Whirlwind (SAI Book 2)

by Lea Hart

  “I don’t mind complicated, Sara. I’m going to figure out what you’re running from, and then I’ll take care of it.”

  “That’s very sweet of you, but I could never involve you.” When he moved closer, she could see the determination in his gaze and knew he wasn’t going to give up easily. If ever. “Grady, please…” Her hand held the side of the pool, and she watched him place his on top.

  “Please kiss you?” Slowly he lowered his head and captured her mouth.

  When their lips met, a flood of desire swamped her body, and she did the only thing she could. Kissed him back. When he gradually released her mouth, she traced his mouth with her fingertips. “That shouldn’t happen again for a million reasons.”

  He threw his head back and let out a loud laugh. “Oh, we’re definitely doing that as often as we can. We like each other, and we should just surrender and save ourselves a lot of trouble.”

  “I’m not surrendering to anything.” Turning, she swam over to the ladder and climbed out of the pool. When she hit the top step, she heard Grady mumble something. It sounded like he said, yet. Well, she wasn’t surrendering…ever.

  She strolled over to the lounge chair and wrapped herself up in her towel. As Grady lifted himself out of the pool, she silently whistled to herself. The man was a work of art. Having studied art for so long, she knew what she was talking about. Everything about him was perfect.

  Rubbing her head, she realized that she was acting crazy. One second she was lusting after him, and the next she was trying to push him away. Never before had she been on such a seesaw. “Grady, I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “Thank God. Because neither do I.” He tugged at her towel until it dropped and then brought her body flush against his.

  Looking into his eyes, she sighed. “Even the graze of your hand on my arm is annihilating.”

  The heat in his eyes told her that he didn’t operate by half measures. The seconds that passed felt like poetry.

  Possibility hung in the air as he whispered quietly, “I’m going to kiss you so that you can never get the taste out of your mouth. I’m going to be the last man you kiss.”

  His gaze moved across her face, and then lingered on her mouth. He leaned forward and kissed her deeply. Teasing her with his tongue, he took his time exploring her mouth. Breathless, she gripped his shoulders as he kissed every objection out of her mind. The way he kissed her made his words seem like a guarantee, and that wasn’t something that she could let happen.

  ***

  As she stepped out of the shower, she thought about the kiss Grady had given her. It was nothing less than a full frontal assault. And she liked it. Damn it!

  All those years of polite kisses had not prepared her for a man who knew what he wanted and took it. She had gotten a glimpse of the warrior who never failed a mission. Somehow he had decided in the last couple of days that she needed his protection and affection. Sweet Lord, how was she going to talk him out of it?

  Before she could take time to come up with an answer, her cell phone rang. Whoever it was could wait. She wasn’t going to slip and slide across her house to catch the call. If it was Gladys or Agnes, they would just come over if it was important. The other three people who had the number would leave a message. That was one of the benefits of disappearing. You had fewer people you had to worry about. And, unfortunately, fewer to worry about you. It was always a tradeoff.

  Before she made it through her full routine, the phone rang again. Dread slid down her back because she knew it was going to be bad news. Walking slowly into the kitchen, she lifted the phone and realized it was going to be very bad news. She hit the redial button and waited while the call was connected. When Sammy’s deep voice came on the line, she braced herself. “How bad is it?”

  “On a scale of one to ten, it’s about a six.”

  Slumping into a chair, she leaned her head against her hand. “When a federal agent tells you it’s a six, then for mere mortals it’s probably closer to a nine.”

  “I can always put you into the program formally, and then we won’t have to worry about any of this.”

  “I’d rather eat nails than go into witness protection. But thanks for the offer.” The doorbell rang and Sara froze. “Someone’s at my door. Let me check and see who it is.”

  “Be careful, Sara.”

  “Always. Hold on.” She walked over to the hall monitor and checked the cameras. Letting out a breath of relief, she saw that it was Gladys and Agnes. “Just my squad, Sammy. No hit men have shown up today.”

  “That’s always a plus. Do you want to call me back or should I just wait?”

