Archer

by Debra Kayn

  “I need to go to him,” she whispered. “I’ll talk to him. I can calm him down.”

  “Sis, there’s things about Kage you need to know.” Garrett sighed. “This morning he met with his uncle.”

  “I figured that out already, between the talking in code and the mysterious looks, but I want to talk to Kage,” she said.

  “Dammit, will you sit still and listen.” Garrett ran his hand through his hair. “What you don’t know is, it’s a do-or-die situation with his family. They believe since he’s blood, he’s one of them. Kage stepping into their circle means he can’t walk away.”

  “But he won’t let it get that far. He’s not a criminal. He’s clean.”

  “Darrell Archer took a marker for the information he gave Kage on Carson.” Garrett stared at the table, not meeting her eyes.

  “Marker?” she whispered.

  “A favor. Kage had something, whether that was information or whatever, he didn’t say, that had kept his uncle away from him all these years. Now he has nothing to keep Darrell from coming after him, and he will come. The life Kage has lived is tainted, because he will never know when his uncle will use him or get rid of him if he thinks Kage’s trying to take him down. Men like that…they have ways of making people disappear. That marker kept Kage safe, and now he doesn’t have that insurance to protect himself.” Garrett leaned back and gazed at her. “Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

  Her stomach seized and she covered her mouth, gagging. Garrett cussed and pulled her out of the booth, across the bar, and pushed her into the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet before she lost her breakfast.

  Tears rolled down her face, but she blamed it on getting sick. Inside, she was dying. Nothing. Not one single thing Scott did to her was as awful as hearing what Kage gave up to keep her safe. She didn’t deserve it.

  Charlene and Sabrina rushed into the bathroom. She let them help her clean her face, murmuring soothing words as they surrounded her. But all she could think about was Kage and how she’d ruined his life.

  “Are you okay?” Sabrina rubbed Jane’s arms. “We’ll help you get through this, and that jerk will regret ever hurting you.”

  She let Sabrina pull her into a hug and hold her. “This is all my fault.”

  “Bullshit.” Charlene turned off the faucet and brought her a paper towel. “Dry your face. That ex-boyfriend of yours will pay. I don’t want to hear another word from you taking the blame for what he’s done.”

  The door opened and Kage stood just inside the entrance. She flinched, pulling away from Sabrina. His gaze swept over her body, landing on her face. His anger from earlier was nothing compared to right now.

  His eyes softened, belying the tension around his mouth. His jaw muscle ticked and his chest expanded. “You okay?”

  She shook her head.

  “Come on. I’ll take you home.” He spoke softly, holding out his hand.

  She walked with him out into the bar, past the others, and straight outside. She allowed him to buckle her seat belt before walking to the opposite side and taking the wheel. As they drove off, he held her hand. She squeezed his fingers, afraid more than ever she was going to lose him.

  When they arrived at Kage’s, she stopped him from opening his car door. “Is it true? Will your uncle come after you?”

  “He’ll try.” He relaxed back in the seat.

  “Kage, I can’t let you live the rest of your life worried…like I am. Give him back the marker or whatever it’s called,” she said.

  “Can’t.” He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “It’s over.”

  “But you need to keep yourself safe.”

  “I’ll only say this once, baby.” He locked his gaze on her. “There’s one thing more important than watching my own back or worrying about what’ll come my way because I had the misfortune of being an Archer.”

  “What?” she whispered.

  “You.”

  She melted. Then the guilt hit her whole body, overwhelming her. “Oh, Kage, I can’t—”

  He grabbed her head, pulled her forward, and kissed her hard. The multitude of emotions left her feeling as if she were swimming in the ocean, the tide pulling her away from shore, and all the breath she’d had left to scream for help had fled.

  “Let’s go rest up for tonight, and then I want you to get dressed in your best clothes,” he said.

  “W-what?” she breathed, because surely she was drowning.

  “We’ve got a date. It’s a little late considering, but it’s our first one, and I want to take my woman out on the town.” He opened the car door.

