Golden Girl (COBRA Security Book 16)

by Velvet Vaughn

  “One time,” Noah ground out between teeth clenched so tight, he was surprised they didn’t crack.

  “What was that?” Caldwell asked.

  “They went out one time. That’s it. There was no dating. They weren’t a couple. Never have been. Never will be.” He was the only one she’d ever be with again. Period.

  “O-kay.”

  The way Caldwell dragged the word out, Noah realized he’d been protesting a bit much. “Sorry. I’m just frustrated that we can’t catch the guy.”

  “Understood. The good news is that we can hold him for forty-eight hours, so if he is the perp, he won’t be able to attend the event tomorrow evening.”

  That was good news. Along with the security measures in place, they should be able to keep Peyton safe.

  #

  Peyton made it through the extended evening practice without breaking down once. When she’d have called it a night, Aurora wanted to keep going. She was swimming so well Peyton didn’t want to curb her enthusiasm. Aurora had one more practice in the morning before school and then they’d head to the meet after classes ended. The natatorium hosting the event wasn’t far away, so the drive would be an easy one.

  Noah told her that Mark Hixon was in custody and that made her sad. She didn’t want to believe that her friend had anything to do with murdering Kurt and the others. He’d seemed like a genuinely nice guy—until he refused to take no for an answer. Was her rebuke the reason all of this happened? She prayed it wasn’t the cause.

  Once they switched vehicles and returned to the rental house, Noah had strongly encouraged her to eat. She had zero appetite whatsoever, but he was right that she needed to fuel her body. So, she ate, more for his benefit than hers. She didn’t want him worrying any more than he already was about her.

  He and Ethan were going over plans for security at the event tomorrow when the doorbell rang. Peyton jumped a mile out of her seat. How had someone gotten inside the security gates? Had the stalker found them again?

  Noah jogged to the door and opened it. Not one, not two, but three gorgeous women—two blonds and one with long black hair—rushed inside and threw their arms around him. She rose from her seat, ready to save him from the attack but the huge smile on his face stopped her in her tracks. She turned to his brother. “Ethan…”

  Her question was lost as he jogged over and held out his arms and they switched to him. What the heck?

  Noah opened the door wider and three very large men entered next. She took an involuntary step back. They were as big and muscle-bound as Noah and Ethan. They might’ve been intimidating except for the smiles on their faces.

  Noah corralled the group and led them over to her. He moved beside her, which gave her support as she faced six unknown faces—two vaguely familiar for some reason—with looks ranging from concern to kindness.

  “Peyton, this is—”

  One of the blond women who looked vaguely familiar broke ranks and rushed forward, gathering Peyton close for a crushing hug. “I feel like I already know you, Peyton.”

  “Maggie?” That’s why she thought she recognized her. She bore a striking resemblance to her brothers.

  The woman nodded against her cheek. “I’m so sorry, hon.”

  The heartfelt words almost did her in. If not for the group staring at her right now, she’d have broken down.

  “Maggie,” Noah finished his introduction with a sigh.

  Maggie finally released her but kept an arm over her shoulder and moved to her side, butting Noah out of the way.

  He rolled his eyes. “Her husband, Carter.”

  Carter was a gorgeous blue-eyed blond like his wife. They’d have beautiful blue-eyed blond kids. He smiled and shook her hand.

  “This is Alex Mylonas and his wife Olivia. Alex is a former detective with the Chicago PD.”

  She shook his hand, marveling at how gorgeous the men were. She accepted another crushing hug from Olivia, the other vaguely familiar blond. “We’ve actually met before,” Olivia told her. “I interviewed you in New York after the last Olympics.”

  Now she remembered. “You were Olivia Larrson then.”

  “That’s right!” Olivia beamed.

  “And this is former Chicago resident Dorian Demarchis and his wife Kendall.” She shook Dorian’s hand. Was drop-dead gorgeous a requirement to join their company? When she turned to Kendall, the look on the woman’s face had her bursting into tears. Kendall gathered her in her arms.

