He’d wised up since then. He was no longer the chump who believed in soulmates and love everlasting. Yet, the woman in the wedding gown had all but rocked his world with one glance from her incredible green eyes. Without a doubt, she’d captured his attention. And just because long-term was off the table didn’t mean short and sweet wasn’t open for discussion.
Yeah…but they’d barely exchanged a dozen words, and it was obvious she didn’t trust him. Yet, his need to rescue her had overshadowed everything, including the reason he’d been in that bar.
One scowl from Travis and it all came flooding back.
“The PI was a no show, and the place he chose to meet is a roach-infested dive.” MacGyver hadn’t been thrilled when the congressman told them he’d been working with a local PI, and so far this guy, Larry Burnett, had done nothing to change his opinion. MacGyver didn’t blame Travis for being frustrated. Unfortunately, an unreliable PI clearly wasn’t the only thing bothering him, and MacGyver had a pretty good idea what was going on in his friend’s head.
“Look, I’m sorry I let something come between me and the job, but I couldn’t take off and leave her and not only because of the congressman’s damn text. There were three bikers inside, drunk and looking for trouble. They latched on to her the minute she walked in. Intimidated her into shooting tequila. It didn’t take long for her to get shit-faced.”
MacGyver fidgeted under Travis’s scrutiny. “She should never have been in a place like that, but I couldn’t walk away. It was getting ugly, and her day could have ended a whole lot worse.” It didn’t matter what his friend thought. MacGyver had done the right thing. He braced his elbows on the arms of the chair. “You wouldn’t have either.”
Travis stared at him for a moment, his perusal shifting to the bed, and the irritation that had marred his expression slowly faded. “Did the congressman happen to say what we’re supposed to do with her? Or why?”
“Just to stay under the radar until he contacts us.”
“So, what now? It’s not every day a hot girl, all decked out in a wedding dress, lands in your lap. Maybe it’s a sign.”
It was obvious Travis was trying to keep a straight face…and sucked at it. MacGyver flipped him off and issued a mirthless laugh.
Travis had been with him when his SEAL unit returned to the States from a disastrous mission in Afghanistan that had left two of his buddies in the brutal hands of ISIS. One of them had been tortured and murdered two weeks before the Army launched a rescue operation that brought Luke home seriously wounded, but alive.
As if that hadn’t been enough to deal with, the letter his fiancée had sent, breaking off their engagement, arrived the same week. Emotionally, MacGyver had hit rock bottom, and without Travis and a couple other members of his SEAL unit, it was likely he’d still be there.
Even so, he retained his deep distrust of anything resembling commitment, and he didn’t intend to give anyone the keys to his heart ever again.
He caught himself just in time and shook off the dark mood the memories of that period still evoked. “We need to find the PI—this Burnett guy—even if we have to place a call to the congressman for some VIP pressure. Maybe we can ask him what he had in mind for the girl.”
Avoiding Travis’s previous comment and redirecting the conversation wasn’t something new to MacGyver. Travis fell for it every time.
“Something must have gone wrong. Burnett seemed like a professional when I spoke with him. Let’s give him some time to check in before we contact the congressman.” Travis dropped his head back against the chair and rubbed his eyes. “Hey, we should hit the Strip tonight. Have a little fun—some dinner.” He stopped and snapped his fingers. “Oh, forgot. You’ve got your hands full with the mystery woman.” He snickered and jerked his thumb toward the bed. “Seriously, Bro, does she have ID?”
Damn! MacGyver reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out the small purse he’d totally spaced. She’d practically forced it on him in the bathroom when she thought it would pay for the drinks the bikers had set in front of her. Upending the bag, he dumped the contents on the coffee table in front of him.
A credit card, a driver’s license, a picture of someone who looked a lot like her and a couple of twenty dollar bills. She was traveling light. MacGyver picked up the license and studied the photo. Those damn green eyes, even two dimensional, made it hard to look away. “Kellie—with an i-e—Greyson. Twenty-six. Lives at 815 NW Ashley Drive.” He tossed the card onto the tabletop and reached for the picture. “If I had to guess, I’d say the girl in this photo is related—a sister maybe, or a cousin.”
