Latvis Security Services

by Lexie Ray

  Someone cleared their throat, and it took them both a moment to realize that the sound had come from the door. They both snapped up, Gwen remembering half a second later that she needed to keep the bag pulled up over her chest. Even on his knees, Mads’ head almost brushed the ceiling. Apparently, unlike Gwen, he didn’t carry most of his height in his legs.

  Mads lifted one hand. “Please, do not get up.”

  Jamie was close enough to feel Gwen blush.

  “I did not mean to intrude,” Mads continued. “And we waited as long as we could.”

  Jamie dragged a hand through his hair. “Mads, how long you have been there?”

  “Approximately five seconds,” Mads said.

  “Great. What were you talking about?”

  “We waited as long as we could, but the need for a hospital cannot be put off any longer. I just wanted to inquire if you will be accompanying us or if, perhaps, you would like us to leave a few snowmobiles at your disposal.”

  “I didn’t mean to oversleep,” Gwen said as she pulled discreetly at her top.

  “He’s not being passive aggressive. He’s legitimately asking.”

  “I know that you have a fondness for camping, and you appear to be quite content where you are. We can stay for an extra day or so.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “Very well. I am happy to see you both in good spirits.”

  With a polite nod, Mads turned to scurry back through the entrance. He paused when Gwen called out to him. She seemed to be having trouble meeting his gaze. Instead, she focused more on the way her fingers clutched and scrunched the sleeping bag.

  “I hope this doesn’t give you reservations about your offer. I can assure you that I am a professional and–”

  “Pardon the interruption, but I am terribly lost.”

  “The job offer you made,” she prompted.

  A slight smile crossed Mads’ face, small but full of warmth. “Are you agreeing to the offer? I do not have the contract on me, but I am sure we can sort through the paperwork later. Welcome aboard.”

  “So, you don’t mind?” Gwen said. “Good. Thank you, sir. I can assure you it won’t happen again.”

  Mads paused for a moment, sorting through what she had said before deciding upon an answer. The silence only made Jamie’s gut churn. Last night had been incredible, at least for him. It wasn’t exactly pleasant to hear her so readily dismiss it.

  Mads sighed as if truly disheartened. “That is a shame.”

  “Sir?”

  “Well, I had held hopes that the two of you might find a way to each other. It is a pity that this will not be the case.”

  Gwen’s brow furrowed as she gaped at him. “You want us to get together?”

  “I believe you would make a splendid couple.” Noticing her expression, he gave her a dismissive wave. “Please do not mistake me. You are highly qualified, and I truly want you to join my association. But on a more personal level, I wish to see Jamie happy, and you are the only one to turn his head in years. Also, as a side point, Jamie performs far better when given healthy competition. In the past, that task had fallen to Daren and, to a lesser extent, Jai.

  “Now that they are both in relationships, they have limited time to engage in meaningless competition, and Jamie’s morale has suffered for it. Your personality is quite beautifully matched to his.”

  Gwen blinked slowly before chancing a glance at Jamie. He could only shrug.

  “Mads loves love.”

  “You don’t mind if your subordinates date?”

  The question made a little sliver of hope unfurl in Jamie’s mind.

  “Not at all. I had thought that I had made all of this clear during our interview. I am sure the fault is mine. I am known for not being as articulate as I could be.”

  “By who?” Jamie said. “Who tells you that?”

  “People,” Mads said.

  Jamie shifted his attention to Gwen. She looked downright shell-shocked.

  “We’ll catch up with you guys a bit later,” Jamie said. “Oh, can you tell Gawain and the boys I’ll buy them a round later? Make up for them waiting around.”

  “Dwayne has already been spreading those rumors,” Mads said with a smile.

  With that, Mads left as swiftly as he had entered, disappearing like no more than a strange illusion. Gwen was still staring blankly at where he had been standing when Jamie turned back to her.

  “Did that actually just happen?”

  “Yeah. Mads has that effect on people,” Jamie smiled.

