Black Tie: HOT Heroes for Hire: Mercenaries: A Black’s Bandits Novel

by Lynn Raye Harris

  “You insert the mag, rack the slide, and then eject it and add another bullet?” she asked.

  “That’s right. An extra round might make the difference. You never know.”

  She did exactly what she’d just described to him. Then she lay the gun on the console again. “Thank you.”

  “You don’t want to keep it?”

  “I doubt I’m as good a shot as you. No, I don’t want to keep it. And I’m sorry I keep questioning you, but this is all a bit new for me.” She dragged in a breath, let it out in a rush. “I said I trust you, and I do. Thanks for quieting that part of me that wants to panic.”

  He didn’t know why, but she got to him. Her words hit him in the chest and didn’t let up. He felt responsible for her and responsible to her.

  “I think panicking is a very normal reaction.”

  “Is Brett Wheeler really your name, or do you have a fake passport for that one too?”

  “It’s the name I was born with. I have several fake passports, all with different names and a few different nationalities, but Brett is really me. My mama said she named me for a character in a book.”

  “Hemingway?”

  “Yep.”

  “His character is a woman.”

  “I know. Lady Brett Ashley. She loves a man she can never have. I don’t know what the hell my mother thought she was saying with that name, but it’s the one she gave me. She liked it and thought there wouldn’t be six Bretts in the same class with me. Her name was Jennifer, so I guess she had issues with not being unique enough.”

  Tallie sighed. “Honestly, I wish I’d had a more normal name. There were no other Tallulahs in my class. I wanted to be an Emma or a Hope, like other girls.”

  “Are you named after anyone?”

  “My great-grandmother. And the Tallulah River in Georgia. It’s a family thing, apparently.”

  “It’s a nice name.”

  “I think so now—I did not in sixth grade. Or at any point during high school, really. Everyone called me Tallie by then, but I still got teased when my full name came up. Tallulah Boolah. Moolah Lula. Little Lulu. Looney Lu.” She shook her head. “Kids.”

  “Hey, anyone who survives high school deserves a medal in my opinion.”

  “No kidding. What’s your middle name, Brett Wheeler?”

  “Stone.” He laughed at her little gasp. “No, it really is. Mama was determined her child was going to be special, I guess. I don’t think she was high.”

  He said that jokingly, but he’d definitely seen his mother high. Many times. She’d sworn she wasn’t on drugs when she had him. That she hadn’t started yet. He guessed it was the truth since he’d never had any learning disabilities or other issues that typically came with drug-addicted babies.

  “Brett Stone Wheeler. Wow, that’s quite a mouthful. But no worse than Tallulah Margaret Grant.”

  He’d known her name because Ian had given him information on her, but he liked hearing her say it. She was comparing names with him, laughing. It was far better than being wary of him.

  “I like Tallulah Margaret. Definitely memorable.” Which wasn’t necessarily a good thing since Paloma Bruni and her minions would be able to track Tallie down back in Virginia if they really wanted to. He didn’t know why they’d want to.

  But Heinrich von Kassel might. If it was really her eyes and not the fact they’d presented her as underage that interested him. If that was the case, Von Kassel would turn up again like a bad penny—assuming he could get her real identity from Paloma’s people.

  Brett picked up the Sig and holstered it. He had other weapons, but they were in his duffel. If he needed to get to something quickly, the Sig was his go-to. He probably shouldn’t have offered it to her, but he’d needed some sort of gesture that would comfort her. And he’d figured by the time they were ready to stop somewhere, she’d have relaxed enough to give it back.

  “Thank you, Brett.”

  “I mean it. It’s a nice name.”

  She reached out and touched his hand where it rested on the console. It was a light touch, fleeting, but he felt it all the way to his balls. The electricity of it. Did she?

  “I appreciate that, but it’s not what I was thanking you for.”

  “Oh yeah? What then?”

  “For understanding. For trying your best to make me feel like I have some control. It means a lot to me.”

  “I don’t want you to be scared of me, Tallie. I’m not the bad guy.”

