She turned around as she gripped the counter behind her, and Lew was there with two other men, not Gideon, who she had just met. He looked concerned, and she lowered her head, wiped her eyes, and then made her way to the glass doors. She unlocked one and opened it.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He looked around the kitchen as if something specific had set her into tears.
“Nothing. I’m fine.” stepped aside.
He looked at her eyes then lower before scanning the kitchen again and then behind him.
“Meet Cerdic and Andreas,” he said to her.
Sophia felt her heart begin to race. These men were each bigger, sexier, than the next. Both wore camo shorts and had tight T-shirts on that showed off muscles upon muscles. The scent of men’s cologne filtered through the kitchen. It smelled so good she found herself inhaling to get a better whiff.
“Sophia.” Cerdic reached out to shake her hand.
When their hands touched, he squinted slightly but showed no other reaction, unlike her body, which completely found these men sexy as damn hell. She looked away from his dark eyes, and then Andreas reached his hand out.
“Andreas, nice to finally meet you.”.
She felt just as strong an attraction to him as she did with the others. She knew this was bad. She shouldn’t want anything to do with any men. Men hurt, manipulated, and took advantage of women.
She pulled back. “I guess you’re all doing a sweep of the house as Gideon mentioned?” she asked and then headed over to the coffee maker.
“That’s the plan. Then Andreas and Cerdic are headed to the store in town. Do you have a list or maybe you’d like to join them to see the town?” Lew suggested.
She stared at him, surprised at the offer. She would have loved to if things were normal, but things weren’t. She was scared that Mateo was around and could spot her at any moment. She wasn’t even sure about getting to the tattoo artist’s place. She had a lot to figure out.
She shook her head. “I’ll call it in and order. I also need the password for the Wi-Fi.”
“If you go online, limit your searches. Don’t look up anything having to do with the case, with your ex, or even Jeremy. Strictly use the Internet to make your shopping list, look around at the town, and basic stuff. Got it?” He gave her a stern expression.
One look at the other two men, and she wouldn’t dare venture from Lew’s command. She nodded.
He walked closer to her, took the pen and pad on the counter, and wrote down the password for the Wi-Fi. “If you have any problems, let me know. Next week one of us can drive you into town for any food or things you might need. It’s safe here, Sophia.” Lew then headed deeper into the kitchen.
Andreas, with his dirty blond hair and brown eyes, watched her. Cerdic had his arms crossed in front of his chest and was looking down at her, even from a few feet away. God, they were big.
“Okay, Cerdic upstairs, Andreas, downstairs. I’ve got the perimeter,” Lew said to them, and they nodded and then took off after the order was given.
It was so wild, and the fact that Lew showed so much authority and the men responded with respect like military men would made her feel a slight bit of relief. Were they really going to be able to protect her? Would Mateo find her? She didn’t know the answers, but like Jeremy had told her, she needed to move on and start making a new life. He felt that Treasure Town was the place to do it.
* * * *
Cerdic looked at Andreas as they waited in the driveway for Lew.
“What did you think of her?” Cerdic asked.
Andreas raised one of his eyebrows.
“She seemed okay, like not too scared.”
“Probably because she met Gideon this morning and he told her about us all coming by. What else did you notice?” Cerdic asked.
“I know what you’re asking, and she was not what I expected. I don’t know. Maybe I thought she would be like some damsel in distress, I don’t know.”
“Well, I sure as shit didn’t expect to see the emotion in her eyes, the glossiness from tears about to shed, and feel concerned like Lew obviously did. I could sense his anger toward the situation and her being scared like that, despite knowing we’re the good guys. His back stiffened, and he looked ready to kill. You know, that facial expression he gets when someone is hurting and they’re an innocent.”
“Hell, I just met her, and I was on the defensive, too. The woman is incredibly attractive. I mean that long thick brown hair and dark blue eyes were fucking hard not to stare at.”
“Yeah, and as the eyes went lower, the view got even better.”
Cerdic chuckled.
“Shit.”
“What’s going on, all good?” Lew asked.
Cerdic looked at Andreas.
“How under guard does she have to be?” Cerdic asked.
“What do you mean?”
“He means she’s very attractive, and she stands out in a lot of ways. How much freedom is she allowed? Do we follow her when or if she goes anywhere?” Andreas asked.
“Mostly it will be my job to watch over her like that. But I want her comfortable with all of us. From what Jeremy and Nate explained, she’s scared and probably won’t go anywhere for a while. Once we help her see that we’re here to watch over her, just in case, then she might loosen up and head out to town. One day at a time. I don’t want this to interfere with your jobs. I know you’ve made a commitment to the marine patrol.”
“You’re not doing this on your own. We’ll work it out together. Besides, we’re kind of new in Treasure Town, too. It’s been years, and things have changed. We could learn about it together, and that could help ease her into trusting us. Then she’ll be more comfortable,” Cerdic suggested. Andreas chuckled.
