by Dale Mayer
Rhodes stared at her. “I know you love the guy, but surely he doesn’t get that much special treatment.”
Blushing furiously, she scooped up one of the upside-down buns for his plate too. Levi looked at her, and she chose the biggest she could find for him.
He grinned. “She already knows who’s the boss.”
“You shouldn’t be eating them now. They’re too hot.”
After a snort from Dakota, the guys moved to the dining room, but there was only silence at first, followed by moans. She turned toward Alfred, grinning wildly. “May I get you one?”
He motioned to the upside-down sticky buns. “Only a half.”
She took one of the sticky buns, cut it in half, slit it open, spread cream cheese icing on the open cut and sat down at the small table to share it with Alfred. Listening to the three men gorge on the cinnamon buns, the two of them sat in complete silence.
When he was done, Alfred whispered, “The best I’ve ever had.”
Inside a smile unfurled, and she was sure it was the first time since her husband had died.
*
Dakota closed his eyes and inhaled the cinnamon buns. He would never say anything to upset Alfred, but, swear to God, this was the best damn cinnamon bun Dakota had ever had. He wasn’t too sure what to do with the upside-down one, but he was game. As soon as he tasted the sugary flavored syrup all the way through the inside of the bun, he was hooked. He didn’t slow down until both were gone. He stared at his empty plate and glanced over at Rhodes and Levi. Both were staring at empty plates.
Rhodes lifted his eyebrow. “Any chance of seconds?”
Dakota wasn’t sure why Rhodes asked him, but, since Bailey had made them, Dakota might be the best bet to getting more. “I guess we’ll have to find out,” he said with a grin. He grabbed his plate, walked back into the kitchen to see Alfred and Bailey enjoying a cup of tea together. He held out his empty plate and, in his best Oliver Twist imitation, said, “Please, ma’am, may I have some more?”
Her face lit up.
He grinned. “They’re delicious.”
She hopped to her feet, saying, “You’re just looking for a sugar fix.”
But she cheerfully plated another cinnamon bun for him. He stood and waited. She looked at him and said, “You can’t possibly eat a fourth, can you?”
Smirking, she gave him one of the upside-down ones, and he quickly disappeared into the dining room.
He had to make his way past Rhodes and Levi, both standing with their plates out. He could hear her laughter in the kitchen as she served them. He hadn’t a clue she could cook like this, but she’d certainly found a way into everyone’s hearts. The fact that Alfred was hurt, and likely shouldn’t be in the kitchen at all, made her arrival all that much more perfect.
He refilled all three mugs of coffee, and the men sat down again. “I presume the intruder is in our jail?”
Levi nodded. “He is. But we don’t have any ID. He’s got nothing on him. Will you move his vehicle into the garage when you’re done eating?”
“Will do. See if that will tell us anything.”
“If we weren’t so short on men, we’d be out there right now. Everybody’s off on jobs. It’s left us a little defenseless at home.” Levi shook his head.
“But how can you tell how many we’ll need when you don’t know when you’ll be under attack?”
Just then they heard a vehicle on the rocky driveway. Dakota bolted to his feet. “Who’s driving the truck from the bend?”
“That would be Stone,” Levi said with a smile, as he got a message over his comm. “He left the control room.”
Bailey said from the doorway, “In the capable hands of Ice. She brought Alfred here and then headed back up.”
Just then Stone walked into the kitchen and froze. His nose lifted, and he took one look at the cinnamon buns fast disappearing down his buddies’ throats, and his gaze zeroed in on Bailey. “Is that cinnamon buns?” he asked hopefully. “You didn’t let them eat them all, did ya?”
“No, there are lots left. I promise.”
Stone nodded agreeably. “Good. Could I possibly have a couple?”
She disappeared into the kitchen while Stone sat down beside Levi. “I checked the glove box. No ID, no insurance, no registration papers.”
“Of course. What if the license plates were stolen too?”
“Probably were. The VIN’s been scraped off.”
