Breaking All the Rules

by Aliyah Burke

  He’d not seen his mother except for family holidays in years. When their father died he’d overheard her crying in the bedroom and had gone in to offer some consoling. She’d pushed him away, saying he looked too much like his father. Her comment had sent him on a drinking binge for a few months before his brothers came and snapped some sense back into him. Now, he kept their interactions to a minimum because he had no wish to make things worse for her.

  Wild finished packing and ensured his weapons were well secured before he lifted his bags and walked out of the room. After checking out, he caught a taxi to the airstrip and placed a call along the way. His pilot—one of the D.A.R.K. pilots actually—waited for him.

  “Morning, sir.”

  “Trey. Ready to get home?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He patted the white-haired man on the shoulder as he passed him. “Still with the sir? After all these years?”

  “Yes, sir. I would like to say however, it’s been a pleasure to have worked with the Wilder family for so long and I’m going to miss you.”

  Wild stopped, set his bags down and turned back. “You’re done?”

  “Yessir. This is my last flight for D.A.R.K.. My Millie’s been having a bit rougher time of it lately and I feel it best I stay with her.”

  “Of course you should be with her.” Wild nodded. “I’m sorry about Millie.” He’d had the privilege of meeting her a time or two. “I’m going to miss you as well. Let’s get you home.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  Wild settled in and waited for them to be cleared for takeoff. Once airborne, he reclined in his seat and stared out the window. Alyse. I should have gotten her last name or phone number. At least then I could have tracked her down.

  The flight back to the airport D.A.R.K. utilized was uneventful. His brothers were there to meet them and at the hangar they all said their farewells to Trey with promises to check in on him and Millie. They also made him give his word if he needed anything he would come to them.

  Rhodi smacked Wild on the back as he tossed his stuff in the rear of his Audi SQ5. Closing the hatch and faced his brother.

  “Good to have you back, bro. Any problems?” Rhodi crossed his arms.

  Other than Alyse vanishing on me? Nope. “Nope. Everything okay with Karen and Brayden?” When his brother nodded, he continued, “I’m out, gotta catch some sleep.”

  “Don’t forget to stop by and see Mom.” A pointed look followed that directive.

  He ran his tongue over his teeth and stared at his three siblings. All of them took after their mother with their black hair and dark blue eyes, so dark sometimes they appeared black. He was the odd man out, having taken after their old man with his lighter coloring.

  “Tell her we’ll be by tomorrow to check on her,” Derek said.

  Adam didn’t say anything just watched him. Wild didn’t respond, just climbed in his vehicle and drove away. He adjusted the heat. The winter was going to be brutal.

  “Weather sure was hotter in Belize.” A wry grin teased his lips. “Even hotter after I hooked up with Alyse.”

  The wind had sufficiently increased as he turned up the driveway to his mother’s house. He hated the sour knot which flowered in his stomach. Parking before the large ranch house, he drummed his fingers on the wheel and stared at the new scars on his hands.

  “Buck up, boy,” he told himself, using words his father had always used on him.

  Wild grabbed his tatty ball cap as he left the interior then shoved it on his head. After a few seconds, he reached in the backseat for his leather jacket. He shrugged into it as he cast a baleful gaze to the sky. He was well acquainted with the look of those clouds and the meaning they held. Snow.

  He grunted and strode up the stone walkway to the front door. Wild grasped the knob, wiped his boots, then took a deep breath before typing the alarm code and letting himself in.

  “Mom?” he called out.

  “Kitchen,” she hollered back.

  He closed the door and walked to the kitchen. She stood at the island chopping vegetables, a ceramic bowl beside her. Sarah Wilder still was a beauty. Her dark hair held no gray and she was fit courtesy of her active lifestyle. She lifted her head and gave him a smile.

  “How was Belize?”

  He approached her and placed a kiss on her cheek. “Warmer than here.”

  She chuckled. “Montana’s not known for heat waves.” She paused in chopping the carrot and looked at him, so intently he struggled not to shift beneath the scrutiny. “You hurt any? Is that why you’re hanging out in my house with your jacket on?”

