Silver Shield Security Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  She knew if she’d been on the redeye from anywhere, she would have been looking like something that had gone through a meat processing machine.

  He ran his hand through his hair and struck a pose. “What can I say? I woke up this way.”

  “Ugh!” She stepped back with a sigh. “Please tell me you brought something to eat?” she asked, leading the way to the living room.

  “Please tell me you have food in this dump? You know how much I hate airplane food.” He headed straight for the kitchen.

  Hope snorted. There was no use disillusioning him about her grocery-less state.

  “I need to go put something on,” she called out as she headed towards the stairs.

  “Why bother?” he called back from the kitchen.

  Hope shook her head. Even if she walked around naked, Jared would not notice her. And she was cool with that. She’d never had a crush on him, thank god, and she knew he did not see her that way.

  Halfway up the stairs, she heard him shout from the kitchen.

  “Hope Constance Conran, you should be ashamed of yourself!”

  She knew he had discovered the state of her kitchen. She scowled at his use of her full name. Gosh, she hated that middle name and should have changed it when she had the chance. Now it was too late.

  As she shrugged into some yoga pants and a tank top, she hoped Jared starved. He knew how much she hated that name.

  She dressed quickly, not bothering to run a comb through her hair and ran back down the stairs. Before She got halfway down, she could smell the delicious aroma coming from the living room. Her stomach growled.

  “Please, tell me you just got takeout?” she groaned as she walked into the living room.

  “I did and it would serve you right if I didn’t share,” he said.

  “As if!”

  Hope knew he would never let her starve. He had gone without food just to make sure she ate. She met his gaze and something passed between them. Seeing the emotion in hers, he reached out and ruffled her hair.

  “Eat up, brat,” he said gruffly.

  “Thanks,” she said then socked him in the arm.

  “Aww…what was that for?” he asked, rubbing the spot where she’d hit him.

  She shrugged. “Just keeping the dynamics of this relationship straight.”

  He eyed her. “God, you’re a weird one,” he said with a shake of his head.

  He opened up the packs of Chinese and she felt herself practically drooling. It was weird to be eating Chinese in the morning. As a matter of fact, there was only one place she knew of that opened before lunch. But Hope could feast on the oriental meal any time of the day. Literally.

  “So tell me what’s been going on?” Jared asked.

  Hope sighed and ran him through the events of the past week, particularly those that had taken place in the last twenty-four hours.

  “I just hate this sense of helplessness I feel, you know,” she told him earnestly. “Takes me back to those horrible years in foster care.”

  He chucked her in the chin. “Surely, they were not all bad, right?”

  She smiled briefly then ruffled his hair in the same way he’d ruffled hers not too long ago. “Well, I met you, so I guess that has to count for something,” she said with a grimace.

  Jared shook his head. “Brat.”

  Hope didn’t smile. She thought about the years from when she entered the system. Jared had been her salvation. She’d met him when they were thrown in the same foster home. She’d been thirteen and he’d been fifteen. It had been the worst of all the foster homes she’d ever stayed in. From the get-go he’d looked out for her. Not directly, just made sure she had food to eat and she’d later found out, he’d taken several beatings for her. But it had all changed in a single day.

  She shook her head and dropped the chicken she’d been holding. She did not want to think about that day, or about any day she’d been in that horrible place. Sensing her thoughts, Jared flung an arm over her shoulders.

  “C’mon, let’s get to the bottom of all this. I really don’t think it’s a coincidence.”

  “Well, I’m not getting a bodyguard,” she said sharply.

  He sat back and stared at her in surprise. “Who said anything about a bodyguard?”

  She told him about the woman she’d met the night before and the silver card. “I don’t want some goon telling me what to do and where I can go.” She’d had enough of not being in control to last a lifetime.

  “It’s worth considering though,” Jared told her with a serious look on her face.

  Hope did not want to think about it. Instead she put a playful expression on her face and punched him again, “Yeah whatever. You are taking me out tonight. So you’re welcome to crash in the spare room.” He had enough of his stuff there anyway.

