Monroe, Melody Snow - Bodyguards of Pleasure [Pleasure, Montana 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Melody Snow Monroe

  The aroma of coffee seeping under the door urged her to get up. The first thing she planned to do was take out the damned plug. With all the twisting and turning she did, surely her ass was as wide as the Grand Canyon.

  She stepped into Riley’s bathroom, bent over, and had to twist and tug to get the damned thing out. She thought she’d rejoice once it was gone, but the vacancy left her wanting. She had no plan to put it back in, though. She wanted the real thing.

  After washing the plug and setting it on the counter, she dressed and rushed into the kitchen. Both men were at the kitchen counter. They looked up and smiled.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead,” Gavin said.

  She glanced at the stove clock. “It’s barely past eight.”

  Riley pushed back his chair and grabbed the coffee pot. “Want a cup?”

  They acted like she’d slept in, but she shoved back her snarky response. “Thanks.”

  He poured her coffee and set the cup in front of her. The sugar packets sat on the table and she dumped in two of them.

  “I was just about to make some eggs,” Gavin said.

  “Great.” She could get used to this service. “I have a favor to ask.”

  Riley glanced up but Gavin placed a warm hand over hers. “What do you need?”

  “Do you think one of you could drop me off at my parents’ house for the day?”

  He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. With Kaplan on the loose, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”

  That was not what she wanted to hear. “Maybe I should leave town.”

  Both men shook their heads. “No.”

  Because she had no idea what they’d done with her keys, leaving didn’t seem to be an option without their cooperation. “Fine. I’ll do some client work today then.” She had her computer and needed to do something to make money.

  She’d promised both of her part-timers she’d pay them for as long as she could. When they’d asked if they could open the store, she told them she didn’t want to put them in danger.

  After she gathered what she needed, she went back to the living room and began her work with the databases. She became so engrossed in the program she was working on that only when her stomach grumbled did she look at the clock and noted it was past lunch. Noise sounded from the basement. She figured either one or both men were downstairs.

  She tapped on the door and opened it. “Anyone hungry?”

  “Sure, baby. You making lunch?”

  She could do that. “Yup.”

  Riley trotted down the hallway and stepped behind her. “I’ll help.”

  “Great.”

  Once in the kitchen, he pulled out the cold cuts and bread. “Hope you’re okay with sandwiches.”

  “Absolutely. What kind of sandwich does Gavin like?”

  Riley smiled. “Would you believe peanut butter and jelly?”

  “How does he keep so fit?”

  “You think he’s fit?” Riley sucked in his stomach, causing her to laugh.

  “Perhaps.”

  She would enjoy fixing them their meals on a long-term basis, but that might never be. They’d made no mention of a future.

  When she placed the food on the table, she called downstairs again to Gavin. “Lunch is ready.”

  “Be right there.”

  She scooted her seat up to the table and waited for the men to sit down. When Gavin stepped into the kitchen, he was shirtless, wiping the sweat from his body.

  He stopped. “You want me to shower, baby?” He lifted his arms and sniffed. “I don’t think I smell very much.” She laughed and Riley groaned. “That bad, huh?”

  They both nodded their heads. “I’ll rinse and be back in a sec. Go ahead and start without me. I won’t take long.” He rushed down the hallway.

  Brooke bit into her sandwich, chewed, and swallowed. The ham and cheese hit the spot. “What do you two do when you’re not babysitting me?”

  “We’re not babysitting you. We’re protecting you.”

  “Same difference.” At least it was to her. “Do you normally go into your office in town or do you make house calls if need be?”

  “We haven’t established much of a routine yet. Liam and Mason man the Bozeman office even though they live in Pleasure. We’ve only had a handful of cases since moving here.”

  “What happens if this Kaplan dude isn’t caught?” She bit into her sandwich, pretending as if the question was an ordinary one.

  “We’ll get him.”

  His vehemence surprised her, forcing out a fake chuckle. “Are you trying to get rid of me?” She didn’t really believe that. Her words had just popped out.