  “No, ma’am. I’m fine. I just dropped in to say hi and let you know I was back. Derek said they’d be over tomorrow.”

  “For breakfast and to check on me no doubt,” she said.

  Wild kept quiet well aware a response wasn’t required of him. His siblings stopped by all the time to see her. He was the one who didn’t come by very much. He fought a yawn and rocked back on his heels.

  “I have to go, Mom.” After another kiss, he walked away.

  “Will you be here tomorrow?”

  He was almost out of the room and turned back. She watched him with that unwavering gaze. “I don’t—”

  She pointed the knife at him. “Seven o’clock. Don’t be late.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Goodnight.” Hands in his pockets, he walked to the front door and looked over his shoulder at the living room. He could still feel his father here. Wild hated hurting her, but still, even he knew better than to go against her order.

  He listened to music as he drove home. As he pulled in his driveway, he stared at his house, he’d been gone for a long time and it looked great. He typed in a code from his vehicle and the garage door slid up allowing him to drive in and park.

  After it closed behind him, he climbed out and grabbed his bags from the back. Striding into his house, he turned on the kitchen light as he moved through it and the living room to reach his bedroom at the other end.

  He dropped his bags then went back and shut off lights and set the alarms. Continuous yawns accompanied him through his shower and as he stumbled to his bed. He barely remembered to set his alarm before he succumbed to the lure of the sandman.

  As it was, he was the last to arrive at his mother’s the next morning. He noticed all his brothers’ vehicles parked there and as he pulled in next to Adam’s Beemer, he again thought about Belize. Which of course led his mind to thoughts of Alyse.

  “Get a hold of yourself, man, you don’t go to breakfast sporting wood.” He left his jacket in the SUV using the cold to smack some sense into him. Jogging up to the door, he wiped his boots then entered.

  “Morning,” he called out.

  “You’re almost late,” Rhodi replied.

  “Almost isn’t late. I have two minutes to spare.” He headed to the kitchen where he smiled at the sight of the table set, laden with more food than people may think they could eat, but he knew him and his brothers. There wouldn’t be any left when they finished.

  “Missed all the good discussion,” Derek said.

  He kissed his mother and sat in his chair. “What’s that?” he asked, reaching for the carafe of coffee.

  Adam put down the plate of bacon and all four boys stood as their mother walked to her seat, standing until she sat. “Trey’s replacement,” Adam said.

  “Already have someone for that?” He set about loading his plate. There was nothing in the world like home cooking and he’d been gone for a while, so this was definitely something he’d missed and would be enjoying.

  “We’ve been looking for months, Wild,” Rhodi informed him. “You’ve been gone.”

  “I was surprised to see Trey there to pick me up, what happened to Eric?”

  “He’s still with us,” Adam picked two fluffy biscuits from the basket and passed it along. “We just didn’t want to be down a pilot. And Trey said he would like to be the one to go get you for his last flight. Since we’ve known of his
leaving we’d been searching for another so we can retain one for each of us, if they’re needed.”

  “So what’s the new guy like?”

  Derek grinned. “Five-seven, black hair, and a body like—”

  “Derek!” his mother snapped. “I know I didn’t raise my boys to talk about women that way.”

  “Yes, ma’am, sorry, Mom.”

  As their mother rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, she rose from the table. Derek looked at him and outlined a woman’s body. A woman with curves.

  “She’s really nice,” he mouthed only to wince when their mother yanked his ear.

  “You will respect women in this house, Derek Logan, or you can leave,” she said, no room for argument in her tone.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Derek did his best to appear chastised as he rubbed his ear.

  Wild rolled his own eyes and dug back into his food. Around him they talked about everything including why Rhodi’s wife wasn’t there, she was taking their son to the doctor. Once they’d demolished the large amount of food and had restored their mother’s kitchen to rights, all the brothers stood out by the gathered vehicles. The bitter wind bit at Wild’s skin as he listened to them converse.

