And since women and complications tended to go hand in hand, other than to scratch an occasional itch, he typically avoided them as well.
Too much trouble, too little reward, too little time.
Furthermore, women tended to make the men in his family do stupid things, like forego prenuptial agreements and crash their cars and drink too much. They made them miserable and weak and out of control. And for what? Good sex? A handy dinner companion? Another body in the bed? He smirked. Hell, he could get all of that for free, usually in the course of one night and, other than a paying the tab for a meal, his portfolio was still in good standing, not to mention his pride.
Payne had watched both of his parents barter their pride for the so-called sake of being in love to the point where he wondered how they had any respect for themselves left at all. He certainly didn’t, that was for damned sure. All he had left was pity and contempt, limited fond memories of a lonely childhood and a snarled up obligation of parental devotion he wished he could let go of.
Both Guy and Jamie--his brothers of the heart, comrades and current business partners--called him a cynic, but what the hell.
Being a cynic was better than being stupid any day.
CHAPTER 1
“So what are we selling next? The fine china or the Faberge egg collection?”
Emma Langsford smiled at the droll comment and shook her head, but didn’t look up from the scarred desk in her mother’s beauty shop where she was currently working on the books. A piercing throb had developed behind her right eye and an empty hollow feeling of dread had commenced in her belly.
It felt like...broke.
Unfortunately, she recognized it.
Point of fact, in an effort to keep the bank from foreclosing on the family home, they’d sold off everything that hadn’t been deemed an absolute necessity months ago. Continuing care for her grandfather until his death had been a huge drain on her mother’s already strained finances and it had taken every last penny in her mother’s woeful collection to make sure that her grandfather hadn’t suffered. Cancer, Emma thought bitterly. Damned miserable disease.
Rather than re-up for another four years in the military, as much as they’d needed what little money she could send home, Emma had left the Army and had returned to Marble Springs to be there for her mother. Lena Evans might have needed money, but when going through the last stages of losing her father, she’d needed her daughter more.
Unfortunately, aside from coming home and helping her mother, Emma hadn’t made any additional plans. She’d gone to work at the local grocery store to help make ends meet, and planned to cash in on her military service for college, but unless a windfall landed in their lap, she couldn’t see being able to enroll anytime soon. Emma had a reputation for making rash decisions, but usually she managed to come out on top. She frowned.
In this instance, she’d definitely landed sideways.
“We’re not going to sell anything else, Mom. There’s nothing else to sell.” With the exception of her body, that is, Emma thought with a grim smile, but as much as she loved the old home-place, she wasn’t willing to make that sort of sacrifice. At least...not yet. She reached down and absently stroked Moses’ patchy fur, feeling as much like the stray as the old dog who’d adopted her immediately upon her return home. “I’m going to see if I can pick up some extra work.”
Shears poised over Mrs. Wilkins smoky-blue hair, her mother stilled and stared at her. “More work? Absolutely not. You’re already picking up every hour of overtime you can at the store and I know that you’ve been going over helping Darcy Marcus at This Bud’s For You.”
Damn. “She needed help pulling a few arrangements together for Decoration Day.”
He mother glared at her. “Darcy Marcus made your life living hell all through school. She made fun of your clothes, purposely excluded you from every party and what about the Prom? She hijacked your date!”
Emma grimaced. All true, still... “He wasn’t much of a date to start with.”
“Be that as it may, you don’t have to work for her.”
She knew her mother would react that way, that’s why Emma hadn’t mentioned the extra work with Darcy. But honest work was honest work. She’d also picked up a couple of cover shifts at the video store for Dwight Allen. Dwight had stolen her peanut butter and jelly sandwich in Kindergarten, but that hadn’t kept her from working for him, had it?