“That fits. We decided he was a pro. Now it’s a matter of who could afford his wages.”
“The mayor has that kind of money,” Dakota said.
Just then Bailey delivered a large plate with four cinnamon buns from the kitchen and placed them in front of Stone. He took one look, and his smile was so bright it lit up the room. “Do I get double because of my size?” he asked. “Or have these pigs already eaten this much?”
She gave him a gentle smile. “Your size has nothing to do with it. If you need more, you tell me. They’re already on seconds.”
He glared at the men. “You would’ve finished all of them without even telling me they were here, wouldn’t you?”
Levi snorted. “As you would have too, if you’d been here first.” He looked at Stone’s plate. “That’s your first serving. We only got half that, so quit your complaining.”
Bailey smiled and disappeared into the kitchen.
Stone lowered his voice. “What’s with the upside-down one? Did she drop it?”
Dakota snickered. “You should try those first.”
Stone gave him a look of disbelief. “She meant to put it upside down?” He picked it up and took his first bite. And then he stopped, a look of complete rapture on his face.
Dakota realized just how true that adage was. The way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. Still his heart had already been awakened and on alert status when it met Bailey. But to know she could cook like this … Talk about being a keeper.
He almost choked at the word. If ever something meant forever, marriage and permanency, it was that word. Not so much related to this group, but he knew Mason, another SEAL at the Coronado base. Mason’s Keepers group was legendary. And of course Legendary was Levi’s group’s name. Levi didn’t ever want to hear the word heroes used in conjunction with his group, yet there was no doubt about it; the women had coined multiple hero phrases as they had all joined the group. However, Levi probably liked those better than the matchmaking jokes.
Dakota wasn’t sure what Bailey would think about all that yet. Or if she was even interested. He had to question why he was thinking about it. He was interested in her, but he knew she was still hurting from the loss of her husband. Not to mention she was a woman in need. And he’d never leave anyone in need if he could give assistance.
“Next move?” he asked Levi.
Levi laid down his fork, finished his last mouthful, then said, “Mannford will be here soon. He’ll pick up the prisoner and take him to town.”
Dakota nodded. “I know I’m from California and new here, but this is Texas. Any reason we can’t just take him up the hill and shoot him?”
Levi gave a bark of laughter. “I keep forgetting how bloodthirsty you are. If we’d done so at the time, the attack would’ve been completely justified, but we needed information from him.”
“We could just beat it out of him,” Bailey said with a dark undertone from the doorway. She eyed Stone’s plate, checking on his progress. But, since he still had one and a half left, she seemed content to leave him to finish it. “We’re allowed to protect our property in any way, shape or means.”
“That’s correct, but torture is still not an allowable method of defense,” Levi said gently.
Her shoulders dropped. “Right.” She turned and walked back into the kitchen.
Dakota smiled. “She’s been through a lot these last couple days.”
“She’s a trooper,” Stone said, although his words were hard to hear through the cinnamon bun in his mouth. He picked up the las
t bun and ate it in a few bites, setting his empty plate off to the side. “She’s not only a trooper but she can cook. Nice choice, Dakota.”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t a choice.”
Stone nodded sagely. “Isn’t that the truth? When we get hit, we get hit, and we can do absolutely nothing about it.”
“Hey, that’s not what I meant either,” Dakota protested. But the other men weren’t listening.
“Do we trust Mannford?” Rhodes asked.
“We have to trust somebody. He is the detective on the case. And he comes highly recommended by Logan’s father.”
“Gunner? Maybe he could help out Bailey.”
Levi shrugged. “He’s been traveling lately, so I haven’t brought him in on it. Not even sure he’s home.”
“What about the other new recruits?” Dakota asked. “We’re shorthanded anyway. Don’t you have other men you can bring in?”
Levi propped his elbows on the table. “I’ve spoken to Michael several times, but, so far, he’s turned me down.”
“Michael?” Dakota asked. “Do I know him?”
