Down & Dirty_Romantic Suspense Series

by AJ Nuest

  Dang, he was good. Though, given his Ranger experience, she shouldn’t have been surprised. Moving forward, one thing was for sure. The next scheme that landed in her lap, she was assigning him the lead position.

  “Looks like I win this round.” Casper tore back the black hostage hood and Tanner smirked as Trey’s red baseball cap toppled to the ground.

  Eden’s auburn coils sprang down around her shoulders, her chin lowered in an irate glare, and Tanner quickly set her amusement aside to find Eden wasn’t enjoying the moment in the least.

  “You asshole.” Wrenching her arm free, she marched across the floor and a loud crack echoed off the walls as Casper’s head snapped right from the force of her slap.

  “That’s right, baby girl.” Mocha’s fierce whisper came through coms. “Hit ʼim again.”

  But before Tanner could react, the clicks of several bullets sliding into a series of well-oiled chambers punctuated the silence, and she quickly followed suit as everyone but Casper and Eden drew their guns.

  Ben peeled off his ski mask and the crony on his left eased forward, Glock extended.

  “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you.” Tanner targeted his jugular as Ben threw the mask aside and resumed his aim at the dude on the right.

  The asshole redirected his barrel toward her and Ben shot her a hard glance that said stand down.

  Like hell. Tanner narrowed her gaze. There was no way she was gonna hide in the background while he and Eden put their lives on the line.

  Releasing a low chuckle, Casper rubbed his jaw, facing Eden with what appeared to be a genuine smile. “I missed you, E. Though I can’t say I’m surprised you’re here.”

  “I defended you.” The venom in her voice sent Tanner’s heart scampering for cover. Note to self. Do whatever is necessary to never piss her off. “I defended you and so did Charlie. God, Casper, why would you do this? We trusted you. We welcomed you home.”

  “Home?” He barked a laugh, sauntering to the side. Tanner tracked his steps, but kept her aim steady on the goon who had Ben in his sites. “You’ve gone soft, E. People like us don’t have a home. We don’t have friends, or family, or any connections that could threaten the business.” He spun in a blur and Tanner sharply inhaled as he settled the barrel of his Sauer in the center of Eden’s brow. “Or did you forget everything Malcolm taught us? How the only thing that matters is the con and if you can’t come out on top you’re in the wrong business.”

  Oh, Jesus. No, dammit, it wasn’t supposed to go down this way.

  “I don’t think so, you piece of shit.” Kelly stormed around the side of the garage, outfitted in tactical gear and his rigid sidearm directed at Casper’s temple. “Back off right now or, I swear to Christ, you’ve just taken your last breath.”

  Tanner flexed her fingers around the butt of her gun, her heart jack-hammering as one of Casper’s men jerked a second weapon from the small of his back and drew a bead on Kelly.

  Shit, this was going downhill fast. She shot a glance at the dread cutting a deep crease in Ben’s brow. Not to mention, the undeniable resignation inherent in Casper’s last words. As if the bullet Kelly threatened to plant in his head wouldn’t make a bit of difference.

  But that didn’t make sense. Casper had to know that he’d lost. How there was no way anyone from Dirty Deeds could’ve shown up here unless his attempt to kidnap Trey had failed. That the manor was probably surrounded with enough law enforcement personnel his chances of making it out of here came down somewhere around zilch.

  Realization struck, and Tanner worked a dry swallow, nearly gagging from the way her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. God, she’d been a fool for not recognizing the truth a lot sooner. So she could’ve predicted this would happen and stopped the rest of the team from ever getting involved.

  Casper didn’t care. Not about her, or Eden, or Trey, or anyone else from Dirty Deeds. And if he couldn’t win, if someone didn’t stop him before it was too late, he’d kill Eden and let this room explode in a hail of bullets in one last-ditch effort to escape.

  He had no other choice.

  And had left her only one response in return.

  “Casper.”

  Ben whipped his gaze to hers, along with every other set of eyes in the room, and Tanner prayed drawing Casper’s attention for even a split second would be enough. Fear laced the uncertainty written all over Ben’s face, and she smiled to reassure him she was doing the right thing. The only thing they could.

