"Rissa tells me you broke off the engagement again."
"Not that it's any of your business, Cowboy, but yes I did. I need to be focused on this job for a while. When I'm ready, we'll get married."
Cowboy snorted. "What if you wait too late? What if Rissa decides you aren't what she wants anymore? What are you going to do then?" He knew he was baiting the man, but he couldn't help the sense of happiness that warmed his stomach at the thought of just about anyone taking his sister from this weasel.
Drake threw his head back and laughed. "Who? I'm the best thing she has going, and she knows it. Rissa will wait for me. It doesn't matter how long it takes. When I'm ready, then and only then will we get married; when I have my own ranch, with my own herd. Until then, let her stew a bit. You know how women are. If you act like you don't have time for them, they'll fall all over themselves to keep your attention. I can handle Rissa just fine. Besides, it won't be much longer now. Money's flowing into the ranch fast, and I'm getting a good cut of it. I'll have enough saved by next Christmas to put my plans into action."
As he finished his speech, Drake rose to his feet and stepped off the porch. He sauntered toward the Double H Ranch truck parked in the yard. Cowboy watched him go with barely contained fury. "Good riddance," he murmured as the taillights of the pickup disappeared down the driveway.
He sat alone on the porch thinking about what Drake had said. Cowboy had a feeling Drake knew about the dumping. Surely he wasn't so stupid as to think money just appeared out of thin air? Everyone knew the ranch wasn't operational yet, so where did the money come from?
He was startled out of his musings by the sound of another vehicle starting up. Cowboy shot to his feet as Miley's truck backed up from its parking place at the side of the house. Stepping off the porch, he raised his hand as she turned around and headed down the driveway. He watched her lights disappear as well, but without the sense of righteous justification he felt when Drake left.
"Where's Drake?"
Rissa stood beside her brother and watched Miley's truck until it was gone.
"He left a few minutes ago. What happened with Miley?"
"He left? Why didn't he come in and tell me goodbye?"
Cowboy shrugged. "Why does he do anything? What happened with Miley?"
She turned around, climbed the porch steps and dropped into the glider. She pulled a shawl around and hugged herself tightly. "It's getting colder. They're calling for frost in a couple of days."
"I know when you're avoiding, Rissa."
"I learned from the best, big brother. What happened with Drake?"
Cowboy shrugged as he leaned against the porch rail. "I asked him about his plans, and he got upset. You know how I feel about him. He's a douche bag weasel fart. You can do much better."
Rissa laughed. "He's not a douche bag weasel fart. He's just trying to find his way in the world. He had plans and ideas; he needs time to put things into motion. Give him a break, Alcide. He's going to be family someday."
"Not if I can help it," he muttered under his breath.
"What?"
"Nothing. What about Miley?"
Rissa lifted her shoulders into a shrug. "She had to go. We talked for a while then she decided to leave."
"And?"
"And nothing. Alcide, not everything in the world is secrets and mystery. We talked about girl stuff then she left."
Cowboy was stopped from replying as a pair of headlights crept up their driveway. Rissa rose to her feet as Cowboy turned to watch them approach. As they came to a stop, Rissa stepped up beside her brother.
The doors opened, and Cowboy smiled as several large men exited the vehicles and approached. "Digger! Good to see you, man."
"Cowboy. How have you been?" He thrust his hand out. Cowboy shook it.
"So this is your lady's protection detail?" Cowboy nodded toward the three men standing behind Digger. The team had decided to explain the increased security by saying Demma was coming to do some wedding planning. Nobody would question one of the hottest young starlets of Hollywood's need for extra protection, even in the middle of Wyoming.
"Yep. One of the joys of being engaged to Demma St. John. Three hundred pounds of luggage and an entourage follow us wherever we go."
"Where is she?"
"She's with my parents. They adore her. I'll have to invite you over some time to visit. She'd love to see you again."
Cowboy nodded. "Sounds good." He turned to Rissa. "You remember my sister?"
