by Mandy Harbin
He heard Maya enter and pushed all thoughts of Heather and all inappropriate thoughts of his temporary roommate away. He was making himself crazy with them anyway.
“Want jelly?” he asked after she’d moved a chair at the table, probably sitting down.
“Oh my gosh. I tiptoed. How did you know—never mind. Not supposed to ask,” she muttered at the end.
He rolled his eyes as he stepped to the fridge, keeping his back to her. He retrieved two kinds of jellies and butter. When he turned to the table, he glanced at her as he put the items down.
And burst out laughing.
“What?”
He shook his head and turned away to grab the two plates of biscuits and silverware he’d pulled out earlier. “Nothing,” he said, still smiling as he sat and pushed her plate toward her clasped hands.
She reached for a butter knife, and he looked up. Her cheeks were a delectable pink. What was she thinking right now? Had he embarrassed her? His smile fell as guilt crept in. That had to be it. He’d just laughed at her. Or so she probably thought.
“I’m sorry.” He shoved half a biscuit in his mouth before he could say more. What could he say? She had twisted her hair into a messy ponytail, wore oversized sweatpants, and had zit medicine spread across her face. It looked as if she was trying not to look attractive. He’d laughed, not because of the shocking difference, but because her attempt had been futile. She could be wearing a burlap sack and still be fucking gorgeous.
Okay, maybe he had laughed at her, but not for any reason she could’ve come up with.
“The Clearasil’s a bit much, huh?” she asked as she rubbed some of it in, making it disappear into her skin. Then she reached for the butter.
“Nah. Just wasn’t expecting it.” He shrugged, deciding it was best not to say too much. He ate the rest of his biscuit as he forced his mind onto something other than her looks. She wasn’t making it easy, especially after catching him off guard with her appearance, but he gritted his teeth and forged ahead. She was an assignment. Period. He had a job to do, and the first thing that came to him was that he needed information from her. She was here for a reason, and there was no time like the present to pump her for intel. “Tell me about Oberman.”
“Huh?” Her hand stopped, knife in mid-air.
“Your ex,” he said, raising an eyebrow at her.
“Um, Heather—I—we told you what happened---”
“I know what happened Friday,” he said, shaking his head. “I mean, tell me about him. I need to know all about him.”
“I, er, well, there’s not much to say. He’s a bouncer at a nightclub.” She licked the side of her thumb, and he forced himself not to watch her tongue slipping out. Another thought startled him, making it easier to briefly ignore her sexual appeal.
“The same place you were at Friday night?” Jesus, surely she wouldn’t willingly put herself around his place of business if she’d wanted away from him.
“No,” she said slowly. “I might not be very street smart, but I’m not a complete idiot.” She rolled her eyes and continued preparing her biscuit.
“Well, there’s that,” he said under his breath, but judging by her little harrumph, he hadn’t said it as quietly as he’d intended. Then her comment fully registered. “What do you mean you’re not very street smart?”
She shrugged, looking away. “My parents were protective.”
“Strict?” he guessed.
She wrinkled her nose as she looked at him again. “No, not really. I mean, yeah, I couldn’t do some of the things my friends did—like I didn’t get a cell phone until I was sixteen.” She smirked.
“What?” He half-smiled. “That’s crazy talk right there.”
“I know, right? Even then it was only because I got my license. I could do the social media thing from my laptop or tablet, so I wasn’t living completely in the Dark Ages.” She took a bite of her breakfast and cleared her throat as she put it down. “Where are the cups? I need some water.”
He immediately stood. “Shit, sorry. I meant to get you a drink.” After grabbing a cup, he opened the fridge. “I don’t have much here.” He looked over his shoulder. “But I do have O.J. That okay? At least then when you talk to Heather, you don’t have to tell her I fed you bread and water. I’d really feel like a warden then.” He winked. The joke had come easy. They always had.
