by Elisabeth Naughton, Cynthia Eden, Katie Reus, Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright, Joan Swan
“Yeah, that’s the team Harrison ordered to watch out for us today.”
“Four extra guys?”
Mara shrugged as they exited the elevator. “Yep.”
Lizzy tried to squash her nerves as she followed her friend into the lobby. Maybe they should just eat in the cafeteria. One of the men looked familiar, but she didn’t recognize the other three. Harrison oversaw about forty men, and while she interacted with them on a semi-regular basis, they had a couple hundred guys working for the company, some of whom she’d never met. She wasn’t worried that they wouldn’t be competent, but the thought of actually needing a security detail for her own protection freaked her out.
She couldn’t imagine some low-life gang members targeting her in broad daylight in the middle of the financial district. She hadn’t done anything anyway. Orlando hadn’t seemed like he wanted to kill her. No, he’d had something else in mind for her. And why would he want her dead? She’d always thought he was a bit of a psychopath but killing her would be pointless. Still…seeing these men in front of her put her on edge.
“You sure you’re all right?” Mara’s quiet voice startled her out of her thoughts as they stepped outside.
Instead of voicing her worries, she pasted on a bright smile and nodded. “Of course, I’m just starving.”
Two of the men went through the revolving door before them and two flanked them from behind. These guys were no joke. All of her work was at a computer and she’d never actually seen any of the security teams in action before, but they seemed to know what they were doing.
There was a white SUV with tinted windows waiting directly outside for them. And if she knew her boss the vehicle was bullet proof. “This is our ride?” she asked Mara.
“Yep. It’s one of Harrison’s newest armored vehicles and—”
Her words were cut off when one of the men grabbed her arm and started hustling them faster. “Ladies, you need to get into the SUV, now.”
As they rushed toward the open door, Lizzy spotted a shiny blue two-door muscle car screech to a halt across the street from them. The door flew open and two men wearing blue bandanas across their face and carrying what looked like machine guns jumped out. Panic slammed into her chest. “Hey!” She pointed, but one of the security guys practically picked her up and shoved her through the open vehicle door.
Mara tumbled in behind her, pinning her on the floor, and a second later, like hail on a tin roof, there was an explosion of gunfire all around them. The staccato pings were deafening and seemed to go on forever. Thank God the SUV was armored.
Lizzy’s heart pounded loudly in her ears but nothing could drown out the outside noise. Mara huddled half on top of her and she was vaguely aware of the men shouting something. What though, she had no clue.
When the vehicle jerked to life, the sounds of shooting miraculously faded then stopped all together. Lizzy’s eyes flew open with a start—she hadn’t realized they’d been closed—to find Mara still on top of her. Her friend pushed up and sat on the middle of the bench seat as she helped Lizzy slide up next to her. Straightening, she stared at her friend, then glanced around.
The driver and man in the passenger seat were silent, but the man sitting next to them was quietly talking into his phone. She didn’t know who was on the other end, but she could guess as she listened to his half of the conversation.
“…already called the cops…the women are secure…two guys from what we could see…Tony got cover inside and stayed back to try and follow them…”
“Are you okay?” she whispered to Mara.
“I’m fine.” Mara nodded and Lizzy was surprised by how stoic she appeared. Not a hair was out of place and her sharp, Slavic features didn’t betray an ounce of emotion. She looked perfectly at ease. No wonder she and Harrison fit together so perfectly.
“That was insane! How can you be fine?” Lizzy felt as if her insides were actually shaking. A slight tremor rolled over her and she was helpless to stop it. She clasped her hands tightly in her lap to calm them but it did no good.
Mara’s eyebrows rose in concern and she immediately covered Lizzy’s hands in a reassuring grip. “I’m scared too, but we’re alive, okay? They’re taking us somewhere safe, I promise.”
Lizzy nodded and internally berated herself for the tears she felt rising up. If Mara was okay, she supposed she should suck it up too. But she obviously wasn’t wired like her friend. Men with guns trying to shoot them in the middle of the day? She quickly glanced out the window, but everything blurred before her. Keeping her face turned away, she tried to blink away the hot tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She wasn’t going to ask, mainly because she didn’t trust her voice, but she really hoped that wherever they were going, Porter would be there too.
Chapter Four
Porter slipped his sunglasses on as he exited the Hotel Victor. A potential client had picked the place to meet and all he’d thought about the entire time was that the Parisian style hotel would be a nice place to take Elizabeth to dinner. It seemed everywhere he went the gorgeous woman occupied his thoughts. If he hadn’t known she was safe at the office he wouldn’t have even gone to the meeting.
His cell buzzed in his pocket. As he answered it, he handed his parking stub to one of the valet guys. When he saw Harrison’s number, he smiled. “Hey man, the meeting went well. I think we just landed the entire Mancini corporate account.”
“That’s not why I’m calling.”
His heart stuttered at his brother’s grim tone. “Elizabeth.” Her name was all he could squeeze out. If something had happened to her—
“She’s fine but there was an incident.”
He practically shoved the valet driver out of the way after he’d put Porter’s vehicle in park. “Where is she?”
