Fierce Shadows: Shadows Landing #4

by Kathleen Brooks

  Harper lost her battle and doubled over laughing.

  Trent shook his head and looked up at the sky as if saying a prayer. He took a deep breath and then looked to Harper. “I hope you like the chairs.”

  “Thanks, Trent,” Harper said as she wiped tears from her eyes.

  “Sorry about pulling a gun on you,” Dare called out as Trent walked back to his car. “Next time I’ll make sure it’s holstered and in my pants.”

  Harper snorted as she tried not to laugh. Trent just shook his head. “I’m never going to live this down. It should be you who’s embarrassed, but nope. If I didn’t think you were good for Harper before, I know you are now. You two have the same sense of humor and complete lack of embarrassment.”

  Dare wrapped his arm around Harper and pulled her in for a quick kiss. “Yeah, I think we make a good team,” he said as Trent got into his truck. “By the way, I like you in my shirt, “ he said to Harper.

  “I like you in my bed.”

  “Funny, I like that too.”

  “Got any handcuffs I can borrow?” Harper asked before giving him a wink and running up the stairs. As she ran up, the bottom of her butt cheeks played peek-a-boo and Dare knew he was a goner. There couldn’t be a more perfect woman for him in the entire universe.

  22

  Harper needed a night off. She’d spent the last week training her new employee. Georgina Grey was barely twenty-four years old and had no experience whatsoever. She was a cute thing with more manners than anyone Harper had ever met before. She was soft-spoken and easily taken by surprise, yet there was determination not to fail too.

  Harper had no idea why she hired her except her résumé looked so weird it had to be fake. Anyone who had such a badly put together résumé really needed the job. “Expert equestrian” is great and all but has nothing to do with being a bartender.

  Worst of all, Georgina was a Yankee. Her posh accent gave it away along with the Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts address on her driver’s license. Harper had asked for a phone interview just to see if this girl was for real. The next day Georgina showed up in person for her interview. As much as it rubbed Harper, Georgina was sweet as pie and so enthusiastic that Harper hired her. She had asked about Georgina’s life but learned very little. She asked point-blank about her parents and Georgina somehow talked her way out of answering.

  Harper didn’t push her after her initial attempts failed. Under the smile, the peppy attitude, and good manners was a broken little bird. All of Harper’s protective instincts kicked in and, well, a week later there she was. Ready for a night off.

  Every morning she and Georgina met at nine so Harper could teach her about being a bartender, mixing drinks, breaking up fights, getting food orders in, and running tabs until Georgina was versed enough to try some part-time work without Harper there. That was going to be the following day. Georgina was going to run the lunch shift herself, and Harper was as nervous as a first-time mother dropping her child off at for the first day of kindergarten.

  But tonight the training wheels were still on.

  “I tell ya, that darn Bubba snapped Miss Ruby’s apple pie right from her window sill where it was cooling. Miss Ruby saw it happen,” Gator was telling the bar as Harper poured him another beer.

  “That can’t be good. Miss Ruby doesn’t tolerate anyone messing with her pies,” Turtle said with a knowing look that everyone in the bar, except Georgina, nodded at.

  “Nope. She grabbed her broom and went right after Bubba. Chased him out of her yard cursing him ever which way but Sunday as she waved that broom around.”

  “That’s a wicked funny story, Mr. Gator,” Georgina laughed.

  Gator’s brow furrowed as he looked to Turtle who shrugged indicating he had no idea what Georgina was talking about either. “How is a funny story wicked, Miss Georgie?”

  “Oh, it’s Georgina and it’s not wicked bad. It’s wicked funny.” She blinded them with a smile and they only looked more confused.

  “I’ll add Southern expressions to our lessons in the morning,” Harper told her as she handed the beer to Gator.

  “That’s right nice of you, ‘cause I ain’t understandin’ a thing she says.” Gator tried to whisper, but Harper was sure Georgina had heard.

  The door flung open and Skeeter hurried in. “I need a shot of the strong stuff after what I just saw, Miss Georgie.”

  Georgina smiled sweetly. “Georgina.”

