by Milly Taiden
“What can I get you gentlemen?” the waitress asked with a bored expression on her exhausted face.
All three men placed their orders and waited until the waitress was out of ear shot before Agent Wilcox leveled his gaze on Garrett and sighed. “We appreciate you doing this for us. We want to keep things under wraps for a bit longer, and this should help us accomplish that.”
“Any chance you’re going to tell me what you’re trying to keep secret and how it pertains to me?”
Agent Wilcox grinned and elbowed Grant. “He’s keeping his cool pretty well, don’t you think? Most people by now would have demanded an explanation or called their lawyers in. I like this guy.”
Garrett rolled his eyes and continued to stare at the two agents. He wasn’t intimidated by them in the least. He was a leopard shifter, and his kind didn’t run or hide from anything.
“All right, no more games or jokes. You said you know who we are, correct?” At Garrett’s nod of agreement, the agent continued. “Then you also know how we’ve been after the cartel in the area for a while now.”
Garrett nodded. He’d first heard of these two agents when they’d come to see Luke and Kira when her piece of shit brother had tried to have her killed so he could gain her company and eventually the mountain for the cartel. A few months later, they came back when some men claiming to be FBI agents attempted to kidnap Carly while she was on a date with Bastien.
“I’m still not seeing what this has to do with me, though.”
“It’s in regards to your mate, Toni.”
Garrett narrowed his eyes and growled. “How do you know she’s my mate, and is she in danger?”
14
Agent Wilcox grinned and leaned back out of Garrett’s reach. “Because we pay attention and hear things. We mean her no harm. We came to you to warn you we believe she’s in danger. I swear to you we’re doing everything we can to make sure she stays safe, but it’s in our best interest, at the same time, to let things play out. We want to put an end to that family, putting your mate at risk is not part of that equation.”
Garrett growled lower. “Explain now, or FBI or not, I will make you tell me.”
Agent Wilcox swallowed and for the first time lost some of his confidence. “We have reason to believe the cartel has made a move on her ex. They have something on him and they’re forcing him to help them. We can’t prove it or even question him without them knowing we’re this close.”
“So, he’s her ex. What does that have to do with her?” Garrett asked between clenched teeth.
“He keeps going back to her house. When she’s there, when she’s not. He’s looking for something, but we don’t know what. We have discovered he’s getting more and more pressure from the cartel to deliver whatever it is they’ve tasked him with.”
“So you’re saying it’s something she has, or something he left at the house?” Garrett asked in confusion.
“Yes, or something they think she has or had. I know we’re being vague, but to be honest, we don’t know yet either. All we do know is that he has been contacted by the cartel. He’s being watched closely by them and he’s been making a lot of odd stops to Toni’s house, considering he broke it off with her.”
“So just what exactly are you wanting me to do?”
“Simply watch her, stay as close to her as you can without scaring her. We just don’t want her getting hurt, and pay attention when you’re at her house. Keep an eye out for anything that seems out of place, or I don’t know. Just keep your eyes open.”
“I can do that. I don’t think I’m able to let her out of my sight now that I know this.” Garrett frowned, paused, and waited as the waitress set their food down and moved away again. “You have no idea what they’re after?”
The two agents shared a quick look before Wilcox nodded and turned back to Garrett. “We think it might have something to do with the mountain. It’s been their goal for a while now to get access to it. Toni is close to a lot of people who live on that mountain and she can come and go without arousing suspicion. We think that’s why she was targeted. They’re limited on their choice of people.”
Talk stalled while all three ate their breakfast. Garrett, for his part, had too much on his mind for idle chitchat and the two agents didn’t talk much in general.
“Can I ask a question? Not for the FBI, but for my own personal curiosity’s sake?” Agent Grant said, startling both men.
“Go ahead,” Garrett said in stunned amazement that the agent could talk.
“We’ve spent a lot of time watching the mountain and the inhabitants, trying to get ideas on where and how they might strike next.”
Garrett watched the man apprehensively as he waited for him to get to the point. He knew they didn’t do anything illegal, but some of their antics could seem odd to outsiders.
“You live in a cabin that juts out the side of the mountain. Is it like a cave or something? It looks so natural, almost an extension of the mountainside.”
Garrett smiled and nodded. “You ever get a day off or want to come up and see it, I’ll give you a tour. But to answer, yes, I used the natural formation to build my home, and well, my business.”
Agent Wilcox frowned and shook his head in confusion. “How did we not know about your business? What do you do?”
“Ever heard of Mountain Spirits?” Garrett asked with a wide smile.
“Yes, they make some of the best whiskey and bourbon I’ve ever tasted…” Agent Grant trailed off as his eyes widened in surprise. “That’s you?”
Garrett beamed with pride. “Yes, it is. My grandfather started it as moonshine for our people. My father kept it going and turned it into a legit business. Once I was able, I started helping out and we moved in to fine spirits. The products we carry in most stores now are my own blend. My father retired a while back and I run it all. The cave is perfect for the process and secluded so it makes keeping it a secret easy. Only access is from my home.”