  “I know exactly what you’re going through,” Kendall said in a watery voice. “I was in the same room when my three college roommates were murdered in cold blood.”

  They cried against each other’s shoulders, taking comfort from the other’s shared pain. Kendall eased back and brushed tears from Peyton’s face. “You’ll get through this. It’s hard but you can do it.”

  Not trusting her voice, she simply nodded.

  The doorbell rang again. Ethan answered this time, ushering Detective Caldwell inside. Alex stepped forward and they did one of those manly back thumping, one-armed bro hugs. Alex introduced him to the others and then the men headed to the kitchen to make plans.

  Maggie grabbed her hands. “I really want to get to know you better, Peyton, but I’m part of this.” She waved a hand where the men were gathered. She’d forgotten that Maggie was not only Noah and Ethan’s sister, but an agent. “I hope we can talk soon?”

  She smiled at Maggie. “I’d love that.”

  Maggie gave her another quick hug and then went to join the men at the table.

  She led Kendall and Olivia into the living room, and they all took a seat on the comfortable furniture.

  “Are you still working in New York?” she asked Olivia.

  “No, Kendall and I co-own a production company with one other woman in Bloomington.”

  “Liv and I were roommates in New York,” Kendall explained. “We were both in the television news business, but we worked for different networks.”

  “How did you meet Alex and Dorian?”

  “The same way you met Noah,” Kendall said. “I told you my roommates were murdered. I was in the hotel room with them. One of my friends dropped something and I reached down to pick it up for her. It rolled under the bed. I crawled under for it when the door burst open and the room was sprayed with bullets, killing all three instantly.”

  Peyton’s mouth dropped open. “Wow.”

  Kendall nodded. “I’ll tell you all about it sometime, but to make a long story short, I had no idea what to do, so I called Olivia. She’d worked with Jake Kincaid, another COBRA Securities agent, before and she called him for me. He sent me to Dorian, who was recovering from an injury at his mother’s apartment.”

  “Was it love at first sight?”

  Kendall burst out laughing. “Oh, good gosh, no. He knocked me out!”

  Peyton gasped. “You’re kidding.”

  Kendall held up her hand. “True story. It was partly my fault. I climbed up the fire escape and he thought I was a burglar. He used one of his super-secret SEAL moves on me and I was out.”

  “Dorian was a SEAL, too?”

  “Yep, and when I woke up, I thought he was the biggest ass on the planet.”

  Peyton chuckled.

  “Dorian and Alex went to school together, so Alex was assisting us when Livvy here,” Kendall pointed a thumb at the other woman, “decided to come help me without letting me know.”

  Olivia winced. “That’s how I met Alex. He thought I was a burglar, too.”

  Peyton laughed, surprised she could do so after all that had happened.

  “He jumped her—literally.”

  “Ken,” Olivia admonished with a slap on the arm.

  Kendall widened her eyes in innocence. “What? You’re the one who slept with him after knowing him for all of fifteen minutes.”

  Olivia dropped her face in her hands. Her voice was muffled when she said, “I can’t believe you told that.”

  “Why? Peyton’s one of us no
w.”

  Peyton’s heartbeat stuttered. “One of what?”

  “A significant other.”

  Peyton opened her mouth to argue, but snapped it closed. She was with Noah right now. She didn’t know what the future held or if he even wanted anything more.

  She only knew that she did. More than anything on earth.

  Chapter Twenty

  Peyton had just stepped into the shower when she heard the glass door open and then she was being wrapped in strong arms and surrounded by a warm, naked man. She dropped her head against Noah’s shoulder, enjoying the feel of him running his hands all over her body. He grabbed the soap and lathered up and then proceeded to worship her with his hands. He even washed her hair, his strong fingers gently massaging her scalp. She hummed in pleasure.

  Once he’d rinsed the suds out, she turned to do the same for him, but he kissed her and all thoughts of returning the favor swirled down the drain with the soapy water. He lifted her and pinned her against the slate colored tiles. She wrapped her legs around his waist, aligning their bodies perfectly. He pushed into her and it was Heaven until he stopped.

