by Vella Day
“Yes. Now, twist to the side in order to place one foot on my hip. It’s called shrimping out. In a real situation, slam your heel hard against the man. Try it.”
Lexi was a fast learner. Not only did she twist to one side and plant her foot in the right spot, she repeated the maneuver on the other side. “Now what?”
“Look how you’ve stopped me. Even if I try to lean forward, your arms and feet are preventing me from getting too close.” He demonstrated, and she managed to keep him at a safe distance. “Note that with not much effort I can elbow your arms out of the way.” He twisted and disengaged her stiff arm. He then sat back. “To keep me from doing that, draw in your legs then kick my body and my head. Your goal is to keep me from wanting to get close.”
“Okay, but I’ll go slow. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Sam couldn’t help but smile at her protective nature. “Thank you.” With great agility, Lexi managed to drive her foot into his chin, stopping right before taking his head off. He rolled off her. “Excellent.”
“I didn’t know that fighting could be so much fun,” she said.
“It’s only fun when your opponent isn’t trying to kill you, but I’ll admit you’re good.”
“I’m strong too.”
He didn’t want her to become too cocky. “For a woman, you are, but an extra fifty or sixty pounds weight advantage can swing the balance against you.”
Still on the mat, she turned onto her side to face him. Her eyes had turned a lighter shade and random sparks were flying off her. The words danger, danger flashed before his eyes. As much as he wanted a repeat of that kiss on the mountain, he’d never be able to stop this time if she kissed him full on.
She reached out and clasped his shoulder. “You’re a good teacher.”
“You’re a better student.”
Just as Sam was about to push up and get the hell out of the danger zone, Lexi cupped his cheek and kissed him once more. Even with her eyes closed to block out those alluring golden orbs, his insides exploded with need. This wasn’t good, though his cock sure as hell liked what was happening.
As much as he wanted to press her to his chest and make love with her, Sam wouldn’t. He respected her too much. When Lexi tried to tease open his lips, Sam’s control nearly broke. He leaned back, and her eyes flew open.
“Why did you stop?” she asked. This time, her anger had risen to the surface.
Aw, shit. “Lexi, you’ve been through a lot.”
“That’s why a little kissing and touching could go a long way to helping me heal.”
He blew out a breath. “It’s not that simple. You’re vulnerable, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
She sat up and glanced to the side. “I get it. You’re not into me.”
He wanted to say that wasn’t true. In fact, he liked her too much, but to say he felt a mating pull might cause her to make choices that would not be in her best interest. From the way she was avoiding eye contact, he’d hurt her feelings, but apologizing would result in them ending up in bed. While his body was begging him for some release, the soldier in him said it would be better to take it slow.
Sam stood and held out a hand. “Come on. We have more work to do.”
Thankfully, she let him help her up. “No rest for the weary?”
From the sparkle in her eyes, she was only partially kidding. “Absolutely not, soldier!”
*
As soon as the mystery woman left the bar, Kapok and his men began drinking hard. Devon was a bit surprised that Kapok didn’t go after his lady friend, especially after she threw out the challenge about him not being able to handle her. From the way she’d danced with him so seductively, they had a close relationship. Perhaps Kapok wanted to save face in front of his men by showing that no woman really mattered.
Not wanting to appear as if Devon was following Kapok, he paid for his drinks and food and left. While waiting in the car would suck, if something were about to go down, he couldn’t afford to let Justin get the slip on him.
A boring hour later, the whole crew emerged. All but Kapok glanced around. Instead, the kingpin headed straight for his Hummer. The rest surveyed the lot. Devon immediately turned off his engine so as not to attract attention. Had it not been so freaking cold and windy in Vermont, he wouldn’t have had to keep the engine running in the first place.
Kapok sat in his car a few minutes before leaving, possibly debating whether to head home or stop off for a booty call with his woman. His men, however, waited in the lot another twenty minutes after he left.
