by Susan Hayes
“That almost sounds reasonable. All but the part where Mom kills you both for getting married without her, but that’s your problem, not mine. I’m still not sure what you need from me.”
“Jo and I talked about it, and neither of us wants to go if it means leaving Dani alone. You seem to get along with her, and I know that if anything happens, you can handle it. We’re hoping you’d agree to stay at our place while we’re gone and keep an eye on them.”
Dave’s veins filled with ice as the meaning behind Tag’s request became clear. Dani wasn’t staying in Tag and Jo’s lower suite simply because it was convenient. She was still under active protection. Someone out there was still trying to get to Dani and her little girl.
I won’t let that happen.
“I’d be happy to watch over her and Carla. I didn’t realize things were still that dangerous for them.”
Tag sighed, his eyes darkening with frustration. “It shouldn’t be. The son of a bitch they’re running from should be back behind bars for violating his parole, but he’s disappeared. Vanished from everyone’s radar like fucking smoke.”
“He was in prison?” Dave asked, his stomach twisting into a new set of knots.
“For years. He should still be there, but his parents are old money, lots of connections, and somehow they got their baby boy out on early release. Better yet, there was some kind of screw up and Dani wasn’t even informed he was getting out. The first she knew about it was when he showed up at her daughter’s school.”
“Fuck.”
“It was a huge clusterfuck. Luckily, Dani’s smart. She knew his parole hearing was coming up later this year and had already started making plans. When he showed up unannounced, she grabbed her daughter and ran. The people helping her got in touch with me through my new company, and she made her way here.” Tag’s fingers tapped out an agitated rhythm on the desktop. “The system failed them.”
“The system failed them, but we won’t.” A fire started to burn deep inside Dave’s soul. Nothing was going to happen to Dani or Carla. Not when he was around. They deserved to be happy, to feel safe. He was determined to give that to them.
“I’m glad you said yes. I’ve got a few employees that could have done it, but it’s easier this way. Dani already knows and trusts you. After what she’s been through, she doesn’t trust too many people.”
“Can’t blame her for that.” A thought occurred to Dave. “If I’m going to be watching over them, shouldn’t I know who I’m looking out for?”
“Yeah. I offered to fill you in, but Dani asked to do that herself if you agreed.”
“You already asked her and she’s okay with me taking over as watchdog for a few days?” She trusted him to protect them. The news gave him a deep sense of satisfaction.
“After she finished threatening to kick my ass for even considering postponing our getaway, she was fine with the idea of you taking over for a few days. If you’re lucky, she might take pity on you and cook you something besides those sad little microwave dinners that filled your freezer the last time I was over.”
“Says the man who managed to blow up a can of chicken noodle soup in the microwave. Let’s face it. Despite our mother’s best efforts, none of us is exactly domesticated. I suspect that’s the real reason she and Dad bought the bar, so they’d always be able to make sure we were fed.”
“I was fifteen when I blew up the microwave. Isn’t there a statute of limitations on bringing up stupid shit we did as kids? And in my defense, Ben told me it was a microwave-safe container. Of course, the asshole denied it once the kitchen was full of smoke and there were noodles all over the ceiling.”
Dave grinned at his brother. “Revenge can span generations, little brother. Your kid will be older than Ben’s. Make sure you train them well.”
“And Mom thinks you’re the good one…” Tag muttered.
“Mom loves me best. The rest of you just have yet to accept it,” Dave retorted, continuing an argument that would last the rest of their lives.
“In your dreams. I’m giving her a grandbaby to spoil. The rest of you are doomed.”
“After she finds out you’re eloping? I don’t think so. And if you ever tell her I knew what you were planning, I’ll kick your ass.”
“Such love you have for me, bro. It warms the heart.” Tag rapped the desk with his knuckles and got to his feet. “Seriously, thanks for doing this. I’ll make sure you have the keys and everything before we head out.”