  “All this time, I didn’t have to choose?”

  “I told you both were on offer.”

  She snapped around to face him. “You never said I was allowed both.”

  “Well, now you know. So, the only question is, do you want both?”

  The air rushed from his lungs as Gwen pushed him down against the earth. She crawled on top of him, a sly smile stretching across her face.

  “Is that a yes?”

  “I may need some convincing,” she teased.

  He met her halfway, hungrily taking her lips as his hands searched for her skin. His heart was thundering when they parted, and she pressed her forehead against his.

  “I don’t suppose you came prepared with another condom?” he asked.

  “Typical Navy,” she sighed as she reached back into the first aid kit, her eyes shining with mirth. “Never prepared.”

  HOME

  Chapter One

  Willow Miller couldn’t get over how much Sophie had grown. Rebecca’s little girl was now starting to show the woman she was going to grow into. Sitting on the floor of the flower shop, Sophie sprawled out her gangly legs and devoted all her attention to playing with Willow’s dog, Brahms. It was going on a year since Mads had presented Willow with the little fluff ball, and he still only answered to Lithuanian commands. In the beginning it had annoyed the hell out of Willow. But her fumbling over his native tongue always made Mads smile, which took the sting out of it a bit.

  Rebecca entered the shop in a whirlwind of energy, catching Willow by the counter as Sophie called out a greeting and ran straight for Brahms.

  “How long are you guys in town for?” Willow asked as she continued to arrange another bouquet from the flowers she had pruned that morning.

  “Maybe longer than anticipated.” Rebecca grinned, shifting with barely contained energy.

  The second Willow looked back up, Rebecca thrust her hand out, almost smacking it into Willow’s jaw in her haste. Even as Willow recoiled, she spotted the slim gold band. It if wasn’t for the shine, the engagement ring wouldn’t be all that eye catching. It was a simple, thin band with a diamond embedded in the center like a little droplet. It was small enough so that Rebecca, a rodeo trick rider, could wear it even as she worked. It was perfect.

  “Daren proposed?” Willow snatched up Rebecca’s wrist and dragged her closer.

  “More or less,” Rebecca laughed. “He was too nervous to get the words out, so he sort of made a strange, gargled noise and handed it to me.”

  Willow smiled and shook her head softly. Put Daren into a situation where someone might actually die and he was a force to be reckoned with. Most other situations, he was so shy that he came across as angry and cold. But put him next to Rebecca and he was sweet, gentle, and absolutely, hopelessly, devoted.

  “It’s beautiful.” Willow smiled as she released Rebecca’s hand. “Congratulations.”

  Rebecca eyed the ring for a moment longer, stroking it with her thumb as if she couldn’t quite believe it was there.

  “How’s Sophie taking the news?”

  Sophie was, in Rebecca’s words, the only good thing that had come out of her first marriage. From the little that Willow knew about it, the childhood sweethearts had naturally grown apart and, inevitably, had parted ways. From that point on, Sophie’s father had been little more than a memory and a holiday card, when seemed to be the better option for all involved, although Willow had taken c
are not to ask Sophie about it. They didn’t have that kind of relationship, where possibly reopening an emotional wound was acceptable for bonding.

  At first, Willow had thought the idea of being thrust into fatherhood so early in a relationship might be too overwhelming for a man as shy as Daren. In actuality, Sophie had taken to him almost instantly and it had only been a heartbeat later before Daren was on board. But it was a big step to go from where the couple was now to legitimately and legally having him become a parental guardian.

  Rebecca smiled wistfully and leaned against the counter. “She went with him to pick it out.”

  “He wanted to get you a silver one,” Sophie called out.

  Rebecca’s brow furrowed. “How long have you been listening?”

  “You talk really loud,” she shrugged.

  Her mother huffed an indulgent sigh as Brahms and Sophie started a tug-of-war fight over a rope toy.

  “And for the record, I think Daren’s going to be a great dad. He already does most of the dad stuff anyway.”

