by Jaime Lewis
“Yes, ma’am. The police just left.”
“Was the item where I told you it would be? And, were you sure not to touch or take anything else?”
He rolled his eyes. Did this woman think he was an amateur?
“Everything went according to your plan.”
“Good.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “I’ll be in touch in a few days with your next assignment. In the meantime, if you see or hear anything, let me know.”
“Will do.” He heard the click ending the call and slid the phone back into his pocket. He wondered what the redhead did to piss this woman off. But, then again, he didn’t give a shit. As long as the contact kept giving him assignments and paying him on time, he could care less about their beef.
He turned and walked toward his motorcycle. Unlike the redhead, he’d be getting a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow morning, he’d stop by the Western Union to collect his pay.
As he mounted his bike, he thought about his boss.
Cecil was working on a huge deal, and if everything panned out, it would be a huge payday for all involved. But the problem was, Cecil needed to find a wife. Not that it would be hard for him to find a woman because Cecil was a good-looking man and never had a problem taking a woman to bed. Most were high priced escorts and wouldn’t work for this deal. The man that Cecil was in talks with was a traditional family man with a wife and kids. Cecil was trying to impress the guy, and he led the man to believe he was married. Since then, Cecil had been searching for the “perfect” housewife. He was running out of time because he was due to sign all the handover contracts in a couple of months, and he promised the guy that he would bring his wife.
Skinny took out his phone and pulled up the picture of the redhead. He took her picture the other day while she was in front of her house, talking to that nosey neighbor of hers. She was laughing at something, but she looked smoking hot. Plus, she had a kid. She may be just what Cecil is looking for. He dialed Cecil’s number.
“Are you still in the market for a wife?”
“Maybe, why you asking?”
“Well, I might have a prospect for you to check out.”
“Tell me about her.”
“Shit, let me just send you a picture of her, so you can see for yourself and make a decision.”
“Send it over.”
Skinny heard the click and knew Cecil had disconnected. But that was Cecil, abrupt to the core.
He put his helmet on and started up his bike. Yeah, he was going to stop by the club and get himself some pussy before heading home.
◆◆◆
Cecil Hughes studied the picture of the woman. Skinny hadn’t been exaggerating. She was stunning; however, she looked to be much younger than his fifty-six years of age. Not that age made a difference for what he was looking for.
That red hair of hers was a showstopper and went along with her gorgeous and infectious smile. When he enlarged the picture, he almost swallowed his tongue. Her green eyes were mesmerizing. She would be perfect for what he needed. He thought for a moment and remembered Skinny had mentioned she had a young son, perfect, instant family. An evil grin spread across his face.
Time was running out to seal the deal for the new business venture he had been working on for the last few months. If he didn’t find a wife, it could ruin the deal with the Russian.
Vadim believed in family values, especially when it came to his shipping business. His dad started the export company back in the day with just two hundred dollars in his pocket. Now it had grown to a multi-million dollar operation. Numerous shipments are loaded onto cargo ships every day, their destinations worldwide. It was a brilliant way to operate his side business of exporting stolen luxury vehicles. Having full control of manifests and what goes into the shipping containers and ships alleviates a lot of headaches, and it allows him to broaden his client base. He used a local gang to scope out and lift certain vehicles. When the prior leader of the gang went rogue, it had been a perfect opportunity for Cecil to fill the role. Those guys would do any job as long as Cecil kept their clubhouse running, including providing all the alcohol and women.
Money wasn’t the issue in getting Vadim to sell the company to him. Vadim stipulated that whoever he sold to must share the same values he believed in, meaning Cecil needed a family. During the last meeting Cecil had with Vadim, Cecil lied and told him he was married. Cecil didn’t want his lack of marital status to be a reason Vadim pulled out of the deal. They were due to close the deal in a couple of months, and he promised Vadim he would bring his wife to the closing. There were other possibilities that Cecil could use, such as hiring an escort to play the part, but that was risky. This deal was too important to be foolish. He could lose everything if this deal went south, and time was running out.
He wanted to know more about her. He hit a button on his desk phone, and a voice came over the line.
“Yes, sir.”
“I need you to look into someone.”
“Trouble?”
“No, nothing like that.” He actually smiled as he looked at the beautiful woman’s picture again. “I think I may have just found my wife. Get with Skinny, and he can give you the details.”
“Yes, sir.”
He hit the button again and turned in his chair to look out the window. He enjoyed living on his 161-foot Trinity yacht and sailing to new places; however, there were times he wished he could settle in one place. Maybe after this deal closed, he could. With the money he was going to make he’d be set for eternity. And what better way than to settle down with a beautiful wife on a private island away from society.
Chapter Five
Autumn stood back and leaned against the wall as she watched Cody interact with Frost and some of his buddies from his team. Cody was in total hero-worship mode being around these guys.
