Harlequin Romantic Suspense January 2021

by Marie Ferrarella, Regan Black, Karen Whiddon

  Luckily, neither Jesse nor her father appeared to notice. “So far so good,” Jesse announced. “Once we get that cut cleaned and bandaged, you should be good to go.”

  After letting Jesse do exactly that, she swallowed a couple of ibuprofen and gingerly stretched. For the first time she realized she wore only pajamas, nothing underneath. Luckily, the baggy, oversize T-shirt wasn’t revealing.

  “You got blood on your pj’s,” Raul pointed out. “You’d better go change.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s late, but if there’s any plywood around, I can get it nailed up over that window so you can sleep.”

  Though privately she knew there was no way she could make herself go back into that room tonight, she nodded. “There’s some left in the garage from when we had to board up the other window. Jesse can show you where it is.”

  Raul held up his hand. “No need. I can find it. You go change. Jesse, you stay with Eva. It’ll just take me a few minutes to get this done so we all can go back to sleep.” He took off, heading for the garage.

  Looking down at her bloody pajama pants, she glanced toward her bedroom door. While she didn’t consider herself a coward by any stretch of the imagination, she couldn’t seem to force her feet to move in the right direction.

  “I can get them for you,” Jesse murmured. “Just tell me what you want and where to find them.”

  His compassion ignited a spark to warm her inner chill. “The third drawer down in my main dresser has my pajama bottoms. Any pair will do.”

  He nodded. “Wait right here.”

  As if she intended on going anywhere. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she watched as he disappeared into her room. Though the idea of his hands on her personal things made her feel slightly unsettled, she appreciated his offer of help.

  “Here you go.” Returning, he handed her a pair of black-and-red-plaid flannel bottoms.

  Since she didn’t have the heart to tell him those were for winter, she thanked him and took them into the bathroom to change. Once she had, she wadded up the bloody pair and placed them in the trash.

  After washing her hands, she stepped back into the hall. The sound of hammering told her Raul was already hard at work boarding up her window. The knowledge should have made her feel safe, but didn’t. If she let herself, she knew she’d keep seeing the bright light of the drone approaching her window, crawling away and almost making it just before the thing exploded.

  No thank you. Her bedroom would be off-limits for tonight, maybe longer. Since all the guest rooms were occupied except for Liam’s room, she could either sleep on her son’s twin bed or take one of the couches. She’d figure that out in a bit.

  “The police are on their way,” Jesse said, as soon as she approached him. “Do you want me to get you a bathrobe or something?”

  She needed a bra. Swallowing back her pride, she asked Jesse to get one for her. Instead of asking any questions, he hurried back into her room and brought her one back. Though she felt her face heat when she took it from him, she avoided his gaze, murmured thank you and once again went into the bathroom and put it on.

  When she emerged, she thanked him.

  “All done,” Raul announced, emerging from her room holding a hammer. “It’s not pretty, but it will work until you can get a window guy out here to replace it.”

  “The police are on the way now,” Jesse informed him.

  “Great.” Raul made a face. “I’ll just skip that entire scene. If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my room, sound asleep.”

  He took off, carrying the hammer with him.

  Eva shook her head. “Some things never change.”

  “I guess not.” Jesse gestured toward the stairs. “Are you ready to go down?”

  With him right behind her, she went to the first floor and took a seat in the den to wait. The neighbors were not going to appreciate more police cars, but they had to have heard the explosion. Between gunshots and two bombs, she was pretty sure they were wishing she’d move. She couldn’t blame them. But, since none of this was her fault, she refused to allow herself to worry too much what her neighbors thought.

  The police arrived, asked their usual questions and took a look around both the backyard and her bedroom. When they’d gone, Eva sighed. “Why do I feel like that was just a huge waste of time?”

  Jesse shrugged. “I’m sure they’re working on it.”

  “Are you? I don’t get the feeling. And since the FBI and ATF are supposedly involved, why haven’t they been out here?”

  “They’ve got a lot on their plate. Since no one has been harmed, they’re probably focusing more on Drew’s murder than these attacks.”

  “Seriously? Are you saying someone needs to get killed before the big guys take notice?” Without waiting for him to answer, she grimaced. “No wonder my father dislikes law enforcement so much. I’m beginning to see his point.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Jesse tried like hell to keep his expression neutral, but Eva’s casually cruel words felt like a knife to the heart. While he understood her reasoning on one level, on the other, law enforcement was what he did. Not only that, but his job made up every component of his life, from working undercover for the last several years, to all the work and dedication he’d put into earning his place in the ATF.

  “I’ll make some calls in the morning,” he promised. “Surely someone, somewhere has made progress on this case.” And he would. He’d not only call his handler at the ATF, but pull some favors from a friend or two at the FBI. This was beginning to get ridiculous. On other cases, he knew the various agencies would have been working nonstop to not only locate Drew Rowson’s killer, but to learn the identity of the man who’d been threatening Eva. He had to wonder if anyone had even been able to track this Chris person down.