They were too poor to be too proud and as long as she was off the street corner and someone was willing to pay her to do honest work, she’d do it. Hell, she’d made it through basic training and had thrived in the military. She could withstand a little degrading company in exchange for the cash they needed. Was it galling? Of course. She wouldn’t be human otherwise. But Emma had to keep the greater good of things in mind and if that meant swallowing a little pride in order to put food on the table, then so be it.
“Well, I don’t care how bad we need the money, we’ll sell the Victrola before you work another minute for Darcy Marcus.”
“Ouch!” Mrs. Wilkins yelped with an angry glance up at her mother. “You’re pulling my hair.”
“Sorry,” her mother mumbled contritely.
“We’re not selling the Victrola,” Emma said, repressing a weary sigh. That Victrola had belonged to her grandparents and represented the last bastion of a life that they used to know. Even Emma could remember her grandparents breaking the old album player out, moving the furniture back against the walls and dancing around the living room. There were dozens of happy memories associated with the old piece and she would not--absolutely would not--let it go.
They’d lose the house before they lost the Victrola.
“Emmaline,” her mother began, using her full given name. “I want you to promise me that you won’t--“
Thankfully the telephone rang cutting off the beginning of an extorted promise Emma had no intention of keeping.
“Lena’s On Main,” Emma answered.
“Emma?” a familiar voice, but one she’d never expected to hear again, asked.
“Colonel Hastings?”
“Ah, it is you,” he said happily.
She sincerely doubted her old boss needed a hair cut or a manicure, so to say that his call was unexpected would have been a huge understatement. “Er...yes, sir. It’s me.”
“Excellent, Langsford. I have a business opportunity I’d like to run by you and I wondered if you were available at the moment to talk.”
“Sure, sir,” Emma told him, struggling to keep her jaw from hitting the floor.
“Excellent. I’m outside in the black Town Car. I’ll wait for you.”
Flabbergasted, Emma felt her eyes widen. She craned her head toward the front of the store and peered out the window. Colonel Hastings was here? In Marble Springs? But--
“Is something wrong?” her mother asked, evidently noting the shocked look on her daughter’s face.
“Er... I’ll be right out, sir.” Emma replaced the receiver, then stood and glanced distractedly at her mother. “Colonel Hastings is here.”
Lena’s perfectly arched brows furrowed. “Colonel Hastings? But isn’t that--“
“It is,” Emma confirmed grimly.
Her brows rose. “Well, what does he want?”
Now that was an excellent question, Emma thought as she made her way to the door. She had absolutely no idea.
Emma ordered Winston to stay--he followed her everywhere, bless his old grateful heart--then slid her suddenly sweating palms over her thighs, pushed through the door and out into the biting winter air. Exhaust streamed from the muffler of the Town Car idling at the curb. The rear passenger window powered down, revealing the Colonel’s smiling face. “Ah,” he said. “Now aren’t you a sight for sore eyes. Come on, child.” He opened the door for her. “Climb on in.”
Still a bit rattled by his unexpected visit, Emma slid into the roomy back seat and savored the warmth which instantly enveloped her. The heat in her old Ford had playe
d out and she was typically an icicle before she made it into town.
“It’s er... It’s nice to see you sir,” she finally managed for lack of anything better. A more relevant response would have been “What the hell are you doing here?” but she didn’t see herself asking that question.
Not to him.
“Oh, and you, too,” he said, looking as though he really meant it.
She knew that he’d had high hopes for her and had been disappointed when she’d decided to leave the military, but... Well, she never dreamed he’d actually look her up.
“Is there a café or anything nearby where we could talk?” he asked.
“Sure. There’s a little diner up on the corner.”
The Colonel instructed the driver to take them there, then turned once more to her and smiled. “I’m sure you have to be wondering what I’m doing here.”
Emma felt a grin twist her lips. “I’m curious,” she admitted drolly.
“Such cheek,” he enthused, seemingly charmed. “That’s what I always liked about you, Langsford. Wit, courage, smarts. You should have stuck with me. You had a promising career.”
