“Drew…” She twisted her hands nervously.
There was no use pretending not to know him. It was clear from the familiarity in his eyes that he knew just who she was.
“Hmm, you seem to have gotten over your partial amnesia,” he said dryly.
Okay, so he was angry. She got that. She supposed she would have been too if the roles were reversed. Still…
“You should not have come here,” she said.
His eyes flashed and she saw pure white rage in them. But when he spoke, his voice was calm, controlled.
“I see. So I should have gone back to my life, the work and the women and forgotten all about you?”
She could not help it, she flinched. She told herself that the sinking feeling she felt in the pit of her stomach was because of his anger. She’d never seen him so angry. It had nothing to do with his mention of other women. Nothing at all.
Oh hell, who was she kidding? She felt herself die just a little bit.
She took a shaky breath in, trying to calm her nerves.
“Listen—”
“No, you listen. What kind of cold-hearted woman makes breathtaking, heart-stirring love to a man, tells him she loves him, then disappears without a word?” he asked, his tone harsh.
“I did not disappear without a word!” She felt compelled to defend herself.
“What? You mean that fucking Dear John letter you left me?”
“I had my reasons and I explained them clearly.” She felt anger rise and welcomed it with relief. Wrapping it around her like a protective cloak.
“Well, sweetheart, maybe you can try explaining them again because they sure as hell weren’t clear to me.”
Janey was saved from replying by Alicia’s entry. She noticed the other woman stop beside Drew. A few things immediately became clear to Janey.
First, Drew showed no surprise at seeing Alicia there. Second, Alicia was looking at her intently, trying to say something.
In that instant, Janey felt like her world had turned hollow. She kept her gaze on Alicia.
“You brought him here,” she said flatly.
Alicia nodded. “Yes.”
Yes? That was it? “Why, Alicia? I trusted you!” Janey could feel her throat closing up and she sank her nails into her palm, willing the tears to go back.
Something flashed in the other woman’s eyes and was gone. Her chin shot out in a defensive gesture. “And I trusted my gut.”
Suddenly, Janey couldn’t deal anymore. She sank back into the chair she’d been sitting on and buried her face in her hands.
This was too much. Her shoulders slumped in defeat.
Seeing Janey looking so beaten did something to Drew. He felt like he’d taken a blow to his gut. From the side of his eyes, he saw Alicia make a move towards her, but he held out his hand stopping her.
He met her gaze and tipped his head towards the door. She nodded, mouthed, “Take care of her,” and left.
Alone with Janey, he crossed the room to where she was seated and went down on his haunches before her. Very gently, he pulled her hands away from her face.
She looked up at him, her expression stark. The defeat and desolation in her eyes reached inside him, grabbed hold of his heart and squeezed.
“I didn’t want to leave…” she said.
Drew placed a gentle finger on her lips, halting her words. He should not have jumped on her the way he did.
“I know. We found the SMS and I know why you felt you had to leave.” He paused and ran his gaze all over her face. His hand moved to gently stroke her hair. “I guess, I felt that you should have trusted me.”
“But…they were going to kill you…”
Drew smiled sadly. “Do you have so little faith in me, Janey?”
She reached out and framed his face between her hands. She looked intently into his eyes, almost as though she were searching for something. At her touch, Drew felt the tension ease from his body. Like the tight vice that had clenched around his heart had suddenly loosened.
He closed his eyes briefly and opened it again.
“I’m sorry I hurt you, Drew. I really didn’t mean to do that.”
Her apology was heartfelt and Drew felt bad. He should have been the one apologizing. He’d never told her how he felt about her, so she really had no reason to trust him. If anyone was at fault here, it was him.
With a sigh, he shifted his hands to her arms, drew her close and kissed her. It was meant to be a gentle kiss, but Janey placed a hand behind his head and pulled him closer, then used her tongue to flick his upper lip.
A lick of flame went through him and his hand tightened on her arms. He felt his manhood stir.
Drew kissed her with all the ache and loneliness that had been his companions since she’d left, and he tasted the same on her lips.
He pulled back from the kiss and trailed his mouth over her face.
“I love you so much, Janey. I don’t ever want to live without you. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle it.”
She stiffened in his arms and tried to draw back, but he held on to her.
“You love me?”
She sounded so surprised that Drew’s heart broke a little. With a groan, he got to his feet, scooped her up and then sat down on the chair she’d just vacated.
Cradling her in his arms, he kissed her neck.
“God, I have been in love with you almost since the beginning…”
Janey shook her head and said sadly, “That’s not possible, Drew. You never called me, not even once.”
He swore. “I was fighting my feelings for you.”
She sat back so she could look at his face. “Is loving me such a bad thing?” she asked gently.
Drew stroked her hair, then his hand slid to her neck and down her arm.
“Loving you is the best thing that has happened to me,” he said honestly. “But you know my past with women…when I discovered that I could not stop thinking about you…I was so damned scared,” he said with a short laugh.