“My house.”
If he took a couple shortcuts he could be at Harrison’s in twenty minutes. “Tell me what happened.”
“A couple gangbangers opened fire on them right outside of Red Stone.” Now there was an unmistakable edge to his brother’s voice.
Someone had taken a shot at her? A low buzz started in Porter’s ears as he felt himself slip into battle mode. Even as he kept a lid on his emotions, his stomach twisted at the thought of anything happening to Lizzy. Gripping the wheel tightly, he took a sharp turn. “What was she even doing outside? She wasn’t supposed to leave the building!”
“I know. She and Mara were going to lunch with a full security team and—”
“You’re sure it was from a gang?” Porter cut him off. He didn’t care why she’d left the building and he wasn’t going to waste his breath arguing about how stupid it had been. All he cared about was that she was safe.
“They fit the profile. One of my guys got the license plate and I already had Grant run it—it doesn’t exist.”
Which meant someone had likely taken two halves of different plates and welded them together. A common practice among car thieves and gang members in Miami. Before Porter could respond, Harrison continued.
“For now Lizzy’s at my place with Mara. We need to talk to her because after this I think she might know more than she’s telling. I don’t see why Salas would send a gang after her in broad daylight, not over money her brother owes him. Doesn’t make sense.”
It didn’t. Especially not considering who Porter’s family was. Orlando Salas couldn’t be that stupid. “I’ll see you in a few.” He disconnected and shoved the phone in his pocket.
Time seemed to move backward as he maneuvered through traffic, but the drive was relatively short. When he pulled up to his brother’s spacious two story home in the quiet Coral Gables neighborhood, he wasn’t surprised to see a team of guys parked in the driveway and another parked across the street. He was certain there would be more men inside. Everything about Harrison’s life was low-key, right down to the ten-year-old Ford truck he drove—though it did have bullet resistant glass windows. But if there was a potential threat anywhere near Mara, he was anything
but laid back.
Porter completely understood. He wanted to keep Elizabeth under lock and key so no one could hurt her. Before he’d reached the front door, it flew open.
Harrison stood back and motioned for him to enter. “She’s in the living room.”
He brushed past his brother until he reached the archway that opened into the living room. Wearing the same button down pink top and slim-fitting skirt she’d had on that morning, she sat with her legs crossed and her hands clasped tightly over her knees. The whites of her knuckles were a stark contrast to her naturally tanned skin.
She glanced up and when those espresso colored eyes of hers locked on his, it was like a punch to the gut. Unlike his brother’s fiancé, who was as cool as ice under any circumstance, Elizabeth was more innocent. Sweeter and softer. And right now she looked so damn vulnerable. She spent her days behind a computer and if he had to guess, she’d grown up fairly sheltered. Her parents were two of the highest paid doctors on the East Coast, or more likely the country. One was a cardiologist and the other an oncologist. Combined with the events of yesterday, having a couple thugs try to gun her down had probably shaken her up more than she was letting on.
When he moved into the room, she stood and skirted around the coffee table toward him. “I’m sorry, I should have listened to you and stayed home today. I…”
Her voice broke and he covered the rest of the distance in two strides. Surprising himself, he pulled her into a tight hug. He didn’t care what his brother thought about his display of affection for her. For a split second she was resistant but then her slim arms wrapped around him and held tight. Her head fit right under his chin. She was so close he could feel the rapid beat of her heart and the soft swell of her breasts pressing against his chest. The way she hitched in a breath made him ache inside.
“If I’d listened to you, none of this would have happened.” There was a slight note of anger in her words. Anger at herself, he guessed.
He squeezed her tighter, needing to feel her against him. “If I’d thought this was remotely possible, I wouldn’t have let you go to work today. You couldn’t have seen this coming. Neither of us could have,” he murmured against her hair. She was fairly tall, but today she felt soft and fragile in his arms. Without caring about the consequences, he brushed a hand down her long hair and smoothed it down her spine. He was so grateful she was unharmed and letting him hold her. Feeling her like this kept him grounded and reminded him she was okay. It also let him breathe normally.
The longer he held her, the more he savored the way her soft curves pressed against him in all the right places. The timing was inappropriate but his lower body came to life with a roar. He became aware of it only seconds before she did. She pulled her head back, away from his chest, but didn’t step out of his embrace. Her dark eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak, but the sound of his brother clearing his throat brought them back to reality. Instantly they broke apart and not a second too soon. Porter needed to get his shit together around her.
“We need to talk,” Harrison said as he stepped fully into the room, giving Porter a curious look.
Porter nodded and took Elizabeth’s hand as he sat on the longer leather couch, pulling her with him. She looked surprised by the gesture, but he had to touch her. He noticed Mara wasn’t in the room, but he didn’t ask questions. If Harrison didn’t think she needed to be there, then she didn’t.
“What do you guys want to know?” she asked as she looked back and forth between them.
“Do you have any idea what kind of trouble your brother could have gotten into?” Harrison spoke first.
For a moment, something flashed in her dark gaze, but it was gone so quick he didn’t have time to analyze it. She shook her head. “I know he owes Orlando money, but I don’t know why Orlando would want to kill me because of that. The attack today doesn’t make any sense.”
