by Lori Sjoberg
Austin didn’t say a word until the front door closed behind Ryan. His gaze caught hers, and the hunger in his eyes made her heart skip a beat or two. But instead of picking up where they’d left off, he stood and crossed to the stove, where he picked up the frying pan and dumped it in the sink.
“Sorry about that. My brothers have a habit of showing up uninvited,” he said as he scrubbed the pan to within an inch of its life. “I guess that’s my fault for giving them keys and the code to the alarm.”
“It’s okay. Let me help.” She started to get up, but he waved her off.
“No, don’t worry. It’s a one-person job.” He dumped the pan in the strainer to dry and loaded the mugs and plates in the dishwasher. When he turned to face her, his expression was unreadable, and she missed the fire in his eyes. “We better get going before anyone else makes an appearance.”
Chapter Nine
NINA STARED OUT the truck’s passenger side window, barely aware of the scenery zipping by as Austin drove them toward her apartment.
With a silent sigh, she dragged one hand through her hair, still damp from the shower. Off balance didn’t even come close to describing the way she felt inside. She had no idea what to do about her brother, or how she was supposed to handle this…thing going on between her and Austin.
Honestly, she didn’t know what to call it. At the moment, he was back to treating her like an employee, which was annoying as hell but it might be for the best. He was her boss, after all, and mixing business with pleasure was a sure-fire recipe for disaster. If she had a lick of sense, she’d follow his lead and act like nothing ever happened.
She’d lost her purse last night and neither of her roommates was home, so she had to stop at the front office of her apartment complex to get a copy of her key. In a way, she was thankful that no one was around, because Dorcas and Shailene would have wanted to know why she’d spent the night with Austin, and she honestly wasn’t prepared to share the whole sordid story with them yet. Like most of her friends and acquaintances, she hadn’t told them about her brother. But after what Ivan had done, they had a right to know, especially considering her mere presence might put them in danger.
Once inside, she went to her room and changed while Austin waited in the living room. When she came out of the bedroom wearing jeans and a red blouse, he was on the couch, watching one of the cable news shows and sipping a cup of coffee. Just looking at him gave her heart a swift kick, and she tried her best not to let it show.
“I helped myself.” He raised the mug to take another sip. “Hope you don’t mind.”
“No, not at all.” She sat on the opposite end of the couch to put on her boots. In addition to her apartment key, she needed to get new keys for her car, post office box, and one other that Austin wouldn’t be happy about. “It occurred to me while I was getting dressed that a copy of the office key was on my ring. I’m sorry.”
If the news bothered Austin, he didn’t let it show, which came as a relief to Nina. “It’s nothing for you to be sorry about. I’ll have one of the guys re-key the front door when they have time. Until then, I’m not going to worry about it. We’ve got an alarm, and if anyone gets past that, they’ll have to deal with Wade.”
He had a good point there. Wade lived in the converted storage area above the warehouse, and God only knew what he’d do to someone who dared to invade his turf.
Curious, Nina asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to Wade? I’ve heard all kinds of wild rumors around the office.”
A number of the guys who worked on the company’s security details were big fans of conspiracy theories. And because no one knew how Wade got the scars on his face, they’d come up with their own wild ideas. She’d heard it all: knife fight, explosion—hell, even alien abduction. After listening to all of those, she suspected the real reason would pale by comparison.
Face grim, Austin gave her a long, troubled look as though mentally debating what to tell her. “Wade used to work as a field agent for the DEA. You knew that part, right?”
She nodded. That bit of information was common knowledge to the employees.
“His cover got blown while he was working on a case. Barely made it out alive. His partner wasn’t so lucky. That’s all I can say because that’s all I know. He doesn’t like to talk about it. If you want to know more, you’ll have to ask him.” Finished with his coffee, he crossed to the kitchen and placed the empty mug on the counter. “Come on, we better get to work.”
By the time they reached Six Points, it was almost eleven o’clock. Ryan wasn’t there—he must have already left to meet with the starlet—but Ty’s Camaro and Larissa’s SUV were parked side-by-side in the lot. When they walked inside, no one was in sight, but a second or two later, Larissa emerged from her office down the hall and hurried in their direction.
“Oh, thank God you’re okay.” She pulled Nina in for a quick hug.
Nina slanted a glance at Austin. “I take it you told them what happened.”
He shrugged, not acting guilty in the least. “She wanted to know why we were going to be late, and she always knows when I lie.”
“Damn straight I do.” Larissa drew back and gave Nina a long, appraising look, as though searching for signs of injuries. “You didn’t have to come in today, you know. Especially not after what happened.”
“It’s okay. I’d rather stay busy. I’ll just need a few minutes to cancel my credit cards and order a new driver’s license.”
“Of course,” Larissa said with a nod. “Whatever you need.”
Austin stepped closer and placed his hand on her shoulder, and a bolt of awareness shot through her. “You should have seen her in action last night. When the shit hit the fan, she was pretty badass, like some kind of pixie ninja.”
That wasn’t the way Nina remembered things happening. Twisting her neck, she peered up at him and cocked one eyebrow. “Pixie ninja?”