Devon wouldn’t have pegged Kapok as the paranoid type. What was the man up to? Was he into drug smuggling, guns, or human trafficking? Perhaps he was running a gambling scam and feared he’d be caught. It didn’t matter which vices had their hold on him, he was a man with power, and he liked to exploit that fact.
Jackson had already provided Devon with Kapok’s address, so he could afford to keep his distance and sit tight until the posse left. Once they’d cleared out, Devon drove straight to Kapok’s house where his Hummer sat in front of an unlit home. Guess the man had called it a night.
Because Devon already had a long, tiring day, he went to a cheap hotel on the edge of town. His goal was to grab a few hours sleep and then return tomorrow morning for a fun-filled day of sitting in his cold car watching Kapok. As much as he enjoyed his job, surveillance was the worst part.
After a so-so sleep, he drove back to Kapok’s house the next morning to ensure he was still in town. He was. In fact, his car hadn’t moved. Good. Devon wasn’t up for any kind of chase until he’d had something to eat. Quite hungry, Devon left and found a local diner where he could refuel before another long day of keeping watch over Lexi’s stalker.
As he was waiting for the waitress to notice him, the door opened, and the hairs on his body stood at attention. Devon whipped around, not believing that the same beautiful vision from the bar last night was here. Whoa. She might not be as put together as she had been last night, but she would still turn any man’s head.
His vision-woman looked rather distraught, causing his protective mechanism to shoot into high gear. She must have sensed him watching, because when her gaze reached him, she broke into a smile and rushed over. His pulse raced with need the closer she came.
“Hi,” she said, twisting her hands together. “Weren’t you at the Bull’s Head Bar last night?” Without asking permission, she slid in opposite him, and his vocal cords seemed to have closed up.
“Uh-uh.”
She set a ratty looking purse on the table. “Look. I know you don’t know me, but I’m in trouble, and you seem like a nice guy who might be able to help.”
Devon sat up straighter. What had he done to indicate he was that kind of person? No one could have made him. He’d been careful. “What kind of trouble?”
“I am such an idiot.” She stuck out her hand. “Sorry, I’m Vinea.”
He shook her hand. “Devon.”
“That’s a nice name.” She glanced to the side, acting shy—nothing like the confident woman from last night.
“Thanks. Tell me what happened.”
She blew out a breath. “It’s a bit embarrassing, but I’ve been conned.”
The waitress came over, handed them menus, and then asked if they’d like coffee. Vinea’s eyes lit up. “Yes please.”
Devon nodded that he needed a refill. She poured the hot brew and then disappeared, presumably to let them decide what they wanted. “You were saying?” he asked.
“The man I was with last night, Justin Kapok, promised me a ride out of town. Only when I got to his house this morning, he’d taken off with all my stuff.” Her bottom lip trembled.
Kapok must have left right after Devon checked on him. As much as Devon wanted to ask questions about Kapok, he couldn’t afford to blow his cover. For all he knew, this beautiful woman worked for him and had made up a story to get him to say why he was checking on the man. “That really sucks. You don’t ha
ve his number so you can call him?”
“I do, but he has my phone.”
That wasn’t looking good for her. “What are you planning to do?”
“I have to find a way to go after him.”
“Is what he took worth it?” He couldn’t blurt out and warn her that Kapok was a dangerous man.
She looked off to the side and swiped a finger under her eye. “Other than one suitcase I have with me, he has everything I own. I was moving to Tennessee to be with my sister, and he promised to take me.”
If she was that poor, what was she doing in such a fancy outfit last night? Something didn’t add up. “How much stuff did you have?” All of his possessions would overflow a big truck let alone a Hummer.
“Four suitcases. I’d lost my job in New Hampshire and had to sell my jewelry and everything of value just to pay for a place to stay.”
“What kind of job did you have?” Devon didn’t want to speculate.
