Naked Vengeance

by Sophia Rae

  Nick heard Grady mutter under his breath. Silence followed and Nick wondered if Grady was going to give him any more information.

  “I’ve known Eve for about six years,” Grady offered. “She’s a good kid, but she doesn’t know when to back off trouble. Basically, she’s been trying to find who killed her father.”

  “You’re kidding. Why is she stripping? Does she need money to hire a P.I.?”

  “No, she’s doing it on her own,” Grady stated.

  “Does she even have a clue who she’s after?”

  “She says she does, but she won’t tell me anything. That’s the reason I called you in for the job. You are the best person to protect her.”

  “You know what happened last time you thought that?” Nick asked.

  “It wasn’t your fault, Nick.”

  “That’s what the shrink said, too.” He rubbed a hand down his face. “Okay, finish your story about Eve and I’ll decide if I’m going to stick around.”

  “You’re not going to like it.”

  “I haven’t liked anything up to this point anyway, so shoot.”

  “Eve’s father was killed last year,” Grady began in a slow, cautious manner. “He was one of the finest detectives in Charleston, South Carolina.”

  Nick’s fingers went lax; he nearly dropped the phone. There had to be a mistake, he thought. Fate couldn’t be this cruel.

  “You see why I need you to protect her?” Grady asked after a period of silence.

  Nick ran a hand through his thick hair. “Roger was Eve’s father? You want me to protect the daughter of the man I let die? A man who died where she is now working? Are you out of your fucking mind? What do you think she’ll say when she finds out I worked with her father on the bust that got him killed? I don’t like this, Grady.”

  “No, I’m sure you don’t. Eve is even more of a hothead than her old man was. She won’t stop until the killer is dead.” Grady paused. “Or until she is.”

  Nick found himself stuck between the proverbial rock and the hard place. “I’ll get back with you.”

  He ended the call and rested his head against the seat. In the year since Roger’s death, Nick hadn’t taken another job and now he’d come full circle and smack in the middle of The Excalibur’s illegal actions once again.

  Now he had no choice but to keep an eye on Eve. He wouldn’t let her see him, though. He could remain in the background and still watch out for her. If he saw anything suspicious, he’d call Grady and have him send someone else. That was all he could do.

  ***

  Eve’s night at the club had gone much better than the last. Hank, the manager, didn’t blame her for leaving when the chaos erupted the evening before, much to Eve’s relief. Running from the action went against everything she stood for, but in order to stay in character, she had to play the role perfectly if she wanted to put an end to this case once and for all.

  After she dressed in her faded jeans and white tank, Eve grabbed her bag from her dressing table and headed out the door of the club. She’d made over two hundred dollars in her G-string tonight and found out that the gunshots fired last night were the result of an angry man who hadn’t received the particular dancer he’d asked for in the VIP room. Such a classy clientele they brought in.

  Now the poor bastard probably sat cozied up to Bubba in the county jail, Eve thought as she crossed the dimly lit parking lot.

  Just as she dug out her car keys, she spotted a small note tucked under her windshield wiper. Using the keyless entry, she unlocked the car, grabbed the note and settled in behind the wheel. She tossed her bag on the passenger seat and flicked on the interior light to read.

  Tick, tock, tick, tock…

  It’s only a matter of time now, Eve.

  Without hesitation, she grabbed her bag and jumped from the car. Eve’s legs ate up the pavement, taking her as far from her car as possible. With her apartment only a five-minute drive, she didn’t stop running until she reached the steps to her building.

  Eve rested a hand on the concrete banister as she caught her breath, dug into her tote bag for her cell and glanced around to see if there was anything suspicious. She didn’t know if anybody had actually planted a bomb in her car or if the note was just supposed to be a mind game, but obviously, she had someone running scared. Good, they’d better be. She refused to believe in coincidence. This wasn’t just some random stalker or psycho fan from the gentlemen’s club. No, this person knew something about her father’s death and the missing women from The Excalibur.

  After the dispatcher had taken all the information, she assured Eve that someone would go take a look at the car and call her if they had any further questions. Although Eve wasn’t surprised with the lack of concern in the dispatcher’s voice, she had to admit she thought the police might take a potential threat more seriously.

  Keeping an eye out, Eve climbed the steps to her building. Not a soul around. Of course not, she thought as she checked her watch. At three in the morning, normal people were sleeping.

  Even though she’d been up since early this morning—well, yesterday morning—once Eve let herself into her apartment, she couldn’t sleep. The adrenaline flowed well now. She didn’t know the local police enough to trust them, so Grady would have to be informed. She had no one else.

  Maybe tomorrow night she would talk to the other girls about her note and the call. Word would get out she brushed it off as a pervert who was too afraid to talk to her in person. She had to draw this bastard out in the open. This ongoing nightmare had to end.

  The case her father had been working on when he died had to do with strip clubs, particularly The Excalibur and the illegal goings-on behind the scenes. The manager seemed to be taken with her in the short time she’d been there. Now she just had to give him a little extra attention and perhaps she could find out more.

  The three missing women had to be found and brought home…sooner rather than later.