Emma swallowed. “I know, sir. I--“
“No worries,” he interrupted soothingly. “We all do what we have to do,” he said. “I understood it then and I understand it now, and that’s part of the reason I’m here.”
Now that was certainly an enigmatic comment, Emma thought, growing increasingly intrigued as to the reason of his visit.
Five minutes later they were ensconced in a scarred booth with patched vinyl seats. Curiously, though she wouldn’t have thought it possible, the Colonel looked right at home. He calmly sampled his coffee, smiled at the overweight waitress who delivered the brew and idly glanced around the room, seemingly charmed by the worn décor.
“So this is home,” he said. “Quaint, but nice. I can see why you’d want to come back here.”
Emma nodded. Granted there were lots of things about Marble Spring which got on her nerves--the busy-bodies minding everyone’s business, for starters--but overall it was a nice town. Three generations of her family had been born and raised here. There was something to be said for that kind of heritage. Roots, Emma decided. Roots were important.
“Sir, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but...why are you here?”
He smiled. “And that’s another thing I always liked about you. You’re direct.”
As nice as this all was, she’d really appreciate it if he’d get to the point. “You said you had a business proposition for me? What sort of proposition?”
He finally leaned forward in his seat, a silent indicator that he was ready to get down to business, the business that had evidently brought him all the way from Fort Benning, Georgia to her little population five-thousand Mississippi town. “Since you appreciate directness, Langsford, I’m going to get right to the point.”
Emma nodded, encouraging him to go on.
“There’s a piece of Confederate history which has recently surfaced in Gettysburg and I want you to go get it for me.”
Emma frowned. Why did he need her to go and get it? Why couldn’t he do it himself?
“The whereabouts are a bit murky,” he said, evidently anticipating her next question, “and it’s going to take someone with your...particular set of skills to acquire it for me.”
“My set of skills?” she asked.
“Precisely. You’re quick, you’re uncannily lucky and, when you want something, you’re ruthless.”
Emma internally recoiled. She wasn’t ruthless, dammit--she was determined. There was a difference. Granted it might be subtle, but it was there. Had other people seen her that way? she wondered, suddenly alarmed. Had her comrades thought she was ruthless? She’d always been competitive, but ruthless?
“Sir, I think--“
“--and when I finish telling you about this mission, Langsford,” he continued, warming to his topic, “you’re going to want it. Badly.”
“Want what?”
“The pocket-watch I’m sending you after.”
Emma resisted the urge pull her hair. “Pocket-watch?”
“This particular pocket-watch belonged to General Robert E. Lee. I want it. In fact, I want it so badly that I have bet a fellow officer--a fellow collector--that you can get to it first. Before his guy.”
Patience had been a virtue she’d always lacked, so as much as she respected the Colonel, she didn’t mince any words. “Sir, this makes absolutely no sense. I, uh-- I don’t have time to look for a pocket-watch, whether it belonged to Robert E. Lee or not. And frankly, I have too much to do and too much to worry about to discuss this any furth--“
“Ten-thousand dollars,” he said calmly.
Emma drew up short. “I’m sorry?”
“That’s what I’m willing to pay.”
“Me?” she squeaked, gobsmacked.
“That’s right. If you get to the watch first and deliver it to me, I will pay you ten-thousand dollars.”
Emma chewed the inside of her cheek, leaned back into the seat and regarded him seriously for the first time since this bizarre conversation began. She could do a lot with ten-thousand dollars. Satisfy the back taxes, take care of the mortgage. Start school. “Brief me again, please.”
He did. “You will have an advantage because I’m relatively certain that Garrett didn’t share the terms of the bet--or even mentioned it, for that matter--to Major Payne. Are you familiar with him?”
Emma felt a flutter wing through her belly. Blonde hair, ice blue eyes, a body any warm-blooded woman would instantly salivate over. He was aloof and legendary, supposedly untouchable. Her mouth parched. Oh, yeah. “I’ve heard of him.”
