by Taylor Lee
“Step aside, Lt. Colonel. I’m pulling rank. I haven’t had this gorgeous woman in my arms since she became Major Anderson. At the very least that promotion deserves a kiss from her former commander.”
Pulling Tiffany into his arms, he grinned at Brady’s low growl.
“See how it feels, Lt. Colonel? Man, I’m going to enjoy this. Payback time, buddy!” He gave Tiffany a loud smack on the cheek.
Lexie rose to her feet.
“Not so fast, you two. There’s not going to be any ménages around here that I’m not a part of. In that Jake has promised to emasculate any man who touches me… that leaves me out. Since I would return the favor if anyone went after Jake, guess that leaves Tiffany with Brady and… maybe, Peter, since Master Wan is also spoken for…”
In the general laughter that followed, Brady put a possessive arm around Tiffany.
“Swear to God, I never thought I’d hear these words coming out of my mouth. But anybody who even breathes wrong around this woman is a dead man.”
Jake guffawed.
“Damn, man. You’re right. I never thought I’d see you all wrapped up pretty and pussy-whipped. Gotta say, I can’t blame you. I’ve known this stunning redhead as long as you have and if anyone—”
Lexie couldn’t hide her frown.
Jake laughed. “Hang on there, Darlin’! Let me qualify that. I’ve known Major Anderson, but in a distinctly different way than my drooling partner here. As you know, sweetheart, I only have eyes for you. And everything else, for that matter.”
Turning to Peter and Master Wan who were sitting at the table clearly enjoying the scene playing out in front of them, Jake pointed at Tiffany,
“Gentlemen, I would bring our guest over to you but I may need this hand in the future and no doubt Brady would break it off if I touch the Major.”
His wink confirmed that like Lexie he was remembering back to their ‘primitive men and their mates’ conversation.
“But I’ll be brave. Peter, Master Wan, may I introduce Major Tiffany Anderson, soon I hope to be retired Major Anderson. Now I know you think that Brady convinced this gorgeous creature to leave the United States Army and come to San Francisco. In actuality, it was my offer to make her a partner in our consulting firm that did the trick.”
Brady grimaced.
“Unfortunately, Jake is probably right about that. Damn, I’ve been after Tiffany for more than a year, but she only agreed to come when Jake convinced her that we needed her in our company.”
Tiffany leaned her head against Brady’s shoulder.
“You’re correct, Commander. Your offer was compelling. But Brady’s ‘proposition’ sealed the deal.”
Lexie noted that Tiffany bit her bottom lip when she said that. She knew from watching Brady agonize for the last year how hard he’d tried to convince Tiffany that he loved her. Lexie wasn’t surprised that it was a challenging task. As long as she’d known Brady, he’d been the epitome of a commitment-phobe. And his reputation with women was as infamous as Jake’s had been before Jake fell in love with her. Seeing the shining light in her friend’s eyes, it was clear to her that Brady was gaga over the lovely woman. Whether or not Tiffany felt the same way, it was hard to tell. Lexie could sympathize. These damn powerful men could sweep you off your feet with their overwhelming charm–but then what?
Master Wan stepped up to Tiffany and bowed low.
“Welcome, Major Anderson. Now I understand why Brady has been moping around our house for a year now. Being apart from you must have been a challenge indeed.”
Tiffany returned his bow and greeted him in Chinese.
Master Wan’s face lit in appreciation and he replied in Mandarin.
Tiffany upped the ante when she spoke again in Chinese indicating that she was honored to meet him. She told him that she had studied with Chan Giong in Beijing and that the world renowned grandmaster had sent Master Wan his fond regards.
Master Wan replied eagerly. Clearly he was delighted and impressed.
Lexie also spoke Chinese and was surprised to feel an involuntary twinge of jealousy. Learning Chinese had been one of the things she had done to surprise and to honor Master Wan. It had been something they shared. To hear Tiffany rattle off a full five minute exchange with her beloved teacher about people and things Lexie didn’t know was disconcerting.
