by Sofia Grey
Maria continued her examination of the room. Plush leather sofas, and a black, nylon gun holster lying in full view. Interesting. Was he a drug dealer? Nah. Seemed an unlikely friend for Juli.
“Damn,” he muttered, and Maria turned around to see him glaring at his phone. He lifted his gaze to scowl at her “I think—”
Before he could finish, there was a loud bumping noise from somewhere in the apartment, followed by the sound of glass breaking. Grey Eyes reacted instantly.
“Stay there. Right there,” he snapped at her. Whipping a sidearm from under his T-shirt, he barged a door open, pistol braced for action.
Stay here? He must be joking.
Grey Eyes disappeared behind the door. “Tanner,” he yelled.
Maria was momentarily frozen. Did he just shout Tanner? Yes, he did. This was unexpected. And amazing.
She hurried to the open doorway, saw Grey Eyes helping an unconscious man back into bed, and stepped forward to help. His sidearm was hidden from view again, presumably shoved back into his jeans. As she bent next to the man, she saw a flash of metal chain.
He was handcuffed to the bed frame. What the fuck?
She gazed open mouthed at Grey Eyes. A heartbeat later, Tanner skidded into the room, wearing—oh, God—just a pair of boxers. With his short hair rumpled and day-old stubble raking his cheeks, he’d never looked sexier.
He was focused on the man half out of bed. “What the fuck happened?”
“Looks like he’s passed out,” said Grey Eyes. “He’s burning up. The antibiotics can’t be working.”
They hauled him back onto the bed, rearranging the cuff chain as they went. And then, with such comic timing that she laughed out loud, they both stared at her. Grey Eyes was about to speak, but Tanner beat him to it.
“Maria? What in fucking damnation are you doing here?” She didn’t get a chance to reply, before he started on Grey Eyes. “Did you let her in? Get her out of here. Now. I don’t want her involved in this pile of shit.”
This was like a dream come true. Maria smiled and sashayed toward Tanner, to ruffle his hair. “Hello, Maria,” she said in a mock deep voice. “How lovely to see you again. How are you these days? I’m sorry I was such a god damn jerk that I couldn’t be bothered to call you back, but I’ll make it up to you. And yes, I’d love to have that quiet little dinner some time.”
Tanner flinched. He squirmed away from her fingers, wriggling like a little boy being kissed by an aging aunt.
Grey Eyes stared at them open-mouthed for a moment, before snapping into action. “When you’ve quite finished, Tanner, do we need to call the doctor back?”
Maria bent over the unconscious man. “He’s bleeding,” she said.
“Yeah,” snapped Tanner.
“Have you tried Tylenol, to bring the fever down?”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Tanner’s tone was surly.
“I’d suggest you call an ambulance, but I’m guessing you don’t want to. Let me help.” She smiled sweetly at the two men standing beside her.
“You shouldn’t be here,” said Tanner to her. “This is no place for you.”
Never afraid to play with fire, she adored teasing him. Like poking a wasp nest, she was never quite sure when the little critters would come swarming out. She raised her eyebrows. “What the hell have I interrupted?”
His face darkened, and the scowl became more menacing.
“This guy is clearly unwell,” she said. “I’ve got a little nursing training. A cool sponge bath? I could do it.”
“Enough,” he yelled and grabbed her arm. It didn’t hurt. He’d never hurt her. “I swear to God, Maria, you can’t be here.”
“Tanner.” Grey Eyes seemed to be in charge, or at least he thought he was. “Can you save the domestics for later?”
“Maria was just leaving.” Tanner was utterly irresistible. From the smooth golden skin with a light dusting of hair across his oh-so-firm chest, to the strong, muscled arms and that sexy bulldog tattoo on his upper bicep. And half-naked. He was the stuff of her favourite dreams. Hubba hubba.
In the midst of this chaos, she heard a trilling noise and saw Grey Eyes digging into his pocket. “Call you back,” he snapped into the phone, before turning his attention back to the sick man. “Tanner.” He gestured to the guy on the bed, a look of exasperation on his face. “Focus.”
