by Susan Stoker
A second later, she stiffened and lifted her gaze, heat and fear mixing to turn her eyes a deep blue. Why would she be afraid of him? The fear didn’t make sense.
She finished her task, then came back to the sink to rinse out the washcloth. “What?” she asked, resting her hip against the counter. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I was still wondering why you reacted surprised when I suggested we do the dishes. Didn’t you think I knew how?”
She turned her back to him and wiped the sink. “It’s just not something I’d picture you doing.”
Unable to keep his lips off her any longer, Rook stepped behind her, gripped the sink on either side of her, and pressed his mouth to the back of her neck. Her sweet coconut scent was intoxicating. He kissed her neck again.
Tarah’s intake of breath ruffled through him as she tipped her head to give him better access. Damn, she tasted good, and the way she melted into him tested his resolve.
“What did you picture me doing?” he asked, grazing his teeth near her ear, his whole body tightening at the sound of her soft moan.
“That…” she whispered, reaching around to grab his ass and press hers against his throbbing erection.
Rook saw stars. The woman was so damn responsive. He released the sink to grasp her waist and ran his hands up over her ribs. She was solid, yet soft, and he was hard as hell.
He tried to hold onto his control. His brother and Burly could walk in any minute, and still he inched higher to tug the material aside and cup a handful of her gorgeous, bare breast. Then finally, he did what he’d longed to do since she’d first opened her door that morning. He brushed her nipple with his thumb.
“Rook.”
He could tell by her tremor she was just as lost has him.
“Like that?” he asked, continuing to press open-mouthed kisses along the curve of her neck.
She let out a sexy little sound when he rolled her nipple between his fingers. So he did it again while he ran his other palm down her sweet curves, over her center to slip under her skirt and grab a handful of…gun?
She stiffened. But it was too late.
He released her, removed the weapon, and stepped back. All the heat running rampant in his veins instantly turned to ice. “What the hell is this?”
She fixed her top, then gripped the sink as she inhaled several breathes. “My gun.”
Jesus, he knew that.
Tarah turned around, her face still flushed as she blinked lingering traces of desire from her gaze. “I’d like it back, please, Rook.”
“Like hell,” he said, a little too gruff, but the quick switch from aroused to alarmed would do that to a guy.
“What’s going on?” Remy rushed in with a concerned Burly on his heels.
Tarah shrugged. “Rook found my gun.”
Remy eyed her up and down. “Where?”
Ah hell, his brother was an idiot. That wasn’t the right question.
“Here.” She lifted the side of dress to reveal a set of incredible legs, and an empty garter holster.
Rook’s heart slammed against his ribs hard. He knew he should question her as to why she had a gun, but at the moment, all he could think was…damn, that’s hot!
He was the biggest idiot.
“Tarah, why do you have a gun?” Burly had the good sense to ask.
She smoothed her dress back into place, and Rook found he could actually breathe again. “I’ve had a license to carry for years. Mr. Knight knew about it. He’s the one who told me to keep it on me at all times.” She stepped closer and held out her hand. “I’d like it back, please.”
Rook eyed her for a long time, but he couldn’t shake the feeling there was more. “No,” he finally said, shoving the gun behind him in the waistband of his jeans. “I need more answers.”
She tossed her hands in the air and shook her head. “Look, Rook, you’re making a big deal out of nothing.”
“Not when your life and my family’s lives are on the line.”
Leaning back against the counter, she folded her arms over her chest and nodded. “You’re right. Fire away. What do you want to know?”
He lifted his chin. “Why do you have a gun?”
She smiled. “Didn’t we just cover that?”
Remy stepped closer. “I think what my brother means is, why are you carrying it in the first place?”
“Because the part of the city where I teach isn’t exactly safe.”
His brother nodded. “So, where did you learn to shoot?”
“In the army.”
Rook jerked his head back. “You were in the service?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “After I graduated, I left the foster home, joined the army, and did two tours in Iraq.”
Hearing she was in foster care caused some foreign emotion to tighten in Rook’s chest. But he was too busy to try to dissect the emotion because he was still processing the fact she had been in the army. And now, she revealed she was a war vet.
His chest tightened further.
Remy cracked a smile. “That explains why you have the balls to teach middle school in D.C.”
Her mouth lifted at the corner. “Yes.” Then she transferred her attention to him. “Rook, if you don’t believe me, call Mr. Knight.”
“I intend to.”
A flash of something resembling pain momentarily clouded her gaze, but disappeared just as fast. “Fine.”
“No, it’s not.” He stepped up to her and held her gaze. “You’re hiding something, Tarah. I can feel it. I didn’t survive my SEAL missions on skill alone. I live by my gut.”
“So do I,” Remy joined in. “And my brother is right. What aren’t you telling us?”
Rook watched emotions cross her face as she played with her bracelet. Her jaw was bunched, and anxiety rolled off her in waves.
He was close to cracking her. With luck, he’d finally get his answers.
Chapter Six
‡
Crap.
Less than twenty-four hours into her assignment and Tarah was screwing it up big time.
If only the damn man had kept his lips…and his hands to himself.
