by Chloe Lang
A strange mix of relief and anger swirled inside her, creating a storm of conflicting emotions. On the one, she wanted to turn the whole thing over to the Masterses. They’d offered to help, why not let them? She sure hadn’t gotten very far uncovering anything that might lead to Trent’s whereabouts. But on the other hand, who the hell was this cowboy telling her if she could leave or not?
“You’re going to force me to stay here? With you?”
He placed his hands on her shoulders and fixed her with a stare that sent a shiver up and down her spine. “You’re here until Wade contacts us and gives me the green light. No arguments. Period.”
“May I at least get dressed?” Mac figured once clothed she could make her argument better, or at least she hoped she could.
“Be my guest, though I rather like seeing you like this.” His wicked grin should’ve made her uncomfortable, but it didn’t. Instead she felt a little pleased by it.
He pulled on his jeans, never removing his gaze from her.
She walked out the bedroom door and into the living room, followed closely by the overprotective cowboy.
Her clothes were still there, rumpled on the floor save one. Her panties were dangling from the arm of a chair, far from the other items. Wyatt had tossed them there when he’d stripped her of her clothes.
As she dressed, she held her tongue. God, how had she let this happen? She’d been able to stave off the Masters twins’ advances for a long time. Now, she was in deep, over her head deep. She turned back to him, standing there in only his jeans. He looked so powerful, so capable of anything. He’d made love to her and taken her to a place much like the one his brother had done previously. God, she shouldn’t have opened Pandora’s box, but she had. Now, she needed to close it and lock it back up. She wasn’t sure that would be possible with these two, but damn it, she had to try.
“Bye, Wyatt.”
“You are not going anywhere. Stop pushing me or I swear I’ll bend you over my knee and spank some sense into that pretty little head of yours if it takes me all night. You’re not leaving until I know you’ll be safe.”
The idea of him spanking her, of feeling his large callused hands on her ass, didn’t sound half bad. “I’m in no danger. My brother might be, but I’m not.”
“You’ve put yourself in danger, Mackenzie, just coming here. Someone has your brother, no doubt. Until we know who, I’m assigning myself to keep you safe.” He crossed his arms over his chest, a wall of muscle standing in her way.
She didn’t need anyone to take care of her. “Assigning? Listen to me, I’ve been in some pretty dicey spots in my job, but I know how to take care of myself. I’m not someone who needs a bodyguard.”
“Too bad.” He gave her a cocky smile. “You’ve got one whether you like it or not.”
Mackenzie wondered what he would do if she rushed the door. Obviously he’d block her from leaving. He was clearly stronger and faster than her. She knew how to bring a man to the ground with her knees, but she had no intention of doing such a thing to him. He wasn’t a danger to her. He thought, though misguided, that he was keeping her safe. I’m good at convincing people to get what I need. Time to turn on the charm. She was about to make another plea to him to let her go when his cell buzzed.
He looked at the screen. “It’s Wade.”
Her heart leapt into her throat.
* * * *
Wade looked at the body of the man lying on the stretcher. The volunteer fire department had been able to retrieve it from the wrecked car.
Sheriff Champion was holding the man’s wallet in his gloved hand. “Name is Lester Nardozzi.”
Austin shook his head. “This man isn’t Trent.”
The guy couldn’t have been dead long as his body was still soft. Rigor mortis had yet to set in. Less than three hours, he guessed.
“Not her brother, Wyatt,” he spoke into his cell.
“You’re sure.”
“He had I.D.”
“Got it.” Wyatt was being careful with his words.
He could hear Mackenzie in the background, begging to take the phone.
“I’ll talk to her, Wyatt.”
“Not a good idea. I worked the plan, which helped, but there’s more to be done.”
Something in his brother’s tone didn’t sit right with him. “Put. Her. On. The. Phone.” Childish sibling rivalry rose up inside him. He didn’t like Wyatt trying to keep Mackenzie from him. He’d told his twin to seduce her. Why had he done that? Because it was the life he knew, the life they both knew. The life they dreamed of. Jealousy had no place in their future or now, but it was rising up on its own inside him.