  Jared stifled a yawn. “You know what? I think I’ll take you up on that,” he said, getting to his feet.

  “How’s Bianca these days?” she asked him.

  He shrugged, “I don’t know. Broke up before I left for New York.”

  Hope shook her head as she watched him leave the room. She’d learned not to comment on his love life, mostly because she did not appreciate it when he commented on her lack of a love life. Not that it stopped him, but she would not willingly open up that topic of conversation. So she let him go and went about giving her home a quick clean. She was going to party and maybe find someone who did not mind a night of wild, uncomplicated sex. It had been a while and she needed to get laid.

  Chapter Three

  “Okay, that’s it, dude. We’re going out today,” Rusty said, getting to his feet.

  Ryan looked up at him. “What’s up?”

  “I’m tired of you moping all around the place. It’s driving me nuts.”

  Ryan went back to scrolling through his phone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, dude.”

  Rusty stared at him. He’d met Ryan about a year ago when they were working on a case. The former Navy SEAL had joined their team and become a Silver Shield operator. They lived in what had been the guest house of the Silver Shield Security headquarters, which was actually a mansion that had belonged to the family of Emily Silver, the head of the firm. Although their living quarters were separate, Ryan and Rusty had taken to spending time together.

  “Look, you’ve got to let that woman go.”

  Ryan sent him one of his cold looks, which could have frozen a lesser man. But Rusty had lived with him awhile and those looks had ceased to have any effect on him.

  “Drop it, man,” Ryan said coldly.

  “I will, but you have to get ready and go out with me this evening.”

  “What is your deal?”

  Rusty walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. As he took a long pull from the bottle, he asked himself the same question; what was his deal? He wasn’t sure why he was pressing the matter, he just hated to see his friend so down in the dumps.

  “I think you’re a decent man and you deserve to meet a nice woman.”

  “I’ve already met a nice woman and you know that.”

  Rusty shrugged. “Yeah, Keisha’s a nice woman. Not half the woman Tamika is, but she’s cool.”

  Tamika was one of their operatives. She was a former army sergeant who had served in the Middle East. She was fierce and took no prisoners. She was also Rusty’s best friend. A few months back, Ryan had fallen for the twin sister that Tamika hadn’t known existed. Yeah, it was complicated.

  Ryan looked at him incredulously. “Tamika can make a grown man cry,” he said.

  “Yeah,” Rusty said with a laugh. “She did give you a tough time, didn’t she?” Tamika had made Ryan’s life miserable when he’d first joined the firm.

  “She had her reasons,” Ryan said with a shrug. “I don’t have issues with Tamika; it’s her sister I don’t understand.”

  “Are you sure she’s not playing you?” As far as Rusty was concerned, Tamika’s twin was nothing but a damn diva.


  “Nah. She really just wants to be able to stand on her own before considering a relationship. You know the shit she went through with that asshole, Cruz.”

  Rusty knew. Cruz Fuentes was the asshole they’d been up against during their last mission in New York. Which was how they’d come to find out about Tamika’s twin in the first place.

  “Well, I think it’s a damn shame to have you wasting away because of some chick,” He did not have time for that.

  Rusty was proud of the fact that he did not do commitment. Why should he? There were so many women out there; tall ones and not so tall ones. Those with red hair and those with olive skin. He did not discriminate. He loved them all and planned to keep loving them for a while to come, as long as they understood his rule. It was always about sex without complication. As soon as they began to get clingy and demanding, he was out.

  There were only two kinds of women he was definitely not attracted to—those who were overweight and those who were too easy. And yeah, he was not particularly keen on short women either. At six feet, four inches, he did not fancy getting a stiff neck just because he wanted to kiss a woman.

  Yeah, he knew that made him a hypocrite, but he could not help who he was attracted to, could he? No, he couldn’t.

  “So you think focusing on one woman is wasting away?” Ryan challenged.