  “Thank you. We need some answers and we need them now.” Eva’s words echoed Jesse’s thoughts. “I think it’s ridiculous that they can announce on TV that they’re investigating a dead man for possible campaign violations, but say nothing about finding his killer.”

  “True, but there might be a lot going on in the background that we’re not aware of,” he cautioned. This was also a fact. The DEA, working in conjunction with the FBI and ATF, had spent years tightening the net around the Brothers of Sin. Drew’s involvement created a difficult balance. They had to move with extreme caution or risk blowing a huge case wide open.

  When the time came, the entire motorcycle club would be going down. He had to wonder how Eva would look at him once she realized he was part of the operation that sent her father, and numerous others she regarded as family, to prison.

  Shaking it off, as he had ever since becoming involved with her, he gestured toward the stairs. “How about you try and get some sleep?”

  She didn’t move. “My room is full of glass.”

  Good point. “We can clean that up in the morning. You can have my bed. I’ll make a pallet on the floor or take the couch.”

  Eyeing him, she considered. “I can always sleep in Liam’s little bed.”

  “There you go.” He covered his mouth to mask a yawn.

  Without saying another word, she turned and made her way up the staircase. He followed her, intending to see her safely to bed before trying to grab some shut-eye himself.

  At the doorway to Liam’s room, she stopped. After looking into the empty room, she turned to face him. The stricken look on her lovely face and the vulnerability in her eyes had him taking a step toward her.

  “I can’t,” she said simply. “I just can’t. I miss him way too much. Being in his room will do nothing but make it worse.”

  “Then you can have my bed,” he offered immediately. “I don’t mind.”

  Instead of arguing, she nodded. “Okay.”

  Once they’d reached his room, she stood on the balls of her feet between the doorway and the bed, almost as if
she were poised to run. He thought he understood her uncertainty. “I’ll sleep downstairs. You won’t need to worry about anything, I promise.”

  “Thanks, but I might have to be the one on the couch.” She gestured toward the window. “Every time I look at a window, all I can see is that drone flying close, its bright light trained on me, right before it exploded.”

  He thought about pointing out that there were windows in the downstairs den too, but decided against it. She’d realize that soon enough. “Wherever you feel most comfortable,” he said instead, expecting her to push past him and make her way back to the first floor.

  Instead, she cocked her head and considered him. “Come here.” The low thrum of desire in her voice ignited an answering spark deep within him.

  Battling himself, he didn’t move. “Why?”

  “I need you to distract me.”

  His mouth went dry. “Distract you how?” he managed, even though he knew.

  Instead of answering, she crossed the distance between them. Reaching up, she cupped his face with her hands and pulled him down to her lips and kissed him.

  As always, every single resolve he’d struggled to hold on to went up in a blaze of lust.

  “I don’t think…” He made one last valiant effort.

  “Then don’t,” she said, right before she removed her sleep shirt, bra and flannel pajama bottoms. Gloriously, breathtakingly naked, she took his hand and placed it on her bare breast. And he was lost.

  Shedding his clothes so quickly they tangled at his feet, he pulled her close and kissed her.

  Of course they ended up in bed. How could they not, when he’d always been unable to resist her? Eva was both his Waterloo and his nirvana, and his last thought before he gave in to the inferno raging between them was that—no matter what happened—she would forever be his love.

  * * *

  After, Eva lay dozing in his arms, sated and happier than she should have been. Whatever else he might be, Jesse had the power to make her body come alive. Smiling, she refused to allow herself to think about her problems or the future, choosing instead to revel in this moment, in the pleasant way her body ached yet her inner turmoil felt calm and at peace.

  Jesse, Jesse, Jesse. How could he not understand what he meant to her? How could he choose the BOS over her? Until the day she died, she would never understand his choice.

  Again, she rejected her own thoughts. They brought too much pain, and she wanted to allow herself to bask in her happiness, however temporary.

  Her phone buzzed, the insistent sound reminding her she’d left the ringer on vibrate like she always did when she went to bed. “Who could that be?” she asked, loathe to leave his arms.

  “It’s three in the morning,” Jesse commented. “Only bad news comes at this hour of the night. You’d better answer it.”

  Though she’d much rather just let the call go to voice mail, she reluctantly pushed up from the bed and crossed to the dresser. Jesse’s room, though much smaller than the master bedroom, somehow felt cozier and more welcoming. Of course, a lot of that probably had to do with the fact that Jesse occupied it.

  When she snatched up her phone, the Unknown Caller on the display made her groan. “If this is a wrong number…” she muttered, before answering with a muted hello.

  “Did you like my drone?” a familiar voice taunted. “I wanted to attach a note, but couldn’t figure out how to do that since the entire thing was going to explode.”

  “You called my cell,” she countered, shocked. “How’d you get this number? It’s private.”

  “I was tired of your boyfriend trying to trace my call on your landline. Last chance. Everything—the gunshots, the bomb, the drone—they’ve only been warnings. I’m done playing around. Do you have my money or not? If not, I’m afraid I’m going to actually have to kill you.”

  “But you said—”

  He cut her off. “It will be awful to leave Liam without a mother.”

