Nash slapped Wrath on the shoulder as he exited the truck. One quick push of a button and the vehicle was locked down like a bank vault. Then Nash gestured to Wrath’s car. “You’re driving.”
“Great.” Wrath sighed. “But you get to go ring the doorbell.”
Nash made a vague gesture toward Tegan’s brownstone. “No need. The girl is punctual. I’ll put that in the bonus column.”
Wrath tried not to even look at Tegan. It was a little difficult not to notice her though. Especially when she was dressed in snug denim that molded to every perfect curve of her legs and hips. Her sweater had a low neck that drew his gaze toward the creamy tops of her breasts, and then there was the hair. He could not get rid of the mental image of that hair tangled and spilling across his lap as he buried his fingers in her pussy.
Wrath got into the driver’s seat of the same car he’d used yesterday and the day before. This time it would be Nash sitting beside him. That was good. He wasn’t sure he could have kept his hands off of Tegan.
*
Tegan hated Saturday morning brunch with her mother. It was so contrived. Or at least it felt that way. Her mother, Ava, always put together a huge spread. She didn’t have a bunch of servants or household staff since she had divorced Stedman to live on her own. That meant anything served was something that her super-talented and very domestic-minded mother had made herself.
“So, how have you been with all of this”—Ava waved her hand to indicate Wrath and Mr. Nash, who were standing on the opposite side of the room staring out the French doors—“drama?”
“It’s fine,” Tegan said automatically. “I would rather be safe than sorry.” She sounded like a crime hotline ad or something equally idiotic. “It’s a little odd having a bodyguard, but I’m sure it won’t be for long.”
“And you’re certain you want to start working at Hyde-Pierson Financial this coming summer?” Ava asked doubtfully.
Why must her mother always make her feel like a child who hadn’t thought things through? “Of course! I wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble of getting the job if I didn’t want it.”
Ava wasn’t even paying attention to Tegan. She was too busy staring at Wrath. Tegan felt her temper slowly starting to boil. Her mother wasn’t old or motherly looking. Ava was a very attractive woman in her mid-forties. That meant men were forever thinking they were sisters and trying to hit on her mother. And Ava wasn’t shy about the attention either. Tegan had always been of the opinion that Ave liked the attention.
“What’s your name?” Ava suddenly called across the big, airy eat-in kitchen where she and Tegan were seated at the little round table. “Your boss told me to call him Mr. Nash, but he didn’t say anything about what I should call you.”
“His name is Wrath,” Tegan burst out.
Ava raised her elegant eyebrows. “Wrath, hmm? How interesting.”
“Don’t,” Tegan bit out. “Just don’t. I know you think you’re like the hot mom or something, but please just don’t.”
Ava looked surprised. “Tegan, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. I was observing that the young man cannot seem to take his eyes off you.”
“Oh.” Tegan didn’t know what to say. From across the room, she heard the creak of Wrath’s boots as he shifted. She was so utterly aware of him. Was he the same way about her? Was this what Ava was referring to?
Ava put her hands against the outside of her mug of hot tea. “Is there something I should know, Tegan?”
WRATH HELD HIS breath. Was this where Nash took out a weapon and shot Wrath in the other shoulder? Or, if Nash actually got confirmation that Wrath had completely debauched the client’s daughter, he might just geld him. That would suck. Then he’d have to kill Nash. Or he would have to at least try.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tegan told her mother. Her manner was stiff and uncomfortable. “He’s a very attractive young man, I suppose, if I was into that sort of thing. But, really. I have far better prospects at school.” She cut a glance toward Wrath. “I mean, can you imagine? I’m a Hyde-Pierson.”
Wrath could not decide if he was disgusted or confused by what she was saying. Analise had told him that Tegan wasn’t a first-rate snob. Or at least that she didn’t have all the reasons to be one. At this point, Wrath was thinking that either Analise was wrong or that Tegan was angry at him and poking his pride on purpose. What a pain in the ass.
