Noni gulped. “You just found out about a friend?”
Denver paused. “It’s a really long story. But Jory is a distant relative, somehow. Okay. He might be my brother. We don’t know yet.” Their jawlines were similar.
“Huh? You might have another brother out there?”
“Another brother from the same mother,” Denver quipped before sobering. “Sorry. Inappropriate humor.” He glanced at her.
Her chin dropped, her eyes wide. “This is weird. Right?”
He nodded. “My whole life is a little weird.”
She shook her head. “Your friend—maybe brother—sends you weapons and money. Is he a drug kingpin or something?” She swallowed and eyed the steaks. “Or a grocer?”
Denver snorted. “He’s one of the good guys.” As if on cue, Jory’s square face took up the screen of his phone. “It’s not my birthday,” Denver said quietly, clicking on the video chat.
Jory rolled his very gray eyes. “Like any of us know our birthdays.” As always, he appeared cheerful. Like a cuddly guard dog that could instantly switch from wagging its tail to attacking with razor-sharp teeth. “You’re broke, you’re on mission, and you need this stuff. I can be there in two hours for backup.”
Denver didn’t know what to say. All of his family wanted to help, and right now he couldn’t direct anybody anywhere. At some point, if he lived through taking out Cobb and Madison, he wanted to get to know Jory and his three brothers. “Any news?”
Jory shook his head. “The results aren’t back yet.”
That wasn’t a surprise. Denver and Jory had taken a DNA test to see if they were genetically related. “Did you tell your brothers?”
“No.”
“Me either.” Denver sighed. “We could just go on faith like everyone else has, but I’d rather know the truth.”
“Me too.” Jory focused. “Though I consider us family no matter what.”
Yeah. Denver studied him. He considered Ry and Heath his brothers, and that would never change. But it’d be nice to have a genetic connection to Jory and his family. “We should have the results soon.” Okay. He didn’t want to hope, so he didn’t.
“You find the baby yet?” Jory asked.
Denver blinked. “You know about the current mission?”
“Of course. You’re crazy if you think we’re not monitoring everything you do. Might as well come to Montana,” Jory said cheerfully.
“After I get the baby.”
“After that?” Jory asked, his eyes glittering.
Denver settled. Of course Jory Dean could read him. It’s what they all did. He knew Denver was going after Madison and Cobb on his own at some point soon. “You know it’s gonna be me, right?” he whispered.
Jory’s eyes darkened. “Yeah. I know.” He didn’t even try to pretend not to know what Denver was talking about. “You know it was me, right?”
Denver nodded. “Yeah.” An evil man in Jory’s past had chased Jory and his three older brothers, and it had been Jory who’d taken him down for good. Jory’s brothers were all from the same father. “When it happens, I’ll call.”
Jory’s expression darkened. “You need me, us, now?”
“Not yet. Stay there. I’ll call when needed.” Jory and his brothers had relocated to Montana, where they were safe and building normal lives. Well, pretty normal, anyway. “Thanks, Jory.”
“You got it. There will be a car outside within ten minutes. Your truck is blown for now. Keep it in the garage, and I’ll have it fetched when it’s safe to do so.” The screen went black.
Noni blew out air. “Your life is sure…interesting.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Denver muttered, reaching for the money. At least twenty thousand dollars. What exactly did Jory think he was going to do with this much cash?
“But I’d like to,” she whispered, pain in her voice.
He jerked and looked at her. “The less you know, the safer you are. Don’t you get that?”
Her eyebrows—both of them—lifted. “Think so? It’s a little late, right? I mean, I posted the picture of us together, and there doesn’t seem to be a doubt that it’s been seen. Those enemies from your past know we were together. My not knowing about them puts me in more danger. At the very least, I need to recognize who’s coming.”
Damn if she didn’t have a point. Denver gave a short nod. “You’re right. I’ll tell you everything later tonight.” He drew out two knives and a gun.
She took a step back. “Why not now?”
