by Lisa Childs
“That doesn’t mean he has to find out we lied to him,” she said. “I don’t want him to know.”
“Then maybe we should tell him the truth now,” Dane said. While their relationships could still be salvaged.
“I thought that for a moment,” Emilia said. “But then he started talking about how vulnerable I am. He would go crazy protecting me. And he’d probably wind up losing Nikki.” She shook her head. “No. I can’t risk it. You’re right. This is the only way.”
“To pretend we’re together?”
She nodded grimly. She didn’t seem any more willing to really fall for him than he was for her. “Yes, but I don’t want him to learn we’re just pretending.”
“Then what do we do once we catch whoever’s after you? Stay together? Get married?” That was out of the question. Dane had no intention of staying with anyone. Ever.
He really should have quit Payne Protection when he’d had the chance.
“That’s not me,” he warned her. “I’m not that guy. I’m not your brother. I won’t ever be getting married or having kids. I don’t want anything to do with that life.”
“I’m not proposing,” she said indignantly. She had some of her brother’s pride. “At least I’m not proposing that we stay together. I’m proposing that once we figure out who’s been messing with me, we break up.”
So she didn’t intend to hold him to their fake relationship. He should have been relieved, but he wasn’t. Instead he felt again like he was about to undertake his most dangerous mission yet.
* * *
Manny had been looking forward to some downtime. Since coming back to the States after his last deployment, he’d been under fire—on the job—and even off the job. Instead of finally being able to relax, he found himself helping move boxes from Dane’s apartment to his truck.
“What’s going on?” he asked as he slid the cardboard across the truck bed.
Dane shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Well, where the hell are you moving?” That wasn’t what he really wanted to know. That wasn’t why he’d come over to talk to Dane. He’d come to warn him about an imminent threat.
“I’m moving into Lars’s old place.”
“But his sister lives there—oh.” Now he fully understood the conversation he’d had earlier with Lars, which was the reason he had come to warn Dane. “Really? You and Emilia?”
Dane didn’t say anything.
But Manny hadn’t expected him to say much. And maybe he didn’t need to. He remembered how he’d stared at the blonde through that nursery window just a couple days ago. There had been something there, something between them. More than Manny had realized.
Obviously more than Lars had realized.
Dane snapped his tailgate closed and jingled his keys in his hand. “Thanks for the help.”
Manny had only carried a couple of boxes. Dane didn’t have much stuff. None of them did—except maybe Cole. But then he didn’t carry his stuff around with them. It was back at the home to which he had refused to return. None of them had much property because during their deployments, they’d learned to travel light.
No one had traveled lighter than Dane. He hadn’t wanted stuff or people burdening him. Now he was moving in with a woman and her baby?
It didn’t make sense. No matter how beautiful Emilia Ecklund was...
“Lifting these boxes isn’t anything compared to what Lars just asked me,” Manny said.
At the mention of their friend, Dane tensed and rubbed his knuckles across a bruise on his jaw.
Manny had already figured out what was wrong between his friends.
A woman...
He made a vow to himself to stay the hell away from them. He didn’t need the drama all his friends had gone through. He didn’t need love.
Dane didn’t ask what their friend had asked him. But Manny continued anyway, “Lars just asked me to help him dispose of a body.”
Dane didn’t ask who. He obviously knew.
But still Manny told him. “Yours.”
Chapter 8
Emilia’s breath caught, trapped in her lungs. Her heart swelled with love. Not just for her son. But for the woman holding her son. This woman was going to be the sister Emilia had always wished she had.
Not that she didn’t love and appreciate Lars. But he had always been so protective, so fatherly. With her mom being so sick, what Emilia had really needed was a more feminine presence in her life. Although an aunt had helped take care of their mom, Emilia hadn’t wanted anyone to take her attention away from their mother then. Since losing her mother, she had longed for that presence, until now.
Not that Nikki Payne was all that feminine. She was more like her brothers than she was like her mother, Penny. But she looked maternal now as she cradled the baby in her arms, making faces at him until his laughter gurgled out.
“You are so good with him,” Emilia remarked, joining them in her office in the basement of the chapel.
Despite being in the basement, the office had a wide window, high on the wall, like the nursery, and was painted a bright and sunny yellow like the bride’s dressing room. It was also right next to Penny’s. Other people might have had a problem working in such close quarters with their boss. But Emilia loved it. She only hoped it would last.
What other slipups of hers had Nikki found? As she turned toward Emilia, her brow furrowed with concern.
Or had Lars called her?
“Is it true?” the brunette asked her. “Have you really been secretly seeing Dane since shortly after your rescue?”
She wished. A secret romance sounded so much better than what she’d really been going through. She opened her mouth, but she couldn’t reply. Lying to Lars had been for his own good—to protect him from his overprotectiveness.
But lying to Nikki...
