Tell Me No Spies

by Diane Henders

  James smiled, eyeing Nichele. “Where are you off to tonight, so elegantly dressed?”

  “Right around the corner. Why don’t you join us for a few drinks?” she invited.

  I shot a wide-eyed glare at Arnie. “Nah, we gotta go,” he said quickly. “Come on, Jim, let’s get outta here.”

  “On the contrary, I have no particular place to be tonight,” his brother demurred. “I’d be delighted to accompany you.” He tucked Nichele’s hand into the crook of his elbow and they strolled toward the sidewalk, leaving Arnie and me regarding each other sickly.

  “What the hell?” I hissed. “I thought you said he was in jail for the rest of his life.”

  Hellhound scowled. “Thought he was. Bastard’s got too much goddamn pull, an’ he got sprung. He showed up at my place an’ I told him to fuck off, but he’s been followin’ me around for days.”

  I groaned as I watched Nichele lean into James, gazing up at him. “Shit! Come with me. See if we can break it up before it’s too late.”

  “Can’t, darlin’. Sorry.” He didn’t quite meet my eyes. “I really gotta go.”

  “Okay…” I reached for his hand, but he turned away and headed for the sidewalk. “See you,” I said to his receding back.

  Inside the club, I leaned close to Nichele to be heard over the thumping music. “Come with me to freshen up.” I grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the bathroom. Inside, I released her. “Nichele…”

  “Oh… My… God… Aydan, did you see how hot he is? Did you see that suit?”

  “What is it with you and guys in suits? Listen, Nichele…”

  “That’s Armani!”

  “You know I wouldn’t know Armani if it jumped up and bit me on the ass. And I don’t give a shit if he’s wearing a gold-leaf suit with a diamond-studded codpiece -”

  “What’s a codpiece?”

  “It was a piece that covered a guy’s junk on…” I cut myself off at the sight of her mischievous grin. “Don’t change the subject! You need to ditch him, ASAP!”

  “Are you kidding me?” She shot me an incredulous look before rolling her eyes up in anticipatory bliss. “Mmm-mmm! I’m soooo gonna hit that!”

  “Nichele, you can’t. Have a drink with him to be polite, and then blow him off.”

  She turned a wicked grin on me. “Oh, I’ll blow him off, all right. And that’s not all I’ll do.”

  I seized her by the shoulders. “Nichele, he’s a criminal! He’s a dangerous, mean sonuvabitch, he’s in deep with the gangs, and he just got out of jail. Ditch him. I mean it.”

  “Bullshit! Who told you that?”

  “Arnie. Trust me, he’s not kidding.”

  She eyed me skeptically. “No way. James is smart and sophisticated, I can tell. Arnie’s the mean dumb one, with all his tattoos and leathers. I can see his ugly face in jail, no problem. He’s just making that up so you’ll stay away from James.”

  I couldn’t help taking offense on Arnie’s behalf. I knew he intentionally cultivated his dumb-biker image to hide his intelligence and provide a cover for his activities as a private investigator, but seeing the stereotype in action irritated me. And his face wasn’t his fault.

  “You try getting the shit kicked out of you for the first five years of your life, and see how pretty your face looks afterward. Besides…”

  Nichele blinked. “Oh, that’s right, he’s your booty call, isn’t he? Sorry.”

  “Was, apparently. That’s not the point…”

  “Oh, girl, he dumped you? No wonder you’re so bitchy. But it’s okay.” She patted my cheek. “Dante’s my super-hot booty call, and just for you, I’m going to share. Come on, once you get laid, everything’ll be all better.” She grabbed my arm and hauled me out of the bathroom.

  “Nichele, I don’t care how hot Dante is, I’m not going to jump a total stranger. And you need to tell James to take a hike…”

  She had dragged me half-way across the bar and I was still trying to talk sense into her ear when she perked up and waved. “There’s Dante! Come on!”

  I gaped at the shockingly handsome man across the room. My fingers dug into Nichele’s shoulder. “Nichele! Christ, I’m not a cougar! I’m old enough to be his mother! And you know I don’t trust any man who looks prettier or smells better than I do. He’s gotta be-”

  “He’s an underwear model. And he’s thirty-seven. Ten years younger is juuuust right, trust me.”

