by Kat Mizera
“Montana and the others will work on finding out who’s responsible, but we’ll make sure nothing happens until they do.” Duke looked around. “I’d like to do a perimeter search every hour or so, make sure no one’s lurking.”
“I can take the first shift,” Mark said.
They moved off to discuss their plans for the night and Lana headed upstairs to change into sweats and a T-shirt. Having Mark in the house 24/7 was going to be a huge distraction for her. She liked him way too much and trying to think about anything else would be nearly impossible. Kate and Aaron both had given her the option of leaving, saying her safety was more important than the job, but she wasn’t afraid. Especially not with Mark and Duke here. Aaron seemed pretty sure of himself as well, so she wasn’t inclined to run. She had a job to do and was determined to do it; she just hadn’t expected Mark to be in the picture like this.
Padding back downstairs, laptop in hand, she found Mark cleaning a gun on the living room table. Aaron and Duke had disappeared, so she sat on the chair across from him, watching him.
“Are you comfortable around guns?” he asked softly.
She nodded. “I’m not particularly afraid of them, but I have a healthy respect. My dad always had guns in the house when I was growing up, so I can shoot a .38 and a .22. I don’t know anything about the guns you see on TV, 9mm’s or any of that, but I don’t think I need to.”
“Good to know.” He nodded.
“Is that yours?”
He shook his head. “I don’t travel with mine. I have a .357 at home but crossing state lines with a firearm is more hassle than it’s worth, especially since I was only supposed to be getting a feel for the area and what the Brotherhood Protectors do—it never occurred to me something would come up that I might need it for.”
“I’m sorry. I feel like you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me.”
He didn’t look at her, but his voice was low and deep. “Baby, there’s nowhere I’d rather be. The idea of you—and Aaron too—being here unprotected, in the middle of nowhere, doesn’t sit well with me.”
“You’re a good guy, Mark.” She got up and leaned over, placing a chaste kiss on the side of his face. “I’m going to make some hot chocolate. Want some?”
“Sure.” He smiled as their eyes met.
He watched her disappear into the kitchen and wondered what made her tick. She might be a little awkward and unsure of herself, but she hadn’t hesitated to say she would stay despite someone going after Aaron tonight. Unless they were after her, but that made no sense. She didn’t have any crazy ex-boyfriends and he’d already spoken to Kate about past clients who might have a score to settle, but she’d sworn there was no one. That left Aaron, and though he didn’t know the guy, his gut rarely steered him wrong; it was currently telling him Aaron wasn’t hiding anything. The soon-to-be-ex-wife was the most likely suspect, so catching her shouldn’t be a problem unless she’d actually hired professionals to take out her husband. That might be a problem.
By the time Lana reappeared with two mugs of hot chocolate, he’d finished cleaning the gun and stuck it in the holster around his waist, washed his hands and done a quick scan of all the doors and windows. They’d done it twice already, but there was no room for error when it came to Lana and Aaron’s safety, especially not on his watch.
“I want you to sleep dressed tonight, okay?” he said, catching her eye.
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Shirt, pants, socks. Leave a pair of shoes or boots at the foot of the bed. What you’re wearing now is fine, but if they were to throw another Molotov cocktail, or something worse, you need to be able to get out of the house quickly and it’s cold outside.”
“You really think it’ll come to that?” she whispered, her brows drawing together worriedly.
“No, but it’s best to be prepared.”
“Okay.” She swallowed. “Are you going to stay up all night?”
“Duke’s catching a few hours’ sleep now and I’ll sleep when he gets up. Swede and Montana will be back in the morning, so we can regroup, and Aaron said he’d be up early as well.”
“I feel somewhat useless,” she admitted.
“You’re not useless,” he said with a faint smile, “but there’s nothing for you to do.”
“I don’t think I can sleep with all this going on,” she admitted.
“You’re welcome to stay up with me,” he responded, gently laying one of his hands on hers. “I wouldn’t mind the company.”
