Danger and Desire: A Romantic Suspense Anthology

by Kimberly Kincaid

  “Or…?”

  “Or you can stay with me… but I’m about to steal a car.” He shot her a knowing look. “I’m not on any official law enforcement business. If I get arrested, we’re talking grand theft auto, to which you’d be aiding and abetting. Are you sure you want to risk that?”

  Part of him wanted her to choose one of the first two options.

  “No. I’m staying with you.” She grinned. “There’s no telling how many times you’ll get yourself killed if I’m not around to save you.”

  This woman… Living without her was becoming less and less of an option.

  He kissed her hard, then grabbed her hand and pulled her back toward the street. “Let’s go, spitfire.”

  They walked until they came to a covered garage with nobody behind the service desk. Nadine kept a lookout while Wyatt took a set of keys from a hook and found a Honda in the spot corresponding with the hook number.

  Only once they were an hour outside town did they stop for something to eat and to fill the tank. Wyatt paid with cash and kept his head down. They stopped at a grocery store thirty minutes later, and Nadine kept watch as he took the license plate off a rundown vehicle near the very back and traded it with theirs.

  Hopefully, that would keep the good guys off them long enough for them to stop the bad guys.

  They drove toward Oak Creek.

  “I need to get the drive to Kendrick, but Kendrick’s being watched. Approaching him directly isn’t an option.”

  Nadine turned to him. “What if I get the drive to Kendrick?”

  “You know I don’t love the idea of you getting so involved.”

  “In case you forgot, I’m already pretty deeply involved.”

  He blew out a long sigh. “I haven’t forgotten, believe me.”

  “It’s a good plan. You’re a known employee of Linear Tactical; I’m not. They know you were with a woman, but what are the odds any of them would be able to pick me out of a crowd if you weren’t with me?”

  He growled, staring at the road ahead. This wasn’t how he wanted things to go at all. As gratifying as it was to know she wanted to be with him, it would’ve been better for her to call Chloe and get the hell out of there.

  “You know I’m right,” she added after he stayed silent for too long.

  “Don’t rub it in.”

  “It’ll be fine.” She seemed happy as they continued the drive to Oak Creek, like she wanted to feel she was being helpful. What had he done to deserve this woman? He’d spend the rest of his life trying to make this up to her.

  They stopped a few miles outside of town so he could lie down in the back seat while Nadine took the wheel. He video called her from his burner next. “Hold it up, facing the windshield, propped on the wheel,” he instructed. “I want to be able to see what we’re headed toward.”

  She slowly drove through town like nothing was the matter. “Wow, this place is beautiful,” she whispered. “I wish we were here under different circumstances.”

  “Believe me, so do I.” He wished they were in any other circumstance besides putting her in possible danger again. “You’ll follow this street another half mile before making a right.”

  She followed his instructions, and soon they were on Kendrick’s street. “Easy does it,” he murmured, watching through the phone. “His house is on the next block, about halfway down on your left.”

  They hadn’t reached it before he knew something was wrong. “Damn it. Keep rolling. Don’t look toward the house.”

  “What do you see?” she asked out of the corner of her mouth.

  “Two black cars with tinted windows parked across the street. They definitely don’t belong there. That’s the advantage of living in a small town—you know when something’s out of place.”

  “What should I do?”

  “Keep going another mile or so before turning back toward town. Keep it slow and steady.”

  She drove and he watched. The whole fucking town had eyes on it. Through her phone, he spotted at least half a dozen potential threats. Hudson’s boss was definitely counting on Wyatt contacting Kendrick or one of the other Linear guys.

  “What should I do?” Nadine’s voice was soft, steady, but he could tell the strain was getting to her.

  “Keep rolling. I’m watching.”

  She drove another block, then another. There was a red light up ahead. She brought them to a stop.

  “Wyatt.” It was a whisper.

  “Yeah?”