  “I’m learning to believe it.” She yawned, a jaw-cracking yawn that seemed to surprise her. “Holy cow, how can I be tired after all the sleeping I did the past few days?”

  “You’re still recovering. And we walked a long way in fresh air. Go to sleep. It’s going to be a few hours before we reach the checkpoint.”

  He thought she might question him further, but all she did was smile. Then she turned toward the window, leaned the seat back, and fell asleep.

  When Tallie woke, she thought it was still early and the sun hadn’t fully risen. But it wasn’t early. It was just very gray. The clouds, fat with snow, hung low and threatened to dump a lot more than the few flakes that currently swirled across the road in front of them.

  On either side of the road, mountains rose up and disappeared into the cloud cover. Traffic was steady.

  She glanced over at Brett. He was staring straight ahead at the road. The radio was on, classic rock issuing softly from the speakers since he hadn’t turned it up very loud.

  His profile made her heart squeeze. He was handsome, and she was conflicted about her feelings of attraction. His dark hair was a little long, a little curly. His features were rugged with a day’s growth of beard, but still so appealing.

  Not like her ex who’d looked scruffy when he didn’t shave. Scruffy and like he might be planning to rob a convenience store. Not that Calvin would ever do such a thing. He was a respected attorney looking to make partner.

  For a moment, Tallie felt a pang that she hadn’t tried harder with Calvin. But the feeling quickly went away, especially as she contemplated the man behind the wheel.

  He made her tingle. Without touching her, he made her tingle. That was some feat right there. Even when she let that little voice deep down make her panic because she didn’t really know him, he still managed to make her aware of him on a level that she shouldn’t allow.

  As if she had a say in it.

  “Where are we?” she finally asked, shifting in her seat to let him know she was awake.

  He shot her a glance. “Still in Italy. South Tyrol. We’ll be to the Brenner Pass in another hour.”

  “That explains the mountains then,” she said lightly. “The Dolomites.”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s pretty. I’ve never driven this way before. I’m usually in France, though I went to Lake Como once.”

  “What did you do there?”

  “My sister wanted to go after a buying trip to France. We spent four days, eating and shopping and having a great time. It was our last trip together before she died. Car accident,” she added, because most people asked.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks.”

  Sadness wrapped cold fingers around her heart. Josie had been the outgoing one, the one who’d seemed to know exactly what she wanted out of life. Tallie was still stumbling along and trying to figure it out.

  She gazed at the rolling countryside dusted in snow, the soaring mountains. It was so pretty that she could almost pretend that’s why she was here. Just to see it.

  “Do you need to stop or can it wait until we get to the pass?” he asked.

  “I think I can wait. Do you know where we’re going?”

  “Not yet. We’re changing cars at a rest stop. I’ll know more then.”

  They talked a little more, about the scenery and how far they’d traveled, and then they lapsed into silence again. Tallie stared at the countryside, thinking how beautiful and peaceful it looked.

  But inside she
was a mess of nerves. Not because of Brett—or not entirely because of him—but because she was thinking about how complicated everything had become, and what that had to mean for her when she got home again.

  Why all the subterfuge? Why the caution? And how was she supposed to be safe in her own home after this? Though she hadn’t been abducted from her house, she was beginning to worry that she really could be. Someone could break in and throw a hood over her head, bundle her off to God knew where, and the whole nightmare would start again.

  It was frightening how vulnerable a person could be, how thin the layer of civility that protected everyone from chaos and anarchy.

  When they pulled into the rest area, it was packed with vehicles. There was a gas station, a store, and a restaurant. Brett found parking and then turned to her.

  “Take your bag. We won’t be returning to this car.”

  “Okay.”

  “Remember, I’m Brett Newport. You’re my wife Tiffany Newport. We’re on our honeymoon.”

  “Got it.” They’d talked about it earlier and she’d been reminding herself what name she was going by. Tiffany. Had she ever wanted to be a Tiffany? Probably so. It was more normal than Tallulah.

