by Lexi Blake
“Know what?” He wanted to reach out, but he doubted she would accept affection from him.
“That it wouldn’t work. It’s just a fantasy, Adam. It wouldn’t work because people don’t function like that.”
“Why the hell would you say that?”
She laughed a little, but there was no humor in it. “Empirical data, as my ex would say. The first time I get really close to Jacob, you flip out. I would always be in the middle, wouldn’t I? I would always be worried that I was paying too much attention to one and not enough to the other. It sounds like a dream, but I’m now realizing what a nightmare it could be.”
He leaned against the window, trying to force her to look him in the eyes. “You were right the first time, Serena. I screwed this up because I’m just as insecure as the rest of the world. I heard you talking to Jake, and I suddenly wondered what the hell I can offer you.”
“What are you talking about?”
She’d been so honest with him. It was time he paid her back. If this was going to work, she would have to know a few things about him. “I don’t know what I can offer you. I worry that if you fall for Jake, you won’t have any use for me.”
“It doesn’t work like that, Adam.”
How little she knew. “Now I’m going on empirical data. It does work like that. I should know because the minute I proved to be a nuisance, I lost my family. I was never quite enough for my father, you see. I wasn’t as strong as my oldest brother or as smart as my younger brother. And then I was useless. Serena, I don’t have a family any more. My father and my brothers no longer speak to me.”
She finally turned to him, concern written all over her face. She really needed a keeper. “Why?”
“Because I was given a general discharge from the Army. Do you understand what that means?”
“It means they found some reason to force you out, but you didn’t do anything criminal. Who did you sleep with that you shouldn’t have?”
“A woman who one of the commanding officers was crazy about. She was also a couple of ranks up from us. Me and Jake were Special Forces, but she was intelligence. She was more important, and she knew it. We were sleeping with her, but when we got caught, the charges were that we were sleeping with each other. Back then, don’t ask, don’t tell meant don’t get caught.”
Her jaw dropped open. “Your father thinks you’re gay? Well, why don’t you tell him the truth?”
Naïve little thing. “I tried, sweetheart. He was done with me the minute the story made the rounds. My family has a long and storied career of military service. A Miles has died in every war this country has fought since the War of 1812. He would rather I had taken a grenade to the gut in Afghanistan than get discharged. My brothers agree with him. They have their happy, vanilla lives, and they no longer acknowledge the pervert in the family.”
“What about your mom?”
He wasn’t sure his mom would have made a difference. He barely remembered her. She was a picture on a wall, a pretty woman who seemed so proud to be standing next to her officer husband. Would she have stood by him? He doubted it. “She died when I was five. Cancer. Dad remarried, but Justine didn’t want to have much to do with us kids. We were all sent to boarding school. I didn’t live at home after I was seven years old. I expected to have a long-term military career. Except I discovered I liked sharing. Apparently the Army isn’t hip to what’s hot in erotic romance.”
Her hands came up to cup his shoulders. “Adam, I’m so sorry to hear that.”
He took advantage. He pulled her in for a hug. He would take what he could get, and if her sympathy got his foot back in the door, he wouldn’t feel a moment’s remorse. “I never fit in, Serena. When I would go home, my dad would accuse me of being queer because I spent too much time on clothes or I liked to wear my hair longer than a buzz cut. Hell, the fact that I liked to read books made my father question my sexuality. Jake fit in better with my family than I did. I took him home with me on leave once and my dad asked why I couldn’t be more like Jake. I was a fucking commando and I wasn’t masculine enough for my dad. He accused me of ruining Jake.”
“Your dad was an asshole.” Jake stood behind them, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.
“Yeah, well, it looks like it runs in the family.” Adam took a deep breath and pulled away, looking down into Serena’s eyes. “I fucked up. I can’t top you the way Jake does. I don’t want to. I prefer to do the small things. I’m not this badass Dom.”
