Quinn Family Romance Collection

by Cami Checketts

  “I didn’t see any signs of forced entry,” he murmured. He stepped in front of her. “Stay close,” he commanded.

  Scarlett’s traitorous heart leapt, imagining he still cared for her. Griff used to tease her that she didn’t live in reality. If he’d thought that years ago, he’d laugh out loud at her thoughts now. The reality of being in danger and Griff coming to her rescue was something straight out of a daydream. However, any dream or fantasy of Scarlett’s would include one essential element—it could only happen in a world where Griff still loved her.

  This reality, between the million-dollar bounty, the fear of who might have instigated it, and Griff being “assigned,” was more of a nightmare.

  Chapter Three

  Griff quickly stepped in front of Scarlett and drew her behind him. His touch made her long for him more, even though she knew it was an instinctive move of protection. He was only here because he’d been assigned to be. She hated that with every fiber of her being, but she knew Griff would protect her and she had to focus on that right now. There was an unnerving bounty on her head, and Sutton Smith had sent his best man to protect her. She had no clue how Sutton’s operation worked. Would they send her a bill later? Was it all pro bono work? She smiled to herself, wondering how she could worry about silly things at a moment like this.

  Griff glanced at her. “What are you smiling about?”

  “Nothing.” She wiped the smile away.

  “Stay with me,” he commanded, releasing his grip on her and pulling out a handgun.

  Scarlett felt fear pulse through her. This was real. Someone was after her. Griff was here to keep her safe. And now he was going to search through her home. Even though he didn’t care for her anymore, he still trusted her instincts and intuition.

  They walked slowly through each room of the main level. Griff searched for something nefarious, looking like the most brilliant action hero Scarlett had ever seen. She stayed inches from his back. She wouldn’t have minded the proximity if she wasn’t so afraid of who might be in her house. Fans had been too aggressive before, and a couple of them even stalked her before the police had captured them, but a million dollars to be kidnapped took things to a new level.

  She wanted to wrap her arms around Griff’s waist and cling to him, or at least put her hand on his muscular back to reassure herself like her character would in a movie. She had to remind herself this wasn’t a movie, and Griff wouldn’t want her touching him. The heartache of another rejection from Griff and the fear of someone being after her made the circumstance all too real. She stayed close enough to feel safe, but gave him the space to do his job.

  They saw no one on the main floor. Upstairs was only her master suite over the top of the three-car garage, with most of the main level consisting of two open stories. They walked quietly up the stairs and onto the balcony, which extended twenty feet each direction. There were a few decorative chairs and a desk on the open balcony.

  The double doors to her room were closed, and Scarlett’s heart rate doubled. She grabbed Griff’s arm.

  He glanced back at her with a question in his eyes.

  “Those doors were open,” she whispered.

  He nodded his understanding. “Stay here,” he said in a low voice.

  Scarlett didn’t want to stay here, but she didn’t want to go in her room and have someone grab her, either. How long had the person been here? How had he gotten past her security and into her house without her seeing him? It could’ve been while she was walking on the beach after dinner. When she returned to the house, she’d come up here and grabbed her Kindle. The thought of someone in her room watching her was terrifying. But having Griff here was such a miracle. What if the person would’ve grabbed her before he got here? She could already be on her way to some psycho who planned on imprisoning and defiling her. Why else would someone offer a million dollars to capture her?

  She focused on Griff approaching the bedroom doors. She didn’t want to think about any of this. These situations were so much easier to deal with on a movie set.

  The door burst open, knocking into Griff, throwing him back against the balcony railing. The gun flew out of his hand and clanged on the floor below. Scarlett screamed. A large man rushed out of the doors and barreled into Griff. Scarlett watched in horror, certain Griff was going to be thrown off the balcony to the unforgiving slate floor below.

  Griff held his ground and slammed his fist into the man’s cheek, sending him sprawling, before diving on top of him. They traded hit for hit. Griff had the upper hand, but Scarlett was not one to sit by helplessly. She pumped down the stairs, grabbed the gun, and ran back up.

