The Deception

by Kat Martin

  Looking at them, a customer pretty well knew what he was getting.

  Jase turned off the engine and got out of the Yukon. Kate took off the trench coat as he walked around to her side of the vehicle and opened the door.

  With a steadying breath, she climbed out, tugging her skirt down as her heels hit the ground. She swallowed. Another inch shorter and her butt would be showing. Her cleavage bulged over the top of her bra. For the first time, she felt uncertain.

  Maddox zeroed in on her, and those blue eyes turned hard as steel. “What the fuck!” His outrage pinned her where she stood. It was the first time she had ever heard him use that word. His gaze ran over her head to foot, so sharp it could have sliced through stone.

  “So I guess you don’t like my outfit,” Kate said with a stab at humor, hoping to diffuse the situation.

  “Goddammit, Kate.”

  “We need answers, Jase. I’m going to help you get them.”

  He just stared at her, his jaw tight, fighting to control his temper.

  “Give me a chance. I can do this.”

  He studied her face, must have read how important this was to her. Some of the tension eased from his powerful shoulders. “All right, fine, we’ll try it your way. But you need to stay close and don’t fight me, no matter what I say or do.”

  She nodded. She could do that, let Maddox establish his claim, which would hopefully be enough to protect her. But as they shoved through the door into a dark, smoke-filled interior that smelled like sweat and sour whiskey, she got her first real glimpse of the customers inside and her courage wavered.

  Maddox wrapped a big hand around her waist and pulled her to his side. When they reached the bar, he lifted her up on a bar stool, caught her jaw, leaned over and kissed her, deep and hard. Shock hit her, followed by a rush of heat and a curl of pure lust.

  The kiss went on and on, a hot, wet kiss that left no doubt she belonged to him—at least for the night. When she looked into Maddox’s eyes, she saw that same heat and lust reflected—the instant before he turned away.

  “Jack rocks for me. Tequila for the lady.” Her drink of choice at the Sagebrush Saloon. In the background she heard one of the men whisper lady as if it were a joke. She turned to see which one, spotted a big man with a thick, square body, shiny bald head and tattooed arms bulging with muscle. He sat at a table across from a man with coal black hair, a dark complexion and a pockmarked face.

  “Do not be insulting, Cueball,” the black-haired man said. He was ugly. Really ugly.

  “Keep your mouth shut, Paco,” the bald man said.

  A jukebox played but no one danced. The bar was full of hard, tough-looking men like Cueball and Paco. A bunch of leather-clad bikers sat around a table in the corner, another group huddled nearby, men who lived one step up from the gutter. There were women there, too, worn and tired from the hard life they led, but Kate didn’t think they were prostitutes.

  She turned back to the bartender, a reed-thin man with leathery skin. He set a shot glass in front of her. No lemon or salt, just straight tequila.

  He set a shot of Jack Daniel’s in front of Jason. “I remember you,” the bartender said to him. “You’ve been in before. You’re Hawk Maddox.”

  “That’s right.”

  “So who are you hunting this time?”

  “I’m not working tonight. I just needed some company.” He reached over and cupped her breast, gave it a suggestive squeeze. Kate thought she might fall right off the bar stool. “Looks like I found it,” Jase said. The gaze that met hers held a hint of humor tinged with retribution.

  “Sure does,” the bartender agreed. He turned to Kate. She hoped her face wasn’t as red as it felt. “You’re new to the neighborhood. What’s your name?”

  “I’m... I’m Kitty.” Grasping the first name she could come up with, she smiled a little too brightly. “Like kitty cat, you know? I’m just here to visit a friend.” She shifted on the bar stool and tugged down her skirt. “You might know her. Tina Galen? I heard she worked the area.”

  The bartender’s gaze shot to Jase then slid back to her. “You haven’t heard? Your friend, Tina...she got killed.”

  Her hand flew up to her mouth. “Oh, my God. I didn’t know. What happened?”

  “Don’t know much about it. One of the guys on the cleanup crew found her body in the alley early one morning. Cops came sniffing around, asking questions. Far as I know, they never found out who done it.”