“I’m telling you it’s not a good idea.”
He pushed his selfish, possessive thoughts out of his head. Mackenzie wasn’t just his. She was his and Wyatt’s. God, neither of them had ever been in love before until her. Apparently love was so strong, so demanding, so overwhelming, it could turn brothers who were always in lockstep together apart. How had their dads overcome the possessive nature brought on by such feelings and learned to share? He wasn’t sure, but knew he and Wyatt had to find their own way through this new dynamic they found themselves in. “Bro, trust me. You don’t have to do this alone. We’re a team, right?”
“Always.”
“Wade,” Mackenzie’s voice was full of panic when she took the phone. “Tell me. Did you find Trent? Is Austin in on it? Do you know where Trent is? God, he’s got to be okay. Tell me. I can take it.”
Wyatt was dead right. This wasn’t a good idea. He’d let the green-eyed monster inside him loose instead of trusting his brother. Now, he would have to deal with Mackenzie’s terror and dread head on.
“We didn’t find Trent, sweetheart.”
“We? Who do you mean by we? Tell me you don’t mean Austin.”
Not good. Not good at all. “He’s got information we need.”
“There you go with ‘we’ again.” Her tone was sharp and jumpy. “Damn it, I so fucked up when I opened up to you guys.”
“Hold on. Austin has been looking for Trent, too. He’s got some leads.”
“Of course he’d say that. I can’t trust him. I know that. Now, I know I can’t trust you either—you or Wyatt.”
He heard the familiar click and realized she’d ended the call. Fuck!
* * * *
Wyatt had his hands full with Mackenzie, more than full.
She was in total and utter free fall. She’d thrown his cell across the room and then crumpled. He’d grabbed her and pulled her into him. She’d hit him several times as she lost complete control of herself. Tears of panic, anger, and dread shot out of her like waterfalls.
“Why did you tell Austin? Why? Everything I’ve done is worthless now. Trent. Oh God, Trent.” She collapsed into him, overcome by her hopelessness.
He swept her up into his arms and walked out back. He had to shock her back. Getting a pool had been Wade’s idea, not his. In fact, he’d cursed the idea as a foolish lark. Now, he was glad his brother hadn’t given in to his arguments.
Keeping a hold of her, he stepped into the shallow end of the pool. The water was cool, really cool. He held her above it for the moment.
“Come back to me, Mackenzie.” She didn’t respond. He walked into the deep end, letting the pool’s water hit her lower half. She sobbed but kept her eyes tight.
“Take a deep breath.”
Nothing.
“Take. A. Deep. Breath. Now.”
She did, and he took her down to the bottom of the deep end, keeping her locked in his arms. Immediately he kicked against the bottom, sending them both to the surface. She sputtered, and inhaled another breath.
“Why did you do that?” she asked.
“You know why, honey. You were out of control.”
“I had a right to be. Your damn brother told Austin about me, about Trent. I trusted Wade. I’ve been such an idiot. Did you know he was going to tell Austin the whole thing?”
He shrugged and walked her to the side of the pool. “We know him quite well. He’s capable of a lot of things, even killing someone, I suppose, but only if they threaten someone he loves. His mother or his wife top that list. Maybe his dads and brothers, too. But that’s it. Nothing else.”
“Jessie sure loves him.”
He cradled her against his chest. “And trusts him, Mackenzie. Let’s call Wade back. See what they turned up. Okay? You with me?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not unless you want to take another dive in the pool,” he teased.
They went back into the house, dripping the whole way. She was shivering. He removed her clothes again.
“I can’t, Wyatt. Not now. Don’t you think of anything other than sex?”
“Not really, but I’m only interested in getting you warm. I’ve got a robe my mother bought me when I was thirteen that will fit you.” He lowered her to the ground. “We need some towels and that robe. Stay put. Okay?”