As if her Chinese weren’t impressive enough, Tiffany responded to Peter’s greeting in flawless Korean. Clearly as charmed as Master Wan by the lovely Major who was accomplished and beautiful, Peter launched into a smiling repartee in Korean with Tiffany. The fact that Jake was smiling at her as though she was one of his prized pupils didn’t help to quell the annoyance twisting in Lexie’s gut. On one level she was embarrassed that she was jealous, but damn, she was accustomed to being the woman all the men fluttered around. Watching Peter and Master Wan and Jake, for god’s sake, maneuver to get closer to the fiery redhead had Lexie digging her fingernails into her fists.
At the sound of a low snarling sound, she turned to see Brady glaring at the three men. The fierce look on his face would have made her laugh, but Lexie understood. She felt the same way.
Once again Jake swaggered into the mix, delighted to poke at his friend’s discomfort. He seemed to miss the frown on her face.
“Hey, Brady, What’s that look for? Surely you must be used to every man in the room ogling your babe?”
Brady responded tersely.
“Yeah. I am. But the ones doing the ogling aren’t usually my partners—or frankly, men I expect more from,” he added glowering at Master Wan.
Master Wan gave a rare full out laugh. Peter and Jake joined in.
No doubt enjoying pricking at Brady, Master Wan bowed. With a twinkle in his eyes, he said, “Pardon my imprudence, Col. Schaefer. I trust you’ll not mention it to Madam Juen. She’s likely to put some kind of a spell on your lovely lady—and me.”
Peter also stepped back.
“My apologies as well, Brady. It’s just that I am accustomed to you taunting Jake with every kind of overture to Lexie. I can’t help but be delighted to see the tables turned.”
He reached for Tiffany’s hand and gave her an outrageous wink.
“Rather than frustrating our friend here, perhaps you and I should agree to meet privately—perhaps over a quiet lunch or dinner?”
When Brady growled outright, Peter added a qualifier jab, “Where we could catch up on all the activities in Korea, of course.”
Jake threw an arm around his friend’s shoulders and gave him a playful hug.
“Okay everyone, enough amusement at Brady’s expense—at least for now. Just know, dude, that I owe you big time.”
When Brady responded with a grim smile without a hint of his usual glee, Jake took pity on him.
“Let’s be clear. Brady is a constant thorn in my side. But he is also my best friend. This cocky guy has saved my life as many times as I’ve saved his. There’s no one who has been a better friend to me or to Lexie than Brady. I want you to know, man, how much it means to me that you have Lexie’s back. And that you take almost as good care of her as I do. Tiffany, I hope that Lexie and I can be as big a comfort to you as Brady has been to Lexie.”
His dark blue eyes flashed with mirth and he winked at Tiffany. “That doesn’t mean that I won’t be on your ass the way I was when we did missions together. The difference is that now you can tell me to shove it up my ass. That said, I’m still the commander and I hate to tell you Tiff, but we are dealing with some of the most ruthless sons of bitches I’ve run up against. With my history, that is saying something. I have a feeling that you and the golden boy would like to get the hell out of here and beat it back to Brady’s snazzy condo. But we need to prepare for an important meeting tomorrow.”
“Absolutely. I’m looking forward to the briefing. Don’t forget, Jake, I’ve spent the last two years at Garrison Yongsan, much of the time hassling the guys who work for Young-soo. I don’t know if Brady told you but in additi
on to being undercover most of the time, I was a master CQC trainer. I headed up the program at Garrison.”
“I’ve seen you fight, Tiffany, but to be a CQC master trainer is another level altogether. Damn, we can use your skills.”
Lexie hoped Jake didn’t see her frown. The slight smile on Peter’s face signaled that he hadn’t missed it. She snorted under her breath. Oh great. That’s all she needed to do. Let on to the guys that she was jealous of the new girl. But damn, if she was going to have competition, you didn’t have to look twice at the redhead to know that she had met her match.
Brady didn’t hide his pride. “Peter, you will be impressed. Tiffany trained with some former Kkangpae bad boys. She hit me with some moves last Christmas that could have taken me down. She pulled her kicks or I would still be flat on the ground.”
“That’s saying something, Brady. Who did you work with Tiffany, in the Kkangpae?”
“Chae-ku. I was jumped in an alley my first week in Seoul. In retrospect, I swear the guys at Yongsan put them up to it. None of our troops were happy to learn that the new CQC master trainer was a ditzy redhead. Knowing what I was up against, I checked around and found the most vicious Kkangpai warrior around who was willing to train a woman. After two months with Chae-ku, nobody bothered me again. And our guys actually fought to train with me.”
