by KD Jones
“Oh...my...God!” Elsa burst into laughter from her seat on the bed. She laughed so hard she nearly fell off the edge.
“It’s not that funny,” Felix said as he walked over to the dresser. He glanced at his reflection and cringed. “I look like a sixty-five-year-old retiree.”
Elsa laughed again. He glared at her. “I look like an idiot. I stand out like a sore thumb.”
She snorted, then stood up and walked over to him. Aside from the blond hair, she really wasn’t anything like Bridgette. Bridgette always wore flimsy, feminine clothing to accentuate her curves, and all her confidence was purely outward and fake. Elsa moved with a confidence and strength that came from the inside. She was feminine, too, but didn’t overdo it, naturally sensual in her movements.
What he liked the most was how her mind worked. She thought logically about a problem, working it from every angle to find the quickest and surest answer. He’d seen her call Kalen on his bullshit, and she always seemed to speak her mind without sugarcoating it. Even her laughter at his expense made Felix want to loosen up his usual tightly wound attitude.
There was no doubt that she was a very beautiful woman, especially with those blue eyes of hers, but it was more than her looks that appealed to him—it was everything. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted any woman. It made him realize that being with Bridgette had been almost entirely the result of being lonely after the loss of his parents. What he was beginning to feel for Elsa almost scared him in its comparative intensity.
“You’ll be fine. Just keep the hat over your face and walk a little hunched over. That should fool anyone watching out for a young, hot doctor, at least for a little while.”
He perked up despite himself. “You think I’m hot?”
She didn’t answer, just handed him the hat and turned away, headed to the main door. “I’m going to check on Kalen. The others should be arriving anytime now.”
“Elsa…”
She stopped at the door but didn’t turn to face him. “Yes?”
“I—thank you for keeping me alive...for risking your life to protect mine. If it weren’t for you and Kalen, I would probably be dead.”
“It’s my job.”
“When this is all over, and I’m free...I would really like the chance to spend time with you.”
She turned to look at him then. “We don’t know each other.”
He moved towards her, one slow step at a time, like a lion stalking his prey, trying to make sure not to scare her off. “I want to get to know you, though. I’m certainly attracted to you. If I’m not mistaken, you’re attracted to me, too.”
Elsa looked away from him. He needed her honesty. He cupped her face and gently turned her to face him. “Am I wrong?”
Their eyes locked and he saw his answer before she spoke. “You’re not wrong, but this can’t happen. I’m the bounty hunter with a contract to bring you in.”
He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “I know.”
“I have a job to do, and I will turn you over to the authority.”
“I expect no less.” He leaned down and kissed her. He had to, her lips were just too tempting.
Felix expected her to push him away, but she opened right up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. The taste of her made every cell in his body light up with desire. He placed his other hand on her waist and pulled her to him. The feel of her against him was so right. The kiss was soft and sweet and perfect. And then it turned very, very hot.
She moaned and everything male in him roared with pride. He pressed her back against the door and leaned into her. When she bit on his bottom lip, he actually growled. That sound had never come out of him before. He had never wanted someone this much. It was insane, but…
A pounding on the other side of the door had him jumping back. She sighed. “That shouldn’t have happened.”
“I’m not apologizing,” he told her. He wanted to say something else, but the pounding against the door again stopped him. He turned away as she opened the door.
“What the hell, Elsa? Let me in, these bags are heavy,” a man with dark curly hair and a short beard grouched as he pushed his way through the door.
“Isaac, did you bring everything you own?” Elsa asked, stepping back to give him room.
The man named Isaac was carrying three big bulky bags under each arm, plus a backpack.
“Can I help?” Felix offered.
Isaac looked confused, then smiled, handing a bag to him. “Thanks, man. These things are pretty heavy. The rest of these jerks didn’t offer to help carry anything at all.” Isaac motioned with his head toward the door.
A pretty brunette woman walked in next, followed by a man in sunglasses, both wearing leather jackets and leather pants. Kalen followed them in, and when he spotted Felix in his horrible golf attire, he smiled. It was the first real emotion Felix had seen from the cool, collected businessman bounty hunter since they first met.
Elsa introduced everyone. “Felix, this is Isaac James, our IT guy. And Jade and Blade Ross.”
Jade looked him up and down. “So you’re the dangerous perp that all these hired mercenaries are trying to take out?”
Felix shrugged. “That’s me.”
Jade and Blade both broke into laughter. He wasn’t sure if he should laugh with them at the sheer absurdity or be insulted. He couldn’t do anything about the situation, so he shrugged it off.
Elsa moved to stand next to him and he felt...better, like she was on his side. “Did you run into any of the mercs while you were out?” she asked Kalen.
“I saw the same SUV that was circling the area before,” Kalen admitted.
“And we think we saw another truck at the station with another group of mercs,” Jade told them as she sat down on the bed.
