by Tonya Brooks
"The hell I can't," he denied and pulled her against his side again. "Until Brett catches this psycho, I'm on you like white on rice."
She crinkled her brow at the euphemism and asked, "What does that even mean?"
"You've just acquired a full time shadow," Brett said with a grin, more than pleased that John had taken the bait. Keeping an eye on his woman should keep him out of the investigation. He just hoped like hell that the bad boy and the stalker never crossed paths. Even if he was the most laid back and easy going of the brothers, John had a vicious temper and he was just as lethal as the rest of the family.
"Oh, no," she flatly denied and pulled away from him. There was no way that she could handle spending even more time with him. The bad boy had already gained her trust and if she wasn't careful, he'd steal her heart as well. "Don't even think about it."
"Nothin' to think about, darlin'," he said confidently. "It's done."
"Bullshit," Cyn flatly denied and poked her fingernail into his rock solid chest. "I do not need a bodyguard."
John placed a finger over her lips and leaned in close to say, "Love that sassy mouth, darlin', but now ain't the time. We will have a come to Jesus talk, but right now I need to know what Brett plans to do."
Cyn threw her hands up in exasperation. "Fine," she snapped and stalked over to the bar to grab a bottle of water. Come to Jesus talk. White on rice. Colloquialisms like that made her realize that even though Florida might be located in the south, it did not make her a Southerner. She felt like she had wound up in a different universe with a man determined to play her hero.
A hint of a smile curled her lips at the thought. It was so damn sweet of John to want to protect her, though. Not that she was going to let him get away with it. No, the bad boy was too full of himself to begin with. There was no way in hell she was going to let him start bossing her around. No way in hell that she was going to let him into her heart either.
John kept his eyes on her while he and Brett discussed the safety issues. Cyn would be well protected at the house, but he couldn't keep his eyes on her all the time at the club. That meant he was going to need his brothers and band mates to help watch her while he worked. Damn. Maybe he should hire a bouncer for additional security.
“Have you considered it might have been the stalker who slashed your tire?” Brett queried.
“No,” he admitted in surprise and then thought to ask. "Why would he?"
"As I recall you and Cyn made quite a spectacle the night before," the chief reminded him. "My guess is that seeing you with her enraged him to the point that he slashed your tire in retaliation."
Which made sense, but still... "If he's been here that long, why wait until now to let her know?”
“Maybe he was trying to blend in and look like a regular customer so no one would suspect him,” the chief suggested. “He already sees you as a threat, so watch your back, John. Until we catch this guy I'd rather be overly cautious.”
“Damn straight,” he readily agreed and really hoped the sick bastard tried coming after him. That's one body that'd never be found. He'd make damn sure of that.
~~~~~
While Brett dusted the Wrangler for fingerprints, John started leading Cyn over to his truck. "What are you doing?"
"Taking you home," he said as if that should be explanation enough.
Cyn pulled her hand free and stopped. "I'm not leaving my Jeep here."
"I'll have Matt tow it to the garage," he said and reached for her hand again.
Cyn sidestepped out of reach. "For what?"
"To make sure that psycho didn't tamper with it," John said and held onto his patience.
"He never has before," she said in exasperation that he was already going overboard.
"You said he was escalating," he reminded her and took her hand in his. "Not taking any chances, darlin'. From now on you ride with me."
"John, you're taking this way too far," she protested when he opened the passenger door.
"Get your sweet ass in the truck, Cyn."
Cyn was not going to let him walk all over her. Yes, she knew she needed his help, but he wasn't going to smother her with it. They needed to come to an understanding right now. "I will not," she flatly refused and slammed the door shut.
And that was the sound of his patience snapping. John took two steps forward until he had her body pinned between him and the truck. He placed both hands beside her head and leaned down to her face to growl, "Not playin' right now, darlin'."
"No, you're just being ridiculous," she glared right back up at him and refused to be intimidated. Although this aggressive side of him was sexy as hell and her thong was already soaked.