“I’m happy to do it. And I’m happy for you and Jolena, too. Now, get out of my office. You’ve got a pretty woman to get home to, and I have a date with Dani’s apple pie.”
After Tag had left, Dave finished up quickly and headed to Leo’s. He needed to talk to Dani and hear her story. He needed to know who was after her. He wanted to get her permission to use his connections to find out what he could about how her ex had gotten out, and where he might be. Most of all, he wanted to know her real name. It wasn’t rational, but he needed her to trust him enough to tell him who she really was.
****
Dani stood at the back door of Leo’s and watched as a thunderstorm tore open the skies overhead. The lightning was bright enough to dazzle her eyes, and each clap of thunder rocked the building to its foundation. It was the most incredible thing she’d ever seen. Thunderstorms weren’t all that common in the Pacific Northwest, and the few they did have were nothing compared to what was she was currently witnessing. The thunder was loud enough that she hardly noticed her phone buzzing in her pocket. It was hard to tear her gaze from the light show going on overhead, but when her phone buzzed again, she pulled it out and scanned the incoming text message.
It was from Tag. Dave had agreed to act as her and Casey’s bodyguard while Tag and Jo were out of town. Apparently Dave was on his way over to Leo’s to talk to her right now. The news sent a bolt of electricity sizzling through her body as if the storm outside had touched her with a tiny lightning bolt. Dave had been on her mind ever since that first night. She knew he wasn’t interested in her that way, but that didn’t stop her heart from racing whenever she saw his face or heard the sexy rumble of his voice. It was the first time she’d felt any interest in a man since Bobby, and she was more than happy to know that her libido wasn’t dead, only hibernating.
She texted back a quick thank-you and slipped her phone into her pocket as the heavens opened and torrents of rain fell from the sky.
The rain made her think of Seattle and a wave of homesickness hit her, making her throat tighten and her eyes sting with sudden tears. They’d been away from her family for more than a month now, and there were times when it felt like she’d been gone forever. She missed her father’s strength and her mother’s wisdom, the comfort of knowing that she wasn’t alone in the world. She’d call them tonight. It wasn’t something she could do too often. The less contact she had with her old life, the harder it would be for Bobby to find them, but tonight she needed to hear their voices and tell them that she loved them.
Everything here was different. There was less green space and far more people. The pace of the city was faster than she was used to, and even the weather was more aggressive, wild storms and sudden heat waves instead of the gentler climate of the Pacific Northwest. The air itself seemed wrong somehow. It had taken weeks for her to realize it was because there was no trace of salt in the air, no hint of the ocean she’d left behind. Living on a lakeshore was not the same as living on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
On a day like today, it was those differences that made her miss her family and left her feeling even more alone.
She was still watching the rain pour down when a silver Audi pulled into the back lot and she spotted a familiar face behind the wheel. David. Her pulse raced at the sight of him, and she sucked in a lungful of cool, damp air to ease the sudden heat that chased across her skin. He got out of the car with the easy grace of a predator, completely ignoring the rain as he walked toward her, his shirt soaked within s
econds so that it was plastered to his skin.
Damn, he was hot. Dani was self-aware enough to know that if there were any chance of her interest being reciprocated, she’d probably run like hell. Life was too chaotic for her to be dating right now, and her taste in men had proven to be more than a little suspect. Crushing on a gorgeous man who lived like a monk was safe enough, though.
Wasn’t it?
Dave arrived at the door with rainwater running down his face and a smile on his lips. “Welcome to spring in Chicago,” he told her as she moved back to give him room to join her under the small awning.
“Are the storms always like this?” she asked, sweeping her hand in an arch to describe the bruise-dark clouds overhead.
“This is actually a pretty tame one. Wait until the wind is so bad it’s throwing the hail sideways and the thunder rattles the fillings in your teeth.”
