Riding to Sunset

by Jaci Burton

  “As you can see, it’s quite spectacular.”

  “Uh-huh. How much?”

  “Eight hundred.”

  He didn’t look up at her, didn’t blink, didn’t balk at the price. She half turned to see what the other guy was doing. He was inching closer to the front door at a very slow pace, still not making eye contact.

  She didn’t like this. Her stomach knotted. She needed her phone. She suddenly wanted to call Jed.

  She kept her focus on the guy moving toward her front door. “Are you interested in this piece, or can I show you something else?”

  “Show me something else,” the guy said.

  Reluctantly, she turned her gaze back to the customer. “All right. What would you like to see?”

  “This one.”

  She tucked the glass piece to the side, ready to smash it and use the shards as a weapon if need be. She pulled out the shell.

  That’s when she heard the distinct click of the lock at her front door. Her gaze snapped to the man at the door. “Hey!”

  She dove for the glass and came out with it in her hand, ready to break it over the counter and stab the asshole nearest her.

  “Hey yourself, babe. What’s going on here?”

  She sagged with relief at the sound of Jed’s voice. He sauntered in from the back of her shop. How he’d gotten in that way, she had no idea, and frankly didn’t care. All she knew was the look on his face was lethal, and his right hand was resting on the butt of the gun tucked into his pants, sending a clear message to the two guys in the store he was ready for whatever they had in mind.

  “I don’t think we want anything today,” the one by the door said, quickly unlocking the door.

  The two of them left in a hurry.

  Jed was at her side in two seconds and she sagged against him.

  He took the glass from her hand. She hadn’t even realized she had a death grip on it.

  “Hell of a weapon here.”

  “It could be if I’d broken it.”

  “I’m not disagreeing with you. Who the hell were those guys?”

  “No idea. I didn’t like their vibe from the second they walked through the door. No eye contact, and I could tell they weren’t really interested in any of the inventory.”

  He tipped her chin up with his fingers. “They were interested in you.”

  “I guess.”

  “You’re shaking. You need to sit down.”

  He took her to the back of the shop and put her in the chair.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  She nodded.

  He was right. She was shaking. She clasped her hands together and tried to force the tremors to stop, but every time she did, the thoughts of what could have happened with those two men came barreling at her, and the shivers started again.

  “Okay, come on. I’m taking you upstairs.”

  Her head shot up. “But the shop—”

  “Is closed. Locked up tight. It was almost closing time, anyway.”

  She wanted to argue, but she knew he was right. She’d be useless to her customers right now. Dammit.

  He helped her up and on shaky legs she climbed the stairs to her apartment, where she collapsed on the sofa.

  “Got any coffee or tea?”

  “Both.”

  “Tea would probably be better for you.”

  “Far-left-hand cabinet. I don’t need you to wait on me. I’m all right.”

  He shot her a disbelieving look from the kitchen. “Yeah, you look all right. If you stood up, you’d probably fall over. Just sit there and I’ll fix you something.”

  “Fine. And I’m not helpless, you know.”

  “Never thought you were.”

  “I was ready to bean that one guy with the glass sculpture. I also have a pretty decent right arm. I would have pitched the coral at the door guy, and would have likely hit him, too. Or at least injured him enough to go for the alarm. Or I could have hurt or disabled them both enough to give me time to run upstairs and lock myself in the apartment or gotten to my phone in time.”

  “Uh-huh. I’m sure you could have taken them both down single-handed.”

  “Now you’re making fun of me.”

  “Am I?”

  Jed handed her the cup of tea. She looked up at him and smiled, then took it with shaky hands.

  “Thanks.” She took a sip, and the warmth spread throughout her body. She’d needed this.

  He kneeled down beside her. “You’re pale.”

  “I’m tougher than you think.” Or maybe she was just trying to convince herself so she wouldn’t be scared out of her mind.

  “Obviously. You had an entire plan in mind to kick their asses. You didn’t need me.”

  She put the cup on the table beside her. “I so did. You’re my hero. I might have had a plan, but who knows if I would have been able to carry it out. At the time I was terrified.”

  “Hey, you didn’t fall apart like most people would have. I give you a lot of credit for that. You weren’t a babbling baby and you held yourself together. I’m sure you would have executed whatever you had in mind with precision. I’m just glad I showed up and made them change their minds about whatever it was they thought about doing.”

  “What do you think they had in mind?”

  He shrugged. “No idea, but whatever it was wasn’t good.”

  She shuddered and wrapped her arms around her herself, feeling suddenly chilled.

  Jed reached behind her for the blanket and laid it over her.

  “Thanks, again. And how did you get in the shop?”

  “I was on my way over to see you. Saw the dude flip the lock and knew something was up, so instead of busting your front door in or shooting the lock, I came around back and used the code to get in.”

  “Oh, that’s right. I forgot I’d given that to you.”

  He swept his hand over her hair. “You can change the code if you want to.”

  “Are you kidding? You saved my life today.”