  I did my best to close my mouth when his face lit up and dazzlingly white teeth gleamed. High cheekbones formed breathtaking planes and angles in his tanned face. Longish, wavy black hair, sparkling black eyes, full lips, and a chiselled chin topped the body of a god, tantalizingly displayed in a clinging, silky shirt and extremely well-fitting black slacks.

  “…Holy… fuck!”

  Nichele grinned up at me. “Oh, you have no idea. Come on.”

  Chapter 10

  Apparently I’d been harbouring a few stereotypes of my own. To my surprise, Dante wasn’t a self-centred featherbrain. Despite the fact that we had very little in common, he proved to be an intelligent and entertaining conversationalist. And Nichele must have bribed him to be extra nice to me.

  I made a few more futile attempts to deter Nichele but it was clearly a waste of breath, and after slamming down another couple of beers I discovered I didn’t care anymore. I relaxed with a fresh beer in my hand and let Dante’s attentiveness soothe my battered equanimity.

  Some time later, I sighed when I glanced over to see James and Nichele in a passionate lip lock. I’d tried. Really, I had.

  Dante’s gorgeous face blocked my view. “Is everything all right?” His accent was barely noticeable, just pronounced enough to sound exotic. Combined with his deep, mellow voice, the effect was like being stroked with black velvet. In a lot of interesting places.

  I took a deep breath and held my voice steady. “Fine, thanks.”

  He traced a line down my jaw with one perfectly manicured fingertip. “I was afraid you were feeling neglected.” His lips were very close.

  A second later, his lips were exactly close enough. Cold and smoky-tasting from his single-malt scotch on the rocks. But, oh my Lord, they warmed up fast. Dante’s Inferno indeed…

  I yelped and jerked away when Kane’s large hand dropped on my shoulder. “Aydan, I need to talk to you.”

  “Jesus Christ! What the hell are you doing here?” I clutched at my chest in a futile attempt to slow my hammering heart. His gaze followed the gesture to my exposed cleavage, and I whacked his arm. “Hey, buddy, eyes up here.”

  His hand closed around my wrist. “We need to talk. Privately.” He shot a scowl at Dante. Dante’s smooth forehead puckered ever so slightly as he took in the scar that cut across Kane’s eyebrow and the slight bump from his long-ago broken nose. Dressed all in black with his massive shoulders straining his shirt, Kane looked almost as dangerous as he truly was.

  “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I assured Dante, and slid out of the booth.

  Kane steered me to a corner where the music was slightly less deafening before leaning close to growl in my ear. “What the hell are you doing?”

  All my irritation flooded back. “What the hell does it look like I’m doing? I was having a pleasant evening with friends. What do you want?”

  “I want to know why you packed up and sneaked out of your house. I want to know where you’re going.”

  I planted my fists on my hips. “I wasn’t sneaking! Jeez, you’re always telling me I’m working too hard. I decided to take a little R & R, that’s all.”

  “Really.”

  “Yeah, really.” I glared at him. “So you can just butt out and… Goddammit!” I exclaimed as comprehension dawned. “You got Arnie to tail me, didn’t you? Why don’t you leave me the hell alone!”

  Kane shrugged. “You should have told me where you were going. I tried to call you, and when I didn’t get an answer, I checked the surveillance footage. When we saw you leaving with your backpa
ck, Stemp was afraid you might do something rash, so he sent me to pick you up and bring you home.”

  “Excuse me?” I glowered at him. “Bring me home? Screw that. How did you even find me?”

  “I tracked your cell phone and found out you were in Calgary. I drove out to your place and your overnight things were gone…”

  “You broke into my house.” My temper flared and I held it back with difficulty. Would’ve been a lot easier without the many beers circulating enthusiastically in my bloodstream.

  He shrugged again. “That’s what happens when you don’t keep me informed. I set Hellhound up for surveillance at Nichele’s until I could get here, and told him to follow you if you went anywhere.”

  He eyed me humourlessly. “If you’re planning to stay under the radar, you shouldn’t ride around in a red convertible with the top down.”

