by Peyton Banks
“Back to the hotel?” she asked.
He opened the driver’s door for her and helped her get in. He shut it and walked to the passenger side.
He slammed the door and leaned his chair back.
“Well?” She started the car and turned to him.
“No. Your place.”
Roxxy’s nerves were shot. The entire drive back to her house was tense. Her gaze kept going to the review mirror to make sure they weren’t followed. She felt as if she had dived face forward into some cop drama television show.
She guided the car onto the gravel driveway that led to the main house.
“Drive around to the barn,” Myles said softly.
She practically jumped out of her skin. He hadn’t spoken in a while, leaving Roxxy to assume he’d dozed off.
Roxxy glanced at him and found his eyes to be closed. Her heart pounded, and she feared he had lost too much blood. There was a slight copper scent in the air that worried her.
“Are you okay?” she whispered.
“Me? Of course I am. Nothing like a little graze would take me down.”
“Graze? Myles, there was blood running down your entire arm. I’d say that was more than a graze.”
He waved a hand in the air. “I’ve had much worse.”
She gripped the steering wheel tight at his comment. She didn’t even want to imagine what that meant. He’d spent time in the Army and had been on SWAT for years. She knew his background. Both of his jobs were extremely dangerous, and she’d be ignorant if she thought he would be able get through either unscathed.
“Well, let’s not test it. I still think you should be at the hospital,” she muttered.
The main house came into view. She did as Myles instructed and drove around back to the barn. She brought them to a halt and cut the engine off.
“Why the barn?” she asked.
Myles opened his eyes. In the darkness she could see his grin.
“I may not be originally from the south, but my momma taught me manners. No dripping blood over a woman’s floors.” He opened his door and got out.
Roxxy couldn’t help but giggle. She exited and followed him into the barn.
“Really? You’re afraid of messing up my mother’s floors with your blood?” she asked.
He paused at the door of the barn and turned to her.
“Do you think she’d care—”
“No. Whoever that was who shot at us, they wanted us dead. My gut feeling is that they are going to come for us. I figured our best bet would be here on your family’s land than stuck in some hotel room without a clear path of escape.”
Roxxy froze in place. The grimness of his words rocked her to her core.
They are going to come for us.
“Um, okay.” Roxxy didn’t know what else to say. She ran a shaky hand through her hair, trying to get her brain to wake up. “Who is going to come for us? What the hell is going on?”
Finally, her brain kicked in.
“I’m not sure, but we are certainly going to find out,” Myles replied grimly.
“Come on. Let’s get you inside.” She opened the door to the barn and guided Myles inside.
There was a room off in the corner. It was a makeshift office for the ranch hands. Roxxy flipped on the light and waved to the small couch.
“Have a seat. I’ll be right back.” She tossed her purse on the desk then left. She quickly made her way to the bathroom. They’d had it installed so the hands could have facilities to use and could get washed up before eating. Running a farm was dirty work. This lavatory in the barn had been a great investment.
She grabbed the first-aid kit from under the sink as well as a few other items and rushed back to the office. Myles was perched on the edge of the desk while speaking into his cell phone.
“I need you to run a plate for me.” His eyes met hers.
She signaled for him to remove his shirt. She set the kit down on the desk and opened it. She took out the prepackaged gauze and antiseptic ointment.
Turning back to him, she saw he would need assistance in taking the shirt off.
“I’ll do it,” she murmured. Roxxy stood before him and brushed his hand out of the way. She reached up and began undoing the buttons. Had this been any other day and Myles wasn’t bleeding, she would turn this into a playful strip tease.
“South Carolina. License plate number is TGB 84T.”
Roxxy got to the bottom and had to pull his shirt from out of his waistband. Her gaze landed on the bulge in his pants then flew up and met Myles’s.
He shrugged his good shoulder.
She rolled her eyes and helped take the shirt off him as gently as she could. He grimaced when he had to lift the arm that was hit by the bullet.
“Reported stolen three days ago.” Myles paused, apparently listening to the person on the other end of the line. “All right. Hit me back when you got something. Thanks, man.” He disconnected the call and placed his phone on the desk.
“Nothing?” she asked.
“I figured the car would be stolen. Only idiots would use their car to do crimes.”
“I’m sure there are a few out there…” She trailed off.
“You wouldn’t even begin to imagine the stories I could tell.” He chuckled.
“Tell me some,” she encouraged. She had to find something to occupy her thoughts. Myles standing before her in a bright-white tank that highlighted his deep complexion and muscles had her libido running wild. She reached for a couple of the gauzes and ripped the protective paper cover open.
“When I first joined the department, there was a string of bank robberies. I was a beat cop fresh on the force.” He paused, grimacing as she poured some rubbing alcohol on the wound. “Jesus, you could have warned me.”
“You may not have let me had I told you.” She chuckled and blotted the wound with the clean gauze. “Don’t tell me this is too painful for you.”
“Just warn me.” He blinked a few times.
“Go the hospital,” she retorted. “Or how about, not get shot.”