“Tame? I’m a West Coast girl. This doesn’t seem very tame to me. Our storms usually come in the winter, not suddenly materialize out of the clear blue summer sky.” She pulled the bar towel she kept tucked into her apron loose and offered it to him. “It’s mostly clean, and you look like you could use a little help drying off.”
“Thanks.” He took the towel and scrubbed it over his face and head, then laughed. “And now I smell like…burgers?”
“You’ll have every dog in the neighborhood following you home tonight, lucky man.”
“It’s a good thing Chase isn’t allowed inside or the mutt would be all over me.” He handed back the towel before running a hand through his tousled hair, smoothing it into damp spikes.
“Ben and Kelly aren’t here tonight. In fact, it’s pretty quiet. I think the storm sent most people home early. The only Wilde here is your dad. Your mom offered to watch Carla tonight, so you’ll be able to eat in relative peace.”
“How quiet is it?” he asked, and for some reason the tone he used made her heart skip a beat and her stomach flutter.
“It’s not dead, but the rush seems to be over. Why do you ask?”
“I was hoping to steal you out of the kitchen for a while, but only if you have the time. I talked to Tag today. I thought you and I could talk about the weekend after next, and what I need to be watching for.”
She nodded. “Of course.”
This was the part she’d been dreading. It didn’t bother her to tell the story of what happened to her and Casey that night. It was the way people reacted to it, and to her, after they knew the details. She hated seeing the pity in their eyes and the way they either faded out of her life or tried to wrap her in bubble wrap and protect her from everything. She wasn’t made of glass and didn’t need anyone’s sympathy. Most people didn’t understand that.
“Have you eaten?” he asked.
The question caught her off-guard. “Uh, no. I was going to, but I got distracted watching the storm.”
He cocked his head to the side and was silent for a moment before speaking. “Will you have dinner with me? We can grab a booth at the back and talk and eat at the same time.”
“Sounds good. What do you want to eat? I’ll whip up something for us both and join you out front.”
“Have one of the others make it. Come sit with me.”
For a second she thought he was going to reach for her hand, but instead he pointed down the hall toward the entrance to the pub. When she hesitated, he furrowed his brow and shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest in a way that made his shirt tighten across his biceps in a distracting fashion.
“No arguing. Even I let my staff take breaks, and I’m the mean brother, so I know damned well Jared gives you plenty of breaks that you probably never use. You’re going to sit down and relax, Dani. I have a feeling you don’t do that often.”
“I doubt you do it often, either. Your family is convinced you’re a workaholic. From what I’ve seen, I’d say they’re right.”
His frown deepened, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips as he cocked a brow at her. “What did I say about arguing? Take your apron off, Chef. You’re on a break.”
“You sound like your dad,” she muttered, but she reached behind her to undo the tie on her apron. A break did sound like a good idea.
“It’s a cop thing.”
“Nope, it’s a Wilde thing. Your brothers do it, too. I don’t know how your mother puts up with you guys.”
“She doesn’t put up with us. She rules us with an iron grip.” He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Don’t tell her I said so, but we’re all afraid of her.”
“Ha!” Dani laughed. “She’s a sweetheart.”
“Remind me to tell you the story of how my parents met, and how she had to save my dad from her stalker by breaking a vase over the bad guy’s head. I’m hoping Tag’s kid is a girl…and takes after her grandmother.”
The mention of his brother’s name reminded Dani of why Dave was here, and what he wanted to talk to her about. “You can tell me over dinner. I’ll let the staff know where to find me and put in an order for your usual.”
“I have a usual?” he asked, looking perplexed.
“The last few times you’ve been in you ordered the same thing, a pulled pork sandwich, light on the sauce, with a side of extra-crispy fries.”
“How’d you know that?”
She grinned up at him. “You’re the only person I know, besides me, who likes their fries that way.”
“A woman of good taste. I knew I liked you for a reason. I’ll go say hi to Dad and snag us a booth. See you in a minute.”