  When Eve’s cell beeped, indicating she had new messages, she rooted around in her bottomless pit of a bag until her fingers grasped the phone. She toed off her tennis shoes where she stood in the in the entryway, hung her bag on the wooden peg by the door and flipped her phone open as she made her way to her bedroom.

  She entered her password and tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder as she slid her jeans off, leaving them in a wad on the beige carpet. The laundry fairy still hadn’t shown up, she thought as she stepped over mounds of dirty clothes.

  There were only two messages, the first from Grady. “Just checking in,” he said in his deep, caring voice. “I know you won’t tell me where you are, but call me when you get a chance just to let me know you’re okay.”

  Eve shook her head as she erased the message. Grady might be a tough-as-nails FBI leader, but the man still had a soft spot. He truly cared about his agents…even the ones on suspension.

  The second message came just as she hit the bathroom light. She held the phone out just long enough to jerk her tank over her head and unsnap her bra. The familiar male voice that came through the phone paralyzed her.

  “I saw you dance tonight. Maybe if you dance for me privately, I won’t get rid of you as quick as the others. Think about it, Eve. Think about me.”

  Even though her nerves were on edge, Eve didn’t erase this message. She snapped her phone shut and finished taking off her bra and underwear.

  So now he wanted to play. Well, she was up for a good fight. A whole year of pent-up anger and revenge just waited to be unleashed. From now on, unless she was stripping on stage, that bag would not leave her side. She needed to keep her gun close by at all times.

  When she looked down at her hands braced on the marble vanity, she cursed at the way they shook. It would be a rookie mistake to go into this without fear, though. The inevitability of the unknown would keep her sharp and cautious. This had to be done without mistakes and at precisely the right time.

  With her clothes still in a careless pile on her b
athroom floor, she shut off the light and stood by the window to look out onto the starless night, keeping her cell clutched in her hand. She’d already checked her Glock, put the clip in and set it beside the phone. Once she’d been suspended, she’d had to turn in her badge and gun. Thank God she had her father’s old Glock as a backup. Even though she could get another with no problem, she wanted to use his gun in order to stay focused. The vengeance in the end would be all the more sweet.

  Shouldn’t be too much longer, she thought. And finally, once she put this whole ordeal behind her, she could get her job back. Her dad would be proud of her when she finished the case he’d started on.

  If only he were still alive to see it.

  Eve took a deep breath and sighed when her eyes began to burn. What did tears accomplish? Nothing. One tear always led to a hundred others. Right now she needed to concentrate. She didn’t figure the person who placed the threatening note in her car wanted to kill her. No, they were too smart and they liked playing games. They just wanted to scare her. Well, Eve Morgan wasn’t easily scared. People who weren’t afraid to die tended to not scare easily.

  She just wished she could figure out exactly where Nick Shaffer fit into all of this.

  No matter how she tried, his dark eyes kept interrupting her thoughts. The sight of his face when she’d refused his help that final time filled her mind. He’d looked both relieved and concerned. She didn’t know why he’d accepted the job when he obviously didn’t want to be with her any more than she wanted to be with him.

  But, she knew to keep her enemies close and for now, Nick Shaffer was an enemy.

  She still hadn’t had a chance to ask someone to run his name. First thing in the morning, she’d return Grady’s call and see if he’d do this favor for her. Right now, though, she needed to call Grady and come clean as to what she was up to and beg him for some back-up. He wouldn’t be happy.

  Eve jerked around when the loose floorboard under the carpet by the front door squeaked. She damned the intruder as she grabbed the gun from her nightstand. Now was not the time to piss her off.

  Whoever broke in would have to die, she vowed. Between little sleep, the threatening calls, a potential bomb note, and working at that damn club, Eve had had about all she could take. And if this person wanted a piece of her, well bring it on. She wanted nothing more than to come face to face with this monster who’d controlled her life for a year.

  With her gun in one hand, she reached for her doorknob with the other. Slowly she opened the door and crouched down, holding her weapon with both hands, arms extended straight out. With light steps, she tiptoed down the short, narrow hallway.

  When she heard a sigh come from the other side of the wall, she jumped around the corner with her gun aimed high, her stance wide.

  “Nick!”

  On her sofa, with booted feet propped up on the trunk, hands folded across his flat abdomen…with that naughty smile on his face, sat Nick Shaffer.

  “Well, well,” he said as his eyes roamed over her bare body. “I hope you don’t greet all your company in the buff brandishing a gun, but hey, if you’re into kinky stuff…”

  Eve lowered her gun. “Throw me that afghan, asshole, and keep your eyes on the ceiling.”

  Nick laughed as he reached behind him to grab the throw. He did toss her the afghan, but his dark eyes remained on her. Well, on her chest. Typical man.

  “May I ask why are you breaking into my apartment? Again?”

  Eve tucked the blanket under her arms and pulled it tight. She did not, however, set down her weapon. She had to keep the upper hand here.

  “You know, I can see through those little holes. If you don’t want to expose anything, you’ll need to cover up with something other than yarn.”

  Eve narrowed her eyes, refusing to be baited. “What do you want?”

