Stripping Bare (Steele Ridge Book 7)

by Kelsey Browning

  “I’ll let her in on it.”

  But something in the way he drew out the words warned Tessa they didn’t share the same idea of informing the authorities. “Then why aren’t you dialing now?”

  “Because this modder is flipping me the big fat finger.”

  “And he knows you won’t be able to say no to that kind of bait.” The chill of fear solidified in her chest. This was bigger than Jonah or her alone, yet he was taking this very personally. “What do you think he meant about knowing secrets?”

  “He obviously got his hands on info from your files. Doesn’t get much more secret than that. Now he’s bringing whatever this is to my turf. To my goddamn home.”

  And one thing she knew from being at Steele Trap, Jonah was intensely loyal. To the people who worked for him, to his family, to the people he cared about. The way he’d helped his hometown proved that a hundred times over. “Do you really think Carson could do something like this? It doesn’t seem like him.”

  “There’s only one way to find out.”

  “You can’t go after him. That’s what he wants.”

  “And that’s exactly what he’s going to get. He couldn’t have made it any clearer that he’s willing to go through the people in my life if that’s what it takes to get to me. I’ve gotta stop this guy. Now.”

  “Jonah, you make video games. You’re not a cop.”

  “I may not be law enforcement, but being a gamer is way more valuable right now.”

  “You think this person is actually in Steele Ridge?”

  “I know he is,” Jonah said, his voice as hard as his last name. “And if he wants to play, then I sure as hell plan to win.”

  13

  “No,” she said immediately, a bad feeling invading her bones. Pulling out of Jonah’s embrace, she scanned the room for her phone, only to remember she left it in the bedroom. “I’ll call your cousin myself.”

  But Jonah caught her by the wrist to keep her in place. “He’s out there right now. For all I know, he could be hurting someone. Shit…” He shoved his hand into his pocket and groped around. “I need to call my family.”

  In his haste, he fumbled the phone and Tessa caught it before it hit the floor. He snatched it from her, pushed a button, and jammed the phone against his ear. His face relaxed a few seconds later. “Mom, are you okay?”

  Indistinct words came from the other end of the line.

  “What about the girls? Have you talked with Micki and Evie today?” His breath released in a rush. “Okay, good. That’s good. What about Britt, Grif, and Reid?”

  Tessa wanted to wrench the phone from his hands and hear for herself that his family was fine, but she restrained herself. She didn’t even know the Steeles and yet she’d somehow brought danger straight to their door.

  “Yes, they are good sons to call you every day. I’ll try to do better, Mom,” Jonah said. “No, nothing’s wrong. I’ll talk to you later.” He slipped the phone back into his pocket and closed his eyes.

  “Why didn’t you tell her?” Tessa demanded.

  “Tell her what?”

  “That some maniac is out there and wants to hurt you.”

  “I don’t think this is about me, Tessa.”

  “How can you say that?”

  “Because he targeted you first.”

  She wasn’t buying it. Not for a nickel. Not for a dime. Not for a million dollars. “Were you watching that jump scene?”

  “Cut scene,” he corrected.

  “Whatever,” she said. “But he was talking directly to you.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  It made Tessa stomach rocky, remembering the way her head had separated from her body and how her eyes had stared in death—glassy and empty. “Because I was dead, Jonah.”

  “Fuck.” His tone was low and rough, but he pulled her in and wrapped her tight in his arms. It didn’t completely soothe all the crazy emotions swirling through her, but his touch set off something inside her. Something primitively feminine. Something needy and frightened.

  Something that made her want to seek out his protection.

  And although she appreciated that Jonah had once helped her out of a horrible situation, she wouldn’t let any man make her feel weak. But Jonah would go after this person, whether or not Tessa approved. She’d been around him enough at Steele Trap to know when he pledged action, he wasn’t merely tossing the idea around. He was already committed.

  “If you’re going after him, I’m coming with you.”

  “Not happening.”

  “You can’t do it alone.” She waved a hand toward the VR goggles. “Tell me you can navigate in that thing out in the real world.”

