Savor the Danger

by Lori Foster

  “Works for me, ’cuz I hate unfinished business.”

  Hearing Jackson taunt a madwoman, Alani had to shove a fist against her mouth to stay quiet.

  “Me, too,” Arizona said. “And since the business is mostly between us, why don’t you leave him out of it?” Pale, cold, in some way deadly, Arizona started forward.

  “Don’t you dare,” Alani told her. When Chandra and her men eyed her with varying degrees of surprise, Alani forced herself to stop cowering. The nearly hysterical laugh almost escaped, but she managed to quell it. Hoping to infuse some confidence into her tone, she said to Arizona, “He has it under control. Can’t you see that?”

  Arizona waffled…and held back.

  Jackson regained Chandra’s attention by asking, “How’d you get in, anyway? I hate to think I let every crazy broad past the door.”

  Chandra trailed the knuckles of her gun hand down his body and over his fly. “Still don’t remember? My, those were good drugs.”

  She caressed him—and Alani wanted to take her apart. She surprised herself with the ferocious inclination.

  But it helped her to remember that she had Arizona’s gun in her purse.

  Oh. Did she dare? Would she be able to withdraw it without anyone noticing?

  Holding her breath, she slipped her hand into the purse and easily located the heavy gun. The men had all their attention on Jackson, almost as if they feared him.

  But they didn’t see her as a threat.

  Alani’s knees felt weak, her stomach sick.

  Chandra continued talking. “I knocked, and when you answered, I turned on the tears. It was an award-winning act, if I say so myself.”

  Arizona scoffed. “Men are so damn stupid about that stuff.”

  Chandra ignored her. “I told you that I’d been in a wreck and I felt sick and I’d lost my phone. You were so sweet, so gallant.”

  “I’m gagging here,” Arizona said.

  Expression unchanged, Chandra said to her men, “If she speaks again, shoot her.”

  Bravado in place, Arizona pretended to lock her lips and throw away the key.

  Alani admired her so much, especially knowing how Arizona felt about Chandra. Was she the only one to note the pallor of Arizona’s skin?

  Hugging the purse, Alani slipped her finger around the trigger. Keeping the gun concealed, she turned it on Chandra and swallowed hard. Aiming at a target was one thing.

  Shooting at a human being, even a truly vile person, was something altogether different.

  “You went to get me a drink,” Chandra said, “but you’d left a cola sitting there on a table in front of the television, so I dosed it.” She shrugged. “Easier than I’d ever expected, given the way you shredded my men that night on the bridge. I’d watched from a safe distance away, you know. Even as I detested you for interfering, I admired your ability.”

  Again, she pawed his crotch. By the second, the idea of shooting her seemed less repulsive to Alani.

  “After a couple of sips, you suspected something wasn’t right, but—” Chandra smiled “—it was already too late for you.”

  “Not buying it.” Jackson shook his head. “Two sips wouldn’t have done me in.”

  “No, but it dazed you enough that I could get you with a hypodermic.”

  “Ah. Now, that I believe.” He tilted his head to study her. “So you have a big operation?”

  “Big enough.” She did more stroking, then made a sound of pleasure. “Sort of like you.”

  Arizona snapped. “Oh my God, that is so freaking pathetic, you lecherous bitch! Can you only get near a man by raping him at gunpoint?”

  Everything seemed to happen at once.

  Chandra screamed, “Shoot her!”

  In an incredibly fast move, Jackson sent the switchblade through the air to embed in one guard’s shoulder, and almost at the same time he locked Chandra in front of him, her own gun now turned on the other guard, his finger covering the trigger.

  Too late to pull back, Alani fired.

  Multiple gun blasts sounded, so loud that they made her yelp and nearly stopped her heart. A window on the BMW shattered.

  Her shot.

  Chandra slumped in Jackson’s arms—not her shot.

  Even with the knife in his shoulder, the panicked guard reached for his gun, but didn’t make it. He screamed as something hit his hand, sending blood spewing and making his gun drop. The other guard took one bullet to the shoulder, another to his thigh.