  It was anyone’s guess what kinda hostage protocol the Feds were following, but none of them were in this room. They didn’t know Casper like she did, and it was highly unlikely they’d picked up on the desperate measures he was prepared to take.

  She didn’t want to face off against death. This time, she had too damn much to live for. But they needed one last distraction. To get Casper’s focus off of Eden and give her a fighting chance. To try and regain control before he did something none of them could ever take back.

  Ben knew it and so did she.

  “Tanner, no.” Eden turned and Tanner seized that small opening.

  “Now, dammit!” She fired two slugs toward Casper’s shoulder and dodged left. “Move now!”

  He reared back. Both of his men pivoted in her direction. Ben’s roar careened off the ceiling as Kelly dove on top of Eden and brought her to the floor.

  A triple volley of bullets punched Tanner’s chest and she was slammed to the concrete. Pain consumed her body. Her ears pinged as a series of bone-jarring blasts folded in on themselves and echoed off the walls. Writhing through a shower of stars, she gasped and sputtered for air.

  Deep shouts rang through the noise. She rolled onto her side and scrabbled for a hold on the slick floor. Legs useless, she dragged them behind her. Her lungs screamed as she pulled toward the nearest bulletproof partition. Shit, she couldn’t breathe!

  Concrete shattered in front of her face. She tucked her eyes into the crook of her elbow as the jagged pieces exploded and bit at her skin. A sting tore through her calf, and she gritted her teeth as the pain doubled and spread.

  Pounding footsteps neared on her left, and she batted at the large hand fighting for a grip on her shoulder. She was flipped her to her back. Lights flashed in her vision as she wheezed.

  “Tanner. Jesus Christ, Tanner!” A set of strong arms scooped her off the floor, and her head fell back, lashes fluttering as Ben dropped to his knees and cradled her on his lap.

  He tore open the Velcro straps on her Kevlar vest and wrenched it off her chest. Ran his palm up and down her torso as the world dimmed. Bringing her to sitting on his thighs, he shoved her arms over her head and her lungs expanded with a rush so cold her throat burned.

  “Breathe, baby.” He held her cheeks as a whisper of air dried her lips. Lifted her arms a second time and kept his deep brown eyes centered in her gaze. “I know it hurts, but you gotta breathe for me. Come on, Angel. Two more, you can do it.”

  Her ribs, stomach…every part of her shrieked in protest as he repeated the same sequence. Arms, cheeks. Arms, cheeks. Until her instincts took over and her body was able to perform the simple task of respiration on its own.

  “Goddamn it, that sucked.” But the terrified concern etching corners of his eyes hurt worse, and with her first unassisted breath, she cupped his scruffy cheek right back. “I’m all right. You did it, I’m fine, I’m fine.”

  “Good Christ, woman.” He brought her close but didn’t hold her too tight, cradling her head in his hand. “You scared the shit out of me. What in the hell were you thinking?”

  She tried patting his back, but her arms ignored the command, and her half-numb fingers flopped between his shoulder blades like a dead fish. “Did you get him? Is Eden okay?”

  “You did. With that first shot.” He inched away just enough to rest his forehead against hers. “And Eden’s safe. Thanks to you, we’re all safe.”

  “Good, because I’m too frickin’ tired and sore to do anything else.�
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  He huffed a laugh. “I should really kick your ass.” A band of muscle tightened around her hips, and he hitched her higher up his lap, wrapping one arm around her knees.

  A frown deepened the divot in his brow and he lifted his palm, jaw firming as he swiveled his hand to show her the red smear decorating his calluses. “Don’t suppose it matters that you got shot.”

  Oh. Yeah, that. But compared to the flat jackets that had dented her Kevlar, whatever damage she’d taken to her calf was minor. Heck, if she was lucky, maybe Ben would even volunteer to patch her up. “You worry too much. It’s just a scratch.”