  He sat on the sofa next to her. “I don’t know about that, but I’m glad I could be here for you.”

  “It was handy timing. My shop seems to have been targeted.”

  Or Elena was the target. Jed wasn’t sure. He’d been in the condo, and once he spotted the two guys pulling up in front of her store, he’d zeroed in on them. They’d waited until Marco left before going inside, a sure sign they were scoping her out. He’d hightailed it out of the condo, got a scan of their bike tags and headed for the front door. That’s when he saw the one lock it, so he’d hurried around the back and used the code to slip inside.

  He wasn’t sure if these guys were part of the burglary ring going around, or if they’d been after Elena. He intended to find out, but his first priority was making sure she was safe.

  He stood, went to the window and looked out. Lots of bikes cruising by slowly, some appearing to look into Elena’s shop. A few people walking by stopped at the door, then walked away. There was no way to tell if they were just shoppers or if anyone was dangerous.

  “You can take off now,” Elena said, drawing his attention away from the traffic outside. “I’ll be fine. I really should reopen the shop.”

  He leaned against the windowsill. “Not a chance.”

  She pulled her legs up behind her. Yeah, she didn’t look ready to run back downstairs and open that door.

  “I can’t stay closed, Jed. I have a business to run.”

  He knew she was right, but he’d stick closer from now on. “You’re still pale, and it’s almost dinnertime. How about I fix dinner?”

  She raised a brow. “You cook?”

  “Uh, by fixing dinner, I meant we could order a pizza or something.”

  She laughed. “I like pizza.”

  “That’s good, because I do
n’t really cook. I can make eggs and bacon and toast. And I fix a mean bowl of cereal.”

  She laughed. “I’m a great cook.”

  “Then I might just have to keep you around so I don’t starve to death or blow my budget on take-out food.”

  She directed him to her stash of take-out menus and he ordered them a pizza. Thank God the woman liked to eat. They agreed on a pizza loaded with sausage and pepperoni, and they each got a salad to go with it.

  While they waited for the pizza to arrive, Elena went to change clothes. Jed sent a quick text to Grange, letting him know what happened along with the tag numbers of the two bikes. He told Grange he was sticking close to Elena. Grange texted him back and told him he’d check up on the bikes and get back to him.

  Jed really wanted to go after those bikers, but he couldn’t be in two places at one time, and his main job was to keep Elena safe.

  Normally he liked the action—chasing down the bad guys. He’d left his job at the FBI because there hadn’t been enough of the action. Too much time in the office, too much research work. Now he was stuck inside with Elena—protection duty basically.

  Yet for some reason he didn’t mind, and he knew it was because he was attracted to her. He was going to have to pull back on the attraction and do his damn job, quit letting his dick rule the mission.

  “That’s better.” She came out in a white tank top with some skimpy other strappy thing underneath it in pink, and some black yoga pants that came to her knee. The whole ensemble shouldn’t have been sexy, but it was, because when she went into the kitchen and rose up on her toes to grab for paper plates, her top rode up and gave him a glimpse of tanned, flat stomach.

  And his cock noticed.

  His cock could just damn well remember that Elena was a mission, not a potential fuck buddy.

  He went to the window instead of ogling her.

  “Something interesting out there?”

  “Yeah. The pizza guy. I’ll be right back.”

  After he fetched the pizza, they sat at the kitchen bar. He liked watching her eat. She didn’t put much dressing on her salad, but dove into her pizza like she was starving. He liked a woman who ate actual food as opposed to pushing food around on the plate and pretending to eat. He’d dated women like that before—the stick-thin variety who thought men liked to date women with the figure of a twelve-year-old boy. He wasn’t that kind of a guy—he liked a woman to look like a woman. He never understood the whole starvation thing.

  “So how’s business going?” she asked.

  “Uh, good.”

  “Did you make some contacts from the business association?”

  He hadn’t called any of those people. Didn’t intend to. And she could verify that. “Not yet. I had some other people I’d gotten in touch with, so I have some alarm installs I’m working on with them first.”

  “Oh. That’s great. Sounds like you’re pretty busy.”

  “Yeah.” He bit into his pizza and tried not to say too much. He was going to have to dance around his cover and hope she wouldn’t send anyone else his way.

  Her phone rang. “It’s Marco.”

  She answered it, and filled Marco in on what happened at the store while she ate and reassured him that Jed was there with her and she was safe. He listened to the dynamic.

  “No, don’t come over. Jed’s here and I’m fine . . . Yes, I was scared, but I swear I would have taken one of Bondino’s corals and beaned him with it.”

  She laughed. “I know how much it’s worth, but it’s not like I carry a gun, and even if I did, I wouldn’t shoot them . . . Well, okay, maybe if it was him or me, I would shoot him . . . No, you absolutely will not increase your hours at the shop. You have school, and you have Torrance. You have a life, too.”

  Then she handed the phone to Jed. “He wants to talk to you.”

  Jed arched a brow and took the phone. “Hey, Marco.”