It just felt wrong, especially with how much Emilia admired the woman and appreciated everything Nikki had done for her. If Emilia told her the truth, Nikki would tell Lars. She’d have to because Emilia wouldn’t ask the woman to lie to her new fiancé. She wanted them to build their relationship on the trust Lars had worked so hard to win.
“I didn’t think so,” Nikki remarked.
She must have mistaken Emilia’s hesitation for a no. But Emilia shook her head. “We are involved.”
And that much was true. At least Emilia considered them involved. The man was protecting her child, her life and her sanity.
And those kisses...
Her face heated just thinking about them. The first kiss had jolted her, like she’d touched a live wire. But the sensation had passed quickly because he’d pulled away so fast. But that kiss in his apartment...
That had been hot and passionate.
And just a ruse to fool her brother.
Her face heated even more, with embarrassment over the fact that she’d momentarily lost herself in his embrace, that she’d believed his passion was real. But the only real passion in that kiss had been hers.
“Oh, no,” Nikki murmured. “You really are into Dane Sutton.”
Emilia had to suppress the protest that sprang instantly to her lips. She wasn’t into the man; she barely knew him. Even his best friends barely knew him.
Nikki nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment while she stared at Emilia. “I don’t know if that worries me more or less.”
“You don’t need to worry at all,” Emilia said as she stepped closer to her almost sister-in-law. She held out her arms for her son. “And neither does Lars.”
Nikki hesitated a long moment before passing the baby back into Emilia’s arms. She didn’t know if it was because the other woman didn’t completely trust her to hold him—like Dane hadn’t a couple of nights ago—or if she was just reluctant to release
him.
Nikki was known for being tough and no-nonsense, with no interest in marriage or children. That was obviously changing, from the ring on the finger to the soft kiss she pressed on Blue’s forehead while settling him into Emilia’s arms.
“Lars will always worry about you,” Nikki warned her.
“Because he feels responsible for me,” Emilia said. “Mom shouldn’t have made him promise to take care of me. He was just a kid himself when she got sick. It wasn’t fair to him.”
“She didn’t need to make him promise,” Nikki said. “He would have done it anyway—because he loves you so much.”
Emilia couldn’t argue that; her brother did love her. And she loved him. That was why she didn’t want him to worry about her. She may have made that situation worse, though.
“I know,” Emilia said. “But he needs to realize that I’m not that little girl he used to buy dolls for.” He’d saved his money to purchase those dolls and he’d been so happy to give them to her that Emilia had never admitted she hadn’t liked them. Because they’d been so pretty, she hadn’t felt comfortable playing with them. They had reminded her of their mother—someone she could see and not touch.
Would Dane be like that?
“I’ve made some mistakes,” she admitted. “But I am an adult. I can take care of myself.” She wished.
Nikki was studying her as quietly and intensely as Dane had.
“What?” she asked. “Have I made any more mistakes around here?” She suspected that was why Nikki was at the chapel today instead of at the Payne Protection Agency. She’d wanted to check up on Emilia and make sure she wasn’t ruining the business her mother had worked so hard to build.
Nikki shook her head. But she didn’t specify that she wasn’t checking up on Emilia. Or if she’d found nothing wrong.
Emilia wanted to tell her that she hadn’t made those calls—that someone had used her phone. But if she told her that, everyone would be worried. Now she was the only one.
“I won’t make any more mistakes,” she promised.
Nikki tilted her head until her auburn curls brushed her shoulder. “I hope you’re not making one now—with Dane.”
So did she.
* * *
Instinct had Nikki reaching for her holster as she walked toward the black Payne Protection Agency SUV that was parked at the curb outside the chapel. She wasn’t working a case. She hadn’t been threatened.
But yet she had this strange feeling, this sensation that someone was watching her. She glanced around, looking for Lars. He was so worried about Emilia that he might have been lurking outside the chapel to keep an eye on her.
But as she glanced around the area, she didn’t see Lars’s truck. Or Dane’s. Or even another Payne Protection Agency SUV.
And if Lars had been present, she would have felt it. Her skin would have tingled and heated. Her heart would have raced. Actually, her heart was beginning to beat harder as that strange feeling persisted.
Was this what Mom felt when she had one of her premonitions?
No. This feeling was different; it wasn’t about anyone else. It was about her, like she was being watched. Even though she couldn’t see it, Nikki suspected someone was outside the chapel. But was he watching her or Emilia?
She opened the driver’s door and slid behind the wheel. She glanced into the rearview and side mirrors, looking for any movement inside the vehicles parked along the street. But nobody sat within any of them.
Maybe there wasn’t any danger outside the chapel. Maybe the danger Nikki felt was inside—was Emilia herself. Was she really all right?
She had been making so many mistakes and acting so strangely. Had being captured and almost losing her son affected Emilia more seriously than they’d even realized?
Nikki intended to find out. But she didn’t intend to let Lars know about her concerns. Like his sister had said, he already worried too much. And Nikki loved him too much to worry him anymore.