  “Condom,” he gritted out.

  She clutched his shoulders when he started to pull out. He glanced at her face in question. “I’m clean and I’m on the pill.”

  “Clean, too,” he growled, right before he surged all the way inside and she climaxed instantly. How he did that to her, she’d never know. Her body responded to his on a primeval level. She feared she might die from an overabundance of euphoria.

  He kissed her long and deep, his body pinning her against the tiles as he pumped into her. She felt the need rising again. He brought it out in her like a virtuoso manipulating a violin. Then they were both hurtling into an abyss of exquisite ecstasy. He ground against her, prolonging her pleasure until she didn’t think she’d ever be able to stand on her own again. Their harsh breaths mingled with the spray of water inside the cocoon of the shower.

  Noah picked up the soap and washed them both again. She wanted to help, she really did, but her arms didn’t seem to be working. He flicked off the water and wrapped her in a towel before picking her up and carrying her to bed.

  It wasn’t until they were halfway across the room when shame slammed into her with the force of a cannon ball fired at point blank range. She was making love with Noah while Kurt was lying on a cold hard slab in a sterile morgue. She should be mourning him, not experiencing unparalleled bliss.

  “He’d want you to be happy.”

  Noah’s softly murmured comment had her burying her head against his shoulder. He’d read her mind. And she knew he was right. Kurt would want her to go on. But the pain was still so raw. It’d helped talking to Kendall and Olivia tonight, knowing they’d each been through horrific ordeals and had survived.

  He gently placed her on the bed and followed her down, spooning her against him and wrapping her in his arms, her favorite place to be.

  “Noah?”

  “Hum?”

  “There’ve been seven medals. If the person is going by how many individual golds I won, what do you think the last message will be?”

  He was silent for so long, she feared he wouldn’t answer. Finally, he said, “I’d like to say it would be something like celebrate or cheer, but after all that’s happened, I’m afraid the word will be die.”

  She shuddered and he hugged her tighter. For every medal you won someone will die. Seven people had already. Why? What had she done to cause such intense hatred?

  “Peyton?”

  “Yes?”

  “What are your plans after Sunday?”

  Her eyes opened and she stared at a tree bathed in moonlight outside the window. A few days ago, she’d planned on heading back to the house she and Owen grew up in and still owned in Southern Illinois while she contemplated her future. She now knew it wouldn’t be training for the next Olympics. Her swimwear company was currently headquartered in Austin, Texas where she’d trained with Kurt for many years. She’d already decided that when she retired from competitive swimming, she’d establish the executive offices where she chose to put down roots.

  “I’m not really sure. I guess it depends on if the murderer is caught.”

  “If he’s not, I want you to come back with me to our compound in Indiana. I can keep you safe there.”

  Going to Noah’s house sounded wonderful. “Okay.”

  He craned his neck to look at her. “Really? You’ll come?”

  She nodded and he settled back around her with a relieved exhale. He was quiet and she wondered if he’d fallen asleep. But his deep voice tickled her ear.

  “Peyton, what if we do catch him?”

  She closed her eyes, praying that they did before anyone else was killed. “I guess I’ll go home to the house Owen and I own in Carbondale.”

  “You could still come home with me.”

  She rolled over to face him, her heart pounding in her chest. “You want me to go with you, no matter what?”

  He ran the back of his fingers down her cheek and nodded. “Yes, I do.”

  “For how long?” The words were whispered.

  “As long as you want.”

  Forever. She wanted to stay with him forever. She opened her mouth to say yes when his cell rang. She tensed. A call this late couldn’t be good.

  #

  Noah closed his eyes and muttered a curse. Before the phone interrupted him, he’d basically asked Peyton to move in with him. Though they’d known each other for years, they’d only been together a few short days. Still, it was enough for him to know he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. The thought of driving away and leaving her when the case was over was unbearable. She’d quickly become one of the most important people in his life and he didn’t want to let her go.

