The Protector

by Cristin Harber

Jane yanked her hands in her lap. “You said something about finishing our conversation.”

  “Yeah.”

  Well, wasn’t that vague. “So… did we?”

  “Finish our conversation?” he asked.

  She lifted a shoulder. “Yeah.”

  Chance turned to face her and settled against the door. “No.”

  “Are we going to?”

  “Sure.”

  She laughed and rolled her eyes. “When?”

  “Later. You good with that?”

  Ha, ha, ha, no. “Sure.” Jane wanted to shake him. If he ever said something about women being hard to read, she would recall this two-part conversation verbatim. Then she remembered that it might be a good idea to take a breath.

  “We can wait until you’re ready,” he said, unaware of her urge to shake the words from his mouth. “I figured you wanted to crash when you got to the hotel.”

  “Shower,” Jane agreed. “Then crash.”

  “Good.” He squeezed her knee.

  Even as more oxygen made its way to her brain, Jane was left feeling like a groupie unable to function near their rock star. “Good,” she repeated.

  He opened the door. A professional-looking woman in a long black skirt and long-sleeved white blouse waited a few steps away with a friendly but curious smile. Chance got out and exchanged greetings with the woman.

  Jane stepped out and cupped her hand over her forehead to block the bright sun.

  “This is Angela,” Chance said. “She’ll take care of you while you’re here. If you need anything, she can make it happen.”

  Angela extended her hand. “At least, I’ll try.”

  Jane detected a faint southern accent as they shook hands. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise.” Then Angela pointed at Chance. “And, you, my friend, are late.”

  He held up his hands. “I had a good reason.”

  “Uh-huh.” Angela clucked then turned to her. “He was a perfect gentleman?”

  Jane blushed and hoped her sunburn hid her reaction. “Of course.”

  Chance gave Jane a wink. “I’ll check on you later, okay, Mary Poppins?”

  “Okay.” She laughed awkwardly, explaining to Angela, “Inside joke.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  With a quick salute, Chance strode away.

  Thankfully, Angela gave Jane a few seconds to take in the view before she cleared her throat. “Ready?”

  “Yes.” Jane straightened and followed Angela toward the hotel entrance. “Chance was late?”

  “He was,” Angela offered, all business.

  Did they go out on jobs again so quickly? “Where’s he going now?”

  “To get his ass chewed out by Boss Man.”

  “Oh.” Jane hadn’t expected anything about an ass-chewing to come out of the woman’s well-lined lips. But since when had Jane’s expectations squared with reality?

  Angela guided Jane through the hotel lobby. The marble floor was a mosaic of whites and gold. The walls held bright and gilded tapestries. But as beautiful as the surroundings, Jane couldn’t stop asking questions about Chance. “Why would he get chewed out?”

  Angela stopped. Her lips quirked as her eyebrows delicately arched. “I haven’t quite figured that out yet.”

  Jane was somehow the answer to the question. At least according to Angela’s curious expression.

  Angela turned briskly. “We’ll head to your room. After you clean up and rest, we can review your itinerary.”

  Jane rushed to keep up. “Thanks.”

  They stopped again at a bay of elevators. A hotel staffer pressed the call button for the elevators, creating a small line queue. “Before we go to my room, can I swing by and say hi to Teddy first?”

  “Oh.” A line creased across Angela’s brow. “Did no one tell you?”

  Her stomach churned. “Tell me what?”

  “The Thanes and their photographer were evacuated home earlier this morning.”

  Jane’s head swam. “They’re not here?”

  “No,” Angela said more softly.

  Jane didn’t know why this was a surprise, but yet, she couldn’t grasp that they hadn’t waited a few hours to check on her. “They left without me…” Had that been what Chance had wanted to share?

  Jane closed her eyes, mortified again that she let her romantic thoughts lead her so far astray. Talk about insult to injury.

  Angela grimaced. “I’m sorry.”

  “Never mind.” Jane opened her eyes and waved Angela’s unnecessary apology. “It’s fine.”