If the woman wanted to be in the know, she could be. “Because I’m heading back to Greenville, to the hospital, to torture one of those gang members into telling me everything he knows.”
She paled but remained in place. “Oh,” she whispered. “I don’t think—”
“It’s a done deal.” He grabbed another sheathed knife to place in his boot. “You don’t have to be part of this, and I can definitely keep info like this from you.” He’d prefer she didn’t know what he was capable of doing. “But you can’t stop me.”
“I’m not trying to stop you,” she whispered. “I just wanted to apologize for putting you in a place where you have to do this.”
He stiffened and then rose. She was worried about him? Even more so, she understood and accepted that he would do what he needed to do. Maybe he’d underestimated her before. Could she handle his darkness? Really? “You’re okay with me doing this?”
“No,” she said softly. “I wish you didn’t have to, and I’m so sorry. I’d offer to do it, but…”
But there was no way in hell a person as sweet as her could torture somebody. Thank God. He finished suiting up and handed her a gun. “This one fits your hand better than the one you have in your pack. Point and shoot at anybody who’s not me. When I get back, we’ll talk.” Then he’d tell her everything.
* * *
Noni finished stirring the chicken in the large pot as the kitchen filled with the aroma of homemade chicken soup. She’d found a satellite radio station on one of the computers, and it blared Christmas music throughout the quiet house. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t banish thoughts of Denver confronting the gangbangers in the hospital. What if they had friends there? Would he try to take them all on?
Oh, she’d known he was a good private detective, but she hadn’t realized he was so comfortable with the darker and illegal side of life. There was so much she didn’t know about him.
Yet that just intrigued her more.
Her phone rang and she quickly grabbed it to see her aunt’s face on the screen. “Hi, Franny,” she answered the video chat.
“Sparrow here, Eagle,” her aunt responded, her dark eyes sparkling. Light gray sprinkled her dark hair, which was piled high on her head. “I’m in Portland and have met with a cop on the local force. Pretended I was writing an article about gangs in the area. I’ll e-mail you the information.”
Noni nodded. Her aunt was pretty good at this. “The gang contact in Greenville was a bust. Nothing there. I’ve moved into Snowville,” she said. There was no need to let Franny know about the hit squad. She would just worry.
“Okay. Hawk Two checked in and there doesn’t seem to be any activity in Salt Lake City. She tried the same tactic as I did but didn’t get as much information about the gangs. I’ve never thought Salt Lake was where Richie was headed.”
“Did you meet with our PI?” Noni asked.
“Yes, and he has no new information. In fact, he wants another five-thousand-dollar retainer to keep working.” Franny worried her lower lip with her teeth. “I still have some jewelry I could pawn.”
“No. I’ll call him and let him know we’re finished with his services.” Noni struggled to keep her expression light and factual. “Denver is here, and we’re coming up with a plan. I think you and Verna should head back to Anchorage for the time being.” While Franny was only in her early fifties, Verna was pushing sixty, and the women who’d raised and loved Noni since she was four yea
rs old needed to be kept safe. “Or you could go on that honeymoon you keep promising her.”
Franny snorted. “We’ve been married for three years, and we live in a prime honeymoon spot.”
Alaska? Noni tried again to help soothe her aunt’s fear of flying. “Maybe somewhere warm. It’s safe to travel.” In fact, returning to Anchorage and facing members of Richie’s gang there was probably a bad idea. “We have intel that Richie and other Kingdom Boys might be headed toward Oregon. How about you have Verna meet you in Portland and investigate?” She made the lie with a straight face.
Franny rolled her eyes. “You don’t think he’s coming here, but you don’t know that he isn’t. So I’ll have Hawk Two head this direction come morning.”
Okay. If Noni could keep them out of Alaska and away from Snowville, they’d be safe. “Good plan.”
“How’s dickhead?” Franny asked, her lips forming a white line.
“Sexy as ever.” Noni sighed. “His chest seems even broader.”
Franny tsked. “I told you to date the forest ranger who asked you out last year. At least you would’ve gotten some.”