  He’d have to man up and tell Owen. He wouldn’t leave that unpleasant task to Peyton. It was his duty as a friend. Owen wouldn’t be breaking out the champagne and toasting their relationship, Noah was sure. But they both loved Peyton and wanted her to be happy. Noah wanted to spend the rest of his life with her if she’d have him. Hopefully Owen would be able to come to terms with them eventually.

  He reached behind him for his cell, recognizing the ringtone he’d set for Detective Caldwell. He punched the talk button. “What’s up, Blake?”

  “Hixon’s no longer in custody.”

  Noah sat up in bed. “What the hell happened?”

  “There was a mix-up with paperwork, and he was released. A rookie mistake, literally.”

  Noah rubbed a hand over his forehead as an ache started to form. He’d felt better knowing his top suspect would be out of commission. Having Maggie, Carter, Dorian and Alex along helped, too. He hadn’t asked for his coworkers to come, but he was so damn glad they did. They’d called him once they were on the road in one of the Cadillac Escalade ESV’s that provided plenty of room for six passengers. Like all their company vehicles, the glass was bullet proof and the side panels reinforced.

  But now that Hixon was out of custody, they’d have to keep an eye out for him. Noah would distribute his picture, along with Rico Pena, Stanley Pruitt and Curtis Milburn to all the security personnel on site. Sarah Sanderson would already be inside the facility, so they’d keep watch on her, too.

  “Can’t you arrest him again?”

  “I could if we could find him. I sent a car to his house to pick him back up but he’s not there. He’s in the wind.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Peyton emerged from the locker room to the familiar sights and smells of a competition swimming venue. The air was electric as the stands began to fill with fans wearing their school colors. An enthusiastic pep band played songs with upbeat tempos while family and friends waved signs of encouragement in support of their favorite athlete. The scents of hot dogs and buttery popcorn mingled with the antiseptic tang of chlorine. This sport was her life. There was nothing like the rush of adrenalin she felt when she walked onto the deck. That’s w
hy she agreed to the personal coaching job—to experience the excitement and anticipation of racing. But today, the atmosphere which had brought her so much joy over the years was clouded with bittersweet memories. Kurt was dead. Murdered. Her teammates Lotus, Laura and Jenny were gone. The sport would never be the same for her. She’d still run her swimwear company and volunteer with children, but she would never compete again. Not without Kurt.

  She hadn’t wanted to come tonight, but Aurora counted on her. The girl had been working hard all week despite being hospitalized and almost run over. Plus, Peyton had committed to helping Aurora’s high school coach with the event. She felt like a shell of herself. She knew her eyes were swollen from tears and her heart felt as if it’d been sliced in two, but this was for Aurora. Her practice had been phenomenal this morning. She’d logged her best times ever. If she swam that way tonight, she’d not only win her heats, but advance directly to Sunday’s finals. She’d not only improved her swimming, but her entire attitude had changed. She was excited about competing, she listened to what Peyton told her and she looked genuinely happy. It made Peyton’s battered heart sing to know that Aurora had finally fallen in love with the sport.

  She hadn’t told Aurora or her parents about Kurt or Lotus or the others, though they might’ve read it in the papers. She didn’t want them to worry. If the police didn’t catch the guy before the end of the weekend, Peyton would be leaving, and the Bentons would be safe. Detective Caldwell had assigned an officer to keep an eye exclusively on Henry and Avery in the stands and Peyton appreciated his efforts.

  With very short notice, Noah and his company had been instrumental in having metal detectors situated at the entrances. No one would be getting in with a gun or knife. Plus, Detective Caldwell had assigned a dozen cops stationed both inside the venue and out to be on alert for any threats.

  “Oh my God, Peyton Durant.”

  Peyton turned to see who’d scoffed out her name like a curse. A woman was standing with her hands on her ample hips, her beady gaze narrowed with contempt. She had short brown hair cut into a bob and permanent frown lines. Then she noticed the small scar on the woman’s chin.