Broken Shadows: Shadows Landing #5

by Kathleen Brooks

  The door opened and Skye glanced up as Trent walked in. “What are you doing here so early?”

  Trent closed the door and joined her in the kitchen where she was eating a slice of apple pie for a snack. “I was dying for some . . . apple pie.”

  “This apple pie?” Skye asked in her best seductive voice as she held up the remaining slice of pie in the dish.

  “Yes, that pie,” Trent said roughly, but his hand didn’t reach for the pie, but for her center.

  Skye’s breathing suddenly picked up as her body heated. “What will you do for the apple pie?”

  “Let me show you.”

  Oh goodness. Trent stripped as he walked toward her sitting in the kitchen chair. When he reached her, he kissed her hot and hard and pushed the straps of her dress down to her waist. His hands were on her breasts as he stood over her kissing and caressing her. Last night and this morning had been amazing but this was just panty-melting hot.

  Skye reached around him and clasped his ass. Her fingers flexed into his muscles as she felt him reaching for the pie. She smacked his ass reflexively. “Don’t you take my pie!”

  He chuckled as he held the fork out for her before yanking it away and putting it in his own mouth.

  “Ugh!” Skye smacked his butt again.

  “I’ll make it up to you.” His hand moved to shove her dress up her thighs as he reached for another forkful of pie.

  “I told you people will do anything for our pie.”

  Skye screamed at the sound of Miss Winnie’s voice. At the same time, Trent spun around as if to protect her as silence descended on the kitchen for a long moment.

  “Now, I haven’t seen one of them in a long time, but I don’t quite remember them being so big. Do you, Ruby?”

  “You were with the wrong men, Win. But even so, that’s mighty impressive. That’s definitely blue ribbon material.”

  “Now I have a hankering for pie,” Miss Winnie said.

  Skye yanked up her dress and peered around a naked Trent as Miss Winnie licked her lips.

  “Yes, this peach cobbler just isn’t going to cut it. Now, where is the camera on this blasted phone?”

  Trent reached for the nearest thing to cover himself, which happened to be the pie dish since his clothes were littering the kitchen floor.

  “Here it is!” When Miss Ruby told Trent to smile for the picture, Skye was lost in helpless laughter.

  “There!” Miss Ruby said with excitement. “That’s going to be my new banner at the bake sale. I’ll sell out in seconds and that will show Doris Jean who has the best apple pie.”

  Skye leaned around Trent as Miss Ruby showed them the picture. “You know, Miss Ruby, that’s a good picture. Would you text it to me, please?”

  “Skye,” Trent groaned, but then looked at it. “That is a good picture.”

  “The smile you gave is the perfect touch,” Skye told him. “And nothing is exposed except the apple pie.”

  “One, two, three,” Miss Winnie counted out as she leaned forward and squinted at him.

  “What are you doing?” Trent asked as he used one hand to reach around and grab for Skye.

  “I’m counting those little ridges on your stomach. Four, five,” she said as she got even closer.

  “Don’t forget that one, Miss Winnie,” Skye said, pointing at his abs.

  “Thank you, dear. Goodness. I miss being young.” She turned to Ruby with a laugh, “Remember when we all ate Kord’s grandmother’s brownies and went racing around town naked?”

  Skye almost choked as she sidestepped over to pick up Trent’s jeans and hand them to him.

  “Oh yes. That was the best.” Miss Ruby stopped at that thought. “You know, every time we ate those, we got naked somewhere.”

  “The Main Street dash, the river float, the ghost run,” Miss Winnie ticked off. “Maybe we need to make those brownies again.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking. Sorry to cut our visit short, Skye, but we see you’re in good hands.”

  “Among other body parts,” Miss Winnie said on a sigh.

  “Let’s get baking and then hand the brownies out to the men in town. We’ll just sit back and watch what happens.” Miss Ruby grabbed Winnie’s hand and dragged her out of the house.

  “Well, that was not how I saw this seduction going,” Trent said as he zipped his pants. Skye walked over to the door and slid the side table in front of it. She reached back up and pushed her straps down slowly until she wiggled free of her dress.