  “Call me on Skype. You know how those two like to drool over that pretty face of yours. I’d hate to deny them that pleasure.”

  “Okay. I’ve had about ten cups of coffee this morning, so I should be ready for the dynamic duo.”

  “Talk to you in a few.” She disengaged the security system and opened the door. “Hi, ladies. Come on in. Sammy is going to Skype us in a few.”

  Agnes patted her hair and smoothed out her acid-green caftan. “Good thing I put some lipstick on this morning. I wouldn’t want that big, sexy man to think that I was losing my looks.”

  Gladys snorted and pushed passed her friend. “Sexy Sammy only humors us when we flirt with him. But I must say that I appreciate it, because he makes me tingle in places that I forgot I had.”

  Sara closed the door and followed the ladies into the kitchen. “Gladys, what about Bert down at the center? I thought you said he made you tingle.”

  “Pff. You can’t compare the tingles from an eighty-five-year-old and a man who’s in his thirties. One man’s parts still work and the other’s don’t. I’m sure you can guess which one I’d prefer.”

  “Speaking of tingles, I saw Grady come out of your gate this morning half-naked. Anything you want to share with us?” Agnes asked.

  Before Sara could answer, her laptop chimed. “I better get that.”

  “Don’t think that gets you out of answering the question. We’ll be circling back to it later,” Gladys commented.

  Waving her hand, Sara opened the call from Sammy. When his handsome face filled the screen, both Agnes and Gladys sighed. She couldn’t fault them. Sam Barton, FBI agent extraordinaire, was a handsome man. He had midnight-black hair and piercing blue eyes. The things that threw his good looks over the top were his dimples. Which he was showing off beautifully.

  “Hi, Sammy,” Agnes and Gladys called in unison.

  “Hi, ladies. You both are looking lovely this morning. I like the bold color choices you’ve both made with your hair.”

  Sara watched them pat their bright Easter egg hair and smile like a couple of teenagers. Nobody had more fun than those two, and she was lucky they’d adopted her. “Fill us in on the latest news from Chicago. Please tell me that the family has lost interest in me.”

  “I wish I could. Have a seat, because I have some information that you’re not going to like.”

  Agnes and Gladys both put a hand on her shoulder, and she felt their strength and support as they stood behind her. It seemed she was going to need it. “Okay, Sammy. Tell me everything.”

  “The chatter we’ve picked up suggests that Solly D is pressing his underboss to locate you and determine if you’ve found the password. The Albanians are moving into their territory, and it looks like a turf war is about to happen. John “Pudgy” Matassa, the consigliere, isn’t having any luck with peace talks, so they’re preparing for the worst.”

  Gladys leaned forward and asked quietly, “I thought they were giving up on the idea that Sara knew anything valuable.”

  “That’s what we hoped. But they’re in a fight they can’t win, so they’re plugging any holes that make them vulnerable.”

  “And I make them vulnerable because of what they believe dear old Dad gave me?”

  Sammy’s handsome face filled the screen, and he appeared worried. Which only made Sara apprehensive.

>   “But they have to know that I don’t have the password,” she said. “Because if I did, I would’ve already given it to you. Thus ensuring my safety.”

  “As if any of this was logical,” Agnes commented.

  “So, what do you suggest?” Sara asked Sammy.

  “I want you to be extra vigilant. We have no reason to believe that they have the capability of finding you, but we can’t be sure. They’ve never demonstrated any aptitude in hacking, but that doesn’t mean they won’t.”

  “Great. Should I move…on?”

  “Not yet. Let’s see how the next week plays out. It could just be that the capo is panicking, and he has no real plans of putting the effort into finding you. It’s been a year and they’ve not made a significant move. It’s been my experience that if they want you, they find you right away.”

  “All right, Sammy. I’ll do as you say.” Agnes and Gladys both gripped her shoulder and squeezed.

  “We have a plan, Sammy. No one is getting to our Sara,” Agnes stated.