  “Piss off. I’m not trying to stay under the radar, I’m trying to have a pleasant evening. It would improve a lot if you’d just leave me alone.”

  His lips tightened. “Aydan, I’m sorry, I know you’re still upset with me, but don’t make things worse. Stemp’s given me the order to bring you back tonight. Let’s just go.”

  Fury and fear shot through me. If Stemp was willing to send Kane out to drag me back tonight, I’d never get another chance to talk privately to my aunt. I’d never know the truth…

  The beer won the battle.

  I leaned forward for emphasis and regained my balance by jabbing a finger into his chest. “You can tell Stemp to go fuck himself! In fact, you can drive all the way back up to Silverside tonight, without me, and fuck Stemp yourself for all I care. I’m not going with you. I’ve been working every goddamn weekend for the last three months, and I’m due for a break. You see that guy over there?” I wiggled my fingers at Dante, and his brilliant smile flashed through the dim lights of the club. “I’m going to take that home and ride it all night long. And you’re not going to stop me.”

  Kane’s face twisted. “Aydan, I know you’re not the type to pick up a stranger for a one-night stand.”

  “Oh, yeah? Well, news flash. I wasn’t. But I am now. Because as you told me, I can’t afford to get close to anybody in my line of work. Tom’s off limits, Arnie’s taken a powder, and I wouldn’t touch you with rubber gloves… or rubber anything for that matter,” I amended, ignoring the flash of fake pain on his face. When would the man give it up already?

  I smothered a hiccup and went on, “So, yeah, I’m going to go and have a very, very nice evening with Dante, and you’re going to let me. Because you know damn well I deserve it.”

  “Aydan, I think you’ve had a little too much to drink…”

  “Fuckin’ A.”

  “Think this through,” he urged. “Please.”

  “I have. We’re done here.” I got up and went back to Dante.

  When I cuddled up to him, he shot a glance over to where Kane stood smouldering in the corner. “Is everything all right?” he asked.

  Nichele disengaged herself from James to lean across the table. “Hey, girl, isn’t that Hot John? I thought you said it was over between you.”

  “It is. Apparently he’s having some difficulty letting go. Ignore him.”

  Dante eyed Kane worriedly. “Is he dangerous?”

  I swallowed a sigh. I’d gotten so used to being surrounded by brave men. But I could scarcely blame Dante for not wanting to get his head kicked in. His face was his meal ticket.

  “No,” I lied. “He won’t cause any trouble. Just ignore him.”

  “Okay.” His dazzling smile came back. “I’m sure he’ll get tired of watching soon enough.”

  Ha. I wish.

  I shrugged and let Dante’s lips drift down my neck. “I’m sure he will.”

  Some time later, Nichele tottered to her feet. “Aydan, come with me.”

  I got up and followed as she wove her way to the washroom. Inside, she leaned against the wall and giggled. “What do you think of Dante?”

  “The man is pure dark chocolate. Looks good, smells good, comes on sweet and strong…”

  “And makes you want to eat him all night long,” she finished, grinning.

  “That wasn’t what I was going to say.”

  She smirked up at me. “Here’s the part where you thank me.”

  “Yeah, thanks, Nichele.”

  “No, I mean, here’s the part where you thank me, because…” She paused dramatically.

  “What?” I shot her a suspicious look.

  Could anything else go wrong tonight? I had no idea how I could give Kane the slip, pick up my things from Nichele’s, and sneak away. Kane had stayed, watching me from across the room, and he was undoubtedly ready to drag me to his SUV the instant I stepped outside. Shit, shit, shit!

  “Because…” Nichele hiccupped and one eyelid drooped in a conspiratorial wink. “I sneaked your backpack into my car before we left my place. And when James went out for a smoke, I went with him and put your backpack into Dante’s car. So you can have your night of dark chocolate sin with all the comforts of home.”

  “You did what?” My jaw sagged as I stared at her impish expression. Any other time, I would’ve been ready to kill her. As much as I was enjoying the flirtation, I had no intention of taking it any further with Dante. But this time…

  I flung my arms around her. “Nichele, you’re the best friend that ever was!”

  “How drunk are you?”