“I was working in an Indian Casino. Justin would come in and sit at my table. I thought he was cute. After a while, I wanted him to like me, so I gave him a better card than his opponent from time to time.”
“And the managers found out and canned you.” It was a statement rather than a question.
She placed her hands on her lap. “Yes. Justin felt so bad that he offered to help me out. He said he’d drive me to Tennessee since he was headed there anyway.”
“You don’t have a car?”
“Not really. I mean I have a car, but it’s an old one I borrowed from a friend. I need to give it back.”
This conversation was becoming more bizarre. “What part of Tennessee?”
“My sister lives halfway between Chattanooga and Knoxville.”
His mind spun. “Is that where this Justin guy was headed?”
“He’s going to some place called Silver Lake, which he said wasn’t far from where my sister lives.”
What? How could Kapok possibly know that was where Lexi was? Had one of his men followed her? “You said he already left?”
“Yes.”
Devon wasn’t sure what she thought he could do, but he did want to help in case she was telling the truth. He fished out his wallet and dropped two hundred dollars on the table. This poor woman had really fallen on hard times. “Here, go buy a bus ticket with this.”
A smile the size of a large football field broke out on her face. “Are you kidding me?”
“Just get to your sister’s safely.”
“You bet I will. I’ll never be able to thank you.”
Feeling overly proud of himself, he pulled out one of his business cards. “If you need help, contact me.”
“McKinnon and Associates. You’re a security expert?” He nodded. “Do I know how to pick ’em or what?”
Chapter Eight
‡
When Sam came into work the next morning, Connor was in the process of showing Lexi how to access the group calendar. “Each man logs in daily here, and then he estimates how much more time he might need to complete the case. You can tell which of the men are available to take on the next job,” Connor explained.
Sam stepped close to her on the other side and instantly realized his mistake of being so near. Lexi’s lemony scent made his hands tingle, forcing him to hide them behind his back. Hopefully, she didn’t spot his blue sparks.
Exhausted from not having slept last night, his control had slipped. He just couldn’t get those kisses they’d shared out of his head, from when they were at the top of the mountain to the one they’d shared after they had sparred. Sam pushed those erotic thoughts back and focused. “If you click on this tab at the bottom, you can see the individual schedules. The problem is that we often help each other out, and then don’t fill out the form,” Sam said.
“We’re working on that,” Connor said, shooting him a fake evil stare. Connor was just as bad at updating the schedule as the rest of them.
She smiled. “I understand. Basically, if some customer wants to hire one of the men to say check on someone, I would use this calendar to see who’s most likely to be finishing a job or who has nothing on his plate.”
“Exactly.” Connor’s cell rang, and he pulled the phone from his pocket. “Excuse me. It’s Devon.” He tapped the screen. “What did you learn? You sure? What do you know about her?” Connor turned his back, preventing Sam from making out the conversation. From the way Lexi’s eyes had widened, she could hear every word.
Connor disconnected and faced him. “The news isn’t good.”
“Justin’s coming after me, isn’t he?” Lexi asked, her shoulders suddenly stiff.
“Yes. Devon, my brother, found him. He learned today that he and his crew are driving down here now. He suspects Kapok will arrive in two days if not sooner.”
Lexi closed her eyes for a moment, and Sam wanted nothing more than to hold her—but he wouldn’t. She turned toward Sam. “What am I supposed to do now? Should I leave?”
Her voice nearly cracked. “Absolutely not. More than ever, you need to stay here. We’ll find Kapok and take care of him.”
“How did he know I was here? I was so careful.”
“I wish I had the answer to that,” Sam said.
“Remember,” Connor interjected. “We can’t do anything until he does something illegal.”
Sam spun on his heels. “What are you suggesting? Wait until he grabs her first?”
“No, not at all. We do what we always do. We watch him. If he tries anything, we pounce. I’ll have Jackson get his drone ready. I’ll also ask Rye to spread the word for the Clan to be on the lookout for this man. He and his five men shouldn’t be hard to spot.”
