Dex (HC Heroes Book 3)

by Donna Michaels

  “I normally wouldn’t ask, since your company usually deals with bigger clients,” Mrs. McCall said. “But this is the second person this week who told me their identity was stolen after taking a yoga class at the community center. And I don’t believe in coincidences.”

  “Me, either,” Mac said. “I’ll look into it.”

  “Thank you, hun. I appreciate it. I know you’re busy.”

  His boss smiled. “Never too busy for family.”

  She reached up to pat Mac’s cheek. “You’re so much your father’s son.”

  Carter snickered loud enough for Dex to hear but not their boss. Idiot. Although, watching the woman coddle his formidable friend like he was a sweet child was pretty funny.

  They were still smiling about it when Mac returned to the room after having walked his aunt to the front door.

  “Okay,” Mac said, retaking his seat. “Looks like we’re going to have to get creative with time management and fit this investigation into our schedule.” He sighed. “I just wish it hadn’t happened when we were already booked tight.”

  Rylee leaned forward. “I’d like to volunteer.”

  Dex jerked his gaze to her, thinking he’d heard wrong, but her green eyes were bright with anticipation.

  “You want to go to the community center?” Mac’s brows rose.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “You need someone who can move unnoticed amongst the clientele and mingle with the women in the yoga class.” She glanced pointedly at each of them. “No offense, but you three would definitely stand out.”

  Mac chuckled. “Yeah. About the only thing I know about yoga is it rhymes with Yoda.”

  Carter snickered, but Dex was too busy trying to dig his heart out of his gut, where it had dropped when his boss hadn’t immediately shot down her request.

  “Then it’s settled?” she asked, her voice eager with hope. “You’ll let me investigate?”

  The last thing Dex wanted to do was check out a bunch of women twisting their bodies into pretzels. Granted, had this been ten years ago, he would’ve had to fight Carter and Mac for the job. But it wasn’t, and he suspected they weren’t keen to do it, either.

  With his gaze still trained on her, Mac sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers together. “Why do you want to do this?”

  Damn. His boss was seriously considering her suggestion.

  “Because I’m capable of more than answering phones, data entry, and filing,” she said. “Not that those are bad duties, but I want to do more. I want to help people. I’ve always wanted to help people. And I have no one to blame but myself for not making that happen.”

  Christ. With her family, it was a wonder they’d actually let her move out of the house—and she’d been twenty-two at the time.

  “Yeah, my family gave me grief over certain jobs,” she said as if reading his mind. “But I could’ve pushed harder. Should’ve pushed harder. Well, I’m pushing now.” Her chin lifted, and with it, his pulse. “I’m damn good at research, digging deep, following clues, finding answers.” She lowered her chin without dropping Mac’s gaze. “You always struck me as a leader who was successful because he utilized the talents of his team. I have a lot more to offer than receptionist talents. I have a permit to carry. You all helped my brothers with my self-defense training. And you know I’m not a pushover.”

  Damn, she’s good…

  “Hell, yeah, we all know that.” Carter grinned.

  Admiration for the woman surged through Dex’s chest, and he found himself speaking up despite his desire to keep her safe. “You’ve had to battle your well-meaning family for your independence for more than half your life.” It strengthened her backbone and her character.

  She sighed. “Still do.”

  Mac set his hands on the arms of his chair and cocked his head. “What do you hope to gain by becoming an investigator?”

  “Satisfaction,” she replied, without missing a beat. “Knowing I helped someone, whether it solves a crime or saves a business, or whatever the case might be. I can make a difference. If you’ll let me.”

  Mac leveled his gaze on her. “You know I can’t put you in danger, right?”

  She nodded. “I know. And I’m not asking you to. I don’t want to work on the security details or bodyguard jobs you do. I want to be involved with researching and solving clues.”

  “What about your brother?” Mac asked. “You know Gabe won’t like this.”