Stitch was hilarious to watch as he kept fiddling with Frost’s IV and checking everything out, although she could sense that Frost was getting irritated with his best friend. Then there was Irish, Dino, and Potter. Irish was a hoot. He was a touchy-feely kind of guy. She was shocked when Frost introduced him to her, and he pulled her into a hug. Irish had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slight scar that ran just under his bottom lip to his chin. Autumn had a feeling he could get any woman to drop her panties with his charm. Dino was gorgeous, black hair, brown eyes, an olive complexion, and a smile that most women would eat right up. Besides their good looks, they all had exceptional manners and were surprisingly easy to talk to, considering what they did for a living. Well, except for the Potter guy. He was freakishly tall and quiet.
Her main focus, though, was the man in the bed, currently smiling and laughing at something Cody said. She hadn’t a clue what they were even talking about. Frost was sitting there, looking comfortable in a pair of gray gym shorts and a black t-shirt that read in big white block letters, “Don’t Touch Me.” She hid her laugh at the meaning behind the shirt. During their PT session this morning, Frost had mentioned how he was tired of the female nurses' unprofessionalism. He didn’t know it yet, but she had spoken to Gianna, the nurse in charge, and explained what was happening and how Frost was very uncomfortable and upset about how he was being treated. Gianna was a hard ass, and most of the nurses hated to work this floor because of her, but in Gianna’s defense, she had to be, as the patients on her floor were her responsibility. To say Gianna was unhappy about Frost being handled like a prime piece of meat was saying the least. She had assured Autumn that for the remainder of Frost’s stay, he would be treated just like any patient should be. With dignity and respect.
She yawned and tried to stifle it, using her hand and turning her head, hoping nobody noticed. She was tired, considering it had been almost 11:00 pm when the police left her house. Then she spent another couple of hours cleaning and disinfecting everything. She finally crawled into bed around four o’clock in the morning but was then too wired to sleep. She drank two cups of coffee this morning, but as it was now almost four in the af
ternoon, her butt was dragging big time. She was lucky she functioned enough to get matching clothes on this morning.
“Is our company boring you?” She heard Frost ask. She looked toward him, and he was grinning. Well, shit, so much for being subtle. She was busted and felt her cheeks warm, and she shyly dipped her head. “Sorry, it’s definitely not the company. I just didn’t get much sleep last night.” He grinned, and that damn dimple she loved so much appeared.
“Aww…were you thinking about spending the morning with me? I know I’m your favorite patient.” He teased her, but before she could answer, Cody decided to inject himself into the conversation. “No, she’s tired because the police didn’t leave our house until late last night.” Cody’s voice was filled with excitement. Well, so much for keeping the lid on last night’s events. She guessed a ten-year-old would think it was exciting to have the police at their house. Thankfully, he didn’t truly understand the harm.
She put her hand on Cody’s shoulder. “Cody, I don’t think these gentlemen care to know about our little hiccup at home last night.” She loved her son dearly, but she swore there was no filter on his mouth sometimes. These men didn’t need to know what was happening in her personal life. Nor would they care to know. So, she tried to minimize it as much as possible, though it had really freaked her out. Hell, she was still freaked out knowing someone, a stranger at that, was inside her home and went through her belongings.
She realized the room was now silent, and all the friendly joking in the room had ceased. Frost sat up straighter, and all the other men in the room seemed to stand at attention and were now staring at her with some very fierce expressions. She looked at them. “What? Why are you all looking at me like that?”
“The police were at your house?” Frost asked her in a low but deep serious tone that made her insides quiver.
“It was nothing, really,” she said, trying to appease them
Apparently, he didn’t like her answer because he turned to Cody. And, of course, Cody being the kid he is, he told them everything. You know being a kid and having the police at your house was cool, right? Not!
“Someone broke into our house yesterday. Mom saw the window to her bedroom open when we got home.” He looked at Autumn as if asking her if he was telling the story correctly.
Was it illegal to place duct tape over your child’s mouth? She took a glance at Frost, and holy shit, the glare he was giving her made her shiver. Now she got why his call sign was Frost. As in Jack “Frost.” The sexy man looked lethal and ready to kill.
“Don’t you keep your windows locked?” Dino interjected into the conversation, looking concerned despite his accusatory tone. She turned her gaze to the man and caught a fierce look from him as well. Talk about intense!
From their expressions, these guys probably thought she was some dumb, irresponsible parent. God, if they only knew where she lived, then they would likely believe her, but she wasn’t even going to go there. They would probably try and convince her she needed to move. However, they wouldn’t have to try to convince her. She had already decided she was gone as soon as she could afford another place in a nicer neighborhood. Deciding she wasn’t going to let these men push her around, she channeled the tough, independent woman she knew she had in her.
She looked Dino in the eye. “Of course, I keep our doors and windows locked, but the lock on that particular window broke about a month ago.”
“Locks are relatively cheap, why didn’t you just get a new one and replace it?” Stitch now asked, joining the party of let’s gang up on Autumn.
She huffed out an annoyed breath. “Because I don’t own the home. I’m just a tenant, and my lease agreement states that the landlord has to do any type of repairs.”