Tanner almost vibrated with tension. Maria had never seen him so rattled before. She knew he was stressed. He wasn’t big on speech, and when he shouted and swore a lot, it was a clear giveaway he was close to losing it.
She slipped free from his clutch and stepped over to the bed, to place one hand on the sick guy’s forehead.
He moaned faintly, long, dark eyelashes flickering at her touch. His eyes opened. She saw deep, dark pools of colour, and read confusion in his face.
“Shush,” she murmured. “I’ve got you.”
Since the two able-bodied men in the room seemed incapable, she headed for the kitchen, and returned with a bowl of tepid water, a clean dishcloth and a small towel. Perching on the chair beside the bed, she smiled at them both. “Thank you, Maria,” she intoned. “Good of you to help.”
They both glared at her, and she stifled a giggle at their ferocious expressions.
“And I’d love a coffee,” she said. “I’ll wait here for Juli.”
*
Juli was busy on the phone on the journey back to Charlie’s, talking to the insurance company about the claim she was filing. It was only when she finished that she realised she’d missed a call from Aiden, a few minutes earlier. By this time, they’d reached Charlie’s building and claimed one of his reserved parking spaces in the basement.
She called Aiden back, and obviously caught him at a bad moment, judging by the way he snapped at her and disconnected immediately. That didn’t sound good. Jack checked his phone but had no missed calls. They used Charlie’s spare key to get into the apartment and stepped quietly through the door.
Aiden and Tanner were arguing. They spun around at Juli and Jack’s entrance.
Aiden reached behind him for something, but instantly relaxed.
Juli couldn’t help staring at Tanner, clad in just his boxers. Like Jack, he had an impressive body. They’d put Greek gods to shame.
“Aiden, you called me. Is there a problem?” Juli said, as Jack asked, “What gives?”
Before either of them could answer, a familiar voice called from Yanni’s room. “Hey, Juli. I’m in here.” Maria? Juli stared at Jack.
He looked as dumbfounded as she felt.
Maria strolled out into the main area. “Jack. You okay, bud?” She darted over and hugged them both in turn. “You’re a lucky girl, hanging out with all these gorgeous guys. Who’s the stud, languishing in solitary? And you must introduce me to your friend here.” She winked at Aiden, who was currently staring at her, speechless. “He must be loaded, to have a pad like this.” In an over-loud whisper, she continued. “You gotta tell me—is he married?”
Beside Juli, Jack let out a rumble of laughter, while Aiden and Tanner looked outraged. In the midst of a terrible day, Maria had lightened the mood immeasurably.
Juli turned to face Aiden. “Let me introduce you. This is Aiden. Aiden, this is my good friend, Maria.”
With a silky smile, she held out a hand to shake his. “So,” she murmured to Juli, “married?”
Aiden pulled himself together. “No.” He stared at her, as though he’d never seen anything quite like her before. He probably hadn’t.
“You already know Tanner.”
Tanner snorted. “I’ve known her since she was a kid. She still behaves like one.” To Maria, he said, “And, Sweet-Cheeks, you are gonna pack up your things and go home. D’ya hear me?”
Maria rolled her eyes. Tucking her arm through Juli’s, she tugged her toward Yanni’s room. “So, what about the hottie in the bed?”
Tanner leapt to block the doorway. “Nope. You’re leaving, darlin’
.”
“I don’t think so.” She slipped free and walked up to him, to tap his chest with her finger. “He’s ill. I was the only one to think of bringing his temperature down. You two were mincing around like a pair of girls. Pathetic.”
Tanner looked as though he was about to explode. A muscle flicked wildly in his jaw. “He’s not a hottie—”
“Excuse me, but have you seen him?” Maria made a fanning gesture.
“For fuck’s sake, he’s a bastard of the highest order. I don’t want you anywhere near him. Get it?”
“What about Juli?” Maria’s voice was innocent.
“What about Juli?” Tanner was visibly confused. Juli guessed he didn’t like the repeated prods from Maria’s finger either.
“Well, is Juli allowed in there?”