  “There are two guys standing on the sidewalk to the right… they’re watching the car. They’re looking straight at me. I think they might have seen me when I drove through before.”

  Shit. One of Hudson’s guys? “Swivel the phone in their direction so I can see.” Holding his breath, he watched the image change.

  Finally, the men came into view and Wyatt relaxed.

  “It’s a green light,” Nadine whispered. “Should I keep going? They’re still watching me.”

  “No, pull into the first spot you come to and park.”

  “A-Are you sure?”

  “Definitely.” She parked a few doors down from the corner. “Those two men are Zac Mackay and Finn Bollinger. I’m not surprised you seemed suspicious to them.”

  “Why?”

  “If I had to guess, they’re already aware of eyes on them from Hudson’s guys. Then they see a strange vehicle cruising through town more than once…? They might have noticed how you’re holding your phone and recognized it as a way to feed video to another phone. They’re trained to pick up on stuff civilians miss.”

  “Okay. They sound a little scary.” She let out a long, shaky breath. “What next?”

  “How would you feel about delivering a message to them?”

  Chapter 11

  If there was an actual, physical list of things that made Nadine uncomfortable, walking up to two gorgeous alpha-male-looking guys to make conversation would be at the top.

  She tried to tell herself it was better than running through the wilderness, or standing in her house as it caught fire, or listening to what Hudson had planned to do if he caught her.

  But seriously, it wasn’t much better.

  Wyatt’s friends—who, like him, had muscles for days and probably trained like it was their full-time job—glanced at her as she walked toward them, then started talking to each other.

  She knew who they were, but they didn’t know who she was. Would they mock her for daring to speak to them? Were they judging her for the extra fifteen pounds she carried around her waist and hips? Would they even believe her when she told them she had a message from Wyatt?

  If it wasn’t for Wyatt, she would go back to the car and figure out another way.

  A sign reading Frontier Diner hung over the building Zac and Finn headed into before Nadine could reach them. Which of them was which? Wyatt hadn’t said. All that mattered was getting his message right. Maybe she could catch them before they sat down to eat.

  The second she stepped through the door of the bustling diner, her phone buzzed.

  I lost you. Where’d you go? Are you okay?

  She had to smile at his protectiveness, even in the middle of so much anxiety.

  Followed them into the diner. All good.

  She hoped. But it wasn’t bad in the way Wyatt was worried about. She could do this. Wyatt needed her to do this.

  And considering the condition of what used to be her house and the fact that her life was also in danger, she needed to do it for herself.

  She didn’t let herself hesitate, crossing to the booth where the two men sat. Their size practically overwhelmed the table between them, like grown-ups in a classroom trying to fit themselves behind desks used by kids.

  And they were even more gorgeous close-up. Not helpful.

  They looked up at her when she reached them. This was it. This was when they’d wonder why a fat girl would bother to approach them.

  She spoke up before they had the chance. “Excuse me. Um�
�� Cyclone and Eagle?”

  She expected snickers or straight up mockery, but instead, they both sat up a little straighter.

  “Yes,” the darker one with green eyes said.

  “I have a message for you,” her eyes cut to the right, the left, making sure nobody around was listening before she lowered her volume, “from Scout.”

  They recognized the name instantly. The man to her right moved over to give her room. “Please. Sit.”

  She sat down at the end of the booth beside him, took a deep breath and recited what Wyatt had made her repeat a dozen times before getting out of the stolen car. “He wanted me to tell you that the mission went sideways. He has material for Blaze, but tangos are all around. Need non-suspect rendezvous point.”

  That was it. Word for word. Her relief was palpable.

  Would they understand, though? They’d better, since she only half understood what she’d told them herself.

  The man sitting across from her extended a hand. “I’m Zac.” He nodded to the man beside her. “This is Finn.”

  “Nice to meet you.” She shook his hand, then Finn’s. Even knowing Wyatt the way she did, it still came as a surprise when their hands engulfed hers. There weren’t many people who could make her feel small.