  Riley’s brow pinched. “How can you say that? Don’t know you how much you mean to us?”

  She hoped that was true, though she wondered if she could handle being with two such adventure-seeking men. All it would take would be one bullet to end one of their lives.

  That’s an excuse, girl, in case they leave you.

  Cops had dangerous lives, too, and yet Lydia handled herself well being married to Justin and Tom.

  Gavin returned, and during the entire twenty-minute meal, both men avoided the topic of Mr. Hoodie, for which she was thankful.

  Gavin wiped his mouth and tossed down his napkin. “Gotta do more research.” He walked to the refrigerator and had the door open when he quickly slammed it. “Shit.”

  Riley jumped up. “What?”

  Gavin nodded outside. “Is that Kaplan parked out there? In the Mercedes?”

  Her lunch shot up from her belly to her throat.

  “Fuck.” Riley twisted toward her. “Sugar, take your computer and go to the safe place, okay? One of us will come get you when it’s good.”

  Her heart spiked, but she drew on all her strength to do what he’d asked. With fumbling fingers, she pushed her glasses up her nose, grabbed the laptop, and ran toward the basement. As she pulled open the door to her safe place, she was suddenly overcome by the knowledge that someone would probably die.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Riley saw red. “That bastard. I’m getting my gun and seeing what he wants.”

  He sprinted into his room and without thinking, slipped on his Kevlar vest. He added his holster with attached gun and donned his jacket. Then he picked up his assault rifle.

  If Riley had winged Harrison Kaplan as he’d suspected, what was he doing driving all the way out here? And how the hell had he found them?

  Riley had two choices. One was to walk outside and confront the ass, but that option could have some dire consequences. The better choice would be to sneak up on him, which seemed a lot safer for all involved. He rushed out to the kitchen.

  “He still there?” he asked Gavin who was half hidden by the window.

  “Yeah.”

  “Brooke safe?”

  “Yes, but she’s scared.”

  He didn’t blame her. “Stay here with her. I’m going out the back and doubling around. I want to see if I can get a beat on him.”

  Gavin nodded, never taking his gaze off the man outside. “His engine’s still running.”

  Riley let himself out the back and darted next door. If the man was alert, he might spot a fleeing figure. Riley needed to get far enough down the road in order to cross it. That would enable him to sneak up on the passenger side. The road curved about three-hundred feet south of his place. If he crossed there, the suspect wouldn’t see him. For the next few minutes, Riley zigzagged his way behind the houses across the street. While he’d met his neighbors directly across, they were elderly, and as such, he and Gavin hadn’t had the chance to connect. He hoped his presence didn’t freak them out.

  The cover was slim as the trees were bare. He needed to make sure this was Kaplan’s car, and that he was the one inside. Riley dialed Bill, his friend at the Bozeman PD.

  “Liggett.”

  “It’s Riley Landon.”

  “I’ve been meaning to call.”

  He debated cutting to the chase,
but the Mercedes didn’t seem to be in any hurry to take off, so he listened. “You got something?”

  “The license plate number for Kaplan’s Mercedes.” He told him the number.

  Riley repeated the series of numbers to keep it in his head for the next few minutes. “Did you locate him?” If so, this wasn’t his man.

  “Not yet, but we have his house under surveillance.”

  “Thanks.”

  “What did you need?”

  He’d just gotten it. “I’ll let you know.” He disconnected and put the phone on vibrate.

  Riley lifted his rifle and checked the man through the scope. The driver wore a gray hoodie, and the irony didn’t escape him. It was almost as if the man was taunting him.

  Riley pulled up the hood on his own camouflaged jacket and casually walked toward the man’s car. As he neared, the man glanced his way and sped off. He swore he caught a smile in the man’s rearview mirror.

  “You son of a bitch.” The car had no license plate.

  So was that Kaplan? The thought that he’d found Brooke’s location made his gut roll. The sweatshirt and the sunglasses might have been someone made up to look like Kaplan. As the man headed north down the road, he rolled down the window and waved. Something snapped inside Riley. He wanted the bastard—dead.