  “That’s what I said, ain’t it?” Skeeter asked Harper as he climbed onto the stool next to Gator.

  Harper passed the whiskey to Georgina so she knew what Skeeter meant by the strong stuff. Georgina poured it and handed him the glass.

  “Thank you, Miss Georgie,” he said before practically guzzling the whole glass.

  “It’s—”

  Harper put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “It’s a compliment to get a nickname in the South.”

  “Doesn’t it make me sound like a boy?” she whispered.

  “That’s why they add the miss to the front. That and out of respect. Plus, no one is going to look at you and think you’re a boy.”

  “I was always told I looked like a boy,” Georgina whispered as she looked down at herself. Georgina had the type of hair that women would kill for. Her light brown hair had some natural dark blonde highlights in it that seemed to glow like gold when the light hit it. Her hair was down to the middle of her back and somehow looked like she’d just had the most perfect blow-out ever. Her eyes were a stormy blue, her fair skin was flawless, her lips were full, and she even had a cute nose.

  “Whoever told you that was an idiot,” Harper assured her.

  “It was my mom. She said I was too athletic and it made me hard and flat.”

  Ouch. Harper wasn’t close to her mother, but her mom had never insulted her in her life. Harper looked Georgina over again.

  “You want the unbiased truth? “ Harper asked and Georgina nodded. “Hey, Trent! Get over here.”

  Georgina turned bright red as she grabbed Harper’s hand. “Don’t say anything.”

  “You’re fine. It’s just my cousin.”

  Trent walked over, leaned against the bar. “What’s up?”

  “You know a lot of women and you know a lot of guys too, right?”

  “Where’s this going, Harp?” Trent had been jumpy ever since Dare had pointed his gun and well, his other gun, at Trent.

  “Would you say Georgina has a boy’s figure?”

  Georgina looked ready to die on the spot. Trent glanced at her and shook his head. “Nope. Too many curves. Is that all?”

  “Yup, thanks.” Harper turned to Georgina and smiled as if saying, “Told you so.”

  “I’m just going to be over there hiding in the corner while I die of embarrassment.”

  “Just trying to help,” Harper called out as Georgina made a beeline to the other end of the bar to refill a beer. Harper turned to Skeeter, who was shoving his empty glass forward for a refill. “What got you all out of sorts?”

  “The spirits are restless and they are taking on a more corporal form. Tonight when I saw one he almost seemed real, but then he disappeared in a blink of an eye.”

  “Can’t you ask them what’s going on?” Harper asked. Skeeter might tell ghost stories, but he was never worried. Tonight he seemed worried.

  “I’ve tried. They just keep telling me that danger is at hand.”

  “Who says danger is near?” Georgina asked, obviously over her embarrassment.

  “The ghost of Anne Bonny and other Shadows Landing pirates.”

  Georgina blinked and then turned and headed back to the other end of the bar.

  Skeeter took the whiskey and tossed it back. “Somethin’ ain’t right.”

  “Duly noted,” Harper replied.

  Unfortunately, that was when a fight broke out over a game of darts, and Harper couldn’t ask Skeeter about any more as she vaulted over the bar.

  “I need some help, G!” Harper yelle
d as two guys were throwing punches. She glanced back and saw Georgina calling someone. “This isn’t time to call a friend. Get in here and help me break this up.”

  “I’m calling 9-1-1.”

  Harper rolled her eyes. “Hang up. I got this.”

  Harper grabbed up two pints of beer and tossed it at the men’s faces. When they stopped fighting to wipe it from their eyes, Harper delivered a one–two combo to each of their stomachs. “Don’t make me drag you out by the balls. You know I will.” Then employing a technique she learned from Miss Ruby and Miss Winnie, she grabbed each man by an ear and yanked.

  “Sorry, Miss Harper!” they both cried.

  “Now, pay your bill and the fifty-dollar fine each for brawlin’ and go home. You’re banned for three days.” Harper marched them to Georgina who stood with her mouth open as they paid their bill and each paid the fighting fee before leaving.

