Breanna

by Karen Nichols

  As if pre-assigned and accepted, both took the seats they had the night before at dinner, sleep filled eyes realizing the table was once more filled with food.

  They watched her moving, adding things to the table and smiling brightly at them. The tear ravaged eyes were gone for the moment; the braid that had been frayed and loose had been replaced with a high riding ponytail, her hair still damp from her morning shower. She wore the new jeans and one of the tee shirts in a vivid lilac shade. She’d found the laundry room and the unwashed clothing so she sorted and filled the washer, starting it and closing the door before going to the kitchen.

  “I think I’m still asleep,” Jase lifted the fragrant cup of coffee and sipped, frowned, tasted again and sighed. “Or in heaven. A woman who knows how to brew coffee.”

  “Shh….it’s a secret blend,” Brea set the small plate of muffins on the table and took her seat.

  “If you do anything to make her leave, I’ll kill you,” Nick said in a low growl, leaning toward the coffee drinker.

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  Both of them looked over at the little giggle that broke free before she bit her lip and began eating the eggs she’d scooped onto her plate. She lifted a slice of toast and built a little sandwich, biting down hungrily.

  “Coffee drinkers have such bad reputations,” Brea said after a quiet minute, watching Nick select a tea bag from the small container she’d placed next to the tea pot. “You have so much nice stuff in your kitchen that looks like it’s never been used.”

  “Most of it hasn’t,” Jase said with a shrug, pouring more coffee before filling his plate with ham, eggs and toast. “You’re definitely going to spoil us, Brea.”

  “You spoiled me. Letting me sleep here and…the clothes….I have money. I can pay you back…” she stopped when two hands rose from the table, palms facing her.

  “I’m guessing that means no.” She watched them both chewing and nodding. “Then you have to accept being spoiled.”

  “I don’t see the down side,” Jase looked at Nick and shrugged.

  “Looks like you did okay on guessing her size,” Nick commented.

  “Do you think the police would let me go through the….the remains?” She looked from one to the other expectantly.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Brea,” Nick swallowed and took a long drink of juice. “Tell me what you want and you can write a note giving me permission. I think you should stay out of sight for a few days.”

  “He’s right. Whoever is doing this doesn’t need to see you in town for a while.”

  “I know most of it….probably all of it….is gone. But there’s a fireproof lock box that I had in my office with insurance and some photos and just…..stuff….” Brea sighed.

  40

  “I don’t have much left now. But it was under my desk. I used it to rest my feet on when I did paperwork.”

  “I’ll take a ride in after I finish eating,” Nick told her. “Jase has applications to review and some people to talk to. The grounds are completely fenced, Brea. And we have gym equipment if you want to work out.”

  “Do you have a car? In town?”

  “No. I didn’t need one. Everything was close to the shop or I have a few friends who would let me borrow theirs when I went to book stores or the Costco for supplies,” Brea lifted a slice of the ham and nibbled. “Mostly I shopped by mail on the internet.”

  “I’ll find the lock box for you and Jase can hook you up to the router,” Nick assured her. “You have a cell phone?”

  “In my pack.” She looked from one to the other. Brea considered her thoughts, trying to find the right words as she watched them. And they weren’t the least bit difficult to watch. From a girl point of view. “Neither one of you seems the least bit….put out….disturbed….”

  “Why would we be?” His brow creased in a frown as he reached for the eggs. He looked over at Nick.

  “You opened your doors to me and…..it’s like it’s just another day to you both.”

  “Maybe you just fit us, Brea,” Nick suggested easily.

  “Am I being dense? Did I miss something?”

  “You really don’t want me to answer that,” Nick laughed. “Another cup of coffee and he’ll be coherent.”

  41

  “I don’t feel like a stranger here,” she tried explaining herself better when the laughter stilled. “And you make me laugh. Both of you.” She stood up and carried plates to the sink, her next words dreaded my males everywhere. “You’re the best big brothers a girl could ever ask for,” she spun hastily when both of them began choking.

  Two sets of hands waved her off.

  “Fine….I’m good….” Jase drained the coffee and poured more. Big brother.

  “Umm…yeah…..” Nick sighed, running one hand over the growth on his face.

  “We’ll clean up then I’m going into town and see about your lock box, Brea. Why don’t you write out a short permission slip for me to retrieve your belonging? I’ll see about keeping your location quiet, but I know you’ll probably have to talk to the police about the whole thing.”

  Brea nodded, absently cleaning the pans she’d used cooking. She’d set out meat for dinner and looked at the note on the fridge. She’d added things to it. A little part of her wondering about the comfort she felt here. Then her mind wandered to her parents and her shop.

  Don’t get used to it, she told herself angrily. Don’t get used to it because someone will take it away from you.

  “Brea….are you alright?” Jase had carried things to the sink in time to catch the fierce look on her face.

  “How long can I stay here?” Pale brown brows arched, her eyes wide. The words had been inside. She hadn’t expected them to burst out like that! “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound…..angry.”