  As he walked around the front of the Mustang, she shivered. And not out of fear for how fast they were taking things.

  She was going out on a date with Kage.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Kage’s bedroom resembled a dressing room at Saks, minus the mirrors and complimentary coffee. Jane stood next to the bed in the ninth of the dresses Sabrina had brought to the house for her to try on in an attempt to fancy her up for her first date with Kage. The red stretchy material hugged her curves, its short skirt ending at the middle of her thighs.

  The thin straps allowed a deep V in the front and its scooped back dipped to an almost indecent level just above her ass. She twisted her upper body, studying her exposed flesh.

  “My back dimples are showing. Kage isn’t even going to see the dress, he’ll be staring at my back all night,” she said.

  “Girl, that’s hot. I’d give anything to have your dimples. Kage is going to go ballistic.” Sabrina sat down on the floor and opened a shopping bag. “I’ve got the perfect shoes too.”

  “I have bigger feet than you. I’ll never be able to wear them.” She eyed her favorite boots, the ones she had worn when she ran away from Scott. “I need something I can wear those with, or my sneakers. The clothes I left at the house when I went away for college don’t include high heels.”

  “You’re only a half a size bigger than me. You can handle a little discomfort for a couple of hours.” Sabrina held up a pair of red four-inch heels with a black spike. “Here they are. I bought them to go with the dress for Tiffany’s wedding last year.”

  “Tiffany Winters?” Jane sat down on the edge of the bed, remembering the lead cheerleader who led the fashion pack at Bay City High. “Who’d she marry?”

  “Tyler Schooner,” Sabrina said.

  “Get out!” Jane laughed, holding up her foot for Sabrina to put on the shoe. “He always had his head buried in a chemistry kit.”

  “Not anymore. He’s gorgeous and the proud daddy of a little girl.” Sabrina stepped back. “Perfect. Try to walk in them.”

  Jane stood and tottered. In a borrowed dress and shoes, excitement filled her. Scott had forbidden her to wear anything with an ounce of sexy in it the last two years. His idea that she was not to attract another man’s attention went to the level of paranoid.

  “How do they feel?” Sabrina asked.

  Jane walked to the dresser and back, finding her balance. “Okay. They’re a little tight in the toes, but the heel doesn’t rub.”

  “I told you they’d work for you.” Sabrina moved to pick up the mess they’d made in their mad search to find Jane something to wear.

  A knock came at the door. Sabrina scrambled to it and peeked out. “You can’t come in.”

  “Why not?” Kage said.

  “Because she has to make an entrance. It’s a girl thing. You have to pretend you’re not picking her up in your bedroom.” Sabrina glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at Jane. “He’s sexy, but he’s clueless on how women work.”

  “Reservations are in a half hour,” Kage said.

  “She’ll be ready. Just go…my God, you look hot.” Sabrina whistled. “Does Garrett ever clean up and wear anything like that?”

  “Um, you’d have to ask him,” Kage said. “Is she going to be ready in time?”

  “Of course. Go out in the living room
. She’ll come to you.” Sabrina slammed the door and faced Jane. “Makeup. Now!”

  As promised, Kage steered clear of the bedroom to give her time to prepare. In ten minutes, Jane put on her makeup, spritzed perfume on her lower back so as not to stain the dress, and left the room. Sabrina said her goodbyes.

  Jane hesitated in the hallway and pressed her hand to her stomach. She hadn’t expected butterflies, but there they were, fluttering on sunshine.

  A deep breath and a prayer she didn’t make a fool of herself, she stepped out into the living room. All worries left her. Kage stood beside the couch watching her.

  In a navy suit, cream-colored shirt and red tie, he’d transformed into a man who ate CEOs for breakfast. His stubborn lock of hair already rebelled and flopped down on his forehead. His gaze warmed, and she knew he liked what he was seeing. She ducked her chin, her heart racing. Oh, wow.

  “Baby?”

  She caught her lip between her teeth and raised her eyes to him. He came to her and, instead of taking her hand, he walked around her. Behind her, he sucked in his breath and his hand went to her back.

