by Desiree Holt
He pressed harder on the accelerator, keeping one eye on the road and the other on the side-view mirror. If they could make it to the end of the road and take the turn to the marina, he figured they’d be okay because then they’d be in traffic. He hoped these idiots weren’t stupid enough to engage in a firefight with a bunch of other people around.
A heavy thud sounded against the back of the cab, and Logan knew from the sound it was an armor-piercing bullet. Whoever these guys were, they came well equipped.
He watched the speedometer creep up to eighty, then ninety, then a hundred. He was sure the men behind them wanted to pull up alongside and try for the windows, but he kept ahead of them with his powerful engine. They were almost to the end of Seacliff Road.
“Hang on. Brace yourself.”
He wrenched the wheel around, skidding into the turn, and then they were on the busy road to the marina.
Traffic forced him to slow down and when he looked in his mirror, he saw the other vehicle had turned off the other way. Smart. They didn’t want people around for what they had to do. He had to tell Avery so they could revisit the security needs. A high-end system might not be enough.
“You can sit up now,” he told Devon.
When the SUV pulled out behind them, she hadn’t freaked, or panicked, or done anything he might have expected. She just did what he told her and left him to take care of business. He was afraid that wouldn’t work at the marina, though, with tension rolling off her in waves.
As they neared the marina the traffic became thicker, and when they turned into the parking lot, he saw a thick cloud of black smoke rising into the air. The place was jammed, and not just with boat owners. Things like this drew everyone in this tiny little town. He managed to squeeze the truck into a narrow space but before he’d even shut off the ignition, Devon was already out. He barely caught her as he leaped out of the truck.
“Hold it. You don’t move two inches without me. Someone just shot at us, remember?”
Every bit of color leached from her face. “They want to kill me.”
He shook his head. “I think they want to kill me and get their hands on you. So for the immediate future, we’re stuck together with glue.”
Two of Sheri’s patrolmen were barricading the gate that opened out onto the docks and doing their best to hold back the shouting crowd. In a moment two men he recognized as Vigilance agents joined them.
“It’s okay,” he told Deacon Broder, one of the Vigilance men. “The boat on fire is her dad’s. Let us through.”
That took a lot of squeezing to get past the pushing and shoving.
“Who are these people?” Logan asked.
“Some of them have boats in the slips near Princess Devon. We told them they can’t go out on the dock yet, but they’re maniacs.”
“Yeah, I can see they’re upset. I’ll get Sheri to calm them down.”
Devon was already running down the dock to where flames licked the air, mingled with the thick black cloud. Logan jogged down to catch her. As soon as he neared the fire he could see that the boat was destroyed. Not even the hull was intact, floating in blackened pieces in the water. A small fireboat was in the water between the docks spraying the Princess Devon and Lady Hannah. Men in board shorts and Arrowhead Bay T-shirts were on the dock with hoses hooked up to spigots, spraying all the other boats in the area.
What a fucking mess.
Sheri was talking to a tall man in a uniform who he assumed was with the Coast Guard. He hated to interrupt her but she had to do some damage control.
“Sorry to interrupt, but Sheri, you need to calm the beasts down back there. Let them know when they can get to their boats.”
She glanced back to the gate and nodded. “Okay. Logan, this is Lieutenant Commandeer Russell Deering of the Coast Guard. He’s our new liaison while we wait to see what search and rescue does or does not turn up. Russell, Logan Malik is a top Vigilance agent. You can tell him anything.”
“Hold on a sec, Sheri.” Logan shook hands with the man and introduced Devon to him. “Could you keep an eye on her for a second? This is her dad’s boat.”
Deering lifted a quizzical eyebrow but nodded. “Sure.”
Logan guided Sheri a few feet away. In concise sentences, he told her about the car chasing them down Seacliff Road and shooting at them.
“I think they were making another try at Devon. If they got rid of me in the process, so much the better.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just can’t believe how stupid they are to try something with the same vehicle. Although neither of them would win a contest for brains. We all need to be extra alert.”
She nodded. “Did you tell Avery yet?”
He shook his head. “Haven’t seen her but I will.”
“Good.” Then she turned and hurried down the dock to the demanding crowd.
Devon had been doing her best to get as close to the edge of the dock as she could, despite Deering’s best efforts to keep her from it.
Logan grabbed her and pulled her back. “Don’t want you falling in the water.”
“He’s right,” Deering agreed. “Sorry about your boat, ma’am. But I do need you to stand back from the slip. That fire’s not out yet and sparks are still flying.”
Devon did as he asked, backing right up against Logan. She had her arms wrapped around herself as if shielding her body from the cold, even though it was in the nineties. She stood there, rigid, unmoving, just watching. Logan didn’t give a fuck who was watching. He wrapped his arms around her, heartened when she didn’t try to move away, and pulled her against his body. It was as much to give her warmth as it was to protect her.