  “Is she all right? I mean is she really all right? She’s trying to make me feel better because I wasn’t there, but I need to know.”

  Jed met Elena’s gaze. “She’s fine.”

  “I’m afraid for her. This is the second time something has happened while I wasn’t there.”

  “I know.”

  “Don’t say anything to her, but I’m thinking someone’s targeting her.”

  Marco was pretty perceptive. “Maybe. I’ll check it out.”

  “Thank you. I feel better knowing you’re there with her. You’ll stay the night?”

  He smiled at Elena. “If she’ll let me.”

  “Use your charm, man. Coerce her. I won’t sleep if I don’t think she’s safe.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it covered.”

  He sighed. “All right. I’ll be there early in the morning.”

  Jed handed the phone back to Elena. She finished the call and laid the phone down on the table. “He worries like a mother.”

  “It’s good to have friends like that.”

  “I know. I don’t know what I’d do without him. We’ve been together since I first opened the shop. He has a keen eye for art, but beyond that, he’s a good friend. He’s family.”

  Because she didn’t have any other family around to be her support system.

  “You miss your mom?”

  She shrugged. “I can’t miss her.”

  “Why not?”

  “I got used to her not being around. And I’m an adult now. I don’t need my mother.”

  She was staring at her salad.

  “I would think a girl always needs her mother, especially at a time like this.”

  Her gaze shot to his. “A time like what?”

  “Come on, Elena. Your shop was burglarized, and you were nearly attacked today. That’s fairly traumatic.”

  She lifted her chin. “I’m not a child who needs to go running to her mama every time something bad happens. I’m self-sufficient and able to take care of myself.”

  More by necessity than by choice, he’d imagine. “Because your mother wasn’t here for you so you had no choice?”

  “I never thought about that. Maybe.” She leaned back and took a swallow of beer, then pointed the tip of the bottle toward him. “You’re very good at this.”

  “At what?”

  “Playing psychologist.”

  He laughed. “Just observing. I don’t analyze anyone.”

  “Either way, it’s a good point. I don’t spend too much time delving into my relationship with my mother. She is who she is and maybe that’s made me who I am. I’m not as free spirited as she is. I don’t just drop everything and go or try new things, because I never wanted to be anything like her. I wanted to remain planted in one place, doing one thing, because she was always on the go doing a hundred different things.”

  “And you didn’t like that.”

  Her clear gaze met his. She didn’t seem angry, just contemplative. “No, I didn’t. I hated her lifestyle, hated the havoc it wreaked on me. Whoever she was, I wanted to be the opposite.”

  “Are you angry at her?”

  She looked away, out the window. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably. Yes. When I was really little, she’d take me with her. We had great adventures, traveling from place to place. I met some pretty cool people. She was so much like a kid herself that it was like hanging out with a best friend. No rules, no curfews, just all this joy.

  “But then she decided—or maybe other people decided for her—that I needed to be in school. So she stopped taking me with her and left me with other people. That’s when the fun ended.”

  “Because she got to go off on her great adventures, and you didn’t anymore.”

  She nodded. “Yes. I resented her for that. I was jealous. I had to grow up, be responsible.”

  “You grew up, and she didn’t.”

 
He saw the tears welling in her eyes. She pushed away from the bar, threw her plate in the trash and walked to the balcony.

  He’d pushed her too hard, hadn’t meant to, but there was so much about her he wanted to know. Just part of the mission, of course. The more he could discover about her mom, the better chance they had of finding her.

  And then he could move on to another mission.

  He tossed his plate, grabbed both beers, and walked out onto the balcony. It was cool outside tonight, but he liked it. Bikers lined the streets and he wished he could hop on his Harley and join them. Instead, he handed her a beer, grabbed a chair and just watched and listened to the thunderous rumble. All he could see for miles were single headlights in both directions, horns honking, bikers riding or walking on the sidewalks. He got up and looked down the road.

  “There are vendor and beer tents set up, and bands, too. You can go. I know you’d rather be out there riding with them.”

  He picked up his bottle. “Got beer right here, and I’d rather be with you.”

  She laughed. “Liar. We could go for a ride.”

  He shook his head. “It’s not safe.”

  “If you think I’m going to become a prisoner in my own house, you’re wrong. Just because two assholes tried to threaten me today doesn’t mean I’m going to be afraid to go out.” She stood. “I’ll go change.”

  He grabbed her wrist and stopped her, hooking her gaze with his. “I’ve been to plenty of rallies. There’s nothing new out there I haven’t seen before.”

  He pulled her down on his lap, swept his hand down her back. “Here now, there’s definitely something new and way more interesting than anything down there.”

  EIGHT

  There was nothing more enticing than a man who focused his entire attention on you. Elena’s breath caught as Jed’s gaze captured hers.

  His eyes revealed so much—heat, intensity and desire.

  She’d opened up to him, told him about her mother in more detail than she ever had before with anyone else. She barely knew him, and yet she’d spilled her secret pain to him. Why?

  Because he’d made it easy. He’d asked, she’d answered—just like that.