Felix wanted to ask a million questions but he just stood there and watched how Elsa interacted with the others. He was pleased to note she didn’t seem interested in any of the other the men other than professionally. The woman, Jade, kept watching him. Though he’d sometimes been accused of being oblivious, he did know when a woman was checking him out and she was definitely checking him out. He wasn’t the only one to notice. Elsa stepped even closer to him.
Kalen cleared his throat, “Isaac, how long will it take to get surveillance set up to track the mercs?”
“I need two hours to set up my equipment. Then I’ll send out my drones to start tracking the first SUV.”
Elsa frowned. “But we know of at least three vehicles with an unknown number of mercs in them.”
“Once I lock down on the first SUV, I’ll be able to pick up who they call. When they call their partners, I’ll then be able to lock ontp their whereabouts, too. We’ll be able to track them and listen to their calls. I’ll know who they’re talking to, what is being said, and basically their every move.”
“Is that legal?” Felix asked. It all sounded quite illegal to him.
Blade snorted. “You killed your wife, and spying on mercs bothers you?”
He glared at the other man. “I didn’t kill my wife.”
“Someone did, and you’re the only one the authority is looking for.”
“I haven’t been charged with anything,” Felix pointed out.
“Yet,” Blade commented.
“Enough!” Kalen stepped between them.
Felix hadn’t even realized he’d moved toward the bounty hunter. What in the world was he thinking? The man was clearly dangerous, and while Felix was in decent shape, he was certainly no match for someone like this.
Blade ignored Felix as he turned to Isaac. “What do you need me to do?”
“Put my drones on the rooftop while I set up my monitors.” Isaac handed two bags over to Blade.
“I’ll help,” Jade said, getting up and opening the door. Blade tried to hand her a bag but she snorted. “I don’t carry the bags.”
“You’re no help at all, Jade.”
“I help plenty, just not with carrying the bag
s.”
Kalen shut the door behind them, but their arguing could still be heard from inside the suite.
Isaac sighed with relief. “They’ve been arguing like that the whole trip.”
“It must make it difficult to work with your spouse in such a dangerous field,” Felix commented.
Elsa laughed, “They’re brother and sister. Twins, actually.”
“Oh.” That explained why their hair color and eye color was so similar.
“Come on, Felix, let’s stretch your legs while Elsa helps Isaac set up the monitors.” Kalen opened the door and motioned for him to follow. Felix looked at Elsa for clues, but she seemed just as confused as he was. He didn’t really have much of a choice.
“Okay.” He followed Kalen out of the suite, wondering what was going on. Was Kalen going to take him in to the authority early? Kalen gestured him toward the elevator. When they got inside, he pushed the button for the lobby level. “What’s going on?”
Kalen didn’t look at him as he spoke. “I thought we would go to the bar and have a few drinks to relax while we wait.”
“Couldn’t Elsa have come with us as well?”
“She could, but it would have made it awkward.”
“Made what awkward?” Felix asked, now even more confused. He froze in place when Kalen stared him directly in the eyes.
“When I question you about having touched her. I could scent the arousal in that room and so could everyone else.”
Oh shit.
Chapter 10
Elsa paced back and forth while Isaac lay on the floor under the desk hooking up his monitors. “Where are they?”
“Setting up my drones takes time. They need to be careful not to break any of the pieces, especially the receivers.”
“I’m talking about Kalen and Felix.”
“Hand me the wrench,” Isaac ordered her.
Elsa walked over to the bed where Isaac had placed his toolbag and pulled out a wrench. She handed it to him absently. “It’s been, like, forever since they left. Do you think Kalen tried to take Felix to the authority on his own?”
“I would be severely pissed if he did. This took a lot of time to set up. Besides, he’s probably doing the brotherly talk.”
“What do you mean?”
“We all could see how much heat there was between the two of you. You’re the queen of cool and to see you melting around that man is a bit disturbing.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“We could hear you from the other side of the door going at it. I thought you were having sex, but Kalen scented the door and reassured us you weren’t there yet.”
Oh my God. This was so embarrassing. “We didn’t…”
“I don’t need details, honey. I’m just letting you know what Kalen is up to. He’s having a talk with our perp to make sure that he understands that you’re off limits...at least until his name can be cleared.”
“That’s not his place.”
“You’re part of our family, and even though both you and Kalen are two of the more antisocial members, we always protect family.”
“Damn it! He wouldn’t bother if it was you and Felix.”
Isaac dropped his wrench and bumped his head on the desk. “First off, it would not be me and Felix in that scenario…he’s not my type. Second, if I was getting hot and heavy with a female perp, you would probably be the one giving the talk.”
“That’s…”
“Family.
He might have a point. Vic and Jagger had hired a good group of bounty hunters and they had all worked so closely with each other over the last few years, they were like a big dysfunctional family now. A family with access to handcuffs, guns, and Kevlar vests.
“If Kalen hadn’t taken Felix out for the talk, I would have,” Isaac told her matter of factly.
She looked down at Isaac, still half under the desk, and felt a warm feeling spread inside her at how much they all cared. This level of care, though, was unnecessary. “I can handle myself.”
