eyond Desire Collection

by JS Scott, M Malone, Marie Hall, et al

  “When was the last time you spoke to either of them?”

  “It’s been awhile since I’ve spoken to Trevor or Richard. We communicate through lawyers.”

  “And is this Richard Hawkins actually owed further compensation?”

  “Absolutely not,” I said forcefully. “He feels that his connections at Insight are what brought interest to LookIt—but that’s not true. The deal they offered wasn’t even thrown onto the table until nine months after he left. He received a generous severance package. Believe me. He made out just fine on that deal.”

  “Regardless of what did or didn’t happen, he may feel wronged. People do stupid things when they’re feeling vengeful.”

  I considered the gross gift box. “I don’t think Richard is that sort of guy. I mean—okay—maybe I could believe that he had Trevor spoof my site but breaking into my home to steal my undies to…you know?” I shook my head. “That’s not him.”

  “You would be surprised at what some men will do.” Lev tucked his notebook back into his pocket. “We’ll need some time to come up with a proper protection plan, but I would strongly suggest you take on full-time guards. You need a minimum of two men working around the clock to secure and protect your person. We may need to add a third or fourth body when you’re traveling or going out in the evenings.”

  I glanced at Kelly for some guidance. He nodded in agreement. “All right. Let’s do that.”

  “I’ll assign two of my men to start today. If you don’t like them, we’ll go through the roster until we find men who fit with your personality.”

  “You only need to find one other man,” I interjected. “Kelly can be one of them and then you can pick someone else.”

  Lev cast a quick look Kelly’s way. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  “He’s personally involved with you. I don’t allow the guards to cross that line. It’s not safe for the clients.”

  I didn’t insult Lev by denying what he could see so clearly and bit my tongue at the thought of correcting his assumptions as to just how close we were. When I dared to meet Kelly’s gaze, I was surprised by the calm expression. He hadn’t spoken since Lev began his interrogation but now he seemed ready to say something.

  “Dimitri?” he addressed his boss.

  “Yeah?” The Russian pocketed his phone.

  “I’m formally requesting a leave of absence.”

  Dimitri’s face registered surprise. “Excuse me?”

  “I’m not leaving Bee alone until this creep is in jail. I fully understood the rules when I joined the private security side of the firm. I won’t ask you to bend them for me.” Kelly slid his hand out in front of him. “I have some personal issues that have crept up in the last twenty-four hours. It’s better if I take some time.”

  Dimitri crossed his bulky arms and sighed. “I can’t stop you from taking time. I wish you’d reconsider. I could use you on the active roster, especially with Benny due any day.”

  Kelly’s hard stance softened. “Of course, I’ll do whatever I can to help when your baby comes, but right now, I need to worry about my own family.” His gaze landed on me. “All of it.”

  Butterflies swarmed in my chest at the way he’d included me as part of his family. After that comment last night, I had seriously doubted where I fit into Kelly’s life. Had he said that to keep those mobsters from thinking they could squeeze me for cash? As protective as Kelly was of me, it made sense. I liked that possibility more.

  Lev stood up. “Rather than taking complete leave, why don’t we let you run the detail? I thought I’d put Sully and Winn on this one. You draw up the rotation and comb through her schedule. You can act as the contact point between the police department and Lone Star.”

  Kelly didn’t mull over the offer. He accepted immediately. “Works for me.”

  The counter-terrorism expert lifted a warning finger. “The first report from Sully or Winn that you’re making work difficult, and I’ll pull my support for this arrangement.”

  “Understood.”

  “Now that’s settled,” Dimitri said, “I spoke with Yuri. He’s incredibly concerned for Bee and has offered up his penthouse suite downtown. He and Lena never use it, so it’s completely vacant. It’s ideally located because Bee’s company is only a few floors down. It’s also a fortress.” He turned to me. “Would you be willing to stay there for a while?”

  “Sure.” Even though I was certain money and the success of the Insight deal had entered his mind, I knew Yuri’s kindness had motivated his desire to help me. “I’m lucky to have such good friends.”