  And just like that, the strained confrontation ended. The two goons and Chandra were no longer a threat to anyone.

  Heart still hammering, Alani struggled to make sense of what transpired. Jackson stood as upright, as strong and confident as ever. Arizona, while dazed and panting, appeared uninjured.

  What had happened?

  Gun drawn, Spencer materialized from behind the BMW. So he had circled around and was behind them the whole time? Alani knew by his fierce expression and rock-hard jaw that he was the one who’d shot Chandra. He paused to remove weapons from the fallen guards, then strode right past Jackson on his way to Arizona.

  Shaking so badly she could barely stay on her feet, Alani looked around in relieved amazement. Bodies were down. Blood had splattered. Glass shattered.

  She shivered…and her gaze came right back to Jackson.

  He wasn’t hurt, thank God. He didn’t even look upset. The explosion of gunfire hadn’t fazed him at all.

  Gaze locked, he stared at Alani while lowering Chandra to the ground.

  And then her brother was there, leaning over Chandra, searching her for other weapons, checking her pulse and finally, putting in a call on his cell.

  In two big steps, Jackson reached her, scooped her up and carried her to the car to sit her on the trunk.

  “Alani?” His voice was firm, in control, insistent. With a gentle hand, he cupped the side of her face. “Baby, you okay?”

  She stared at him, her stomach recoiled, and she thrust the purse at him. It now had a giant black hole in it. “Are you nuts?”

  A slow smile wiped away the worry on his face. “I don’t think so, no.”

  She saw nothing funny in any of it. “You provoked her! Were you trying to get shot?”

  “Dare, Trace and Spencer had things covered.”

  “They couldn’t have kept her from…” She couldn’t say it. If Chandra had pulled that trigger, it could be Jackson on the ground right now, bleeding out. Tears welled in her eyes and clogged her throat, but she blinked fast and took two deep breaths. “That was insanely dangerous.”

  “She didn’t have her finger on the trigger. She wanted to toy with us more than anything else.”

  “You can’t know that.” And the truth of what he’d done shook her. “You wanted her focused on you, so she wasn’t focused on Arizona or me.”

  “You think you know me pretty well, huh?” He kept touching her face. “Well, you’re right, and I won’t apologize for that, so don’t ask me to. Besides, the odds of her actually firing here, in the parking lot of an apartment complex, were pretty damn slim.”

  But thanks to her nerves, Alani had fired. Oh, wow, had she blown his plans?

  “Yeah,” Jackson said, reading her expression. “We figured the first group that Dare and Trace nabbed was just a setup. It was too easy. And when Chandra had the gall to show up in the BMW, I knew she felt safe, like she had all her bases covered. She wanted to play, but she’d have put us in the car and driven to a more private location before executing anyone.”

  Horrid, horrid woman. “She’s…dead?”

  “Not yet, but I don’t know if she’ll make it.” He gave her a stern stare. “She’s not for you to worry about.”

  True enough. Alani nodded. “I hate all this covert crap.”

  Smiling at her, Jackson smoothed her hair in a now-familiar way. “God, I never forget details, but I swear, I forgot all about you having that gun. Probably because never, not in a million years, did I expect you to use it.�
��

  “I forgot you had Spencer’s knife,” she admitted. “I mean, I know yours is in your boot, but I didn’t see how you could get to it, and with your gun in the harness…and that crazy woman aiming at you—”

  “I know.” He put her head to his shoulder, but she could feel his smile when he kissed her temple.

  She punched his ribs. “How in the world can you be amused?”

  “You’re alive and well. Arizona is fine.” He hugged her. “And the men Dare has under wraps already told him where to find the rest of Chandra’s operation.”

  She pushed back to see his face. “So we’ll be able to free everyone?”

  “No we to it, babe, but yeah, people are already on their way. Everyone will be taken care of, I promise.” He kissed her, but the kiss ended with a laugh.