  “Mr. Thane said he had important business matters to attend to—” Angela faltered, clearly unaccustomed to the derailment of her smooth plans. “This is my fault. I thought, well—”

  Jane forced away her disappointment. “It’s no one’s fault, and honestly, it makes sense. The family is so busy.” And she didn’t mean anything to them. A decent boss would’ve checked in on an employee who nearly died, wouldn’t they?

  Maybe Jane had a pie-in-the-sky idea of how connected she was to the Thanes. They played house and family, and because of her upbringing, Jane had little to compare how real, normal families worked. After all, Jane had left home when she turned eighteen, and she wasn’t certain if her parents had noticed she was gone.

  But she’d assumed that being part of the Thanes’ household, being invited on this trip, meant that she was part of their family. Or, at least, part of Teddy’s family.

  Emotions shuffled through Jane’s head as Angela led her into the elevator and then to her room. Jane always played by their rules. She signed gag orders, put up with Dax and Gigi’s ridiculous behavior, and had given Teddy the best care she knew how to give. She dropped everything to accompany them on this trip that Aunt Courtney had correctly assessed as a disaster. And… Dax and Gigi had just left her.

  No. They weren’t her family. She hadn’t known them more than a year. Even Teddy, who she instantly and immediately had loved as her own, wasn’t hers. They could take him away whenever they felt like it, and she could say nothing about it. Teddy’s aunt hadn’t even been able to stop their trip. What was Jane thinking? She’d had no family before, and she had none now.

  Angela stopped, startling Jane, and opened the hotel room door. “This will be your room.”

  Jane stared through the threshold but didn’t cross it. The hotel room was more like a grand suite. Her stomach turned. Did the Thanes throw money at her the way they did any other problem, certain all would be fine?

  “Jane?”

  “This room… I can’t.”

  Angela came to her side. “I can’t imagine what the last few days have been like, but I think you’ll feel better if you come in and relax.”

  Jane let herself be coaxed inside. The sight of the bathroom and the bed gave her enough of a reason to stay.

  Angela ran through Jane’s remaining travel as she stared out the window and soaked in the city of Abu Dhabi. The massive buildings gleamed in the desert sun, above throngs of people, some dressed in Arab kaftans, wraps, and veils, while others dressed in Western fashion. She never thought she would be anywhere as exotic as the city.

  “Which would you prefer?” Angela asked.

  Jane blankly turned from the window. “I’m sorry. What?”

  “We can make arrangements for you to leave in a few hours after you’ve rested. Or…” Angela tilted her head as though she preferred the next option. “You don’t push yourself and leave in a day or two.”

  As much as Jane wanted to hug Teddy, she reminded herself that they’d left her behind. Not Teddy’s fault. But when would she ever get an opportunity to be in this city again? She deserved a small vacation. “I suppose I don’t need to rush back.”

  “Perfect.” Angela smiled and walked toward the door, only pausing to leave a business card on a side table. “If you need anything, let me know.”

  With that, Angela left.

  Jane stripped her scrubs as she walked into the luxurious bathroom.
As steam filled the air, Jane wondered if Chance had meant to tell her about Teddy. Or had there been something else?

  Then she stepped under the hot water. This shower and hours of sleep were her only priorities.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Chance stepped from the harsh sunlight into the hotel that housed their headquarters, however makeshift as it was. He ducked under a clear plastic tarp that lined the lobby out, threaded his way behind the front desk, and into the hotel offices that continued to serve as their temporary nerve center for team operations.

  The seemingly slow progress on the hotel wasn’t likely to make Jared Westin’s mood any better, and what Chance wouldn’t give to be freshly showered and shaved with a good night’s sleep in his own bed under his belt before meeting up with Boss Man.

  The job had gone well. But Chance wasn’t oblivious. The way he went about his second re-entry was low on Ace’s list of ways to get a job done.

  “Well, look who it is. The renegade.” Jared bounded down the hall, wearing workout shorts and an old shirt that read ‘When life closes a door, breach the wall and show up like a boss’.