Sex every night with somebody else wouldn’t have diminished her reaction to Denver, and Noni knew it. “He said he was sorry,” she said quietly.
Franny’s dark eyes narrowed. “For hurting you or for leaving you?”
Darn it. Franny was way too smart. “Hurting me.” Noni stirred the soup again. “Now I’ve cooked for him,” she muttered.
“Oh, honey,” Franny said, her eyebrows lifting. “Something delicious or just okay?”
Noni bit her lip. “My soup. Chicken noodle.”
“The good stuff,” Franny breathed. “What are you thinking?”
“I was hungry,” Noni said, hunching her shoulders. Plus, Denver was off torturing people for her, so the least she could do was cook something for him to eat afterward. She couldn’t tell Franny that, however.
“At least tell me you hired him properly as a detective. That keeps us in the driver’s seat,” Franny said, leaning close to the camera.
Noni grimaced. “I did tell him that, but he disagreed, and I’m pretty sure he won the argument.”
Franny shook her head. “Don’t let him take control.”
Denver was all control. “I won’t,” Noni said, afraid she was lying yet again. A car stopped outside, and she heard boots coming up the walk. “I think he’s back. I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you.” She waited for the “Love you” response and then hung up.
The front door opened, and Denver came inside. Dried blood matted his neck and down his dark T-shirt. Noni swallowed. Her knees trembled, and she almost backed away. His eyes were dark and unfathomable, and his jaw looked harder than rock. “How did it go?” she asked, her voice breaking.
“Not great. The idiots were just wanna-be gang members. They had no clue who you were or why anybody wanted you shot.” He kicked off his boots, and a sheathed knife fell out. The shiny handle glinted in the soft light while Christmas carols played from the nearest computer. He looked at the speaker briefly but didn’t comment.
“Shot?” she asked, eyeing the knife, her breath cooling.
He nodded. “Yeah. They were told whoever made the kill shot would complete their initiation into the Kingdom Boys. They’re all just hopeful members at the moment.”
Kill shot. There had been three men with kill-shot orders on her. She gulped down complete panic. If Denver hadn’t shown up at the motel, she would’ve been killed. The grim look on his face confirmed that. “But they failed.”
He wiped blood off his chin. “They did, which means they’re not done. There are also three other new wanna-be members who want a literal shot at you.”
Chills clacked down her back.
“I won’t let them hurt you,” Denver said, his voice raw gravel. “After I questioned them, I made it clear what would happen if they tried. They promised nicely to let their friends know.”
What would scare someone who wanted to be in a gang? She took a step back. “What did you do to them?” Her voice shook, but she couldn’t help it.
The look in his eyes was stark. Haunted. “They’re still alive, but that’s all I’m telling you. They’ll be put into the system, and since they’ll probably be charged with organized crime, they won’t get out for a long time. If ever.” He glanced down at the blood on his hands. “I need to take a quick shower. Something smells really good.” He strode through the living room and disappeared down the hall.
Blood. That had definitely been blood. Her stomach rolled, and a rock dropped to the bottom. Just who was that man?
Chapter
7
Denver smoothed back his wet hair after having dressed in a clean pair of faded jeans and a T-shirt, this one a dark blue. He loped into the kitchen, where Noni had already set the table with fuzzy yellow placemats and chipped ceramic bowls. Candles flickered in the middle of the table. He’d forgotten how much she liked to entertain. She’d been the first woman ever to cook for him and care if he enjoyed the meal or not. God, he’d missed her. “Smells good,” he mumbled.
“Sit.” She turned from the stove and dished up bowls of soup that smelled like heaven. Sourdough bread and butter came next, along with a bottle of white wine with a very fancy label. “Your brother has expensive taste in wine.” She poured them both glasses and then took a seat. “I indulged a little while I was cooking, and it’s excellent.”
He kept himself from fidgeting in his chair and took a taste of the soup. Delicious spices exploded on his tongue, and he hummed in appreciation. “I’ve missed your cooking.” Wrong thing to say, considering he’d abandoned her.