Then Ava cocked her head and smiled at her daughter. “I’ve never heard you say such a thing in your life. Usually you’re all in a lather to bitch and moan about your father’s snobbery. You complain that he won’t give you any of the advantages that he should, and you do nothing but point out all of the ways that your classmates use their family connections to a shameful advantage. You have never wanted to marry into a blue-blooded family in your life. So why change your tune now?” Ava very deliberately and very elegantly sliced a bit of quiche. “Or are you trying to put on an act for reasons of your own?”
“I’m so tired of this!” Tegan snarled. “We do this every Saturday, and for what? What is the point of getting together? You left my father. You wanted your own life. You left me too! You just walked out one day, and I had no choice but to…”
“To what?” Ava asked quietly.
Wrath could not stop the shot of empathy he felt for Tegan in this moment. They were worlds apart, and yet, in a lot of ways, they had much in common. Both had to fight their way into a field that should have been theirs for the asking. Tegan’s father had a business empire that he apparently didn’t want to share with his daughter. Wrath’s father had been a West Point graduate who wouldn’t even acknowledge that he had a son. Tegan’s father had probably never called her a worthless cum stain to her face, but his actions seemed to suggest it every single day.
“I need to get home,” Tegan muttered. She stood up and threw down her napkin. “Thanks for the food, but I think this conversation is over.”
Chapter Eleven
“Is there something you want to tell me?” Nash murmured to Wrath as they escorted Tegan back to the car after her abrupt exit from the mother-daughter brunch.
That was a no-brainer. What? Wrath would have had to be an idiot to say otherwise. Oh, sure. I wanted to tell you that I’m fucking the client’s daughter. “Nope. Not a thing.”
“Then I’m going to go have a little chat with Ava,” Nash murmured.
Wrath frowned. “Who?”
“The mother,” Nash said irritably. “Are you even paying attention anymore? At least pretend. All right?”
“Right.” Wrath could not stop looking at Tegan. She looked fidgety as hell. What was going on with her? “I guess I’ll just stay here and make sure our little princess doesn’t get into trouble.”
“Yeah.” Nash shot Wrath a dark look. “Just make sure you don’t get into trouble either.”
Wrath didn’t appreciate what was obviously a reprimand of sorts. Of course it wasn’t like he could fault Nash for his instincts. The guy was dead on. So, instead of saying anything in return, Wrath just settled down into parade rest position and decided to keep his distance from Miss Hyde-Pierson. Yes. That’s how he would think of her from now on. No more Tegan. That was too familiar.
“I’m sorry about my mother.” The lady in question did not look at him when she spoke. “She’s a little bit on the direct side.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Wrath said, his tone clipped. “You made your position quite clear when you spoke to her.”
“Wait.” Tegan gaped at him. “You’re saying that to me when you were so blunt last night in telling me that you never want to touch me again? So, it’s okay for you to be too good for me, but the minute I say something that could be construed that way, you get all pissy? That’s priceless.”
“Pissy?” Wrath was affronted by the notion that he could ever be anything of the sort. “I told you that last night because what happened was wrong. I took shameless advantage of the sit
uation. I’m supposed to be protecting you, not—not debauching you.”
“Debauching?” Her tone grew high pitched. “Who talks like that? And you didn’t debauch anything! It isn’t like you were my first. It was just sex. Sex between two consenting adults. Right? Stop making it all dramatic.”
Wrath was mystified by this woman. Nobody had ever accused him of being dramatic. It was almost the antithesis of everything that he was. The idea that she thought he could be… Wait. It was just sex between two consenting adults?
“The hell it was,” Wrath muttered.
He stomped over to Tegan, closing the distance between them in barely three strides. Wrapping his arms around her, he slammed his mouth down on hers in a kiss that took utter possession of her and every one of her senses. Wrath did not feel satisfied until he felt Tegan swoon against him. She flung her arms around his neck and dug her nails into his skin. Unaffected? The hell she was.