“I’ve seen you in action, and when it comes to hand-to-hand combat or a shootout, I have no doubt about that. But you’ve just gone through a break up! You’re vulnerable. You meet an attractive man and he’s all in need because it seems like he’s being framed for something he didn’t do, of course you can’t help but be sympathetic.”
“I’m not a fool and am not so easily tricked,” she told him, crossing her arms, offended.
“You don’t have any family here to help look out for you. Let us fill in for you.”
She really had no words to respond to that. Elsa turned so that he wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes. It was quite touching, and it was making her more emotional than she felt comfortable expressing in a work environment.
“I need the larger wrench,” Isaac told her, letting the subject drop.
She wiped away her tears and reached into the tool bag. “Here.” She handed it to him. “They better get back here soon.”
*****
Felix sat the bar next to Kalen, neither saying a word except to order a drink. Felix usually didn’t drink except with dinner, but after that uncomfortable elevator ride, he sat down and immediately ordered a drink, and then another. He charged it to the room, not worrying who was picking up the bill.
“I don’t know what she was thinking. Elsa is usually much smarter than this,” Kalen said, taking a swig of his expensive beer.
Something in his tone had Felix feeling defensive and wanting to defend Elsa. “She is smart.”
“Not if she gets involved with a murderer.”
“Damn it! I didn’t kill my wife. I have devoted my entire life to saving lives, not taking them.”
Kalen turned to face him and his piercing eyes looked right into him. Felix held his gaze and didn’t turn away. Finally, Kalen grunted before looking away.
“This could ruin her reputation. You should appreciate that, given how badly this situation is messing up your life. It will do the same to hers.”
He hadn’t considered how bad getting involved with him could be for Elsa. Felix didn’t like the idea of her suffering because of him. “Take me in, then.”
“Well, that’s the problem, Felix. If we take you directly to the authority, you probably won’t live long enough to even be questioned.”
“Why do you care?”
“You’re not really a perp, technically, and I admit there’s every possibility that you didn’t kill your wife.”
“I didn’t,” Felix insisted under his breath.
Kalen ignored him and continued. “The original plan was for Isaac to track and monitor the mercs and let us know when it was safe to turn you in, but I think there’s another option.”
“What’s that?”
“Use you to draw the mercs out. If we can eliminate the guys after you, it will reduce the danger you’re in.”
“What do you mean by eliminate?”
Kalen shrugged. “We usually try to capture people alive, but I can’t promise anything. They pose a threat to my team and we have the right to defend ourselves.”
This was a bad option. He didn’t want Elsa and her friends putting themselves in danger and he certainly didn’t want to give approval for them to go out and kill because of him. That wasn’t who he was. He was determined to think of something else, but until then he would see what Kalen had in mind.
“What’s your alternative plan?”
“Isaac will track and monitor the mercs tonight. Then I’ll call the lawyer that hired us and tell him we’re taking you in tomorrow afternoon. We’ll set a trap for them, get them all in the same location, and then neutralize the threat.”
“It sounds risky.”
“Everything’s a risk in this profession.”
“Not in mine.”
“Once the threat is eliminated, we’ll take you in to the authority. They’ll question you, but your lawyers should be able to get you released if they have as little proof as you say. Could
take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, but once you’re in lock-up, it will be very hard for whoever is trying to kill you to get to you.”
“Unless they have someone on the inside,” Felix muttered.
“That could happen, I won’t lie.”
“I kind of wish you would lie...just a little.”
“The sooner we neutralize the threat and get you to the authority, the sooner your name can be cleared. Then you and Elsa will be free to pursue whatever you would like to pursue.”
He had a point. It would also give him and Elsa time apart to sort out their feelings. Well, he knew what he was feeling. He wanted Elsa, wanted to spend time with her, talk with her, do other intimate things, delicious things. What if she didn’t feel the same thing?
“Does Elsa...I mean, does your boss have a rule about getting involved with cases?”
“There’s no real rule, it’s just frowned upon. One of our bosses married a woman he once had to track down, so there are allowances. Are you planning to marry Elsa?”
He felt his whole body stiffened up in surprise at the question. “It’s too soon to even think…”
Kalen laughed into his beer. “Easy, man, I’m just giving you a hard time. That’s my job and duty. Elsa doesn’t have any family out here, so we’re her substitute family.”
Well, it was good to know that Kalen thought of Elsa like a sister. “What exactly do you need me to do for this plan of yours?”
Chapter 11
“No way!” Elsa exclaimed as she paced back and forth. Kalen had just told her his brilliant plan of using Felix as bait to draw out the mercs. She couldn’t let that happen; Felix wouldn’t know what to do if things turned ugly. He could get injured.
“It’s the best way to deal with the threat,” Kalen growled, a rare show of frustration from him.
Isaac stepped between her and Kalen, holding up his hands. “Look, my drones are out searching for the mercs now. It could take a few hours. Why don’t we leave Elsa here to guard Felix while the rest of us get something to eat in the restaurant downstairs?”