  “How about now?”

  “I don’t know,” Trent said with a sexy grin. “I have the pie now.”

  Skye made her way back to the kitchen and picked up the fork. “So, which will it be?”

  The pie went flying and Skye laughed as Trent lifted her quickly and set her down on the kitchen table. “I will always pick you. Every time. Even over apple pie.” And Trent showed her exactly why he was a blue ribbon boyfriend.

  23

  A black extended SUV showed up at Ryker’s gate at four in the morning. It was still dark out and the air was heavy with the smell of the river and the sound of frogs and crickets. When Trent and Skye got inside, Granger, Peter, and Karri were already there. Ryker hadn’t told them anything except to get in the SUV and that he and Miles had taken care of everything.

  They were a quiet group as they drove into Charleston. No one felt the need to fill the space with small talk. Instead, some stared out the windows while others napped.

  “This isn’t the airport,” Peter said, breaking the silence.

  “Mr. Davies got you another kind of plane,” the driver said, pulling into a designated gate at the Charleston Air Force Base.

  The driver flashed a military ID and the soldier at the gate saluted. Skye looked at Trent who shook his head. “Sometimes I feel as if I don’t know my cousin at all,” he whispered to her, even though in the silence everyone heard him.

  They pulled up to a large plane whose back was down forming a ramp as cargo was loaded inside. “Here you go. There will be someone waiting for you when you land,” the driver told them.

  Trent opened the door for them and climbed out first. He held his hand out for Skye and she took it as they walked onto the plane.

  “Right here, y’all,” the pilot told them as soon as he joined them. He pointed to the few chairs and gave them a smile. “I was told not to ask who you are. You’re the only people on the flight, so no worries. Ground crew is waiting for your arrival. It won’t be that long a flight so off we go.”

  “Why does this feel like a horror movie where we fly into a parallel dimension or get dropped into the middle of a jungle to be hunted by some ancient evil?” Skye asked the group as they buckled in.

  “I don’t like not knowing, but I know we can trust Ryker,” Granger answered. Skye looked over and saw Karri sitting with Peter and holding hands. Likewise, she and Trent were holding hands. Granger was the odd one out, and while he was emotionally closed off, Skye saw the tight jaw before he relaxed it and shut his eyes for the rest of the flight. Somewhere there was a woman who could break through whatever he’d built to close off his heart.

  “Prepare for landing,” the pilot’s voice came over the intercom.

  Skye looked out and saw the Atlantic Ocean before the pilot began his descent over land. “Where are we?” she asked as soon as they landed.

  Peter had his phone out and pulled up the maps as they taxied on the runway. “Andrews Air Force Base.”

  “That’s not in New York.” Skye wondered what was next as the plane’s tail opened and the morning light slid in.

  “No, it’s in Maryland. He did say someone was meeting us. Maybe we’re driving?” Trent shrugged and took her hand in his once again as they walked off the plane.

  A drop-dead sexy man in a flight suit stood smiling at them from the bottom of the ramp. His brown skin was rich with warm copper undertones. His black hair was in a buzz cut and he had swagger just standing there.

  “So
, which one of you is related to Keeneston?” he asked with a grin that showed off his kissable lips.

  “My family is, but I’m from South Carolina,” Trent told him as he tried not to look confused.

  “Ah, the cousins Dylan has talked about.”

  “You know Dylan?” Trent asked, and Skye was left wondering who Dylan was.

  “Yup. I’ve worked quite a bit with him and Abby recently.”

  “Trent Faulkner,” Trent said, holding out his hand and shaking with Mr. Sexy Pilot.

  “Crew Dixon. I’m your HMX-1 pilot for the day. You’re coming in under diplomatic papers today.” Crew handed them all papers and when Skye read it, they said she was a diplomat of a country named Rahmi. “And I must say, you are way hotter in person, and I didn’t think that was possible.”

  Crew winked at her and Trent wasn’t amused.

  “Do you have a favorite pick-up line too?” Skye asked with humor. She’d met enough men like that to know Crew wasn’t the creepy kind.