She would find out whatever the hell was going on with Emilia—on her own.
* * *
As Manny drove off in one of the agency’s black SUVs, Dane shook his head. His friend was actually concerned that Lars might do something to him—something like kill him.
Yeah, right...
Sure, Lars was pissed. Dane couldn’t blame him. He didn’t have a sister—at least not one that he knew about, but he wouldn’t want a guy like himself dating her if he did have one. But he doubted Lars would actually kill him.
Not that he wasn’t in danger. But that danger came from whoever was stalking Emilia. Because he needed to find out who the hell that was, he headed back into his place for the things he hadn’t wanted to pack in front of Manny. He needed the surveillance equipment he’d picked up.
He wanted to catch whoever was after Emilia. He would probably have to do that first on video before he could do it in person, though.
He also had to hurry to get to her house before she came home from work. With Nikki hanging out at the chapel, Emilia had been safe there. She wasn’t safe at home—not alone.
Someone had been inside her place, even when she’d been home. He couldn’t risk her being there alone. So he had to grab the box that he’d pushed behind the couch when Lars had shoved his way inside earlier.
If Lars had seen the equipment, he would have known something was up. Hell, he probably already did. He was just too mad right now to realize that Dane would never willingly move in with anybody. He’d already refused to share that house Lars had rented with him.
Dane preferred to be alone. It was what he was used to. What he was comfortable with. Just like he’d warned Emilia, he was never getting married. Never having a family.
He’d apparently wasted that warning, though. She hadn’t been interested in him, just in making sure her brother never realized they’d lied to him. She wasn’t a risk to his bachelorhood. Once he caught her stalker, he could come back to his apartment and return to being alone.
But when he stepped outside the door with the box in his hands, he realized he wasn’t alone. It was so dark that he couldn’t see them. He knew they were there. With the box in his hands, he was too slow to reach for his gun, though.
A bag dropped over his head.
He laughed—at first. This was what he and his friends had done to Lars. They’d had a “blanket” party because the other guys had wanted to know what the hell was going on with him. Dane was the only one he’d told about his sister missing. And Dane had been sworn to keep his secret, the same way Emilia had sworn him to keep hers.
And just like he had for Lars, he would keep his promise to her. So it didn’t matter what the guys did to him; he wasn’t going to talk.
So he didn’t shout in protest. He said nothing at all.
And neither did they.
Which raised the super-short hairs on the nape of his neck. These guys weren’t his friends. For one, Manny couldn’t keep his mouth shut this long.
And for another, the punch that jabbed into his ribs was harder than the one Lars had thrown earlier. Whoever had grabbed him wasn’t just messing with him.
This attack was real. The blows kept coming. At least two men held him while at least another two threw those punches. And kicks.
Dane struggled against the arms holding him. And he began to fight. He just hoped he hadn’t realized the danger too late. He wasn’t worried about himself.
He was worried about getting to Emilia and the baby—about making sure they were safe. He guessed he was being attacked now because he stood between Emilia and whoever had been terrorizing the young mother.
He reached for his holster, but he couldn’t pull his weapon. If his assailants were his friends being too rough, he couldn’t shoot one of them. Hell, he couldn’t shoot without knowing who he was shooting.
What if these were just some dumb street kids jumping him?
Then they were strong as hell.
He grunted and cursed with each blow. Then he increased his struggle. He shook off the guys holding him. But the bag stayed on his head. He couldn’t see who he was fighting.
But that didn’t stop him from fighting.
He kicked and swung his fists. And as he connected, he heard grunts and curses ringing out around him. Then he heard the telltale cock of a gun.
No. He wasn’t fighting his friends.
And this wasn’t just a warning.
This was a hit.
Somebody intended to take him out. Just out of their way? Was Emilia the real target?
Chapter 9
Had Dane changed his mind?
Emilia couldn’t blame him, not with how her brother had reacted to the news of their fake relationship. Maybe he’d decided that protecting her wasn’t worth losing a friend. She understood that.
What she didn’t understand was his not telling her in person.
She’d waited for him at her house, and she’d been a jittery mess of nerves. She wasn’t sure what had unnerved her more—worrying that the crying would start again or that Dane was really moving in.
But he hadn’t.
Then she’d begun to worry about him. Even if he’d changed his mind, he would have told her. But he’d seemed committed to helping her, so much so that he’d taken a blow from Lars that he easily could have avoided.
No. She had to find him. Had to talk to him.
She couldn’t bring the baby along when she had no idea what she might find, so she’d asked Nikki if she could watch him again just for a little while. Her sister-in-law-to-be had shown up in short order, almost as if she’d been unusually close.
Was Nikki watching her?
“Where are you going?” Nikki had asked.
She could have lied, could have said she had an errand to run instead.
“I—I need to help Dane decide what he can move in here,” she’d stammered the explanation.