“We have a job to do. Getting personally involved with her is not a smart idea. Be nice but that’s it. Keeping her safe and remaining diligent and on guard is a must. Got it?” Lew stated firmly.
“Got it,” Cerdic and Andreas replied together, and then they headed back to their house.
Chapter 4
“So what are you telling me? They want to drop the case, forget the investigation, and let off on these men? They killed six federal agents, multiple lawyers, a doctor, and God knows who else. They’re out there. It’s just a matter of time,” Jeremy said to his supervisor and the head of the task force the agency had established.
“Jeremy, it’s been six months. We have men now working undercover in Scaggs’ operation. He seems to have taken over where Mateo had been. The guys up top want to take this operation down, not hunt the previous leader,” special agent of operations, Jack Banks, told him.
Jeremy ran his fingers through his hair.
“And what about me? My cover’s been blown, and the one witness to his acts, and a victim in all this, is Sophia. Are you giving up on us, saying we’re on our own?”
“Of course not. This isn’t over yet. They are willing to give a little more time. But it could be weeks, not months.”
“Wonderful. Mateo and Deavan are alive. They will be back, they will strike again, and they will come after Sophia and me.”
“You’ve ensured her safety, and no one but you and the two agents you’ve been working with know her whereabouts. Keep it that way and she’ll be safe. Have her move on with her life. Mateo is not going to risk going to jail for life to come back to the States to get this woman.”
“First of all, you don’t know Mateo Ruiz the way that I do. He will come back for her. She is his property, and he will kill her by his own hands before he lets another man have her. And as far as him being out of the country, nothing has been confirmed, just as we still have not figured out who the snitch in this operation is.”
“Now that is your explanation for a raid gone to shit and you blowing your cover. There’s no evidence to prove that our agency, this special operations team, has a rat in it.”
Jeremy stood up and paced.
“Are you really that fucking dens
e, or are you telling me that someone up top wants this investigation to end so badly that they’re willing to let Mateo go free?”
Jack Banks stared at him.
“I’ll keep you posted on the time frame. It’s out of my hands. Unless Mateo shows up and attempts to kill you or this ex-girlfriend, and basically falls into our laps, I can’t see this ending any other way then running out of time. I’m sorry.”
“Sure you are, Banks. Sure you are.” Jeremy walked out of the room.
He wanted to fucking hit somebody, but as he scanned the room, he caught only three people watching him. One of them he really didn’t know. He was new to the agency as far as Jeremy knew. Maybe it was wiser to focus on who the snitch could be instead of finding Mateo. He could be out of the country. But the snitch was still around, keeping watch and hoping to find out where Sophia was. Jeremy needed to be very careful. He might have to call in his brothers for assistance.
* * * *
Two weeks had passed, and Sophia decided that she would sit out on the beach where no one else was while the men did their weekly sweep of her house and offered to take her into town. She might as well take them up on it since Jeremy had called and so much had changed. He sounded defeated. It wasn’t looking good. It seemed the agency didn’t really care as much about finding Mateo as they did about nailing Scaggs, who seemed to be the new leader of Mateo’s business operations. Jeremy also mentioned her moving on with her life, maybe finding work because the agency probably wouldn’t foot the bill for her living arrangements.
She found the information unnerving and was surprised at the disappointed feeling in her gut. She was getting used to the men walking around watching over her, and she had even conversed with Lew and Cerdic a few times. She was starting to understand why they were so hard and commanding. She looked up what she could on Navy SEALs and discovered they were definitely resourceful men who risked their lives and even went through intense training in water and on land. It was commendable. She figured that was why they had so many muscles and that led to her thinking about her poor choice in a first boyfriend and lover and how that choice had nearly killed her and ultimately ruined her life.
But Jeremy’s words played in her head. A reminder that she had an opportunity to rebuild herself and her life, or she could just sit here, be scared, feel sorry for herself, and give up. Instead, she wanted to be stronger. When she thought about getting stronger, she thought about physically wanting to better herself besides mentally. She thought about Lew and how she watched him at night on the beach. She could only see him when the moonlight was bright, but he would do these martial arts moves, in slow motion and then faster, but ultimately it looked therapeutic. He did favor that left side of his, but with all those muscles, and his arms and legs moving so perfectly, it made her want to ask him more about it.
She exhaled and then looked at her watch. She wondered if the men were at her house doing the sweep yet. She anticipated asking them to take her to town, and she wondered if Jeremy had talked to them about the possibility of her having to pay for the house she rented from them. She needed to know how much rent was, and that would help her to see how many hours she would need to work and doing what kind of job.
She stood up, looked out toward the water, and thought it was a stunning setting. When she turned to look toward the house, she gasped as Lew approached.
She quickly, pulled the shirt from the chair, and tried to get it right side out. She didn’t want him to see her back, but it was too late. She had been facing the water. The tears filled her eyes as panic set in. He would think terrible things of her. This was why she didn’t sit out here unless she knew they wouldn’t be around. But one look at his expression as she locked gazes, and she knew he’d seen the damage to her skin.
