“Why? You have me.” He leans a hip against my car and looks mildly annoyed.
“Yes, because I’m sure you want to be at my beck and call, driving me all over town. You’re not a chauffeur.”
“You go to work, and you go home. It’s really not a big deal. I’m sure they’ll have this fixed in a couple of days. No need to waste money on a rental.”
“Really? You’re going to tell me what I should and shouldn’t waste my money on, mister I bought a whole house so I could date?”
“That’s completely different.”
I roll my eyes and lean on my car, my arms crossed over my chest.
“Oh, can I borrow your phone to call my job and let them know I’ll be late?”
He passes me the mobile and waits while I do just that.
“Hey, Chad, it’s Ally. I’m going to be late. My car broke down.”
“No problem. Be safe.”
“Thanks.”
I hang up and pass the phone back to Archer.
“Appreciate it.”
“I didn’t like sleeping without you last night,” he says and links his fingers with mine, then pulls my hand up to his lips. I was trying so hard to put a little distance between us, to not let myself go all mushy when it comes to him, and then he does stuff like this. “I didn’t sleep well at all. So, I was going to fetch your breakfast.”
“Do you mean you were going to get yourself some breakfast and get me some at the same time?”
“Well, sure.” He smiles down at me. “A man has to eat.”
I laugh and lean my cheek on his biceps, relieved that he was here to help me this morning. His muscle feels firm and warm against my cheek. “Thank you.”
“Come stay with me for a while.”
My head whips up. I stare at him as if he just asked me to jump off a bridge.
My stomach flutters as if he did just that.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“Why would I do that?”
He shrugs a shoulder. “Because I’m irresistible? Because you can’t stand being away from me? Because I’ll cook you all the tacos you want and rub your feet and eat your—”
“Point taken.”
He gives me a wicked grin, and I feel it all the way to my center.
“I have a home,” I reply slowly.
“Well, you don’t have a car for a few days.”
“We don’t know that. Let’s find out what the garage says.”
“Two weeks.”
I stare in shock at the man with Lee written on his coveralls.
“Excuse me?”
“It’ll take two weeks,” he repeats. “That part isn’t one we keep in stock, and I’m backed up since my nephew up and left town with the girl he knocked up this past spring. So, unfortunately, your car is gonna have to wait.”
I sigh deeply.
“That’s if you want to fix it,” he continues.
“Why wouldn’t I want to fix it?”
Lee looks down at the paper on his counter. “Well, it has almost three hundred thousand miles on it. This week it’s the fuel pump, but next week, it’ll be the alternator or something else. It’s lived its life.”
“I’m not putting my car to sleep,” I mutter. “Please, fix it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I give him my information, grab his card so I can call him later, and walk out with Archer. He was unusually quiet the entire time we were in there.
“Just say it.”
“You need a new car, babe.”
“That one will be just fine.”
He shakes his head. “If you’re worried about standing out, just buy another used car. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does have to be reliable. You don’t carry a phone. I found you on a deserted road, alone, at oh-dark-thirty. It’s not safe.”
“This one will be fine,” I repeat. I know I’m being stubborn. I don’t care. “Thanks for the ride to work.”
“What time should I pick you up?”
I start to tell him no thanks, but when he looks at me, his eyes tell me he’s at the end of his patience with me today.
And I’m too tired to argue.
“Two should be fine.”
“Two, it is.”
I nod and sit back in the warm leather seat. Being driven in this luxurious car for a couple of weeks won’t be a hardship. We’re passing through the heart of town when I see the same black Mercedes SUV that I saw in the parking lot of the football game the other night.
Black with tinted windows and black rims. Just like my father used to drive. What is a car that cost that much money doing in Bandon, Oregon?
Is it the family? Are they here, looking for me? Or is it just a coincidence? This is a resort town, and people come to visit from all over.
That’s the logical answer. But I don’t like it.
“And then we got new mountain lion cub triplets,” I say as Archer drives me home from work. “They can’t be more than three weeks old. Absolutely adorable. We don’t know where their mama is. Probably poached.”
I feel the heat creep up my face. Whenever an animal is lost to the greed of humans, it pisses me right off.
“Why people feel the need to illegally kill animals is beyond me. There are seasons for hunting, for the love of Moses. But we’ll take care of them. The goal is to release them back into the wild.”
“That’s pretty incredible,” he says with a nod. “I’m glad it turned out to be a good day. Now, about moving in with me.”
“It feels silly to do that.”
“Why?”
“Because I have a home.”
“Yes, but if I’m going to be your chauffeur, it makes sense that you base out of my place until the car is fixed.”
“It’s not that I don’t enjoy being with you, or even want to be with you. I hope you know that.”
“But?”
“But it feels fast, and it feels like I’m taking advantage of you.”
“You’re not. There, we solved that problem.”
Okay, he does make a good point. And, frankly, I missed him last night. And didn’t I decide that I was going to enjoy every minute with him that I could get?