  “Well, then,” Willow said. “Congratulations to you both.”

  Sophie spared them a moment to smile broadly, thanked them, and then went straight back to focusing all her attention on Brahms. The women turned back to their conversation a second before the store door slammed open. Dwayne barged in, expertly maneuvering his massive bulk through the door without hitting it. He wrapped his huge arms around Rebecca and pulled her off of her feet. Spinning in circles, he released a booming whoop.

  “You’re marrying Daren!”

  “I know,” Rebecca laughed.

  “I’m going to be the best man, right? Rebecca? Huh? Huh? Becky? Babe?”

  For a man who looked like he could bench press a car, Dwayne had a personality more in line with a puppy. Rebecca laughed as he continued to spin them around.

  “Daren chooses the best man,” Rebecca gasped.

  “Yeah, but you can make him choose me. Come on, he’s going to pick Mads if you don’t intervene. Can you image the bachelor party that guy would put on? We’d be going to the opera or something. Maybe sitting in smoking jackets in his parlor talking about politics. Right? Rebecca? Willow, back me up?”

  Willow rested her forearms on the table. “Are you trying to get me to tell you if Mads has a smoking jacket?”

  Dwayne stopped spinning. “It really seems like he would.”

  “Why would I know?”

  “You’re his drinking buddy.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Right. Like you guys don’t head to his place for drinks after work.”

  “So we have some conversations.”

  “While drinking,” Dwayne pointed out as he threw Rebecca over his shoulder fireman style. “That makes you a buddy who drinks with him. I wonder what a shorter way of saying that would be.”

  Willow rolled her eyes.

  “See that feeling right there? That’s you acknowledging that I’m right and you’re wrong. Get used to it.”

  “You are right. I know exactly how many, smoking coats Mads has.”

  Dwayne’s face lit up, Rebecca almost forgotten in his eagerness to learn new information about his boss. He had an almost obsessive need to learn about Mads. By nature, Mads was sophisticated, controlled, and measured. He was almost the exact opposite of Dwayne’s childlike exuberance and the difference fascinated Dwayne. Willow was also pretty sure that there were some unresolved daddy issues that Dwayne had latched onto Mads to fulfill.

  “How many? Are they made of purple silk? I can see them being purple silk.”

  “Well,” Willow said in a hushed whisper. Dwayne leaned forward. “I’m not going to tell you. That feeling right there? That’s disappointment. Get used to it.”

  “No, it’s betrayal,” Dwayne snapped. “Rebecca, defend me.”

  “I’m not exactly sure what you want me to do.”

  “Make me best man.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Fine. Maid of honor then.”

  Rebecca pushed herself up and tried to angle herself to see his face. “You want to be my maid of honor?”

  “Who else have you got? Lying, deceitful Willow?”

  Furrowing her brow, she stared at him. “I have a life beyond you and the boys. You get that, right?”

  “Now, now, don’t lie. It sets a bad example for the little one.”

  “I think you’re just digging yourself deeper here, buddy,” Willow chuckled.

  “You’re no buddy of mine,” Dwayne said with heightened dramatics.

  The small bell above the door chimed to announce Daren’s arrival. He and Dwayne had worked together for years. It had left Daren with a very high tolerance for the towering man’s antics, and he didn’t even bat an eye to find his wife-to-be draped over his workmate’s shoulder. Instead, he just shared a sweet, almost bashful smile with her and moved on with his intended conversation.

  “Has anyone seen Mads?”

  Dwayne’s humour instantly ebbed away. “He should have been back from lunch an hour ago.”

  Daren didn’t say anything and the tension mounted once more. It had become more and more common for Mads to disappear without a word, something unheard of before Mads’ past had come back to haunt him. He didn’t talk about it much, but by piecing together his numerous slips, a picture had begun to form.

  The son of a count and a classical musician, Mads had been born into a life of privilege. In most of the stories Willow had heard him tell of his childhood, his life had seemed downright enchanted—crystals and ballrooms and everything drenched with a decadent beauty. It had all been shattered when a stalker had targeted his mother.