  “Thanks, G. You did well tonight, but you need to learn what to do during a fight.”

  Georgina groaned. “Another nickname? And fighting? A lady never uses her fists when she can use her words.”

  Harper didn’t know what to say about the lady part so she dropped it. G would learn sooner or later that ladies in the South knew how to use a lot more than their words. “What? Don’t they have nicknames in Martha’s Vineyard?” Harper teased as she locked the front door to the bar.

  “Yeah, but they’re different. Like, Bunny or Hilly or Muffy, and then Trip and Kip for the boys.”

  Harper tried not to look as horrified as she felt. “Here nicknames are endearments. You should be worried if you don’t have a nickname.”

  “What’s yours?” Georgina asked.

  “Harp.”

  Georgina was quiet for a moment and then nodded. “I wanted something different and this is definitely different. Do you think I’ll make it?”

  “Make it where?”

  “Here. As a bartender.”

  Harper wondered why it was that the bartenders she hired were looking to hide in Shadows Landing. “I haven’t asked because you don’t seem to want to talk about home, but what is going on?”

  “I-I-I don’t know what you mean,” she stuttered. “I just wanted a change.”

  “Fine. You don’t have tell me. Just know I’m here if you need someone to talk to.”

  Georgina nodded and turned to walk down the street before stopping and turning back to Harper with a radiant smile. “Goodnight, Harp.”

  Harper smiled in return. Everyone had secrets and G could keep hers as long as she did her job. “Night, G.”

  Harper felt like an overprotective big sister as she made sure Georgina made it down the dark street okay before turning to head home. She had taken one step when she stopped and snapped her head toward the church. Damn Skeeter and his ghost stories. The wind picked up and swirled around her until Harper shivered. “Okay, Anne. I get it,” she muttered to the ghost she couldn’t see but was starting to believe in.

  Harper crossed the street and headed to the side of the church. Behind the old building was a cemetery where many a pirate had been buried alongside the more usual residents of Shadows Landing. The cemetery was deep and sloped toward the water. The same water where three hundred years ago pirates would dock their boats during high tide and then unload into the hidden tunnels at low tide.

  Harper kept her right hand on the cold stone of the church as she peered into the darkness and slowly scanned the cemetery. Nothing but the wind whipping some leaves around. Harper was about to leave when she thought she heard the sound of a boat starting. However, it seemed muffled so much that she wondered if she even heard it. She stepped forward past the edge of the church and into the cemetery to check it out. Only she never got the chance. Something hit the back of her head and everything went black.

  Dare got one night a week off from work and that was the night he spent with Harper. He couldn’t wait for that night to come the following day. The trouble was he was getting frustrated. Not because of Harper, but because his investigation was going nowhere. Manny was great. Rudy was great. Austin and Roy Lee were great. The only thing not great was Isabella Crowne hitting on him whenever their paths crossed. She usually had a stable of young pool boys with her which prevented Dare from talking privately with her.

  Dare looked at his watch. It was way past time to leave. Past time for the resort restaurant to be open, yet here he was with Manny and a very annoyed Isabella who had sent her young stable to bed twenty minutes earlier.

  “You promised me this shipment would arrive today.” Isabella had her arms crossed under her chest, which had the effect of aiming her breasts directly at him.

  Isabella was a beautiful woman but Dare just wasn’t interested in her like that. He wasn’t interested in any woman who wasn’t his Harper.

  “It’s at the shipping yard. The container ship arrived tonight. We’ll have it here first thing in the morning. I’ve already asked for expedited customs for it,” Manny said, trying to calm his top client.

  She narrowed her eyes at Manny, and Dare was glad he wasn’t the one having to deal with her. He had called in Manny as soon as Isabella cornered him about this shipment that had been ordered before Dare had started working for BGM.

  “Then go get it. Now. It’s there and I want it. I don’t care if you have to walk it through customs yourself. Go get it!” Isabella raised her voice but didn’t scream. Her hands were tight on her hips and there was nothing about her face to indicate she was joking.

  “Tomorrow—”Manny started to say, but Isabella cut him off.