Larissa laughed. “You have to admit it sort of fits. You’re a little on the small side, and you’ve got the short, blonde hair. And I don’t know a guy in this office who’s willing to mess with you when you’re angry.”
“She does need training, though,” Austin added. “On the mat as well as at the range. It’s not good business for a security company to have employees who can’t load a gun.”
“I know how to load a gun. Now.”
He made a derisive noise while he gave her shoulder a subtle squeeze. “Not good enough. By the time we’re finished with your training, you’ll be Pixie Rambo.”
“I don’t know if I like that any better.”
The front door opened and Nate stepped inside, her small purse in his left hand.
Momentarily stunned, Nina’s gaze went from Nate to Austin. “You sent him to look for my purse?”
Austin shrugged, as though it was no big deal. “I figured it was worth checking to see if it was still around.”
“Thank you.” She caught it when Nate tossed it to her. “And thank you too. Where did you find it?”
“In the dumpster behind the club. There’s not much in it, though. Sorry.”
“That’s okay.” The bag carried an odd, funky odor from being inside the dumpster. Ignoring the stench, Nina unzipped the purse and peered inside. Her license and keys were tucked in the side compartment, but her cell phone, cash, and credit card were missing. Looking up, she offered Nate a smile. “At least I got my license and keys back. That’ll save me a trip. I appreciate you going out to look for it.”
He acted a little embarrassed when she gave him a hug. “No big deal. Just doing my job. If you need anything else, let me know.”
As Nate walked away, Austin’s phone sounded. He glanced at the screen and frowned.
“I better take this.” He turned toward his office, the phone pressed to his ear.
Larissa offered her a gentle smile. “Could you come to my office once you’ve got everything taken care of? We need to touch base on a few things before we start on the software update.”<
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“Yeah, sure, no problem.”
After Larissa left, Nina went to her office and put on her sweater because one of the guys had cranked the thermostat down to a temperature fit for polar bears. While her computer powered up, she called her credit card company to report her card stolen. Some jackass had already used it to buy eight hundred dollars’ worth of crap at Target, but the woman on the other end of the line assured her that the charges would be reversed and a new card was being mailed today.
The phone was more of a pain to deal with. She didn’t have insurance for it, so she was on the hook for the price of a new one. Whoever had her phone wouldn’t be able to use it, though, and that gave her a small measure of satisfaction. The password was damn near impossible to break, and after three unsuccessful attempts—or if anyone tried to put the phone back to the original factory setting—it was programmed to release a virus that would completely destroy the hard drive.
Finished, Nina logged onto her cloud-based account where she kept a backup of her text messages. It took a few minutes, but she finally found the one she was looking for, and she used her office phone to dial the number on the screen.
Her brother picked up on the third ring.
“Who is this?” Ivan said in the tone of a man long accustomed to giving orders.
Just the sound of his voice pissed her off. “Your sestra. You know—the person you tried to kidnap last night.”
The line went quiet for a few seconds. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re referring to.”
Nina rolled her eyes so far back in her head, it was a wonder they didn’t stay there. “Don’t play stupid, little brother. I can tell when you’re lying. Besides, I recognized your goons.”
He made a low sound of annoyance. “If you did as you were told, I wouldn’t have to take such measures.”
For a split second, her vision flashed red. As a child, she’d seen her father employ the same tactic, shifting the blame for whatever he’d done to some other unfortunate person. She could only imagine what Ivan had done to the men who’d failed to follow his orders.
The last thing she wanted was to be overheard, and it took everything she had not to raise her voice. “Is that what you call drugging me and shoving me in the trunk? They shot at me, Ivan. More than once.”
“According to my men, they were fired upon first.”
Nina let out a frustrated sound, silently wishing she could reach through the phone and smack the living daylights out of him. “You’re missing the point here. You’re my brother and I love you, but this is my home now. I’m not going back to California. Ever. The sooner you get that through your thick skull, the better off we’ll all be.”
The line went silent for so long she started to wonder whether he’d hung up on her. At last, he spoke, and his voice sounded low and lethal. “You’ve forgotten your place, Antonina. You have responsibilities to your family.”
“Bullshit. Those responsibilities died the day Papa pawned me off on a monster.”
Ivan sighed, as though growing tired of arguing with a petulant child. “You know as well as I do there’s only one way to leave the family.”
Body tensing, her breath caught in her throat. She knew damn well what he meant by that statement. “Is that a threat?”
“No, it’s the truth.” His voice softened. “I don’t want to fight, and I don’t want to see anything happen to you. Come back to the family. Mother misses you. I miss you. We can offer you so much more than a secretarial position at a security company.”
She bit her tongue, choosing not to correct him. Experience had taught her time and again that it was better to be underestimated. “Do us both a favor. Forget that you found me. In the end, it’ll be better for everyone.”
She disconnected before he had a chance to reply and scrubbed her face with her hands. Not good. Not good at all. She could see the train wreck barreling in her direction, and she had no idea how to stop it.
No, that wasn’t quite true. There was one way to avert the disaster: she could move to a new town, change her name and appearance, and hope that Ivan didn’t find her again. She’d done it once before. She already had a bag packed in her apartment, complete with two changes of clothes, a handful of fake IDs, and ten thousand dollars in cash, just in case anything like this ever happened and she needed to leave in a hurry.