  Five minutes later he shook his head. “I’m going home. See you tomorrow.”

  Adam said, “Sleep well. You’ll meet the new pilot tomorrow, be nice to her.”

  “Who’s waiting for you,” Derek ribbed him. “The one you ignored Adam’s call for in Belize?”

  He ignored one brother and focused on another for a moment. “Adam, as long as she can do her job, I’ll be nice. I’m sure Rhodi made sure and vetted her properly.”

  Adam eyed him sideways. “You aren’t going to have a problem with a woman pilot?”

  He smirked. “I get in the Army you didn’t fight with women but in the Corps, a Marine is a Marine. She can do her job, I’m good.” He turned his attention to Derek. “And to answer your question. Fuck off. You know I don’t like people in my house. No one is there and had I brought someone back from Belize you would have seen her at the airport.” He unlocked his door and slid in. He gave them all a brief wave and he drove away, looking forward to claiming some more sleep for himself.

  Chapter Two

  “Does all that make sense, Alyse?”

  She pulled off her black leather gloves as Rhodi held the door for her, then shoved them in the pockets of her bomber jacket. The heat had her sighing with relief. Cold wasn’t her friend but this job had been such that she’d ignored where it was and just applied. It wasn’t winter here all twelve months.

  “I got it. You all have a nice set-up here.”

  D.A.R.K. Cover, Inc headquarters was a nice two-story building and they had their own private airstrip. She’d looked over the plane she would be flying for them. They also had helicopters he showed her in case that was what she was needed for. Either worked for her, she could fly fixed or rotary wing.

  She had to give the scenery props. This was her first time, other than the interviews, to Montana. She’d pictured it as a barren wasteland. It wasn’t even close.

  “And you have a place picked out?”

  “I got one, yes. I’m in the town so maybe fifteen minutes from here, especially if I go the speed limit. I can make it faster if necessary.”

  Rhodi grinned. “Perfect, I think you’ll fit right in here. I know you’ve met Derek and you’ve talked via the phone to Adam, but let’s go introduce you to the other two that make up D.A.R.K. Cover.” He led the way down the hall to the elevator bay.

  Alyse returned Karen’s wave as they passed the front desk, once Rhodi had given her a wink and his own smile. She learned that Karen had worked here before than married Rhodi. The attractive blonde was sweet and their child Brayden was adorable.

  Adam. Derek. Rhodi. Kristopher. Four brothers who were the owners and operators of D.A.R.K. Cover, Inc. Bodyguards and rescuemen if the situation called for them to fill those shoes. Things she greatly respected and admired.

  They entered a conference style room and she saw Derek immediately. He sent her a large grin accompanied by a wink. Flirt. It didn’t matter to her, he could flirt all he wanted, he was out of luck in that department. She never mixed business with pleasure.

  “Derek,” Rhodi said. “You remember, Ms Lamar.”

  He stood and she couldn’t help but admire his looks. Even dressed casually he was a man who took your attention. So was Rhodi. Another man stepped from the back and she gave him a smile.

  Damn, all these men are hot. With their dark hair and eyes they had her thinking things one shouldn’t when imagining their employer.

  “Of course, I do,” Derek said. “Glad to have you on board.” He took her hand and bent over it brushing a kiss along the back.

  She shook her head and smiled at him. The next man stepped up and offered his hand. “I’m Adam, Ms Lamar. Nice to finally meet you in person instead of over the phone.”

  She took his hand and did her best not to ogle the way these men filled out their jeans. “Please, don’t call me Ms Lamar. Call me Alyse.”

  His grin was just as potent as Derek’s. Hell, even Rhodi’s wasn’t anything to ignore but she was well aware his attention was taken by Karen. She respected that. Plus, again, she didn’t mix business with pleasure.

  She glanced about the room. “Is Kristopher not here?”

  “He’s on his way,” Rhodi informed her.

  “Why don’t we sit down and I’ll fill you in on your first job with us,” Adam said.