  “We were like sisters,” Kate said, catching a look from Jase. “Like family, you know?” He tossed back the shot of whiskey in his glass and let her run with it, which she hadn’t expected.

  “Did Tina have friends in the area?” she asked. “I’d really like to talk to them.”

  “She hadn’t been ’round here long, only seen her a couple of times. Come in with a girl named Lollie. They call her Lollipop. Works out of the gas station next door. She’s there most nights.”

  “Thanks, I’ll look her up.” Kate took a sip of tequila, the burn calming her nerves and bolstering her courage. “You been real nice.” She smiled. “What’s your name?”

  Not wanting to poach another man’s territory, the bartender shot a wary glance at Jase. “I’m Dizzy. Good to meet you.”

  “You, too, Dizzy.”

  “Time to go, babe.” Jase helped her down from the bar stool. “You got work to do.”

  Her face heated again at the lewd glance that slid over her body, but she managed to stay in character. She smiled. “Come on, big boy. Kitty’s got just what you need.”

  Jase wrapped a possessive hand around her waist and steered her toward the door. They had almost made it when the big bald guy named Cueball stood up from the table and stepped in front of them, blocking their escape.

  “Be smart and get out of my way,” Jase warned.

  Cueball’s mouth thinned into a hard line. “I need some fresh meat. You’ll have to wait your turn.”

  Oh, my God!

  Jase’s whole body tightened. “I said get out of my way.” When the man didn’t move, Jase didn’t hesitate, just hauled her behind him and threw a punch that landed square in Cueball’s bulldog face.

  The man’s big head snapped back and one of his silver earrings went flying, but he just looked at Jase and grinned. Cueball swung a blow that could have been lethal if Jase hadn’t ducked. He came up swinging, and this time he wasn’t kidding around. He was a big man, almost as big as Cueball, and in amazing physical condition. The punch he threw came straight from the shoulder and sent Cueball flying backward over a table, crashing to the floor.

  Paco charged, throwing punches, dodging the blows Jase threw, a lean, hard man, not as easy an opponent as he looked. Two more men stepped into the fray. Kate screamed as a table went flying, glasses shattered on the worn board floor—and all hell broke loose.

  * * *

  Jase hated always being right. It was a bad idea bringing Kate to a dive like this. He knew it, Bran knew it, Kate had probably known it, but the woman had a knack for slipping beneath his defenses and getting her way.

  Launching a hard right hook at Paco Camacho, a well-known drug dealer in the area, he glanced in her direction. Kate was safe for the moment, but the distraction cost him. He took a punch from Paco that split his eyebrow, found an opening and drove a fist into the guy’s midsection, doubling him over, took him out with a right that sent him smashing into the wall.

  The good news was, he was winning. The bad news was there were half a dozen other guys ready and eager to take him on. Worse yet, a big badass black dude was dragging Kate toward the front door. If he got her outside, she was in trouble. Big trouble.

  Jase jammed an elbow into the face of a guy with a ponytail and he went down, but two more men came out of nowhere and began throwing punches. The bartender was on the phone dialing 911, but even if the cops showed up�
��which in a place like this was iffy—it would be too late.

  Kate was kicking and scratching, fighting like a wildcat, but she was losing the battle. The badass slapped her, and fury burned through him. Jase fought his way toward the door, trying to get to her, fear for her coiling in his stomach.

  Then suddenly Kate was free and the badass dude was on the ground moaning. From the corner of his eye, Jase caught sight of a familiar figure, and relief poured through him. Bran Garrett was in the fight. Which meant the fight would soon be over.

  Bran took out the two guys who were on Jase, took out a dumb fuck who thought he wanted a piece of the action. Jase finished off the guy between him and Kate, grabbed her and shoved her out the front door, staying close behind her. Bran followed them outside, kicking and punching, keeping them covered long enough to reach the Yukon.