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  “You stay as long as you want to, Brea,” Nick came up on her other side, his hand up and tugging on the drying mass of thick tawny curls.

  “This isn’t a prison for you, Brea,” Jase chose his words carefully, leaning his hip on the cabinet edge. “The property is fenced. The alarms set for the fence, even when the doors are open and you’re on the porch or walking around outside.”

  “I want to go to the store. Up in Aftport. We need some things so I can cook and I can’t find them here,” she said firmly, wondering why it was getting so really hard to breathe with them each on either side of her.

  They seemed to always do that to her. Come in close and stare. Sometimes a touch.

  “Arrange the things the way you want, Brea. Enjoy yourself,” Nick said with a shrug.

  “I can take you up after I shower and dress,” Jase told her easily. “Nick can head the other way and get the mail and see about the lock box. And yes, you could take yourself, I’d trust you with the keys to the SUV, but until we have this figured out, we’d feel better if you were with one of us outside the house.”

  “I’m not a coward,” she said after a few seconds, her head nodding. “But I feel safer with you, too. I don’t know what I did. I don’t know why someone targeted me. If I just knew what they wanted from me…..”

  “Crazy doesn’t always come with an explanation,” Nick said flatly, leaning in and kissing her forehead. “Stay out of trouble, you two. I’m getting dressed and heading out so I can get back and work on those applications.” 43

  Brea turned to watch him leave, the soft kiss making her frown, especially when Jase repeated it on the other side of her head.

  “I’ll be ready in ten,” he promised, striding out without looking back at the confusion on her face.

  Brea quickly had the stainless steel kitchen to rights. She’d opened cabinets and rearranged things, logically, nicely. Made everything tidy and efficient before going into the main area digging her wallet from inside her pack. As much as she wanted to, she really couldn’t let herself think about Jase and Nick. It confused her too much and she wasn’t up to more confusion in her life.

  She stepped o
nto the porch for the first time and gazed around the large property. The fence looked normal enough with gates across the driveway in decorative and obviously deceptive wrought iron, just like the rest of the fence. It was a gorgeous location, she thought, dropping to sit on the top step.

  She drew in several long breaths, wondering which of them had a little interest in the grounds. The garage appeared a huge three door number and was set back to the far right of the house. She walked down the few steps and wandered toward the garage. Going on tip-toes, she peered inside, jumping visibly when a strong pair of hands gripped her waist.

  “Stand back and I’ll open it for you, Brea.” Nick’s breath tickled over her flesh, his voice sending a rush through her that had her swaying against him. There was a long, frozen moment when she felt his lips against her throat, a frozen moment when she felt his body surrender a shudder at the 44

  same time she heard him slowly, very slowly draw in a long, deep breath.

  Nick knew the delicate tightrope he and Jase were walking.

  He knew no matter what their wolves told them, it was her choice to be theirs. It was her choice to be shared by them. But he and Jase also knew how important it was to their lives and were going to bring her along at her own pace.

  But he also knew when the pair of them set their minds to something, they rarely lost. He hoped what they sensed was not only a naturally loving nature but an open mind to the possibilities.

  She nodded rapidly and felt the heat of his body back from hers, letting her step to the side with him, only then noticing the remote in his fingers. Slowly, the doors of the garage began to rise, all of them at once. She heard the crunch of feet and turned to find Jase striding to join them.

  “I’ll see about getting you keys, codes and a remote for the garages. Usually I open one at a time, if I know where the vehicle is I want,” Nick commented, lifting a jacket from the wall and a helmet before striding to the motorcycle, different than the one Jase had ridden the day before, this one was the same make, but the color was a deep vibrant red with black accents.

  “We’ll take the SUV today,” Jase told her, taking her palm and guiding her to the far end and the deep green vehicle with tinted windows.

  Brea looked over the smaller sports car, the two motorcycles and the large SUV, her head shaking. She knew exactly how Alice felt at the moment and she just wasn’t sure she’d landed her feet at the bottom of the rabbit hole yet.

  45

  “Be careful,” she said to Nick, waiting until he met her gaze, surprise there as he nodded and slipped the helmet over his head.

  “You’re worried for him,” Jase led her to the passenger door, judging her height and the seat and nodding before striding to the driver’s side of the SUV.

  “I worried for you yesterday,” her head shook as she settled into the well-padded seat, the belt snapped into place. “I don’t know how to protect myself let alone bringing both of you into the mess.”

  “We’re probably a little more capable than you imagine, Brea,” Jase grinned at her, started the car and headed toward the drive, the doors all closing behind him as he followed Nick out to the road. They spilt off at the exit, Nick’s hand up in a salute of farewell as he raced toward town.

  “I know. Big tough guys,” she sighed. “That doesn’t make it right. If I just knew why someone was after me, maybe it wouldn’t seem so crazy.”

  “If what they wanted mattered, you would have sold everything and left town, like the notes ordered,” he commented casually, guiding them along the road toward the town fifteen minutes north.

  “I’m not good with being ordered around,” she murmured, glancing up at his laughter. “You two are….happy. It’s nice.”