“He’s a strong opponent, but you’ll have an edge. You know that he’s after the same thing that you are...but he isn’t aware of any competition. Beautiful, isn’t it?”
In order to beat him to it, Emma knew she’d need every advantage she could get. Granted she knew her own worth--she was quick, she was good--but Payne had a reputation for being equally good...if not better. And since Emma knew what she was up against--and how desperately Hastings wanted to insure her participation as well as his victory--she decided different terms were in order.
“Ten now, plus expenses,” Emma said. “And ten upon delivery.” That was the magic number. She could take care of the back taxes, satisfy what was left on the mortgage and get a jump-start on school. She might be young, but she wasn’t stupid. She needed this. It was exactly the kind of opportunity she’d needed to put her and her mother’s life back on track.
The Colonel chuckled. “You want to bargain? What makes you think you’re in a position to bargain?”
Emma smiled at him, cocked her head. “You tipped your hand the instant you drove over here, sir. You need me as much as I need your money.”
Hastings guffawed, a giant belly laugh which made other diners glance over at them. “And that’s the sort of deduction that makes you worth it. Consider it done, Langsford. I’ve got the necessary paperwork in the car. You leave tomorrow. Is that a problem?”
She’d have to cancel on Darcy, but that certainly wasn’t a problem. Emma brightened. More like an instant perk. A secret thrill whipped through her. A mission. Now this was more like it. “Not at all, sir.”
“Excellent. I have your ticket, but you’ll need to take care of hotel accommodations.”
Emma nodded, her heart lightened with a newfound hope, one she hadn’t had in a long, long time. “Is there anything else I should know about, sir?”
The Colonel leveled a grave stare at her. “Major Payne isn’t called The Specialist for nothing. He’ll play by the rules.” He shrugged and a crafty gleam suddenly lit his ordinarily jovial gaze. “Let’s just say you don’t have to.”
So in other words, he wanted her to do whatever she had to do to get it first. Emma felt a wry smile roll around her lips.
And she was supposedly ruthless?
CHAPTER 2
; “This is bullshit,” Guy said in his usual blunt fashion. “I can’t believe you’ve agreed to do this.”
Payne collected his bags from the trunk of the Guy’s car and set them on the curb. Rather than leave his SUV parked in the dubious care of airport security, Payne had asked Guy to give him a ride this morning. If he hadn’t needed to pack another bag and take care of a few niggling business details, he could have exited the flight with Garrett and immediately hopped another towards Gettysburg. As it was, he’d needed a few hours to pull things together for a week’s absence. “We all agreed, remember?”
“We agreed to do a favor. You don’t think this is a tad over the top? First, a flirting mission for Jamie, now a freakin’ treasure hunt for you?” He snorted. “What’s next?”
Payne chuckled, shot his friend a you-poor-bastard look. “That’ll be your problem, won’t it?”
Guy grimaced, rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. This is... This is ridiculous, even for Garrett.”
“We gave our word.” And no matter how futile paying back this favor might seem, it was still worth it. Getting out of the military had been the best thing for all three of them.
“I know that, dammit,” Guy snapped. “I’m not balking. I’m just annoyed.” He passed a hand over his face, then smiled. “At least I don’t have to worry about you running off, getting married and becoming a seasonal worker.”
Payne almost smiled. “Definitely not.”
Though Jamie was still a partner and participated in the day-to-day operations at Ranger Security, he did it from a significant distance. The business was based in Atlanta and Jamie had recently taken up residence in Maine. His new wife’s business was head-quartered there and, while Jamie would never admit it for fear of being henpecked, both he and Guy knew that he preferred the quiet shores of Lake Bliss to the bustling city proper of Atlanta. In fact, it was quite obvious that their friend, the ultimate former player, was happier with Audrey Kincaid Flanagan than he’d ever been with anyone in his life.
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