“You know, we’re going to take you up on that tour when this is finished. I’d love to see it up close and personal.” Agent Wilcox grinned like a child at Christmas.
“I’d be happy to give you a tour. It’s a bit of a maze in there. There are more tunnels and paths than you would imagine. I’ve mapped most of them mentally, but I stumble on some I didn’t know were there.”
Garrett stopped and thought for a moment. “You know, now that I think about it, I wonder if those tunnels are part of the reason the cartel wants the mountain so badly. It would make it easy to transport things unseen. Hell, I even found a tunnel that leads into town. Comes out by the water.”
The two agents came to attention at his words.
“Are these tunnels common knowledge? Would the cartel know about them?” Agent Wilcox asked.
“It’s possible. A lot of people in town know about the old caves. Hell, the old timers used to go there to meet my grandfather to buy his hooch. We didn’t keep it a secret till later. I installed some barred doors in places to keep people from sneaking in, on the off chance they found their way that far. But, yeah, it would make sense they’ve probably heard of them.”
“Can we make arrangements to see the caves as agents? We can do it on the down low, at night or in plain clothes. Something tells me that we may just have stumbled onto something with this,” Agent Wilcox said with a satisfied smile.
The rest of breakfast passed quickly. The agents made plans to meet up with Garrett the next day and the group parted ways, one step closer to being friends than any of them would have thought possible.
15
For the thousandth time since Toni had woken a few hours before, she glanced at the clock and groaned. One o’clock was never going to come. Toni stomped into her room, aggravated that time had slowed to a crawl. She threw open her closet and stared at her clothes, trying to decide what to wear.
A knock at the front door had her swearing as she stomped through the house and threw the door open with a barked, “What?�
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“Wow, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today? Should we cancel the date? Throw some chocolate at you?” Carly asked tentatively as she pushed Kira closer to the door.
“What are you doing? Stop pushing me,” Kira demanded.
“Look at her. I don’t want to get too close. I’m sacrificing you to the altar of self-preservation. You’re related to her, that should make you safer than me.”
Toni busted into laughter at their antics. Every day she was thankful she moved here to be closer to Kira and met Carly in the process. “You can come in. It’s safe, but I wouldn’t turn down the chocolate.” Toni cocked her head as she realized she didn’t know why they were there in the first place. “Aren’t we meeting in a couple hours for the date? What are you two doing here?”
Carly beamed and scooted in around Kira. “We made the guys agree to come here and get us. We wanted to help you pick out your outfit. We know you, so we decided it was time for reinforcements. Kasey is coming, too. Hope you don’t mind. We’re going to have a good old fashioned ‘get ready for the date party’ like we used to in high school.”
“Only now, we can have a little bit of alcohol to chase away the nerves,” Kasey called as she jogged up the walkway, a brown bag clutched in one hand.
“Wait one second there,” Kira called with a tap of her foot as she tried to look stern and disapproving. “Where are your clothes? Don’t think you get to get away without letting us help you get ready, too.”
“In the car. I brought a lot of things because I had no idea what to choose. Come help me grab the bags,” Kasey replied as she placed the bag on the counter. “I brought the most important thing in first.”
Fifteen minutes later, they had carried in two suitcases packed to the gills full of every type of clothing and shoes imaginable.
“Damn, girl, you did bring everything, didn’t you?” Toni said as she picked through the suitcases.
“I never had sisters or friends to do this with, and to be honest, I’ve been on very few dates. I might have gotten a bit carried away. But I also figured since we’re all so similar in size, maybe I’d have something you guys wanted to wear. Surprise your mate kinda thing,” Kasey said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
Kira and Carly grinned wickedly. “On that note, we’ll be right back. We’ve got a surprise in the car,” Kira said as the two women took off running, giggling like teenagers.
Toni was afraid. With the two of them, anything was possible. “So, Kasey, what did you bring us to drink? They may not be nerves, but I’m a wreck.”
Kasey blushed and grabbed the bottle out of the bag she had brought in. “I swiped it from my father. He’s always raving about this stuff. Says it’s so smooth that you could drink it like water but that it had a quite a bit of a kick after a couple of glasses.”
Toni examined the bottle and smiled. “I’ve never heard of it, but I love the label,” she said as she ran her fingers over it. It was a black bottle with a black label bordered in white to make it stand out slightly. It was called Mountain Side Whiskey and showed a mountain full of woods with a single set of glowing eyes staring out from the trees. Toni frowned and leaned closer for a better look. “Is that a cat reclining on the branch?”
“Yes, isn’t it cool? It’s so unique and delicious.” Kasey grinned as she practically vibrated with excitement.
Just then Kira ran back into the room and did a little dance before turning back to Carly and laughed. “Told you I’d beat you back in here.”
Carly growled. “You cheated, it doesn’t count.”
Kira rolled her eyes and turned back to the other woman. “She’s just a sore loser. Ready to see the surprise?” she asked eagerly.
Without waiting for a reply, they pulled out four sets of identical lingerie in different colors. “My mother said that if you wear sexy underwear, you will feel sexy and it will show even if you’re wearing boring clothes on the outside,” Carly said with a cheeky grin. “Okay, so maybe I paraphrased a little, but you get the point.”