She looked up at him, her eyes warm again. She pushed back his hair, her fingers running through it with affection. “I don’t want you to be. I want you to be Adam. I want you to plan my day and force me to eat something I didn’t microwave. I want you both for different reasons, but I’m scared now. I’m scared that jealousy is always going to be here.”
“I had a bad moment, Serena. I don’t have many of them.” He looked back at Jake. “Have I ever acted like this over a woman in the whole time we’ve been sharing? What would I have done if I’d found you screwing Grace?”
Jake moved behind Serena, trapping her between their bodies, proving that his instincts were always spot on. “You probably would have done a happy dance, but then I knew Grace wasn’t the one for us. I can’t say the same about this one. And I think that’s the problem. You know she’s right for us. You’re worried she’s going to choose between us and that you’ll come up on the losing end.”
“I won’t choose.” Serena’s mouth firmed into a stubborn line, but Adam noticed that she didn’t try to get away. She sort of snuggled in as though she knew it was exactly where she belonged. “I won’t come between you two. Adam, you better make the decision. I can’t handle another scene like that one. And I can’t spend all my time worried that I’m pissing one of you off.”
Jake leaned in, rubbing his cheek against her hair. “I think we can work it out. Now, can we take this home?”
Adam liked the sound of that. And he rather liked Serena’s pretty little house. He had a house of his own purchased with trust fund money his father hadn’t been able to touch, but Serena’s house had character. He should start slowly moving his and Jake’s things in. By the time the assignment was over, they would have firmly established themselves in Serena’s life and her home and she wouldn’t even realize it until it was too late and he’d put a ring on her finger and Jacob had put a collar around her neck.
Stealth. Stealth would win this particular battle. It had already worked with Jake. Adam looked down at Serena. He had some serious groveling to do. Luckily, he was good at it. He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers, happy that she didn’t pull away. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
She sniffled a little, but her smile was bright. “Okay. Don’t do it again. I asked Jake to just be honest with me. I can handle a lot. I’m not fragile. I want honesty, and if you decide to leave, I want some kindness.”
He wasn’t going to leave, so that was an easy promise.
They broke apart, Adam taking Serena’s hand. Jake opened the door to the club, and they all walked outside. The night air was slightly cool and the parking lot was darker than it usually was. When they had arrived, the whole thing had been lit up. Sanctum was a small club. It was also private. There was no neon sign pointing the way in. Ian had bought and renovated an old warehouse. From the street, it looked like an industrial space. The parking lot was blocked off to anyone who didn’t have the code, but it was on the street. It would be easy to walk into. Especially if it was dark.
“Is the light out?” Jake asked, looking up at the streetlights. It appeared the whole lot was dark.
Adam looked up and down the street. It was usually relatively quiet at this time of night, but it felt dead silent now. Every now and then a car would pass, but they were on a side street. Ian preferred it. It was less conspicuous. Adam caught sight of the SIG Jake always carried. He reached into his shoulder holster and pulled his own. Something was off.
“What’s going on?” Serena asked, her voice a mere whisper.<
br />
Even that was too much for Jake. He held his hand up in a single fist, silently telling Adam to go as quiet as possible. Jake pointed to himself and then made a circle with his fist. He was going to do a sweep, but he wanted Adam to remain here. Adam nodded then pulled Serena closer, his hand around her waist. He leaned over, putting his mouth to her ear.
“It’s probably nothing, but you stay close to me. Jake is going to check everything out.” Adam was well aware that his job was to protect Serena. If Jake caught sight of something funky, he would give Adam the signal to hustle her back inside while he investigated. Adam had learned long ago to trust Jake’s instincts. Those instincts had saved their whole platoon on more than one occasion.
Serena nodded, but stayed quiet. It seemed her instincts were good, too.
Jake did a perimeter sweep, moving cautiously and in complete silence. He checked behind every car in the small lot. He was meticulous, glancing inside every single one before stopping in front of Serena’s Audi. It had just come back from the shop that morning, and she’d been so happy. Adam had convinced Jake to take it out. He hadn’t been able to convince Jake to let Serena drive. Jake pulled the keys out of his pocket and opened the trunk. He shut it and then looked in the windows. Finally he gave the all clear.
