by Becca Van
She almost caught him staring. Linton returned his attention to the paperwork, more distracted than before. He felt uneasy. If their information was correct and Jones was kidnapping women out of this very building, the receptionist could be in danger. The thought of any innocent woman being threatened by these assholes didn’t sit well with Linton, but he felt particularly drawn to this woman.
When he returned the clipboard to her, he said, “I don’t suppose you know of anybody in town who’s hiring, do you, ma’am?”
“No, I don’t, I’m sorry. I noticed your driver’s license is from North Dakota. Did you just move?”
“Yeah.” Linton leaned on the counter and smiled. “Just got into town a few days ago.”
Her smile was as pretty as the rest of her. “Welcome to Butte, Mr. Wade.”
“Thank you, Miss…?”
“Oh! I’m Nyssa Mathis.”
Linton offered his hand across the counter. Nyssa’s was small and warm inside his own, and the skin of his palm tingled as they touched. “Nice to meet you.” God, just a handshake and I already want her.
He cautioned himself against forming any attachments. Keeping Nyssa from harm was one thing, getting involved with her quite another. Linton and his brothers didn’t date solo, and he was too well aware of how cautious all of them were after Katlynn. Codi in particular wouldn’t look kindly on his brothers trying to start a relationship right now.
What if she’s involved like Katlynn was? The thought was unnerving, but before Linton could think of anything he might be able to ask, a door opened on the other side of the lobby.
Keaton walked toward him and held out his hand. “I’m Dr. Jones, and you are?”
Linton eyed the nondescript asshole in front of him and wiped all expression from his face as he shook the doctor’s hand. Keaton wasn’t very tall and had a paunch. Glasses covered his brown eyes and magnified them, which made them look almost owllike. He was in his early to midforties with thinning brown hair. The man looked harmless, but he knew different. His skin crawled and he wanted to pull his hand back and wipe it on his pants. “Linton Wade.”
“If you would come this way please.”
Keaton led Linton down a short hall and into one of only two rooms off of it. Linton took the opportunity to study the man. He and his brothers had found the true identities of the ringleaders a couple of weeks ago, and they had immediately memorized the men’s appearances and what was known about their histories. Linton had gone so long without any hope of setting eyes on one of the men behind the smuggling ring that he almost didn’t believe they were face-to-face. But this was him. He was in the same room as a man who had orchestrated kidnapping and murder, a man who had upended many lives.
It was going to be all Linton could do not to dismember the son of a bitch on the spot. He hated waiting.
When Marcus Keaton had closed the exam room door, he asked, “What can I do for you, Mr. Wade?”
“I just want a checkup, doc. I’m new to the area and looking for employment and thought I would take the bull by the horns and have everything ready for when I find a job.”
“I wish you luck, Mr. Wade,” Dr. Jones, as Linton reminded himself to call him, said as he began the examination.
Linton was careful to keep his enhanced abilities hidden. When the doctor checked his reflexes he made sure not to overact like he usually did at the slight taps. It took quite a bit of concentration to keep his skills under control.
“From what I’ve gathered, there aren’t many jobs going around here.”
“Oh. Well, I’m sure I’ll find something eventually,” Linton said as the doctor took his blood pressure. “I’m willing to do anything to get a bit of cash behind me.”
“Hmm, that’s very commendable.” The doctor eyed him with a frown and then all expression left his face. Linton couldn’t get a read on the man’s emotions and was finding the whole thing rather frustrating. “If you have a card, I can call you if I hear of anything going. Where are you staying?”
“At the local motel. I haven’t had a chance to look for a rental yet.”
The doctor turned away, and as he did, his facial expression changed from bland to evil. Linton’s skin crawled and goose bumps rose on his flesh as malevolence washed over him, but it was gone an instant later. If Linton had needed any additional evidence that this was his man, he had it. He wondered again if the receptionist was involved. He planned his next move as the doctor finished up.