She nodded, her lips quivering from the cold. He gathered what he needed and came back to where he’d left her. Besides her arms wrapped around her chest in a clear attempt to fight the cold, she hadn’t moved a single inch. Definitely a submissive, even though a bratty one.
After he dried her off with the towels and put his old robe on her, which was a little large on her tiny body, he reclaimed his cell phone. “It’s a total loss.” The screen was cracked and the back hung to the body of the thing by one hinge. “Where’s your phone, Mackenzie?”
“In my purse. I left it on your kitchen table when we first got here.”
He retrieved it. He clicked the button and a prompt for a security code came on. Smart girl. “What’s your code?”
She rattled it off willingly.
Really good girl. He punched in Wade’s number.
“Hello?”
He clearly didn’t recognize Mackenzie’s cell number. “It’s Wyatt.”
“Thank God. Is she okay?”
“She is now. You should’ve listened to me, bro.” Normally, his twin and him were in complete sync when it came to women, but Mackenzie wasn’t just any woman, and now definitely wasn’t normal times.
“I know. Sorry. I’m glad you’re with her. You sure she’s okay?”
“I am. She’s calm and able to talk to you now, too.” He handed the cell to her. “Just listen. Trust me.”
With her hand trembling slightly, she put the phone up to her ear. “Convince me I didn’t make a mistake, Wade.”
Not much of a praying man, Wyatt did ask the heavens for two things. One, Wade to convince her they were on her side and knew what they were doing. Two, her brother would be found alive.
* * * *
Mac listened intently to Wade, one of the two men she’d risked entrusting with all her secrets. Wyatt, the other man, was holding her hand and looking at her with eyes of concern.
“Did your brother know a man named Lester Nardozzi?” Wade asked.
Her heart leapt up in her throat. “Nardozzi was the man who was sent by the silent investors to run my brother’s landscaping business right after Trent’s disappearance.” A real clue. After all this time. Opening up to Wade and Wyatt had been the right thing to do.
“I’ll let the sheriff know this guy knew your brother. We’re onto something, baby. We’re going to find Trent. Trust me.”
“I do,” she said, which was true from the very depths of her being. She trusted him and Wyatt with everything. Her whole life she’d had to be tough, self-reliant, and yes, even untrusting. It had served her well for a long time, but it had been a very lonely way to live. Trent was the one person she trusted utterly. Until now. Until the Masters twins had shown her that being vulnerable, really vulnerable, could change everything. They were the reason the investigation had opened up after she’d hit so many dead ends.
She and Wade talked for several minutes. He didn’t seem to hold back anything. Everything he knew he shared.
“Wyatt can bring me to you, to the crash site.”
In unison, one from the cell and one right in front of her, they both said, “No.”
“Okay. I think you two are being overly cautious, self-appointed bodyguards, but I’ll concede…for now.” But Mackenzie knew that whatever they asked her, she wouldn’t be able to refuse. They’d transformed her into a woman she’d never believed she could be—a woman glad to be in the care of two amazing men.
Wade’s voice was warm and washed all over her like silky bathwater. “You’ll concede to us always, love. We’ll make sure of that.”
When the call ended, Wyatt leaned in and brushed the hair out of her eyes. “Aren’t you glad you told us everything, Kristen Mackenzie Green?”
“Yes,” she said, and leaned her head into his chest.
He wrapped his arms around her.
Being held by him was the safest place in the entire world for her, a place where she could believe anything was possible and everything was going to be okay.
Chapter Eleven
Mac looked at the clothes piled on her bed. A pyramid of skirts, pants, jeans, blouses, and more filled the space. What to wear to The Masters’ Chambers had been a near-all-day affair. It wasn’t that she wanted to impress the members there, but she did want to be presentable and not stick out there. Blending in suited her perfectly.