  “That’s Yuri for you,” Dimitri replied. “All right. Get her to the penthouse, Kelly. We’ll send Sully and Winn that way. I’ll drop by later this afternoon with a contract.”

  I had no doubt this was going to be one pricey little venture, but my safety was worth it. “I’ll need to have my lawyer look at it.”

  “Perfectly fine with me,” Dimitri assured me. “I want you to be comfortable with anything you sign.”

  “We’ll need to see everything you’ve received from this stalker,” Lev said. “Texts, emails, photos—give it to Spike.”

  “What about the police?”

  “I’ll handle that,” Kelly assured me. “It’s not uncommon for us to act as a go-between for clients.” He gestured toward the back of my apartment. “Let’s get you packed and get the hell out of here.”

  As I hurried to gather the things I would need for my stay at the penthouse, I experienced the strongest wave of revulsion. I actually shivered, and Kelly reached out to caress my arm. “Are you okay?”

  Hugging an armful of clothes to my chest, I said, “I can’t stop thinking about what this creep has done in my house. If he did that to my undies, what has he done in my bed? Ugh. What if he’s, like, touched my toothbrush?”

  Kelly got a strange look on his face. “Don’t take anything that can’t be washed. Leave anything that can be replaced. Make me a list and after Winn and Sully have you squared away at the penthouse, I’ll go out and personally pick up the things you want.”

  With Kelly’s help, I packed my suitcases and gathered up all of my tech equipment. Dimitri helped him carry it out to the truck while I talked to the police officer who had arrived. Spike turned over the box of soiled panties to the police but I had a feeling he’d already taken the samples he needed to run his tests.

  Leaving my apartment, I wondered when or if I would ever come back. It would be hard to ever feel comfortable in my private space again after knowing that someone had broken in multiple times without me even realizing it.

  “Do you think he was watching me?” I asked as he drove away from my building. “What if he put in cameras or something? He could have been watching me shower or get dressed.”

  “If there are hidden cameras, Spike and Lev will find them.” Kelly’s grip tightened on the wheel. “When we find this guy—”

  “You’ll let the authorities deal with it,” I interjected calmly. “The last thing you need is to be thrown in jail for beating up some loser.”

  “I won’t get caught.”

  “No, you probably wouldn’t,” I agreed softly. “But I would prefer it if you leave it to the police.”

  “And if they won’t do anything?”

  I didn’t even want to think about that. “Tell me about Sully and Winn.”

  “They’re good guys. Sully was Delta and Winn was British Special Forces.”

  “Wow. Are all of the guards that caliber of soldier?”

  “Yes.” He reached over to tap my thigh. “You’ll be in good hands, Bee.”

  I clasped his big paw and relished the feel of his warm fingers interlaced with mine. “I already am.”

  Chapter Five

  Later that afternoon, Kelly studied the schedule Bee had written down while she negotiated her contract in another room of the penthouse with Dimitri, Yuri and her lawyer. Yuri had been waiting for them when they
arrived and had worked his billionaire magic to ensure the kitchen was stocked and the rooms in perfect order. Kelly could read the genuine concern on Yuri’s face. This wasn’t simply about protecting an investment. It was about protecting a friend.

  “Does this girl ever sleep?” Sully scratched his head as he glanced at the schedule in front of them. “Most of these days are eighteen hours long, Kelly.”

  “I can read,” he replied testily. Truthfully, he had been a bit shocked to see how packed her days were. He’d known that most successful tech startups required a shit-ton of work, but he feared Bee was pushing herself too hard. No wonder she had mentioned dropping out of college. Even those two part-time semesters must have been incredibly difficult for her to complete.

  He was probably the last man on the planet who should lecture anyone about getting some rest, but he was really worried about Bee. She meant too much to him to stand by and watch her work herself to the point of exhaustion.

  “So what’s the story with you two?”

  Kelly didn’t even glance up from the schedule as he started jotting notes in the margin. Those morning stops at her favorite coffee spot had to go. They were much too predictable. “She’s my best friend’s sister.”

  “And?” Sully continued to fish for information.

  “And what?”

