The extra few seconds that it took her to respond told Bull everything he needed to know. She didn’t have an answer for not calling Noah’s business line and she had no business being at his wedding. He reached down and took her hand, intending to lead her away. Her reaction was completely unexpected.
“No, please don’t!” she pleaded as quietly as she could while she resisted his attempts to move her. “Please—I’m really scared.” Her eyes were wide open and darting around the open area, looking for hidden dangers and safe passages. She recoiled into the shadows, trying to stay hidden from sight.
Bull stopped moving but kept her hand in his. He squeezed it lightly to catch her attention. He knew that look—the wounded look, deer-caught-in-the-headlights look, the near full-blown-panic-attack look.
”You really need our help?”
“Yes,” came the whispered, strained reply. He knew she was simultaneously fighting tears while internally determining whether she would fight or flee. He was leaning heavily to the flee option, if her demeanor was an accurate indication.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out with an acceptance of resignation, Bull softened his voice. “Alright. You’ll have to come with me and answer a few questions. We’ll figure out how to best help you.”
Shadow and Rebel silently witnessed the entire exchange. Bull looked at each of them and the unspoken request was conveyed. They surrounded her and walked her to Bull’s waiting Steele Security SUV. Once she was safely seated inside, Bull pulled away from the curb and stole a glance at her.
She drew her sandaled feet up in the seat, bent her knees, and rested her chin on them. Her arms were bent and also resting on her knees, almost completely covering her face as her eyes darted back and forth from the windshield to the side window. Bull realized this part of her story was true—she was very scared of something or someone.
“What’s your name?” Bull asked, breaking the silence and making her jump unexpectedly.
“Chaise,” she answered after several long seconds. Bull noted she didn’t give a last name. “What’s yours?”
“Bull,” he answered, thinking to himself that two could play that game.
“I can see why,” she mumbled under her breath.
Bull chuckled at her bravado, the sound reverberating through his chest, and said, “Let’s start over. I’m one of Noah’s best friends and a long-term employee of Steele Security, Colton Lanier.”
Bull held out his hand to shake hers while keeping the other one on the wheel. She looked at him for a second before relenting and taking his hand in hers. “Chaise,” she paused and Bull noted that her eyes darted to the Quickie-Mart sign as they passed before she added, “Martin.”
“Well, Chaise Martin, it’s nice to meet you,” Bull replied, emphasizing her last name and letting her know that he didn’t believe her, but he decided he shouldn’t push the issue any farther. He knew true fear when he saw it and she wasn’t so good of an actress that she could fool him on that aspect. Her terror was real and he would allow her some anonymity for now—until he felt he had given her enough time to trust him.
She nodded once in response and let go of his hand to wrap her arms around her legs again. She let out a long breath of exasperation and Bull had the feeling she was about to start crying on him. He didn’t do feelings too well.
“Want to tell me what’s going on, Chaise?” Bull asked in a much more relaxed tone than he felt inside. He didn’t want to add to her stress and make her start crying, but he needed to know what he was dealing with in this case. He had to keep himself and the other men safe, but his main concern at the moment was Brianna and Noah’s safety.
She started to speak a couple of times but stopped both times before she got the first word out. She studied Bull’s profile, trying to determine what she should and shouldn’t say. He could tell by her rapid eye movement and her increased breathing rate that she was very uncomfortable in his presence. He just didn’t know why that was.
“Um, Colton, right?”
Bull nodded. It felt strange being called by his given name but she seemed more comfortable with it, so he would deal with the discomfort for the sake of a client.
“Colton, I’m scared, okay? Really, really scared,” she spoke slowly and emphasized each word. “I don’t know who I can trust.”
“But you trust Noah?” Bull asked and noticed how her body immediately tensed even more at the mention of his name. Bull stopped at the red light and turned to look her directly in the eye. “Chaise, do you trust Noah?”
She nodded her response and bit her bottom lip in apprehension. “Yes, I do. But I know him.” She turned her face away and peered out the side window for a few seconds before adding, “Or, I used to, anyway.”
Bull clenched his jaws and gritted his teeth. He really didn’t like the vibes he was getting from Chaise Martin regarding Noah and Brianna.
“Look, Chaise. It seems like something else is going on here. I told you—whatever you think you and Reaper had together, you don’t. He got married today, and even if he wasn’t married, he’s completely in love with Brianna. I will protect them both from anyone or anything that comes against them.”
“The light’s green,” she answered, purposely avoiding Bull’s direct comments. Bull stomped on the gas in response.
“You need to start explaining some things to me, Chaise, or this is the end of the line. You can get out here and call a cab,” Bull stated with finality.