"Of course." He winked at her. "She was on the homecoming court my senior year. Up until I met my fiancée, I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Sorry, Ris, Demma de-throned you. But you do take runner-up."
Rissa laughed. "It's fine. I'll take number two against Demma St. John any time."
Digger turned and motioned toward the waiting security force. "This is Harley, Fin, and Ike. Sergi and Davis are with Demma. You'll meet them tomorrow. Thanks again for letting them stay in your bunkhouse. I wouldn't mind putting them up at the motel, but this is closer. I'm hoping we'll only need it for a week or so, but you know how plans go. Everyone has good intentions but not always a good follow through."
Cowboy read the underlying message. They knew it would be a few days before the FBI arrived, but until then Digger's team would help watch over things. Cowboy knew Digger didn't like Demma being here in the middle of this, but there was no other reason to have a team of security agents in town. As far as they knew, Hoxha hadn't put the McMillans in his sights so the risk should be minimal. Plus, her being in town could make for distraction opportunities if they needed them.
"They are welcome to stay as long as you want. I checked everything out earlier today after we talked. There are clean linens, and I left a few things in the fridge to get you by for a day or two. I figured you would stock up at the store tomorrow." Cowboy motioned toward the large six bedroom bunkhouse that once housed up to twelve ranch hands. Now, Jim, Cedric, and Pete were all that was left, and they each had homes and families in town.
"Hey, I've got some roast chicken chili and jalapeño flatbread in the kitchen," Rissa called out as they climbed the porch of the bunkhouse. "I'll bring it out in a few minutes."
"Sounds delicious," Fin butted in with a smile.
As he ushered the men and their duffle bags into the bunkhouse, Cowboy glanced over at Rissa. She stood on the porch with a huge grin on her face and a blush staining her cheeks, watching them enter. Suddenly, she turned and hurried into the house. Cowboy smirked. Perhaps his words to Drake earlier were a self-fulfilling prophecy. Maybe, with a little luck, his sister would lose two hundred pounds of ugly douche bag weasel farts by the time this thing was over. He rubbed his hands together as the thought made a little of the unease inside lift.
Chapter 13
"I don't like that you're going out there," Alcide glared down at her.
They had been having this heated discussion for several minutes. Miley stood toe to toe with Alcide and looked up into his eyes as emotions warred within her. Either she went, or risked something happening to people she cared about.
"Well, I don't like you telling me how to do my job."
"Jesus, Miley, I'm not dictating how to do your job." He blew out a frustrated breath. "All I'm trying to do is get you to compromise a bit. The thought of you going anywhere near him about makes me crazy. You're important to a lot of people -- your grandfather, Rissa, the people who live in this town... me. I just want you to be smart about this and let me help." He placed a hand on her shoulder. She felt the heat infuse into her blood sending comfort to her entire body.
His admission that she was important to him made something warm stir in her belly. She wanted to hold on to that moment, explore and savor the feeling. However, now was not the time. Instead, she locked it away to examine later and concentrated on the issue at hand. "I can't risk it." She looked up at him and touched the side of his face. The worry and strain was showing in his eyes and it about kill
ed her to know she was adding to his stress. "I understand you wanting to help. I know you're trained, but I can't ask you to do this, Alcide. It's not right for you to take on my troubles. I'll get through this."
Alcide closed his eyes slowly as a vein pulsed in his temple. "You didn't ask. Look, I'm trying to get you to see reason. Hoxha is a dangerous man. I told you what Digger and Tex found out. Going alone is reckless. He could hurt you."
She shook her head vigorously. "He won't. He wants me to know he calls the shots. If I make him think he's got me over a barrel, he'll back down. It'll buy us some time until the Feds get here. Let me go, Alcide. I'll play my part. I'll make him think he holds all the cards."
"If you go in there alone, he does hold all the cards. How about postponing the trip? Call him and put it off a couple of days. Wait until backup gets here. Please?" His fingers slid through her hair and cupped the side of her face. His touch was electric fire sending heated sparks through her nerves until she ached.
