry looked like he wanted to applaud, and CJ stared at her like she had grown another head. Then CJ winked at Harry with a smile lighting her face.

  "I've never heard anyone speak to Morrow like that. I've never heard him at a loss for words either. If it wasn't so serious I'd say you should get shot at more often," she told Sady.

  Harry cooked while Sady sat at the kitchen table and told her account, insisting it must have been an accident.

  CJ said, "Sady, I don't know whose swing you pushed but I don't think those shots were a mistake. Neither does Morrow. Maybe you'd better fill us in on how you've been spending your time away from the office."

  Sady told them about her trips and the details of her conversations. The Knights grabbed the camera and laughed when they looked at the photos Sady had taken at the Powell's lake house. CJ finally explained the photos were great and definitely would hold up in court. The only problem was Sady had caught Mrs. Powell in the act, not Mr. Powell.

  Sady was disappointed. Her first case, a no brainer and she blew it. Harry patted her hand and told her not to feel bad. With a twinkle in his gorgeous blue eyes he said, "If I know CJ she'll show them to Mrs. Powell, anyway, and we can be done with them for good. We're not fans of the Powell's, but they're very influential in this city. Turning down a job from them, even one this nasty, is bad for business. I think Mrs. Powell will look elsewhere for someone to get the dirt on her husband."

  Sady smiled her thanks, but it didn't make her feel better. All that work and she had the wrong person. CJ and Harry talked about the arson case but couldn't come up with anything there that would make Sady a target. They finally gave up shop talk for the night and enjoyed Harry's cooking. Sady insisted on cleaning the kitchen. After she finished, she looked over their bookshelves and went to bed with a good book for company.

  ***

  SATURDAY NIGHT, VIRGINIA- Matt Meadows checked the number on his phone before he answered. "Morrow," he said as a greeting.

  "Matt, I have another job," Morrow told him. "Pack your bags because I need you in Michigan- yesterday."

  "Oh, no. Not your niece again. Was it Sassy-Sue? That woman is a lying pack of trouble. My girlfriend wouldn't speak to me for a week after that last mess you sent me on."

  "Meadows, I've met your girlfriend and you should be thanking me." Matt smiled at that. He couldn't disagree. Emily's charm had quickly worn off and what was left wasn't always pleasant.

  Morrow continued, "Name your price Matt. Someone is taking shots at Sady and I've got her under the care of the Knight's."

  Matt whistled and asked, "What has she fallen into this time? Did you send her to Hell like I suggested?"

  "It's not funny, Matt. She's living in Ann Arbor, but she's been working on an arson case in Hell if that makes you feel any better."

  Matt's phone buzzed with an incoming call- it was Emily. He ignored her call and continued his conversation with Morrow. "Are you trying to tell me CJ and Harry can't handle your niece?"

  "No, I'm saying I need a fresh pair of eyes to look over the situation. I've gone round and round with them but they can't come up with any reason for someone to shoot at Sady. They don't feel it's a mistake, though. And they weren't warning shots, Matt."

  "And how are you going to explain my sudden reappearance in her life?" Matt asked.

  "I'm going to tell her the truth... about you at least. Protecting people is part of your job. She just doesn't need to know the truth about me."

  "As long as you lay the groundwork, Morrow. I'm not going in blind this time. If I show up and she isn't expecting me I'm catching the next flight home, is that clear?" He gave Morrow a firm reply.

  John sighed and replied, "Just get to the airport by six in the morning, Meadows. I've already got you a seat."

  When Matt finally took the call from Emily, she was more than a little miffed that he'd let her go to voice mail. "It's work, Em," he tried to explain.

  "As long as we're on the subject of your work, my father..." Matt disconnected before she could beat that drum again.

  He called Morrow back. "I need another phone with a new number." It was waiting for him at the airport by the time he arrived to catch his flight to Detroit.