Travis leaned forward and picked up the license. “Wait a minute. Kellie Greyson? I know that name. I read about her in the paper. Hang on. I’ll be right back.” Travis jogged toward his room. Barely a minute passed before he returned, the Las Vegas Sun open in his hands.
“Well, well. Your lady has friends in low places.” Travis dropped the paper in MacGyver’s lap.
“The fairy tale wedding of Kellie Greyson and…Tony Palazzi?” MacGyver read the headline on the society page out loud, then turned to stare at Travis. “You’ve got to be kidding. Any chance there’s more than one Tony Palazzi?”
“Keep reading.”
MacGyver skimmed the article. “The wedding was supposed to be today at five. She didn’t make it. She walked into Wally’s at quarter after. It says here the groom is a real estate mogul. Really? I guess that’s one way to legitimize himself.” MacGyver folded the paper and swiveled to study the girl on the bed. “She’s engaged to that criminal? I don’t buy it.”
Tony and his uncle, Rico Palazzi, had been in the national news more than once, so the name was well known, even in California, where PTS Security was currently headquartered. The local DA had tried like hell to indict them both on sales of illegal weapons, but apparently, Tony had the best legal services money could buy. Rumor had it he was a power-hungry, wannabe mobster who’d gotten where he was over the dead bodies of other Vegas businessmen.
Knowing and proving were worlds apart, however.
Kellie Greyson had planned to marry that creep? No. Hell no. MacGyver couldn’t believe it. He’d pegged her as a person of high moral standards, maybe a little naïve, to whom family was important. There was something else about her that he couldn’t quite figure out. Strength of character…or self-confidence. She definitely didn’t strike him as the kind of woman who’d turn a blind eye to murder.
He’d been wrong before, but his gut told him her engagement wasn’t what it seemed, and he had a burning need to be right about her.
Travis, pacing from the chairs to the bed and back again, stopped behind him. “She didn’t marry him. She left him at the altar, went to a bar and started drinking. Maybe she came to her senses.” His phone vibrated. He retrieved it from his pants pocket and glanced at the screen. “Hold that thought. It’s our no-show PI.”
He thumbed the answer button. “What the hell, Burnett? Are you jerking us around?” Travis lowered his voice and walked toward his room.
MacGyver glanced at the bed again. The girl—Kellie—was still out. He doubted Travis’s raised voice could wake her, but it was considerate of him to step away. MacGyver strode to the closet and pulled an extra blanket down. He threw it over her, then removed her wet shoes and tucked it under her bare feet. They were like ice to his touch.
The room had warmed a few degrees with the fire going, but it wouldn’t replace the heat she’d lost, wrapped in that damn wet dress. He’d have to suck it up, get her out of her clothes and call down to the lobby for some dry bedding. Considering his body’s physical reaction to the sweet, warm smell of her when she’d handed him her purse at the bar, the task would no doubt be a perilous undertaking.
Travis would help if MacGyver asked. Instantly, warning bells went off in every corner of his brain. As wrong as it would be for him to und
ress her and see her naked and vulnerable, having Travis in the same room wasn’t an option MacGyver was willing to entertain. He couldn’t explain it, but the feeling grew until his stomach twisted with some inner turmoil he didn’t want to think about. A soft whimper as she slept distracted him from dwelling on the reason behind his apparent protectiveness where she was concerned.
The need to reach out and touch the soft skin of her throat was nearly overwhelming. Her perfect lips were pressed tightly together, and her forehead still displayed the cute wrinkle that appeared every time she frowned. That wasn’t the face of a hard, uncaring woman who would marry a powerful and corrupt man for his money and status. Did that mean she loved that piece of shit? Would she rush back to him and beg for forgiveness as soon as she woke?
“Um…hey, buddy. We’ve got a problem.” Travis’s quiet voice broke into his thoughts.
“Just one?” MacGyver turned as his friend crossed the room, still staring at the phone in his hand while a frown warred with his tough-guy features.
“Yeah, but it’s a big one, and you’re not going to like it.” Travis stopped in front of his chair but didn’t sit until MacGyver took his seat.
