“Yes, you do. I’m sure you’ll make her very happy.” The general stood and offered his hand. “Welcome to the family. I’ll get the paperwork underway for her to retain her name and anything else you need. When do you want this to happen?”
What if she doesn’t want marriage so soon? Dave swallowed hard. “I guess I should propose first, and if she accepts, I’m sure Annie will decide the date and want a hand in the organization.”
“I’m sure she will.” The general smiled at him. “Tell her to call me, and we’ll get things rolling.”
Overwhelmed with joy, Dave grinned. “Thank you, sir.” He turned and left the room, his legs feeling a little wobbly for the first time in his life.
Chapter Twenty-One
At last it was Friday night, and Dave had asked Annie on a special date. The offer of a meal at her favorite restaurant was a nice surprise. As Dave usually didn’t have too much time for a romantic dinner, their relationship had taken a back seat to his work, but he’d spent every second of his downtime with her. Annie understood his workload, but over the past couple of weeks his protection detail had decreased and he’d wound up on a recent investigation into heaven knows what. He never discussed his work, apart from things like having an itchy back or other distractions when standing close to POTUS during a speech. Annie smiled at the memory. They’d laughed so hard, after catching a glimpse of him on the news, standing on an ant’s nest with an expression carved in stone, as POTUS planted a tree.
Excited to be going out with him, Annie dressed in a silk shirt under a figure-flattering black wool jacket and skirt. After selecting six-inch heels to accentuate her legs, she’d brushed her hair until it shone and left it loose about her shoulders. She only wore a hint of makeup and added a dab of the Chanel N° 5 he’d given her for her birthday. Her gaze moved to the clock. He’d arrive in a few minutes and she could set her watch by him. Pulling on her thick winter coat and gloves, she slipped her purse over one shoulder and headed for the door. Dave would likely be driving up outside her building by the time she hit the foyer. She waited for the elevator doors to open and rode it down. The doorman gave her a wave from behind the desk as she headed for the glass doors.
Outside, a blast of wind slapped her face and, wrapping her coat tight around her, she peered along the curb. Gray snow piled up along the sidewalk, filled with sticks and leaves, but a good coating of salt was keeping the ice away for now and at least it wasn’t snowing. Dave’s truck wasn’t easy to miss but vehicles crammed the street, making it difficult to make out his truck from a line of dark-colored vehicles. The popularity of the bistro on the next block often caused parking problems, but usually Dave parked in the space under her building. She’d gotten him his own swipe card for her building, which made life easier, but as they had reservations, she’d planned to meet him downstairs. Lights flashed in the line of vehicles and after giving a wave, Annie hurried along the slippery sidewalk. After a few yards she heard footsteps pounding behind her. As they slowed, pain slammed into her head and she tumbled face-first into the bushes. Grabbing hold of the bare sticks, she pushed back and tried to balance on her high heels. The next second someone took hold of her purse and dragged it from her shoulder. A dark figure loomed over her and she tightened her grip on the strap. The smell of bad breath and sweat filled her nostrils and she stared into the wild eyes of a heavily breathing stranger. “Get off me.” She swiped at his face.
As his hands closed around her throat, she heard the roar of an engine. It was like a kidnapping rerun, but this time she’d fight back and went for his eyes, digging her thumbs deep just as Dave had taught her. The man screamed and shook her, but suddenly, wasn’t there anymore. The weight of him vanished as he flew backward, landing on the sidewalk. The next second he was flat on his face with Dave’s knee in his back, his arms bent back almost to his shoulders. As a couple ran to help her, Annie staggered to her feet. The man had rescued her purse and handed it to her. “Thanks, I’ll be fine. The big guy is my boyfriend.”
“Lucky you.” The woman smiled. “We’ll wait for the cops. I caught everything on my phone.”
Annie brushed the snow off her coat. “Thank you.” She turned at Dave’s voice.
“Annie.” Dave’s eyes flashed with anger as he dragged the man back toward her. “Did he hurt you?” He had the man secured with flexicuffs and shoved him hard against a wall. His voice dropped low and menacing as he leaned into the man. “Don’t as much as blink.”
Shaken and a little bruised, Annie nodded her head. “I’m okay. He grabbed my purse and then tried to strangle me.”
“I’ll call it in.” Dave’s gaze moved over her. “You’d better go back inside in the warm. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Annie shook her head. “I’d rather be out here with you.”
She leaned against the wall as Dave made the call, and in a few minutes the blacktop flashed blue and red as it filled with cop cars. A detective spoke to Dave, and when he showed his cred pack, everything went into fast-forward. The moment the man was bundled into a cruiser, Dave came to her side. She leaned into him, as his arms came around her. The expression on his face was one she’d seen in Syria. He’d become remote and distant as if he’d become a robot. She looked up at him. “I’m okay. He was just trying to steal my purse.”
“Yeah, I can see that by the bruises on your neck.” Dave touched her cheek. “I wanted to tear him apart. Will you be okay? I’ll need to speak to the detective again.”
Annie gripped his arm. “I know I’ll have to give a statement. I guess we’ll be missing our dinner?”
“Do you still want to go?” Dave met her gaze. “He tried to kill you.”
Annie touched her neck. “We’ve been through worse than this together. I’m not going to allow that piece of garbage to spoil our night.”
“We’ll still have time. I booked the table for nine.” Dave rubbed her back. “It will be hours before they get to him. It’s Friday night and they’ll place him in a holding cell until the paperwork is completed. They have eyewitnesses and video footage to process. I’ll tell the detective we’ll drop by later.”
They spoke to the detective, a man in his fifties, his nose red from the cold, and Annie listened to everything he had to say and answered his questions. The man who’d attacked her was known to police and had previous convictions for purse snatching and assault. She noticed the tension ease from Dave’s expression on hearing this information. She’d have to get him out of the habit of blaming himself for everything that happened around him. The icy wind cut through her clothes and she just wanted to get warm, but she agreed to allow the paramedics on scene to check her over. Once everyone was satisfied, she climbed into Dave’s truck and peered at herself in her compact mirror. She combed her hair and turned to look at him. “My clothes are fine and my neck looks okay. Can we go eat now?”
“Yeah, but my plans are shot to hell.” Dave gave her a rueful smile. “I wanted to drop by early and take you to a romantic spot, a place we could keep in our memories.” He sighed. “Don’t worry, there is another nice place nearby.”
Annie’s stomach gave a little flip when he drove to a spot alongside the Potomac and parked. The lights of the city looked magical, reflected in the wide river and coloring the recent covering of snow. “That’s a beautiful view.”
“Mine is better.” He took her hand and stared into her eyes. His anger had vanished, replaced by a softness he always had when he looked at her. “You know, since Syria I’ve had a bounty on my head?”
Suddenly afraid, Annie nodded. “Yeah, but that was over two years ago and nothing has happened. Why?”
“What happened tonight might not have been a purse snatching. It could be someone trying to get to me by hurting you.” Dave searched her face. “Honestly, I figure they’d use a professional. But taking all this into consideration and the possible threat to our lives, will you marry me?”
Astonished, Annie stared at him trying to process his words. She couldn’t answer and just kissed him and then raised her head. “A million times, yes.” She cupped his face. “I know you’ll keep me safe, Dave. There is only one thing. Will you tell me your real name?”
When Dave whispered in her e
ar, she blinked at him. “Like the general?”