  “Pick-up line? That’s for amateurs. I don’t need pick-up lines. Normally I just pull an LL Cool J.” Crew looked at her and slowly licked his full bottom lip. Yup, that would definitely work. Gracious.

  “Wait,” Peter said, interrupting Crew’s display. “If you’re HMX-1, that means you fly the president.”

  Crew just smiled in response and motioned with his hand to follow him. “The flight will only take ninety minutes. We’ll land atop a private building. It’s rare since New York City doesn’t allow rooftop helipads, but this one has special permission and we’ve been cleared to land there today.”

  They followed him to the large helicopter and climbed inside. This was not like the bare-bones cargo jet. The inside had a couch and chairs covered in ivory leather. It was spotless and everything was state-of-the-art. “Is this one of the president’s helicopters?” Peter asked as Crew strapped in.

  “Yeah, but it’s just a spare. We hardly use this one. Now, strap in and let’s get you to New York.”

  “Who the hell is Miles and how did he and Ryker pull this off?” Skye asked Trent as the blades to the helicopter began to spin. “And where the heck is Rahmi?”

  “Uncle Miles was Special Forces and I guess he still has contacts in that world. I’m also thinking I need to ask Ryker more questions about his businesses,” Trent admitted as they all looked out the windows when they lifted off the ground. “My cousins in Kentucky are friends with the Rahmi royal family. It’s a small island nation in the Persian Gulf, so I know that part.”

  Skye had met plenty of rich and powerful people. She was America’s Sweetheart after all and that put her in the path of many such people. However, getting diplomatic papers and the president’s spare helicopter? That was a type of power she’d never encountered before.

  “Are you ready for court?” Karri asked once they’d been in the air for a while.

  Skye took a deep breath and looked up from her phone where her notes were typed out. “I think so. Are you ready to be called if necessary?”

  Karri looked to Peter who gave her a silent encouraging smile. “I think so. Peter helped me prepare last night.”

  Nerves rattled Skye’s body and she bounced her knee to try to cover for them. “Then let’s do this.”

  The New York skyline was familiar to Skye. She’d signed her contract with Jim here. She’d auditioned for numerous roles here as well. For as big as Hollywood was, she and New York were twin entertainment powerhouses.

  The helicopter began to approach one of the tallest buildings along the skyline. As they grew closer, it was clear they were landing there. “What’s this building?” Skye asked, but no one knew as they landed on the large helipad.

  “Welcome to New York City,” Crew told them as the blades slowed to a stop. “I’ll be staying here and will be at the ready for a quick departure.”

  “Thank you, Crew,” Skye told him as the door to the helicopter was opened. And waiting at the base of the stairs stood Ryker. His suit was dark and expensive. The rising sun cast a glowing light over his darkness, but there was no hiding that the man haloed in light was no angel. While Ryker might be her angel, he clearly danced with the devil and that devil stood about four feet behind him.

  “What’s up, Seb?” Crew smiled at the devilish man and slapped him on the shoulder.

  “Good to see you again, Crew. How’s that girl you were dating?”

  Crew rolled his eyes. “You know I can’t be tied down long. Just like you.”

  The devil gave a small shrug and then turned his penetrating stare at her. “Skye Jessamine, welcome to my building. I’m Sebastian Abel and this is SA Tech headquarters. I have a private car downstairs to transport you, Miss Hill, and the private security that Mr. Faulkner arranged for you to the courthouse. I have a floor here set aside for your private use. Agent Castle, Sheriff Fox, Crew, Ryker, and Mr. Faulkner can wait there. If there’s anything else I can do for you, please ask one of my assistants who will be sitting at the front desk on the main level.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Abel. You didn’t have to go through so much trouble, but it’s very appreciated.”

  Sebastian stared at her seriously and gave her a short nod. “Ryker told me you were a fighter. That’s the only reason I agreed. Good day.”

  The man turned on his heel and strode inside the automatic glass doors before disappearing into an elevator.

  “How did you get Sebastian Abel to agree to this?” Trent asked Ryker before turning to Crew. “And how does a pilot know the world’s largest tech giant?”