TEGAN THOUGHT SHE was going to faint dead away right there on the sidewalk. Wrath tasted spicy and male and maybe even a little pissed off, which was amusing and yet not. She could not think. She could do nothing but slide her tongue against his as their mouths moved together so fiercely that their teeth clicked with the fierce pressure.
Everything below her waist went down in flames. Heat lanced through her body, and in seconds, her panties were soaking wet. She pressed her thighs together to ease the ache and made herself shiver instead. Wrath could have thrown her against the hood of the car and taken her right there like some kind of animal, and she would have welcomed it.
His hands strayed lower until he was cupping her buttocks. He hauled her up against him, and she felt the hard ridge of his erection between them. She wanted to feel his cock in her hands. The thought of holding that sweetness or of tasting it was so erotic that she gave a little whimper. The need she felt was so great. It was not just a moment in time. It was systemic.
She scratched at his shoulders and bit his full lower lip in her enthusiasm. She had never felt such a consuming desire for anyone before in her life. Nothing else mattered. Not standing here on the street. Not the fact that her mother could be watching. Nothing mattered.
“Ahem.”
Wrath pulled away, breaking the kiss and turning around with an audible grumble. Tegan was so befuddled that she had to hang onto him or risk falling right on her butt. Of course, what she saw behind them sobered her quick enough.
Her mother was laughing. Mr. Nash did not seem so amused. Then Ava wagged her finger at Tegan. “I told you there was something going on. I can see it in the way he watches you.”
“Just stay out of it, Mother,” Tegan snapped. “I’m sure you would have rather screwed him yourself, but this is none of your business now.”
“No, but it is mine,” Mr. Nash said with a narrowed gaze. “And let me tell you, Wrath is going to have a lot of explaining to do just as soon as we get back to our command tent.”
Tegan felt a momentary sense of fear for Wrath. What if Mr. Nash made it so they couldn’t see each other at all anymore? And why the hell should she really care? Ugh! She hated this waffling around bull crap. She could not even decipher what her own feelings on the subject were. Half the time, she suspected Wrath hated her. The other half, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Was that healthy? Maybe she should be looking for reasons to stay away from him.
WRATH HAD ONLY just opened his mouth to respond when he caught sight of a glint across the street. His mind immediately registered the familiar gleam of sunlight off dull gunmetal.
“Get down!” Wrath shouted.
He did not even think twice about his actions. He followed his gut instinct. Grabbing Tegan, he spun around to put his body between her and the sniper even as he dove for cover behind the car. The ping of a bullet was followed by Nash’s curse. The back window of the car shattered.
Wrath tightened his body around Tegan’s as a hail of glass rained down on his back. The second shot buried itself in the vehicle’s trunk. The third bounced off the pavement not two feet from where Wrath and Tegan were laying.
Nash was on the move. He was snarling something into his cell phone even as he grabbed Ava and dragged her to cover inside the house. Wrath could have cursed him for ditching him and Tegan, but there were two possible targets out here and no way of knowing which was the goal or if they both were. That meant Wrath was on his own.
He forced his brain to move. This was no time to be paralyzed with fear or whatever else this shit was he was feeling about the possibility of Tegan getting shot.
“Stay down,” he ordered her.
She actually squirmed as though she weren’t going to obey. “What are you doing?”
“Stay down. You’re going to get us both killed.”
Wrath pulled himself into a squat. In the distance, he could hear sirens. That wasn’t going to help right now. By craning his neck around, he could spot the exact place he had seen the glint of light off the shooter’s weapon. It was a brownstone across the street and down one building. He used the car’s side mirror to try and catch a glimpse. If it was the tall man he had seen yesterday, there was no doubt some part of his gangly physique would be visible.
Sure enough, Wrath could see the hint of a head sticking up above the building’s facade. He pulled out his weapon and chambered a bullet. The chance of making an accurate shot without a rifle from this distance was very slim. But he could create a diversion.