  CHAPTER 6

  SUNDAY- CJ answered the knock at her front door Sunday morning. "Of course you had to drive straight here," she complained to Matt. "You and Morrow seem to think no one has a life."

  "It's nice to see you too CJ. How's Harry or have you killed him?" Matt entered the house when CJ moved aside.

  "Harry's better than ever, thanks to me. He's in the kitchen making coffee and he'll probably even let you have a cup, against my better instinct." CJ wasn't a morning person.

  Matt laughed and headed to the kitchen. He and Harry did the man-shake thing and caught up on each other's lives. CJ entered the kitchen with a growl and Harry handed her a cup of coffee as he covered his smile.

  CJ was still crabby, and it showed. She turned on Matt. "I hear you're responsible for the arrival of our newest employee and current house guest."

  Matt gave her an offended look. "Oh, no. You can blame that train wreck on Morrow. I just gave him a suggestion. You should feel honored that he personally picked you to watch over his niece."

  Harry scolded CJ for the response she mumbled under her breath. When Matt agreed with CJ's comment Harry reprimanded him too. It wasn't until Harry threatened to take away the coffee and leave them to CJ's cooking that they played nice. Harry was serving breakfast when Sady wandered into the kitchen in search of coffee.

  She wore a huge T-shirt that came to her knees and her long brown hair was a tangled mess. The shirt read, "I AM dressed for the day!" She glared when she saw Matt and told CJ, "Just shoot me now." Harry handed her a cup of coffee and she smiled her thanks.

  "If you need me I'll be looking for a way to kill myself," Sady mumbled as she left the kitchen with her coffee. Matt frowned and CJ snorted with laughter.

  "I see you made quite an impression," she told Matt.

  "It's mutual," he snapped. "That woman is a liar and a thief... and not as innocent as you think!"

  "Sounds like someone else we know, doesn't it Harry?" CJ asked.

  "Leave me out of this. I'll let you kids fight it out," Harry wisely said.

  "Wow, how did you manage to snag a smart one?" Matt asked CJ with a grin.

  "He's not only smart he can beat your ass," she warned.

  "CJ," Harry interrupted in a warning tone of voice.

  "God, he's too nice for me this morning!" CJ scowled at her husband. "C'mon, Matt. We can talk in the office." She turned to Harry and told him to join them when he finished playing house.

  "How you hang onto that man is a mystery to me," Matt told her as he followed her to an office on the main floor of the house.

  "Me too," CJ admitted with a grin. "I manage to make it up to him though."

  Matt held up his hand, "No personal details, CJ. Suppose you fill me on what's happening here." CJ laid out the details of the situation and Harry added anything he could remember when he joined them a short while later. "So you're saying I'm here to babysit until someone takes another shot?" Matt rubbed the back of his head with a sigh.

  "Unless you have any miraculous blasts of insight, I don't know what else can be done," CJ admitted.

  "Great," Matt said sarcastically. "We hav
e a real working plan here." He got up in disgust and left the office. He almost tripped over Sady who had pulled up a chair and listened outside the door, already dressed for the day.

  Matt turned back to CJ and Harry. "See what I mean?" He skirted Sady's chair and went for another cup of coffee.

  Before CJ could blow up Harry pushed her toward the kitchen with, "Go get another cup of coffee. And see to it Meadows doesn't find the good booze."

  After CJ left Harry invited Sady to have a seat in the office. He recognized the mulish look on her face. He'd seen it every day he'd been with CJ and it made him smile.

  "Any suggestions, Sady?" was all he asked.

  Harry took her by surprise. She'd expected the Knights would tell her how to run her life. She thought it over and with a grumpy look of defeat she admitted she had nothing to offer.

  "Why don't you let your uncle take care of his family responsibilities, then?" he asked her reasonably. "This is the best way he knows, and we're becoming fond of you. We don't want to lose you Sady."

  "CJ isn't going to slit my throat when I step outside the door is she?" Sady asked suspiciously. Harry laughed harder than she'd seen up to this point.