“You’re awfully sure of yourself.”
“I’m just positive that I want to be with you. If you’d rather I move into the cottage, I can do that. I don’t mind.”
“It seems like a waste to not stay in that gorgeous beach house,” I reply.
He pulls into my driveway as I bust up laughing. But the laughter dies when I see my front door standing wide-open.
“I’m going to assume you closed that when you left this morning.”
“I always double-check the locks,” I confirm as dread spreads through me. “They found me. Oh, God, they found me.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions. And stay put.” He pulls out his phone and dials 911. His hand reaches for mine as he waits for someone to answer. “We believe we have a break-in.”
He rattles off my name and address, and within five minutes, the cops show up.
There’s been no movement inside.
I get out of the car, but the officers motion for me to stand back.
“We’re going to do a sweep, make sure no one is in there. Then we’ll get your statement, miss.”
“Of course.”
Archer moves up beside me and wraps his arm around my shoulders as we watch the cops go inside and around to the back of the house. Less than two minutes later, they reappear, holstering their weapons.
“There’s no one here, but someone definitely ransacked the place.”
Bile rises in my throat.
“Can I go in?”
“Yes, ma’am. We need you to tell us if anything is missing.”
There’s only one thing of value in there.
I run inside and up to my bedroom, wanting to sob at the sight of my little cottage. I hurry to the dresser, open the bottom drawer, and breathe a sigh of relief when I see the photo
of my grandmother, exactly where I put it days ago.
Whoever was here, they didn’t find it.
But the rest of my place is in shambles. Furniture turned upside down, cabinets open, drawer contents spilled. It’s a disaster.
And it’s going to take days to clean it up.
“I don’t know if anything’s been taken,” I say when I step back outside. “It’s too much of a mess to know off-hand.”
The officer nods and passes me a card. “Call me anytime if you discover anything’s gone. We’ve had a string of auto theft in the area, and my guess is they’re getting braver. Especially since your place is secluded.”
He nods, shakes Archer’s hand, and then both officers leave.
“I’m going to throw up.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Archer says, rubbing a big circle over my back. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I have a bad feeling, Arch. I think it’s the family.”
“We don’t know that. You heard him, it’s probably kids. You need to gather up a few things and come home with me. I have a state-of-the-art security system, and no one even knows I’m here.”
I nod in agreement. “Thank you. I think I’ll take you up on your offer.”
“Come on. Let’s get you home.”
Chapter 11
~Archer~
She’s been sitting on the balcony with her knees drawn up to her chest, watching the sea, since we got home two hours ago. She’s hardly said a word. Her dark hair blows around her face in the breeze, and her expression is sober.
But I can see it in her gorgeous, unusual eyes.
She’s scared.
And that pisses me right the fuck off.
“Here’s some tea.” I set it on the wide armrest of the chair and sit next to her.
“I’m not sick,” she reminds me and tries to offer me a smile.
“It’s just tea, E.” I can’t help but touch her. Maybe I need the reassurance as much as she does. I reach out to link my fingers with hers and give them a squeeze. “You heard the officer. It’s probably kids.”
She doesn’t touch the mug. Doesn’t tear her eyes away from the water. But her fingers tremble in mine.
“I have a bad feeling,” she says as she takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “A very bad feeling.”
“Hey.” I pull her out of her chair and settle her in my lap, kiss her temple, and cuddle her close. “You’re safe here, E.”
She doesn’t reply. She just leans her head on my shoulder and continues watching the water.
“What would you normally do after work?” I ask.
“Run errands, maybe go to lunch with Lindsey. Perhaps try to get a walk in at the beach.”
“You should take that walk. It’ll help.”
She looks at me now and then kisses my cheek. “Do you mind if I go alone?”
I don’t want to admit that I’d prefer that she go alone. I have some things to do, and I’d rather she wasn’t here when I do them.
“I don’t mind at all. Enjoy your walk.”
She stands and takes a sip of her now-cold tea. “Thanks for this, too.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I won’t be long.”
“Take all the time you need.”
She doesn’t have to go back inside to get shoes or a jacket. She just jogs down the staircase that leads to the sand and takes off to the south, toward the rocks we ran to together.
I take a moment to watch her, and then I walk inside to my office, sit at the computer, and make a phone call.
“This is Montgomery.”
“This is also Montgomery,” I reply to my cousin, Matt. “Bad time?”
“I’m home today,” he replies. “What’s going on?”
“Is your line secure?”
He’s quiet on the other end for a moment. I hear him walking, then the sound of a door closing.
“How secure do you need, Archer?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, already regretting this call. Still, I trust my relatives implicitly, and I need information. It’s handy having a police detective in the family.
“Arch?”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “I need some information, and I can’t tell you why I need it.”
“That’s not really how this works.”