Rhodes piped up. “Michael Hampton. He did his time—left on a very sour note. Hell of a man, hell of a warrior. But his attitude toward the military brass took a hit.”
Dakota snorted. “It did for a lot of us.”
“Indeed. Now he’s resting while he decides what he wants to do with his life. He lives a couple hours from here in a small town in Texas. But nothing is keeping him there. We keep coaxing him to move here.”
“Give him time. It might work out.”
“Maybe. But Michael is like a wall of granite that refuses to move when he doesn’t want to. You”—Levi pointed at Dakota—“would just want to push him along. As for other recruits, there are a few,” Levi said slowly. “We just vetted two more. I’m not sure I have enough work to keep everybody going.”
“And yet look at us,” Rhodes said.
Stone nodded. “The world is in a rough place right now. That’s why we’re so busy.”
A horn honked outside. They turned to the security screen to see a sedan sitting on the other side of the locked gate. Stone got up, walked over to the control panel and called out, “Identify yourself.” As they waited, the monitor revealed the face of the man in the car.
“Detective Mannford.”
“You’re early.”
“I am? Or I’m late. I haven’t been to bed yet.”
Stone hit the buzzer to unlock the gate. It swung wide.
It was a sign of how tired Dakota was that he hadn’t even noticed the sound of the gate closing behind Stone as he drove the gunman’s vehicle inside the compound earlier. They had several remotes they could take out with them if they needed to come back in on their own. It was a good system. Until people lost remotes, which happened a little too often to make everybody happy.
Mannford drove to the back door and parked. Stone walked over, opened the door and said, “You are just in time for coffee and a cinnamon bun.”
“I won’t say no,” the man said, fatigue coloring his voice. “I don’t mind telling you, it’s been a pretty rough night.”
“What’s happened?”
Mannford stopped in the middle the room and looked at Levi. “The mayor’s been shot.”
Chapter 13
“What did you say?” Bailey asked from the doorway. She shook her head, seeing the detective and the exhaustion riding his shoulders. “Did you actually say the mayor’s been shot?” She slowly sank into the closest chair. “But I thought he was the one behind the attacks on me.”
“It doesn’t mean he isn’t the one responsible for that,” Levi clarified. “All we know right now is he walked out his front door and was shot. It went high, through his shoulder. He’s expected to come out of this just fine.”
Dakota piped up. “Cover up?”
Mannford looked over at him and frowned.
“Meaning, it was a deliberate attempt to make it look like he wasn’t guilty? A bullet wound to the shoulder is fairly minor.”
“It’s possible.” Mannford sat down at the long table beside Stone, accepting a cup of coffee. “But it’s too early to tell.”
“That is an extreme measure,” Levi said.
Mannford nodded. “It certainly adds another twist to this tale.” His gaze went from face to face, then over to Bailey. “Anybody here seriously injured?”
“Two,” she snapped. “Merk is downstairs in the medical clinic with a head wound, and Alfred is awake and walking, but he was knocked unconscious and stuffed in the closet.”
Alfred spoke up from behind them. “And I’m fine. I’ll just take it easy today. Then I’ll be right as rain tomorrow.”
She shook her head. “You need at least a couple days off. Not walking around, no sudden standing up, in case you get dizzy.” Her voice was bossy, like a nursemaid, but then she had had lots of practice in the role, and she did keep her voice soft, gentle. She turned back to Mannford. “Would you like a cinnamon bun?”
He smiled at her. “Thank you. That would be lovely.”
She didn’t know what kind of an eater he was so chose one of the normal cinnamon buns as she had twice as many of them and carried it out. Her gaze dropped to Stone’s plate. “You actually ate them all?”
Stone protested. “They were good.” He gave her a crafty smile. “I only had one serving. Do I get seconds?”
She raised her eyebrow. “You still want more cinnamon buns?”
He shrugged his massive shoulders and grinned. “I’m a big guy.”
She returned, but instead of serving Stone, she had put a half dozen cinnamon buns onto a platter and put it in the middle of the table for all the men to help themselves.