  No one could shut down like Mads. It had taken years for Willow to even get to a drinks-after-work basis with him, and longer still before the drinks moved from his office to his home. A few months after that, he actually gave her a tour of his home. Before that, it had been a direct path from door to living room, with an occasional trip to the rest room across the hall.

  When something personal hurt him, Mads guarded it like Cerberus guarded the gates of Hades. But Mads was crafty. He could keep you at arm’s length while making you feel like you were his closest friend. Willow had actually recently met several people who believed they knew Mads better than anyone else in the world. She had coaxed each of them to describe his character. Not one of them had matched. So, as much as it gnawed at her, it seemed like the natural order of things that she knew even less of his life after the stalker had made themselves known.

  What Willow knew was fuzzy at best. She knew that Mads’ parents had been abducted, but how and when were still a mystery. She knew it had broken him, and she suspected he had never fully pieced himself back together. From there, Mads’ life became a tale of isolation, manipulation, and misery. And that was just the little bit he had felt compelled to tell Willow when they went back to the Scottish castle where Mads was raised after his uncle gained custody and sent him away.

  If his uncle was to be believed, the confinement had been out of a misguided attempt to protect Mads. As Mads told it, his uncle craved power and money and wasn’t above imprisoning him to take advantage of his noble title and inheritance. Willow hoped that the answer lay somewhere in between.

  When the photographs had started arriving, she had thought it was intended to unnerve her. Dozens showed the same woman, one she had never seen before. It had never occurred to her that the woman was Mads’ missing mother. Ever since the connection had been made, Mads was torn between his life-long desire to find his parents, and his crushing fear that closure would robe him of the rage that had kept him going for all these years. The internal battle had led him down a path of ever increasing self-destruction.

  Coming back from her thoughts, Willow found that she was now the central focus of the room. She was the only one who was looking at Daren.

  “What?” she asked.

  “What are you still doing here?” Dwayne shot back.

  Willow sigh
ed. “Daren’s the one he’s closest to.”

  “But you’re the only one that can speak Lithuanian,” Dwayne said.

  “I know a few commands for my dog.”

  “I’m sorry,” Rebecca cut in. “Why is being bilingual a factor here?”

  Dwayne leaned his forearms against the counter and began to tap the toes of one boot against the floor. “Mads tends to revert back to his mother tongue when trashed.”

  “He does?”

  The towering man tried to keep his one shoulder shrug casual. But Willow knew him well enough to know the love and respect Dwayne had for his boss. Armed with that knowledge, it was pretty easy to see the layers of worry that simmered under his dismissive air. His eyes fixed on Willow, silently begging her to somehow change things. It was a lot of pressure to put on someone who had only just earned her way to kitchen privileges.

  She grabbed her jacket and tossed Dwayne the store keys. “Close up when you’re done.”

  By the time she rounded the counter, Dwayne’s smile had grown too big and mischievous to be trusted. She plucked the keys out of his massive palm and handed them to Daren.

  “Hey!”

  “You can play with Brahms.”

  While his offense melted away as he sat down next to Sophie on the floor, concern still made his shoulders as tight as stone.

  Chapter Two

  Willow hated parking in front of Mads’ place. The townhouse was part of a long series of fine houses. Cars that probably cost as much as the property itself clogged the street parking and she was always worried that she’d end up scratching one of them. The only empty spot she found was four blocks away, leaving her with a walk that felt several times longer in the bitter cold. Winter was setting in quickly and she had yet to get her more appropriate clothes out of storage. Her light jacket put up a feeble defense against the icy wind.

  Mads’ house was silent as Willow jogged up the short flight of steps that led to the front door. Her knock went unanswered. That had become common lately and made her gut twist. Mads wasn’t one to lightly give up on manners and proper procedure. Skipping a day of work was one thing. Not answering phone calls was more concerning. Ignoring a guest was a cry for help.