“Over what?”
“He thought something belonged to him, but I proved to him that it was all mine.”
She smiled at me, shaking her head slightly. “And another one joins the ranks. Well, it was nice to meet you. Try not to prove to him anything else until the stitches heal.”
“I won’t be around to teach him anymore lessons.”
“Yes, you will,” Knight said darkly. “See, you can’t get out without one of us escorting you out, so I guess you’re stuck here.”
I looked to Kate for help, but she just shrugged. “Sorry, I don’t get in the middle of his business. Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you in any way.” But I didn’t miss how she glared at Knight. That wasn’t very reassuring.
After she walked away, I turned back to Knight, determined to get out of here. I knew how this would go. They would take my information and cut me out of the loop. That was the way all these people handled shit. Everything was kept in house and any outsiders were pushed out. That wasn’t going to happen to me. “Look, I need to grab my stuff out of my car. If you want the information that was in Cortez’s house, you’re going to have to let me go to my car.”
“Yeah, like I’m going to buy that.”
“You want to check me out? I can guarantee you won’t find a thing on me.” I held my arms wide as he stared at me for a second. He walked right up to me and patted me down, but he didn’t find a single thing on me. Mostly because I had done a very good job of hiding the key, and also, my necklace was designed to look like a necklace. He would never guess that it was something else. He sighed as he stepped back.
“Fine, let’s go.”
I nodded and followed him to the elevators, acting totally cool as I exited the elevator and headed for my car. Now I just had to find a way to slip away from this guy. As we approached my car and I unlocked it, a call came in and he answered it. He was distracted, even turned away from me as he started talking. By what I could hear on my end, I was guessing it was his wife. I slipped inside and locked the doors, then started the engine. He spun around, pulling his gun, but I was already peeling out of the parking spot. I saw him standing behind me, but he did nothing and then I realized why. There was no way for me to get past the gate. I almost slowed down, but then I saw a car in front of me, most likely his wife’s car, and I gunned the engine. They were just opening the gate for her. I rammed her from behind, pushing her through the gate, panicking as I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Knight chasing me down with his gun out. Kate’s car surged forward and I spun around her, taking the chance that he wouldn’t fire at me when his wife was so close. When I looked in the rearview mirror, he was rushing to his wife’s side and completely ignoring me.
I decided to stick around town. My other option was to head to Pittsburgh, which I really didn’t want to do. Going back to the city would draw too much attention to myself. But I couldn’t very well just drive around town when I had just escaped from Reed Security. I drove around the country, just about five miles outside the city limits, and found a cluster of trees where I could ditch my car. I gathered everything from my car, even wiped down the inside to make sure I wasn’t leaving anything behind that could be traced to me. I stuffed the wipes in my bag and slung it over my shoulder to start the trek back to town. I would be lying if I said that walking alone in the country didn’t scare the piss out of me. I wasn’t a country girl by any means, so this was all foreign territory to me.
I started walking toward town, my boots way more comfortable than the shit I had to wear for the bureau. As I walked, I found myself smiling at current circumstances. I had gone from a law abiding citizen, defender of the constitution of the United States, to a criminal that broke into houses and stole data. Then I fled from a prominent security company and was now walking down a dark road all alone, with nothing to my name but the duffel over my shoulder. I felt kickass and for the first time in my life, I wasn’t really worried about a thing, other than digging into the senator and finding out what he was up to. If I couldn’t find justice at my job, I was sure as hell going to branch out on my own and figure it out.
I heard gravel crunching and light shone brightly behind me. I turned, putting my hand up to shield my eyes and moved further to the side of the road. I wasn’t about to take a ride from anyone. I had heard too many stories about women that accepted help from a stranger, only to never be seen or heard from again. Not that I was too worried about it. I had a few guns on me after all. The truck pulled to a stop beside me and the window rolled down, but I kept walking.
“Do you need help?”
“Not at all.”
“Are you lost?” the man asked.
“Nope,” I said with confidence. I had no clue where I was going, but I wasn’t worried. I could handle myself.
“Hey, ma’am-”
I spun, pulling my gun out and pointing it right at the man. He was handsome with dark hair that was slightly longer, giving him kind of a rogue-ish appeal that I found charming. But then Parker flickered through my mind, erasing any attraction I might have felt for this man.
“Do you have a hearing problem?” I asked.
The man held up his hand, his wedding band flickering in the moonlight. “Geez, lady, I was just checking to see if you needed help.”
“If I needed help, I would have said so the first time you asked.”
“Point taken.”
He rolled up his window and took off down the road, leaving me in his dust. I coughed, waving the dust from the gravel away from my face. I continued on my way, now only thinking about one thing, Parker. He was definitely built. I would know, I had felt his arm muscles as they wrapped around me when I was helping him to the car. And when I slipped my arm around his back, the way his back flexed under my fingers sent tingles down my spine.
I closed my eyes as I continued down the road and his handsome face flashed through my mind. He wore his hair super short, which I normally didn’t like. I wanted to run my fingers through a man’s hair when I fucked him, but on Parker, it was a good look. I could still see those dark brown eyes as he broke down my door. They trailed over my body like he was memorizing every inch of me. It made me wet just imagining him doing it again.