Peter whistled. “Whew! I’ve heard of Chae-ku. Before he dropped off the scene he was a legend. In addition he is no longer active in the Jopok. The only way you ‘choose’ to leave the Jopok is by being ferocious enough to make them afraid to force you back in. I look forward to hearing more of your experiences, Tiffany. I’m confident we know many of the same assholes.”
Peter turned to Jake and Brady. “Congratulations, both of you. You couldn’t have chosen a better addition to your firm. And, Brady, you are one lucky son of a bitch.”
Lexie had enough. She was happy for Brady. She’d always wanted him to have someone special in his life. She just wasn’t sure she was ready for the impact Tiffany would have on Brady’s and her relationship. And as for Jake’s open-mouthed admiration for the beautiful redhead, that was another issue. The acid burning in her gut told her it was a more serious one than her apparently changing relationship with Brady.
She headed to the door.
“Tell you what, Jake. You and Brady and Peter can update Tiffany on the hell we’re facing. I presume Dan sent over photographs of the girls. When you give Tiffany the gory details, don’t sugar-coat the facts. Heads up, Tiffany. Three young girls were brutally murdered. The primary responsibility is mine. The guys will try to cover for me. I presume you’re smart enough to see through their bullshit.”
Jake quirked a surprised brow then frowned. “Lexie. Wait. Don’t go. Tiffany can benefit from your input. Hell, you masterminded the whole goddamned operation.”
“Yeah, I did. Didn’t I, Jake?” Lexie sniffed dispassionately. “And look at where that’s got us.”
Jake rose and was at her side before she reached the door. He grasped her arm. His voice was low, commanding.
“Lexie, I would like you to stay.”
Lexie tossed her head and shook her arm free from his grasp. “No can do, Jake. I’m tired and I still have three classes to teach and then I’m going for a run.”
She tossed Tiffany a caustic smile. “My students aren’t anywhere near what you’re accustomed to, Tiffany. They are merely aspiring national champions. Kids with big dreams and high hopes. A big difference from the hotshots you train.” Ignoring Jake’s deepening frown she added, “In the next couple of days, you’ll have to stop by the dojo. Maybe we can spar a few rounds. If I’m not here, you’re welcome to use the equipment any time you wish.”
Lexie felt Jake’s troubled gaze but she ignored it. Brushing his arm away, she plastered what she hoped was a reasonably pleasant smile on her face.
“Welcome to San Francisco, Tiffany. I know Brady and Jake are thrilled you agreed to join their company.”
Tiffany’s narrowed gaze confirmed that she saw through Lexie’s plastic pleasantry and caught the jibe about the company.
Obviously accustomed to dealing with slights, Tiffany’s tone was even, unruffled.
“I hope you are happy to have me as well, Lexie. Everything Brady has told me makes me feel like I know you. And of course, you were the most important person in the world to Anthony. He raved about you.”
If she’d driven a knife through her belly, Tiffany couldn’t have hurt her more. When Brady fell for Tiffany, Lexie had put aside the fact that when the guys first met Tiffany years ago in Korea, it was her brother Anthony who’d fallen for the redhead. Lexie could still remember Anthony’s telephone call. He told Lexie in a voice filled with awe, that if he could fall in love, it would be with the lovely Tiffany. Their various missions kept the two potential lovers apart… and then Anthony was killed.
Tiffany’s casual mention of Anthony was the final straw in a horrible couple of days of painful events. Lexie acknowledged Tiffany’s words were innocent, that she didn’t intend the agony they caused. Lexie bit down hard on her lip, not trusting herself to respond.
Tiffany shot her a troubled frown but nevertheless once again reached out.
“It will be nice to work on a team with another woman. Especially one who has as many skills as you do, Lexie.”
Lexie scoffed.
“Sorry, Tiffany. But I’m not much of a team player. Ask your new partners. The best I can do is to try to stay out your way.”
Lexie didn’t need to look behind her to know the looks the men must be exchanging. Hot tears burned her eyelids. Damn, under ordinary circumstances Brady would be chasing after her. With one teasing taunt after another he’d soon have her laughing at her foolishness. That thought made the hurt worse. It underscored that with Tiffany on the scene, her relationship with Brady would never be the same. He’d need to focus on his woman, not his best friend’s woman.