Miley wanted to agree. She didn't want to set foot on the Double H; not now, not ever. But, she had to go. The veiled threats were too dire to ignore. She forced herself to draw back until contact between them was broken, and she mourned the loss immediately. "I can't. He made it plain that he expected me to be there today. I have to go."
He searched her eyes for a few moments then let out a held breath. "Then I'm going with you."
"No, you aren't."
His eyes glinted. "Yes. I am. Miley, I will never force you to do anything you don't want unless I believe it's dangerous to you. This is one of those moments. I'm coming with you. I'll stay out of the way."
"But how do I explain it?"
"Simple." Alcide shrugged his shoulders. "If anyone asks, tell them we're going on a date after you finished. I'll be the dumb boyfriend, dutifully waiting for my girl to get done."
She shook her head. "They didn't tell me I could bring someone with me."
One eyebrow lifted in amusement. "Did they tell you that you couldn't bring someone with you?"
"N...n...no," she drew the word out into several seconds.
"All right then. I'm going, Miley. I'm not about to let you go into that snake den alone."
Her eyes narrowed, and her lips became a slash across her face. "I don't need you..." she started.
"... to help you. You're able to take care of yourself." Alcide finished for her. "Yes, I know, Miley. Again, I'm not trying to dictate over you. I want to be there as a backup if you decide you do need some help. It's better to have help and not need it than to need it and not have it."
"I don't know what help you could be. I don't think they're going to let you anywhere near them with a gun."
He laughed softly. "I don't need a gun, sweetheart. I can protect us both just fine without one. Me being there will be enough to ensure nobody does anything to you. Hoxha didn't miss my little show of ability at Ellie's. I'll be a wild card that he won't know what to do with, which I'm sure means he won't do anything at all. If he knows what I am, he won't want to bring down the wrath of Uncle Sam while he's still vulnerable here. He burned bridges when he broke with his former employer. If Hoxha doesn't know what I am, then he'll want to get that intel before he tries anything. That unknown will make him careful of doing anything rash. I don't think he'll try anything as long as I'm there."
Her grey eyes widened as Alcide talked. She swallowed as his completely stupid reasoning fell from his lips. Alcide believed he was safe because he was a SEAL? Geez, she knew a lot of people were impressed by those credentials, but she doubted Hoxha was one of them if he did know. He struck her as a man who completed his agenda regardless of who or what was in his way. She shook her head violently until his hands clamped on her face and stopped it.
"Yes, Miley. I'm going with you."
"What if they hurt you?"
The right side of his top lip lifted marginally. "Why, Dr. Ellison, are you concerned about my wellbeing?"
She jerked out of his clutches. "Of course I'm concerned. You have this..." her hands gyrated wildly. "Argh!" She turned and took a step away, bracing one hand on her hip and the other running through her short hair. "You aren't taking this seriously. This guy will kill you just because he can. He won't care who or what you are. He won't care that your father is sick. He doesn't care about anything other than his agenda. He wants me close, to keep an eye on me. Tariq wants to cement that fact to me until I don't forget it. If I don't play his game, then people will be hurt. You because you're my 'boyfriend,' Rissa because she's my friend. Pop-pop, Chloe, Jessie or anyone else that they can use. Heck, he may decide that Bear looked at me a little too friendly one day while serving me a beer and take him out just in case. We can't mess around with him. You go in there with me, you may not come back out. Or, he could decide I'm too much of a risk, and I don't come back out. We both could disappear. Please don't let me cause your family more pain. Stay here. I can't stand it if we both disappeared."
Part of Miley hoped he would listen to her begging him to stay out of this. A larger part, though, would be much happier if he went. She couldn't help feeling more secure knowing the big man had her back.
Alcide reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag. He wiggled it at her. "We're not going to disappear." He grinned at her sheepishly. "I was going to slip one of these on you and activate it if you insisted on going in. Good thing I have several -- we'll both wear one."