I shivered and pulled my jacket tighter around me, even though I wasn’t cold. There was a need rushing through me that I couldn’t control. It had been too long since I had a man between my legs, especially one as powerful as Parker. I could practically feel him brushing up against me and slamming me against a wall. And it didn’t take much to imagine what it would feel like to have his large hands shoving my pants down and slipping inside me.
I yelped when I tripped over a rut in the ground. My ankle twisted painfully to the side and I tumbled down the embankment of the ditch. I stared up at the night sky and cursed myself for walking with my eyes closed in the dark and dreaming about a man that I would never have.
I hobbled into the bed and breakfast, shoving the door open with more force than necessary. I was pissed. It took me longer than I expected to get into town since I was stupid and tripped in the dark because I was daydreaming about a man. Now I was a dirty mess, and I was cranky and in need of food. I hit the bell on the counter and waited for someone to arrive. A woman with dark brown hair came to the front with a smile on her face.
“Can I help you?”
“Yeah, I need a room.”
She looked me up and down, her face taking in the dirt on my clothes and the bag slung over my shoulder. I quirked an eyebrow at her, challenging her to say something, anything to me. I’d smack that comment right off her lips.
“Do you have ID?” she asked, her lips twitching.
“None that I can give you,” I answered, as if that was a good enough answer and she would just accept it.
She nodded with a little shrug. “Okay. I can put you up in a room, but you’re going to have to put down an extra deposit. You look like the kind of woman that would cause trouble.”
Well, I coul
dn’t argue with her there. “Fine. How much?”
“Let’s say, an extra two hundred. There’s a bathroom attached to your room and I can have the kitchen send something up to you if you’re hungry.”
“That’d be great.”
“Any food preferences?”
“Something that moos?”
She laughed as she took my money and entered information into the computer. When she was finished, she motioned for me to follow her up the stairs. I winced when I took the first step and hiked my bag up higher on my shoulder, trying to offset the balance to climb more comfortably. I felt shaky by the time I reached the top of the stairs, but didn’t say a word as she led me down the hall to a room. It was nice, way too girly for my tastes, but I wasn’t here to relax.
“So, the wifi password is on the desk, and breakfast is served every day between six and nine. I’ll go ahead and ask the kitchen to send something up to you, but normally, it’ll close by nine. If you need anything else, just ring the front desk. My name is Lindsey.”
“Thanks,” I said, dismissing her with my back. When I heard the door snick closed, I flopped down on the bed and flopped back, staring up at the ceiling. I must have drifted off to sleep, because when I woke up, there was someone knocking on my door. I grumbled as I got to my feet and flung the door open. A woman stood on the other side, a shocked expression on her face. She was absolutely beautiful, looking way too fancy to be in a place like this. And I definitely wouldn’t expect to see her in a chef’s jacket.
“You have something in your hair,” she said, pointing with her free hand as she balanced the tray in her other hand.
I picked at my hair, pulling out a few dead leaves that must have worked their way in my hair when I tumbled down into the ditch.
“Thanks,” I mumbled. I grabbed the tray from her and made my way back inside, shocked when she followed me.
“Lindsey said that you were peculiar.”
“She did, huh?”
“Yep, and she wasn’t wrong. I’m Vanessa, by the way.”
I turned back to her, expecting her to leave, but she didn’t. Instead, she pulled out my desk chair and took a seat.
“What are you doing?”
“Digging for information,” she said, as if it was obvious.
“You’re not going to get anything.”
“Oh, I know that. I’m not even close to an interrogator.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Because I’m curious.”
I stared at her a moment, wondering why this woman was still sitting in my room. Hadn’t she ever heard of manners? It was rude to stare. “You can leave now.”
“Oh, I will. I was just taking it all in,” she said, waving up and down my body.
Another knock sounded at the door and I huffed in irritation, walking over to see who it was. Lindsey, the woman that brought me up, was outside the door with another woman. This one was dressed in medical scrubs and had a bag in her hands.
“So, I saw you limping and thought I would bring a friend by to have you checked out,” Lindsey said, pushing her way into my room.
“Hi, I’m Ali,” the other woman smiled, holding out her hand. I looked at her hand, then back up at her. She shrugged when I didn’t take it and moved past me into the room. “So, you hurt your ankle?”
“It’s fine,” I said stiffly, feeling like I had entered an alternate universe.
“What are we thinking?” Lindsey asked. “Running from a man?”
“No,” Vanessa shook her head. “She’s in really good shape and she’s carrying a gun at the small of her back.”
“Private contractor?” Ali asked, unzipping her medical bag.
“No, she doesn’t have any ID,” Lindsey answered. “A private contractor would be prepared for this sort of thing.”
“Who are you people?” I asked incredulously.
“I’m putting my money on former military,” Ali said. “You can see it in the way she moves.”
“I’d have to agree,” Vanessa sighed.
“Sorry, but who the hell are you and why are you in here questioning me?”
