I'll Protect You (Clueless Resolutions Book 1) by W B Garalt Read Free Book Online

brought in on the cases.
    “Man, Salvadore has his hands full now.” Max exclaimed.  “I haven’t heard from, or seen the Lieutenant since he questioned me at my apartment.”
    “Neither have I,” Maggie retorted with a satisfied half –smirk, “Maybe Lou Devaro told the jerk to back off.  Too bad, Salvadore is such a sweetheart of a guy.” she said with obvious sarcasm.
    By 9:30 PM, with a busy day of three scheduled inspections together ahead of them, they called it a day and left the pub, each going their separate way.
    As Maggie drove off a young-looking, slightly built, light skinned man with a baseball cap pulled low over his nose, started a restored, black, 1960’s Trans Am coupe and pulled away from the pub, driving slowly in the same direction.
    As Max drove his recently-repaired auto in the opposite direction, he glanced in his rear view mirror and noticed the black coupe pulling out behind Maggie.
    Hearing about the killings earlier had gotten Max a little jumpy. The young man following in the same direction as Maggie bothered him somehow.  He slowed, made a quick U-turn and sped up until he could see the black coupe up ahead.  I can’t believe I’m doing this! Max thought.
    Lagging back inconspicuously Max followed behind both cars.  When the black coupe duplicated the two turns and followed the route which led to Maggie’s apartment, Max began to feel less foolish and more concerned.  When Maggie pulled her car into the driveway of the duplex apartment where she lived, the black coupe went on past the building.
    Max pulled over, stopped and turned off the headlights. He didn’t want Maggie to spot him following her because he had no viable explanation.  This was embarrassing!
    Just then, he watched as the black coupe turned around and came slowly back toward him and stopped just short of, and across from, Maggie’s driveway.  The headlights went off.
    What the hell? Max thought.  This screwball is stalking her!
    Max wasn’t about to take this odd behavior any longer.  He turned the headlights on and drove down the street and turned right into to Maggie’s driveway.  He slammed on the breaks and opened his door simultaneously.  He could hear Maggie yelling; “Max, Max, is that you?  She was calling out to him as he ran out into the street to confront the driver of the black Trans Am.  Suddenly, with the screeching rear tires spewing back a blue-gray cloud of smoke, the car roared up the street and was soon out of sight.
    Max stood there in the street panting slightly and he turned to see Maggie running to him with an alarmed, puzzled look on her face.
    “What in hell is going on Max?” she asked loudly.
    “I’m not sure, I don’t like this.” he said with a distant look in his eyes.
    7378, last 4 numbers on the plate.   Max had memorized the last four digits of the license plate on the black Trans Am. He reached out and grasped Maggie’s shoulders with both hands.
    With a concerned look in his eyes, Max explained to Maggie how he had been uneasy over the way the young driver had obviously been watching them as they were leaving the restaurant, but hadn’t mentioned it to her at the time.  Max didn’t want to alarm Maggie but after what had just happened he told her that he felt she shouldn’t be in her apartment alone, especially since her neighbors in the duplex were apparently not home.
    “Max, I’m a big girl now and I have been on my own for, well, for longer than I should have maybe.” she said, half-jokingly.  Max stared at her without returning the light banter with his usual come backs.  He was in a dead serious mood right now.
    Maggie sensed the caring, protective sort of vibes from him that she hadn’t experienced with him before this.  She was taken aback by it, and was feeling a warm glow rising up in her as she looked back into his intense eyes.  They had never been exposed to any sort of danger together.  Softly now, without her usual, self-assured