  “Is Scout okay?” Finn asked in a low voice.

  “He’s bruised up. Somebody drugged him a couple of nights ago, but mostly he’s fine.”

  Better than fine, in fact. Her cheeks reddened when she remembered just how fine he’d been when she’d been on top of him last night.

  “I’m Nadine MacFarlane.” The men glanced at each other, then nodded slowly. “I met Wyatt last year when Linear Tactical set up security for my friend Chloe. He and I reconnected this week.”

  Reconnected. Canoodled. Had steaming hot sex in a cave. Whatever.

  “I was wondering what the hell was going on,” Finn muttered. “I’ve spotted four different vehicles parked in town… all too close to Linear employees’ houses.”

  She nodded. “Wyatt saw two cars near Kendrick’s house. He thinks the people trying to get the computer drive are watching all of you, waiting for him to show up.”

  Zac nodded. “There was another car near the main turn off of the Linear property. And Aiden said he got some weird hinky feeling about a guy who came in asking about classes a few hours ago.”

  “I trust Aiden’s gut about these things,” Finn said, meeting Zac’s eyes. The two of them were obviously communicating something nonverbally. She wasn’t surprised. They’d all been teammates together in the Special Forces for a long time.

  Zac scowled. “I’ll notify everyone to sweep their residence for bugs and to watch their backs. I’ll take care of the Linear Tactical office and facilities myself.”

  A moment later, both of them tensed and sat up a little straighter, eyes moving to the door.

  Instinct told Nadine not to turn her head to see what all the concern was about. She settled for looking over out of the corner of her eye. There was a man standing near the door like he’d just come in. He was big like the two of them, but that was the only thing that made him stand out.

  “What’s wrong?” she whispered.

  “That’s probably a tango,” Finn explained. “One of the guys from the cars we’ve been talking about.”

  He looked like any ordinary person to her untrained eye. “How can you tell?”

  “For one thing,” Zac murmured, “this is a small town. We know everybody, and he’s new. On top of that, there’s a bulge under his shirt. That’s a weapon. Not exactly uncommon here in Wyoming, but it’s worth taking note of.”

  Wow. They had noticed that about him within seconds of looking toward the door. It spoke to their training, for sure. Wyatt was the same way. He could spot things like that in the blink of an eye, then make adjustments to his actions based on that intel.

  Her phone buzzed with another text.

  Tell Z & F unsub just walked in. He’s carrying.

  She had to stifle a laugh.

  “What?” Finn asked.

  She turned to show them Wyatt’s text. Both men shook their heads.

  “Tell him this isn’t my first day at school.” Zac rolled his eyes. “And not to make me have to come kick his ass.”

  They spotted him already. Everything’s okay.

  Close enough.

  “Wyatt is an overprotective hen,” Finn muttered.

  Zac raised a dark eyebrow. “Sounds like someone else I know.”

  Finn scowled. “I’ll be sure to ask your wife who’s the most overprotective.”

  “Anyway.” They both kept an eye on the man as they leaned toward her. “Tell Wyatt to meet us at Ghost’s place tonight. He knows where it is. Get rid of anybody following. We’ll make sure Kendrick is there.”

  “Okay, I’ll tell him.”

  She didn’t understand exactly what they were saying, but all that mattered was that Wyatt would understand. These men were a team. She should’ve known Wyatt wouldn’t associate with anybody but the best.

  “You head out now. We’ll keep that guy here.” Finn looked past her to the man in question, who was still waiting for a table but also studied them.

  He was there for her, or at least, was tailing her to find out who she was. Maybe he saw her when they drove past Kendrick’s house. Maybe they’d been following Zac or Finn.

  Or maybe this was all paranoia, and she was reading into innocent actions because she expected trouble.

  If she was paranoid, then these trained soldiers were, too. That made her feel better.