  Aiming the gun at the intruder, she realized quickly Griff didn’t need the gun or her help. He pummeled the man with punch after punch. The intruder, with increasing feebleness, tried to hit him back, but Griff shrugged those punches off.

  Scarlett’s fear turned to admiration for Griff as he effectively knocked the guy around. She clung to the gun and ran into her bedroom to find something to tie the guy up with. Flipping on the light, fear flickered through her as her gaze darted around. What if the man wasn’t alone? She clung tightly to the pistol as she hurried into her bathroom and yanked several ties off her cotton terry robes. Hurrying back to Griff, she saw he had the man pinned on his stomach now. Scarlett handed over the lengths of material.

  “Thanks,” he muttered.

  She nodded, not yet trusting herself to speak. Her eyes darted around. Her home had been compromised. She’d always felt safe here with the highly paid security monitoring the neighborhood and everybody who came and went. Her home security was supposed to be top of the line. They had cameras strategically placed outside. The security people for her neighborhood were supposed to be dispatched if they saw anything out of line, if someone gained access to her home without the proper codes, or if she hit the panic button. Obviously, Griff and this man had gotten around her fancy security system and the guards.

  Griff finished tying the guy’s hands and feet together and commanded, “Stay there.” As if the guy could move.

  The man glared up at him, hog-tied and struggling to free himself. The guy met Scarlett’s eyes. He leered at her, and she recoiled at the blood covering his teeth.

  Griff yanked out his phone, backed up a few paces, and spoke in a harsh whisper. He kept his eyes focused on the man. When he hung up, he strode back to them. His gaze flickered to Scarlett for just a second. “You okay?” he asked.

  “Thanks to you.”

  He gave her the first real smile she’d seen on him tonight. It was there and gone quickly, but the offering had touched something deep inside of her. Even if Griff had deserted her and didn’t love her, he still cared and he would keep her safe. Any protest she might have had about going with him died after watching him thrash this large man so easily and effectively. She should have Griff teach the stuntmen how to really fight.

  Griff bent down next to the man. “Who’s your client?” he asked.

  The guy shook his head. “I don’t know.” He cowered away from Griff, as if Griff was going to hit him again.

  “How do you not know?”

  “I only have a phone number to call to make the delivery.”

  Scarlett shuddered at hearing herself referred to as a “delivery.” How many people were after her? Her eyes darted to her closed blinds and her hands felt slick as they gripped the gun. Were there more men lurking outside, even now bypassing her security system and trying to steal her away to “deliver” her to some nefarious person or group?

  “You stay here,” Griff directed the man, taking a few pics of the man with his phone, “and one of my men will come for you. If you cooperate, you’ll be turned over to the police and arrested for attempted kidnapping, and whatever other warrants are out for you currently.”

  The man’s eyes flashed. He was obviously terrified of Griff, but the mention of police and prison time actually got to him. Would he try to escape if they left him here? Most l
ikely. Luckily, he was tied tight.

  “If you try to escape or if you don’t cooperate,” Griff continued in a low tone that would’ve terrified even Satan’s minions, “Sutton Smith will find you. I don’t think I have to explain what he will do to you.”

  The man’s eyes widened and fear flickered across his face. He’d appeared so tough and full of hatred, so she was surprised. Apparently Sutton was well known in criminal circles as well as philanthropist ones.

  Griff stood and gestured to Scarlett to walk in front of him. Scarlett descended the stairs with Griff right behind her. He took the gun. “Thanks,” he said.

  “Will they torture him?” she asked quietly.

  Griff shook his head. “We’re not into that, but don’t tell him.” He smiled that beautiful smile of his again. “We have some great contacts with Mexican prisons that can make a man disappear and wish he was dead.”

  Scarlett was relieved they wouldn’t torture that man. She was still reeling from Griff’s smile and the thought of being a “delivery.” The contrasting emotions clashed within her.

  They reached the main level, and he tilted his head toward the back patio. “This way. Don’t talk.”