“Burnett called to apologize.” Travis finally looked up from his phone, meeting MacGyver’s gaze.
“Okay. What’s his problem?”
“He couldn’t meet you today because he was tapped by Tony Palazzi to join his security people in a manhunt for his sweet little wife-to-be. Tony claims she stole a crap-load of money and ran out on him. Burnett owed the sonofabitch a favor, and he couldn’t say no.” Travis nodded toward the bed. “Get this—Tony wants her back, preferably alive, but dead will work. He’s looking for her stepfather too. Burnett said he’d never seen the guy so out-of-control when they returned empty-handed.”
“You didn’t tell him she was here, did you?”
“Of course not.” Travis rose and started pacing. “We don’t know enough about the players to guess what Burnett would do with that information.”
MacGyver couldn’t agree more. Palazzi was the kind of man who could buy loyalty. Who knew where Burnett’s lay? Kellie wasn’t safe in the city. She’d have to get out of town without being seen. Along with her stepfather. No wonder the congressman wanted her hidden. MacGyver would feel better if he knew what that relationship was, but he’d go with his gut for now. Chronologically, he sorted through the events of the day, trying to spot careless moments when she might have been recognized. Too many came to mind.
The bikers at Wally’s Tavern. The other guests of the hotel. MacGyver had made an entrance, and no less than a dozen people had been close enough to recognize her hair or that damn wedding dress.
“There’s more.” Travis paused until MacGyver focused on him again. “Burnett located our guy—Jeremy Dahl. He went to work in Tony’s casino about a week ago and disappeared today, the same time as the girl.”
“Huh! Small world.” MacGyver’s mind whirled, trying to make sense of this new information. “You think she and the kid partnered up? Maybe the two of them planned to hook up someplace?” He shook his head. It didn’t feel right. “Too coincidental in my book. On the other hand, Dahl could be the thief, hoping she’ll take the heat while he escapes with the dough.”
“Might be.” Travis’s obvious doubt contradicted his words. “Guilty or innocent, it would sure be nice to find him before Tony does. Maybe our Kellie knows where he’s holed up.” Travis stroked his chin in that way he had when he was onto an idea. “We should stick close to the girl for a day or two. Maybe, if we help her with her problem, she’ll see fit to help us.”
“Right. How do you suggest we do that? Kellie doesn’t know either of us. It’s likely she’ll have such a hangover, she won’t even remember me from the bar. She’ll probably think we kidnapped her. As soon as she finds out we’re not holding her against her will, she’ll be out of here like a shot.”
A grin slowly spread over Travis’s face. “Exactly! You said it yourself. Drunk out of her head. Sick with a pounding headache. I’ve been there and so have you. At the very least, it’ll take a few minutes for the fog to dissipate. Possibly long enough for you to convince her you’re more than just a one-night stand.”
What the shit was he talking about? MacGyver must have missed something. He raked his fingers through his short hair and looked at Travis again. That overconfident grin was still there.
MacGyver threw his hands in the air. “I give up. What the hell does that mean?”
“Take it easy. I’m just sayin’ she needs someone to trust.” Travis was on a roll, undoubtedly working out a plan in his head. “Someone like her new husband.”
“I told you she didn’t make the wedding.” When he was on the trail of an idea, it wasn’t like Travis to ignore the most important detail. MacGyver sat back.
“To Tony, yeah. But anyone can get a quickie wedding in Las Vegas. Even you.”
What the fuck? MacGyver stared at him, temporarily struck dumb. When Travis had first broached the idea of starting a private security company, MacGyver had warned him it wouldn’t be the place for the kind of crazy stunts Travis had pulled within their SEAL unit. But this…this was plain-ass ludicrous. He had to be joking.
Travis stared back, eyes gleaming with intensity, one brow cocked as though he couldn’t understand why MacGyver hadn’t jumped on the out-of-control train with him. Not a whisper of humor seeped into his expression. “I can have the necessary documents here in an hour. It’ll look as official as if it really happened. Hell, I’ll even get a ring.”