As she walked back in kitchen, Alfred whispered, “Turn around.”
She turned toward the dining room to see the platter she had just delivered was completely empty. Her jaw dropped. Her gaze went from one to the other of the men and not one of them looked guilty. Instead they had great big fat smiles on their faces. She turned back to Alfred. “How do you do it?”
He chuckled. “Practice.”
“Will this be enough for breakfast or do we need to cook something else?”
He looked at his watch. “The ladies will determine that. Considering how little sleep most people here got last night, chances are this will do, and then we’ll set up for an early lunch.”
“What’ll we do for that meal?”
He said, “I’d planned on big subs.”
“With French bread?”
He nodded. “Are you up for making some of those? I can sit here and do some slicing.”
She peered around the corner. “What are we going to do, one loaf per male?” she asked sarcastically.
He chuckled. “You know? That’s not a bad idea. That gives each of them three-quarters and their lady friends the remaining one-quarter.”
“It’s too early to get started, but I could do the prep now if you want.”
He shook his head, patted her hand and said, “No. You go lie down for a few hours, then come back here. I noticed you’re moving so much easier, and I’m really happy to see that. Let’s not set you back.”
She stopped and looked down at him in surprise. “I forgot all about my stitches.”
“When we’re busy, we tend to do that.” He slowly straightened. “And I’ll take my own advice and head to my room and see if I can’t sleep for a few hours.” Moving slowly but steadily he left the kitchen.
Bailey joined Dakota and sat down beside him. In a low voice she asked, “Should Alfred be left alone?”
Levi heard her. “We’ll check on him in an hour or so.”
She smiled. “In that case I’ll grab a couple hours sleep too.” She stood up and headed to her room.
With any luck, Mannford would leave with the intruder in cuffs. Then life here could get back to normal.
Whatever normal meant for her now. Still she was happy to leave the rest of the morni
ng to the experts.
She made it to her room, very gently lay atop her comforter on her bed and closed her eyes. She was out almost instantly.
*
Back in the dining room, Levi asked Dakota, “How’s her back?”
“I think she’s used to living with a lot of pain, and she just pushes through it,” he said. “I have noticed her stiff movements, sudden winces. But, for the most part, it’s almost as if she doesn’t fully register the pain.”
Levi nodded. “I did notice.”
“Maybe it’s a good thing,” Stone said quietly. “We would all prefer somebody stoic and reserved, willing to help out when there is a need, than somebody who’ll bemoan their injuries and expect to be looked after.”
“She’s certainly been an easy houseguest,” Rhodes said.
“She’s very lucky she found you guys,” Detective Mannford said. “If she made those cinnamon buns, she’s also a hell of a cook.” He studied the plate, looked toward the kitchen and asked, “She’s not married, is she?”
His tone was just enough that Dakota stared at him sharply. Mannford was in his mid- to late thirties, probably the strong, steady type she preferred. In a way Mannford would be like the husband she lost. The two might be a better match.
Instantly his mind said, Better match than who? And of course he already knew the answer to that question. And just as quickly came the thought, No way was Mannford a better match. Maybe he knew from watching his friends all pair up so quickly, like magnets coming together. As far as he was concerned, Bailey was his. But he wasn’t sure she was ready for a relationship. Although her husband had died a while ago, some people took a long time to get over a loss like that.
“Shall we collect your prisoner then?” Levi asked.
Mannford said, “Yes. Although, if you don’t mind, I’ll sit here and have another cup of coffee and another cinnamon bun.” He eyed the last one still on Stone’s plate. “Unless you need that?”
Stone shook his head and slid it toward him. “I’ll go grab the prisoner.”
Dakota and Stone walked downstairs, where the intruder still sat, tied up in a chair. They released the ties around his wrists and neck, helped him out of the special clips binding his legs and helped him to stand. Then, with one grabbing each of his arms, they walked him upstairs to Mannford.