  “Absolutely! A fucking waste.”

  Ryan shook his head in disbelief. “So you think the fact that Nico is crazy about Tamika is a waste, huh?”

  Nico was Tamika’s fiancé and Rusty would have been her best man. He was still hoping to be, except with the newly discovered twin sister, he wasn’t so sure anymore. Damn woman.

  He tensed now at the mention of Tamika and he stopped smiling. “Tamika’s different. She’s loyal and is not going to run out on Nico someday. He’s damn lucky to have her and if I find a woman like her, then yeah, I’d give her my undivided attention. None of the others are worth the effort.”

  “You should have just hooked up with Tamika then,” Ryan said.

  Rusty laughed then, “Yeah well, I would have, except there was no chemistry, bro. Can’t mess with that.”

  “You’re something else,” Ryan said with a wry smile. “But you should give Keisha a chance. She’s one hell of a woman.”

  Rusty lifted both hands. “I’ll take your word for it, dude. Meanwhile, you are coming with me.”

  “Where to?”

  He heard the resignation in the other man’s voice and smiled.

  “Bespoke.”

  Ryan groaned.

  “You know it’s the best place to meet young upwardly mobile women who are not interested in anything but having a damn good time. There’s bound to be some hot ass there to take your mind off that diva babe.”

  He saw the spurt of anger in Ryan’s eyes before they went cool and amusement snuck in.

  “I feel so sorry for you, Rus. Someday you are going to fall so damn hard and when you do, it’s going to be so pathetic.”

  Rusty dismissed his words and got ready for his night out. They were between jobs and he was determined to make the most of his time off. The last job had taken a lot from him and he just wanted to relax and make love to a beautiful woman.

  He had a shower and got dressed. He had let his hair grow out from his days in the military and he liked the way his hair hung down to his neck. He grabbed a jacket and his keys when his phone beeped. He picked it up and smiled when he saw a message from Tamika.

  Hey, what’s up?

  He quickly typed out a reply. On my way out. Going to the club with Ryan.

  He waited a beat and when there was no immediate reply, he slipped the phone into his pocket and went out.

  He walked the short distance to the other guest house, which Ryan occupied, and rapped on the door.

  The other man opened the door and sent him a wary glance.

  “Any chance I can get out of this?” he asked.

  “Not a chance in hell,” Rusty replied, not bothering to hide his pleasure.

  Ryan sighed, “Fine then. Give me a sec to grab my stuff.”

  His phone beeped again. Another message from Tamika. Keisha told me what happened. How’s he holding up?

  He isn’t. Been moping around, he typed back.

  Poor guy. Don’t know what to do for him.

  Rusty raised both eyebrows in surprise. Seemed love had made the woman more compassionate.

  Wow…

  As he walked to the car, he waited for her reply, a smile teasing his lips. He didn’t wait long.

  What? He deserves a break. Just because he’s an ass doesn’t mean he should get his heart broken.

  He thought so as well so he typed back: Yeah.

  Make sure he has some fun tonight.

  Roger.

  He put his phone back in his pocket and got into the car to wait for Ryan. He would do his best to make sure the guy had a great time. No more moping around.

  The club was in downtown Chicago and by the time they got there, it was already filled up. Rusty had called ahead and one of his friends, who was a bartender there, had managed to snag them some seats. He stopped by the bar and got some ice cold beers as well, then returned to where Ryan was sitting.

  “Having fun yet?” he asked his friend.

  Ryan looked up from his phone, then looked around with a bored expression. “The music is nice,” he said with a shrug.

  “Lighten up, man!” Rusty said, taking a swig from his beer. “Look around you. See that brunette over there? I bet she’ll be willing to go home with you.”

  He smiled at the tall brunette sitting a few tables from them. She crossed her legs, flipped her hair back and smiled at them. She was hot, exactly as he liked them to be, and if those goods on her chest were the real thing, then he just might consider taking her up on her unspoken offer.