Janey smiled, then her eyes clouded over. “I’ve missed you so much, Drew. I’ve been going around, feeling like I can’t breathe.” She placed a hand over her heart.
Drew understood just what she meant. He drew her head to his chest and wrapped his arms around her.
They were silent for several minutes, then Janey sat back again. She looked worried.
“What’s the matter, love?”
“I’m just…did you find out who is after me?”
Drew stiffened. He was hoping to avoid that conversation. He did not want to tell her a lie, but he was afraid his answer would send her running once more.
“Drew…I know you know,” she said softly. “Please tell me.”
Drew raised his head to stare silently at the ceiling. Then he sighed. “We are not completely sure,” he warned, “but we suspect that it is the Abrantes Dukes.”
He felt her go still on him, but she didn’t say a word. He brought his gaze to hers, but she avoided his. He was starting to get worried.
“Janey…talk to me, honey.”
Slowly, she lifted her eyes to his. “That criminal organization in Chicago?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Drew nodded.
She shut her eyes and a shiver went through her. He could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest.
“Janey…”
She shook her head. When she opened her eyes, he saw complete and utter defeat in them. “I’m a dead woman.”
Drew felt the ice in his blood. There was such an ominous tone of finality in her voice that he had to fight against the panic that was rising inside him.
“Janey, we’ve gone up against these people before. We kept Sierra safe from them and we’ll keep you safe as well,” he said, a vein of urgency underlying his voice. “Hell, you worked so damn hard to keep her safe.”
Her mind flashed back to that night, when they’d been all holed up in the safe house and the people had come for them. They’d managed to
escape, but some of them had been injured. Even Drew hadn’t escaped unscathed.
It was a night she did her damndest to forget. Because it was also the night she pulled the trigger and took someone’s life.
And that was how she knew she was not going to make it out of this mess. The universe was exacting payment. She’d taken a man’s life, so she would have to forfeit hers.
She took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “Take me to Broken Arrow, Drew. I need to go home.”
Chapter Thirty-one
“We think we know why they’re after you.”
Janey sat in Alicia’s crowded back office and stared at the others in the office. The entire Silver Shield staff of operators were in that office. She’d been surprised to see Ace there as well.
Emily sat behind Alicia’s table, while Ryan and Rusty perched on the edges of the table. Ace and Tamika were seated on the two straight back chairs.
There was only one armchair and it was occupied by Drew. He’d grabbed her and pulled her unto him as soon as they’d entered.
“So it’s confirmed that the Abrantes are the ones after her?” Drew asked.
Janey rested her head on his chest, taking comfort in the deep rumble of his chest.
“Yeah,” Ace said.
Drew shifted his gaze to his friend, “Kinsella?”
“Affirmative.”
Janey was cold. It was June in Florida so the AC was running at full blast. But that wasn’t why she was cold. Since she’d heard that the criminal organization in Chicago were the ones after her, she’d felt all the warmth inside her desert her.
“What did I do to them?”
Janey felt the attention shift to her. A few months back, being the center of such attention would have made her uncomfortable. These days, she didn’t really care.
“Well, while you were at the safe house, you shot a man…” Emily said carefully.
Janey felt the blood drain from her face. She could still see his face. The dark, curly hair. The olive skin and brown eyes. The light had been poor, but she’d gotten a good look at him before she pulled the trigger. It was a face she’d done everything to forget. An event she absolutely refused to think about.
Except, it had come back to haunt her. She began to shake. Drew’s arms tightened around her, offering some warmth.
“Turns out he was Thomas Vitale, younger brother to Mikey Vitale, the second under boss to the head of the organization. He wants revenge.”
Janey silently took in every word Emily said. She didn’t know how to reply. What could she say? She’d killed a man.
She did not deserve to have them protecting her this way. No matter what they said, she deserved what was happening to her and there was no way she was going to drag these people down with her.
Right then, she made a decision. With her mind made up, she felt a calm pervade her being.
They sat there for a couple of hours, discussing different strategies for keeping her safe. Janey focused inward. Her mind took her to the first time she saw Drew.
She’d been running late to the airport. Silver Shield Security had sent a plane to pick her up at the airport and get her down to Chicago. She had asked Riley to drop her off. At the airport, she’d bent down to pick up her bag and when she looked up had seen this huge, devastatingly handsome dude standing with his hands on his waist, like he was searching for someone.
Her breath had caught as she’d admired the lovely specimen standing a few feet away from her. She hadn’t for a moment imagined that he’d come for her. Not even when he’d walked towards her, until he’d stepped in front of her and asked if she was Janey Moore.
She’d never burned for a man the way she burned for Drew. Still did.
She cast a furtive glance at him, absently running a hand over his pecs as she did. He was so strong, so solid. She hoped he knew how much she loved him.
“…she wants to visit her family. I’ve been trying to tell her that it’s not a good idea.”
Drew was speaking and his words caught her attention. She tried to sit up, but he gently nudged her back.
“I need to see my family.” She was adamant on that. She needed her plan to work and that meant going back to Broken Arrow.