  Though that sentence felt like a punch to the gut, something he’d no doubt intended, she refused to reveal her reaction. One thing she’d learned at her father’s knee was to never give the bullies what they wanted.

  “Why are you doing this?” she asked, letting at least the internal weariness she felt creep into her voice. Jesse sat up in the bed, instantly alert. She nodded, pointing to her phone and shaking her head.

  “I need my money. Now. I’m done playing around. If you don’t pay up, your life is over, along with that pretty-boy bodyguard of yours. Do you follow?”

  “I do.” She took a deep breath and then decided what the hell. “Once again, I don’t have the money. I have no possible way of even getting a tenth of that sum. You weren’t the only one Drew stole from. He emptied all my bank accounts.”

  After a few seconds of silence, the caller cursed. “I don’t believe you.”

  “I don’t care. And for your information, killing me still won’t get you your money. I’ll be dead and you’ll be out of luck. I’m sorry, I don’t know what to tell you.”

  More curses, some of them virulent enough that, despite growing up around bikers, they were new to her ears.

  As he wound down, she decided to go ahead and give voice to a suspicion that had been growing steadily in her thoughts. “Maybe you should let it go. By the way, Chris—if this is you—I know all about your relationship with my husband.”

  “He told you?” the caller gasped out, apparently before he thought better of it. “I find that impossible to believe.”

  Though she’d known the truth deep inside, learning her gut instinct had been right shook her. “No. I found a photo album of the two of you that he kept in a safe in his office. Also some documents. At one point, he must have contemplated marriage. He had a prenup drawn up.”

  Silence. “Hello?” she pressed. “Are you still there?” Again, no answer. Pressing the end call button, she faced Jesse, grimacing. “He hung up.”

  “Did he admit to being Chris?”

  “Pretty much, though he didn’t come out and confess it in so many words. He’s now threatening to kill me if I don’t come up with three million.”

  “He’s an amateur,” Jesse said.

  “How can you tell?”

  “First off, his attempts have been pretty ineffective so far. And they’ve all been the kind of thing someone who has no idea what they’re doing would try.”

  Intrigued, she eyed him. She loved the way he caressed her naked body with his gaze, making her wonder if he wanted to go another round.

  Focus, she reminded herself. “If shooting my window out, mailing me a bomb and then sending an explosive drone at me makes him an amateur, what would a professional do?”

  Jesse grimaced. “Are you sure you really want to know?”

  Maybe she didn’t, but there was no way she’d be admitting that now. “Yes.”

  “He would have sent a small group of men to grab you. You’d have been blindfolded, maybe drugged, and taken to some remote and secure location where they would hold you prisoner and torture you. They’d make a demand for ransom from your father, he’d pay, and maybe they might let you go free. Most likely not though. Guys like that prefer to tie up any loose ends.”

  His comments, delivered in a dry tone, made her shudder. “Then I guess I ought to be glad he’s not a professional.”

  “Yes, definitely. But that’s what the cartel will do to him, if they suspect him of having something to do with the money disappearing. And there’s a strong possibility he knows it.”

  “But why does he think I would have any idea where Drew might have stashed the money?” She swallowed hard as a horrible thought suddenly occurred to her. “What if the cartel thinks that too?”

  “To answer your first question, in law enforcement, when a husband steals large amounts of money, the wife usually is in on it.”

>   “In law enforcement? How would you know?” she asked, genuinely interested.

  “I watch a lot of TV,” he countered, shrugging. “And as to the second, if the cartel truly suspected you of anything, they’d go to your father. Three million dollars isn’t enough to jeopardize a profitable business relationship like they have with him.”

  “It’s not? To me, three million dollars is a lot of money.” Dragging her hands through her hair, she prowled the confines of the small room. “I just want this to stop. All of it. Drew’s been buried, I’ve contacted an attorney and made an appointment to start the probate process, and I want my life back. I don’t understand why the police are not getting anywhere on locating this guy. Seriously.”

  Jesse nodded. “I agree. Like I said, I’ll make some phone calls in the morning. Come back to bed.” The sexy rasp in his voice made her go weak inside.

  Still, she hesitated. If she spent the night wrapped in his arms, would that turn this into more than what it actually was? She hadn’t really thought past needing him as a distraction. She’d certainly gotten that. They’d enjoyed each other in a physical way. Cuddling or curling up beside each other to sleep would not only be foolish, but painful. The fact that she’d allowed herself to drift off after lovemaking should have galled her to no end.

  Despite that, she wanted to march herself right back over there and crawl back into his arms.

  “I’ll pass.” She smiled to show him she meant no harm.

  Something in his gaze told her he knew her thoughts. “It’s three in the morning,” he pointed out. “We’ve already discussed this, so where will you go?”

  Relief flooded her, though she refused to acknowledge it. She hated that she felt she needed some sort of justification for wanting to be with him.

  “You’re right,” she said, shutting her mind down to all rational thoughts as she crossed the room and slid under the covers and next to the warmth of his very sexy, muscular body.