  She slid off the bench and stood. Zac stood and before she turned away from the table, he murmured in her ear, “You’re as lovely and brave as Wyatt said you were. Sorry it’s under these circumstances, but we’re very happy to finally meet you.”

  She could feel herself gape as she stared at him. “Wyatt talked about me?” she whispered.

  Zac winked. “Hasn’t shut up about you for months. Thank you for helping him now.”

  She wanted to ask more, but Finn had already headed for the door, arms outstretched. “Tommy! It’s so good to see you, man!” He took the stranger by the shoulder and shuffled him away from the door before the man—who looked surprised and confused—knew what was happening.

  As she hurried out the door with her head down, she heard Finn continue the ruse, “Zac! Come meet Tommy. We went to college together!”

  “Uh, I think you’ve got the wrong person…”

  Zac and Finn kept the man pinned with friendliness while Nadine made her escape. His protests faded to nothing as she hurried back to the car.

  She liked Wyatt’s friends and could see why he called them his brothers.

  She rushed over to the car. “Everything’s okay,” she announced before glancing over her shoulder.

  The back seat was empty.

  Her heart leaped into her throat, threatening to choke her. Had they taken Wyatt? Gotten to him while she was inside?

  Should she run back to the diner to tell the guys? Would that put her in the path of the guy with the gun? What was the right move here?

  The passenger door opened, making her jump. “It’s just me.” Wyatt ducked into the car. “Sorry for scaring you.”

  “Half to death,” she gasped. “What happened? Where did you go? I thought somebody took you.”

  He reached over and grabbed her hand. “I had to make sure you were okay. I couldn’t stay here. I had to be somewhere I could get to you easily if you needed me.”

  She sucked in another deep breath, her heart finally returning to a normal rhythm. “Finn says you’re an overprotective hen. I think I have to agree with him. Don’t put yourself in danger to check on me.”

  “It wasn’t a big risk…”

  “It was a risk, though. You can’t pretend it wasn’t. You were supposed to stay here, out of sight.” She sounded like a mom scolding her kid, but sometimes grown men needed a little scolding, especially when she happened to be crazy about
the grown man in question.

  “You’re worth the risk.” He winked at her.

  All mom-like thoughts fled while a very non mom-like heat filled her body. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “I can think of a thing or two,” he offered with a wicked grin.

  Chapter 12

  “Seriously, Dorian, is it too much to ask for you to get a house where there are street signs?” Kendrick shook his head from where he was setting up his computer at the kitchen table. “Maybe it is. Then how about actual streets?”

  Dorian grinned at the younger man, wrapping his arm around his petite blonde wife, Ray. “You’re mad because your specialized GPS couldn’t find our place. What’s the point in being off the grid if you’re not off the grid?”

  Wyatt sat back on the couch watching the show with his hand resting loosely on Nadine’s thigh. Dorian and Ray Lindstrom had better reasons than anybody for living off the grid. Until recently, they had lived even farther out in the wilderness.

  If Kendrick had a hard time finding this house, he would’ve never found that one.

  The fact that Ray and Dorian had moved so much closer to Oak Creek—about thirty miles away—spoke volumes about how much their lives had changed since they had reunited.

  How two jagged, broken people could heal each other.

  Knowledge of this new location was still top secret. Only those Dorian trusted with his life, with Ray’s life, knew about it.

  Which was definitely not Hudson or his people.

  The cabin blended into the wooded environment so well, it was almost unrecognizable from the outside—especially in the dark. It was also built partially underground, hiding a great deal of its size.

  Kendrick clicked away on his laptop for a few seconds. “Is this the trash-talking baddie you were telling me about?” He spun the screen to show Wyatt and Nadine a picture.

  “Yep.” That was definitely the fucker who’d beat the shit out of him when he was drugged. Wyatt was determined this guy would not get his hands on Nadine.

  “Meet George Hudson. I found lots of fun info about him.”