  “Don’t be fooled, Brea. I think he only stopped hiding my coffee because you’re there,” Jase told her with a shake of his head. “Sometimes business stuff makes us…..far less than happy. Right now we’re adding staff because all our people are assigned and we’re getting more requests. Which is good for business.” 46

  “What kind of business? Do you like it?” Brea shifted to the side, watching him.

  She noticed the scar going front to back just beneath his ear and about two inches long. She noticed the way the thick strands of colors feathered against his head. Colors from deep gold to light brown to sun streaks of blonde. His hair was center parted and fell in a straight mass, only the cut keeping it under any kind of control. She’d seen that this morning when they both came to breakfast fresh out of bed.

  “We do. It was a challenge to set it up and mostly operate it from the house.

  We’re having an office built but it has a few days to go before we can start using it.

  Occasionally one of us, or both will take on an assignment, at least we did in the beginning,” Jase recalled thoughtfully. “We still take assignments now and then, but we hire contract people and make them permanent as we can afford the expansion. And we provide specialized security teams for hire. Something we learned a lot about in the military.”

  “Sometimes you two seem to move as one unit and other times,” Brea laughed.

  “You’re so very different.”

  “Our parents swore we should have been born twins,” he admitted with a laugh.

  “I can picture you making them both crazy. Although my mother was convinced little girls were pure devils incarnate,” she recalled with a little laugh.

  “Somehow I can’t picture you being a handful.”

  “They never put me into a label so I never thought along lines of boy or girl and went for it all,” she smiled at the look on his face. “And I’ve got the scars to prove it. I miss them,” she whispered painfully.

  47

  Jase wasn’t sure how to fix it and wrapped his palm around hers, letting her grieve. In six weeks, she’d lost all the things that mattered to her. Someone was trying to isolate her, he realized sharply. Like prey in the forest.

  He carried her palm to his lips, kissing the center before lowering his hand to his thigh.

  “A wild child, huh? And here we thought you were a sweet innocent girly type,” he teased, guiding them along the morning traffic to the large grocery store set behind the coastal road.

  “Girls can be wild, too. I think it was mostly the sneaky part that annoyed them,” she said, swiping at her face and sliding to the ground when the SUV was parked. “It really didn’t make sense because they denied me little, but it felt more….exciting…if I didn’t ask or tell them in the beginning.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Jase watched her stride, long and with the slightest sway that made the male in him growl low and hungry. The jeans he’d bought rode low on her hips and his mind was picturing her in a good pair of boots on the bike with him.

  He’d work on that one.

  “I never thought of it as being deliberately sneaky,” she protested mildly, aware of him striding at her side as she gripped a cart and pushed it along in front of her.

  “Of course not,” he said with a chuckle. “So what don’t we have at the house?” He kept his voice light, casual, all the while watching to see what attention her presence attracted. With both towns being so close, whoever was intent on hurting her could come from either one.

  48

  “Oh, a few things…and you’re almost out of coffee. I miss blending it. It’s like being a mad scientist…playing with spices and different beans,” she looked up to see his expression and laughed. “Don’t worry. I won’t ever fool with your coffee. I know how vital it is to some systems,” she wrapped her hand impulsively around his arm and hugged before moving forward and finding things she wanted.

  They were standing at the young woman finishing bagging the things when he leaned into her throat, his lips moving next to her ear. He’d put his palm around hers when she pulled her debit card free to make the payment and forced it back into her wallet, his replacing hers with a smile at the woman watching them.

  “If you simmer the temper, I’ll exp
lain that we’d rather you didn’t leave a paper trail like using your debit card or credit cards until we figure out who’s causing the problems, Brea,” Jase couldn’t resist the tiny nip in the fragrant skin, just below her ear.

  She knew he’d kept his voice low on purpose, his words only loud enough for her to hear. She also had seen how he watched people, how he stayed close and how he’d put his hand at her waist with a possessiveness she’d never known before. She knew body languages and psychology and knew he was sending a message to anyone watching them.

  A warning that said she was no longer an easy target.

  Jase sensed the new wariness in her. She watched him, head tilted as he loaded the bags into the back of the SUV.

  49

  Chapter 6

  “A problem, Brea?” He closed the wide door and waited, meeting the curious gaze. “One of the key rules in our house is communication. We’re not mind readers.

  Hell, most males are lucky to figure out what’s in their own heads, let alone the head of an intelligent, quick witted female.” He was relieved when the corners of that teasing bow twitched before she gripped her cheek with her teeth.

  “Why are you doing this? Both of you. You don’t know me,” she repeated from the recurring argument in her mind. An argument spreading to other parts of her as she tried understanding them and their behaviors.

  “Frustrated white knights?” He opened the door for her, closing it before striding around the vehicle.

  “Riding to the rescue,” she murmured when he was behind the wheel, a little petulant sound in her voice at the next question. “Have you done it before?” He heard the suspicion. Even a tiny hint of jealousy that made him smile.

  “Never. And probably never again. You’re unique, Brea.”

  “You’re both so very good with those words,” she said, still watching him.