He was busy every minute scanning the crowd, looking for the two men from this morning or anyone like them. He recognized some of the people. After all, he’d been living in Arrowhead Bay for two years. He was more interested in strangers, anyone who looked like they didn’t belong. With all the snowbirds that was a little more difficult, but his eyes were trained to pick up nuances in stance and body movement. He also relied on his well-honed instincts. They hadn’t failed him yet.
And all the time he was hyperaware of Devon’s very appealing body pressed against his.
Deliberately he put all thought of her body out of his mind and concentrated on the here and now.
He was still convinced the fire was to draw her out of the house. Maybe they hoped in the crowd they could snatch her. Of course, it occurred to him whoever was behind this could hire a couple of locals to grab her, too. He was pretty sure they didn’t want her dead until they found out where her father was. He’d be overly careful whenever they were out of the house.
At last Russell Deering, who had been watching and checking on things, walked back over to where they were standing, a look of sympathy on his face as he spoke to Devon.
“I’m sure I don’t have to tell you the Princess Devon is a total loss. Lady Hannah can probably be salvaged but she’ll need a lot of work.”
“Do you know how the fire started?” Logan asked.
“Not yet. But we’ll have a crew looking at what’s left of it as soon as the fire is completely out. Miss Cole, we’ll get a report to you as quick as we can for your insurance company.”
“Insurance?” She tensed in Logan’s arms.
“Yes. You’ll need to file a claim for both boats.” He looked at Logan, then back at her. “I know we have search and rescue out looking for your father. We still don’t have any new information for you. We’re still searching, but I’m sorry to say I’m not hopeful.”
Devon drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Thank you for keeping me informed.”
“I want to go on board Lady Hannah,” she told him as soon as Deering had walked away.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. There are still sparks flying everywhere so the danger of fire isn�
�t really over.”
She bit her lower lip, a habit that tended to make him hard as a spike. “Do you think it will be all right sitting here like this?”
“Yes. There are too many official figures and too much of a crowd around here today. They might not even let you on it right now. Tomorrow would be better. You have the keys Sheri gave you, right?”
She nodded.
“Then I think we should go home and come back tomorrow. All you’ve had to eat today is a muffin and you don’t want to get sick. Plus, I want to get you out of this crowd as soon as possible.”
She shuddered. “Yes. All right. But—”
“But what?”
“What if they’re waiting for us on the road?”
“Here comes Avery.” He tilted his head at the figure walking down the dock. “We’ll get her to send a follow car with us.”
“A follow car for what?” Avery stopped next to them.
“A black SUV popped out of the trees across from the house and tried to shoot us off the road.” He gave Avery a half grin. “Just in case they’re waiting to try again, we need someone to follow us and cover our asses on the way back to the house.”
“Okay. Good thing we’re light on assignments this week. The crew is at the house working on the new security system. I told them to bring everything they could think of with them so they could get started right away.”
“Good deal. Then I’ll go ahead and take Devon home. Maybe I can even get some food into her.”
“Everyone wants to feed me,” she snapped, “but I don’t have an appetite.”
“Doesn’t matter. You eat so you don’t get sick. Come on. You’ll only upset yourself more standing around here.”
When he took her hand to lead her off the dock, he was pleased she didn’t pull it away.
I’m just holding on to her for her protection.
Yeah, he could tell himself that all he wanted but he knew the real truth. And in the intimacy of the house he wasn’t sure what would happen. He had a hard and fast rule—never, ever mix business and pleasure. But as a fellow Marine once told him on leave, rules were made to be broken.
Chapter 4
Logan took a good look at his truck when they reached it. There were some small dents but the armoring had held, thank God. He also took a minute to check the tires but again, as advertised, they were still intact.
“Damn good thing we had Tactical Armoring do their job last year.”
Avery gave a mirthless laugh. “Of course, we never expected we’d need it in Arrowhead Bay. Okay, I’ll have someone here in five.”
He insisted Devon get into the truck, where she sat ramrod straight, her hands again clutched in her lap. He could tell she was holding herself together by a very short thread.
As soon as the Vigilance agents showed up he cautiously pulled onto the road, checking all angles. No black SUV or other vehicle that made his senses tickle. And no one shot at them on the way home, no doubt thanks to the tail car. Still, he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of anything the least out of place.
Three black vans were parked in front of the house and the techs from Vigilance were everywhere. As soon as he climbed out of the truck, Mike Bell, the crew chief, walked over to him.
“We’re in warp speed here, Logan, just so you know. Avery said it has to be done yesterday.”
“Thanks, Mike. I appreciate it.” He turned to help Devon out. “Security system,” he explained. “I think they’ll have it finished today.”
“’Kay.” She looked and sounded as if in a trance. The moment they walked into the house it seemed all the starch melted from her body. She collapsed into one of the chairs at the table.
“I can’t believe the boat caught fire.”
“Not to add to your stress,” Logan told her, making his tone as even as possible, “but it’s possible it was actually blown up.”