Lexie groaned. God, she was acting like a spoiled teenage girl. Miffed that a new girl had come to their school and it looked like she would be more popular with ‘the boys’ than Lexie was. To top it off, the new chick stole Lexie’s best friend. Lexie closed her eyes not knowing whether to laugh at herself or cry. She decided to do both. On the longest running trail she could find. It was a cinch she couldn’t stay in the dojo after her classes. With her luck Tiffany would be there surrounded by a circle of fawning men wanting to see the latest and greatest from the hottest fucking martial artist around.
UUGH!!! She looked up at the sky and murmured a silent prayer. Please, God. Help me.
Chapter 7
Lexie pounded along the trail, running faster and farther than she ever had. If someone had asked her to describe the sights along her twenty mile round trip she would have been clueless. Her eyes never acknowledged the ocean at her left or the majestic forests on her right. She passed through crowded thoroughfares and quiet tree-lined streets—none of which made it past her mental gatekeeper. Instead she’d focused on the jumbled pictures in her ever busy mind. Unlike Master Wan and Jake, she’d never mastered the centered peacefulness of meditation. ‘Quiet mind’ as the experts called it eluded her. She’d tried over the years, but sitting quietly allowing her raging thoughts and fears to fade away into ‘nothingness’ was beyond her. Running for endless miles or beating a bag were her drugs of choice for maintaining her sanity.
She wondered if Tiffany could meditate. She sneered. Of course Tiffany could. She’d probably written the seminal book on the benefits of transcendental meditation for special operative bad boys. With her picture on the book jacket, no less. Probably with the buttons on her USC uniform casually unbuttoned to show off her impressive torso. Lexie managed a grim smile at the idea of a semi-naked Tiffany on an ‘academic’ book cover that was required reading for special ops wannabes. If nothing else it would occupy a critical place under their mattresses instead of the ubiquitous Hustler or Playboy magazines.
Lexie was self-aware
enough to know that focusing on Tiffany was her way of protecting herself from the agony of the murdered girls. The girls’ deaths and her indirect role in the hideous murders had rocked her to her core. Tiffany’s arrival was just one more reminder of what they were up against. Solving the murders and bringing down Mr. E. would require the best of their ace team. A team Lexie wasn’t sure would work for her. Whether she could fit. Working with two, no, with Peter make that three, hard-assed military hotshots who worked together like a well-oiled machine was challenging enough. Now add one more crack military undercover dynamo who also happened to be gorgeous and it was even less likely Lexie would fit in. Oh and don’t forget, that the new ‘guy’ on the squad was a renowned martial artist maybe as good as—or better than—Lexie.
Fuck. What she wanted to do was hit the streets. Meet with her snitches. Wear one of her ‘street’ costumes that allowed her entry into any brothel in the District. Sure it was dangerous. But what wasn’t? She knew the streets would be buzzing with chatter about the murders. A night of prowling the District in one of her many disguises and meeting up with some of her sources was sure to pay off. As it was, she’d put out the word that she’d pay top dollar for any information about the scum who’d killed the girls. But to get the information she paid for, she needed to be on site. No one would come to her. That truly was dangerous, for them and for her. No, she needed to meet the shadowy figures on their turf. She hadn’t told Jake what she’d done, of course. But then when had she had the time? Her ‘team’ had spent most of the afternoon briefing Tiffany. A task she reminded herself with a shiver of guilt, she’d refused to participate in.
~~~
It was dark when she reached the Jai Li Center. Master Wan’s study door was closed. Lexie quieted her footsteps thinking that if the gods were with her, her sensei and Jake were enjoying one of their after dinner cognacs. The two most important men in her life had become close friends. Jake’s father had been an Army Colonel and was killed in an overseas clandestine mission when Jake was just a teenager. In the last year, the solemn Chinese man became more than a father figure for Jake, he became a trusted confidant. Just as Jake revered the wise elderly man, Master Wan respected the accomplished hero who’d begun to fill the empty hole in the household left by Anthony’s death. Moreover, Master Wan made no secret of his delight that someone as strong as Jake had fallen for the feisty, headstrong young woman Master Wan called his ‘spirit daughter.’