“Is there anything else you can think of that happened while you were at his house? Something your brother said to you, maybe. Or something Orlando said to you? Maybe you saw something Orlando doesn’t want you to repeat to anyone?” Porter asked.
Nervously, she cleared her throat and averted her gaze. She stared at his chest instead of his face. He didn’t think she was trying to hide anything but she looked uncomfortable. As if she didn’t want to say what was on her mind. Finally she broke the silence. “Orlando said…he’d take what my brother owed him from me in a, uh…I’m pretty sure he meant a sexual manner.”
For a moment blood roared in Porter’s ears like a raging angry river.
“He said if I was ‘his’ for six months he’d let my brother’s debt go.” As she stumbled over her words, Porter saw red.
“He said that?” The words came out as a growl and he wished he’d toned it down when she flinched. He knew what scum Orlando was but the fact that he’d propositioned someone like Elizabeth stunned him. Her family was wealthy, respected and Elizabeth was complete grace and class. The thought of the other man anywhere near her had Porter clenching his hands into tight fists. His short fingernails dug into his palms, the slight discomfort a welcome distraction.
She nodded, her expression miserable.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he pressed insistently. They might not have dated long but he still expected something more from her than this pseudo-stranger routine.
Her face flushed as she shrugged. “I didn’t think it would really matter. His offer didn’t sound like he wanted to kill me or anything. He was just being disgusting.”
He frowned. She was right. But Orlando obviously wanted to scare her. Maybe to make her more acquiescent to his ‘offer’. Still, opening fire on her in the middle of the day was stupid and amateurish. The man definitely didn’t have the business sense his father had.
Porter stared at her and tried to read her expression. Her face was ghostly pale and she simply looked scared. “You’re sure there’s nothing else you’re holding back? It doesn’t matter how insignificant.”
“I wasn’t there very long before you showed up. Everything happened so quickly. And you were at my house last night so you know my brother left before I could talk to him.” It happened again. Something like guilt flashed in her eyes. It was lightning fast, but he knew what he’d seen.
He didn’t comment on it, but he planned to question her later, when they were away from his brother. She might know something she was too embarrassed to say in front of Harrison. Porter sometimes forgot that Harrison was her boss and it was obvious she was private about her family.
Harrison would probably be annoyed he was cutting this so short, but Porter stood and faced him. “I’m going to get her out of here for now. I’ll have one of the teams follow us and get Grant to stop by my place when he gets a break so she can look at those mug shots.”
He’d expected Harrison to argue, but his brother simply nodded then motioned with his head toward the hallway. “Let’s talk before you guys leave.”
“I’ll only be a sec,” he said to Lizzy.
Nodding, she wrapped her arms around herself in a protective gesture. She might be keeping something from him—and he planned to find out exactly what it was—but no matter what, he planned to keep her under his protection at all costs.
Chapter Five
“Why aren’t we calling the police?” Lizzy asked softly.
Porter glanced at her as he steered away from Harrison’s house. That was one of the things his brother had wanted to talk to him about before he left. “Harrison already has. The security team is making a statement about what happened but they’re leaving your and Mara’s names out of it.”
“Why?”
His brother hadn’t come out and said it but Porter hadn’t needed to ask. “We don’t want either of you down at the police station right now.” Where they’d be open targets. He trusted the cops, especially considering Grant was one, but the idea of dragging both women down to the station when Red Stone Security had more resources than the police departm
ent was simply a waste of time. Sure they had a gang squad and theoretically could start looking for suspects, but Elizabeth hadn’t actually seen anyone she could identify. The security team was making the report and that’s all the cops needed. It’s not like the cops could put her in protective custody once she made a statement anyway. Even if they did, Red Stone could still do a better job. They protected dignitaries and government officials all over the world. Security was their business. Not to mention, Porter didn’t trust anyone but himself to keep Elizabeth safe.
“So that’s not a vague answer or anything.” Slight sarcasm laced her words as she shifted against the passenger seat.
“We’re going to take care of this situation ourselves.” More specifically, he was.
She softly snorted. “Situation? Is that what you call someone shooting at us in broad daylight?”
Against his better judgment he reached out and squeezed her leg. Partially to convince himself she was unharmed. When she gave him a startled look he pulled back and had to force his eyes back on the road. Right now she appeared so lost and scared and all he wanted to do was gather her in his arms. “Harrison said you can work from my place if you want, but he wants you to delegate most of your work if possible.”
When she let out a soft huff, he bit back a smile. “It’s only temporary and you’ll still be getting paid.”
“I don’t like getting a paycheck for work I’m not doing,” she muttered.
Another reason he respected her so much. Before he could respond, she continued.
“I’d like to stop by my parent’s house on the way to your place. With everything that’s happened in the past twenty four hours I want to tell them in person what’s going on and I really want to check up on them.”
More than anything Porter wanted to take her straight to his place and keep her under lockdown but he understood her need to see her family. “Okay.” After radioing the guys in the SUV following them and letting them know the change of plans, they headed to her parent’s house.