“I have lots of work to keep me busy,” she said.
“Okay. I’m going to do a perimeter check and I’ll be back in no more than ten minutes. If I’m not, do not come looking for me—go wake up Duke. You understand?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Ten minutes,” he repeated as he pulled on his coat and gloves.
Lana watched the clock on her laptop intently once Mark went outside. This was nerve-wracking and she didn’t like it. Not only was she a little scared, she was worried about him. How the hell had he managed to get under her skin like this in such a short time? He’d already become important to her, even though she was determined to let him think all she was interested in was sex, but she didn’t like the thought of someone ambushing him. After five minutes, she put her laptop aside and began pacing in front of the fireplace. At eight minutes, she stood by the window looking out. When he’d been gone nine minutes, she gripped her phone tightly in her hand and looked between the front door and the stairs, where she would run to Duke if she had to.
She took a few steps in that direction and paused as she thought she heard something, a scraping sound on the front porch. Her heart kicked up a beat and she took a deep breath to keep herself from shrieking. She heard the noise again and the clock on her phone marked the next minute. Shit! Whatever was outside the door was getting louder and she backed up inadvertently, craning her head, trying to listen.
“Damn, it’s cold as fuck out there!” Mark came through the door in his socks and she just stared at him.
“It was ten minutes!” she barked out, glaring at him. “I was worried! I was about to go upstairs! Why didn’t you call out to me?”
He looked at her in surprise. “You were worried about me?”
She narrowed her eyes. “You told me ten minutes. It was exactly ten minutes. I was about to run up the stairs—don’t freak me out like that!”
“Sorry, honey.” He reached for her, pulling her against him. “I got on the porch at nine minutes, but I had to take my boots off—they were caked in ice.”
“That’s the noise I heard.” She sagged against him. “And yes, I was worried about you.”
“That’s sweet.” He pressed his cold lips to hers.
8
Lana woke up curled in a blanket on the couch and realized she was alone. She wasn’t sure when Mark had gotten up, but they’d fallen asleep in the wee hours of the morning, her head on his shoulder, the blanket across both of them. He was gone now, but she heard voices in the kitchen and something smelled good. She slipped up the stairs to her room and freshened up before heading back down to join them.
Montana, Duke, Swede, Aaron, and Mark were in the kitchen. Aaron and Mark were making pancakes and bacon, while Montana, Duke, and Swede were studying papers, files, and the laptop set up on the island.
“Good morning,” she said, looking around.
“Sorry if we woke you,” Aaron said.
“No, I’m fine. It’s after nine—I never sleep this late.”
“You didn’t get to sleep until late,” Mark pointed out.
“I’m good.” She poured herself a cup of coffee and focused on Aaron. “You up for going to meet with the guy who runs the ice rink not far from here? I told him we’d like to meet in person to talk about setting up the skating clinic and the kids’ hockey coaches are there today.”
Aaron nodded. “As long as our protection detail says it’s okay.”
“Wherever you
go, I go,” Mark said with a shrug.
“Can you skate?” Aaron asked him.
Mark snickered. “Not well enough to be on the ice with you, but I hold my own.”
“Lana?” Aaron looked at her.
She laughed. “God, no. I’d kill myself and probably take out a dozen kids in the process!”
“I bet you wouldn’t!” Aaron laughed too.
“I’ll stick around the house and make sure no one makes any uninvited appearances,” Duke said.
“I’ve put out some feelers,” Montana said. “We’ll see if anyone has seen Joyce at your house or anywhere in Anchorage.”
“She’s from Minnesota,” Aaron said. “She’d originally said she was moving back with her parents, but if she’s behind this, who knows where she is.”