“All done, Mr. Wade. If you see Nyssa at the front desk, she’ll have a printout on your good health, which you can pass on to your new employer.”
“Thanks, Doctor,” Linton said and offered his hand to shake. The doctor seemed hesitant, which surprised him since the asshole had instigated their initial handshake, but good manners won out.
Nyssa smiled at him as he returned to the lobby. On instinct, Linton lowered his mental shields again. The wave of interest and attraction he got from Nyssa was strong.
Linton returned her smile as he approached the counter. “That wasn’t too bad. No shots.”
“Do you not like needles?”
Linton leaned across the counter and took the printed health report she handed to him. Nyssa’s interest was briefly tempered by nervousness. Linton wondered if it was because there was something on the desk she wanted to hide, but he changed his mind a moment later. When he leaned on the counter and smiled, she relaxed again. He suspected she was just intimidated by his size.
“Can’t stand them,” he said. She passed his bill across the counter, and Linton retrieved some cash.
“It didn’t bother you when you pierced your ear?”
“Oh, that?” He kept forgetting the transmitter was even there. “That was worth it. My brothers tell me it works with the ladies.” He winked.
Nyssa blushed. Linton would have felt certain of her interest in him even without reading her emotions. He was also assured of her innocence. Nyssa Mathis was a pure soul if ever he saw one. After paying his bill, he thanked her and gave her a wink. Linton left with a smile on his face and a blushing receptionist behind him.
Being careful not to acknowledge his brothers, Linton headed back to where their truck was waiting. Once they got back to the hotel room, he would fill his siblings in. But they also had a lot of work to do, and one of those things was renting a house.
Arriving back at the hotel, he led the way into their suite, and his brothers followed.
“Is it him?” Codi asked.
“Yep. There’s no sign of the missing women, but this ‘Dr. Jones’ is Marcus Keaton. I told him I wanted a health check before I looked for work. He took the bait. He seemed interested in the fact that I’ll do ‘anything,’ and now that my cell phone is on record, I have a feeling he might call me for a job.”
“Good work,” Codi said. “We’ll need to find a house, one that’s fully furnished. If Keaton checks up on Linton, it should look like he’s planning on staying.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Bryden pulled his laptop across the table, and his fingers flew over the keyboard.
“The next step is to set up surveillance on the clinic,” Codi said. “We’ll go in after hours tonight. Whether or not Keaton tries to hire Linton, we can gather information. If we’re lucky he might talk about the kidnapped women and incriminate himself.”
“And if we’re not lucky?” Bryden asked without lifting his gaze from the computer.
“We’ll come up with a way to make sure he doesn’t slip out of town. I think I’ve got an idea for that.”
Linton only half listened to his brothers talking. He couldn’t get Nyssa Mathis out of his mind. She was working with Keaton every day, and he was certain that she wasn’t part of the organ-smuggling ring. That meant she was probably in danger.
“Linton? You with us?” Codi asked.
“We need a female,” Linton blurted out.
Codi sighed, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms in a defensive move. “No, we
don’t. I’ve had more than enough of women lately.”
“That’s not what I meant, Codi.” Linton rose from his chair, walked to the minibar, and snagged three beers. After handing the other bottles to his brothers, he popped the top and took a swig. “Although, we need a woman of our own, too. Don’t let Katlynn put you off, bro.” He hesitated. Should he tell them how drawn to Nyssa he was? If they meet her and don’t feel the same way…
Bryden’s voice broke in on his thoughts. “What do we need a woman for, then?”
“Keaton’s receptionist. She’s already on the inside, but I don’t think she knows what Jones is. She might be able to help us.”
Codi was already shaking his head. “Bad idea.”
“You didn’t meet her,” Linton said. “I had my shields down and there was nothing nefarious coming off her. The only reading I got from her was nervousness, and that was because I’m bigger than she is. When I stepped up to the counter, she got a little tense, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of me and as I was leaving I made her blush by winking at her.”