“I know. Matt, I found Elena. Let’s just say what I need to know involves her family, and if they were to find out that I was looking, or trace me to where we are, it could be incredibly dangerous for her.”
“What do you want to know?”
“I need to know what their movements have been. Specifically, if they’ve traveled out of state. And if so, where.”
“Archer, traveling isn’t against the law.”
“But you could look, without alerting them.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Archer, be careful. This family isn’t warm and fuzzy. They’re ruthless. And they’re sneaky as fuck. Maybe you should leave Elena where you found her and get on with your life away from the damn mafia.”
“If it was Nic, would you walk away?”
He sighs hard on the other end of the line. “No. I wouldn’t.”
“Didn’t think so.”
“I’ll let you know what we find, but it’ll be a few days. I want to make sure we do this right, and on the down-low, so low that no one can detect it. If it’s done any other way, it could put my men’s lives at risk. I’m not willing to do that, not even for you.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to. Thanks.”
“Why now, Arch? What happened?”
I don’t know how much I should tell him. The less he knows, the better. “Someone broke into Elena’s house this morning. Ransacked it. Local cops think it was kids, but I want to make sure there’s no chance that her family is in town.”
“Understood. I’ll look into it. Be careful.”
He hangs up, and I sit back in my chair, staring out at the water. Elena would be livid if she knew what I just did. But I have to know, and I trust Matt a hell of a lot more than I put faith in the cops here.
“I’m finally getting spaghetti out of you.”
I lean my shoulder against the fridge and watch as Elena chops up an onion to add to the ground meat sizzling on the stovetop.
“I figure since you’re driving me all over, and letting me stay here, it’s the least I can do.”
“You don’t have to repay me,” I reply and watch as she dumps the onion in with the meat. “You’d do the same for me.”
“Maybe.” She shrugs and then grins at me. “Okay, probably.”
“Are we having garlic bread with that?”
“Of course. And Caesar salad.”
“You’re a goddess.”
She barks out a laugh and stirs the pan. “The old cliché of charming a man through his stomach sure is true with you.”
She adds sauce and seasonings. Garlic. Gives it another stir, then covers the deep pan.
“It needs to simmer for a bit,” she says.
“Good.”
I move in fast, turn her to the wall, and pin her there as my mouth ravages hers. The desire, the all-encompassing need for her never ends. No matter how many times I have her, it doesn’t appease the fire I feel for her.
Her mouth is eager under mine, matching me nip for nip. Her hands are in my hair, fisting and then combing, then clenching again.
I move in closer, glide my hands down her sides to her ass and then lift her. She wraps those gorgeous legs around my hips, and I grind against her, making us both moan in pleasure.
“Need you,” I whisper against her lips. I push her hands over her head and pin them there while I continue kissing her senseless.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No, Archer.” She wiggles out of my grasp and pushes against my shoulders. “Let go.”
I set her down and blink rapidly as she hurries away from me across the kitchen and wraps her arms around her middle.
“Whoa, what just happ
ened?”
She clamps her eyes shut and whispers, “Shit.”
“I’m gonna need you to talk to me, babe.” I carefully step toward her. “If some asshole hurt you—”
“No, it’s nothing like that.” She shakes her head and pushes her fingers through her hair in agitation. “It’s just the whole having my hands pinned above my head thing. It gave me a bad moment. And I know that’s not fair to you.”
“What a mean son of a bitch,” I growl as frustration and rage fill me all over again.
“Without question,” she agrees.
“I wish he hadn’t died,” I admit and prowl around the living space. “Because I’d like to rip him limb from limb until there’s nothing left of him. What right did he have to treat you like that? You’re his daughter.”
“I was his possession,” I remind him. “And, yes, he was mean. Ruthless. Feared. And my mother? Well, I don’t know if she was worn down so far by that time that she had no fight left in her, or if she really didn’t care about me at all. I don’t remember ever receiving a kind word or affection from either of them.
“But if someone else tried to mess with me? They were dealt with. So while they didn’t love me and couldn’t be bothered with me most of the time, if push came to shove, they had my back.”
“Out of principle, but not because they loved you.” Anger rages inside me. Elena is sweet and kind. She always has been. How could they not love her? “Obviously, because he tortured you for marrying someone you loved.”
“To them, obligation and love were the same thing.” She huffs out a breath and walks to me. “I’m not afraid of you, Archer. I don’t think you’re going to hurt me. I just had a bad moment when you had my hands over my head. It was a gut reaction that had nothing at all to do with you.”
“I want to hurt them for hurting you,” I admit softly and finally reach out to drag my fingertips down her cheek. “I want them all to pay.”
“They did.”
“All of them.”
She shakes her head. “My cousins, my uncle, they were always great. I don’t know how my father had so little emotion in him, but his brother-in-law, my aunt’s husband, was always loving and fun. He has a great sense of humor, and he was always fair. I loved him. I grew up with his three sons as if they were my brothers. They didn’t do anything wrong.”
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