  The air was much colder at this altitude, and snow swirled across the parking lot. The accumulation wasn’t bad yet, but if it kept up it could be. Thankfully it was only midday, and they would probably get quite a bit farther before dark.

  Brett held out his hand for her. Tallie slipped her fingers into his, appreciating the squeeze he gave her. He led her toward the restaurant. They stepped inside and Brett put his arm around her, drawing her close as the hostess came over. Her gaze slipped appreciatively over Brett, then cooled as it studied Tallie.

  “Zwei?” she asked. When German didn’t elicit a response, she switched to Italian. “Due?”

  Tallie understood that she was saying the number two in both languages, but she didn’t respond. She wasn’t supposed to.

  “Um, do you speak English?” Brett asked. His Southern drawl was gone, replaced by what she thought of as a Midwestern accent.

  “But of course,” the woman said. “Two?”

  “Yes, please. Could we sit near the window? My wife has never been to Europe before.”

  The hostess smiled. “Certainly, sir.” She led the way to a table with a lovely view of the mountain rising into the sky above them. “What would you like to drink?” she asked once they were seated. Brett made Tallie scoot over in the booth and sat beside her. Like newlyweds who couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

  She felt herself blushing as she lifted her face to the hostess. “Water, please.”

  “Still or sparkling?”

  “Sparkling is fine.”

  “I’ll have water,” Brett said. “No bubbles.”

  The hostess walked away, her blonde ponytail swinging. Brett put his arm around Tallie and bent to speak into her ear. His breath tickled, sending a shiver of awareness snaking down her spine.

  “So far, so good. Be sure to eat well. It might be awhile before we stop again—other than necessary breaks.”

  “I’m planning to order the biggest steak they’ve got.” Tallie opened her menu and studied it. It was in German, Italian, and English. Her stomach rumbled at the description of pork schnitzel in a cream sauce with mushrooms. “Strike that. The biggest schnitzel. I hope it’s the size of my head.”

  Brett laughed. He didn’t take his arm from around her shoulders as he flipped open his menu on the table and glanced over it. “They have rumpsteak. You sure you don’t want that?”

  “Positive. Who can resist breaded pork with cream sauce?”

  “Not you, I’m guessing.”

  “Exactly.”

  The hostess, who was now their waitress, returned with drinks. Then she took their order and disappeared again. Tallie watched for trouble—not that she’d know what trouble looked like unless it was painfully obvious—but none came.

  It wasn’t until they were finished with the meal and waiting for dessert to arrive that a woman slid into the seat across from them. Tallie assumed it was the person giving them the keys to their next car—until she felt Brett stiffen. He reached inside his jacket, but the woman shook her head.

  “Not a good idea. Not a good idea at all.”

  It took Tallie a long moment to realize that one of the woman’s hands was under the table. The other reached for Tallie’s hot chocolate. Her sleeve slipped up, revealing a colorful tattoo. Something with scales, maybe.

  “Natasha,” Brett growled. “What do you want?”

  Chapter Ten

  Natasha Orlova, aka Calypso, sat across the table and contemplated them both with deep blue eyes. Contacts, probably. Her hair was black, not the blond of the last time Brett had seen her. That was months ago, inside BDI’s headquarters. She’d shot Colt and Jace that night, though she hadn’t killed them.

  He didn’t have to look under the table to know she held a pistol pointed at his balls. She picked up Tallie’s chocolate and took a delicate sip.

  “Perhaps I’ve come to collect something,” she said. “Perhaps I am on a job.”

  Her gaze slid over Tallie, and Brett forced himself to take a deep, steadying breath. Had Heinrich von Kassel hired her to find Tallie for him? And how the fuck was Brett going to stop her if so? Calypso was legendary—and utterly cold-blooded. She’d shot her own brother. She’d been planning to hand him over to some unnamed person for a reward. She’d have done it if the Bandits hadn’t arrived to stop her.

  Of all the things Ian had ever done, letting Calypso walk free was the one Brett disagreed with most.