  Chance kept his amusement to himself. Boss Man had never seemed the type for small talk—and he’d never been one to stare at a door without blowing through it. “What are you looking at?”

  “Nothing,” he growled and nearly ripped the door from its hinges before he stormed in.

  Yeah, that’d be a big fat no on small talk with Boss Man. This was going to be a great meeting.

  “Get your ass in here,” Jared boomed.

  Chance stopped at the door and read a paper sign duct-taped slightly off center.

  WARNING

  Aces Team Be Like…

  Ninjas and Pirates

  Lasers and Slingshots

  Proceed at your own risk.

  “It’s not that interesting.” Jared sounded like a fire-breathing dragon with a bad case of heartburn as he snatched the WARNING notice from the door and threw it onto the floor. “Fuckin’ imbecile children.” He threw the door shut, muttering, “What the hell have I got myself into?”

  Yup. This was going to go about as well as surprising Jane at the airport, skipping over the key part of his plan—asking her to dinner—so that his surprise appearance closer resembled a creepy stalker who wanted to capitalize on her naïveté. Chance waited until he was certain Jared wouldn’t toss the table before he sat down at it and looked at his boss.

  “What?” Jared barked from across the makeshift war room.

  Sorry for forcing the team’s hand in Syria. Wish I could’ve got the nanny out the first time. Chance had nothing that sounded like a conversation opener. “I like your shirt.”

  “Shut up.”

  Gladly… “About my request to drop back in—”

  “That’s what you’re calling it?” Jared crossed his arms. “A request?”

  Chance eyed his boss and saw cold eyes paired with a soul so ancient it surpassed Stonehenge. “You have a different phrase?”

  Jared’s eyes narrowed. He strode to the table and planted his fists on it like two thunderbolts. “I’d call your request a piss poor position that you put me in.”

  True enough, but it was the only one they had. “I—”

  “You could’ve waited.” Jared’s nostrils flared in challenge.

  This would be their sticking point. Chance ground his molars. “Waited for what? Her to die?”

  “Don’t be a smartass.” He pounded a fist. “You shoulda waited for more intel. For a better route. For goddamn anything where you wouldn’t find yourself skipping rocks through the desert for a girl you want to impress.”

  Chance’s jaw dropped. “Wait a minute.”

  “You heard me.”

  Tension scraped up his neck, and Chance shifted in his chair, positioning so that his boots were underneath him as though he might leap into action.

  Jared glared. “You were lucky it worked out in your favor. But get this through your thick skull, I won’t have my orders disobeyed.”

  A righteous strain of pissed-off coursed through Chance. “With all due respect, Boss Man. You signed off.”

  “You pushed my hand.”

  “You’re damn right I did.” Chance rose from his chair and leaned into the table like Jared. They were two muscled-up pit bulls ready to scrap. “I either went back for her then or it wouldn’t matter. The job wouldn’t be a rescue. We’d have a body to recover, and you know it.”

  Jared’s jaw flexed. He didn’t disagree, and that was something. If he did, Chance wasn’t sure how well their conversation would continue to go. Not that this one constituted a great chat.

  “You know we call you Midas for a reason—”

  “You know what?” Chance snapped. “I never asked for that.”

  “For fuck’s sake. Stop talking and listen, because one of these days, if you pull shit like that again, it’s gonna catch up with you.”

  Chance pressed his knuckles into the table until pain burned into his forearms. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

  “No one’s invincible.” They silently faced off until Jared pushed from the table. “I didn’t put you on my payroll because you’re stupid. Don’t do stupid shit again.” He cracked his knuckles. “Do you read me?”

  Chance paused and recalled Jane’s retelling of King Midas. Well… hell. He chewed the inside of his mouth and rolled back on his heels. Boss Man wasn’t wrong. Chance took a deep breath and then admitted, “Yeah. I read you loud and clear.”

  “Finally.” Jared rounded the table and clapped Chance on the back. “Glad you’re still alive. Don’t cause me any more headaches.”

  And that was that. Jared was gone.