Icy blue eyes narrowed like lasers on hers. "Third and final mistake," he growled and yanked the door open again, fully intending to toss her ass in the tuck whether she liked it or not.
"What the hell were the first two?" Cyn demanded as she placed her hands on her hips and refused to budge an inch. John was going to listen to reason like a rational adult even if she had to whack him over the head with her shoe. Yeah, that sure sounded like an adult discussion.
"You didn't tell me that a psycho was after you," he accused angrily.
"I didn't think there was a reason to," she admitted in irritation. "He wasn't supposed to follow me."
That did not placate John at all. His woman was in danger and she didn't trust him enough to help her. That just pissed him off. "You think I can't protect you," he all but growled.
Her eyes widened at that. "No, that's not..." the protest died in her throat when he stepped back, ripped the shirt over his head and all those gorgeous muscles were on display in the bright sunlight. Her thong was totally drenched now.
"Don't let the image fool ya, darlin'. These guns ain't for show," he said in a tone as menacing as his expression as he flexed both arms and every muscle group individually from chest to abs and back up again. "Didn't get this body playing an axe. Pop drug my ass out of bed five days a week to pump iron and train. My martial arts skills are a hell of a lot more lethal than my bad boy charm."
Cyn just stood there staring at him with her mouth agape and those big blue eyes looking a bit dazed. "Until that mofo is caught, I'm not leaving your side, darlin'. Get used to it," he warned in an ominous tone and tossed the shirt in the cab. "Ass. In. Truck."
John was absolutely livid and he'd gone all protective alpha male on her. It was totally badass and she was so turned on that it wasn't even funny. "God, that was so hot," she breathed and launched herself at him.
John caught her in his arms and she wrapped herself around him as her mouth claimed his for a kiss voracious with need. His hands slid down to cup her ass and she ground her pelvis against him. He backed her against the side of the truck and flexed his hips, pressing his arousal firmly into her heat. Cyn moaned and began to ride him through the layers of denim.
"Cut that shit out or I'm getting a hose," Brett called in exasperation. Unless he missed his guess, the couple had forgotten that they had an audience and were about to commit an indecent act in a public place. Yeah, the stalker was not enjoying this display if he was watching, and he probably was. John was just asking for trouble if he kept baiting the perp like this.
"Shit. Damn. Sonuvabitch," John cussed as he turned and headed back to the privacy of the club with Cyn still in his arms. The woman could light his fire even in the middle of an argument. Goddamn, that shit was awesome.
~~~~~
"Time to come to Jesus," John said seriously.
Cyn sighed and snuggled more comfortably against his side. "Not fair," she grumbled. "You waited until I'm too sated and lazy to argue."
John filed that interesting little fact away for later reference. No doubt he'd have a reason to use it again. "Darlin' you need protection, and I'm it."
"So you're going with me to the nail salon and the mall and to have lunch with the girls?" She queried doubtfully.
"Uh huh."
"And you're
not gonna bitch the whole time or try and talk me out of leaving the house?" Cyn pressed.
"Nope."
She snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, right."
John rolled so that his body was pinning hers and stared intently into her clear blue eyes. "Have I ever lied to you?" He asked evenly.
"Not that I know of," she denied. John was basically a very straightforward person. He had told her things that he'd had no reason to share, other than because he was simply being honest.
"But you doubt me," he pressed and arched one eyebrow.
"Well, yeah," she admitted. "You're such a guy and guys don't do those things. Not without complaining."
He lifted the ebony hair from her shoulder and let it sift through his fingers absently. "Not gonna complain about keeping you safe," he denied. "Not gonna try to keep you in a cage either. That's no way to live."
Her sentiments exactly and she was touched that he had taken that into consideration. "So you're really going to stick with me night and day," she said in amazement.
"Gonna have my eyes on you all day, every day," he assured her and then his grin grew wicked. "Gonna have my hands on you all night, every night."