She was the biggest idiot in the world.
Her mind raced with ideas on how to handle the situation. She knew deep down, if she conjured up a stray tear or two, she’d get the Lawe brothers to back off.
But she couldn’t bring herself to do that. She wanted to keep her answers as close to the truth as possible. As it was, she’d already lied about the teaching part.
And, although she wanted desperately to blurt out who she really was and why she was there, Tarah held her tongue. Her gut told her to.
“It’s okay, hun.” The sweet old man smiled. “The boys will protect you. You can tell them.”
That’s when she decided to keep it truthful yet vague. And do a little questioning of her own.
She squared her shoulders and met Rook’s penetrating gaze. “I didn’t exactly witness the mob guy get shot.”
His eyes narrowed a fraction. “Go on.”
“I was the one who shot him.”
“Shit.” Rook sucked in a breath.
Remy echoed his brother’s sentiment and shoved a hand through his hair.
She rubbed at the small throb in her temple. Trying to placate everyone while keeping her cover intact was giving her a headache. “Mr. Knight made me promise to keep that quiet.”
“I can understand why,” Remy said.
Burly grabbed her arm and led her to a chair. “Come sit down. I’ll get you a glass of water.”
She covered his hand and squeezed. He was a sweet man. “Thank you.”
Rook walked over, positioned a chair in front of her, and sat down. “Explain to me how you shot Serrano.”
Damn.
Keep it vague, Tarah, she told herself.
“I saw him harassing a woman, threatening her with a gun, so I pulled mine and told him to stop.”
It was all t
rue, so she had no problem holding Rook’s intense gaze. Burly set two glasses of water down. She thanked him again and took a sip of hers.
“Go on,” Rook urged.
She lifted her chin. “He shot at me. I fired back. My bullet didn’t miss.”
Again, every bit was true.
Rook must’ve seen it in her eyes because he finally nodded and reached for his water.
She glanced at Remy who leaned against the counter, then back to Rook. “Can I ask a question?”
“Sure.”
“Why don’t you ask Mr. Knight for help?”
Rook’s brows crashed together. “With what? Protecting you? He’s the one who gave me the assignment. If you’re worried about my ability to keep your safe, don’t be.”
“No, not me. I know you will, Rook.” She reached out to touch his arm, wrapping her fingers around his corded muscles. “I’m talking about you two, and whatever is going on at this ranch.” She released him to wave her hand around. “Your brother was pushed off a ladder. He could’ve been killed. And then there’s that pile of burnt out, twisted metal beside the house. I’m not stupid. That used to be a vehicle. And that kind of carnage is caused by an explosive device. I’ve seen it in Iraq.”
His jaw tightened. “We’re dealing with it.”
“Who? The two of you?” She frowned at them. “And now you have me to worry about on top of it. You should ask Mr. Knight for help.”
Remy shook his head. “No.”
“We don’t need it.” Rook rose to his feet. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a call to make.”
As she watched the tight-lipped SEAL leave the kitchen, Tarah hoped TJ monitored the transmission she’d started when the brothers had pressed her for answers by the sink.
Her body was still in a state of confusion. The man had her so worked up with just a few well-placed kisses and decadent caresses that Tarah would’ve gone off like a firecracker if his hand had found her sweet spot instead of her gun.
“I’d better go get that camera installed.” Remy pushed away from the counter and stopped by her chair. “Don’t worry about us, Tarah. Rook and I can handle things,” he said before disappearing from the room.
Burly sighed. “Those two have always been stubborn.”
“Yeah, well, so am I,” she huffed out, turning her attention to the caring older man. Maybe she could get some information from him. “Something is wrong on this ranch, Burly. I could feel it the instant I got out of Rook’s truck.”
He nodded. “I feel it too.”
“When did it start?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Hard to say. Three, maybe four weeks ago.”
“Did it coincide with the arrival of the people training here?”
His brows rose high. “How do you know about them?”
“Mr. Knight.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “No, the weird power outages and missing mail started before this lot arrived.”
“Any other new workers at the ranch?”
“Nope. And it ain’t none of them.” He shook his head, gaze resolute. “Our men are loyal. Been with us for years.”
Tarah nodded. Then it had to be one of the new trainees. He could’ve scouted out the place, causing mayhem before he arrived to throw the brothers off his scent. The more she thought about it, the more she knew this to be true.
“Haven’t Remy’s cameras picked up anything?”
“No. And he doesn’t have any inside the house. Just outside. So the mail that went missing from the table is a mystery.”
A big invisible weight disappeared from her shoulders. No cameras inside the house to catch her snooping.
She needed to get to Remy’s computer in order for TJ to hack in and find those names for Lisa to start digging. And with the man outside installing that camera, now was her window of opportunity.
Maybe her luck was turning around.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she said, rising to her feet. “I’m going to take something for this headache and lay down for a bit.”
“Of course.” Burly rose to his feet too. “Do you need some medicine?”
“No. I have some in my room.” She smiled. “But, thank you.”
Why couldn’t the brothers be as nice as that man?