  “Mobsters don’t expect old people to be well-armed. So if the Outfit shows up, they’re going to be in for an enormous surprise,” Gladys added confidently.

  Sara leaned forward and smiled into the screen. “If we don’t blow ourselves up in the process, then we could actually be effective.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” Sam sighed. “Don’t forget that I can pull you in and have you out of Miami in a matter of hours.”

  “Not yet, Sammy.”

  “On one condition…quit looking up videos on YouTube. You don’t need to learn how to make a Molotov cocktail.”

  Sara leaned back and crossed her arms. “Fine, no more YouTube videos.”

  “Thank you…I’ll check in at the end of the week unless something comes up.”

  “We look forward to it,” Gladys said. Fluffing her hair, she winked. “Talking to you is the highlight of our month.”

  “Goodbye, ladies. Remember to behave. Don’t shoot anyone and don’t blow anything up.”

  Wagging her fingers, Agnes waved goodbye and shut the call down. “He’s sort of a spoilsport.”

  Sara closed her computer and sat back. “This stinks.”

  Agnes moved around the island and started a fresh pot of coffee. “Not as bad as it could’ve been.”

  Gladys sat in the stool next to Sara and cleared her throat. “Are you going to tell us what’s going on with Grady? I think there’s a storm brewing between you two, and that may be a bigger threat than the folks in Chicago.”

  “I kissed him,” Sara stated flatly. “I didn’t mean to. But it happened.”

  Agnes moved away from the counter and shook her head. “This discussion needs a crumb cake. I have one in my freezer. I’m going to run over and get it, and then we’re going to sit down and discuss this.”

  Sara nodded in agreement. “We definitely need crumb cake. Because kissing Grady scares me a lot more than the men in Chicago.”

  “That seems reasonable,” Gladys commented. “Kissing a man like him could completely change your life.”

  ***

  Agnes cut another piece of cake and held it up. “Do you want another before you begin?”

  Sara nodded. “Yes, please.” She started picking the topping off the cake and then sighed. “The man who I’ve ignored for almost a year is no longer ignorable.”

  “That’s what we were afraid of,” Gladys said. “A man like Grady doesn’t come along in every woman’s life. We had a feeling that if either of you ever noticed one another, it was going to be fatal.” Patting her hair, she smiled. “In a good way…of course.”

  Sara’s fork clattered against her plate as she stared at the women. “What in the world are you talking about?” Flapping her hands around, she clearly was at her wit’s end. “Louie Tomatoes would like to see me dead and buried, and now you’re telling me that Grady is where the real threat lies?”

  “He’s going to steal your heart and good sense,” Agnes responded.

  Leaning back, Sara tried to breathe normally. “Well…if that’s all it is.” A slow pulse of panic rose in her chest and her disbelief emerged as a gravelly whisper. “He can’t steal something unless I give him the opportunity to.” What they said wasn’t much different than the thoughts twirling around in her head. But that didn’t mean that she wanted to hear it aloud. The big, sexy man who lived next door was making her more nervous than Frank “No Nose” Di Fonzo.

  Gladys took a sip of her coffee and then straightened her dress. “The way Grady looks at you reminds me of the way my Morris looked at me. There’s some powerful chemistry stirring between the two of you. I, for one, would like to see where it goes.”

  “Me, too,” Agnes added.

  Sara ate more topping and then shook her head. “We’ve spent very little time together. All I know is that he had a tumultuous relationship with a crazy lady. That doesn’t seem like someone who I should have chemistry with.”

  “That’s the thing about chemistry. It’s not a choice. It happens and you’re stuck,” Gladys stated. “Do you think that I wanted to be married to a man who owned a mortuary?” Shaking her head, she flattened her napkin. “I can assure you that I did not. My dream man was a podiatrist, but that’s not who I fell in love with. My Morris kissed me and that was it. He had my heart, and there was nothing to be done.”

  “Chemistry sucks,” Sara yelled.

  “Only if you’re lucky,” Agnes answered. “You kissed him, and now you have to kiss him again. It’s good to make sure that the first time wasn’t a fluke.”