  Braless, she swiftly inhaled at the slight touch against her skin. She froze, smiling inside, letting him take his fill of her.

  “Fuck, Janie.” His finger traced the slight indentions on her lower back. “You’re killing me.”

  “Does it look all right?” she whispered, afraid he’d have her go change her outfit the way Scott always demanded when she dared buy something without his approval.

  “You’re beautiful. You’re always beautiful, but every man tonight will see what I get to take home with me, and I’m not sure I want another man’s eyes on you.” He walked around her and stood in front. “Do you understand why I would want to keep you to myself?”

  She swallowed. “Because you think I’ll tempt a man to talk with me?”

  “What?” He shook his head, putting his hands on each side of her face. “No, baby.”

  She frowned, and his thumbs swept her cheekbones, relaxing her facial muscles. “Did Carson make you think it was your fault if a man looked at you, talked with you?”

  Because Kage forced her to look at him, she closed her eyes to hide from the truth. She knew how ridiculous Scott’s demands were, and she’d fought with him over his controlling attitude more times than she could count. Sometime during their relationship—she couldn’t pinpoint exactly when she’d given up—she’d stopped fighting it.

  Her lack of effort to be perfect for him happened slowly, until she believed it was easier to go along with what Scott wanted. She opened her eyes and stared up into Kage’s face. How could he even like the person she’d become?

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “For what?”

  “I’ll go change.” She moved her foot back to walk away, but he held her in place.

  “You dressed for me?”

  Everything about today centered on pleasing Kage, but it was also about her. She sucked in her lower lip, remembered she had lipstick on, and sighed. She wanted to dress fancy and have a good time tonight. Of course, she never forgot that their purpose of going out on date was to draw Scott out in the open.

  “Yeah.” Her breathing grew shallow. “I wanted to thank you for giving me the best few days of my life. I…you…I have a lot going through my head. I can’t even think right, and I’m afraid I’m messing everything up.”

  “You’re afraid.” He wasn’t asking, he came to his own conclusions, and he was right.

  She nodded. “It’s stupid, I know. I remember what I was like, but sometimes it feels like that part of me has died.”

  “The Janie in you,” he whispered.

  Again, he wasn’t asking. He knew.

  “Soon we’re going to deal with what he’s done to you, and there’ll be nothing in your mind that brings him back between us. He doesn’t belong inside your head, let alone touching you. When I told you that you’re mine, I meant it. I also meant you’d be yourself. I know you’re struggling, baby. It kills me, because you don’t deserve to work through the scars Scott placed on you.”

  “I wasted four years, Kage. I lost my friends, my family, my dad.” She shook her head. “What if it’s too late?”

  “It’s not. I won’t let it be.” He wrapped her in his embrace. “You’re beautiful. You’d tempt a man just by breathing, but I’m selfish. Tonight your body is for me. Those dimples are mine to enjoy. Your attention is on me, and your dress is mine.”

  “Well, really it’s Sabrina’s outfit. She’s letting me borrow it,” Jane whispered against his chest, her body vibrating.

  His chest rumbled with laughter and he nuzzled her neck. “I’ll buy her a new one, because the moment we get home, I’m going to rip it off your body and take what is mine. All of you.” He trailed a finger along her cleavage. “This.” His hand went around to her ass. “This.”

  She leaned into him. “Kage…”

  “And after I’m done sampling everything…” He lowered his mouth to her ear. “I’m going to make your eyes flutter the way they do, right before you come.”

  “Shit,” she whispered, clutching his coat in her fingers. “Do we have to go out tonight?”

  He laughed again. “Yeah, baby. Let’s end this shit, so we can move on to better things, huh?” He leaned back, inhaling deeply. “I have something for you before we go.”

  “What?” she said.

  He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small canister the size of a one-and-a-half-inch socket. “It’s Mace. Slide the lever on top to the side and squeeze the orange strip. You want to point the top at your target. Make sure you don’t have it pointed up but away from you—you don’t want to get that stuff in your own eyes.”