  Insulted, Alani frowned at him. “What’s funny?”

  Still grinning, he shook his head. “Shit went south on me when that BMW showed up before we could get out of the lot. I wasn’t expecting that. I was improvising, making plans as I went along, and then you shot that damn gun and I had no fucking clue what had happened.”

  “You didn’t look surprised.” She hugged him, reassured by his big warm body, his secure hold. “You are so fast.”

  Trace came over to them, but he spoke to Jackson, asking, “She’s okay?”

  Alani quit hiding against him. “She is fine.” And then to Trace, “Where did you come from?”

  “We were keeping watch.” He tugged on a lock of her hair. “Dare has the other goons on lockdown, but he had clear shots if necessary. I was closer. No one would have let you get hurt.”

  “I was more worried about Jackson.”

  Trace gave a crooked grin, and nudged Jackson. “I wouldn’t have let him get hurt, either.”

  Jackson nodded over at Arizona. She and Spencer were involved in a quiet argument. Arizona looked…well, shattered. Her eyes were red, her face stiff. “Trace, do me a favor and make sure she doesn’t split, okay?”

  “Being that you’re preoccupied?”

  “Something like that.”

  “I’ve got it. But you know, we really should cue in the bounty hunter, don’t you think?”

  He nodded. “Cops’ll be on us in no time, and people are starting to gather.”

  Alani sat up straighter. “Go.” Knowing they had to coordinate stories, she shooed him away. “Do whatever you have to do.”

  With a shake of his head, Trace walked off toward Arizona.

  Gaze warm and intimate, Jackson touched her face. “We have so much talking to do.”

  The groan bubbled out. After all his efforts to avoid deep discussions, that sounded pretty serious. She had a few things to say to him, too, but she definitely needed to compose herself first. “No more cloak-and-dagger, please. I can’t take it right now.”

  He smiled. “Nah, nothing like that.” Sirens sounded. He looked at her mouth, gave her another brief kiss, and straightened away. “Wait for me in the car?”

  “All right.” Alani forced herself to her shaky legs and all but collapsed in the backseat. Seconds later, Trace got Arizona into the car, too. Seconds after that, he was gone.

  Jackson and Spencer talked, but they both kept their eyes on the car, watchful, protective.

  Really good guys.

  Arizona stewed, but Alani couldn’t just ignore her. “You’re okay?”

  “It should have been me.”

  Shaking her head, Alani said, “What do you mean?”

  “I should have shot Chandra. I owed her. It was my right, not his.” Gaze devoid of feeling, she stared out the window. “Spencer robbed me of my revenge, and I’ll never forgive him for that.”

  It broke Alani’s heart to think of what Arizona carried inside her, the hatred and need for retribution.

  It was going to take a lot for anyone to really reach her.

  “Someday,” Alani whispered, “you might feel differently.”

  Arizona surprised her by saying, “Maybe.” She rested her forehead against the cool glass. “But not tonight.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  WITH GRIM THE CAT sprawled in his lap, purring in his rusty voice, Jackson lounged back in the big easy chair Alani had chosen just for him. It went with his other new furnishings, made his place feel like a real home and still suited him. He couldn’t remember ever being so comfortable.

  Of course, that had as much to do with the fact that Alani was still with him, as with any of the furnishings.

  With the danger behind them, he and Alani spent all their days together. Grim had settled right in, and Arizona…well, she was getting used to things.

  Three weeks had passed since Chandra Silverman had died in the hospital. Spencer had taken in the rest of the cretins, and they were currently incarcerated on a list of charges a mile long. The best lawyer in the world wouldn’t do them any good—especially with Trace pulling in a few favors to ensure that no one cut them any deals.

  Busting up their trafficking ring had freed a dozen females of various ages and nationalities. And finally, Alani and Arizona were safe.

  Life was good.

  Trace admired a decorative dish on a side table—something else Alani had chosen. “So Arizona is adjusting to her new job?”