But this was different. It felt different. The moment he’d winked, her face flushed and her pretty little lips formed a perfect “O” of surprise. She was too expressive. Too innocent. And he’d flirted with her.
Fucking flirted.
Good job at staying professional. He turned around, grabbed a glass, and poured the juice. The tension in the room was palpable. The muscles in his back were getting stiffer by the second. He could easily blame the crackling in the air on the fact he hadn’t gotten laid in a while, but it’d be a lie. Not the getting laid part, but the other, dangerous part. He could feel the interest wafting off her. It was there. She wanted him. Some part of her did, at least.
He needed to get away. Right now.
Before he changed his mind, he slammed the glass on the table in front of her. “There’s something I need to take care of. I’ll be back.” He pivoted, knowing he was being abrupt all of a sudden, but not caring. The only thing that mattered was his riding boots were by the back door, and he’d be needing them.
“W-where are you going?”
He didn’t look at her as he bent down to put on his shoes. “Can’t say. But don’t try to leave. We’ve got plenty of eyes.”
“What?”
He straightened and turned, looking at her again. She glanced around as if she was currently being watched. Her vulnerability only added to her appeal, but he didn’t correct her thinking. He couldn’t chance it. If he stayed a second longer, he might do something he’d regret. Instead, he did the only thing he could do. He rushed from the house as he fished out his cell phone. Gauge’s number beckoned him, and he didn’t hesitate to select it. His friend answered on the second ring.
“What up, my brother?”
“Need you to watch the house for a few hours. Gotta run to the store,” he lied.
“Maya going with you?”
“No,” he said quickly. “She can’t be seen around town,” he added as he marched toward his motorcycle.
“Mmm-hmm. Sounds like you’re running away.”
“I fucking wish.”
Gauge laughed. “Hasn’t been twenty-four hours yet, bro. Figured you’d last longer than that.”
“You comin’ or not?” Hunter asked, not interested in his chain being yanked, and straddled his bike, itching to hit the road. He needed to ride, feel the wind, and do his best not to keep driving away.
“Yeah, heading out the door,” Gauge said a little more seriously.
“Good. I’ll be watching from down the road. Won’t leave until I know you’re here.”
His buddy didn’t respond right away, and then said, “She’s pretty.”
“Don’t,” he barked.
“All right, all right. You know how to stay detached. Think of her as just another job. She’ll be out of your hair before you know it.”
And still, it wouldn’t be soon enough.
Chapter Seven
“Shit,” Hunter yelled after banging his head on the fender of the car he’d been working on since he’d gotten to work early this morning. He wheeled himself out from under it with a hasty shove and wiped the sweat from his brow using the greasy rag he’d tucked into his pocket.
What a morning. Hell, weekend for that matter. What had started out like any other normal Saturday had turned to anything but normal when his sister called. Now he had a houseguest.
A beautiful one.
One he’d run from yesterday morning and had stayed away from until late into the night. Gauge hadn’t given him any lip when he’d returned after midnight, just nodding at him when he drove by. A text a few seconds later had updated him that
their charge had turned in and was sleeping soundly.
Hunter had taken the Pig Trail into the Ozarks, ridden those winding mountain roads into Northwest Arkansas, and had let the scenery push all thoughts of Maya and his unnaturally-sudden attraction to her from his mind. It had worked, too, until he’d gotten home. He’d felt the tension return, seeping into his bones, the moment he’d walked into his house. It had taken every ounce of willpower not to look into her room and watch her sleep. He’d been thankful Gauge had informed him of her status. Otherwise, he’d have been obligated to physically check for himself.
He hadn’t needed the temptation.
Still didn’t, which was why he’d left early this morning to come into the garage. He’d already wasted a tank of gas avoiding her. At least here he could be productive and earn money, rather than blow it on fuel. Only reason he’d been able to get away with this little break was because Bear had been meeting with their federal contacts this morning about Maya’s ex. He’d taken Gauge with him since that dude was part of the fed family. Jack Parsons had even been there.