  She held the Mace, turning it over in her hand. “Really? It’s mine?”

  “Yeah.” He tipped her chin, chuckling. “Will you lay off wanting a gun now and sneaking around headquarters?”

  “Yes.” She stood on her tiptoes in her borrowed high heels and kissed him on the lips. “Thank you. That has to be the coolest thing anyone has given me. Mace. I never would’ve thought to get any. I can take down Scott and watch him cry. It’s perfect.”

  “Whoa, hang on.” He shook his head, his lips twitching. “You’re not to play the hero. This is in case you need it, in case someone, somehow gets near you. I don’t want Carson anywhere close to you. You’re mine, so I’ll protect you, but if something happens, you’ll have a way to defend yourself and get away. You run like hell, baby, and don’t look back.”

  Her excitement dwindled, and she nodded. “Do you think he’ll show tonight?”

  “I hope.” He watched her put the Mace in a small clutch purse, also borrowed from Sabrina to go with the outfit. “I want him dealt with and gone.”

  Chapter Twenty

  On Friday nights, the Crystal Palace boasted a live quartet that’d make any man head straight to Corner Pocket for a beer. It wasn’t Kage’s prime choice for a date night. He’d rather hit a more intimate spot away from the high rollers who visited the casino if they were here on a real date and not drawing out Jane’s ex-boyfriend.

  Kage requested a table far from the music, near the windows that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. He scooted the edge of his empty plate forward and caught Lance’s eye.

  Lance and Garrett sat separately, one by the band, the other at the first table they’d passed as they entered the room. Their companions were oblivious to the purpose of their dates at the nicest restaurant in the casino. So far, Jane handled being the focus of everyone’s attention well.

  He’d worried about her blowing their plan. Her impulsive nature tended to get her in trouble, but he soon learned that if he kept his hands on her and her attention on him, she forgot she was sitting in the middle of a trap. Luckily, the atmosphere and the knowledge that they were on their first date seemed to distract her.

  The waitress arrived with dessert. A chocolate something or other that looked like cake with a side
of ice cream. Kage smiled at Jane’s reaction.

  “Next time,” he murmured.

  She tilted her head, her fork halfway to the cake. “What?”

  “We’ll do it right. Just you and me. We’ll have a real date.” He winked and stuck his fork in the dessert, reaching across the table to feed her a bite.

  “Maybe one day we can get a room here at the hotel, and you can teach me how to play the slots down in the casino. I’ve never gambled before.” Her smile grew and she scooted closer. “Maybe I’d win big.”

  “Not happening.” He took his own bite of cake. “We’ll go somewhere else. Not here.”

  “Why not?” Her back went straight, and then she dove into another bite of cake and muttered, “Sorry.”

  He grabbed her wrist before softening his touch and letting their hands fall to the table. “Look at me.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  “What’s going through your head?” He rubbed the soft skin on the inside of her wrist. “Don’t tell me what I want to hear. I want to know what you were thinking when you closed yourself off from me and apologized.”

  “I don’t understand what you want from me,” she said.

  “Answer me first. Why were you sorry?”

  She glanced at the tables beside them and lowered her voice. “It’s expensive. We don’t have to stay here.”

  “That’s what you thought?” He grinned, finding her interpretation of his reluctance to come back to this place hilarious.

  “Well, yeah. It’s the swankiest place I’ve ever been to. I guess I got caught up in the moment and forgot we’re here because”—she shrugged—“you know. We’re just pretending.”

  His humor fled. “We sure in the hell aren’t pretending. This is real, you and me. I’ve told you, and I’ll keep telling you until you understand. I don’t play games.”

  “Okay,” she breathed. Her eyes relaxed and her breasts rose, pushing against the neckline of the dress.

  He brought her hand to his lips and skimmed his mouth across her fingers. “The reason I don’t want to bring you back here is because my uncle has his hands in the workings of the casino. There’s a good possibility that he’s downstairs right now and he’s got the camera aimed at our table. I don’t like him looking at what is mine.”