  When Kate stumbled in her sky-high heels, Jase scooped her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way. Pulling open the passenger door, he tossed her onto the seat, sprinted around and jumped in behind the wheel. Bran piled into his black Jeep Wrangler and they tore out of the lot, wheels spinning, dust powdering the air, driving hell-for-leather back to safe territory.

  “You’re bleeding,” Kate finally said, which wasn’t exactly a surprise.

  He flicked her a sideways glance. “Yeah, that can happen when half a dozen sleezeballs are trying to beat the crap out of you.”

  “You were...you were amazing.”

  Some of his temper eased. She had a way of powering him down. Besides, what happened wasn’t her fault. Well, not exactly. Hell, she was the hottest, sexiest hooker he’d ever seen. He’d wanted to drag her out of there himself, do exactly what the badass wanted to do to her.

  “You okay?” he asked. She was shaking, a red mark on her cheek. So no, not okay.

  Kate took a deep breath. “More or less. Bran showed up at just the right time. How did he know we’d be there?”

  “I talked to him this afternoon, told him about your sister, mentioned we were going to Mean Jack’s.” His gaze sliced to hers. “He thought it was a bad idea.”

  Kate glanced away, a guilty flush creeping into her pretty face, making the red mark stand out and pissing him off all over again. “I...um...didn’t see him, and then he was just...there.”

  Jase powered himself back down. “He was probably already inside when we got there. Bran has a way of making himself invisible.”

  “So you guys are friends?”

  “That’s right. Bran’s a bodyguard, former special ops. We look out for each other.”

  Kate glanced behind them, saw the Jeep’s headlights following the Yukon. “Where are we going?”

  “My place. I need to get cleaned up.”

  She flinched. “I’m... I’m really sorry you got hurt.”

  He wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. “Yeah...we’ll have to find a way for you to make it up to me.”

  When her eyes widened, he almost smiled. Kate fell silent and stayed that way till they got to his town house in the historic district, downtown on Marilla.

  He pulled into his garage while Bran drove up out front. Jase went around to Kate’s side of the vehicle, and they went into the town house through the door into the kitchen.

  “Come on,” he said. “I’ll introduce you to your savior.”

  Kate stopped him with a hand on his chest. “You were my savior in there, Jason.” She went up on her toes and kissed him gently on the mouth, being careful not to hurt his swollen lip.

  Hunger roared through him, sank into his groin. Jase reached for her, but Kate backed away before he could pull her into his arms and kiss her the way he’d wanted to since she’d left him that night at the Sagebrush Saloon.

  The doorbell chimed. Saved by the bell. For the second time that night, Bran had come to his rescue. Jase crossed the living room and pulled open the door.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The kitchen in Jase’s three-story town house was modern and surprisingly clean for a guy, Kate thought, no dirty dishes in the sink, no trash that needed to be taken to the garbage. But Jase had been in the military, she reasoned, and the lessons he’d learned had apparently stuck.

  The living room was a nice surprise too, beige carpet, navy blue sofa accented with beige and navy throw pillows and armchairs upholstered in a navy-based plaid. The coffee and end tables were pine, and an antique pine sideboard sat against one wall, everything well put together.

  Unease slipped through her. She wondered who had helped him with the décor, wondered, as she hadn’t before, about the women in his life. She had never really considered he might be married. Hawk Maddox didn’t look like a marrying kind of guy.

  “Kate, meet Brandon Garrett,” Jase said as she walked up to the two men. “Bran, this is Kate Gallagher.”

  She thought of her outrageous hair and makeup, spike heels and bulging cleavage, and felt the heat creeping into her face. “Nice meeting you, Bran. I don’t... I don’t usually dress like this. We were trying to...um...get information...”

  “Yeah, I figured that out,” Bran said, careful to keep his eyes on her face. She thought it was probably a guy thing, not wanting to ogle the woman who was with his friend.

  “Thanks for what you did back there,” Kate said. “If it hadn’t been for you and Jase, I don’t know what would have happened.”