“You okay, man?” Brody asked from the other bay as he wiped his hands on his jeans. Again. He hadn’t touched the truck that had been lifted. Why he kept rubbing his clean hands on his practically dryer-fresh clothes, Hunter didn’t know, but it was obvious the guy was acting weird. It was probably something about Xan or Scott. Domestic stuff.
He hadn’t been given any specifics, though.
His grunt was the only response he provided as he rolled to a tool station and leaned against it. He rubbed his throbbing noggin where he’d made contact with the underbelly of a wheel well. Maybe he should check in on Heather. That’d take his mind off Maya while still working on the case.
“Wouldn’t have happened if you were at the house,” Roc said as he leaned around the ’55 he’d claimed an hour ago. Hunter flipped him off before turning away. He didn’t care what Roc thought. The man did what he needed to get by, but he was still out for number one.
Should Hunter have stayed home to watch Maya? Probably. She was his responsibility. If he hadn’t known Bear wouldn’t be at the shop, he wouldn’t have chanced coming in. No way. The only thing that would’ve accomplished was his ass getting handed to him by his boss. Besides, no one knew Maya was in this little town. She had no connection to Hunter. But he wasn’t completely ignoring his duties. He had an obligation, and he wouldn’t have left if he didn’t think she was completely safe. He’d turned on his alarm, so he’d know if Maya so much as opened a window, and that only covered one part of his high-tech system. He had cameras all over his property and was notified of any movement made. He’d been able to describe every deer and squirrel within a two-mile radius until he changed some of the settings. Now squirrels were omitted, but he’d rather be alerted to a buck than chance of not being notified of any human activity.
And yeah, it came in handy during hunting season, too.
Maya wasn’t going anywhere without him knowing, nor was anybody coming anywhere near her. He’d never had a problem with his setup, but Bear wouldn’t see it the same way. Thankfully, Hunter knew his boss well enough to know he’d check in before heading back. That’d give him time to scratch pavement.
With his phone in sight, he reached for it.
“Tell that hot-ass sister of yours I said hi,” Roc said, practically growling.
Hunter’s head snapped around. “The fuck did you say?”
Roc’s glare was nothing but taunting.
Hunter leapt to his feet. “You mother—”
“Ah hell,” Brody rumbled and jumped in front of him. “Not again, man. You know how he is. He only does that shit to get under your skin.”
“I prefer to be on top, but I’d be willing to be under Heather.”
Hunter pointed at Roc over Brody’s shoulder. “That’s not happening.”
“Scared she won’t know how to handle a real man after living all these years with you?”
“You don’t know when to shut up, do you?” Brody asked, exasperated.
“Stay the hell away from my sister.”
The door connecting the lobby to the garage slammed. Hunter’s gaze cut toward it, not willing to relax his squared-off stance in case Roc came at him.
He shouldn’t have looked.
“What in God’s name are you doing here?” Bear asked. Busted.
“’S all right,” Brody said, turning as if to defend Hunter from Bear instead of blocking Roc from Hunter. “Called Willis. He’s been shadowing Hunter’s place.”
“You called Flint?” Bear asked, frowning.
“Yeah, Roxie was at the house this morning when Roc texted me ’bout Hunter being at the garage. Said Flint’s days off were Monday and Tuesday and he could help.”
Bear rubbed his face as he took in the information.
Hunter wasn’t as willing to let it digest. “You told Xan and Roxie about Maya?” he yelled as he faced his colleague. Bad enough Brody had said something to his woman about a job—regardless if it wasn’t one they’d been specifically hired for—but he told Roxie? That woman loved to gossip and get up in everybody’s business.
“Better back down. You know that’s not how I roll. Message came in while we were all at the table. Said you and Gauge were busy and I needed to hightail it over to Hunter’s to watch the place. Roxie offered to message her cousin. He hasn’t done us wrong—”
“He’s a cop,” Roc said, moving away from the ’55 and heading toward the other guys. Yes, Flint Willis was the sheriff around here, but the Bang Shift crew did their best to stay off the local police’s radar. When it was unavoidable, the feds stepped in. The guys were lucky the local boys weren’t all up in their business. If there were other factions out there like theirs, he doubted those arrangements were as accommodating.
