by Lynde Lakes
“If my girls are in danger,” Angela said. “I’ll be there, too.”
“Damn it,” Dad said. “This is already getting out of hand.”
“Damon’s right,” Brian said, surprising himself. It was the first time he’d dared to refer to Valerie’s dad in such an informal way to his face. He figured his boldness was a natural outcome of being in charge of the setup. The project required equal respect and trust between he and Damon. “To set this trap, we can’t have dissention in the ranks. And no female heroics.” Brian met each of the women’s gazes. All three glared at him. “You’re all strong and skilled at defense, but for this to work smoothly, you ladies must sit this one out. If we have to worry about you, it will split our concentration and focus. No games or one up-man-ship. Is everyone clear on that?”
Valerie’s sudden sly smile warned him he was dealing with a female who, although no longer a wolf, was still an alpha through and through. And if she thought any of them were in trouble, she’d fly to the rescue, even at the risk of her own death. God, he had his work cut out for him to keep this courageous, unpredictable woman safe.
Chapter Nineteen
Crouching in the itchy, stinking scrub brush, Brian adjusted his sunglasses against the bright afternoon sun. He yanked his new camouflaged cap lower, while keeping his gaze locked on Valerie. He hadn’t let her out of his sight for a second from the moment she left the mansion.
He shifted position and took a deep breath, feeling as tense as a wolf stalking his prey. The trap had been set. Would Rory spring it? Valerie’s mom had called him and he’d heard her inform the would-be college boy that Valerie had wandered off. When she hung up, Angela said he’d promised to keep an eye out for her and agreed to call if she turned up at his place. Would he take the bait and come looking for her in the hills?
Brian smiled when Valerie picked up a rock that fit nicely in her hand. She seemed to weigh it, as though deciding if it would suit her purposes. She wasn’t supposed to let whoever showed up get that close. But he admired her for securing her own weapon. He loved that about her—her self-reliance—loved everything, really.
She leapt up on the carefully selected table-boulder like a gazelle. She sat down and placed the rock beside her. She stared at it for a moment, then wriggled around a little. Next she adjusted her bright red, sleeveless bare midriff top and her Daisy Duke cut-offs, flattening and smoothing the materials tightly against her curves.
His heartbeat accelerated. When she lavished sunscreen on her tanned skin, the beat literally galloped in his chest. But, darn the little tease, she wasn’t finished torturing him with her slow, seductive smoothing. Next, over the sunscreen, she spread baby oil over every inch of her bare flesh. When she glistened like sweat after sex, she stretched like a saucy, lean, Siamese cat and lay on her back, pressing her lovely shoulders against the stony surface. Her full breasts jutted skyward, like mountains rising from the desert.
His breath caught. Dear, God, how much does she think a man can take?
The wolf within wanted to rush forward and ravish her. He tightened his jaw, trying to contain his lustful desire. Unwittingly, his male-flag saluted. Damn, damn. He’d warned her not to overdue the sexy bit. Then it hit him. Perhaps her seductive game had nothing to do with the plan. Aware he crouched nearby watching, she was probably torturing him on purpose. The little minx.
She lifted her stomach and pubic area to the sun as if she were its Goddess, and it her lover. If that wasn’t enough, she began to undulate and writhe. He’d get her for this.
After minutes of excruciating torture and heat rising in his groin, she stilled and put a tissue to her eyes and began to sob softly. Dear, God, she looked so sad, alone, and vulnerable. He fought to keep himself from running to her side to comfort her. The little imp should get an academy award for her performance.
Suddenly, in the distance, with his wolf hearing, he detected wide-spaced, fast footfalls coming toward them. Since no cell phones were allowed, he removed a small mirror from his pocket and flashed it toward Damon’s station to alert him. Then he tensed and crouched lower, ready for battle.
****
Victoria heard footfalls. She glanced at her mother and Rick, who both crouched
beside her, and gestured with her head. Her mother, totting a rifle like the sharp-shooter Annie Oakley, nodded and licked her lips. Rick, armed with a .38, jerked his head upwards slightly in his signal of understanding.