  “Stone cold sober.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Okay, sober enough.”

  She eyed me uncertainly. “Why aren’t you mad?”

  I made an effort to tone down the shit-eating grin that kept tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Because at least once in her life, every woman should get a chance to do a guy who looks like Dante.”

  She relaxed, mirroring my grin. “Finally, you’re starting to live a little. About time.”

  “You can say that again.”

  My mind worked furiously while we made our way back to the table, arm in arm. Half the problem solved. I had my backpack. Now if Kane would just leave me alone for a few minutes…

  James and Dante rose as we arrived at the table, and we headed for the door. I spotted Kane vectoring toward us and sighed. “You guys go ahead. I’m just going to deal with Mr. Creepy Stalker here.”

  James straightened, his hard eyes measuring Kane. “Do you want help?”

  I didn’t want to consider the kind of help he might offer. Cement overshoes, maybe. “No, thanks, it’s no big deal. I’ll just be a minute.”

  They drifted away as Kane confronted me. “We need to go now, Aydan.”

  My heart rate ratcheted up a notch as I rubbed the frown lines out of my forehead. Now or never. I summoned up all my acting skills and gave him the imploring big brown eyes.

  “John, I…” I broke off and cast my eyes down for a second before meeting his gaze again. “I said some harsh things earlier, and I’m sorry. But I’m just so… you can’t imagine what this has been like for me.”

  That part was true, anyway. Careful, now, don’t overdo it…

  His face softened. Good.

  “I know it’s asking a lot, and I know it puts you in an awkward position with Stemp, but…” I gazed up at him and let my voice tremble a little. “Could you… please, just this one time. I just need a bit of time to get over this. Could you just let me go?”

  Kane sighed. “Aydan, you know I can’t let you out of my sight.”

  Dammit.

  I knew duty came first for him. It always had. I had hoped he hadn’t been completely faking his attraction to me, but no such luck. It had all been a lie.

  “Fine.” I turned away.

  Now what the hell was I going to do? I made my way toward the door with Kane trailing me through the crush of bodies. Maybe I could run for it…

  His hand closed around my arm. Shit, was the man a mind reader?

  “Aydan.” He let go and leaned close, his grey eyes searching m
y face. “I don’t want you to go home with that…” He stopped at the sight of my expression and took a breath. “All right. You know how much trouble I’ll be in for this. But you’re right, Sirius owes you.” He blew out a breath. “I owe you. I’ll give you the night.”

  I stared up at him, shocked.

  “I’ll have to follow you and keep you under surveillance,” he continued. “But I’ll stay back. We’ll leave in the morning.”

  I clutched his hand. “Thank you.”

  He sighed. “You’re welcome. Just…” His hand tightened on mine for an instant before he released me. “Never mind.”

  I stepped out onto the sidewalk alone, elation warring with sickening guilt. This was going to work. But I was about to screw Kane royally.

  My alcohol-fuelled inner child stamped her foot. I owed him a metric shit-ton of absolutely nothing. He’d murdered my husband, he’d pretended to be my friend, and he’d used and manipulated me. Oh, and he’d screwed me under false pretences.

  Bend over, buddy. Payback’s a bitch.

  Dante’s arm slipped around my shoulders, and I smiled at him as he ushered me to his car.

  Chapter 11

  I tried to conceal my nervousness when we pulled up in front of a well-kept bungalow in one of the older neighbourhoods. When we got out of the car I glimpsed Kane’s black Expedition pulling up to the curb in the next block. Damn, he was a good spy. If I hadn’t known what he drove, I’d never have spotted him.

  I retrieved my backpack and let Dante guide me up the walk with his arm around my waist. At the front door, we shared a lingering kiss while he fumbled for his keys. Despite my apprehension, I couldn’t help noting how good his body felt against mine. And he knew what to do with those luscious lips.

  Inside, I subtly manoeuvred him in front of the picture window for our next kiss, making sure we’d be visible from outside. This needed to be totally convincing.

  My God, speaking of convincing…

  Maybe Hellhound had some competition in the kissing department after all. I spared a quick downward glance to make sure I hadn’t accidentally stepped into a small bonfire.