Now how the hell could a woman argue with that?
~~~~~
"What's up?" Mark asked as he entered the family home and saw his father, brothers and Brett congregated in the living room. The only one missing was Luke since he was on his honeymoon.
John stopped pacing long enough to face them all and announce, "Cyn's got some psycho stalking her."
After a moment of stunned silence, two of the five angry men present began barking questions. Brett explained the situation to the irate group while John resumed pacing. "I didn't find any prints on the Jeep except John and Cyn's," he admitted in disgust when he was through.
"Was the lil gal's car tampered with?" Jed asked his eldest.
"No, but I found some kind of tracking device attached to the undercarriage," Matt said grimly. "So we know how he found her."
"Did it give you any leads?" John wanted to know.
"Tech guys said it was custom made," the police chief revealed. "Either the perp made it himself or paid someone to do it."
"Which means he's either smart as hell or has plenty of money," Mark deduced and wasn't liking the sound of this at all.
"We put the tracker back on the Jeep and we're trying to locate him through its signal," Brett added. "If he turns the receiver on, we might get a location."
"Now that he knows where to find her, why would he bother?" Matt queried.
"He would if she dropped out of sight again," the chief pointed out. "We could put a decoy in her Jeep and send it somewhere remote to see if he takes the bait and follows."
"Not a good idea," Cyn denied as she descended the stairs. "He's methodical and careful. If he's known where I was the whole time, that means he took two weeks to scope things out before he approached me again. He might follow the Jeep, but if he doesn't see me, he'll know something's wrong."
She had a damn good point, which left them with one real option. Brett knew she'd never go for it though. The woman had too much spunk. The way she'd stood up to John had assured him of that. He fixed her with a serious look and said, "The alternative is to keep you out of sight until he gets anxious and comes looking for you."
"I am not hiding out," Cyn informed him in a tone that meant business. "He's disrupted my life enough."
"Don't like the idea either, darlin'," John admitted. "But if we can draw him out..."
"You promised you wouldn't try to cage me," she snapped and stood her ground firmly on five inch heels.
"Goddammit, I want you safe," John snapped right back and seriously regretted telling her that earlier.
Arguing about it would get them nowhere and she knew it. Taking a calming breath, she explained as reasonably as possible, "In my professional opinion, I don't think he'll try to hurt me unless I actually reject him face to face."
"What if you're wrong," he shot back as he crossed the room to her. "He's already killed a damn cat, so why wouldn't he hurt you?"
"He was jealous of the cat because it had my attention and he wanted it for himself," she explained. "He doesn't want to hurt me, John. He wants to own me."
"Cyn's right about that," Brett agreed. "The slashed tire proves you're the one he wants to hurt."
"What?" She gasped in shock as the color drained from her face.
"We don't know it was him, darlin'," John hastily denied. "Brett just said it was a possibility."
"So you knew he might have slashed your tire and didn't tell me," she accused hotly, hands on her hips. Forget being reasonable. She was pissed now.
"Didn't want to upset you," John admitted. Looks like it had been the right call because she sure as hell was pissed now that she knew.
"Holy effin shit!" Cyn exclaimed and plunged both hands into her hair in exasperation. "I need to know this shit, John. I can't evaluate his mental state without having all the facts."
"You know now," he admitted lamely.
"Yeah. I do," Cyn agreed sarcastically and glared at him. "I know that he's targeted his anger at you and that is so not good."
"Better me than you," he countered.
She muttered a string of curses that could put John's foul mouth to shame and shocked every man in the room but him. "There's only one way to fix this mess," Cyn decided. "He can't see us together again. I'm moving out and quitting my job.
"Fuck that," John barked and wasn't about to put up with any shit like that.
"I'm with John on this," Brett interjected. Cyn needed to be where she could be protected and the Baker home was about the safest place he knew of. "You're safer with him."