  “She seems more your type,” Ryan said dryly, going back to his phone.

  “Yeah, right?” Rusty raised his bottle to her with a smile.

  “So why don’t you go over there and then I can leave already?”

  With a sigh, Rusty reached out and snatched the phone out of Ryan’s hand. Ryan just gazed at him with a raised eyebrow.

  “Where’s the fun in that? Look, Keisha likes you, but she’s not ready to be in a relationship.”

  Ryan stared at him expressionlessly. “What’s your point?”

  Rusty chose his words carefully. “I think it might be a good idea to go out with someone else so she does not feel like you’re waiting for her.”

  “But I am waiting for her,” Ryan pointed out.

  “That’s subtle pressure, man. You need to really set her free.”

  “What the hell are you saying? That’s the last thing I want to do.”

  “I know that and you know that as well, but…” He shrugged, “Look, just be cool, okay? Don’t pressurize her or she’s going to take off running. That’s if she’s anything like her sister.”

  Ryan gave him a speculative look. Rusty met his gaze without blinking. He did not like how uptight and sad his friend had become, and he wanted him to just live a little.

  “You don’t have to take anyone home tonight, but a little dancing and conversation never hurt anyone.”

  Ryan sighed, “I guess you’re right.” He looked around. “What about that redhead?” He gestured with a nod.

  Rusty looked and saw the slim woman with a hungry look in her eyes. She looked like a damned predator. “Hell no. That one’s gonna move in if you even smile at her.”

  Ryan chuckled. “Okay then. Her?” He used his beer to subtly point to another one.

  Rusty shook his head. “She’ll fleece you dry. You want a woman who can stand on her own, not one who sees you as a goddamn ATM.” He slid Ryan’s cellphone over the table to him.

  “Guess you’re the expert,” Ryan said, taking back the cellphone.

  They made it a game then, with Ryan pointing out women he knew were off the radar and Rusty giving am
using comments about each of them. Just then, they both spotted a woman walking towards the bar with her arm in the crook of a man’s arm. They were not the only ones that noticed her generous curves as Rusty saw other men sit up and pay attention when she walked in. There was something so vibrant about her. Her jet black hair was cut short in a pixie cut. She had a tattoo that began at the side of her neck and disappeared down the neck of the black dress she wore.

  Gazing at her, Rusty felt a strong pull of attraction even as he quickly suppressed it. He frowned at that instinctive reaction. She was not the type of woman he was attracted to, far from it. For one, she was definitely overweight...well, more on the plump side. Nothing like the size zero women he loved to date. And she was short as well. Probably not much over five feet, four or five, if he was being generous.

  Nope. Not his type. Except that there was something so sexy about her. He tried to figure out what it was and concluded that it was probably the confidence with which she carried herself as she settled on one of the bar stools.

  As they watched, the man whispered something to the woman, she flashed him a smile and then he left. He had barely gone a few steps when she turned and began to flirt with the man sitting beside her. Rusty felt his stomach curl in distaste.

  He was far from a prude, but he had a problem with women who were always looking for a good time, even when they had partners. He turned away to find Ryan’s questioning gaze on him. He shook his head.

  “Why not?” Ryan challenged, “You’re obviously drawn to her, and she looks like she would welcome your advances.”

  Rusty curled his lips in distaste. “She came with someone else, but she couldn’t even wait for him to leave before flirting.” He shook his head, “I’m not into women like that.”

  “Hell, man! I’ve never known you to be so judgmental,” Ryan said, looking disappointed. “What if they’re not together or they have an open relationship? You won’t know until you try.”

  Rusty turned back to look at the woman. She had turned around and Rusty was taken aback by how gorgeous she was. Her gaze wandered around and then stopped at Rusty. Her eyes flared as their gazes met. A strong current passed through them and he saw from the way her lips parted that she was aware of it. Her gaze turned speculative. She angled her body, crossed her legs, then briefly lowered her lids and smiled at him in invitation.