  Chance arched his eyebrows and turned for the door that’d Jared had slammed shut on his way out.

  Holy mother of adrenaline rushes. He dropped back into his chair and ran a hand over his face. That’d been more intense that he’d expected.

  From what he’d heard from others on the team, a slap on the back and a commendation for still breathing was as close to a “good job” as Jared Westin ever gave.

  Chance laughed. A huge smile cracked across his face, and with that, he decided today was one hell of a great day. Tomorrow would be even better, because he wouldn’t screw up while trying to impress a girl who’d done nothing but impress him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  The morning sun blanketed Chance’s bed with a bright, white light. It always worked better than setting an alarm clock. Too bad he woke up hungry and horny.

  Neither were a great way to start the day. Mixed together? They propelled him toward Jane Singleton in a much different disposition than he’d initially planned.

  His bedroom was in an old hotel room. It had once been a suite before Titan closed the hotel for repairs. For the time being, the Aces team considered the thirteenth floor their home sweet home. He wondered more than once why that floor had been chosen but hadn’t found a good time to ask Boss Man.

  After a quick shower and shave, Chance flipped through the mostly empty cupboards in the kitchenette. Popcorn. Beef stew. Jerky. Even as his stomach rumbled, nothing caught his eye. Finally, he opted for a breakfast of beef stew, cold and out of the can as someone banged on the door.

  “Midas,” Camden called. “You up?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Chance mumbled around the spoon in his mouth. “Hold your horses.” He let his teammate in. “What?”

  “Morning to you too, dick.” Camden noted the can of beef stew and beelined for the kitchenette. “Got any more of that?” He didn’t wait for an answer, grabbed a can from the cupboard, and popped the lid with an old P-38 can opener from his keychain.

  Chance shook his head. “By all means, help yourself.”

  Camden rifled through the utensils. “The spoons clean?”

  “If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be in the drawer.” Chance leaned against the wall. “Ever thought about that?”

  “Maybe.” Camden inspecte
d a spoon and then dug into the stew.

  Chance snickered. “What’s going on?”

  “Dunno.” Camden shrugged.

  “You came to forage for food?”

  “Actually,” Camden said around a mouthful. “I want to know about the nanny.”

  Chance clamped his teeth around the metal spoon. He forced himself to swallow the last bite, noting that his breakfast had lost its taste. He dropped the spoon into the half-eaten stew can and set it on the counter. “Mary Poppins?”

  “Who the hell’s that? You mean Jane Singleton?”

  Chance scrubbed a hand over his jaw, working it side to side, as he picked the best way to handle what should’ve been an easy question. “Yeah. They’re the same person.” He crossed his arms. “Why?”

  Camden cocked his dark eyebrows and half-laughed. “Why’d you think?”

  For an ugly second, Chance assessed himself against his teammate as though Camden was just some young guy from Jersey. Chance decided his superiority, from looks to—he stopped short and could’ve kicked his own ass. How often had Chance futilely tried to ignore his own appearance? He wasn’t blind. He knew he was a good-looking guy. Good looks caused more grief than they were worth.

  But yet, at the mention of Jane, he wanted to call upon physical traits to one-up a teammate? Nope. That was a dick move. If Chance wanted Jane’s attention, he’d get it another way. “She’s nice.”

  “Nice?”

  His back molars ground, but he managed, “If you think you have a shot—”

  “Me?” Camden hooted. “What the hell? No, man. What’s up with you and Mary Poppins?”

  He shoved his hands into his pockets. What the hell? Boss Man tore into him for impressing Jane. Now Camden had questions? “Nothing.”

  “Right.” Camden smirked. “Because that wasn’t you who held her on the flight back in.”

  The back of his neck heated. “On the helicopter? She’d been through hell.” He rolled his eyes. “Tell me you didn’t come over this morning to bust my balls over the nanny.”

  “Her name’s Jane.”

  Tension vibrated up his spine. “I know her name.”

  Again, Camden laughed. “Easy, buddy. I’m here for the food.”