  He ignored her and nodded to her gun. “Is that thing registered?”

  She gritted her teeth and told a teeny lie. “Of course.” Her father’d had it registered when he’d been alive.

  “I wanted to know if you were ready for my help now.”

  “And why would I choose now to give in?”

  His eyes hardened as he met her gaze. “Because your car just exploded right outside the club.”

  She tried to look surprised, and in all honesty she was a little. Maybe the killer had had enough of her as well.

  “Don’t have anything to say?” he asked.

  “What do you want me to say?”

  When Nick stood, Eve nearly dropped her gun. It must be lack of sleep and the evening’s events, she thought. It had to be. No way would she, under normal circumstances, think this brute of a man held any sexual appeal. This stripping gig had boggled up her thought process. All her thoughts lately had gravitated towards sex—a subject she did not want to associate with Nick.

  Sex had never been on her mind before. She didn’t even like sex. Okay, maybe she would like it if she ever tried it. But any relationship, sexual or otherwise, could not exist between her and Nick. Too bad.

  With his hands on his narrow hips, he tilted his head and gave her his signature cocky smile. The one that said, “I know what you’re thinking.” The way she’d been staring, he probably did.

  Eve righted herself and tilted her chin. “Lock the door behind you when you leave.”

  “Would you just be an adult for two seconds and talk about this?” he demanded. “Your car exploded only minutes ago, for crying out loud, and the beat cop checking it out was sent to the hospital with minor burns. Don’t you want to know why?”

  Guilt seeped through her. She didn’t want innocent people getting hurt, whether they were law enforcement or not.

  “Not particularly. I wanted a new car anyway.” Damn she hated sounding like a spoiled brat, but she wanted him gone.

  Nick ran a frustrated hand down his face and stepped towards her. “The bomb squad was called in.”

  Eve rolled her eyes, cocked her head and attempted to look bored. “And…”

  “Someone put a bomb under the passenger seat, Eve. You could’ve been killed.” When she only continued to stare, he took her by the shoulders and shook her. “Do you hear me? Dead. You could be dead now.”

  Eve didn’t know if the shiver that crept up her spine came from his truthful words or the fact his strong hands covered her bare shoulders. She felt so small, so fragile under his large, rough palms. She’d never thought of herself as small or fragile before and now that she had, she didn’t care for it. And she certainly didn’t care for the way her body reacted to him standing so close to her.

  His fresh, masculine scent filled her senses. She couldn’t escape his touch, his scent, his face. Those dark eyes roamed over her face, down to her lips.

  Heat rushed through her. Dampness formed between her legs, and Eve had to cross her arms over her chest so he wouldn’t see her nipples poking through the afghan.

  “I’m fine, Nick.” Eve looked into his deep brown eyes. There was that look again. Concern. “I really don’t need your help. If what you said is true, that we have a mutual friend, then he’ll understand when you go tell him I declined your protection.”

  “Tell me who would want to kill you,” he demanded.

  “If I knew, then I wouldn’t be in this little predicament, would I?”

  Nick pushed off her shoulders and paced her small living room. His whole body seemed tense. His hands clenched and relaxed over and over as he walked back and forth.

  Eve didn’t know what was worse, being up close and personal with him or watching him from the backside.

  “Look, Nick,” she began when the silence and her carnal thoughts got to her. “I’ve only had about three hours of sleep and I’m exhausted. I have to work tonight, so if you want to stay here and pace, by all means. I can’t keep my eyes open another minute. So unless you want to be up front with me about who sent you, I’m done with this charade.”

  “Doesn’t any of this get to you?” He turned
to look her in the eye. “Would you just use your head for one damn minute and think? Obviously someone wants you harmed or worse. Fortunately for you, you have someone else who is willing to hire me to protect you. Why won’t you put your pride aside and let me help?”

  “How do I know you’re not the one who’s trying to harm me?” She tightened her grip on the afghan. “I don’t know you, so why do you expect me to just jump behind you and let you take over my life? I won’t tell you again. I don’t want you here or in any other aspect of my life. I can handle this on my own. I’m sure the cops are working on what happened. They should be here soon to talk to me about my car, anyway, so if I need protection, I’ll call them.”

  Eve turned with every intention of never seeing Nick again, but his words stopped her cold.

  “Grady sent me.”

  Chapter Three

  Ever so slowly, she looked over her shoulder, one brow lifted in question. He watched her emotions go from surprised to downright pissed.

  Uh-oh, maybe he shouldn’t have dropped that bombshell.

  “He what?” she asked, coming to stand within inches of him.

  Nick eyed the gun she still held. “Why don’t you put that down and we’ll talk.”

  Fury filled her eyes. “Talk. Now.”

  “All I’ll tell you is Grady is worried about you, he said you disappeared without a word. He called me about a week ago to see if I could find you and if I did, to keep an eye on you. He cares, Eve.”

  “Keep an eye on me?” She laughed. “Well, isn’t that just lovely. What else did he say?”

  “He figured you’d be heading this way from Virginia. He said you wanted to find who killed your father and you might get into some trouble.”