The Masters twins were just outside the door of her bedroom, refusing to leave her alone until whoever was responsible for the death of the man they’d found in Vice was caught. They’d brought her home last night, but one slept on the couch while the other remained on guard. When it came to her, they continued to be overprotective and so very macho. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she slept over twelve hours. The sun was already setting outside.
She’d never thought of herself as someone who would like such expressions of testosterone overload, but she was finding herself drawn to every nuance of it Wyatt and Wade demonstrated. Intimacy aside, she wasn’t about to let them shove her to the curb on this. She deserved to hear what Austin and Acting Sheriff Champion had uncovered. Trent was her brother.
After everything, Mac had to admit she’d been wrong about Austin. He had helped. In fact, the whole time she’d been searching for Trent, Austin had been using whatever influence and resources he had to try find him, too. She would never dub him an angel, but Austin was a good guy.
Looking in the mirror, she smiled at her choice. Just sexy enough to not stand out but not too sexy to earn her double takes. Sporting low-rise jeans, a black top that revealed just the hint of cleavage, and leather boots with fringe, she felt ready.
She wasn’t crazy about the choice of lipstick. Way too red. She wiped her lips clean of it. Scanning her makeup and jewelry, also spread wildly across the bed in a tiny pile by the mound of clothing, she spotted a tube with one of her favorite shades. Applying it to her mouth, her reflection let her know it wouldn’t work either tonight. With her choice of attire and eye makeup and the lighting at the club, it was way too pale, washing her out. She tossed the tube back to the tiny pile and once again wiped lipstick off her mouth.
Rifling through several tubes, she selected one that was called “Cozy Red.” Once she saw it on her lips in the mirror, she felt it was right for tonight. A fringe benefit was Wyatt and Wade would probably like the shade, too.
God, those men knew how to kiss a woman until her toes curled and her heart raced. Never had she felt such a thrill just in a kiss, and she’d enjoyed the flush brought on by pressing her lips against each of theirs several times. But this wasn’t the time or place to be recollecting about her time with Wade and Wyatt. The only thing she should be thinking about right now was finding Trent.
But her mind wouldn’t let go of the fun she’d had with them, continuing to bring up the images and emotions she’d enjoyed in each of their embraces. “Amazing” was the only word she could come up with to describe what it had been like being with the Masterses. Each was unique in how he made
love to her, no matter their identical looks. Telling them apart in bed would be easy for her now. But she hadn’t been with them together, only one-on-one. That was her normal, not theirs. They’d confessed that they’d decided to approach her alone, understanding she was not from Wilde. Now, she let her mind imagine what it would be like to be with them simultaneously. Double the touches, the kisses, the caresses might be something she wanted to experience.
She shook her head, trying to shake free of the feelings the twin cowboys had birthed inside her. Her mind wouldn’t let go of the memories of her time spent with them.
“Trent. That’s why I’m in Wilde. That’s the only reason I’m in Wilde.” Saying it aloud seemed to free her mind of the past intimacy with the Masterses, if only a little.
Applying the final touches to her makeup, she went over every lead, every shred, every clue, everything. The puzzle pieces had to fit together somehow, but she couldn’t seem to make sense of them yet.
A knock on her bedroom door startled her. She turned and saw her self-appointed cowboy bodyguards standing with their big muscles ready to protect.
Wade smiled. “You about ready, sweetheart?”
“God, you look incredible.” Wyatt’s up-and-down scan of her body didn’t offend her. Not one damn bit.
Mac looked at herself in the mirror one last time. “I’m ready.”
Together, they would meet with the acting sheriff and Austin Wilde at The Masters’ Chambers and ask them what they’d uncovered about Trent’s disappearance. She grabbed her clutch and peered in. Trent’s napkin was inside. She still didn’t know the meaning of the numbers and the lone letter.
Were Austin’s name and number and the cryptic message the last note her brother had written? I’ll find you, Trent. I won’t ever give up.
She snapped the clutch shut and walked to the waiting Masterses.