  "No, CJ's fond of you as well. She just expresses it in different ways. Now as far as Matt watching out for you- that's what he does Sady, and he's good at his job. I take it the two of you didn't get off to a great start but don't risk your life out of spite. And don't take lightly what your uncle has done for you. I've never seen Morrow go to these lengths for the sake of someone else."

  "Do you have a twin brother?" Sady asked, making him smile as they headed to the kitchen.

  "Well, are you two best friends now?" Matt asked sourly as they entered the kitchen together.

  Harry wrapped his arms around his wife with a scolding shake of his head at Matt. He whispered in CJ's ear and she smiled, nodding her head in agreement.

  Matt ignored them and turned to Sady. "Do you have any self-defense skills?"

  She pursed her lips while she thought, then nodded. "Well, I'm pretty accurate with a knife and have some mean moves with a baton."

  Matt looked ready to explode while CJ and Harry howled with laughter.

  "Great," Matt told Sady. "You're all set if you're attacked by a chef or a rogue band of majorettes. I meant real skills. Can you shoot a gun?"

  "Anyone can shoot a gun, Matt. If you are asking am I trained the answer is no. I have never shot one and I don't plan on learning to do so," she answered stubbornly.

  "Wrong," he said, ignoring the flash of anger in her eyes. He turned to CJ and asked her to set them up at a firing range. CJ looked at Harry with raised brows and left to do as Matt asked. Harry sat back to enjoy the fireworks.

  ***

  Matt closed his eyes and held onto his temper with an effort. "Are you even aiming at the target?" he asked Sady, pulling the protective ear covering so she could hear him.

  She looked annoyed when he put it back, then turned and fired off another shot, completely missing the target... again.

  CJ poked Matt, and he frowned at her before pulling his ear protection and listening to what she had to say. He wore a look of disbelief on his face and CJ nodded insistently. Matt nudged Sady indicating he wanted her to try it again. After she did so Matt turned back to CJ, looking floored. CJ laughed and tapped Sady on the shoulder. Sady pulled back her ear muff and CJ said, "We're done here."

  Sady sent a triumphant look in Matt's direction and he still looked dumbfounded. After they left the shooting range he turned to Sady and shouted, "Who fires a gun with closed eyes? How do you expect to hit anything?"

  "That's the whole point, you idiot. I don't expect to hit anything... or anyone for that matter," she responded scathingly. "I told you I didn't want to fire a gun, but did you listen? No, because you're a man and you probably think God created guns on the first day. I'm sure you have a gun Bible that tells you so."

  CJ broke it up before Matt could throw fuel on the fire. Turning to him she said, "There's no point in continuing this and you know it. Maybe we should work with the skills she's got."

  "Good. Let's buy her high heels and a tube of lipstick. She'll be equipped to defend herself then." He stalked away, disgusted with them.

  To Sady's surprise CJ commended her for sticking to her principles about guns. "If you take up firearms without really wanting to, you either end up using it recklessly or you end up with a lifetime of crushing guilt. You're a smart woman to realize that firearms aren't for you."

  Matt and Sady were both quiet on the trip back to the Knight's house. Sady went to her room and Matt sat on the porch wondering how he would help a woman who wouldn't help herself. He looked up when Harry called to him from the backyard. Then he laughed when he saw a target dummy set up in the yard. About 25 feet away there was a table with a variety of knives and Sady tested the edges while CJ watched.

  Sady picked up a meat cleaver and hurled it at the dummy. Center of the chest. Her next throws hit the neck, eye socket, and private area of the dummy. Harry and Matt winced at the last throw. CJ saw the look and asked for volunteers. "Chickens," she accused them.

  Sady threw more and only missed with one knife. "I was aiming for the kneecap," she explained when Matt chuckled. His brows went straight because the dummy had no lower limbs.

  CJ asked the men, "Any questions about Miss Morrow's abilities with a knife? Good. Now we are going to see how good she is with a stick. And Matt, just for that look you are the first volunteer." She handed him a straight stick, like the one Sady held.