“We’re good?” Serena asked. It sounded as though she’d been holding her breath.
Adam gave her a little squeeze. “We’re good. It’s all right. We’re just being a little paranoid.”
Her hand was shaky when he reached for it. He held his weapon to his side, hoping that if she couldn’t see it, she might forget that she needed an armed guard. He wouldn’t. His blood practically boiled. He had to find this asshole so he never had to stand in a fucking parking lot worried about someone trying to kill his girl again. He checked his anger. Serena needed calm. She needed to know they were in control.
“Why don’t you get in the back with her?” Jake phrased it as a question, but Adam knew an order when he heard it. And he agreed. If anything happened, he could cover her with his body. “I’ll call Ian from the road and tell him to pay his maintenance company better. Those lights should be working.”
Jake pushed the button and unlocked the door. Adam opened the back and moved to allow Serena to get in. She was almost through the door when he heard it. A hard rattle came from the backseat, the sound menacing, deadly. Without a second thought, he pulled Serena back, jerking her by her elbow. She hit the ground behind him with a thud and a little shriek, but Adam couldn’t help her. He had to deal with the goddamn fucking snake that was rearing up in the backseat.
“Is that what I think it is?” Jake asked.
Adam couldn’t answer. The snake reared, and Adam took his shot. The sound boomed through the night, but his shot had proven true. The snake’s head was gone, and Serena’s car would have to go right back to the shop.
And the stalker had just gotten more dangerous.
Chapter Thirteen
Serena shivered despite the warmth of the conference room.
“Here, sweetheart, drink this.” Adam put a cup of coffee in front of her. Since the minute he’d killed the snake, he’d been all over her. Adam had carried her back into the club, though she’d protested that he’d already killed the snake and there probably weren’t more in the parking lot. He’d sat with her, his arms around her shoulder, as Jake had called the police. Ian Taggart had shown up and started issuing orders to the staff, who had the lobby looking perfectly vanilla in under five minutes.
It was a good thing, too, since the police had shown up ten minutes later.
Someone had put a rattlesnake in her car. Someone had tried to kill her.
Edward Chitwood walked in, notepad in hand. He was dressed in a suit, but his partner looked like he’d been called away from home. He had his badge around his neck, but he was in sweatpants and a hoodie. He didn’t seem happy to be here.
“Sorry to have to see you again like this, Ms. Brooks.” Chitwood had been nothing if not ridiculously polite. He had an air of superiority, but he was always scrupulously courteous with her. And he kind of gave her the creeps. “It’s a bad situation.”
“Yes, it is,” Hernandez agreed. “And it seems to be getting worse. This is twice in one day. We barely got the call about the books someone sent you and then this. Someone seems to have it in for you.”
He placed obvious emphasis on the word “someone,” all the while pointedly looking at her.
Serena pushed the coffee away. She felt sick to her stomach. Just an hour before, she’d been in Jake’s arms and the world had seemed a warm and happy place. Now she was reminded of its brutality.
“Did you check for prints on the car?” Adam asked.
The door swung open again and Jake entered, followed by Ian Taggart. Jake sat down on the other side of her while Ian Taggart loomed over the proceedings like a large predator waiting to decide who to eat for dinner.
“Of course we’ll check for prints.” Hernandez leaned forward, looking right at her. “Do you have any idea who called the press? There’s a news van sitting right outside this place.”
No wonder Ian looked ready to kill. Damn it. Ian Taggart seemed to be a man who enjoyed his privacy. He wouldn’t like news crews lining up in front of his underground sex club. She was causing him an enormous amount of trouble. Would he drop her as a client? Would Jake and Adam hang around if no one was paying them to? How could they? She would need to leave town. She might have to change her name.
“Serena.” Jake’s harsh tone pulled her out. He gave her a faint smile and then turned back to the cops. “She does this thing where she kind of checks out when she’s panicked. I think it’s an author thing. They asked you a question, sweetheart.”