Fun though this was, Juli was tired. “Hey. Everyone. Why don’t we sit down and talk about this?”
“In a minute.” Maria spoke sweetly, ducking under Tanner’s outstretched arm and going back to Yanni. She reappeared with a bowl in her hand, a damp cloth draped over the side. “He has a terrible fever. You’re the medic. Can’t you give him something?”
“I gave him Erythromycin. That should have kicked in by now.” Tanner ground out the words, his gaze following Maria as she moved.
She’d abandoned the bowl and was in the process of removing her suit jacket to reveal a fitted, lacy top. “What if he’s allergic?” She continued, as though Tanner hadn’t spoken. “Rico was. He could only take Penicillin, not the synthetic compounds.”
“Son of a bitch. You could be right.”
There was silence for a moment, and then Jack spoke. “Okay, Maria. It’s always good to see you, but maybe you’d like to explain just how you found this place?”
Chapter Seven
Jack liked to tease Juli about not doing as he told her, but Maria was an entirely different ball game. She played by her own rules and took no prisoners. It didn’t surprise Jack in the slightest that she’d figured out their location, but he was intrigued as to how she did it.
Aiden looked pissed. He spoke crisply. “Will somebody please explain to me what the fuck is going on?”
“Happy to,” said Jack. “Maria Sanchez is Rico’s little sister. Tanner and I have known her for years.”
A degree of comprehension flashed over Aiden’s face, and he produced a smile for her. “Your brother was exceptional. He’s sorely missed.”
She nodded, glancing round at them, her gaze settling on Tanner. The heat in it made Jack do a double-take. She was staring at Tanner the way Juli looked at Jack. Did he miss something?
He forced himself back to the task at hand. “So, Maria, how did you do it? We sure as hell didn’t tell you where we were staying, and you didn’t follow us. And for the love of God, why?”
Her eyes dancing again, she walked to the windowsill, picked up the bean cat, and tossed it gently from one hand to the other. “I guess you have to thank Oscar for that.” She was teasing them, a vibrant smile across her pretty face.
Jack shrugged. “Okay, I’ll bite. Oscar who?”
She tossed the bean cat to him. He caught it easily and threw it back, meriting a chuckle.
“This is Oscar. He’s wearing a little gizmo we’re prototyping at the moment.” She unfastened the pink bow from the cat’s neck and pulled what looked like a drawing pin from its plush fur. She dropped the device into Jack’s hand, while the others gathered around. The top was flat and round, the size of a large shirt button, and it was attached to a short metal stem. “We’ve made a few for beta trials, and I’ve been testing this one. I had it with me anyway. When you said you were staying with friends, I thought you’d take it out of London.” She shrugged. “The software behind it is GPS linked. I used my laptop to get the general location, then narrowed it down, using an app on my phone. It helps that you put Oscar in the window. The height sent out a nice, clear signal.”
It was such a Maria thing to do. She had all Rico’s smarts, but without his sense of caution. Reckless didn’t begin to describe her. It was like her self-preservation gene never switched on.
“You could have told us,” he said. “We didn’t tell you we were staying here, because we’re trying to keep it quiet.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t want to risk you saying no. And it was more of a blind test this way.”
“You shouldn’t have done it, but I’m glad to see you,” said Juli, her voice soft. “It’s been a shitty day and you’ve made it a little better.”
“I’m curious, though,” Juli continued. “Why Oscar?”
“No reason. All our projects have random names, and this one was named after the project manager’s cat, especially since we were embedding it into soft toys.” She smiled apologetically at Juli. “The cat is yours to keep, but I’d better take back the tracker now it’s served its purpose.”
“This is neat.” Aiden weighed it in his palm. “It’s smaller than the ones I’ve used before. How strong is the signal for a non-optimum location?”
They talked back and forth about signal quality and degradation, and bounced a set of meaningless figures between them. Jack tuned out and went to check on Yanni, who was still apparently unconscious.
Back in the lounge, Jack interrupted the discussion. “Do you have to take it back? It could be pretty useful when our friend leaves us.”
