Bull Protectors

by T B Mann

  “Gee, thanks.” The table snickered at the face he pulled.

  “Wait.” Kailee looked around the table with narrowed eyes. “I know it’s only noon, but no beers on the table means the three of you are working. Spill.”

  He looked at both Dylan and Kai before dropping his eyes to the menu. “Having never eaten here before, what’s good, Sarah?”

  “Hrrmph. Fine. I’ll just be happy that you three stopped in to visit me.”

  “That’s the spirit, Lee-Lee.” Kai leaned over and kissed her cheek.

  A quick glance at Sarah across the round table revealed stiffened shoulders and a tight posture. Her small posture made tinier, sitting between the hulking forms of Dylan and Kai. Not that Dylan was big—broader in the shoulders with a trim waist. More along the lines of a swimmer and the smallest of the three.

  The fact she appeared uneasy put him on edge. His fingers tightened their hold on the menu as his pulse sped up. Why was she so worried? Nothing around them set off his danger radar, only her. He forced himself to take slow, deep breaths while relaxing his hands. Since she hadn’t had a chance to answer earlier, he tried again to distract her. “So, Sarah, how is the fish here? Any good?”

  Her shoulders relaxed, easing the tightness in his chest. A small smile played on her lips. “The pickerel is great. Actually, you can’t go wrong with anything here. They’re a farm-to-table restaurant, and the fish was caught in Lake Winnipeg.”

  Silence settled around the table as they pursued the menu. By the time all the menus were laid on the table, the waiter returned with their drinks and to take their orders.

  They passed their time waiting for their food in idle chitchat. He waited for Kai to bring up the letters, but he never did. Instead, they spent the time talking about previous visits, family, and friends, while drawing Sarah into their conversations by asking about Kailee. And when Kailee retaliated with stories about Sarah, ones that made him laugh and feel intrigued by her, he became grateful instead of impatient. They needed this time of levity before diving in to such a horrific case.

  By the time their meals were placed in front of them, his stomach growled with hunger. An overnight flight, a stop at the hotel to review the latest information gathered about their case, and then their trip downtown to meet Kailee had not left much time for eating.

  “Mmmm. This smells so good.”

  “Agreed.” Dylan offered a spoonful of his French onion soup to Sarah since she’d been torn between the soup and the breaded chicken bites she’d ordered.

  “You mentioned something in the elevator about letters that security didn’t think was a concern, but I got the distinct feeling that you felt differently.” Kai lifted his burger to his mouth and took a large bite.

  Sarah coughed; her face turned red as her hands covered her mouth.

  Dylan rubbed her back and glared around her at Kai while he found himself torn between laughing at their antics and concern over Sarah. Giving in to his concern, he asked her if she was all right as soon as she swallowed some water from the glass Kai handed her.

  “I’m fine. Thanks. Kai’s question just took me by surprise.”

  “She is concerned about them,” Kailee told the table. “Now, don’t give me the evil eye, Sarah. You know you are. Or you wouldn’t have reacted that way when you opened the latest one today.”

  Her shoulders slumped. Even if these letters had nothing to do with their case, Zale found himself wanting to help her stop them. No one should have to be fearful of the mail they opened at work. His fingers itched to cross the table and hold her hand in comfort while telling her not to worry. That he would protect her.

  The thought stopped him cold as he re-examined it. Kai or Dylan had dibs. He didn’t need to throw his hat in the ring as well. Besides, they had a case to complete and from the heated looks crossing the table between his friends, he needed to play peacekeeper. He pushed the thoughts of her deep into the recesses of his mind, telling himself he was most likely acting on the protective instincts triggered by his friends.

  He opened his mouth to play his part in pumping Sarah for information, but Dylan beat him. “What makes them different from others that you’ve received? I mean, working for Laguna, you must see your share of crazy or threatening letters.”

  Dylan struggled to keep spooning his soup into his mouth as he awaited her answer. Ever since Sarah had walked into the restaurant, she’d consumed his thoughts. Never before had he wanted to smash in Kai’s face as much as he wanted to now. And they’d had some doozie fights over the years.

  For some reason, she called out to every protective instinct he had. When his hand brushed her back during her choking fit moments ago, he’d felt tiny shocks, almost like static shoot up his arm. It wasn’t painful, just different. And certainly not something that would make him stop touching her.

  She wiped her mouth and then her hands before folding them on her lap. His one hand gripped the spoon until the metal began to bend while his other balled up into a fist under the table. It was all he could do to keep from pulling her onto his lap or carrying her from the restaurant.

  “I don’t know what it is, but yes, something about the letters bothers me. They are too rational for someone with mental illness, yet they don’t make specific threats. The words are vague, yet each paints a picture that corresponds with an activity that she attended. There will be one specific word or phrase that will show that the writer was watching her, but not in enough detail for security to think that it’s a stalker. And they’ve been watching for one since she has a few.”

  By the time she finished speaking, her hands shook. For a moment, he wondered if they were experiencing an earthquake since her shaking matched his. He glanced around the restaurant, noticing all the various people looking towards their table. “Um, guys. Maybe we should talk about this somewhere else… like her office. That way she can show us the letters if she’s willing?”