  Riley sprinted across the street, punched in the code to open the garage door and hopped in his car. He was going to put an end to this one way or the other.

  His car had a hands-free phone. As he pulled out, he told it to call Gavin.

  “Was it him?” Gavin answered.

  “Not sure, but I’m going after him.”

  “Let me know how it goes.”

  Needing to concentrate, Riley disconnected. The man had headed north and Riley tore after him. When he came to the entrance of his complex, he looked left then right before cutting across traffic. The sixty-second head start was an eternity in a car chase.

  To his amazement, he spotted the Mercedes puttering down the road going west, as if the man wanted him to catch up with him. Riley’s sixth sense kicked in. He passed a slow moving truck so that now only one car sat between him and Mr. Hoodie. His goal was to drive the ass off the road and confront him. That or go alongside to make sure it was the right man.

  The second option seemed the best, assuming the driver didn’t pick up a rifle and start blasting away. For the next five miles he followed the white Chevy Malibu that was behind the Mercedes. He slammed his hand on the wheel.

  “Just pass the guy, will ya?”

  Snow flurries littered the air, but the weather wasn’t enough to obscure his vision. The white car drove about ten car lengths behind the Mercedes and tried three times to pass. Each time, the lead car would speed up, preventing the white car from overtaking him. Riley suspected the same thing would happen if he tried. He checked his gas gauge. It was full. He never let the tank go below three-quarters in case he needed to go on a long chase. He also had an extra tank in the back. With a flip of the switch, he could change tanks. Aftermarket products were a beautiful thing.

  * * * *

  While Riley had only been gone fifteen minutes, Gavin was tempted to call him. Either he’d found the guy by now or had lost him. Not wanting to disturb the operation, he set his phone on the counter. With Mr. Hoodie so far away, it was safe to bring Brooke back upstairs. Poor thing had to be terrified.

  She’d locked the storage room door as well as the inside door. He withdrew his key and unlocked the first one. He knocked on the second door. “Computer.”

  The door handle jiggled, and when she opened up, his heart broke. Her glasses had slipped to her nose, and they bordered red-rimmed eyes.

  She hugged him. “Did Riley get him?”

  “He’s not back yet, but I didn’t want you to be down here by yourself.” He inhaled her flowery scent that had a hint of nervous perspiration. His poor baby. He held her tight.

  She leaned back. “Can I go upstairs?”

  He rubbed her cheek. “Can you wait down here a little longer? As soon as Riley comes home, maybe life can go back to normal.”

  Not that he knew what normal meant, but it sounded good.

  Her thin smile sliced him to the bone. “Okay.”

  He kissed the top of her head. Any closer to her lips, and he might do something rash. “Leave this door open if you want. But if you hear anything, shut it up tight.”

  She nodded. As much as he wanted to stay and comfort her, he needed to man his cell in case Riley called. He’d just stepped into the hallway when an arm wrapped around his throat and jerked so hard, air refused to rise to his brain. Oh, shit. Not only might this man put him out of commission, but the intruder could get to Brooke, and he couldn’t let that happened.

  He tried to yell, but the man had cut off his air. With his left hand, Gavin desperately grabbed the man’s arm and tugged. It didn’t move. With the other he pounded on the wall, hoping Brooke would hear and lock up tight.

  He kicked his heel backward and connected with the man’s shin. The man yelped and let up the pressure enabling oxygen to reach Gavin’s brain. He lowered his body, twisted around, and attacked. The two tumbled to the ground. The man’s head cracked on the hardwood floor, but it didn’t knock him out. He punched Gavin in the face enough to send pain to his brain, but not enough to dislodge him.

  More footsteps sounded behind him. A hand clamped down on his shoulder and lifted him up, keeping him from doing some serious damage to the downed man. Gavin wrenched out of the second man’s grasp and sprang to his feet. Stunned at who stood in front of him, his body froze.

  The blow to his gut had him reeling back against the wall, and his spine stung from the impact. On the next swing from the hooded nightmare, Gavin ducked, and Kaplan’s fist smashed into the wall.