Lexi reached up and clasped Connor’s hand. “Thank you.”
“We won’t let him harm you.”
She sagged back against her chair. When Connor went back to his office, Sam went over the protocol of answering the door. “If someone rings the bell, check the monitor to see who it is. If you recognize that person, press this button to let them in. If not, ask them what they want by pressing this button here. If it’s a client they will have an appointment scheduled that you can verify in the calendar. Ask them to have a seat in the lobby, and then either call one of us, or come get us, though we prefer that you not leave your station.”
“Do you think I should have a gun?” she said with such a serious expression, she looked closer to eighteen than twenty-five.
Sam smiled. “Not yet.”
“Like I said yesterday, I would like to learn.” Her brows pinched, and her chest expanded. He called it her defiant look. Or maybe it should be called her don’t-mess-with-me look.
“Training takes time. Once you have your permit, we’ll talk, but guns aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. You have to be willing to use them. Should Kapok come to the door, just don’t let him in. Call one of us, and we’ll deal with him.”
“How about if he sneaks in?” she asked, smugness lacing her tone.
“I don’t know how he can, unless he keeps out of camera range and then dashes in when you open the door for someone else. If that happens, I suggest you shift and attack.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “If I can get to one of the rooms with the fingerprint scanner, I’d be safer.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but I will remind Jackson to get you clearance.”
Lexi reached out and squeezed his hand. “I really appreciate what you’ve done for me. I just want this to end as quickly as possible. I can’t hide my whole life.”
“It’ll only be for a few more days. I imagine, Justin will arrive in town and try to find you. When he can’t, he’ll move on.”
“Let’s hope.”
Sam nodded to her computer. “Are you good?”
“Yes. I can answer the phone, and I know how to forward the call to any one of you.”
Because Lexi looked so defeated, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Enjoy your day. Just think, you could be dumpste
r diving.”
That earned him a smile. “You won’t ever let me live that down, will you?”
“Never.”
Now that she was safe, Sam headed into Connor’s office. His boss was at his computer. When Connor spotted Sam, he stopped what he was doing and leaned back in his chair. “Is Lexi all set?”
“Yes. What did Devon say exactly?”
“Nothing much. He met some woman who claimed Kapok left this morning to drive to Silver Lake.”
“For real? How convenient to find such a valuable source. Did he have time to verify she was who she claimed, and not some mole working for Kapok?”
Connor scrubbed a hand down his face. “After she gave him the information, Devon tried to check her story, but he said he couldn’t.”
“But he believed her when she said Kapok was headed here?”
“Apparently. Devon said he was able to verify that she did get fired from her former job as a casino dealer.”
Sam supposed it didn’t matter who the source was. Bottom line, everyone needed to be ready when Kapok arrived. “I’d like to know how he figured out Lexi was here. She said she didn’t use her phone or credit cards.”
Connor tapped his desk. “Could he have installed a tracking device on her car?”
“When would he have had time? According to Lexi, her father told her he planned to hand her over to Kapok. A few minutes later she left town. Even Lexi didn’t know she’d run out of gas in Silver Lake.”
“He could have placed it on her car a few days before. We don’t know when this card game occurred. Why don’t you check out her vehicle? Uncle Garth said she could keep the car behind the pub until she was ready to drive it, but it might be safer here.”
“Sounds good. Let me see if Jackson can help. He’s better at that stuff than I am.” Connor’s brows rose, acting like Sam was some car expert and could find it easily. “What? A tracking device is not a bomb. That I can handle. I might even be able to figure out the source of the knocking, but I don’t deal in all kinds of security devices and what they look like. Besides, Jackson has that device that can sweep for bugs.”
Connor chuckled. “True. Watch what he does so you can learn. After all, this is a security firm. Go. I’ll make sure someone is always in the office so Lexi remains safe.”