Within the hour, they’d showered and were heading for the ice rink in a town just outside of Bozeman. Aaron was driving his buddy’s Land Rover, with Lana in the passenger seat and Mark in the back. Bodyguarding was new to him, but it felt oddly familiar, as if his military training had prepared him specifically for this. He was on guard and alert, but completely relaxed—just as he was on military missions. Part of him thought Montana and the Brotherhood Protectors would be a perfect fit, but he also wondered how he’d deal with the remoteness of living in such a small town. He was used to bigger cities and enjoyed them. Living in the country had never been on his radar and he didn’t relish the idea of knowing everyone.
“Mark?” Lana’s voice brought him out of his reverie and he looked up.
“Sorry, I was thinking about the rest of the day—what did you say?”
“Do you think it would be okay if I stopped to do some shopping after we’re done? I need a couple things I forgot.”
He nodded. “Sure. No one outside of our immediate group knows where we are headed today, so I can’t imagine anyone is lying in wait unless they’re following us, and I haven’t seen another car for miles.”
“There’s a mall with a couple of department stores, so I’ll probably need an hour,” she said.
“I’m sure there’s something we can do to fill the time,” Aaron said dryly, glancing at her with a grin.
They got to the rink and Mark kept a little distance as Lana and Aaron met with the manager and several of the coaches, keeping an eye on their surroundings but not seeing anything suspicious. This felt too easy and the sixth sense that had kept him alive in the Middle East suddenly began to tingle with warning. He took a quick look outside, still didn’t see anything out of place, and decided Aaron was safer if he stayed nearby. He kept a little distance but made sure he could see them at all times. Something was off but he was damned if he knew what it was.
“You all right?” Lana asked him once they were in the Land Rover and heading to the mall.
“Yup. Just hoping I’m not missing anything.”
“Maybe it was a fluke,” Aaron suggested, turning into the parking lot. “Maybe it was some kids playing a prank. I mean, it’s Nowhere, Montana—what else is there for bored teenagers to do?”
Mark scoffed. “That Molotov cocktail was well-put-together. You can figure out how to make one online, but my gut tells me there’s more to it.”
“Okay, I’m going to Macy’s,” Lana said as they headed inside the mall. “Where will you two be?”
“Right behind you,” Mark replied.
Her cheeks turned pink. “I don’t need an audience while I’m shopping,” she said lightly. “Go find a video game store or something.”
“Not happening.” Mark shook his head. “I stick to both of you like glue.”
“Besides,” Aaron grinned, “who’s going to tell you if it looks good?”
“If what looks good?” she demanded, her face getting even redder.
“Whatever it is you’re going to buy?” He cocked his head as if totally confused.
“Shoes,” she huffed. “More specifically—boots. Mine are old and when it’s this cold in New York, I get a cab.”
“It’ll be fun,” Aaron said lightly, nudging her. “Don’t be self-conscious. Guys are great shopping partners as long as we don’t have to be out too long. One or two stops, we’re golden.”
Mark wanted to punch him. He didn’t know even one guy who liked taking their wife or girlfriend shopping unless it was for lingerie or something equally sex-related. Aaron was flirting with Lana, and doing it right under his nose, and he wasn’t sure if it was simply because he could or if he actually liked her.
Of course he likes her, the devil on his shoulder snickered. You like her, so why wouldn’t he?
He wanted to tell himself to shut up, but that was ludicrous, so he muted his inner dialogue as they walked into the big department store. Lana headed for the shoes, Aaron on her heels, so Mark hung back, scouting the area and letting jealousy eat away at him. They were laughing and carrying on, with zero hint of her usual awkwardness, and with every passing second, he wanted to rip Aaron into little shreds. His client. The guy whose life he was supposed to be protecting. Great, this was just fucking great.
Lana was now at the register and she and Aaron appeared to be arguing. He was pushing her hand away and she kept bringing it out, until he snatched her purse out of her arms and held it hostage against his chest.
“Aaron!” Lana looked exasperated.
“You’re only here because of me,” he said firmly. “The least I can do is buy you boots to deal with the crazy weather.”