  “I love my brother dearly, but this is my life, not his. It’s my job. Not his,” she said, then cocked her head, still staring at Mac. “You never came across as someone intimidated by my brother.”

  “No, ma’am,” Mac replied. “But I do respect him.”

  Some of the wind appeared to dissipate from her sails. The light dimmed in her gaze, and Dex realized he didn’t ever want to see that happen again.

  “As do I.” She lifted her chin. “And I think it’s time he started to respect me and my choices.”

  Past time.

  Dex decided right then to support her goal. She would make a great investigator, and he did respect her and her decision. But he also knew that even though Gabe would not be as supportive, the guy’s actions were fueled by love for his sister.

  “I couldn’t agree more.” A grin broke through Mac’s stern features. “You got the job.”

  “I do?” She straightened in her seat, and the joy that sent color to her cheeks and light to her eyes stole Dex’s damn breath.

  Mac nodded. “Yes, but on one condition.”

  “What?” She blinked. Her gaze eager. “Anything?”

  “All good investigators know when the situation is going to get out of hand before it gets out of hand,” Mac said, giving sound advice. “Trust your instincts, and never be afraid to ask for help. Can you do that? Can you ask for help?”

  She drew in a breath. “Yes.”

  “You never go in thinking you know everything. Expect the unexpected,” Dex said, unable to stop himself from giving her pointers. He may have changed his mind about her desire to investigate, but he didn’t change his mind about keeping her safe.

  She turned that eager gaze on him, and the strangest thing happened. His heart literally felt like it rolled in his chest. “Got it.”

  “Good,” Mac said, sitting back in his chair. “We’ll use this as a trial run. Not all cases are the same. Some are tougher and more dangerous than others.”

  She nodded. “Understood. If you need investigating, I’m your gal. If you need to protect and secure…I’ll be in the front office, filing memos.”

  Dex and Mac both laughed

  Carter, on the other hand, straightened in his chair. “Please tell me we aren’t going to have to pitch in with those duties, Rylee, because we stunk at it.”

  With a smile tugging her lips, she turned to face Carter. “Oh, no, I don’t want any of you near my desk. You mess with my system…you mess with me.”

  “No problem.” Carter held up his hands and sat back. “Understood.”

  Dex inwardly shuddered at the memory of taking turns at those duties before her arrival in Harland County. And his buddy was being kind. They didn’t stink at it. They sucked at it with a capital S.

  “Rylee,” Mac said, regaining everyone’s attention. “I just want you to be aware that I always assign cases according to who I feel fits the job best. Don’t get offended if the next investigation goes to someone else.”

  She nodded. “I understand.”

  “And no one does it alone,” Carter told her. “We help out. Back each other up.”

  She nodded again.

  “Since we have a security job tomorrow, let’s help Rylee with due diligence,” Mac said. “Research the community center and all their programs, especially the ones held at the same times. Carter, then you can do your thing and get us a list of everyone involved in those programs, including the people taking the classes.”

  “Will do.” Carter nodded.

  Mac stood. “I think tha
t’s it for now. You can give me a SITREP when I get back with Cooper later.”

  “Actually,” Rylee said, rising to her feet, holding up her phone. “Today’s the final yoga class at the center. It starts at noon. If I don’t go, we may lose the opportunity to check out the people that your aunt’s friends came in contact with.”

  He watched his boss close his mouth and work his jaw a moment, a telltale sign Mac was weighing his options. “Okay. Do it.”

  “Thanks for treating me like a capable adult and not an irresponsible child. It’s been a long time since another male has done that. I forgot how good it feels.” Her gaze drifted to Dex a second, before she left the room.

  Why did he get the impression she was chastising him?

  Carter grabbed the last sandwich from the table and grinned. “I’m going to go nuke this then crank up our computers.”

  Dex tossed his empty cup in the garbage and made to follow.

  “Hang back a second,” Mac said, shutting the door.