He nudged Tegan with his toe. “When I tell you, I want you to run like hell for the house. Got it?”
“What about you?”
“I’m right behind you.” Not entirely true, but not a lie either. Besides, he had no time to argue right now.
Tegan started to gather herself. He could see the determination in her eyes. Good girl. Brave too. He liked that about her. Wrath pulled himself back to the moment and took aim in his mind. The shooter was up there being patient. He had only a few minutes, but he knew that Wrath was going to have to make some kind of move eventually.
“Go!” Wrath ordered.
Tegan bolted for the front door at exactly the same time Wrath started shooting his weapon. His 9mm Sig Sauer P229 was a familiar weight in his hand as he methodically emptied the clip while being very careful not to hit the window of some poor schmuck’s house. He wanted to scare the assassin, not the civilians.
TEGAN WAS RUNNING so fast that it felt as though her legs were having difficulty keeping up with her body. She chanted a mantra at herself as she ran. I will not trip. I will not trip. I will not trip.
By the time she arrived at her mother’s front door, Mr. Nash had it wide open. Tegan stumbled inside and face-planted right onto the polished wood floor. Ava was already sobbing and grabbing at Tegan to pull her into a hug.
“My sweet girl, I thought you were dead!” Ava said frantically. “I thought they’d gotten you. It’s so crazy. Who shoots people in the middle of a public street in broad daylight?”
“The mafia,” Mr. Nash said, his tone grim.
That was when Tegan realized that Wrath was not behind her as he’d said he would be. “Where’s Wrath?” she demanded.
Tegan hauled herself to her feet and spun a slow circle. Maybe he’d gone to a window in another room. Had she heard him behind her? He had been firing his weapon at the roof of a building across the street. What if he had tripped or something?
“Where is he?” Tegan asked again.
Mr. Nash was peering out the frosted windows on either side of her mother’s solid wood front door. “I would assume that he’s gone after that shooter now that you’re out of the way. Wrath is one of my best trackers. He’s like a bloodhound. He’ll run anyone to ground and stay on them until he gets his man. It was one of the things he did best as a marine.”
“I don’t want to know what he did as a marine!” Tegan fired back. She felt helpless and horribly afraid. “If he gets hurt because of me, I’ll—I’ll…”
“Tegan, stop,” Ava said quietly
. “The man is just doing his job. I understand that you don’t want him hurt on your behalf.”
“But he’d be insulted as hell if he thought you were standing here trying to protect him or something,” Mr. Nash finished. “Wrath is a grown man and a soldier. He’ll be fine.”
“And we’re fine too,” Ava assured him. “Thanks to you of course.”
Tegan pulled away from her mother. She was frustrated. This wasn’t right. “Someone needs to tell these mafia freaks that my father doesn’t give a shit about me or my mother or anyone else.”
“What are you saying?” Mr. Nash asked quietly. She had a feeling that he already knew exactly what she was saying and just wasn’t yet sure what to do with it.
Tegan chuffed out a huge sigh. “I’m just referring to the fact that the only person in the world my father cares about is himself. So, if we’re all in danger, I think the question we need to ask ourselves is why it would benefit my father to keep us alive. When we find the answer to that, we’ll know the real reason we’re in danger to begin with.”
Chapter Twelve
Wrath sprinted across the street. He took a zigzagging path. Dodging around garbage cans, potted plants, and the cars parked on the opposite side of the street, Wrath worked to make himself an impossible target. The shooter only tried once more to get him. A bullet buried itself in the building to Wrath’s right just as he slipped between the two to gain access to the fire escape.
“Come on, you arrogant bastard,” Wrath muttered. “Keep trying. I need you to stay put.”
It was a game. Wrath needed the shooter to stay put long enough for Wrath to climb to the roof of the brownstone and either take him down or at least catch a glimpse. The fire escape ladder was old but in good repair. The rungs were cold against Wrath’s bare hands as he climbed as fast as he dared.
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