“I have an expense account for that!” She was glaring at him.
“I make more money than you do.”
“I’m telling Kate!”
Aaron burst out laughing.
“You guys are such a cute couple,” the teenager ringing them up gushed. “And so tall—I bet you’re going to have huge babies!”
Lana’s mouth fell open, and true to form, her face turned a new shade of red. Aaron was still laughing and leaned over to place a chaste kiss on Lana’s cheek. “Lana and I would most definitely have tall kids.”
“What the fuck was that?!” Mark hissed as they walked away, his jealousy finally getting the better of him.
Aaron raised his eyebrows. “What better way to draw out my ex if she’s the one responsible than by making her jealous?”
“You are not going to make Lana a target,” Mark snapped, though his voice was low.
“Maybe it’s a good idea,” Lana interjected softly. “I mean, if it’s her, wouldn’t it be better to know what we’re dealing with than to wait and see what happens?”
“Not if it puts you in danger,” he snapped.
“I’m a big girl,” she responded gently. “And I have a bodyguard. Now, I need one more thing. How about you two go find something else to do?”
“Not happening.” Mark folded his arms across his chest as they paused.
Lana made a face and glanced at Aaron. “Would you give us a second?”
“Sure.” He ambled off to talk to a saleswoman handing out perfume samples and Lana turned to Mark, a gentle smile on her face.
“You’re cute when you’re jealous.”
He scowled.
“Look, there seems to be a thing between us and I’m not prepared for a romantic evening, so give a girl a little privacy to take care of business.”
Mark frowned. “What kind of business do you have at Macy’s that includes the thing between us? It’d be one thing if you were buying condoms or something, but I’ve got…”
She laughed, her cheeks turning the slightest shade of pink as she leaned over to whisper in his ear, “Lingerie, silly.”
“Oh.” His eyes darkened slightly. “Honey, when we get to that part, all you’re going to need is your birthday suit.”
“But before that part, I want to feel…sexy. It’s not about the sex itself, it’s about the perception and wanting to see you want me. Can you let me do this? Please?”
“I don’t think we should split up.”
“I don’t need long. Come on…it’ll be worth
your while.”
“Oh, I have no doubt about that, but I can’t leave you alone.”
“You know where I’ll be and you can watch, but at a safe enough distance where I’m not more embarrassed than I already am just talking about it.”
He let out a breath. “Okay, but promise me you won’t leave the lingerie department until we’re all ready to go together.”
“Promise.”
Had the circumstances been any different, Lana probably would have died of embarrassment telling him she wanted to buy lingerie, but between Mark’s jealousy and Aaron’s apparent need to fuel that jealousy, she was anxious for a few minutes to herself. She did want to buy something new and sexy to wear for Mark when the time came for them to be intimate, and since there was little doubt things were heading in that direction, she’d had no choice but to let him know her plan. Ironically, it wasn’t nearly as hard as she’d thought it would be. Something about Mark lessened her overwhelming shyness and gave her a trace of the same confidence she had in business.
Mark and Aaron weren’t too far away, so she stuffed several pretty pieces of silk under her arm and walked into the dressing room. She undressed quickly and started with the first one, a short white nightgown that left little to the imagination but also looked like wedding-night lingerie. That wasn’t what she had in mind, so she quickly discarded it and went for the black teddy. It was a little small, but that wouldn’t matter since Mark would probably be removing it as quickly as she put it on. The lacy edge of the bra looked pretty against the pale swell of her breasts and the high-cut sides showed off her long legs. It seemed a silly waste of nearly a hundred dollars, but she loved it, and more than that, she thought he would too.
Decision made, she left the white nightgown and the pink piece she hadn’t even tried on hanging on the hook and quickly got dressed again. Slinging her purse over her arm, she walked towards the register. Without warning, she was thrown against the wall, a harsh voice hissing in her ear, “Stay the fuck away from my husband—do you understand?”