  He looked insulted. "You're kidding right? Do I look like a dog, CJ?" Whack! Sady smacked him on top of the skull.

  "Pay attention," Sady warned him. He glared at her for a second and turned back to CJ.

  "You don't really expect me to hit a defenseless woman with a stick..." Whack! Another blow to the head. Matt swore and turned back to Sady. She sharply jabbed him in the abdomen.

  "Come on, Mr. Majorette," Sady taunted. Matt raised his stick defensively, and she poked him again in the chest.

  "Take it easy, will you?" he complained rubbing his chest. She clubbed him on the side of his arm and sent him staggering. Another quick poke then he tripped over the stick she shoved between his ankles.

  He went down in a heap and he heard CJ yell, "Sady, no!" He looked up in time to see Sady pull to a stop with her stick just inches from his head.

  "I was just checking his reflexes. They are very poor in my opinion," she said with a smirk. He reached out and grabbed her ankle, pulling her to the ground. A minute later he was nursing a bloody nose and what was sure to be a black eye when Sady kicked him in the face.

  He gave her a dirty look when she said defensively, "You should have warned me we were going hand-to-hand."

  "I think class is excused for the day," Harry chuckled as he herded Matt toward the house.

  "Wait, we're not finished here," CJ called out after them.

  "Hey, Meadows, it's a good thing I wasn't wearing those heels, huh?" Sady taunted.

  "She's a bloodthirsty little thing," Harry said apologetically.

  "Which one?" Matt asked. "Remind me to add self-defense lessons to the bill I give Morrow. Just don't tell him I got schooled by an ex-beauty queen! The world isn't ready to know how easily it could be taken over by the contestants of a beauty pageant."

  "Don't forget ex-librarian," Harry reminded him.

  "Thanks for that. Any other encouraging words you'd like to add?" Matt asked him acidly. Harry patted his shoulder with a barely concealed grin.

  After supper the only thing they all agreed on was Sady had to return to her apartment. Even CJ felt bad about it, but they all knew it was the best place to draw out the attacker. No one said what they all understood- an attack wouldn't take place at the Knight's home.

  Sady went to grab her bag while CJ and Harry warned Matt he'd better not let anything happen to her or there would be a line forming to desecrate his body parts. She returned before M
att could reply, thanking the Knight's for their kind hospitality. She hid her nervousness and turned to Matt, flapping her hand at the door. He took her bag out to his rental car and she followed, turning back with a small wave at CJ and Harry.

  CJ said, "I feel like we're sending our kid off to the first day of school."

  Harry hugged her and said with a smile, "Don't worry. Matt knows his job."

  Sady gave Matt directions to her apartment. Sensing her growing tension he asked her questions to distract her. She told him about her job and the few parts of Michigan she'd seen. He laughed when she described the expressway madness and felt oddly touched at her tone of voice when she told him she made a real friend.

  When they got to the apartment Matt took the key and told her to wait in the car. He locked the car doors behind him and checked out her apartment. He looked displeased at the front door. Unless there was a reason the police needed it to stay he would see it got replaced ASAP.

  Sady let out her breath when he came back to let her know everything was okay. She realized that her biggest relief was not having to stay in the apartment by herself. Her own thoughts would drive her crazy if she kept thinking about the situation.

  She showed Matt the guest room and laughed when he checked the mattress, reminding her of the motel in Louisiana. "You don't even need to clean the room first." Then she showed him the bath linens and told him to help himself to whatever was in the kitchen. It had been a long weekend for Sady. She thanked Matt for coming and then took a shower before she went to bed.

  She awakened in the middle of the night, her heart banging loudly against her chest. Someone was in her room. She let out her breath when she saw Matt's profile as he pulled back the drapes and looked out her bedroom window.

  "You're going to give me a heart attack and kill me before anyone else can," she warned.