  They walked out into the night. A brisk wind stirred from the ocean, chilling Scarlett immediately. She wished Griff would wrap one of his strong arms around her, but he studiously avoided touching her. He was not behaving like the hero should in regards to the heroine, and obviously he didn’t want to take her hand or elbow to direct her. He kept inclining his head one direction or another, and she followed his subtle directions away from her home and down toward the beach, too terrified of who else might be coming after her to not obey him, or to question him.

  They plodded through the thick sand of the beach, sheltered by the bluff on their left and the ocean on their right. Scarlett never minded the sand squishing under her bare feet, but she was chilled. She wasn’t sure what to blame it on—the cold night, the wind off the ocean, knowing she was a target of some sadistic scheme, or having the man she’d yearned for reappear, yet be further out of her reach than ever.

  Griff walked by her side, not saying anything, his gaze darting every direction but at her. Scarlett also searched the inky night, only broken by the occasional lights of a house above them on the bluff. In contrast of his avoidance, her eyes were magnetized to him. He was a hero—tough, protective, perfect—but she wanted him to want her, to be her personal hero.

  She sighed, pushed her girlish and unrealistic fantasies away, and kept walking. Their destination felt far from their reach, but at least no one seemed to be pursuing them.

  “Almost there,” he grunted.

  Scarlett nodded and shivered, the wind whipping her long hair into her face. Griff shifted closer to her, and his arm brushed hers. Her traitorous heart leapt and she had a brief moment where she thought he might wrap his arm around her. Sadly, he just kept pushing through the sand.

  She recognized the public parking lot and beach access half a mile south of her house. Lights lit up the parking lot. Several black SUVs were parked away from the lights. As they approached, doors popped open and several men and a woman jumped out.

  Sutton Smith himself was with the group; Scarlett recognized him from events she’d seen him at with his beautiful blonde wife, a former English duchess. The other men wore suits and looked like high-dollar security personnel. The woman was petite with long black hair and the most beautiful face. Scarlett recognized her as Jasmine, the wife of the famous country singer Kaleb Quinn. She’d be Griff’s sister-in-law now. How intriguing.

  Scarlett winced when her bare feet hit the surface of the parking lot, asphalt covered in a layer of sand deposited from sandy feet and gear leaving the beach. Griff tucked the gun into his belt and swept her off her feet and against his chest. She gasped, automatically wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning in. This was the spot she never wanted to leave. Finally, the heroic move she’d been hoping for. Yet she steeled herself to be thrown to the ground or rejected again. Griff’s body was tight and he was obviously uncomfortable, but he was such a gentleman that he couldn’t allow her to walk on a rough surface. Griff had always been an impeccable gentleman, trained by his mama like the rest of the Quinn boys, even if he was gruffer than his brothers.

  “Whoa,” she heard Jasmine say.

  One of the men chuckled, and Griff shot him a death glare. “Open that door,” he ordered.

  The man rushed in front of them and opened the passenger’s side door of the sport utility. Griff carefully unloaded Scarlett into the seat. He stared at her for a beat, then pulled back and shut the door firmly.

  Scarlett sagged against the leather upholstery. Her body was buzzing from Griff’s nearness. She wasn’t sure which was more terrifying—being a target of kidnappers, or falling for Griff again when he would never return the sentiment.

  Chapter Four

  Griff turned to face Sutton and Jasmine, hoping that with Scarlett inside the vehicle, she wouldn’t hear the nonsense that was certainly going to leave his sister-in-law’s mouth. Sutton didn’t seem fazed by seeing him carry Scarlett across the parking lot. Jasmine had a teasing lilt in her eyes. Curse the family connection that had made her relax around him.

  “Navy told me there was something going on between you two,” she said.

  “Don’t make anything of it,” Griff growled at her.

  “I’m not the one who just swept the fair maiden into my arms.”

  Griff rolled his eyes. “She had no shoes on.” He groaned. “We didn’t have time to grab clothes.”