Chaise obviously believed him because she jerked her head in his direction, her mouth parted in surprise, and her eyes opened wide in fear. “I told you—it’s not like that. I knew Noah when we were in school. He’s a little older than I am, but we were not romantically involved at all. I just didn’t know anyone else to go to.”
“About?” Bull asked, but before Chaise was able to answer, Bull continued in a stern, commanding voice. “Hang on, Chaise. And keep your head down.”
Bull jerked the wheel to the right and made a sudden last-second turn. The car immediately behind him did the same and he knew without a doubt that they had a tail. He calmly picked up his cell phone and called Rebel. Chaise had no time to process his command or to even determine if she should be afraid.
“Black full-size truck, Florida tags, black-out tinted windows. Yeah. Let me know. Thanks, man.”
Bull’s clipped phone conversation gave Chaise no indication of his intentions or why he was talking about a black truck with tinted windows. His demeanor change was almost imperceptible. The only real difference was now his eyes darted between his rearview mirror and the road ahead instead of remaining trained on her.
“Colton, what’s going on?”
“We’re being followed. Rebel is going to shake our tail for us so we don’t call unnecessary attention to ourselves,” Bull answered in a tone that belied the severity of the situation. It was as if she had asked for the time and he was merely supplying her with the information.
“Shake our tail?” she asked, dumbfounded.
Bull laughed. “You know, I never really thought about how that sounded until you said it like that. Rebel’s going to make the bad guys lose us in four, three, two, one.”
Suddenly, another Steele Security SUV darted out from a side street immediately in front of the large, black truck that had been tailing them. The driver of the truck barely had time to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting Rebel. With nowhere else to go, thanks to oncoming traffic and Rebel’s SUV blocking the rest of the road, the black truck had to come to a complete stop.
Bull drove on and watched as Rebel and Shadow exited the SUV and approached the truck with their pistols drawn. Confident the two men were capable of handling whoever was following so closely that their tail was immediately made, Bull took Chaise to one of the rarely used mainland buildings of Steele Security
BOOKS BY A.D. JUSTICE
Steele Security Series
Wicked Games (Book 1)
Wicked Ties (Book 2)
&nbs
p; Wicked Nights (Book 3)
Wicked Intentions (Book 4)
Wicked Shadows (Book 5)
The Crazy Series
Crazy Maybe (Book 1)
Crazy Baby (Book 2)
Crazy Love (Book 3, FREE Short Story)
Crazy Over You (Book 4, Date TBD)
Drive Me Crazy (Book 5, Date TBD)
Dominic Powers Series
Her Dom (Book 1)
Her Dom’s Lesson (Book 2)
Stand-alone
Intent
Just One Summer (Novella)
Completely Captivated
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I want to personally thank those who specifically helped with this book.
First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Savior for His continuous grace and love.
My husband for believing in me and supporting my endeavors, my long nights, and the days I missed with him.
My friends who stuck by me: A.M. Madden, Michelle Dare, and Tabitha Stokes. I love every one of you!
My editor, Ellie McLove, for her guidance and input.
My cover designer, Marisa-Rose Shor with Cover Me, Darling, who created this gorgeous cover.
My photographer, Eric Battershell Photography / FITography, who took this gorgeous cover photo.
My cover model, Johnny Kane, for bringing my character to life.
My street team who tirelessly promotes my books and recommends them to their friends.
My beta readers: Cheryl F., Cheryl K., Dana G., Tracey M, Tabitha C., Karen H., Stephanie A., A.M., and Michelle.
An extra special THANK YOU goes to the very special bloggers who are part of my blogger group. I appreciate your help and support so very much! You are my trusted few who get first dibs at any book I write because I know it’s in good hands. MUAH!!!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A.D. Justice is the USA Today bestselling author of the Steele Security Series (Wicked Games, Wicked Ties, Wicked Nights, Wicked Intentions, Wicked Shadows), the Crazy Series (Crazy Maybe, Crazy Baby), the Dominic Powers series (Her Dom, Her Dom’s Lesson), the Immortal Obsessions series (Immortal Envy) and a few stand-alone romance novels, such as Completely Captivated, Just One Summer, Envy, and Intent.
When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with her own alpha male character in their North Georgia mountain home. She is also an avid reader of romance novels, a master at procrastination, a chocolate sommelier, a twister of words, and speaks fluent sarcasm. An avid animal lover, A.D. Justice has two horses, two dogs, and two cats.
While the primary focus of her books has been romantic suspense, she has expanded into different sub-genres of romance. Stay tuned to read what she has in store for you!
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Wicked Games: The Extended Edition (Steele Security #1) Page 33