"Don't you people understand? He was jealous of a kitten," she stressed impatiently. "He killed an innocent kitten just because I showed it attention. What do you think he would do to a man that I'm having sex with?"
"He's not gonna hurt me, darlin'," John denied confidently. "The freak didn't have the balls to confront me so he stabbed my tire like a coward."
True, that did fit the profile, but that didn't mean that she was willing to take any chances. The thought of John being in danger scared the hell out of her. Seeking support, she turned to his father and said, "Jed, tell him to listen to reason."
The family patriarch gave her a solemn look and replied, "Cyn gal, you need to understand that my boys can take care of themselves. I raised 'em to fight and they're damn good at it." He paused to let that sink in before adding, "Taught 'em to take care of women, too. John ain't gonna stay out of this so you best get used to the notion."
"The perp needs to know that you've already got a man in your life." Brett said firmly. "That you're not just some lone female he can easily target."
Cyn was appalled at the idea. "So you'd rather he fixate on John?" She demanded in disbelief.
"I hope he does come after me," John admitted grimly. "When he does, that mofo is going down."
Cyn realized that he meant every word he said. John was going to try and draw the stalkers attention away from her by making himself a target. Her stomach knotted in fear. Without conscious thought, both arms slid around his torso and locked behind his back to hold him close. "I don't want anything to happen to you."
He brushed his lips lightly over her temple and said, "They don't call us the bad Baker boys for nothin'. I'll be fine, darlin'. Don't you worry."
But she did worry about him and that worried her even more. Because that meant she cared about him. That revelation was more frightening than the knowledge that she trusted him. John had already worked his way into her heart and there was no way in hell she could let those feelings deepen into anything more. He was a just a guy that she had hooked up with, and that's all he could ever be.
Her resolve firmly in place again, Cyn released him and headed for the front door. "Then I guess you'd better get your sweet ass in the truck, darlin'," she dared to taunt him with his own words. "We're goin
g to be late for work."
When John hurriedly followed her out, there wasn't a man in the room who didn't know that he had met his match. Jed's grin was well pleased. "Well, I'll be dammed."
~~~~~
"Listen, bro," John told Alex that night when he arrived to DJ the Karaoke contest. "Need you to help me out with Cyn tonight."
"Fuck, yeah," Alex enthused. Now this sounded more like his boy. "Thought you weren't gonna share that ass."
John barely resisted the urge to smack his best friends head. "I'm not," he growled. "Need you to watch her."
The drummer looked at him as if he'd gone loco. "Dude, you know I like watchin', but if I'm not getting in on the action... ouch! What the fuck?" He complained when his boy Gibbs smacked the back of his head.
John glared at him and clarified in short, succinct sentences. "Some psycho is stalkin' her. Followed her here from Florida. Gotta make sure she's safe. Need you watchin' her while she's working. Ya feel me?"
"Yeah, man, I feel ya," Alex agreed seriously. "Gimmie the 411." Once he knew what was going on, he swore, "Won't take my eyes off of her, B. Bad. I got ya back."
In spite of Alex's help, John was on edge all night and he never took his eyes off of his woman as she wound her way through the tables taking orders and joking with the customers. Trying to figure out who the stalker was in this crowd was proving to be a lost cause. Every man in the place was watching her, so that was no help at all.
Hell, he'd even seen Cathy's boyfriend looking at her a couple of times when the waitress wasn't around. Not that John could blame any of them. Cyn was like music in motion. Just watching her move that gorgeous body bathed the corners of his soul with light and chased the darkness away. Holy shit. He was getting all emo again. That shit had to quit before he was forced to turn in his man card.
Chapter Thirteen
Friday, June 6
“Can I help you, ma’am?” Alan Davis asked cordially when a furious woman strode into the police station. Even madder than a wet settin' hen, she was a beauty. He knew for a fact that he’d never seen her before, but something about her seemed awfully familiar.