“Have you talked to your landlord?” Stitch countered, looking at her like she was guilty of a crime. Now she was getting pissed off. How dare these men to question her like this whole situation was her fault. Damn Cody for opening his mouth. Actually, she couldn’t be upset at him. If she was upset at anyone, it was herself. She was the one who set off this chain of events. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and shot daggers at Stitch. She didn’t care that he could probably kill her a hundred different ways.
Autumn cringed, as the conversation with Mrs. Higdon came back into mind. She feared she was getting ready to get the same lecture from these guys.
“Do I look like a complete moron? Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, I informed my landlord the day after I noticed the lock was broken, and he said he’d get it fixed. He just hasn’t gotten around to it.”
Stitch glanced over at Frost, and the two men seemed to exchange an understanding before Stitch turned back toward Autumn and grinned. “I like you, Autumn.”
“And…What is that supposed to mean?” She asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly not understanding where this conversation was heading.
Stitch just grinned. “Oh, you’ll see. But let’s get back to your situation. I don’t think you are a moron. I may be wrong, but I think your landlord was just blowing you off.”
“Why do you think that?” She already knew Stitch was right about her landlord. Her talk with Mrs. Higdon last night confirmed that.
“You mentioned ‘he’ when you were referring to your landlord. Am I correct?” Autumn nodded. “I know first-hand how a lot of landlords operate. I’ve dealt with plenty in my lifetime. Most of them are shady and only looking out for their investment. They will try and push repairs off, especially when dealing with someone who won’t keep on top of them when something goes wrong. Not to mention, you are a beautiful woman. The guy is probably taking advantage of you.” She went to speak, but he held up his hand, and from the stern expression she got from him, she snapped her mouth shut. “I don’t personally know you, but I’m a pretty good judge of character, and I’m going to be a hundred percent honest with you. You will come to learn that us guys here are honest and good men.” Autumn was really starting to wonder where this talk was heading. “I can already tell you are smart, strong, and independent. Not to mention a kick ass-mom.” He grinned at Cody before glancing back at her. “For our sake, please call your landlord again tomorrow and tell him that if your lock is not fixed in the next couple of days, you are going to file a complaint with the Housing Authority. And, if that doesn’t work, you call one of us, and we’ll handle it.”
Autumn gulped. She looked around at all of the men in the room, including Frost, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her. He held her gaze, and holy shit, was it intense. They were all nodding their heads in agreement and looking at her with such serious and powerful expressions that she started to feel a little nervous. She was quite sure those men could get anything they wanted; they were so intimidating.
She knew her mouth was gaping open as she stared at Stitch. She was at a total loss for words. She didn’t know any of them, nor did they know her, yet they all were acting protective of her, and she wondered why. Was it a shared trait amongst SEALs? They were all about protecting people and interests, so maybe that extended into their everyday lives as well. But if she were being honest, they were kind of freaking her out right now. This was too much.
“Cody mentioned something out of place. What was it?” Frost asked.
Were these guys for real? Did they actually care, or were they just pretending to be interested to impress her? Would Frost really do that? They barely knew each other, but she had felt a connection to him over the past two days. She knew it was a bad idea to feel an attraction to this guy. She was only going to get hurt. She needed to put an end to this madness. She wasn’t going to be their next little plaything or project that they could just set aside when they were done.
She stood taller and pushed her shoulders back, trying to look like the confident and independent woman Stitch had just described her as being. “Look, I really appreciate that you all seem to care.”
“Honey, you don’t get it. If we didn’t care, we certainly wouldn’t be standing here, as
king you questions and giving you advice. Now, answer Frost’s question. What was out of place? And, don’t you dare try to lie because I’ll know if you do.” Now it was the big guy Potter’s turn to speak up as he interrupted her and stepped toward her, causing her to take a step back only for her to back against the wall. She swallowed hard. Jesus, he was huge and mean looking! She looked at Frost, and by his expression, it seemed he was a little insulted and pissed.
Was she trying to find something wrong so she could push them away?
From their looks alone, she could tell she wasn’t going to win this battle. But if she answered Frost’s question, she knew it would lead to other questions and conversations she didn’t feel comfortable answering or talking about. These guys didn’t know her background. Frost knew some. But how could she ignore the big man towering over her?
One thing she’s never been was a liar, and she wasn’t about to start now. She took a deep breath and hoped her voice wouldn’t give her emotions away, but that was a long shot. She could already feel the sadness starting to bubble its way up from her heart.
“My husband’s dog tags weren’t where they should have been.”
She saw a few of the guys shoot a quick glance in Frost’s direction, but Frost never took his eyes off her. She saw how his eyes softened a bit, and she knew now that he understood and knew how difficult this conversation would be for her.
Stitch scrunched his eyebrows together. “Husband? Are you married? And he’s a soldier?” Stitch looked back at Frost. “I thought….” Frost held up his hand to stop Stitch from saying any more.
She gave Frost a pleading look. She felt drawn to him to help her. And it seemed so natural to do so. She had shared a little about her past with him, and she hoped he would help put an end to the interrogation tactics of his friends. If not for her sake but for Cody, who was still in the room listening. He must have gotten the message because he interrupted Stitch.