“Bro, lots of women have that reaction to you,” Codi said.
But Nyssa is different. He felt sure, and he couldn’t think of any way to convince his brothers of it except one. “You should meet her before you rule it out.”
“Meet her how?” Codi asked.
Bryden said thoughtfully, “We do have an extra earring and receiver.” He pointed toward his equipment bag. “That way we can track her from anywhere and hear what she does.”
“Only if she agrees,” Linton insisted. “We’re not doing anything behind her back.”
“Linton. Meet her how?” Codi asked again.
His brother gave Linton a steely look as if he already knew the answer. Linton swigged his beer and said as casually as he could, “I thought we might ask her on a date.”
“Fuck.” Codi threw his hands in the air. “You don’t even know if she’s involved in the organ ring. It could be Katlynn all over again.”
“Codi, you need to let that go. It’s not like we made a commitment to Katlynn. We never even had sex with her.” Bryden eyed his brother, who squared his jaw and returned the look.
“I don’t think she is,” Linton said, breaking up the staring contest. “And the fact is, we risk nothing by checking her out. Keaton has no other staff, and even if we could send in another woman as bait, it’s not like we can ask Brooke, Janie, or Alicia.”
“Even if they’d jump at the chance,” Bryden said, “their men would never let it happen. Besides, they’ve had enough violence to deal with lately.”
Linton nodded. “I think we should ask Nyssa out and, once we know we can trust her, ask her if she’ll keep her eyes and ears peeled.”
And once you guys meet her, maybe you’ll agree that she could be the woman for us.
“I agree.” Bryden looked to Codi.
Codi studied Linton intently. Linton could see the conflict in his brother’s eyes. “You’re attracted to her,” Codi said. “Shit, Linton.”
Linton shrugged defensively. “Meet her and tell me that I’m wrong.”
He knew Codi would never back down from a challenge. “Fine. Do it.” He got up and tossed his beer bottle in the trash on his way out.
Bryden watched him go and then turned his attention back to Linton. “So how do we start with the woman?” Linton pulled his cell out and searched for the doctor’s office phone number on the Internet and then hit dial. A shiver of excited apprehension ran up his spine as the phone rang.
“Dr. Jones’s office, Nyssa speaking.”
“Nyssa, it’s Linton Wade. I was in the office about half an hour ago.”
“Yes, Mr. Wade, what can I do for you?” Nyssa’s voice sounded slightly breathier than it had when she first picked up the phone.
“I’d like to take you out for dinner.”
The silence that followed Linton’s statement had him worried, but then he heard a breathy sigh through the receiver.
“Um, I don’t know…”
“What time do you get off work, honey?” Linton asked
“5:30.”
“Okay, I’ll pick you up outside the doc’s at 5:30. See you then, Nyssa.” Linton disconnected the call before she could refuse his offer and grinned at his brother.
“You didn’t say anything to her about Codi and me coming along,” Bryden observed.
“Hopefully she likes surprises.”
“Or you could go in alone until you feel sure about her,” Bryden said. “Codi’s going to skin you if she’s part of the smuggling ring and you get interested in her.”
Linton wasn’t worried about that. “I think it’s best if all three of us are in this from the beginning. I have a feeling that Nyssa Mathis may just be the one.”
Chapter Three
Nyssa stared at the phone in her hand. Had she just accepted to have dinner with a complete stranger? No, she hadn’t. Mr. Wade hadn’t given her time to even answer him. Replacing the handset, she realized her hand was shaking. Linton Wade was a big man, and his size had intimidated her when he had first walked into the office. But he was so handsome and muscular, the epitome of every woman’s wet dream, that she had been attracted to him at the same time.
Nyssa would have to have been dead not to see how handsome he was. He stood around six five, with short gold-blond hair and the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Just a hint of stubble roughened his strong, square jaw, and when he had winked and then smiled at her Nyssa had thought she would swoon like a heroine in a historical romance. Her body had liked what she had seen, too. Her breasts had felt swollen, and even her clit had stood up and taken notice of Mr. Wade’s masculinity. And that sort of thing never happened to Nyssa. Not ever.