Every bit of color drained from her face. “Blown up?”
“We’ve got people shooting at us, Devon. That’s not such a stretch of the imagination.”
“It wouldn’t be my father.” She shook her head. “He loved that boat. Both of them.”
“Desperate people do desperate things. But let’s wait until we get a report. Meanwhile, I think you need to lie down.” He waited to see if she gave him an argument.
“Okay.” Her voice was so soft he could barely hear the word.
“Come on.” He took her hand and guided her to her room, worried she’d pass out before they got there. “Let me help you.”
“No, I can take care of myself. Really.”
“I know you can,” he agreed in a soft voice.
Devon Cole had a spine and grit and didn’t fall apart in critical situations. But everyone had their tipping point, especially when people were shooting at them. He wondered when she’d reach hers. He figured he’d better be prepared for the meltdown.
She kicked off her shoes, dug in her suitcase, and pulled out some items of clothing before carrying them to the en suite bathroom. When she came out, she was wearing sleep shorts and a tank top, which did absolutely nothing for either his hormones or his control. He couldn’t help noticing how firm and toned her legs were, her nicely rounded thighs. He had to tear his eyes away from all that wonderful flesh that peeked out below the hem of her top.
For fuck’s sake, Malik. Take a step back.
When he pulled back the covers on the bed, she gave him a weak grin.
“I think I can handle this myself, Logan.”
“Indulge me, okay? Let me just make sure you’re settled.”
She just looked so fragile, doing her best to pretend she was fine when they both knew she wasn’t. He wanted so badly to wrap his arms around her and pull her tight to his body. Tell her everything would be all right. There were a couple of things wrong with that. One, she was a client, and two, he had no idea if that was the truth. Oh, and then there was three—his vow never to get involved again. That might be the hardest to keep.
She slid down in the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin, covering everything but her face. That was better. Temptation eliminated. She’d get some rest and he’d get a little distance from her.
Fooling yourself much, idiot?
He stood there and watched her close her eyes, eyes that made him feel as if he’d fallen into a pool of molten lava that scorched his body. In a moment her breathing evened out and she was asleep. Good. When she woke up he’d get some soup into her. Despite her condition, he’d have to ask her a lot of questions about her father. And he wanted her fortified. It was often the smallest, least significant details that held the most important clue.
In the kitchen he found a pot and dumped in the container of homemade soup he’d brought from home with his other stuff. He’d learned a long time ago that between missions he needed something that was a total change, something that got his mind away from bloodshed and mayhem and man’s inhumanity to man. He’d started it when he was a Marine, whenever they were on base and he had a kitchen to use. It eased the stress of their assignments. After his buddies finished ragging him about it, they’d been more than happy to eat whatever he cooked as a change from the mess hall. He’d kept it up when he left the Marines, always making double batches of everything and freezing part of it.
As he stirred he thought about Devon’s reaction today, the way she handled a bad situation. She reminded him of a different woman in another time and another place. The same intelligence. The same bravery, the same determination not to lose control. The same sense of independence. The same instant, deep connection.
Amanda.
God!
Her death had nearly destroyed him, leaving him wrapped in guilt that his own actions had prevented him from saving her life. He hadn’t felt or wanted a connection to another woman since then.
When he left the military
, he took the job at Vigilance, one he dedicated himself to with the same force as the Marine Corps. The job was a perfect fit for him. The work satisfied him and made use of the skills he’d acquired in the service: reconnaissance, situational assessment, and combat operations. He was pretty sure there weren’t too many places looking for people who were expert marksmen, knew at least two dozen ways to kill a man, and had skills that fit the bill for most black ops agencies.
Of course, he had no personal life, so he was free to take any and all assignments. That left him less time to think about the past and remember things he couldn’t seem to forget. Been there, done that, and still carried the pain. If he did have free time, he used it working out in the Vigilance gym or practicing on the gun range.
I sure am a well-rounded person.
He snorted at the thought.
Not having a personal life worked to his advantage. Nothing to distract him when he was on the job, and no one he had to worry about. For him those days were long past. He never, ever entertained even the tiniest thought of becoming involved with anyone in his care. Not with his body and certainly not with his heart.
And now, here was Devon, about to turn his life upside down.
Logan knew all about her family situation. Everyone in Arrowhead Bay did. Until six years ago, the Cole family lived in Tampa. Devon still lived there. But then her mother passed away and a year after that Cole International had gone through a huge cash crunch. Many said it was because with the death of his wife, Graham had lost his focus on the business. Then, miraculously, he’d acquired a new partner, a silent one, and everything turned around.
So what had kicked off the current situation? Who was after him? Who had him? Where the fuck was he?
Avery would already have people running a search on Graham Cole so thorough they could even tell you how many hairs he had on his ass. Vigilance had the best of everything—sophisticated electronics, weapons, training sites, personnel. When Avery March approached him about joining Vigilance, she had sold him after one visit. He’d never regretted signing on.