“You want us to wear that tonight?” Toni asked with a blush.
Kira grinned. “Yes, the guys don’t have to know, but it will make you more confident and it will be fun since only the four of us will know.”
Kasey nodded and took a deep breath. “I’m in. It’s time for me to do something out of my comfort zone.”
All women looked to Toni as they waited for her to make up her mind. Kira grabbed the blue set of lingerie and shook it in her face. “You know this would look amazing on you. It would offset your tan, and just imagine if Garrett doesn’t behave, you can tease him with peeks and then deny him.”
Toni burst into laughter and finally gave in. They were right. What harm could it do? She wasn’t having sex with him tonight, no matter what had happened on the phone last night. And it would make her feel sexy as sin knowing she was wearing so little under her clothes.
Kasey held up the bottle. “I say we have a toast and then pick out our clothes.”
A shot later and the mood had lightened. Toni was getting excited to see Garrett again and she couldn’t keep her mind out of the gutter.
“Looks like somebody is already thinking of what fun the lingerie could bring,” Carly said as Toni blushed.
“Sorry, I can’t help it. That man has a way with words, and holy hell, can he kiss.”
Kira grinned. “Don’t stop there. Tell us more, chica. You can’t leave us hanging like that.”
Toni blushed, but gave in when she saw the three eager faces staring at her. She nodded and took a sip of her drink for courage. “I called him last night to say thank you for the necklace. He had to call me right back, but in the meantime, the prick ex called and I got into it with him and hung up. You guys know how he’s with calling right back. Well, I picked up the phone and spouted shit off about knowing how he felt about me.” Toni bit her lip and shrugged. “Only it wasn’t him. It was Garrett. He took exception to my words and one thing led to another.” She trailed off as heat flamed over her face.
“You guys had phone sex?” Carly gasped out before putting her hand up for a high five.
Toni nodded. “His voice is so sexy and the things he said. I flashed back to the kiss in the bathroom and I was a goner.”
“Don’t worry, we’ve all been there,” Kira said with a wink. “Just one question and you don’t have to answer.”
Toni nodded and waited nervously.
“How long did the phone call last?”
“Well, um, it… Um, well, I lost all track of time. His voice and that sensation was all I could focus on.”
Carly laughed. “Damn, you sexy bitch. I bet he’s going to be tripping over his feet tonight now.”
“We talked until I fell asleep. It was so erotic, and then so sweet. I hate to admit this but I might be falling for him, and it scares the ever-loving shit out of me. I just don’t see what he could want with someone like me.”
The girls moved in for a group hug and they laughed and cried together. Kasey sniffed and wiped away a tear. “You need to let him sneak a peek of your lingerie but don’t be obvious. He will go insane. I saw the way that man looked at you during lunch. He wants you, and honey, I may not date a lot, but if a man looked at me like he did you, I wouldn’t be wasting time. I’d have him tied to my bed, gagged, and naked.”
Toni gaped at the woman, who up ‘til now she always thought was a bit on the shy side. She was a wild one, and that made her like Kasey even more.
“Let’s have another drink and get to work. Those men aren’t going to know what hit them when they walk in,” Kira said as she raised her glass in salute.
Hours later, the doorbell rang, startling the women into a fit of giggles. It had taken them hours to do each other’s hair and makeup and to pick out the perfect outfits, mostly because they couldn’t stop gossiping long enough to get much done.
16
“Ladies?” Luke called as he opened the front door. “Is it safe to come in?
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“Hey, babe, come in,” Kira hollered as they broke into another round of giggles. “We’ll be right out.”
The four men shared puzzled expressions but moved into the living room and glanced around at the mess, stunned. There were clothes, shoes, and makeup on every available surface.
Garrett groaned as he picked up the bag from the local lingerie shop. “I think we might be in trouble, guys.” He looked inside and closed his eyes in pain as naked longing coursed through his body. “There’s a receipt and it has four outfits listed on it.”
“Fuck,” Brannon whispered as he took a deep breath. “This is going to be so hard to behave tonight knowing what she’s wearing under her clothes.”
The other three men nodded in agreement, but said nothing. Garrett was having trouble keeping his breathing under control. His nostrils flared and it took all his control not to pull Toni into the closest room and fuck her senseless. She was playing with fire, and after last night and then finding out about the potential danger this morning, his over protective instincts were in hyper drive. No way in hell was he letting her out of his sight. If he had his way, she’d stay by his side until the day they took their last breaths together in sixty or seventy years.
The giggling brought him back to the room and he looked up as the women came into the room, arm in arm. They were beautiful, vibrant, and glowing with happiness. Garrett felt his heart would burst as Toni smiled and slowly approached him with a blush staining her beautiful face.
“Hi,” she whispered as she glanced up to his eyes before returning her eyes to his chest.
“You can look me in the eyes, baby. I’m not embarrassed and neither should you be. I had the sweetest night, followed by the best dreams. Only way my night would have been better was if I could have held you in my arms and woken up to you this morning.”