“Too much of a risk,” Emily said sharply.
“I’m not asking you all to come along. I can do just fine by myself.”
There was a stunned silence. Janey understood why they were all looking at her like she’d sprouted horns. The old Janey was too nice to a fault. She would never have snapped at them that way.
“You are Drew’s woman. You’re not shaking us off,” Rusty said in a sort of growly voice that had Janey looking at him in shock.
Drew’s woman. She knew that she probably should take offense at that. She was no one’s woman. Still, it felt kind of nice to be called that. Drew’s woman. To her eternal shame, she felt herself flushing with pleasure.
She sat up straight and glared at Rusty. “Why are you such a grouch all of a sudden?”
There were chuckles and grins from the others.
“Woman trouble,” Tamika said with a slight smile.
“You are way off base, soldier,” Rusty said, giving her a look.
Drew flashed him a smile. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
Rusty caved and shrugged. “Yeah well, I could say the same,” he said with a smile, looking pointedly at Janey in Drew’s arms.
Janey watched the byplay with a bit of envy and a heavy heart. She hadn’t had that sort of easy camaraderie since her sister left home.
She’d spoken with Abe a couple of times and was happy to hear that Diane had begun talking again even though she seemed to have lost some of her memory. She’d driven out of state to use a pay phone.
It was on one of those out-of-state drives that she’d returned to Mobile and silently left Lydia’s truck at the Subway restaurant. She made sure it had a full tank of gas and also left some money for Lydia. It was the only time she’d taken out of the huge withdrawal she’d made the last time she’d driven through Mobile. Since she got the job with Alicia, she’d learned to live solely on what she earned. She had always been frugal, so it was no hardship.
“Touché,” Drew said with an easy smile. Then he got serious and turned his gaze to Janey. “Honey, Broken Arrow is a bad idea, can’t you see that?”
Janey met his eyes with determination. He had been trying to convince her of the same thing for almost an hour. The arrival of the other operators had halted that discussion. Looked like they were back to it once more.
“I’m going, Drew.”
“Her mind seems made up,” Ace said.
“We should take her to a safe house. Either Texas or New York. Those are high security, there’s no way the Abrantes can breach the security there,” Drew said.
But Janey was already shaking her head. “For how long, Drew?”
“What?”
“I said, for how long? When is this going to end? Will I be in hiding for the rest of my life? I can’t live like this.”
It was untenable. The only way the police could step in and save her was if the people were actually caught in the act. Unless they made an attempt on her life, there was nothing they could be held for. The only way to end this was to engage.
“She’s right.”
Drew scowled and shifted his attention to Ace.
“No, she’s not!” he countered.
Janey placed a hand on the side of his face and stroked gently. “You know I’m right, Drew.”
He held himself stiffly for several moments, then the starch slowly left him in a sigh. He moved his head slightly and kissed her palm.
“I don’t like it,” he said, shutting his eyes.
Janey felt her heart stir. He opened his eyes and their gazes met and it seemed as though everyone else faded. There was only her and Drew. She ran her free hand over his head.
“I know, my love. But it will be okay.”
She drank in his feature
s, taking in everything she could about him. She had no idea how this was all going to end, but she knew that it had to end. One way or another.
**
Drew felt a shudder run through him. He did not like the idea of going back to Broken Arrow, not one bit. The last three months without Janey had been hell. He didn’t know what he would do if anything happened to her.
“We’ll take care of her, dude.”
Drew opened his eyes to find his friends’ gazes on him. He caught Ace’s eyes and his friend gave him a slight smile. He knew that Ace understood what he was going through.
He nodded slowly. He knew they would take good care of Janey, but he was also determined to keep her glued to his side at all times.
He shifted his gaze to Janey’s and his blood ran cold. There was something in her eyes that scared the hell out of him.
“Hell no,” he said, shaking his head. She held his gaze without flinching, hers calm and accepting.
“What’s up?” Ace asked.
“She’s going to give herself up to them.” Drew could feel the panic slowly crawling up his spine. It scared him that he could read her so easily and what he read left him cold.
Janey stood up and took a few steps away from him. She wrapped her arms around her middle, never breaking eye contact.
She opened up herself so he could see the emotions swirling in her eyes. Love, passion, courage and regret… His heart began to thump in his chest.
“I’m not going to let you do this, Janey,” he said, getting to his feet.
Emily also got up and walked to where Janey was standing. She placed a hand on her arm.
“Is this true, Janey?”
Drew had never heard Emily sound so soft and gentle.
Janey nodded.
“May I ask why?”
She held herself stiff, then sighed. “I killed someone. I deserve this.”
“Hell no!” Rusty swore from where he was standing.
Was this what she really thought? Drew wanted to howl. He ran a hand over his head. He needed to…he had no idea what exactly he needed to do, he just knew he had to do something. Anything.
Emily lifted a hand and the room went still.
“Why did you pull the trigger?”
Silver Shield Security Box Set Page 46