No, no, no. MacGyver jumped to his feet, his palms extended in front of his chest. “Are you fucking nuts? In what universe is that a rational idea? You want me to lie to her, pretend to be something I’m not, to con information out of her she might not even have? Besides, what makes you think she won’t go running back to Palazzi as soon as she gets over her case of cold feet?”
“Once you convince her she’s already married…to you…it should be easy. Exercise your husbandly prerogatives. Hell, tell her Palazzi has hitmen looking for her and the old man. That should do the trick.”
MacGyver clenched his fists at his sides and turned away from Travis to face the fireplace. Goddammit! Friend, brother—it didn’t matter at that moment. He’d never wanted to smash that grin off Travis’s face as bad as he did right then. And yet, the man was right. Kellie’s life was on the line, but that didn’t give them an excuse to lie and manipulate the situation for their benefit.
Travis heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Okay. That idea doesn’t hold any appeal for you? We can babysit her for a few hours, but if the congressman doesn’t get back to us, I guess there’s nothing left to do but call the cops and let them take her off our hands. If Palazzi reported the stolen money, they might already be looking for her.”
“Wait a minute.” Anger heated MacGyver’s blood, and he turned—at the same time he told himself he shouldn’t care. But he did, damn it.
Travis glanced toward him.
“She didn’t take the money. Don’t ask me how, but I know that much from watching her in the bar. The cops will either arrest her or take her statement and kick her loose. Even if they could be convinced to give her protection—shit, Travis—you know they can’t protect her from him. But I can.” MacGyver could hear the concern in his voice and was certain Travis could too. He shrugged as though that would distance himself from any suspicion that he gave a damn what happened to Kellie.
A gleam appeared in Travis’s eyes for a split second, and he glanced toward the bed. “Is there something you want to tell me about this woman?”
What could MacGyver say? He didn’t understand the tight feeling in his chest or the tension that arrowed through his body every time he imagined Palazzi catching up to her. His need to protect her had taken him by surprise. How the hell could he explain it to his hard-ass friend?
The tr
uth was, he didn’t need Travis to agree with him. MacGyver had been his own man since his father died when he was sixteen. He was fully capable of doing what needed to be done on his own—but he didn’t like that idea either. Travis had had his back for as long as he could remember. Kellie, with her unbelievably soft skin and enticing moans as she slept, was likely to hand him his head on her way out in the morning. He groaned and ignored Travis’s question.
“She’s not our problem, in spite of the congressman’s last minute wishes. We were hired to find Jeremy Dahl,” Travis said.
Sonofabitch! Travis could be a stubborn asshole when he got his mind set on something. This time MacGyver wasn’t going along with his ridiculous plan. Lying to Kellie and using her was unacceptable, and not just because she deserved more respect than that.
“Fuck you, Travis.” As irritated as MacGyver was, his words carried no heat. “I’ll help her without lying and without expecting anything in return. You can get onboard…or not.”
Travis had the nerve to laugh. “She might panic when she wakes up in your room tomorrow. Your bed. Are you really going to tell her the truth—that you’re a complete stranger who shoved her out a bathroom window after she passed out so you could bring her here? Do you really think that sounds better than ‘Good morning, Mrs. Iverson? Enjoying your honeymoon so far?’ Women get off on that till-death-do-we-part shit. You know I’m right.”
MacGyver groaned and scrubbed his hand down his face. “Yeah, yeah. She might panic. In fact, it’s probably inevitable—but I doubt she’ll prefer either of your explanations. When she wakes up, she’s not going to know who the hell I am. It won’t matter what I tell her. The only chance I’ll have will be to convince her she’s safe and that I want to help. Everything else is bullshit.”
A satisfied grin rode Travis’s lips. “You know, buddy, for someone who’s sworn off serious relationships, you’re a little sensitive on the subject. Just sayin’. And for the record, you’re right. Personally, I don’t think you stand a chance in hell of convincing her of anything, but if you manage the impossible, you don’t need to ask if I’m onboard. I’ll have your back, just like always.” His grin faded, and he turned and strode toward his room. Stopping in the doorway, he looked back. “I’ll be out for a while. Thought I’d do a little poking around at the Greyson home.” The door clicked shut behind him.
Honor Among SEALs Page 5