Victoria figured Hugh, with his lupine hearing, heard the prey approaching as clearly as she did. But fairly certain Deeto wasn’t gifted with such sharpe senses, she pulled her mirror out of her pants pocket and flashed it to alert him. A shivery foreboding about having an outsider like him in on this proposed assasination chilled her spine.
Using her long-range feral sight, she observed her twin and tried to read her. Valerie had changed. When had that happened? She laughed inside at her sister’s little sex show for Brian. Poor guy, if they both lived through this, he’d have his hands full with her.
She admired her twin’s guts and bravery. Valerie had really come into her own. But too much courage could be deadly. To heighten the risk, her once predictable sister had become unpredictable.
Dear God, let everything go smoothly with no surprises from Valerie or our enemy.
****
Damon croached behind a boulder, feeling as if he were walking on a tight rope
between two hot wires. One missed step or the slighest breeze and things could sizzle out of control. That’s my baby girl out there.
Valerie’s little sex-kitten show didn’t help bouy his confidnce that the risky setup would work. He’d told her no games. Damn it, he shouldn’t have agreed to this. Even Deeto was unpredictable. He was used to charging in too soon. Would Kit’s biker wait for the signal? The loose-cannon wanted the man who’d torn out his lover’s throat—wanted him badly.
Damon said a silent prayer that everyone would abide by the rules and somehow the trap would snap shut on his brother without a hitch.
He’d provided everyone except Valerie with camaflage outfits and made each one repeat the game-plan twice to be sure everyone understood.
Suddenly, a dark cloud obscured the sun and cast the hills in deep, menacing shadows. Lordy, Lordy, even the weather had turned against this setup.
****
Valerie shifted on the giant boulder that grew harder and more uncomfortable by the second. She glanced up at the dark clouds blocking the sun and wondered if they’d have to scrap this skirmish due to rain.
Overhead a helicopter’s rotors whirred. She sat up, her body as rigid as stone, and rubbed her arms. Was the pilot one of her dad’s employees? Or had the killer hired a chopper? Her brain pulsed in cold fear; she’d be a sitting duck. Don’t let this get to you. She wasn’t prone to panic, but her ground backup, somewhere out there in the underbrush, would be as helpless as she’d be from a sky attack.
She shivered, feeling totally alone.
Suddenly, on the path directly in front of her, she heard thudding footfalls approaching fast, growing louder as the runner came closer and closer. With their wolf hearing, Brian, Uncle Hugh, and Victoria would’ve heard the footfalls before she did. Knowing that gave her a measure of hope.
She stared at the path where the sound of feet thundered toward her, then glanced up at the chopper hovering nearby. Would the attack come from the sky or ground?
Her gaze fixed on the path. She waited for Rory to bound into view.
But the man who charged forth wasn’t Rory—it was Kyle! Could Reeves have morphed into their kindly houseman?
Abruptly, Kyle stopped running and approached slowly. His already heavy breathing accelerated and his water-blue eyes lit up. “Valerie! What are you doing way out here alone?”
His voice was lower than ever before. The surprising guttural rumble pulsated with lust.
The brush around her shook as though filled with rabid attack monkeys. She hoped he didn’t notice.
>
“Stay back, Kyle!”
He kept coming. When he reached for her elbow, she scooted backwards to the edge of the boulder, out of reach. She grabbed up her stone and wielded it menacingly. “I mean it, stay back!”
Suddenly, her backup surrounded him. Brian jumped Kyle and knocked him to the ground, slamming his fist into Kyle’s jaw, rendering him unconscious.
Deeto lifted Kyle as though he weighed nothing and dumped him into the steel-mesh cage that Hugh had dragged from the bushes. Brian slammed the door shut. The whole maneuver had taken less than two minutes.
Before Valerie could assess the result of the capture and how she felt about caging Kyle, Brian leapt up on the boulder and drew her into his warm, strong arms. He smelled like sweat and dried foliage. “Thank God, you’re safe,” he murmured in his deep voice.
Abruptly, the unmarked helicopter swooped low and a marksman inside riddled the area with bullets. A projectile whizzed past her head. Brian dived off the boulder, taking her with
him, then yanked her behind the boulder for cover.