  Beside him, Tallie shifted. She moved a little bit closer to him, instinctively realizing that Calypso was trouble.

  “I won’t make it easy for you,” he told her. The waitress returned with their dessert, her eyebrows going up at the sight of a third person at their table.

  “Can I get you something?” she asked Natasha.

  “Yes, please. I am afraid I stole this lovely lady’s hot chocolate. Perhaps another for her?”

  “Of course.”

  The waitress walked away and Brett waited, thinking how he could turn this situation to his advantage. But Natasha put her other hand on the table then and he realized she wasn’t pointing a weapon at him. Not that she hadn’t placed it on the seat beside her and wouldn’t reach for it if he went for his.

  “You are thinking there are too many people in here for a showdown,” she said. “And you are correct. I am not unarmed, but I’m also not pointing it at you. I never was.”

  “What do you want?” he asked her tightly, relief unfurling inside him.

  Her gaze went to Tallie again. “Is he always this rude?”

  Tallie shrugged. “I don’t know. I think you probably bring out the worst in him.”

  Natasha smiled. There was a tiny gap in her front teeth. “I bring out the worst in a lot of people.” She held out her hand and Tallie took it before Brett could stop her. “I’m Natasha.”

  “Ta—Tiffany,” Tallie said.

  Natasha’s eyes sparkled. “Yes, of course. As for what I want,” she said, dropping Tallie’s hand and gazing at him again. “I want what I was promised. Tell him for me.”

  He knew she meant Ian. He also knew she meant she wanted revenge. But was she really trustworthy? Or was this a ruse? What did she actually want?

  “How can he find you?”

  She shrugged. “He cannot. I’ll find him. Tell him.”

  “I’ll tell him. But why come to me? And how did you know where to find me?”

  “I know many things. You will want to be careful on your journey, Mr. Newport. People are looking for you. There is a bounty, and many who want it.”

  “And you don’t?”

  “Oh, I do. But I want what Ian promised me even more. Consider this a gift. I won’t offer you another.”

  “Where did you learn that name?”

  “Newport?” She shrugged. “I ha
ve my sources. I would change to another name soon if I were you.”

  Brett clenched his teeth. Fuck.

  She slid from the booth and stood above them. She was a frightening woman, a killer, but she seemed sad somehow.

  “Any message for Jace?”

  If anything, she looked sadder. But then her features hardened. “None at all.”

  She strode away and Brett swore. Any other time and he’d follow her, see where she went. But he couldn’t leave Tallie alone.

  “Who was that?” Tallie asked, looking in the direction Natasha had gone.

  “Best if you forget you ever met her,” Brett said, pulling his phone from his pocket and typing out a text message to Ian.

  Tallie shook her head. “I doubt that’s possible. She said there was a bounty for you. What did she mean?”

  “It’s nothing new. Don’t worry about it.” He didn’t intend to tell her what Natasha really meant. The bounty was for her, not him.

  “Easy for you to say. Everything worries me right now.”

  He put his hand over hers and squeezed it. “I know. This isn’t the kind of life you’re accustomed to. But until I’m worried about something, there’s nothing to fear.”

  “You were worried about her. For a little while.”

  He nodded. “She’s dangerous. The last time I saw her, she shot two of my friends.”

  Her mouth fell open. “Oh my God.”

  “It’s okay. They’re fine. And she’s gone. She wants me to pass a message. If she’d wanted to hurt me, she’d have done it.”

  The waitress returned with a fresh hot chocolate. She set it on the table. “The man sitting over there has paid for your meal. He says you are a charming couple and clearly in love.”

  Brett turned to look where she indicated. He didn’t recognize the man, but the message was correct. “Please ask him to join us. We’d love to buy him a coffee, wouldn’t we, honey?”

  “Yes, of course,” Tallie said automatically, though she managed to look worried instead of happy.

  Brett put a hand on her knee. She jumped, but settled quickly. “Hey,” he said softly as the waitress went over to the man.