“Anyway.” He blew out a deep breath. “We got the call of a robbery in progress. By the time my partner and I arrived at the bank, the bad guys had hopped into a Buick and sped off. It was the same car that had been spotted at two other bank robberies. We immediately began to give chase. The guys drove to a church and jumped out and took off on foot.”
“A church?” she questioned.
Myles released a hiss when she held a clean cloth to his wound. He was right. It had gone straight through him. It wasn’t large, but for some reason he’d bled like it had been. “Hold this in place,” she instructed.
Myles reached up with his good hand and held the dressing.
“Apparently, the idiots had borrowed their grandmother’s car to rob the banks and would drop her car off to her while she was worshipping.”
“What?” Roxxy barked a laugh. She took the tape that came in the kit and wrapped it around Myles’s biceps a few times to create a bandage. She tore the tape and patted it down to stay put. “There you go.”
“Thanks,” he murmured, his dark eyes locked with hers.
She placed the tape on the desk and rested her hands on his chest. He pulled her closer between his open legs.
“I don’t like knowing you’re hurt.” She pouted slightly.
It was the truth. Seeing him get shot replayed over in her mind repeatedly.
“I don’t like that someone was shooting at you.” He reached up and cupped her cheek.
She leaned into it, loving the feel of his warmth.
“You were there to protect me,” she whispered. She slid her hands up his chest so they made their way to his neck.
Myles pulled her flush against him and lowered his head. He pressed his lips to hers. She sighed and parted her lips for him.
Myles tensed.
It was then she heard it.
His cell phone was ringing.
“Sorry. I have to get that
.” He let loose a deep breath and scooped up his phone. “Yeah?” he answered.
Roxxy stepped back from him to give him some privacy. She cleared the desk of the bloodied cloths and tossed them in the trash.
“Mac, I’m fine. Just a graze.” He paused, apparently listening to whatever Sergeant MacArthur was saying—better yet, yelling.
Roxxy heard the deep rumble of Mac’s voice clear across the small room.
How the hell did Mac know Myles was shot?
She walked toward the chair in front of the desk. Her feet were aching in her heels. Ending the day with a shoot-out in a fancy dress and high heels wasn’t how she’d planned their evening.
The perfect ending to their night would have been her and Myles going back to the hotel to make love in the jacuzzi.
“Hold for now.” Myles snagged her arm and brought her up against him.
She resisted at first.
He frowned and wrapped his forearm around her waist. “Do me a favor. Look into a Korey Norman.”
Roxxy spun in his arms with a gasp. “I told you Korey wouldn’t do something like this.” She slapped a hand on his chest.
“Just do it, please?” Myles disconnected the call and slid the phone in his pocket. He pulled her to him and wrapped her up in his strong embrace. “I’m covering all bases. Mac will look into him. If he comes back clean, then he’s off the suspect list.”
“I know Korey. A killer is something he’s not. He’s an ass, but not a killer.”
Myles studied her. Finally, he jerked his head into a nod. “Fine. But my gut is still telling me that they are coming for us.”
“I was careful. No one followed us,” she said.
“You did a good job making sure of that, but whoever that was, they waited for us. I don’t want to let my guard down.”
Roxxy rested her hands on his chest. “What do you need?”
“Guns. We need guns, something to protect us.”
Roxxy grinned wide. “Well, Officer Burton.” She turned on her southern charm. “You just so happen to be in the right place, suga.”
Chapter 20
“But before we do anything, I need to change my clothes,” Roxxy declared, backing away from him.
He instantly missed having her curvy frame pressed against him.
But she was right.
She was still in her sexy black dress. There were some smudges on it from her sidewalk dash.
Myles wrestled with his shirt and put it back on, leaving it unbuttoned. His arm stung like hell, but there was no way he was going to let Roxxy know he was in pain.
“Let’s be quick.” He walked out of the office behind her and through the barn.
They jogged up the back stairs to the house. Roxxy opened the door and entered the home. Myles followed behind her, finding them in a kitchen that looked as if it belonged in a five-star restaurant.
“I’m sure my father is still up.” Roxxy kicked her shoes off and snagged them from the floor. She waved him behind her and disappeared down a hall.
They journeyed to the family room. Her father was sitting in an oversized plush recliner watching television. Earl’s gaze swiveled to them as they entered.
“Wasn’t expecting you two back so soon,” Earl’s deep voice broke the silence. He lifted a long-neck bottle to his lips and took a sip.
“Daddy, we have a problem,” Roxxy announced.
Earl’s hand paused, the mouth of the beer bottle resting on his lips before he pulled it away slowly.
His gaze hit Myles. He was instantly taken back to his basic training when he was a young, scrawny Myles and his sergeant stared him down.
“There was an altercation this evening,” Myles began, stepping into the room.
“I heard there was a shoot-out in town. That was y’all?” Earl set his drink on the table beside him. He sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees.
“Unfortunately,” Roxxy breathed.
“What happened?” Earl demanded.
Myles gave a quick recount of the events from the night, including their run-in with Korey and his gut feeling that they were being followed the entire night.