Chaos reined. Her group ducked for shelter. Rick and Deeto fell to the ground clutching wounds. Someone in her party returned fire, and the chopper veered off and disappeared into the dark clouds.
“Let’s get the hell out of here, fast,” Dad shout, “before the chopper circles back.”
Chapter Twenty
Reeves wouldn’t admit it to his counterpart, but he’d needed him and saw his usefulness. Rory had contacts and the use of his rich daddy’s credit card. That alone was enough, but he also had a pilot’s license. Reeves glared out at the dark clouds. Unfortunately, the surprise attack from the sky wasn’t as much fun as he’d thought it would be.
His blood boiled for the physical release of up-close-and-personal killing. Shooting from the air may have maimed and perhaps even killed, but it gave no satisfaction. Men crumbled and fell, clutching their sides, but the true elixir for his vital, devilish spirit would come only when he could rip out the throats of everyone who’d stupidly tried to set a trap for him. His fingers itched to unlock the door of his mansion, throw it wide, and stride kingly across marble floors, as was his birth right. Soon, he told himself, soon.
****
In Haven Wood Hospital’s waiting room, Valerie’s mind shot off in a number of directions as she attempted to make sense of the tangled turmoil of prior events.
They’d escaped with their lives. And she was alive because of Brian. When it was safe for them to leave the surprise-attack site, her dad, as usual, had taken control. Everyone did their part without having it spelled out for them. An image of Uncle Hugh racing toward the steel cage made her want to hug him. Forgetting the danger to himself, he ran low, opened the door, and yanked the limp Kyle out and hoisted him over his shoulder.
Dad and Brian shred their shirts into strips for bandages and quickly secured them by knotting the material. Once they’d rendered basic first-aid and did all they could to make Rick and Deeto comfortable on makeshift stretchers—quickly woven from pole limbs and soft brush—they headed back to the mansion, with everyone running most of the way. The minute they got inside, Dad arranged for a medical chopper to take the injured men to Wood Haven, the nearest hospital.
Later, in the antiseptic smelling waiting room, the family consoled each other in low whispery tones while waiting to hear Rick’s and Deeto’s condition. From the exchange, Valerie learned that Angela, Damon, and Hugh had been the ones who’d returned fire, probably saving all of their lives. She was proud of everyone in the group, but especially her rifle-packing mama. Her fierce alpha-mother surprised her more every day and oddly made her want to be a mother some day and surprise her child.
She glanced at Brian who sat close beside her. He squeezed her hand. They’re going to be all right,” he whispered.
“I know. She glanced over at her twin and sent her a thumbs-up sign. Then, capturing Brian’s gaze again, she softly said, “I didn’t know exactly where you were, but I sensed your nearness and was comforted by it.”
“I was to the west of you, crouching in the itchy, stinking scrub brush.”
She smiled. “Poor baby, having to suffer so desperately to keep me safe.”
“Don’t mock me. I never let you out of my sight for a second from the moment you left the mansion.” He flashed his blinding grin. “A guy could get eye-strain, you know. He drew little circles on her hand with his thumb. “I got a kick out of it when you picked up that rock. But it was a blow to my ego. Didn’t you think I could protect you? Besides, you weren’t supposed to let anyone get close enough to need your crude weapon.”
“What can I say? I’m a self-reliant girl who tries to think ahead and anticipate and prepare for the unexpected.”
His brilliant grin shot a cupid arrow to her heart. “I hate to admit it,” he said, “but I love that about you.” His husky, whispered words twisted the arrow’s tip until it bored deep and irretrievable. He tilted his head. “What was the deal with that little seduction routine?”
She shivered in delight. “You noticed, did you?”
“Don’t sound so pleased. You tortured the hell out of me.”
She swallowed a laugh, fearing that until they heard some good news about Rick’s and Deeto’s conditions, laughter might seem callous and upset her sister. Valerie sighed. She was as worried as everyone else, but talking silliness relieved some of the tension.
Brian leaned close to her ear and scolded in low rumble. “Distracting me on the job is risky. How much do you think a man can take?”