  He arched a brow. “Okay, so this doesn’t resemble the beginning of a bad porn or anything.”

  His buddy laughed. “Don’t worry. You’re not my type.”

  “Phew…” Smirking, he leaned back against the table and crossed his arms. “So, what’s up?”

  The mischief in Mac’s gaze sent up a red flag. “Feeling flexible?”

  He narrowed his eyes while another smirk tugged his lips. “I thought you said I wasn’t your type.”

  “Dumbass.” Mac’s snort echoed through the room. “Not what I was getting at.”

  “Then perhaps you should.”

  “A’ight.” Mac leveled him with a serious gaze. “How do you feel about yoga?

  Oh, hell no.

  Chapter Five

  While waiting for the start of the yoga class, Rylee rode a euphoric high. The strengthening and stretching exercises, along with the deep breathing would relax her body, something she used often to help remove the tension from her tight shoulder muscles. But her elation wasn’t because of that or because she managed to snag the last vacant spot in the class. No, it was mostly due to the fact Mac had agreed to let her go out into the field without giving her any grief.

  Or send one of the guys to hover over her.

  It felt so good to be treated like a peer, she had to concentrate to keep the smile from claiming her lips.

  With this being the last class scheduled at the center, she needed to use every second as an investigative opportunity. She’d started by arriving a half hour early and struck up conversations with anyone in the vicinity. Some were waiting for this class, others were there for an art class, and two college girls were there for a self-defense class. Their energy and exuberance brought back memories of her and Abby and their lessons.

  It also brought back some of the repression she’d endured. Not today. She refused to think about it, either. A clear head was imperative if she was going to find a lead to bring back to Mac and prove he could send her on more cases.

  Having compartmentalized her mind, she filed away the names and conversations, except for the one about the next location for the class. Apparently, this was only the final class at the rec center, not other locations.

  J & R Fitness, the company giving the lesson, was holding a couple’s retreat that weekend at a resort just over the county line.

  Her spidey senses tingled on that one, and her heart pounded hard in her chest as the friendly, middle aged woman told her it was by invitation only.

  “Julian, he’s one of the owners, you see,” Alma said. “He told me they wanted tough cases, people in pain, people who needed relief, like I do from my darn slipped disk. The pain is much better than it had been two days ago, but I need the intense lessons he said are included this weekend.” The woman opened her mouth as if to tell her more, but they were ushered into the room for the start of the class.

  As the door closed and everyone found a space to unroll their mat, Rylee barely had a second to make the decision to remove the T-shirt she wore over her tank top.

  Trust your instincts, Mac’s advice flittered through her head.

  Her instincts told her to remove the shirt, so she tugged it off and tossed it on the corner of her mat. Giving the public a view of the jagged scars jutting out from beneath her tank top was a huge step for Rylee. People tended to treat her differently once they saw the scars.

  With a sleeved shirt on, she was a whole person in the public’s eye. The instant she wore a bathing suit, or something sleeveless or strapless, people always treated her like she was…less. Like she needed help.

  Normally, that aggravated her, and she’d go out of her way to prove them wrong.

  Not today, though. No, today she wanted Julian, or whoever ran the class, to see her as someone who needed help, and hopefully extend Rylee one of those “retreat invitations” for this weekend. Her instincts told her the retreat needed investigating.

  Her instincts were also telling her she was being watched. Again. It had happened in the hallway earlier, too. Like now, the hair on the back of her neck had stood up. She’d glanced around before, but no one had been paying attention to her, other than the people she’d conversed with. As for now, yeah, there were several gazes on her—more specifically—her shoulder and shoulder blade.

  One of them was Julian.

  The super buff, not-a-hair-out-of-place instructor kept an eye on her throughout the entire session. Although she was by no means a yoga expert, Rylee had no difficulty performing the moves Julian walked them through, but she made sure to make it look otherwise, throwing in a grimace or two for affect.