  God, he hoped so. “Seems like.” Jackson had given her an array of duties that she embraced with gusto. She’d visited them a few times, but by using the computer for her work, she could still live on her own. She threw herself into researching the backgrounds of small-scale, local-level traffickers.

  Jackson didn’t want her anywhere near far-reaching organizations with major muscle behind them. Those were for him, Dare and Trace to deal with.

  “The house looks great,” Dare said.

  “Yeah. Alani did a terrific job, huh?” He could say that they were living together, except that Alani kept her own residence and only brought to his home the things she needed on a regular basis.

  But he was working on that. Without pushing her too much, they’d had that serious talk. About exclusivity. He told her how precious she was to him, and he made it clear that he didn’t want things ending anytime soon.

  Once he finally won her over, he’d tell her that he wanted her to stay with him forever. He’d tell her just how much he cared. He would—

  “When are you going to marry her?”

  Whoa. The question from Trace came out of left field. One second they were complimenting his house, and then—bam—they dropped the bombshell.

  But the truth was, Jackson had thought about it plenty. Every day, in fact.

  It was what he wanted, so Jackson started to say that he’d marry her just as soon as he could get her to agree—but then he noticed that both Dare and Trace wore identical looks of challenge.

  No way in hell would he let them think they’d forced him to the altar.

  One way or another, he would marry Alani—but only because he wanted to spend his life with her.

  Not for any other reason.

  Definitely not because Dare and Trace felt like forcing the issue. Alani wanted time to play, to experiment, and he knew for a fact she was enjoying their time together.

  She deserved his patience, no matter how it killed him.

  “Well?” Dare gave him a level look. “Let’s hear it.”

  They actually expected excuses from him? Pfft. Did he look stupid? “It’s none of your business.”

  “It’s my business,” Trace said.

  “’Fraid not.” Jackson relaxed back in his chair while Grim pawed his shirt. “And you know your sister wouldn’t appreciate you nosing in.”

  “I don’t get you, Jackson.” Dare shook his head. “I thought you cared about her.”

  “I love her.”

  They both did a double-take, and then they stared for a really long time.

  “What?”

  “You love her?” Dare asked with a slow grin.

  “Damn, neither of you see her as a woman, do you? Don’t look
so shocked. I’m not a dunce. Alani’s beautiful and smart and sexy and…of course I love her.” What man wouldn’t?

  Trace said, “Well, hallelujah.”

  Before they got too carried away, Jackson said, “And for your information, I will marry her—but only if she loves me, too.”

  Dare opened his mouth, shut it, then snorted.

  Trace rolled his eyes. “You’re insecure? That’s the holdup?”

  “I never said that.” But yeah, with her, in this, he sort of was.

  “So you’ve told her you love her?”

  Not exactly, but she had to know. Right? In every way other than saying the words, he’d shown her how much he cared.

  Done with the conversation, Jackson said, “I don’t want to rush her, that’s all. She told me up front how she wanted things to be, so I’m biding my time and letting her have the space she needs. When she’s ready to settle down—”

  “I’m ready.”

  All three of them swiveled their heads around to see Alani standing in the doorway. She wore another killer sundress that made him want to ravish her. But then, no matter what she wore, he wanted to ravish her.

  Usually she wanted him to. That was one of the beauties of having her close at hand 24/7.

  Taken off guard, unsure what she’d heard or what she thought about it, Jackson said cautiously, “Hey.”

  She licked her lips.

  Nervousness? Was her brother pressuring her, too? Jackson sat forward to put Grim on the floor. “I thought you were with the wives and Chris out back.”

  Her eyes looked huge as she watched him. Grim went to her and wound around her legs. “I was, but we’re ready to start the grill so…I came in to get you.” Absently, she picked up the cat and started petting him.

  His big emerald eyes closed in bliss.

  Jackson scowled. “You overheard.” And now she felt on the spot.

  She nodded, and without quite looking at him, her face tucked in close to Grim’s neck, she repeated, “I’m ready.”

  Afraid he’d misunderstood, Jackson said, “For the grill?”