Aiden nodded. “I agree.”
Maria stuck the device back onto the cat and refastened the ribbon around its neck. “Now it’s my turn.” She smiled at Jack. “To quote Aiden here—what the fuck is going on?”
Tanner spoke up, his voice fierce. “No way. Maria is not getting involved.”
“Too late, cupcake. Newsflash—I am involved. I just want to know what I can do.” She pointed towards Yanni’s room. “Hello? There’s a guy cuffed to the bed. That’s not normal behaviour in this part of town. Even for you, Tanner.”
He scowled at her some more, and Jack stepped between them. “Tanner, go get dressed.”
“Yeah.” Maria pouted. “I might swoon otherwise.”
Juli giggled, and Jack tried not to laugh at Tanner’s horrified expression. “And she’s right, bud. She is involved, whether we like it or not. And we know we can trust her.” He paused. “We need to make decisions, guys.”
*
Nathan took another call from Kate Merrill, who this time wanted to talk to him about a business proposition. Could he call around this evening and meet that friend of hers she told him about?
Since he’d just finished the previous month’s accounts—high on outgoings and perilously low on income—and Shaz was grumbling nonstop about groceries now gone missing, he was glad of an excuse to escape.
Anita turned out to be a pretty young woman with a mass of long blonde hair and a charming, impish smile. She seemed thrilled to meet Nathan, claiming he was one of her sporting heroes. Since she was married to a Formula 1 racing driver, Nathan found that hard to believe, but her delight was infectious.
Her gaze drifted across the room to her husband, his face familiar from newspaper columns and the television. He was talking to another couple, greeting them like old friends, and Nathan began to feel like a fish out of water. He wasn’t at his best with groups of strangers.
Anita and her husband lived near Holyhead, ten miles away, next door to a riding school that was about to close. The owner was retiring and selling the property and land, rather than keeping it as a going concern.
“The new owner is a car enthusiast,” said Anita. “He wants to convert the stables to garages.”
Nathan shrugged. He didn’t see where the conversation was going.
“What it means,” explained Anita, “is that your stables might have an influx of new customers and liveries.”
He pulled a face. “I don’t offer liveries. I don’t have the staff. There’s only my groom and me.”
She looked thoughtful. “How many empty stalls do you have?”
“Six. Up to ten, if
I restore the oldest block.”
“And plenty of grazing?”
He nodded.
“So why not get extra help?” she asked. “School kids, wanting to exchange rides for stable work? And liveries can pay well.”
She made it sound so easy. “If I were going to expand my teaching schedule, I’d need to hire an instructor and buy more horses. It’s not quite that simple.”
The doorbell rang, diverting her attention for a moment. Another couple arrived and greeted Kate and her husband, Jordan.
“You see,” said Anita. “This is where my proposition comes in. I’m a qualified instructor, and I’d love to pick up some lessons. I’d just have to juggle them around my timetable. Jon and I are usually away one weekend in every four.”
She paused, and looked at him expectantly.
“Go on,” he said.
“So,” Anita continued in a bright voice, “Griff, next door to us, is going to be selling his horses, all his stable gear in fact, and I can raise the capital to buy it. We could go into partnership.” Nathan’s attention snapped back to her eager smile and excited face. “And I’ll need somewhere to stable my own horse, so he could be your first paying customer. What do you think?”
Whoa. He swallowed at the immensity of the idea laid before him. Possibilities danced through his head. He looked at her again and spoke bluntly. “Forgive my rudeness, but why do you want to do this? You don’t know me.”
Her eyes opened wide. “I followed your career for ages. I’d love to see you get the chance to compete at that level again. And if you don’t, I’d be honoured to work alongside you.”
He searched her face, bracing himself for the pitying look he expected to see.
It wasn’t there.
What could he say? “It’s… um… a very generous offer. Can I get back to you?”
She touched his arm with her fingers and spoke earnestly. “Please don’t leave it too long, his horses will be going to auction in a couple of weeks. And I can supply references for my teaching experience. I’d love this opportunity.”