  They all sat and Adam pulled out a remote and within moments there were images on a screen she’d not previously noticed on the wall. She removed her jacket and hung it over the back of her chair then leaned forward paying attention.

  “Our newest client is in Arizona,” he stated. “This,” he gestured to the image behind him, “is where you will land the jet. A small out of the way airfield in the middle of the desert.”

  She gazed at the picture. Not a decent runway but better than some she’d done. “Okay, not a problem.”

  “We leave tomorrow morning at Oh-four-hundred.”

  She made note of that in her phone and began to stand. All three of them looked at her. She paused. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you wanted me to know more than where we were going. I drop Adam and Derek off then return here. Would you like me to stay?”

  “Normally, no, we wouldn’t. We’d just give you the destination at the airstrip. I was hoping Kristopher would show up. You can leave, it doesn’t matter, you’re not flying him anyway and we can do introductions later. Welcome aboard, Alyse.”

  She slipped on her jacket, and sent all of them a nod. “Thank you. I’ll see you two in the morning.”

  Derek sent another sexy grin her direction. “Can’t wait.”

  She didn’t comment, just walked out and headed to the stairs. She jogged down them instead of taking the elevator. Pausing in the lobby, she waved to Karen and reached for her gloves when the front door opened. Then her heart stopped.

  It can’t be. But it was. The man striding through that door was none other than the man she’d spent that amazing night with in Belize. Wild.

  He spied her a moment later and froze. She took in his dark blond hair, the broad shoulders covered by a black leather jacket and jeans that highlighted powerful legs. He had black boots on his feet.

  “Hi, Wild!” Karen called out.

  “Karen,” he responded without taking his gaze off Alyse.

  He advanced toward her, each step predatory. Alyse knew she was in trouble when her legs grew weak and all she wanted to do was jump him and allow him to do whatever he wanted to her.

  “Alyse,” he said on a soft rumble.

  She couldn’t stop staring at him. The stubble on his face made her mind relive every second his head was buried between her legs or rubbing along her breasts. Her belly clenched and her breasts grew heavy with want.

  “Wild.”

  He stopped right before her.
Close enough to touch, close enough to smell his masculine scent which had combined perfectly with the crisp air from outdoors.

  She put her hands in her pockets to keep from reaching for him. “So, Kristopher Wilder?”

  “Everyone calls me Wild,” he said by way of explanation. His blue eyes singed her. “Well, there are some people who have been known to scream my name, we both know you fall into that category.”

  At Karen’s gasp Alyse flushed. This was not how she wanted her first day of work to go. Not at all.

  “Good to see you. I have to go, have a flight tomorrow and I need to unpack a few things yet.”

  “Where are you staying?”

  “In town. And no, I won’t give you the address.”

  “Why not?” He stepped closer. “We were very good together.”

  “Because I never mix business with pleasure.” She made to step around him and he gripped her arm, halting her. Alyse held his gaze, lifting a brow at his action, even while on the inside she trembled by his touch.

  “We have a lot to discuss, you and I, Alyse.”

  “I see you met our new pilot, Wild. Thanks for being on time.” Adam’s droll voice reached them.

  “Yeah,” he said with a slight drawl. “I’m looking forward to her being my pilot.”

  “Sorry, she’s taking Rhodi and Derek to Arizona tomorrow. Had you been here, perhaps you could have gone instead.”

  “Mind letting go of my arm?” she asked.

  “I mind,” he replied softly so only the two of them could hear it. “I mind a lot but I will let you go for now. Expect me later.”

  How pathetic am I for missing his touch on my arm? She didn’t respond, just finished putting on her gloves and walking away without a look back. The heat from his gaze bore into her back as she made her way to her Subaru B9 Tribeca. Expelling a sharp breath as she closed the door behind her, she shook her head.

  “This just got awkward on a whole new level. I can’t believe I fucked one of my bosses. Only to me would this happen.” She started the engine and drove away without a look back. “And here I thought I was safe having something in Belize.” Alyse stared at herself in the rearview. “Shows what I get for thinking.”