  His friends pursed their lips, but then glanced around. Realization dawned in their eyes. “That sounds like a good idea. Sarah,” Kai’s voice drew Sarah’s gaze from him to Kai, leaving him feeling bereft, “are you okay with that? I know you don’t know us, but we work in security so we could give you our professional evaluation.”

  As much as he wanted his fist to connect with various soft parts of Kai, he was grateful to him for trying to ease her concerns. Although, by the stiffness in her posture and the popping tendons in her arms, his words weren’t enough to alleviate her worries.

  “You can trust them, Sarah. They are good guys.” He wanted to kiss Kailee for vouching for them. If anyone could convince Sarah to show them the letters and to let him into her life, it was Kailee. That girl could talk a desert dweller into purchasing a boat.

  He couldn’t resist any longer. His hand found the middle of her back. “Please, Sarah. We’d like to help.”

  Muscles relaxed under his touch and he felt her lean into his palm. The smile grew on his face as his heart expanded.

  She turned around to face the entire table, pushing her back further into his hand. “Fine, but on one condition.”

  “What’s that?” Zale leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands while his elbows landed on either side of his plate.

  A mischievous spark lightened her violet eyes. He wondered if they were a natural colour or a coloured contact. But then he realized that until this moment, he, a trained observer with an eidetic memory, couldn’t even recall noticing the colour of her eyes before.

  “I want to know why you all call Kailee, Leelee? And why she looks like she wants to hit you when you do?”

  Kai and Zale fell back into their chairs, shaking with laughter, while Kailee glared at her best friend. Chuckles erupted from his chest, causing him to shake. The motion moved his hand, rubbing her back, and she stretched into it.

  His laughter cut off mid-chuckle when her small moan reached his ear. For once, he didn’t care about the ribbing he took from his friends for wearing dress pants duri
ng the day. This time it worked to his advantage and hid some of his erection from view.

  What was it about Sarah that drew him in so completely? From what he could tell, she was pretty, but not the drop-dead gorgeousness of the woman she worked for. Although, she did have a wholesome look to her.

  Then she glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled.

  And his stomach dropped. It didn’t matter why he was hooked. All he knew was that he was.

  His mouth dried up. He swallowed in a mad attempt to add moisture but nothing worked.

  Zale said something, pulling her attention, and he sank into his chair in relief. Whatever this was, he had to get his shit together… especially if her letters were related to their case. He wouldn’t be the cause of any more women ending up dead and mutilated like the other one.

  As much as it pained him, he dropped his hand from her back and picked up his spoon. He’d let the others tell the story of how Kailee became Leelee while he concentrated on finishing his meal and recalling everything he knew about the letters associated with the other disappearances.

  The general hum around the table rose as the others informed Sarah of how everyone in Kai’s And Kailee’s family named at least one child using the letters “KAI” to begin the name. While Kai and Kailee had been lucky, receiving normal names, some of their relatives hadn’t been. Kaizen and Kaiva weren’t too happy with theirs, but some of the others were completely made up in order to stand out.

  Kailee became Leelee when she had problems pronouncing words with a P or W sound. As she potty trained, she would inform people that she had to go Leelee. According to Kai, she’d been such a happy outgoing child that she always told it to everyone with a smile and a chuckle. And since there were other Kailee’s in the family, she became Leelee. When Kai had told them both of the story before they met her for the first time, they’d both laughed, and when they met her, discovering her vivacious personality, she became Leelee forever in their minds.

  The sound of Sarah’s giggles brightened his mindset. It was the perfect antidote to the negativity of their case. He swallowed his final mouthful with a large smile on his face. His cheeks had never ached so much from smiling.

  Fuck. He was doomed.

  And it didn’t help that Kai looked at her with the same expression on his face that he imagined was on his. That starstruck awe. The one where your face was slack with wide open eyes and little bits of drool pooling even as your throat dried about.

  Shit. At the thought of drool, he lifted the napkin to wipe the corner of his mouth just in case.

  He raised his glance, catching Zale’s smirking face. Great. Obviously, he wasn’t as subtle as he’d hoped.

  “Well, I’m done. And Sarah needs to get back. If you guys are coming, you’ll need to come now.” Kailee slid her chair back and stood. “Thanks for buying us lunch. Come on, Sarah, let’s hit the bathroom.”

  She rounded the table and pulled the protesting Sarah from her chair.

  His hand landed on her bare forearm. He froze. An electrical current passed between them melding them together. His mind filled with visions. Sarah stood before him laughing, her hand entwined with his. But it wasn’t the same Sarah that sat next to him. This one had the same violet eyes but more vivid. And her hair. Her hair hung down her back, wavy and black as night.

  She gasped, bringing him back to the present. Shock covered her face.

  He peeled his fingers from her arm and mumbled an apology. Silence stretched between them. Tension bloomed to the point it was almost physical.

  Tingles continued to spark along his nerves. Fuuuck. It can’t be. He licked his lips and rubbed his sweaty palms on his thighs.

  He glanced at Zale, begging him with his eyes to help him out. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not when they were in the midst of a case. And not when his best friend was obviously struck with his mate. His mate! Just thinking it made him want to throw up and dance for joy at the same time.