  Sure enough, several times, Julian was at her side, guiding her arm into a pose. “Nice and slow.”

  Rylee would scowl and make it appear like she struggled, but always tried, hoping that was what he was looking for. She even made a show of shaking out her arm and massaging her shoulder between poses.

  By the time the session ended, she was hot, tired, and relaxed, despite the adrenaline rushing through her. For someone who didn’t like liars, she sure seemed to enjoy her undercover ruse. She took her time putting on her shirt and shoes, and rolling her mat, but it seemed everyone wanted to talk to the guy. The line to speak with him was large, so she decided to glance around for Alma in the meantime. She spotted the woman heading for the hall, so Rylee rushed after her.

  It was just her luck that the other classes let out at the same time. The hall was full of people moving in multiple directions. It felt like high school all over again. And dammit, she lost Alma in the crowd. Deciding it was better to head back to speak with Julian than pursue the woman she’d already talked to, Rylee turned around and ran smack into a hard, warm, body.

  A familiar body.

  “I’ve got you,” Dex said, pulling her close, and using his large body to shield her from the rushing crowd, he guided them safely out of the center of chaos to the safety of a wall. The large biceps flexing under her grip held a delicious amount of muscle definition, and she did, indeed, feel safe.

  The warmth seeping from his body into hers, shifted her focus, and soon the dull roar of conversation and people faded from view. Curious to know why he was there, she lifted her gaze to his and inhaled sharply.

  Standing this close, she saw every black lash rimming his gorgeous brown eyes and an unexpected hunger in their deep depths sent her pulse into adrenaline overdrive. The urge to kiss him was so strong she shook with it.

  Which was crazy. This was Dex. Her coworker. Her brother’s friend. The guy who tried to shield her from living.

  Although, right now, he was making her feel very alive.

  “Rylee…” he murmured, his tone so sexy and low her toes curled, and it carried with it a hint of warning that made her want to do it even more.

  Dragging in air in an attempt to clear some of the sensual fog from her mind, she blinked and found it worked enough for her to notice Julian walking into the hallway. This put her at another of those decision crossroads
.

  Should she push away from Dex and go talk to Julian? Or take advantage of the crazy whatever it was zinging between her and Dex and kiss him in front of Julian?

  Since the retreat she was trying to get into was for couples only, Rylee decided on the latter. That was her story and she was sticking it to it.

  With her mind made up, Rylee slid her hands over his incredible shoulders and shifted closer. “Go with me on this,” she managed to utter right before she pressed her mouth to his.

  If she’d thought her adrenaline had been pumping before, then it was out-of-control crazy now. The feel of his warm lips against hers was a lot more amazing than she’d expected, but it paled in comparison to when he took over. It was as if a switch had been flipped. He was kissing, drinking, and tasting her lips, as if he’d wanted to do this for a very long time.

  Rylee melted against Dex, running her hands down to his solid chest, more than a little turned on by the heat she could feel coming off his hard body.

  The rest of the world faded away again. His mouth was hungry and firm, his tongue sliding against hers, and damn, she’d never felt this before. She’d never been kissed like this in her life…kissed like there was nothing and no one in the world more important than her.

  It was unexpected and addicting, and a thrill of feeling soft and feminine rushed over her.

  When Dex lifted his head, Rylee realized she had her fingers tangled in his hair, holding him as if she were afraid he’d disappear.

  What in the world just happened?

  She had no idea and was grateful for his hands gripping her hips, because the strength was taking its time to return to her legs.

  “Ready to go?” he asked as if they’d had plans.

  And it took her a second to remember that kiss had been for Julian’s benefit…not hers.

  She pushed out of his arms and nodded, then felt heat rush into her face when Dex bent down to retrieve her yoga mat from the floor. Jeez…she hadn’t even recalled dropping it.

  “Ms. Jeffries?” Julian used the fake surname Carter had created as part of her cover.