  He scowled. And yet she didn’t miss the way understanding filtered through his gaze. Almost as if he were ever given the choice, he would’ve done the exact same thing as her. “You make it impossible for me to stay mad at you. You know that, right?”

  “Is that so?” She smiled, pulling him down to kiss and nibble his lips. “That sounds like a you problem. God knows, I’ve tried.”

  Epilogue

  Eyes closed, Tanner swayed to the music inside The Palmer House Hilton, stealing a moment so she would always remember what it was like to dance with Ben at Xander and Charlie’s reception.

  The weight of his arms at her hips, keeping her molded to every cut ridge in his body. The heat of his hand and how it warmed the skin of her bare lower back. His broad chest, always providing the perfect spot for her to rest her cheek. The mingled scents of soap and fabric softener that clung to his skin and never failed to remind her of home.

  God, she was in love with the man, and with the way he’d consistently surprised her the past few weeks the condition had only worsened with each passing second.

  But it wasn’t like any sane woman in the world would blame her. Every time she turned around, it seemed he took some action or revealed another side of his personality that made her head spin.

  Like the day he’d suggested she set up a new Dirty Deeds headquarters, for example. Geez, her panties had practically melted right off her body even as the words had left his mouth.

  Whatever had flicked the switch, she’d spent the entire night thanking him the best way she knew how, and then walked around the next few days half-expecting the old Ben to show up and yell gotcha! Until, that was, he’d gone out of his way to help her find a space in a nondescript office building downtown, and then walked around with a tool belt slung around his hips, hanging doors and installing shelves as if he wasn’t the sexiest thing known to womankind.

  Then there was the evening he’d gently broached her about the subject of her mother…not to mention his dad…talking with her late into the night about how maybe the time had come for both of them to try and set past hurts aside.

  In the end, neither she nor Ben had gained much leeway. Though the reasons were altogether different, her mom had been every bit as unresponsive as his dad. But Tanner had still sat beside him during that Skype call, hoping to open a line of communication that desperately needed fixing. And during her long overdue visit to the hospital, Ben had insisted on being in the room while she visited with her mother so he could hold her hand.

  Looking back, those experiences had brought them so close, Tanner wasn’t sure they were really about mending the past at all. For her, they were more about the future, and showing her yet another layer of the amazing man Ben truly was on the inside.

  Twice over the last few weeks, he’d approached Eden and Kelly about some homeless teens he’d found living on the streets, and when two of those kids had accepted his invitation to move into the manor, Ben had worked his magic over at Department of Health and Family Services to make sure their transitions had gone off without a hitch.

  All that, and he refused to accept a word of thanks. From anyone. As if he were just doing his duty and any gratitude was unnecessary. He didn’t deserve the admiration and should take their appreciation in stride.

  Growing to know him the way she did now, it wasn’t humanly possible for her to resist falling head over heels for the guy. The music altered and switched another slow song, and he eased her into the new tempo without missing a beat. Case in point. For a six-foot-two tower of muscle, he sure as hell was light on his feet.

  A few strands of her hair stuck to his white bowtie as she lifted her head, and she hooked them behind her ear before meeting his dark gaze with a frown. “You’re a really good dancer.”

  As if on cue, he grabbed her hand from the lapel of his black tux and dipped her over his arm. Arching her back, she laughed as he easily returned her to her feet. “Two summers at Madame Moreau’s Dancing School, compliments of my older sister.”

  “No way.” It was exactly that kinda stuff she never would’ve seen coming. Tanner sized him up from under her lowered lashes. Apparently, the surprises were far from over, and lucky her since all signs pointed to the rest of him being just as yummy as the delicious things she’d already learned. “Next thing I know, you’re gonna be telling me you have a secret Karaoke obsession and moonlight every other weekend at some smoky jazz club downtown.”

  He cocked a brow. “I have an excellent singing voice.”

  She sputtered. “That sounds like a dare. Guess I’ll have just to stop showering with you to find out.”

  “Never gonna happen.” Twirling her around, he glanced across the room toward Trey, and Tanner followed his gaze to find the kid standing between their two newest family members—a pretty, strawberry blonde fifteen-year-old named Sunday, and dark-haired Kane who’d recently turned sixteen.