Only she hated the thought of abandoning the new world she’d created for herself. For the first time in years, she felt like she truly belonged. She had friends, a job she enjoyed, and hope for the future. She didn’t want to leave all that behind.
And then there was Austin. Just thinking about him made her heart lurch. She wasn’t quite sure what was going on between them, or if anything would ever come of it, but the idea of never seeing him again left her cold and empty inside.
Chapter Ten
AUSTIN WALKED TO the rear of the building where the gym was located and changed into workout shorts and an old T-shirt that he kept in his locker. Even though he’d barely slept, his body hummed with restless energy, still pissed over what happened to Nina last night and keyed up from kissing her this morning.
What the hell was he thinking, mauling her like that? He hadn’t been thinking, and that was becoming more and more of a problem. The woman was like Kryptonite to his normally iron-clad self-control. His hormones took over every time she was around, and that shit was simply unacceptable if he wanted to maintain a working relationship.
With no one else in the gym, he powered up the sound system and programmed his favorite hard rock playlist. Not bothering with tape or gloves, he worked the heavy bag, the repetitive thuds mixing with the grinding beat of Godsmack. He’d rather be punching the men who’d harmed Nina, but for now this would have to do.
When he finished, sweat covered his body and dampened his hair, but he still felt edgy, irritated. Unsatisfied. It reminded him of his time in the Marines, and the similar feeling he used to experience on the nights before a big mission. He crossed to the treadmill, hoping a good run would calm his troubled mind.
He’d been at it for about thirty minutes when Ty came in, dressed in gray sweats and a black T-shirt. He was drinking one of those energy things, and as soon as he finished, he tossed the empty can in the trash.
As he passed, he gave Austin a nod. “You up for sparring, old man?”
“I’m always up for kicking your ass.”
He was taller than Ty and outweighed him by a good forty pounds, but truth be told, the little shit was a force to be reckoned with when it came to hand-to-hand combat. He’d been practicing martial arts since high school and competed in a number of local tournaments. And because he was so good, he had more trophies than he had shelf space to display them.
Austin powered down the treadmill and removed his shoes before he stepped onto the blue foam mat. His brother was waiting, doing some sort of stretching thing that he always did prior to a match.
He glanced up at Austin and grinned. “Prepare for an ass-kicking.”
“In your dreams.”
Ty snorted. “My dreams are a lot wilder than that. Usually, they involve a hot brunette with questionable morals and lots of flexibility.”
“Figures. That’s about the closest you get to a woman these days.” He brought his hand up and curled his fingers in a come-here gesture. “Okay, hot shot. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
No sooner had the words left Austin’s mouth when Ty delivered a lightning-fast blow to his side. Ty followed it up with a kick that he managed to block, and then Austin countered with a punch to the solar plexus. The air left Ty’s lungs in a whoosh, and before he got the chance to recover, Austin wrestled him down to the mat and pinned him face-first.
“Best two out of three?” Ty said, sounding winded.
Austin laughed, a little winded himself. “If you want more abuse, I’d be happy to give it.”
He pinned Ty again, but it took a bit longer this time, and his brother managed to land a few blows that
would probably leave bruises.
“Had enough?” Austin released his hold on Ty.
Still looking a little dazed, his brother shook his head. The side of his face was red from where it had been pressed against the mat. “Are you kidding? I’m just getting started.”
Austin shook his head as he offered Ty a hand. He had to give the guy points for tenacity. After hoisting him up, Austin paused when he saw Nina walk past the open doorway, tapping away on her tablet.
“Hey, Nina,” he called out as she disappeared from sight.
A second or two later, she backed up and peered into the room. “Yeah, what?”
“Come in and leave your shoes by the door.”
She glanced down at her boots and then gave him a confused look. “Why?”
“We’re going to show you a few self-defense moves so you’re ready the next time someone tries to shove your ass in a trunk.”
“It’s okay; I got some pepper spray from the supply closet.”
Ty scoffed. “Pepper spray wouldn’t have done shit for you last night.”
Her face scrunched up in apparent irritation. “You don’t know that for sure.”
Austin arched one eyebrow to convey what he thought of her statement. “Come on, it’s not like we’re going to hurt you. There’s nothing for you to be afraid of.”
Forget irritation; now she looked downright offended. She cocked one hand on her hip. “I’m not afraid.”
“Then prove it. Take your shoes off and get on the mat.”
As expected, the challenge was enough to spur her into action. After she set down the tablet, she leaned against the wall, tugged off her boots, and padded to the sparring mat.
Sick bastard that he was, he loved the way fire lit her whiskey eyes. Despite his best efforts, he smiled. “Okay, let’s start with what happened the other night. The guy grabbed you from behind, right? Was it like this?”
He wrapped his arms around her, and the feel of her, soft and warm against him, had him close to groaning out loud. Her hair smelled of his shampoo; her skin wore the scent of his soap. The urge to nuzzle her neck was almost overwhelming, but he somehow managed to resist it.
