Still Waters by Debra Webb Read Free Book Online Page B

it. Apparently, he was going to now.
    Watching Amber wasn’t a hardship. The blue skirt and sweater she wore today fit her petite body perfectly. Her hair hung in soft waves, and those cute little freckles were faintly visible across the bridge of her nose.
    Get your head back on the job, man. The cameraman had promised to dig through the work they’d done together. He couldn’t promise he had anything Amber was looking for. Her first cameraman had retired more than a year ago. She hadn’t been able to reach him yet. Sean intended to remind her to follow up with both men later today.
    Vehicles sporting the logos of television stations and newspapers from all over the southeast ringed the block. Security had the courthouse locked down. The street, however, was brimming with people—mostly newshounds. Between the horde of reporters, the occasional helicopter overhead and the blaring horns of frustrated drivers attempting to navigate Fifth Avenue, the situation was a security specialist’s worst nightmare.
    There was no way to cover every direction from which trouble could come. He was left with no recourse but to stay as close as possible to his client. Sweat lined his brow. He felt as if he were guiding a rocker client through the crowd for a sold-out concert. It never ceased to amaze him how many megastars felt the need to brush shoulders with thousands of fans despite the risk that one of them might be a wacko. Sean had navigated the crowds, ever watchful and barely breathing. Like now. His senses were on full alert. Adrenaline had his heart in the fight-or-flight zone. Every muscle was tense, ready to react to the first sign of trouble.
    The hearing had started at nine. Since the date and time of the hearing had been a closely guarded secret, the reporters following the case had missed McAllister’s arrival. Word had traveled like wildfire as soon as the man was spotted entering the courthouse. Now they all waited for his exit and any sound bite his team of attorneys would permit to slip. Amber had managed a spot right up front, near the steps into the building. In the event of trouble, maneuvering through the crowd behind them would not be an easy task. Just his luck.
    Suddenly, the towering entrance doors opened and a group of men exited. Sean recognized the main player from the shots he’d seen on the news and in the papers. The suits all around him were a combination of security and lawyers. The difference was easy to spot; the lawyers carried the briefcases while the others wore communication devices in their ears and constantly scanned the area around their client.
    As if floodgates had been opened, the rush of reporters swelled into a tide of bodies, microphones and cameras. Sean wrapped his fingers around Amber’s left forearm to keep her close. Intent on getting some word on how the hearing turned out, she ignored his move. Questions were hurled at the group exiting the building. Amber’s was the loudest voice. For such a petite woman, she had a set of pipes and she knew how to use them.
    The cameraman slipped in front of Sean, blocking his view forward. Sean held tighter to Amber and elbowed his way between her and the big guy.
    Once the group reached the sidewalk, the crush of bodies was too close for comfort. Sean didn’t like this. He angled his body to stay close to Amber. She stretched toward her target.
    The huddle of security guards and lawyers abruptly stopped. McAllister stepped forward. A hush fell over the crowd of reporters. “Today was the first step in proving my innocence,” he announced. “See you next week.”
    As soon as he was swallowed by his guards, the attorneys shouted, “That’s all for today!”
    Amber twisted to face her cameraman. “Did you get that?”
    “Got it,” the man fondly known as Bear assured her.
    “Let’s find a quiet place and do a lead-in,” Amber directed.
    Before Sean could suggest they get the hell off the street, she was climbing the steps to the