  Crew shrugged and headed inside.

  Ryker didn’t bat an eye as he told them, “We do business together.”

  Ryker led the way inside the luxurious office tower. They were greeted by an attractive woman who asked if they wanted anything to drink before leading them down a floor and into an expansive conference room. Inside the room, they were met by a group of people Skye had never seen before. Well, the older woman looked familiar, but she couldn’t place her.

  She smiled but the salt-and-pepper-haired man behind her did not. “Skye! It’s so nice to meet you in person. I’m Morgan Davies.”

  “Oh, Morgan!” Skye wrapped the older woman in a hug. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

  “I was just dying to meet you, plus I figured I better be in court with you so I could put out a good press release and give you your talking points before you faced the media.” Morgan turned to the glowering man who was slapping Trent on the back. “This is my husband, Miles. He’s Trent’s uncle.”

  Miles turned to her and shook her hand tightly. “Ma’am.”

  “Mr. Davies. Thank you for coming and thank you for the transportation.”

  “Miles will be staying with me.” Morgan rolled her eyes. “Since I’m in danger.” She used her fingers to make air quotes.

  “Here.” Miles shoved a thumb drive at Peter. “That’s all the information I got from the man who tried to hurt my wife. He’s employed by Star Power Private Security. He hasn’t given over the name of who hired him yet, but he will. Doing it the legal way always takes longer,” he complained, using the same air quotes his wife had just used.

  A man in a suit so shiny it was practically iridescent shoved past Miles with a wide smile and a wink. “Enough about that. Let’s talk about how Miss Jessamine is breaking the law with her sexiness.”

  Skye choked on a combination of a gasp and a laugh. Morgan let out a long-suffering breath. “Skye, meet your new attorney, Henry Rooney.”

  Henry took her hand in his and looked into her eyes. “I already know you’re Hollywood’s biggest star since I’m burning with love for you.”

  Skye sputtered. She couldn’t even get out a hello because it was truly a horrible line. No wonder he made the detective run for the hills. It was strange, but there was nothing dangerous or scary about Henry Rooney. He was just a lovable goober.

  A young woman with movie star looks stepped forward then. “I’m Tandy Rawlings. I’m
also your attorney. I’ve just moved back to Keeneston from the city, but still hold my New York Bar license. We already have a plan set out for your trial.”

  “It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for helping me.” Skye felt a little better now. Tandy seemed as if she could cut a man’s balls off with her perfectly manicured nail.

  Morgan turned to the man and woman behind her. They were in matching black suits, but that’s where the similarities ended. “This is Aiden Creed. He’s married to my niece, Piper. He owns a security company and will be in charge of your personal protection while you’re in New York.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am. When Trent called we were happy to assist in any way possible.” Skye wasn’t expecting the deep English accent, but the way he was built like an elite soldier was a comfort. The woman beside him wasn’t, though. She was pretty and petite and had a warm smile. “This is my associate, Blythe Kencroft. She’ll be with you at all times.”

  Blythe’s bronze-colored eyes met hers, and although she was small, she was definitely mighty. “Such a pleasure to work with you. I’ve heard you like to cut off men’s balls. I’m always happy to assist with de-balling men who don’t deserve them.”

  Skye laughed and the weight of the tension began to ease off her shoulders. She had a team around her—a team she felt she could trust. “Then let’s do this.”

  24

  Skye arrived at the courthouse fifteen minutes before her trial was to begin. There were only a few cameras outside since they weren’t expecting anyone famous to show. Today was just a technical argument between lawyers. At least it was supposed to be.

  “Ready for this?” Tandy asked. She might look like a movie star, but on the ride over they discussed Skye’s case and she had even more brains than beauty, which was saying something. It was also surprising that under Henry’s fondness for bad pick-up lines was a brilliant legal mind.

  It was time to put her plan into action. The SUV drove around back where several cars with tinted windows were lined up and waiting. Aiden was the first out of their car, then Tandy and Henry. Next Skye slid out with Blythe right behind her and then Karri.