  “Glad I could help,” Bran said. He was only an inch or so shorter than Jason, maybe six-three, with wide shoulders and what appeared to be a lean, rock-solid, V-shaped body. Clearly both men stayed in top physical condition. Bran was ridiculously handsome, might have even been pretty if it weren’t for the hard, edgy look in his eyes, which were a more intense blue than Jason’s.

  Maddox’s deep voice rumbled to life. “I don’t even want to think about what could have happened to you,” he said. “Maybe you’ll listen to me next time I tell you it isn’t safe.”

  Her chin went up. “We got a lead, didn’t we? We got the name of a woman who knew my sister.”

  Maddox’s expression softened. “I’ll admit you did good in there. Better than good.” His mouth edged into a smile. “You’re a real wildcat when you get riled up.”

  Kate returned the smile, though her cheek still stung where the guy in the bar had slapped her.

  “How about a beer?” Jase asked. “I could sure as hell use one.”

  “I could go for that,” Bran said.

  “Me, too,” said Kate, and they all headed into the kitchen. As Kate and Bran sat down at the pine table, Jase took three Lone Stars out of the fridge and passed them around.

  “So you got a lead?” Bran asked, getting back to the subject.

  Jase nodded. “Kate got the name of a woman who knew her sister.”

  “Lollie’s her name,” Kate said. “She’s a prostitute who works out of the gas station next to Mean Jack’s. We need to talk to her.”

  “I’ll talk to her,” Jase corrected. “I’ll follow up on it tomorrow night.”

  “I’m going with you. I know you don’t want to hear that, but we both know it’ll be easier if I’m there.”

  Jase started to argue, but Bran cut him off. “She’s right, and you know it. She’s Chrissy’s sister. If Lollie was Tina Galen’s friend, that’ll mean something to her. Way better odds the woman will open up and give you something you can use.”

  Jase cast him a hard glare. “With friends like you, who needs enemies.”

  Bran laughed.

  Kate reached over and touched Jase’s arm. Hard muscle bunched beneath her hand. “We won’t be going into Mean Jack’s tomorrow night, and I won’t be dressed the way I am.”

  Jase’s eyes drifted down to her cleavage. He blew out a breath. “I don’t know why you bothered to hire me. You’re the one making all the decisions.”

  “I hired you because I need your
help. I wouldn’t have even known about Mean Jack’s if it weren’t for you.”

  He rubbed the bruise on his jaw. “Yeah, and look how that turned out.”

  “Thank God you were with me tonight,” she said. “I know things got a little rough, but it was worth it.”

  Their eyes met and held.

  Finally, Jase nodded. “All right, tomorrow night we go back and find Lollie.”

  Relief washed through her. “Thank you,” she said softly.

  When they finished their beers, Bran headed for the front door. “Let me know if you need backup.”

  “Will do,” Jase said. “But we should be all right. Like Kate said, we’re not going back to Mean Jack’s.”

  Bran waved over his shoulder as he left. Jase closed the door behind him, and went back to Kate. “You want another beer?”

  What she wanted was to do was drag him upstairs to his bedroom, do what she had almost done in the backseat of his Yukon. It wasn’t going to happen, though. Not yet.

  “Thanks, but I’d better get home. I still have an office to run, and we’ll be going out again tomorrow night.” She glanced around the apartment, her interest in his life returning. “Your place is really nice. One of your girlfriends help you with the décor?”

  He smiled. “I managed to struggle along on my own. I’m glad you like it.”

  “So no girlfriends, old or current?”

  “Not at the moment. I’ve got my eye on a tall, sexy blonde.”

  Her heart jerked. She wasn’t prepared when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her even more thoroughly than he had at Mean Jack’s. Kissed her until her knees went weak and her mind went muzzy.

  Her fingers dug into his thick shoulders and she kissed him hard, her tongue in his mouth, their bodies pressed together. She could feel his arousal, thick and hard against the fly of his jeans. She wanted to feel him inside her.

  She was shaking, breathing too fast when she pulled away. “We c-can’t,” she said, dragging in air. “Not yet. If...if we do, it’ll change everything.”