  “Is she seeing anyone?”

  Kelly’s glared at the former Spec-Ops man. His reputation as a lothario was well-known around LSG headquarters. “I’ll have your balls in a vise if you put one fucking hand on her.”

  “Whoa.” Sully laughed and held up his hands. “Calm down, Kelly. Shit!” With a leer, he added, “I can think of a dozen different ways I might have fun with our hot little protectee without using a single hand.”

  Kelly didn’t find the joke even the slightest bit funny. “You realize I’m the one drawing up the duty rotation, right? Because I’m sure Winn would love the dayshift.”

  “Come on!” Sully gave him a good-natured smack. “I’m just messing with you. It doesn’t take twelve years in black ops to read the situation between the two of you.” Reaching for one of the printed penthouse floor plans, he asked, “So what does her brother think about his best friend robbing that cradle?”

  Kelly’s teeth clenched but he tried to remember that Sully had no idea about Jeb. “There’s less than six years between us. That’s hardly cradle robbing.”

  “Touchy,” Sully said with a laugh. “And big brother?”

  “No idea,” Kelly replied honestly. “He’s been dead for four years.”

  Sully’s smile faded. “Shit. Kelly, I didn’t realize—”

  “It’s fine.”

  “It’s not.” Somberly, he asked, “How?”

  “Firefight,” he answered, his ears starting to buzz as those awful memories washed over him. He could almost smell Jeb’s hot blood and feel the slick fluid spilling onto his hands as he had desperately tried to stop the bleeding. Shaking himself from the gruesome vision of it, he added, “2010 was a bad year to be in Afghanistan.”

  “Yeah, it was.” Sully’s tone convinced Kelly he had been there too. Maybe they’d crossed paths there without even knowing it. “When did it happen?”

  “July.” Unwilling to travel down that path of memories any longer, he cleared his throat. “Did you and Winn decide on your accommodations?”

  “We sure did.” Sully took the hint. “We left the room next door to the master suite for you. We assumed you’d be, uh, bunking with the protectee and might like the buffer.”

  Kelly let the assumption slide. The fact was—he hadn’t quite decided where he would be sleeping either. He’d be a damned liar if he said those few hours of sleep he’d snatched earlier that morning hadn’t been some of the best he’d had in years. Bee’s body heat called to him even now. It had been a long while since he had looked forward to bedtime.

  What would happen once they were under the covers together? Well—Kelly didn’t have that answer. He figured it was best to leave that decision up to Bee. He’d made the first move this morning. Now it was her turn to make one.

  “Kelly?” Dimitri popped his head into the kitchen. “May I speak with you?”

  “I’ll be right there.” He tapped the floor plan in front of Sully. “Draw up the escape routes. Bee needs to memorize the various ways out of here in case of fire, etc.”

  “On it.”

  Leaving Sully occupied, Kelly left the kitchen and found Dimitri on the rooftop terrace. The gorgeously decorated and intensely private area was instantly his favorite spot in the entire penthouse. He joined his boss near the railing. “What’s up?”

  “Bee asked to have authorization for two extra guards. If you feel like you need them, call Lev and he’ll arrange it. I’d like a status report every morning and evening.”

  “Done.”

  Stepping closer, Dimitri reminded Kelly of just how damn tall he was. “This personal business you wanted to take leave for? Would it have anything to do with a certain Albanian mob boss?”

  Caught, Kelly rubbed the back of his neck. “Yuri?”

  Dimitri shook his head. “Nikolai.”

  Kelly’s eyes widened. “Kalasnikov?”

  “The one and only,” Dimitri replied. “He likes to keep an eye on you.”

  “On me? Why?”

  “You’re one of Vivian’s friends. He’s very careful when it comes to the company she keeps.” Dimitri’s shoulders bounced. “I think he may have been under the impression that you and Vivian were…closer once upon a time.”

  Kelly didn’t often experience fear, but the thought of a man like Nikolai harboring jealousies toward him? The Russian mob boss was not the sort of man Kelly needed as an enemy. “Vivi and I never crossed that line. From the first day I met her, I knew that there would only ever be one man in her life—and he’s her husband now.”