  The way his jaw flexed said he hadn’t thought about that, which meant he was really off his game. Jonah could run angles and options faster than anyone Tessa had ever met. His impulsiveness now scared her, but if he was determined to go on the hunt, then she refused to be left behind. “I guess you plan to call one of your brothers or Micki for help with this,” she said with the perfect lilt of innocence.

  He rested his cheek against the top of her head. “Fuck. It. All.”

  Yeah, she had his number.

  “I’m already in this,” she said softly. “I have been since the minute Carson Grimes called me.”

  What did this person have against both her and Jonah?

  It was obvious they’d missed something. Some reason this person wanted to lash out at them. What did they have in common? Steele Trap and the night of her attack, primarily.

  “From his little speech at the end,” Jonah said, “it looks like he wants me downtown.”

  “When I was there yesterday, it wasn’t packed, but enough people were on the street that you’ll need me to help you navigate and run interference.”

  “You won’t get out of the car.”

  “How do you expect me to help you when I can’t see you or talk to you?”

  He gave her a quick squeeze, then stalked over to a floor-to-ceiling cabinet. When he opened the door, it became apparent that he owned every technical gadget, charging cord, and device known to man. He rummaged through, cussing under his breath until he found what he apparently wanted.

  “We’ll connect you to my headset for sound. Then I’ll wire you with a different mic so you can communicate with me.” He turned back to Tessa and gave her a once-over that was more clinical than sexual. “Which means you have to put on some clothes.”

  He was right. This was more important than their unfinished business with one another. Within ten minutes, Tessa had changed into a pair of pants and a collared silk shirt and was back downstairs.

  Jonah took one look at her and said, “Unbutton.”

  What she wouldn’t give to hear him say that in a needy tone instead of one that was all too businesslike. But when she slipped the small mother-of-pearl buttons from their holes, she noticed that Jonah was staring hard at the bundle of wires in his hands.

  He wanted her. She knew that now. She just needed to figure out how to get him to admit it and act on it. Act on it all the way.

  “This battery pack can hook to your waistband.” He hesitated, his hands hovering near her waist.

  She grabbed the fabric and pulled it away from her body. When he clipped the gizmo onto her pants, his knuckles skimmed her stomach, making goose bumps break out on her skin and causing her nipples to tighten. Impossible to miss since her blouse was hanging open, exposing her bra.

  “Then this wire goes up and you can clip it to your…” He motioned in the vague vicinity of her chest.

  Uh-uh. He would not get off this easy. She moved her shoulders, which allowed her shirt to slip down her arms. “Why don’t you do it? Make sure it’s secured correctly. Or if you’re not willing to put your hands on me again, then I’ll go out and find this person myself.”

  “The hell you will.” He grabbed her by the waistband and jerked her toward him. And oh, was it wrong that his action sent a little thrill through her
body that landed directly between her thighs?

  She wanted to make Jonah Steele lose the restraint he always seemed to have around her.

  His hands were steady and sure as he threaded the black wire under the middle of her bra. The plastic was cool against her skin, but nothing could tame the heat Jonah’s nearness kindled in her. He fastened the clip to her bra cup, skimming her nipple in the process.

  But the second and third time he brushed his knuckles across the fabric? Those were no accident.

  They were going to finish what they’d started earlier if she had to tie him to a bed. And oh, wasn’t that a picture for the memory books? His long, lean body stretched out for her to look at, touch, and taste at her leisure.

  “What…” She had to clear the frogginess from her throat. “What about video?”

  “I have a Bluetooth transmitter that’ll relay a camera feed to the display on my dashboard.”

  “I’d rather track him with you.”

  “I’d rather you weren’t there at all.”

  Car display it was. Tessa buttoned up her shirt and reached for her purse while Jonah stuffed gear into a backpack.

  It only took them a few minutes to drive from Jonah’s house into town. But rather than park on Main as Tessa had yesterday, Jonah veered off to a side street and pulled in near a Barron’s Park sign.