She gave a small smile, but before she could let loose her saucy quip, the doctor entered the room.
“I’d like to keep the men overnight,” he said, sounding tired, “but they’re going to be fine. Luckily, both are in excellent shape.”
Victoria sprang to her feet and hugged the doctor. “Bikers usually are,” she said, sounding proud. Tears glistened in her eyes. “Thank you, doctor. You’ve made me a happy woman.”
Hearing the deep tenderness and adoration in her twin’s voice, Valerie squeezed Brian’s hand and prayed that, like her sister, she’d live long enough to have the man she loved in her life in a permanent way. She wondered why her sister’s love hadn’t driven the wolf out of her, and why Brian’s love hadn’t driven his wolf out of him. He was such a cool-headed dude. What if he never learned to unleash his deeper emotions?
****
When they returned to the mansion, Valerie spied Kyle’s bags by the front door. She didn’t blame him for wanting to leave. They had treated him badly, showing no trust, no affection. It would be even worse if Kyle knew they’d planned to kill him.
She watched her dad glance down at the bags. He blew out a gust of air. “Thank you for waiting for our return before leaving.” He paused, looking regretful. “What can I say to smooth things over and encourage you to stay?”
“Nothing, Sir. I can’t work where my integrity and loyalty is doubted.”
“I understand,” Dad said, “but let me make it crystal clear, this was just a tragic mistake. Valerie was in danger from an unknown assailant. And then you dashed onto the scene and tried to grab her. If you hadn’t reached for her, none of this would’ve happened.”
“Are you saying I’m to blame for Brian jumping me, jabbing a fist into my jaw, and knocking me unconscious?” He paused and glared at Brian. Then he glowered at Uncle Hugh. “I came to being yanked out of a cage, by that one, for God’s sake.”
“What were you doing out in the wilds during your work hours?” Brian demanded. “It wasn’t your day off, was it?”
“I usually jog after the dinner meal once the kitchen is back in order, but I saw the dark clouds moving in over the hills, and I didn’t think anyone would mind if I jogged on my lunch break instead.”
Unable to stand their game of looking for someone to blame a second longer, Valerie stepped forward and gently touched Kyle’s arm. “We all regret doubting you. But none of this was Dad’s fault. I
t was my doing. I pushed him and Brian into suspecting you and then when you rushed up the path… Can’t you understand? I was on edge, skittish, and when you reached for me—”
Dad piped up. “We won’t try to keep you if you must go. But we love you here. So if you’re intent upon leaving, please accompany me to my office. I’d like to write you a severance check.”
Kyle frowned, looking uncertain. Then his eyes glinted. “You guys sure have a rough way of showing love.”
Thunder rolled across the sky and echoed through the mansion. Valerie glanced at Kyle and said, “It’d be unkind and irresponsible to let you leave on a devilish, storming night like this.”
Kyle went to the bay window and looked out. Lightning flashed across the sky and lit up the living room with a blinding brightness. “You’re right,” he said. His tone carried no lingering anger. He paused a moment then sent her a boyish grin. “Tonight’s a good occasion for hot chocolate topped with lots of whipped cream and some grilled cheese sandwiches on homemade rye. Let me stow my bags in my quarters, and I’ll whip it up for you in a jiffy.”
Valerie smiled. It was storming outside but, thank God, the storm inside had passed and all was right in their world. She shuddered, fearing the horror tomorrow might bring.
****
Valerie glanced through the window of the passenger side of the foundation station wagon at the lingering cloak of black clouds overhead. The day carried the depressing darkness of yesterday’s storm, but at least it wasn’t raining.
She swayed against the seatbelt as Brian turned right into the foundation’s wide, commercial driveway. In spite of the cheery reggae music blaring from the radio, she cringed at the sight of the empty New Beginnings parking lot.
She stiffened as Brian swung into the CEO parking space next to the building and killed the engine. Silence wrapped around her like the tentacles of some dark, unidentified creature from the depths of hell. She felt no guilt at her drama. Probably anyone returning for the first time to the site of a brutal murder would feel a similar unease.