  “He kissed me this morning. It wasn’t a fluke,” Sara replied. Both women took a sip of coffee and shrugged their shoulders. She laid her head on the table and let out a small moan. When they each patted her hair, she knew the hounds of fate were closing in. “If I fall for him, I pray for a soft place to land.”

  Agnes lifted her face gently and gave her a reassuring smile. “Honey, that’s the best any of us can hope for.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Friday Evening

  Grady stood at Sara’s door with tension crawling up his spine. What Lance had discovered led him to believe that the threat against her was serious as shit. His gut told him to attach himself to her until he could neutralize the people who were after her. But even he knew that was going to be a hard sell. Maybe he could wrap his protection plan in some seduction. After pressing her doorbell, he waited. He knew the biggest challenge was going to be working around her resistance to what was happening between them. They had a ton of chemistry, and all he had to do was convince her how freaking amazing it was going to be between them.

  The door opened, and he was immediately snagged by her luminous green eyes. Lifting the bag of food, he grinned. “How does Chinese sound?”

  “Every time you come over, you bring food.” Stepping aside, she let him in. “Did you tell me you were coming over?”

  “No.” Slipping an arm around her shoulder, he held her against his side. “It’s Friday, so we’re having a date.” He kissed the top of her head and was immediately enveloped in her scent. Coconut. It must have been her shampoo or lotion. Whatever it was sent a message to his brain that he was home. He cleared his throat and tried to drag his thoughts away from the many ways he wanted to claim her. The idea of any man threatening her heated his blood with a possessive rage. Smiling, he tried to lighten his feelings. The last thing he wanted to do was spook her. “Maybe we can go out later on and get some dessert.”

  “If I’d known that I had a date, I would’ve dressed up.”

  His eyes slid up her legs, around her curves and up to her eyes, and he grinned. “You look perfect to me.” She wore a pair of cutoff jeans shorts and a T-shirt that advertised Chunky Monkey ice cream. “I hope you like what I chose.”

  Taking his hand, she led him into the kitchen. “Whatever you brought is going to be perfect.” She opened the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of iced tea. “Will this be okay? I don’t have any beer.” />
  “Tea would be great.” He watched her fill two glasses and then pull out plates. “Thanks for agreeing to a date.”

  “If a man shows up at my door with food, he’s pretty much guaranteed a date. I’m easy like that.” She handed him the plates and grabbed the glasses of tea. “Why are you frowning?”

  “How many men do you have coming to your door?” He held out a chair and let her sit down before he took his own.

  “Dozens. There are so many men wanting to get at me that I usually have to give out numbers. It seems to be the only way to maintain order. It’s a good thing you came by early, because around eight is when it starts to get a little crazy.” She opened the cartons of food and started serving him. When she was done, she served herself. “We should eat quickly so that I can get you out of here before the crowd shows up.”

  Leaning forward, he cupped her chin. When she looked up at him, he grinned. “Message received.”

  Pressing her mouth to his cheek, she gave him a small kiss. “Good.”

  She was not only sexy but also smart and funny. A lethal combination. At least for him. “Tell me about the graphic novel that you’re working on.”

  “I’m stuck on the story line for the second installment and I’ve started over. I spoke with my editor this morning and we agreed it isn’t working. The hero isn’t believable, and I haven’t come up with a solution yet. This whole thing is new to me, so it’s a slow process.”

  “What did you do before the graphic novel?” He already knew the answer and wondered how honest she was going to be with him. Lance had given him a ream of information about her. He had all the facts but not the story. Maybe tonight would be the first step in finding out the reason she was in danger.

  “I illustrated children’s books. I’ve had a bit of success with a friend of mine from college. We created a series called Ms. Mitten’s Adventures. I also illustrated two other books about an elephant named Eloise.”

  The fact that she had won the Caldecott Medal two years in row told him that she’d had more than a bit of success. He had ordered all the books she had ever illustrated from Amazon, and there were at least a half a dozen. “What does ‘a bit of success’ mean?”