Tarah contemplated that as she rushed to her room to retrieve the tiny device that resembled a flash drive TJ had instructed her to slip into a port on Remy’s computer. While she was there, she headed to the bathroom to take two pills. She didn’t want to lie to Burly if she could help it. Besides, she really did have a headache. She washed them down with a glass of tap water, then shoved two bobby pins in her hair as a precaution and walked back into her room.
Movement outside the window caught her eye. Tarah moved closer, her pulse kicking into gear as she watched Rook and Remy walking toward a small grove of trees with what appeared to be the camera. That damn thing was going to make her job a lot harder. But, right now, she appreciated it because both men were outside. Now was her chance to slip into Remy’s office.
She just needed to find it.
Tarah crept back downstairs, noting Burly peeling potatoes at the sink. He flicked a radio on and county music filled the kitchen. Perfect. The first two doors she tried led to a laundry room and Burly’s room. Only one door left. She twisted the knob.
Locked.
Damn. With a quick glance at the kitchen, she pulled the pins from her hair, picked the lock, scrambled inside, and relocked the door. The room was larger than she expected. Must’ve been a bedroom at one time because it even had a closet. Big wooden bookcases lined one wall. Shelves lined another. And in the middle sat, not one, but two desks with computers.
Great.
Which was Remy’s?
Both were neat and tidy, but one was sparse compared to the other.
She headed for the other. Remy lived at the ranch. Rook was just visiting. Made more sense to try the computer on the “more lived at” desk. A piece of mail with his name on it confirmed she’d made the right choice. She booted up the computer, keeping an ear out for movement outside the door, and glanced at the clock on the wall. The men had been outside fifteen minutes already. She was almost out of time.
The second the log in screen came up, Tarah shoved the device in and called her brother. “I’m in,” she told him.
“What? No hello?” he teased.
“No time. Just do your thing. I need to get out of here.”
“I already am. Just hit the keys I told you.”
She tapped the sequence and watched the screen change to a bunch of numbers and codes. “How long, TJ?”
“Just another second.”
The sound of the front door opening echoed through the house.
Damn.
“TJ,” she whispered loudly.
The log in screen returned.
“Done,” he said. “You can remove it and shut down.”
“Thanks.” She hung up, removed the device, and powered the computer down as footsteps stopped outside the door.
Crap. They were coming in.
She darted to the closet and shut the door just before the brothers entered the office. Tarah closed her eyes and held her breath, praying she hadn’t left anything amiss.
“It should be online,” Remy said.
“Check the angle. I…” Rook’s voice trailed off.
“What is it, Rook? What’s wrong?”
Her heart slammed in her chest, expecting the door to fling open any second.
“Do you smell coconuts?” Rook asked.
Seriously? He could smell her bodywash? She brought her arm up to her nose and inhaled.
Damn.
Now her heart was lodged in her throat, increasing the volume of the pulse pounding in her ears.
“No. I don’t,” Remy replied. “You need to get your mind off Tarah. Probably a good idea if you kept your hands off her, too.”
“I’m fine.”
Remy snorted. “Right. Then explain how you found he
r gun. In her garter holster.”
Her body heated, remembering the feel of those wicked hands ravishing her when he’d discovered her SIG.
“We’re not here to discuss Tarah,” Rook grumbled. “Check the damn camera.”
Remy’s soft chuckle filled the air. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this wound up before. Not even with Catherine.”
An unfamiliar sharp pang rippled through Tarah.
Who was Catherine?
“Remy.”
She flinched at Rook’s fierce tone, but his brother continued to laugh.
“I mean, you’ve only known this girl for a day and she’s already got your panties in a bunch.”
A smile tugged at her lips.
“Dammit, Remy! Drop it. We have work to do,” Rook growled. “Is the camera angle good or not?”
“You’re not going to use it to watch her undress, are you? Because the angle isn’t good for that.”
Rook cursed. “Quit being an ass! Of course not.”
“Then the camera’s good. See for yourself.”
Silence fell over the room and increased her already accelerated heartbeats. Were they looking at the computer? Or moving toward the closet?
“Okay,” Rook finally said.
She let out a slow, quiet sigh. That didn’t come from just outside the door. He was still by the desk.
A second later, she heard a loud boom. Then the house shook.
“Fuck,” Remy growled.
The sound of rustling movement and the room door opening hit her ears. Then silence. Tarah peeked out to find the office empty. She scrambled from the closet and clicked the door shut before quickly crossing the room. What was that boom? Sounded like a car bomb. With her heart in her throat, she cracked the door open, and when she noted the house was empty, she stepped into the hall and shut the door, making sure to relock it first.
Out the side window, she could see flames and people rushing about. She reached for her gun.
“Dammit.”
With no time to head upstairs for her backup piece, she ran outside and down the porch to the side of the house. What was left of the truck that had brought her there sat in a twisted heap and was completely engulfed in flames. Remy’s truck.
Rook and his seething brother wore matching chiseled expressions as they studied the people extinguishing the fire and those standing around. That’s when she spotted the trainees spilling out from the stable, all dressed in black tactical gear.