  Dimitri waved his hand. “You don’t need to worry. Nikolai can be…overprotective…when it comes to Vivi, but he’s not the type to fly into a jealous rage over imagined slights. Besides, one look at you with Bee, and no man could ever imagine there was anyone else for you.”

  Kelly shifted uncomfortably. “I’d prefer not to discuss my private life.”

  “What you and Bee do is your own business. It’s not against the company policy for a man to be in love.” He clapped his hand on Kelly’s shoulder. “I’m more concerned about the precarious position you find yourself in with Besian. Can you honestly say that you’re able to dedicate your full attention to Bee’s safety when you have the Albanian mob breathing down your neck?”

  “It’s about to be handled.”

  “How? You’re going to take Paulie’s place and fight for Besian?”

  Kelly frowned. “Jesus, Dimitri. Is there anything you don’t already know? Let me guess. You also know what I had for breakfast?”

  His icy stare served as a reminder of how Dimitri had gotten where he was today. “Knowing you? Bagel. Eggs. Probably hot sauce.”

  Neatly put in his place, Kelly sighed. “Look, I don’t have any other choice. The debt is huge and it’s got to be settled.”

  Dimitri studied him. “You’re a good fighter, Kelly. You impressed me the times I watched you in that cage. It’s one of the reasons I approached you to work for Front Door when I was just getting the security company off the ground.”

  “I know.”

  “Have you ever seen Nikolai’s man in the cage?”

  Kelly nodded reluctantly. “I’ve watched Sergei fight a few times.”

  “Then you know that he will tear your fucking head off to win.”

  “I know he’ll try.”

  Dimitri shook his head. “This isn’t the time for bravado, Kelly. This is a time to be serious.” He hesitated. “Maybe you and I could work out a loan—”

  “No,” Kelly cut him off before he could finish the offer. “No more debts for the Connolly family.”

  “Kelly, please, it wouldn’t—”

  “Would you ta
ke a loan from me, or would you find a way to make it work on your own terms?”

  Dimitri didn’t answer him. Instead, he exhaled roughly and reached into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet and a pen. He tugged an LSG business card from a sleeve and neatly printed a name and address on the back. “Go see him. He’s expecting you.”

  Kelly took the card and turned it over to read the information written on the back. “Alexei?”

  “He used to fight with Ivan. He’s the only man who ever came close to beating Vanya. He’s your best bet.”

  “How the hell am I supposed to convince a Russian trainer to help me get ready to fight against Nikolai’s champion?”

  “It’s been arranged.” Dimitri tucked his wallet into place. “Alexei owes Kolya a favor, and Vivian made sure her husband called it in when she heard about your situation.”

  Kolya? Oh. Nikolai. “I suppose I owe her a big thanks.”

  “After Alexei gets finished with you, you may have other ideas.” Dimitri clapped him on the back. “Good luck, Kelly.”

  “Thanks, D. For everything,” he added sincerely. “You’ve always been a great friend to me.”

  “As your friend, I’m telling you to be careful with this girl. I know what losing her brother did to you. If something happens to her—”

  “Nothing is going to happen to her.”

  “You forget that I’ve been where you are with Benny. She and I barely survived that attack on her bakery, but we did it together. You have no idea how many times I’ve replayed that night, wishing that I’d taken the time to properly educate Benny on self-defense and firing a weapon. Don’t make my mistake. Give Bee the skills to save herself.”

  His advice given, Dimitri left Kelly to contemplate his options. He fingered the card his boss had given him. While Jack was a damn good coach and trainer, he wasn’t comparable to Ivan Markovic. If this guy Alexei had fought with Ivan, he would know the man’s tricks. Since Kelly really hoped to survive his time in the cage, he figured Alexei was his best chance.

  Back in the penthouse, he discovered Bee sitting at the kitchen island between Sully and Winn. The two guards were talking her through the emergency exit plan and giving her safety pointers. Certain she was in good hands, he waited until Bee had successfully repeated the four routes five different times before asking her about that shopping list.