She’d only ever had two boyfriends in her twenty-four years on the Earth, and only one of those had ended up physical. Giving a mental snort, she remembered the one and only time she’d had sex. It had been painful and messy and definitely nothing to write home about. Nyssa didn’t know what all the fuss was about and, to be honest, had decided not to bother with men ever again. But after meeting Mr. Wade, she thought she might have to reconsider that decision.
Pushing her unusual lascivious thoughts aside, Nyssa concentrated on updating the software on the computer screen in front of her. She had only been working for Dr. Jones since last week, when he had hired her for the receptionist job. Even though the clinic had opened only three days ago, she wondered how much longer she’d have to work here. There was something about Dr. Jones that made her skin crawl. If she had to describe it she wouldn’t have been able to, but he gave her the creeps. But a job was a job, and she needed to work to pay her bills and keep a roof over her head.
What scared the bejesus out of her, though, was that a reporter had called this morning asking about two women who had been here to see Dr. Jones the first day the clinic had opened. Apparently the two young women had gone missing from Butte, and the last time they had been seen was leaving this very clinic and the reporter had wanted information to do a write-up about them. Shivering with fear, she prayed the women would be found. Nyssa’s heart went out to the families as they waited to hear if their daughters, sisters, and girlfriends were safe.
Just as that thought flitted through her mind the bell on the door tinkled and she looked up. The sheriff and a deputy entered the clinic. Given the circumstances of the disappearances, Nyssa didn’t have to wonder why they were here.
Nyssa was thankful that there were no patients currently waiting to see the doctor as she was questioned about the two women. Not that she was much help, since she hadn’t known them, but she told the local law enforcement that the women had come in together, each of them getting a routine checkup with Dr. Jones. She hoped that the information she gave would help in the search. Once they finished with her, they asked to see the doctor, so Nyssa picked up the phone.
“What is it, Nyssa? I’m busy,” Dr. Jones snapped.
Okay. What’s your problem? It’s
not like you’re inundated with patients or anything.
“The sheriff and deputy would like a word with you.” Nyssa waited for a response and, when one wasn’t forthcoming, wondered why her skin tingled and goose bumps raced up and down her spine. The guy really gave her the willies.
“Well, send them in, then,” he said.
Nyssa hung up without replying to him. “Dr. Jones will see you now. It’s the first door on the right.”
With a nod, the two men walked down the hall. As she worked, she kept an eye on the clock. The time seemed to tick by slowly, and she realized that she was looking every minute. No wonder it was taking so long. She put her head down and concentrated on putting the finishing touches on the tables and spreadsheets she had been setting up. Half an hour later the two law officers left, and from the look of the sheriff’s clenched jaw and the deputy’s tight fists, neither of them liked Dr. Jones either. In a way she was glad. She had thought that she was being too picky or something.
The rest of the day passed quickly. There were still only a few patients, but at least there were some. She guessed that until word spread about the new clinic, things would be slow. Nyssa glanced up at the clock and saw it was 5:28 p.m. Only two minutes until she could finish up and then she was to have dinner with Mr. Linton Wade. Her palms began to sweat and her heart rate picked up. The thought of seeing such a handsome, rugged man again sent nervous energy throughout her body.
Should I really go? It’s not like I even know the man. God, Nyssa, what are you doing? Nyssa had been alone for so long she was used to taking care of herself, and it was very unusual for her to let anyone railroad her into doing something she didn’t want to do.
Well, that should be your answer, girl. You want to have dinner with Linton.
“Are you ready to go?”
Nyssa jumped at the deep voice across the room. She’d been so busy with her thoughts she hadn’t heard the bell on the door. Drawing in a deep breath, she looked up to see Linton standing in the doorway staring at her.