She let him off the hook and broke off a piece of bread. “It’s cold outside and soup seemed a good choice.” In her deep green sweater with her miles of dark hair pulled back, she looked like the perfect present to unwrap. He’d never seen a woman with eyes as dark as hers, and making them glow with pleasure was one of the few happy memories he kept. He remembered how to touch her, how to please her. Soft and sweet. His Noni.
His jeans felt too tight as his cock woke up. Her scent was just under the smell of the delicious dinner, making him want. He shook his head to regain control. The Christmas music still jingled in the background. “I’m sorry you’re not home preparing for the holidays,” he said. She probably loved it, right?
She took a drink of her wine. “Me too. Franny and Verna have always gone all out.”
He ate more of the soup, wanting to keep the conversation relaxed. “Where are they?”
“They’ll both be safely in Portland by tomorrow night,” Noni said, her voice a mite high as she obviously tried to engage in normal conversation after seeing him covered in blood. “I think that’s better than home, don’t you?”
He thought about it while he chewed bread. Even that somehow tasted better than normal because she’d heated it. “Yeah. Let’s keep them there.” Besides, if he faced either one of them, he was pretty sure he’d get kicked in the balls for hurting their girl. He got that. In fact, he appreciated it. “Sorry I couldn’t get any information from the gang members.” Hearing them squeal in pain had made his day, however. To think that they might’ve gotten to Noni if he hadn’t hit town in time. His hand tightened on his wineglass, and he forced himself to relax his hold.
She cleared her throat. “Did you, ah, hurt them badly?”
He wasn’t going there with her. “Yes, and they deserved pain. Topic closed.”
Her lips thinned, but she didn’t argue. “Fine. You promised me your life story.”
Man, he wasn’t ready for that. “You talk first. How’s the business?” She’d started her own lotion, candle, and perfume shop, and it had impressed the hell out of him. The place smelled like he assumed heaven would.
Her eyes lit. “Great. We’re doing a lot more Internet sales these days, which is pretty normal. Franny does the business side, I create, and Verna has been doing the Internet stuff. She’s getting sw
amped, though, so I think we might have to hire some help.” Noni took another drink of the wine and gave a soft moan. “So good.”
That sound shot right down his chest and landed in his balls. If she was still his, he’d reach for her and make her dessert. But he’d given her up, and he had no right to touch her, no matter how badly it hurt. But maybe he could know her better. He’d give anything to know all of her—to be the one person in life who did. “When we, ah, dated, you never told me how you ended up with them.”
“That’s because you never asked.” Old hurts flared in her eyes and then quickly disappeared.
He winced, his breath hitching in his chest. The fact that he’d hurt her would torture him throughout his life. “I thought we should keep things casual since I had to leave at the end of the job.” He’d been looking for an embezzler who had relocated to Anchorage, and he’d ultimately found the guy. “I did want to know, though.” He’d wanted to know everything about her and had to appease himself with just knowing her scent and touch. He’d tried not to love her, and he’d tried to protect her by being honest about his plans to leave. Apparently he’d screwed that one up seriously. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“So you’ve said,” she snapped, sparks shooting from her eyes.
His cock hardened even more. “Tell me your story, and I’ll tell mine.” If he listened to her, he’d relax, and then he could stop mentally kicking himself for screwing up. He took a drink of the wine. Tasted like wine. How she knew it was good, he had no clue. He was a straight whiskey man.
She sighed. “My parents, as you know, died.”
Yeah, but he’d never asked how. He felt for the lost little girl she must’ve been. He could relate. “When you were young.”
“Yeah. I was four years old, and they were snowmobiling and got caught in an avalanche.” She shrugged, her eyes downcast. “I remember them only from pictures, to be honest. But I look like my mom, who also looked like Aunt Franny, so there’s that.”
It still hurt her. Not knowing the people who’d created her. That he could understand, and he wished he could ease her pain somehow. “Franny took you in?”
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