With that, he was gone, leaving Dani standing in the hallway, still trying to figure out what had just happened. He’d said he liked her. What did that mean? And was he actually flirting with her? She was so out of practice, she couldn’t be sure. Besides, Dave was supposed to be a devout bachelor—one who’d asked her to join him for dinner.
“You’re imagining things, girl. He doesn’t date, and even if he did, men that look like him don’t date chubby, single mothers with violent exes stalking them. Not even in your wildest dreams is that happening,” she murmured to herself.
Dani headed back to the kitchen to put in her order and let the others know she was on break. She barely resisted the urge to grab her purse so she could touch up her eyeliner or put on a quick coat of lip gloss.
There isn’t any point because this isn’t a date.
Chapter Four
Dave settled into one of the more private booths near the back of the bar and sipped his beer while he waited for Dani to reappear. He used the moment alone to try and puzzle out how the hell a simple plan to get a few details from Dani about her ex had turned into the two of them having dinner together. Not that it was a date or anything. She was on her break and they were in the middle of his family’s business. It was definitely not a date, and yet somehow he felt like it was more than just a casual conversation. He had to admit he was looking forward to spending time alone with her.
This is not a date. If it were a date, I’d of taken her somewhere a hell of a lot nicer than this place. Dani deserves better than watermarked tables and polished brass bric-brac.
He frowned into his brew. Where the fuck had that thought come from? “I’m losing my mind,” he sighed to himself and took another drink.
A murmur of masculine appreciation came from somewhere to his right and he glanced up instinctively, expecting to see a pretty stranger, only to find Dani walking across the well-worn hardwood floor toward him, her every move attracting admiring gazes. Jealousy flared hot in his gut, and before he knew it he was on his feet and walking over to meet her, glaring at anyone who dared to look at her.
“Uh, hi,” she said, looking up at him with a slightly confused expression when he finally reached her side. “Something wrong?”
“I wasn’t sure you could see me tucked in the back corner,” he said and gestured past the curve of the mahogany bar to the booth he’d picked out. Dave could only hope she didn’t call him on his rather lame expla
nation. Without another word, he gestured toward their seats and set a gentle hand on her to guide her back to their table.
Dave waited until she was seated before he sat down himself, a display of manners that he didn’t normally concern himself with. Whatever was wrong with him, it was getting worse by the minute.
Dani had brought a drink with her, ice water by the look of it, and she was toying with the straw while the silence stretched out between them, marred only by the occasional boom of thunder.
Now that the moment was here, Dave didn’t know how to ask what he wanted to know. She wasn’t a suspect to interrogate, and he didn’t want to treat her like a victim. Somehow, he knew she wouldn’t appreciate it if he did. Finally, he went with a simple question. “What’s his name?”
“His name is Robert Blackstone the Fourth, Bobby to his friends. When Casey isn’t within earshot, I tend to call him the bastard.” She winced. “That’s my daughter’s real name, by the way. Casey, not Carla.”
“Casey suits her better than Carla. I take it her last name isn’t Walker, either? Carla and Danai Walker. Did you know there’s an actress on that zombie show named Danai? She’s a bad-ass survivor with a katana…” He cocked a brow at her. “But you knew that, didn’t you?”
She grinned. “I did. I love The Walking Dead. When it was suggested I create a new identity for us, I couldn’t think of anything better than two survivors on the run from a mindless monster.” Dani held out her hand to him. “I’m Daniella Moore. You can keep calling me Dani, though. It’s what everyone has always called me.”
He took her offered hand and laughed, amazed at her ability to find humor in the situation she was in. The more he got to know Dani, the more interesting she became. “It’s nice to meet the real you, Daniella. I promise your secret is safe with me.”
“I know I’m safe with you. Casey and I both are.”
She withdrew her hand from his, her fingers grazing his palm with a delicate caress that heated his blood while her words kindled a different fire in the cold depths of his heart. At that moment he knew he would never allow anyone to hurt her or Casey ever again.