  “Will be too late. The special clients are arriving tomorrow morning at seven. If you get there now, you might be able to save this shipment and get paid. If you’re a minute past seven, these guys are gone. This isn’t some drunken bridal party. This is a powerful group of international businessmen. One bad word from them and the hotel will lose more than I can calculate.”

  Manny held up his hands in surrender. “Okay. I’ll go. It’s at Lederman and Sons Shipping. I’ll get it here by seven.”

  “You have six hours. You better hurry.”

  Manny spun around and stormed off. Isabella let out a long sigh, and for the first time, Dare thought she looked nervous.

  “Do you think he’ll get the shipment here?” Isabella asked him as she collapsed onto a crate in the liquor storage room.

  “I do. Who are these people who have to have this alcohol at seven in the morning?” Dare decided to try to press his luck. He hadn’t had a moment alone with Isabella before, and given her family history, she was definitely a person of interest.

  “International businessmen. What woman would sit drinking specialty Russian vodka and French cognac at seven in the morning? Sorry, but your sex is more demanding than any bridezilla.”

  Dare gave a little snort of amusement and then lowered his voice as if telling her a secret. “Most of the time, they can’t tell the difference between the two thousand dollar bottle of bourbon and the two hundred dollar one. Don’t get me started on the cognac.”

  Isabella laughed along with him. She leaned forward, resting her hand on his upper thigh. Dare had to fight the urge to push her away from him. “You’re so right. I think you and I could be special . . . friends.”

  “You know what they say. You can never have too many friends.” Dare leaned back and gave her an appraising look. Her hand inched farther up his leg. He was undercover and couldn’t blow this. Even if it meant allowing what he knew was about to happen.

  “Then let’s become very close friends.” Isabella’s fingers curved around his leg, inches from his crotch. “Shouldn’t we kiss on it?”

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, Miss Crowne. We have a Code Three.”

  Dare had never been so relieved to see one of Isabella’s young men. He didn’t seem upset or even shocked to see her about to kiss Dare. However, Isabella was clearly upset. She kept herself under control, but her whole body had gone rigid and her hand tightened on his upper thi
gh.

  “Wake Dr. Vella and tell him to handle it. It’s his job after all,” Isabella said between clenched teeth.

  The staffer turned and hurried out the door.

  “Problem?” Dare asked, trying to distract Isabella and get her to talk.

  “Nothing we can’t handle,” she purred as she let her hand roam up his leg until it rested on his stomach.

  “I didn’t know hotels had codes.”

  “We have codes for everything from sneaking hookers out unseen, domestic disturbances, lost child, angry or vomiting drunks, to people dying in their rooms.“ She paused and shook her head. “We even had a Code One, Three, and Six all at once.”

  Dare gave a half chuckle and shook his head just a tiny bit. “Okay, I need that story.”

  “A businessman from Asia hired an escort and died while using her services. When we arrived, the escort had drained the mini-bar and was hysterically drunk as she ran around the room naked, screaming that her vagina was a mankiller.”

  Dare burst out laughing. He knew he was undercover, but it was still funny. Plus, he’d just narrowed down what a Code Three was. “Is there a prostitute I need to help you all sneak out of the hotel?” Dare winked at Isabella who playfully slapped his chest.

  “No. I have a much better idea for tonight.”

  “This is a huge responsibility for someone so young. You can’t be over twenty-four.” She was older, but Dare knew this would stroke her ego. “I thought I heard your dad owns the place. Shouldn’t he be taking care of drunk hookers?”

  “They’re lucky it’s me taking care of them,” Isabella muttered under her breath.

  “Miss Crowne.” The staffer was back and now Dare knew there was no hooker. A doctor was needed so someone was either drunk or dead.

  “What?” Isabella snapped without turning around. Then Dare saw it. Dr. Vella was with the staffer standing by the curtain that hid the door. It was there so people in the restaurant couldn’t see the storage room if the door opened.

  “We have a problem, Isabella.”

  Isabella stiffened at the sound of Dr. Vella. “Fine. Where?”