But Flint Willis wasn’t just an officer. He also happened to be Bear’s old hunting buddy and the closest thing he had to a best friend until some fall out happened between the two of them a year or two ago. Bear chose to avoid that man whenever possible, and Brody knew that.
They all did.
Hunter took a deep breath, immediately feeling bad for yelling at Brody. Why had he acted out like that? He knew Brody understood the score. Then again, no mission had ever been so personal to him.
Because of his sister. That was it. No other personal connection.
Bear ignored Roc’s outburst and any broken connections he had to the man, instead asking, “What was Roxie doing at your place so early this morning?”
No one was surprised Bear turned his inquisition to Roxie at the mention of her name. The man probably hadn’t realized he’d done it, and none of them would call him out on it. Hunter’s slip the other day was a big, unspoken no-no.
Brody rubbed his clean hands on his pants again. “Xan wanted to talk to her.”
“Dude, what’s up? You could crawl the walls you’re so spastic,” Hunter asked Brody, unable to keep the question inside anymore.
The big, blond man looked at him before training his gaze on each of the other men, taking his time before he replied. Hunter couldn’t be sure, but the man almost looked scared, which didn’t make any sense. Brody was one of the biggest badasses he knew. Hunter had seen him face danger head-on without batting an eyelash. He was as tough as they came. The toughest. Besides himself, of course.
“Xan and I…we’re getting married.”
Hunter stilled. They all seemed to have frozen. But after a moment of quiet, cheers erupted.
“’Bout time you made an honest woman outta her,” Bear said, clapping Brody on the shoulder.
“Who cares about that?” Roc said, smiling. “When’re we hitting the titty bar?” Brody shoved him, and he chuckled on his way back to the classic car he’d claimed.
“Dude, getting hitched,” Hunter said, plastering a smile on his face. This was something his friend wanted to celebrate and smiling was the norm, though he felt anything but joy on the inside. Marriage. It was somethi
ng he’d never get to experience. Maybe in another life things would’ve been different, but his past aside, he didn’t feel right bringing a woman into all this. He never knew when he’d have to leave on assignment.
Or if he’d return.
They’d been lucky the last couple of years, but before that they were gone more often than not. With the government so focused on the Middle East, there hadn’t been as great a need for their services stateside, nor in areas where wars were not being waged. That could change any second. A politician could get a wild hair up his ass and the next thing Hunter knew, he’d be shipped off to some godforsaken hellhole.
“If I can find happiness, anybody can,” Brody said, as if he’d read Hunter’s mind.
“Leave the sappy stuff to Hallmark.” He smirked. “We all know your situation is different.” Xan had been in hiding from her ex and his family. She’d been used to a life on the run and exposed to unimaginable crime. She was one tough cookie.
“It doesn’t have—”
“Gonna stop you there,” Hunter chided gently as he put his hands on Brody’s shoulders. “This is about you and your woman. Happy for you. Really.”
And in that second, a part of him meant it.
“Thanks, man.”
Stepping back, Hunter said, “Now, I want to call my sister and should probably head back to the house before Bear shakes off the mention of Roxie’s name and realizes he hasn’t renamed me yet.”
Brody chuckled and glanced over his shoulder. “By the glaze in his eyes, I’d say you have about seven more minutes.”
“I only need two.” He winked before turning around. He slipped out the door while Bear stood, arms crossed, staring at a two-year old calendar on the wall. The model was hot, so none of the guys ever bothered taking it down.
Bear hadn’t been looking that far up, though. Hunter could tell whatever his boss was looking at, he wasn’t actually seeing. Didn’t matter. Bear and his not-so-secret fascination with Roxie wasn’t any of Hunter’s business.