“Oh God, you scared me.” She fumbled with the shirt. He was by her immediately.
“Sophia, what is that on your back?” he asked and took her arm and turned her.
She pulled from his hold. “Nothing. What are you doing?” she asked, getting angry. God, she didn’t want him to see it and to know that Mateo had marked her forever as his woman in such a barbaric fashion.
He stared at her, and she saw him lick his lower lip.
“Sophia.” He continued to hold on to her arm. Something moved in the distance. One look past Lew and she saw Cerdic coming down now, too.
As Cerdic approached, his eyes roamed over her breasts then to her waist and legs. He was checking her out, and she felt the tears fill her eyes.
She looked up into Lew’s eyes.
“Please don’t,” she whispered to Lew. He swallowed hard and released her arm as she quickly pulled the shirt up and over her head.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. The guys are in the house now. I was wondering if you needed anything? I know you’ve basically said no every day, but I still wanted to ask,” Cerdic said to her, sounding hopeful she would say yes this time.
“Uhm, actually, I was thinking about checking out the town. I have a few errands to run. Maybe you could give me directions and I could take one of the bikes?”
She started to gather the towel and the chair she had set up down in the sand.
“No, we’ll drive you and accompany you to wherever you need to go,” Lew said rather abruptly.
She didn’t want to make eye contact with him. She knew this conversation about what he might have seen was not going to be over. If he took her to the store, then he would ask her about it.
“But that won’t be necessary. I know you have things to do with the other houses,” she said to him.
“Not at all. Until you feel safe and know your way around town, it would be better for at least one of us to be nearby. When will you be ready?”
Feeling safe seemed impossible. How could she feel safe and even make an attempt at starting over when this damn mark on her body repressed her in every aspect, especially in feeling safe or even trusting?
“I just need to change and wash up. I won’t be long, if you’re sure.”
“We’re sure,” Cerdic said, making it obvious that he intended on coming along, too.
Great. She was going to be around both of them. Could she do this? She wasn’t sure, but they wouldn’t let her go to town alone. Not yet and she really wanted to check it out, as well as the tattoo shop. There didn’t seem to be another way.
* * * *
Lew and Cerdic waited outside by the truck.
“What’s up with you? You’re pissed off about something,” Cerdic said to him.
Lew released a long sigh and looked at the house and then at Cerdic.
“When I went down to the beach to talk to Sophia, I saw something?”
“What? Someone on the beach?”
Lew shook his head.
“I’m pretty sure it was some kind of marking on her lower back, but then she freaked out, reached for her shirt, and my eyes went right to the fearful expression on her face, and I knew she was upset that I’d seen whatever it was.”
“A tattoo maybe?”
“No.”
Sophia opened the door, closed it, and then headed toward them. She wore a pale beige skirt, a light tank top in black, and carried her purple backpack. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she looked gorgeous. Lew felt guilty for seeing something on her body that she obviously wanted to hide. He wanted to know what it was and why she was so upset that he’d seen it. But instead, he opened the driver’s side door as Cerdic opened the passenger door, let her get in before him, and they headed out to town together.
* * * *
The ride was quick, and after Lew told Cerdic about the marking on Sophia’s back, he found himself wondering what it was. But they walked her through town and had pointed out various places when they spotted Nate, Rye, Mike, and Turbo Hawkins, along with their girlfriend, Frankie.
They greeted them and immediately Nate introduced Frankie to Sophia. Cerdic kept close to her on one side, and Lew was flanking Sophia’s other sid
e.
“It’s nice to meet you, Sophia.”
“Same here,” Sophia said and then smiled at Nate.
“She’s renting the beach house Lew and his team own. How do you like it, Sophia?” Nate asked.
“Oh, it’s beautiful.”
“I heard that it has amazing views and a great private beach. You’re so lucky,” Frankie told her.
“The beach is very private and really nice. I was on it for the first time today.”
“Glad to hear that you like it,” Nate said.
“Hey, we’re going to Sullivan’s for lunch. Would you three like to join us?” Frankie asked.
Cerdic looked at Sophia, who looked at Lew, and Cerdic couldn’t help the emotions he felt. She sought out the commander’s response and permission to reply. It was submissive, obedient, and somehow turned Cerdic on to her femininity and sweetness. He felt overwhelmed, but then Sophia spoke up.
“I needed to do a few things, but if you tell me where the place is, I could meet you guys and your friends there,” she said to Lew.
“We’re not heading there for another fifteen minutes or so. We can save three more seats for you guys. Take your time,” Nate said to them, and they nodded and then walked away.
“If you don’t feel comfortable, we don’t have to meet them,” Lew told her.
“I just don’t think it would be wise to make friends here. I don’t know how long I’ll be around, and it will just hurt more and make it harder. It’s how we handled the other places where we hid.”
Hearts on Fire 6: Healing Sophia (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 5