  Zale’s eyes squinted, examining him. He begged mentally again. As dolphins, telepathy while in human form wasn’t something that he and his friends had, unlike the wolves—lucky bastards. But then again, he could not only run through the woods as fast as a wolf but could also swim deep in the ocean. A dolphin shifter lived the best of both worlds—land and sea.

  Even without telepathy, Zale appeared to understand and reassured Sarah that it would be their honour to pay for her lunch, especially since they were invading her workspace and getting her to trust them with the letters.

  His breath exploded from his mouth when she was partway to the bathroom.

  “What was that all about?” Zale stretched out in his chair, overflowing it.

  “Um, nothing. I was lost in my head, piecing together things about the various letters.”

  Kai raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Yeah, um, so far we know that three women had eight letters found before their disappearance while the other two only had six. They, too, could have had eight, but got rid of the first two. Or maybe everyone received more and discarded some. Either way, if these letters match, we could be looking at a disappearance any moment now, or after another two letters arrive. Hoping for eight letters would be ideal as we can get ourselves hired by their security company and placed on Laguna’s security detail.” Phew. That sounded reasonable.

  A quick glance at his partners showed the two deep in thought over his conclusions, but the stiffness in Kai’s pose and the slight twinkle in Zale’s eyes told him they weren’t finished with him yet. But like the team they were, they were willing to set aside his weird behaviour in favour of the mission.

  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know what Kai’s instructions would be. After all their time together, he knew that his task was to find out everything he could on the security company used by the agency Sarah and Kailee worked for. He pulled his phone from the holder attached to his belt and opened his secure app. His thumb hovered over the button as he waited.

  “Dylan, find out what you can on the security company. Even if the letters aren’t part of our case, I’d like to leave some recommendations for Sarah on how to protect herself and Laguna better… just in case we’re not around.”

  He nodded, pressing his thumb on the button and opening the app. As he searched, Kai continued to issue orders and question the commonalities within the letters that FPU had already identified.

  A soft chime from his phone signified a new message from the director. He scanned it quickly before opening the attachment. “Perfect timing,” he said, interrupting Kai.

  “What?”

  He typed on the phone with a speed born of necessity and experience. With having to spend so much time on his phone while out on assignment, he’d opted for a larger screen in order to view details more easily when he didn’t have access to a larger monitor. It also gave him a larger keyboard. In his off hours, he spent time in his workshop, attempting to create a portable heads-up display unit that would be holographic. He was getting closer but still a long way from a working prototype. “I’ve just sent you all copies of all the other letters. It will give us a better way to compare.”

  Kai pulled his phone from inside his leather jacket and tapped on it. “Agreed. This will help immensely.”

  Zale’s chair legs hit the floor with a bang as their waiter arrived with the check. He handed her his credit card with his trademarked panty dropping smile. “Thanks for the delicious meal and the service. I’m definitely coming back for more”

  His eyes rolled. Zale would never change. The charisma and flirting would never end. And if it did, he’d be rushing Zale to the closest doctor for a brain scan. Yet, he was jealous of Zale’s ability. None of that stuff came easy to him. Sure, he could talk to women, but it took him over twenty-five years of studying Zale to get to his current comfort level. And even that wasn’t enough for him to have done more than smile and state his order.

  As soon as Zale finished paying, he st
ood, seeing Kailee and Sarah heading towards the door. He raced after them, wanting to walk next to Sarah. He may not be able to do anything about her being his mate at the moment, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t soak up as much time with her as possible until he could.

  Sarah chewed on the inside of her mouth. How had Kailee kept these men hidden from her? Not that they ever discussed men more than passing with each other, but gee, a woman had a duty to share when they knew such fine men and couldn’t use them for themselves. How hard would it have been to say, “My cousin is coming with a couple of his friends who are hot and on the prowl?”

  Or was that the issue? Did Kailee have something with Zale or Dylan? Something that kept them from being sharing material? She examined her friend from the corner of her eye, looking for any evidence of a love affair or even unrequited love.

  “What? Do I have something on my face? Toilet paper stuck to me?” Kailee’s hands ran over her body as she lifted each foot to examine them.

  She placed her hand on Kailee’s arm, stilling her movements. “No. Sorry. Nothing like that. You’re beautiful as always, and I would have told you if you had toilet paper stuck to you.”

  “Thanks.” Kailee’s face lit up with her heart-warming smile. “But then what was the look for?”

  A glance over her shoulder confirmed the men were closer to their table than the door. Did she have enough time? Did she have the confidence to ask? These men pushed all the right buttons but…

  And that was the problem, there was always a but.

  As a teenager, when she’d rebelled, she discovered within a day why her mother had always told her to tone down her looks. To make herself less while making others more. When she didn’t, men followed her everywhere. Young, old, it didn’t matter. They stopped and stared from across the street. They gave her gifts, offered her food, drinks, rides. Initially, she revelled in all the attention. Going from not having a boyfriend and being the forgotten girl to the one everyone wanted to be had been the greatest rush. It fed her attention-seeking-but-starved soul.