  “You’ll have to get some on the way,” Sutton said.

  “Did someone pick up the perp at Scarlett’s house?”

  “Yes. Do you think he’ll cooperate?”

  “I think so. Said he only had a number he was supposed to contact if he got her.”

  “It’s enough. Do you have a destination in mind?”

  Griff nodded shortly.

  Sutton pressed a phone into his hand, and Griff handed over his cell. He wouldn’t be able to contact anybody but Sutton, going deep into hiding to protect Scarlett until they found the person who’d instigated the hit.

  “Cheers.” Sutton clapped him on the shoulder and then walked to the next Escalade.

  Griff pocketed the phone and turned to Jasmine. “Will you tell my family I’ll be out of reach for a bit?”

  “Of course.”

  “And get a hold of Scarlett’s parents so they don’t worry, but make sure they don’t leak anything. We don’t need to tip this guy off.”

  “Gotcha, bro.” She smiled sassily at him. “You want me to give Kaleb a kiss for you? ’Cause I can do that too.”

  Griff almost smiled. He liked his feisty sisters-in-law. “I’m sure you can. Tell him hi.” He walked around the front of the Escalade.

  “Can you do me a favor, Griff?” Jasmine asked from behind him.

  He paused. “What’s that?”

  “Give Scarlett a kiss.”

  His stomach lifted as if in anticipation. He pushed the need for Scarlett away. He’d almost kissed her when he first saw her; he could not afford to be weak like that again. “For you?” he asked, trying to tease away Jasmine’s request.

  “No way!” She wrinkled her nose. “For you, big bro.”

  Griff didn’t answer. He yanked open the driver’s side door and slid inside. He didn’t mind being a big brother, but he could do without the nonstop teasing. Scarlett said nothing about kissing, which he appreciated.

  As they drove away, Jasmine was watching them with an obnoxious grin on her pretty face. Scarlett lifted her hand, and Jasmine waved happily back.

  Griff liked seeing Jasmine and Kaleb happy, but Jasmine should know better than anyone why he wasn’t going to be kissing Scarlett. It had taken Kaleb extreme dedication to convince Jasmine she deserved love. Griff wouldn’t get there in this lifetime, no matter how tempting Scarlett was. He’d almost succumbed to that temptation tonight. Those mo
ments when they’d been so close were etched into his mind, and he could only hope he didn’t get that close to her again—otherwise his iron self-control might slip.

  He’d always thought Scarlett was the most exquisitely beautiful woman in the world, but he preferred her as a blonde without all the makeup. Even with her over-styled hair and face, he wasn’t sure how he’d resist her until Sutton and his other friends found the instigator and declared her safe.

  He drove toward I-5 and went north.

  “Where are we headed?” she asked.

  “I have a friend who has a cabin in Island Park, Idaho. He always tells me it’s open to me whenever I want.” He’d gotten a hold of Tucker as he’d driven to Scarlett’s house earlier. His friend’s cabin would be a perfect spot to hide, and he trusted Tucker almost as much as he trusted Sutton. Even if his longtime friend had been one to leak information, he didn’t know the connection to Scarlett or why Griff needed his fortress.

  “Will he be there?”

  “I doubt it. He has a few different homes.”

  She leaned her left cheek against the headrest and studied him. Griff found it unnerving. That fact alone bothered him. He never let circumstances or people make him uncomfortable. Scarlett made him want to beg her forgiveness for giving her up, made him want to kiss her until the sun rose tomorrow. Neither could happen.

  He cleared his throat. “We’ve got a long drive. Why don’t you sleep?”

  Her eyebrows arched up. “Not really tired.”

  He wanted her to sleep. He wanted to drive uninterrupted, and he didn’t want her looking at him. He really wanted to put his hand on her bare knee, but that wasn’t going to happen. Apparently, her sleeping wasn’t going to happen, either.

  He ignored his stupid desires and sped up to see if anyone seemed to be tailing them. Keeping one eye on the rearview, he sped up to fifteen miles over the speed limit and left most cars far behind.