Miley wrinkled her brow and stared at the small item. It looked like a round, transparent button about a half inch in diameter with a small tan dot at the top. "What's that?"
"A freckle," he said with a laugh. He opened the bag and pulled the device out. "I have a friend who is good at technical stuff. Here, run your finger over the top." He held the item out.
"A freckle?" She frowned and ran her finger over it. "There's a little bump."
"Mmmmhm," he agreed then turned her around. "Put your hands behind your back like you're being handcuffed. I need to see where to place it."
Hesitantly she agreed. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched him take some sort of backing off the device then press it to her skin near where her fingers rested. The touch of his fingers on her back sent goose bumps racing along her nerves until she barely suppressed a shudder. Biting her lip, she reminded herself to keep her mind on business and not on Alcide. Easier said than done when his fingers brushed her hand as he lifted one finger slightly and pressed it against the spot. "You feel it?"
She swallowed. "Yeah. What is it?"
"A tracker." He pulled out a second one and handed it to her. Turning around, he placed his hands at the base of his back. "Put mine right by my finger so I can find it if I need it."
She lifted Alcide's shirt, and the movements stopped at the sight of all that delicious male muscle. Forgetting what she was doing, she gently touched the heated skin on his waist and bit her lip. The play of muscle under his tanned skin made her ache to explore him more. She felt the ridges and valleys, displayed for her eyes and suddenly had the desire to follow them with her lips. She leaned forward until her breath washed over his skin, causing the fine hairs to raise and pebble. Alcide was so incredibly hot and sexy, for a moment she didn't recall anything other than her own need to draw her tongue over his back and taste the salty flavor of his skin.
"Miley?"
She jerked back in time to see him grinning at her over his shoulder. "Everything all right back there?"
Heat painted her face. Clearing her throat, she nodded then pressed the freckle to his back. Taking one of his fingers in her hand, she ran the tip over the spot. It looked like the freckle Alcide had called it.
Turning back around, he left his shirt untucked and looked at her. "These are panic button locators. If we get into trouble, press down on the freckle for five seconds. It will send a GPS location back to Tex. He'll have help to us in minutes. It'll continue to send your location in short bursts that will keep it from being detected. It's held on with a silicone adhesiv
e, so it is waterproof. However, try not to scratch or rub it on anything. I put it on your back, so if you're handcuffed or tied up, you can still get to it. Ideally, it would go on a spot between your fingers, but Tex didn't know how well it would hold up there considering you may be using your hands a lot. See, Miley, we aren't alone."
She could tell that he wasn't about to let her go. "What if they find it? What if they have detectors?"
"Won't matter. It's passive which means it won't activate unless you do it. So, don't get knocked out before you can activate it." He turned around and gestured to her truck. "I'll even let you drive."
Miley climbed in and fastened her belt. As Alcide joined her, she chuckled. "Let me, huh? Mighty nice of you to not insist on going in your truck."
"You're a vet. This is supposed to be an official call. If we roll up in there in my vehicle, it sends the wrong message. It tells them you weren't buying their ruse."
"Smart." She started the truck.
"I have my moments. But you know, I'm not just brains; I've even been told I'm not hard to look at," Alcide smirked at her.
"Don't I know it," she muttered as she pulled out of the parking lot. Beside her, Alcide simply grinned.
Chapter 14
Cowboy kept his eyes open as he followed Miley around the Double H Ranch. To keep close to her, he had lugged her medical bag as she checked the horses in the stable. Although Tariq watched with barely suppressed disinterest, Loran appeared angry that Cowboy tagged along. Cowboy couldn't have cared less. He was there to keep Miley out of trouble, and he intended to do his job.
They had made it to the last stall of the second stable. Miley was kneeling beside a chestnut quarter horse named Artemis checking the hooves. The position caused her shirttail to raise slightly. He could see the little freckle tracker just above the waistband of her jeans. It made him feel a little more comfortable knowing it was there.
Safeguarding Miley Page 10