  Their discomfort was hard to miss in the way they stood. The boys’ hands stuffed in their pockets, shuffling their feet. Sunday absently fiddling with the collar of her new dress while staring at the décor as if she’d somehow stumbled into the wrong place.

  Overall, they’d been pretty tight-lipped since they’d moved in. Though, admittedly, Tanner hadn’t been able to spend that much time with them. Since Eden and Kelly had opted to finish out their honeymoon until just a couple of days ago, that had left Tanner the only bridezilla wrangler available in the countdown to Charlie and Xander’s wedding. Coupled with the busyness of trying to get the new Dirty Deeds office up and running, Tanner’s downtime had been nothing if not sparse. And the few times she had found a spare hour or two, those precious minutes had flown by filled with a sense of urgency over two specific things.

  Where to begin the search for her family, how to wrap her head around the long journey to bringing them home, and stopping by the manor so she could check in on Trey. “How’s he doing? Have you talked to him at all?”

  “A little.” Ben brought his gaze back to hers. “He seems good, all things considered. Told me Adder never really was his dad and they’d only seen each other in passing. That he’d just like to try and forget about the whole thing and move on.”

  Tanner nodded, her heart sinking over the poor kid’s unavoidable loss. But at least she could take comfort in knowing they’d made the right decision in keeping him as far away from the fallout as possible. Again, thanks to Ben.

  The second that scene inside the garage had turned into a modern-day showdown at the OK Corral, Special Agent in Charge Elias Byrne and his team had moved in, wounding Casper’s two body guards and taking them down before they could get off any more shots. Though, in reality, Tanner couldn’t have cared less about the clean-up. At the time, the only thing she’d wanted was Ben.

  Staring at him as he carried her to the nearest ambulance so a paramedic could check out her ribs and bandage her leg. Glancing away just long enough to see a bleeding Casper getting handcuffed and dumped in the back of SWAT van before being carted off to jail.

  By the time the rest of the Dirty Deeds crew had arrived to make sure she was okay, she’d been ready to call it quits for the night, bleary-eyed from the adrenaline crash and anxious for some peace and quiet.

  Which was exactly what Ben had given her.

  In the days following, he demanded she get plenty of rest and…stay. In. Bed. Though, in r
eality, the order had been fine by her, as long as he agreed to join her as often as possible. And, apparently, the compromise had worked well for him, too, since the few times she’d rolled over to find him gone were only so he could answer the DA’s summons to head to the courthouse and testify.

  Unfortunately, the legal system continued to move at a snail’s pace. The same as it always had. And even though several Chicago PD recruits had given statements in exchange for reducing their sentences, whether or not Adder was responsible for the murder of Trey’s mom and his adoptive father, or he and Vaheed Shahzar were one and the same, still remained to be seen.

  Tanner could only hope that, one day soon, the District Attorney’s office would find the proof they needed. If for no other reason than to offer Trey closure. Some peace. So he could move on like he wanted and become the awesome guy he was destined to be.

  Movement caught her eye over Ben’s left shoulder, and Tanner tipped her head as Xander leaned in to mutter something in Ben’s ear.

  A dip of his chin, and Ben squeezed her hand, stealing a quick taste of her lips. “Come on. I wanna show you something.”

  O-o-kay? He twined his fingers through hers, winding them through the dancers toward the closed, double-door entrance on the opposite side of the buffet. Her pulse skipped a beat and sped forward, and she squinted as everyone paused mid-sway, turning their heads like she and Ben were suddenly being tracked by the Bat Signal.

  Uh, oh. She lifted a brow. She knew what this was about. The past several days, Ben had been acting a little too secretive for her liking. Quickly hanging up the phone whenever she entered the room. Cutting off mid-sentence those few times she’d found him and Xander in private discussions. Toss in the clever sparkles in Eden’s eyes, Charlie’s sunny grin and the way Mocha seemed to be practically busting out of his girdle, and Tanner didn’t need a secret agent decoder ring to get exactly where this was headed.