  He rummaged through the backpack until he came up with the goggles, headset, and gauntlets. Once he’d fiddled around with some settings, he slipped the phone into the front of the goggles, then clipped on something else. “External camera,” he explained, tapping above the car’s display screen. “It’ll feed straight into here. You’ll need to keep the car in auxiliary mode so it’ll stay on.”

  “Anything in particular I should do?”

  “These goggles switch from full VR mode to AR mode.”

  “AR?”

  “Augmented reality. Gives you a view of reality overlaid with computer-generated stuff like sound, video, or data coming from a GPS. Think Pokémon Go. Based on that, I’m hoping they’ll show me any obstacles in my way, in one form or another. But if you see me about to walk into a tree, you could let me know.”

  “Anything else? What are you going to do if you’re actually able to track down this guy?”

  “Beat the shit out of his sorry ass.”

  Sometimes she forgot that Jonah was, at heart, a Western Carolina good ol’ boy. Persistent, possessive, and protective.

  Is that what I really want in a man?

  In Seattle she’d seen the mellow, urban-dwelling video game mogul. This Jonah was someone else. And she’d be lying if she didn’t admit the North Carolina Jonah was keeping her hormones revved up.

  She liked him edgy and rough.

  He slipped the goggles onto the top of his head and reached into the backpack once again. What he came out with socked the breath from Tessa’s chest. With clinical detachment, he looked over the handgun, released the magazine to check the bullets, then clicked it back into place.

  “What is that?”

  One side of his mouth lifted, the most amusement she’d seen from him since her avatar had died a bloody death in the game earlier. “A Glock 19. You didn’t think I planned to go out there unarmed, did you?”

  “But there are no real guns in Steele Survivor. Isn’t that what he wants you to play?”

  “No real machetes in the game either,” he said. “That didn’t stop this fuckwad from modding them in.”

  “You think he’s going to be armed out there?”

  “I’m sure of it.”

  Tessa tried to keep her breathing steady. If Jonah ran into real trouble, all she had to do was dial 911.

  “Don’t,” he said.

  “Don’t what?”

  “Do whatever you’re thinking about. The fewer people involved in this bullshit scheme, the less potential for them to get hurt.”

  “What about you?”

  He leaned in, his eyes a mesmerizing tiger yellow now. “I created this game. I know this town. I’ll be fine.”

  Then he kissed her. A slow plunder of her mouth that took her under and rolled her. Seduced her into the dangerous sea of Jonah Steele. He touched all of her—lips, teeth, tongue—until she felt as if he’d marked her as his. When he finally shifted away, she was breathing as if she’d climbed ten flights of stairs.

  “You… I… We…” Her heart was giving her ribcage a workout. “We’re finishing this.”

  “Yes, we are.” Then he got out of the car and pointed downward, indicating she should hit the automatic locks.

  Before they’d clicked into place, he was off and running. Tessa jammed the buds into her ears and the sound of Jonah’s breath steadied her. “Be careful,” she told him through her mic.

  “I’ll be back soon.”

  She didn’t try to extend the conversation because she wanted him one hundred percent focused on what was in front of him. Jonah was scanning the landscape. From her vantage point, it was wild because she was seeing what he was seeing as he loped down Main Street.

  Blues, Brews, & Books. Brynne’s beautiful boutique. The bakery with the sandwich sign out front. Today it said: Mesa rescuing yousa or yousa rescuing mesa. Thisa good. Thisa very good.

  First Yoda and now Jar Jar Binks. Was someone there a Star Wars fan?

  “You never know about Jeanine. She’s the lady who writes those each day,” Jonah said.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ask that aloud. So you can see Main Street?”

  “Yeah, but it’s a wreck. Paint peeling, windows broken, sidewalks buckling.” At that, he jumped over a perfectly sound piece of sidewalk.

  “Do you see him?”

  “For the most part, the people look like NPCs. Non-playable characters.”

  Just then, a woman stepped in front of Jonah and held out a hand as if to stop him.