  “Fuck.”

  The previously downed man eased to a stand. His body waved. With a sideways kick, Gavin delivered a forceful blow to the man’s solar plexus. He stumbled. Gavin whipped down his leg and with fingers curled, aimed for Kaplan’s eyes. Fuck. Kaplan was too quick and was managed to duck out of the way before Gavin could reach his eyes.

  Riley’s comment about shooting who he believed was Kaplan on his right side surfaced. Gavin punched the man’s shoulder, and Kaplan yelped like a stabbed pig. Yes!

  Both men converged on him. When the second man came at Gavin, he spotted the man’s weapon tucked under his shoulder. The fact he didn’t come in with guns blazing only meant one thing. They didn’t know where Brooke was and wanted him to confess. He’d use that to his advantage if need be. The next swing by the first man caught him off guard, and both men jumped him, slamming him once more against the wall.

  Gavin drove his knee upward. While Kaplan managed to avoid injuring his manhood by thrusting his hips backward, Gavin’s knee slammed into his chin.

  “Oof.”

  Gavin did another roundabout kick and temporarily put the first man out of commission. They guy lay on the ground panting, struggling to get up. Gavin leaned over and reached inside the man’s jacket to grab the gun. Before he could secure it in his fingers, Kaplan punched him in the kidneys, and his breath whooshed out. The beating was beginning to take a toll, and he feared for Brooke’s life. Kaplan reached around, grabbed his wrist, and smashed his arm against the wall. The gun dropped from his fingers, but Gavin managed to kick it out of the downed man’s reach.

  This had to end soon or he’d lose against both men. For the woman he’d come to love, he had to win. Using every ounce of reserve strength, Gavin powered toward Kaplan and jammed his shoulder into the man’s chest. The two flew to the ground. Feet scraped behind him. Gavin smashed Kaplan’s face, and blood squirted everywhere.

  This is for chasing Brooke. He delivered another powerful hook. Kaplan gurgled.

  This is for killing two people. He slammed an elbow across Kaplan’s nose. Bone crunched. Sweet revenge shot through him.

  A hand grabbed his arm. “Gavin. Stop. You’ll kill him.”
Riley’s voice sounded behind him.

  He twisted around. “How—”

  Gavin looked around Riley. The man on the floor was leaning against the wall, his head hung low. His wrists were cuffed.

  “The other car was a decoy. It became clear to me after a few miles that he and a white car were in cahoots. I called your cell. When you didn’t answer, I hurried back.”

  “Thank God you did.” He swiped the blood dripping down his nose. “We need to call Justin.”

  “Already did. How’s Brooke?”

  “Jesus.” His gut twisted. “With all the feet pounding, she’s got to be in a panic.”

  Riley nodded to the men. “Do you think she’ll get closure seeing her assailants trussed up?”

  He bet she would. “You get her. I want to splash water on my face. If she sees me like this, she’ll fuss.”

  Riley chuckled. “Trust me. She’s going to more than fuss when she sees all the bruises on your face.”

  He was coming off the adrenaline rush. His knuckles stung, his back and gut hurt like a bitch, and he wouldn’t be surprised if his nose was broken. On top of that, he couldn’t breathe. Crap. Fights suck.

  Once he made sure both men were out of commission, he ducked into his room and hurriedly tossed water of his face. He’d finished drying when boots tapped their way up the stairs. He stepped into the hallway just as Brooke rushed down the hallway. She gasped. “Oh, my God, Gavin.”

  She rushed to him, and he was never happier to see her. He held out his hand. “I’ll wait on the hug.” His ribs might be cracked.

  Brooke nodded. She clamped a hand over her mouth. The man behind her groaned. She jumped and spun around.

  Riley stepped past the Mr. Hoodie and wrapped an arm around her waist. “He isn’t going anywhere. We thought you might want to look at your pursuer. If this is the man who chased you, he won’t be doing much for a long time.”

  He led her over to the semiconscious man. His eyes were closed and his breath ragged. She leaned over him.