“Oh, sorry about that,” Lindsey said, waving it off like it was nothing. “It’s sort of a new habit now. See, our husbands are all badass warriors, so after a while, you just kind of start picking up on what they look for.”
“Wait,” I stopped her, dread setting deep inside. “Your husbands…where do they work?”
“Reed Security,” Vanessa answered.
I shook my head, not believing that I had fled the damn place, only to end up in their wives’ bed and breakfast. “Unbelievable.” I moved to the bed and picked up my bag, ignoring the twinge in my ankle.
“Wait, do you know them?” Ali asked.
“Not all of them, but yeah, you could say I’ve come in contact with them. One in particular that I hope to stay away from the rest of my life.”
“Knight,” they all responded immediately.
My jaw dropped and I shook my head. I couldn’t believe my luck. This was bullshit. I had managed to meet a person that worked for Reed Security, ended up in their lair, and was now with their wives. Talk about a small world.
“Yeah, I’m outta here,” I said, moving for the door.
“Don’t leave! We’re not going to tell them you’re here,” Lindsey practically shouted.
“Why wouldn’t you tell them? I could be anyone.”
“Yeah,” Vanessa nodded, “but, don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t really look like a threat.”
I bristled at that. I had just pushed one of them through a window. I could definitely hold my own. “You shouldn’t make assumptions.”
“Don’t misunderstand me, I think you could definitely kick ass, but you don’t look like someone that’s out to destroy our families.”
Well, that much was true, but I wasn’t sure that I wanted to take their word for it. I mean, people said one thing and did another all the time. “And why should I trust you?”
“Well, did you hurt any of them?” Ali asked.
“Would you consider me ramming into Knight’s wife’s car so that I could escape as hurting one of them?”
Their eyes all went wide and their jaws dropped.
“That was you?” Vanessa asked. “You’re like a legend among the wives.”
“How? This happened just a few hours ago.”
“News spreads fast,” Lindsey said, starting to pace the room. “Not many people get the drop on Knight. Rumor has it that you also threw Parker through a window. Not that he’s part of Reed Security, but wow. So, we need a plan.”
“The guys can’t know she’s here,” Ali agreed. “Why were you running anyway?”
“Because they were trying to steal my information.”
Lindsey snorted, shaking her head slightly. “Figures. You’re an outsider and they think they can handle everything.”
“So, wait, you guys aren’t going to tell them that I’m here?”
“Women have to stick together,” Ali said with a nod. “I mean, I will totally flay you if you hurt any of them. We may not be as kickass as you, but we know enough.”
“As long as you aren’t trying to hurt any of them, you can stay as long as you want. They won’t hear about you staying here from us,” Lindsey said, “But whatever you’re doing, you’d better do it fast. They are very skilled at finding people.”
“I don’t plan on being here longer than I have to. I just need a place to lay low for a few days until I can figure out my next move.”
“Then we’ll make sure that no one knows you’re here,” Ali grinned. “Now, let me check out that ankle.”
Chapter Eight
Parker
“So, do you think she’s really that good or is he just really that bad?”
“My money is somewhere in between. I mean, no self-respecting man gets his ass handed to him like that. I’m guessing that she used her body to distract him. Typical female move.”
&n
bsp; “I resent that. I hardly ever use my body to distract someone.”
“Do I need to remind you of the biker bar?”
I groaned, lifting my hand to my pounding head. Where the fuck was I? And who was talking? I peeled my eyes open and took in the four faces staring down at me. Blinking rapidly, I cleared the blur from my eyes and tried to remember who everyone was. Hunter was standing over me with his arms crossed over his chest, and then there were three more people that I vaguely remembered from Christmas.
As I looked around the room, there was one person that was missing that damn well should have been here. “Where is she?”
“FBI lady?” Hunter asked. “Yeah, she rabbited.”
One of the other guys scoffed, laughing slightly. “She’s a little minx. I can’t believe she got away from Knight.”
“Yeah, Knight’s not going to be so forgiving about that.”
“Why? Because a woman beat him at his own game?” the woman snapped.
“Sorry, who are you?”
“I’m Gabe. This is Alec and that’s Florrie. They’re together.”
I nodded, like I really gave a shit if they were together or not. I sat up, cringing at the pain in my side, and swung my legs over the side of the table. I was in a fucking hospital gown. “Who changed me?”
“I did, asshole,” Hunter snapped. “You could just say thank you.”
“Where are my clothes?”
Gabe grabbed them off the chair and threw them at me. “Here. Not sure where you think you’re going like that.”
“To find my mystery woman. Did she tell you anything?”
“You mean, other than the fact that she works for the FBI?” Hunter asked.
“Not cool, by the way,” Gabe said. “How would you like it if we brought a fed into your house?”
I pulled on my pants, wondering why they were all just standing there looking at me. Didn’t anyone have any fucking privacy anymore? “I didn’t know she was a fed until she was dragging my ass over here. Besides, she’s not a fed anymore. She was fired over something she saw. She was looking into Cortez, just like me.”
Parker: A Reed Security Romance Page 6