  “Slow down,” Tessa warned him. “She’s real.”

  Jonah came to a skidding stop and Tessa heard the woman say, “Jonah Steele, what’re you doin’ running down the street lookin’ like a scuba diver?”

  “Just trying out some equipment and getting a little exercise, Mrs. Cuddleford.”

  “I’d think you’d have plenty of room to run around out there on that ridge of yours. In fact, I heard Reid’s put in a bunch of stuff to train up policemen and the like.”

  Jonah’s head tilted down, giving Tessa a view of his hands clenching and unfurling.

  Mrs. Cuddleford poked Jonah’s chest. “You may have saved Canyon Ridge, but everybody had to buy all new return address labels and send out change of address cards. Do you have any idea how much those things cost these days?”

  “No, ma’am,” he said on a sigh.

  “Over ten whole dollars.”

  Tessa’s view shifted when he looked down and pulled out his wallet. Retrieving a twenty, he said to Mrs. Cuddleford, “Would this help with the address labels?”

  “I suppose so.” She sniffed, but quickly plucked the money from his finger. “Get on with yourself, then. But don’t be stirring up any trouble.”

  “No, ma’am.”

  Tessa couldn’t help but laugh because Mrs. Cuddleford hadn’t realized that Jonah’s response could be taken as either “No, ma’am, I won’t stir up trouble” or “No, ma’am, I won’t not stir up trouble.”

  It was as if the woman still saw Jonah as a little boy. Had he been mischievous or studious? Outgoing or shy? Popular or one of the crowd?

  “Jesus Christ on a saltine cracker,” he muttered.

  Once he was on the move again, Tessa asked him, “Is everyone here like that?”

  “Up in your business, you mean?”

  “If that’s what you want to call it.” In one way, it was sweet the way people all knew each other and looked out for one another.

  “Let’s just say that it won’t matter how long my brothers and I live here as adults. Some people will always see us as the Steele boys.”

  “I want to meet them.”
<
br />   Jonah’s stride hitched, but he regained his footing and put on more speed. “Why?”

  “Because I know you love your family.” And because she wanted true insight into Jonah. The entire person. Carolina boy. Brother. Son.

  Town scoundrel. Town savior.

  “Dammit,” he said as the buildings and people on Main began to thin out.

  “Nothing?”

  “No one dressed in blue with a white beanie.” He looked left, then right. “Main Street would’ve been too easy.”

  “Fewer people on the side streets.” Tessa pointed out.

  “True.” By this time, Jonah was doing a fast jog and his breathing was deep and rhythmic, lulling Tessa. So far, the camera wasn’t showing anyone. Maybe the person who’d modified the game was just yanking Jonah’s chain.

  “I’m starting to circle around to the car. If I don’t find him before I get back, I’ll check the area past the park.”

  A shiver rippled up Tessa’s arms. Someone was playing a twisted game of hide-and-seek. “Just be careful.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Jonah breathed.

  “What? What do you see?”

  “He’s here. In the fucking park. Are your doors locked?”

  Tessa double-checked. “Yes. Where is he?” The camera was showing only a pavilion, part of a parking lot, and a kid’s slide.

  “Just sitting on a bench waiting, like he doesn’t have a problem in the world. Well, I’ll show him a problem. I’m fixin’ to take down this bastard.” When he was angry or stressed, Jonah’s Southern drawl intensified.

  But his honey smooth voice didn’t calm Tessa’s jumpy stomach. After she’d been assaulted, she’d developed the ability to recognize risky situations. And right now that sense was going haywire, yelling that he was running straight into a trap. Something was wrong, very wrong here. “Stop. Jonah, don’t go after him.”

  “Too late.”

  Jonah angled off toward a park bench, and suddenly Tessa caught sight of the person sitting there. Wrapped in a blue coat and wearing a white knitted hat, the park visitor was tossing out what looked like cracker crumbs to a small flock of squabbling blue jays.

  Although Tessa could only see what the camera was showing, something about the person didn’t seem right. “Are you sure that’s—”