“The entire night? Even before we went to dinner?” Roxxy gasped. She spun on him. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“I didn’t want to ruin our night out. They hadn’t made a move, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.” From the second they’d left the hotel, he’d felt eyes on them. She had already been paying close attention to him, and he hadn’t wanted her to worry. They had been enjoying each other’s company, and he’d hoped that whoever was observing them wouldn’t have acted.
“Well, it was obvious you were expecting something, you had a gun on you!”
“As he should,” Earl interrupted. The older man pushed off from his seat and stood to his full height. He strolled over to them.
Had it not been for the graying of his hair, Myles wouldn’t have guessed the man would have a daughter Roxxy’s age.
He placed an arm around Roxxy’s shoulder and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You are quite special, young lady, and I can’t help but respect your young man for being prepared in this situation.” Earl turned his attention to Myles.
He held his hand out to Myles who took the elder Sutton’s hand in a firm grip.
“She means a lot to me, sir. I’ll be damned if something was to happen to her,” Myles admitted. It was the God’s honest truth. He’d been pissed that the shooters had opened fire on them in public. He didn’t care that he’d been hit. If something would have happened to his Roxxy, there’d be hell to pay.
“That’s what I like to hear.” Earl nodded to Myles.
“What do you like to hear?” Mrs. Sutton breezed into the room with a wide grin. Her smile instantly faded when she took one glance at the three of them. “What’s going on?”
“I’m going to run upstairs and change my clothes. I’ll be back in just a second.” Roxxy brushed past them and disappeared.
“Looks like we need to head out to the shed, Momma,” Earl proclaimed. He quickly brought Shelby up to date.
Her face remained void of all emotion as she listened to her husband.
Shelby casually strolled over to a small nook behind the couch and pulled a rifle out. She swung it up on her shoulder and flickered her gaze between Earl and Myles.
“No one shoots at my baby and gets away with it.” She had a determined expression. The beautiful, middle-aged woman went from loving housewife to warrior in a blink of an eye.
This was one woman Myles wouldn’t want to cross. The way she’d handled the gun let Myles know she was intimately familiar with it.
It was official.
Myles was hopelessly in love with not only Roxxy, but her family.
“I’m ready,” Roxxy said from the doorway. She was no longer in her little sexy number. She was now in a black t-shirt, jeans, and sensible boots. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, keeping the long tresses from her face.
Myles stalked across the room, unable to take his eyes off her. He pressed a hard kiss to her lips.
“Lead the way, Roxxy girl.”
Myles followed Roxxy around the side of the barn. His gaze swept the area, landing on a small vegetable garden that was plush and well cared for. He could imagine Roxxy out here tending to it. Roxxy glanced over her shoulder at him and tossed him a sassy wink.
Earl and Shelby pulled up the rear. He didn’t know where she was taking him, but watching her from behind, he knew he’d follow her anywhere.
They arrived at a storage shed a little way behind the barn, tucked into a thicket of trees.
“You, Officer Burton, are in for a treat,” she announced. Roxxy took a key and inserted it into the lock. She pushed open the door and faced him.
“Ladies first.” He waved to the dark space.
Roxxy and Shelby entered the building. A soft light lit up the room. The women disappeared from view.
“Burton,” Earl called.
&
nbsp; Myles turned to find the older man standing next to him. “Yes, sir?”
“Those two women in there mean the world to me.” Earl’s voice dropped low.
He stepped closer to Myles who didn’t back away. Myles met the man’s unwavering gaze.
“I want to know what trouble you are bringing to my land.”
Myles sighed. “To be honest, sir, I’m not even sure. My sergeant had already gotten word and is looking into some leads for me.”
“How the hell did he know already?”
“Hell if I know, but that’s Mac for you.” Myles brushed a palm over his head. Frustration filled him. He was used to running into the danger with guns blazing. It was a part of who he was. But now that he had someone who meant so much to him, fear crept up in the background. What if he couldn’t keep her safe? “But I do know one thing. This ends today.”
Earl nodded. “A lesson I took away from the Army was always trust your gut. If yours is saying those men are coming, then let’s ready the welcome wagon.”
Myles walked through the door and paused. Earl shut it behind them before joining him. The room appeared like any other shed. Gardening tools hung on the walls, but Earl revealed a hidden door. Myles walked through it and was instantly impressed by the Sutton family.
Behind the makeshift storage area was a secured room with enough weapons and ammunition to outfit a small militia.
“Like what you see?” Roxxy grinned and spun around slowly with her hands up in the air.
Myles was unable to speak. He turned, taking in the shelves on the walls showcasing semiautomatic weapons, from rifles to handguns. There were even knives of all shapes and sizes on display. The respect he had for the Suttons skyrocketed.
“Beautiful,” Myles murmured, his gaze landing on Roxxy.
“My dad and I have been collectors for years.” Roxxy chuckled.
Myles stood by her, unable to decide where he wanted to start. Earl and Shelby moved around grabbing items. Myles felt like a kid in the candy store with limited funds.
“Some collection,” he muttered. This was more than a regular family collection of weapons. His suspicions lay with Roxxy’s father. There was more to Mr. Sutton than he let on.