Question. Yes, they had asked about the press. She wiped her eyes. The last thing she wanted was her trouble to be splashed across the papers. “I don’t know. I certainly didn’t call anyone.”
Adam leaned forward. “She hasn’t called a damn person. She’s been in shock. I’ve been with her the whole time.”
Chitwood waved him off. “Calm down, Mr. Miles. We’re not accusing her of anything. Now, let me give you an update. We can print the car, but I don’t know what it’s going to tell us. The car came out of the shop earlier today, right?”
She nodded. “So anyone in the shop could have touched it.”
Chitwood tapped his pen on the face of his notepad. “Yes. I hate to tell you this, Ms. Brooks, but it’s going to be very hard to figure out who should or shouldn’t have left a print on your car. The car has also been sitting in a parking lot in the middle of the city. That makes things harder than if it had been in your garage the whole time. I’m a bit confused, though. Did you say the car was locked?”
Jake sighed. “I went over this. I opened the car. I opened the trunk first, and then I unlocked the doors. Adam opened the back passenger side, and that’s when we found the snake.”
It seemed surreal. A snake. She’d never seen a snake up close where there hadn’t been glass in between them. But someone had handled it. Someone had risked being bitten because it was more important to hurt her than to be safe. She felt so distant. She knew they were talking, but it seemed to come from far away.
“I’m just interested in how this person might have gotten around your car’s security system.” Chitwood wrote something on his notepad.
“I could do it,” Adam replied. “I’m sure there are a lot of people out there with the technical skills. You cops have to deal with this crap all the time. You know a criminal with purpose can get through just about anything.”
Hernandez stared a hole through her. “Or someone has a key.”
She felt her face flush.
Chitwood stopped writing and looked up. “Does someone else have a key, Ms. Brooks?”
“No one else has a key,” Adam said, and then he sighed. “Bridget or Chris?”
“Bridget is too disorganized. I left one with Lara. I sometimes lose things. I ha
d two sets from the dealership and a valet key. I gave Lara the extra set. But she wouldn’t do this. The only way she would touch a snake is on a pair of Manolo Blahniks.” They couldn’t possibly think that Lara was involved.
The two cops exchanged glances. She could tell immediately that they didn’t believe her. They had decided that she was using them to further her career at the beginning of the investigation, and nothing had happened to deter them from it. They weren’t going to change their minds until they had a body on their hands.
Chitwood smiled, an unctuous little expression. “That can certainly be cleared up with a simple phone call. Don’t worry about it. I’ll call her myself tomorrow. Now, we have animal control determining the breed of snake.”
“It rattled. I think it’s safe to bet it was a fucking rattlesnake,” Jake said, his voice low.
“There are many different varieties of rattlesnakes, Mr. Dean,” Chitwood pointed out. “I would like to know the breed. I would like to know if it’s common or rare. Perhaps it was bought from a store that specializes in reptiles. There might be a money trail to follow.”
“Of course, it could all be normal. You know we do have snakes in Texas,” Hernandez said. “Sometimes they find their way into cars.”
Serena shook her head. “I can tell you what kind it was. It was an eastern timber.”
“You’re an expert on snakes?” Chitwood adjusted his tie.
“I’m an expert on my own work,” Serena replied, her voice a flat monotone. She was sure what she told them next would do nothing but confirm their suspicions about her. “In Sweetheart in Chains, I had a scene where the bad guy slipped an eastern timber rattlesnake into the hero’s car.”
“Shit,” Jake muttered under his breath.
“I really kind of wish I hadn’t written that particular scene now. Next time I’ll make it a fluffy bunny. It seemed so exciting when writing it, but it was actually quite terrifying.” She looked at Adam, who had come so close to that snake. He’d pushed her backwards and taken her place. If he hadn’t been there, she would have surely climbed in and been bitten, possibly multiple times. “Did I thank you?”