Accidental SEAL (SEAL Brotherhood #1) (23 page)

“Wayne Somerville? You holding out on Kyle?” he asked, handing her the phone. Even the beefy Realtor she loathed was a welcome distraction.

“H-hello?”

“Hey, Christy, you all right? I’ve been worried about you. Everyone here at the office is curious as hell…”

“I’m fine.” She closed her eyes and wished she could will it so.

Wish I was on someone else’s radar.

“Well, that’s good to hear. I’ll tell everyone.”

“Do that.”

“Hey, Christy, I wanted to apologize for, well for getting you into this mess you’re in. It was an honest accident, giving you the wrong address, but I’m real sorry…and I…”

She needed to prolong the call. Anything to keep her away from the two men in her condo. Hilber and the other one were scanning her living room. She felt undressed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Wayne,” she said into the phone, but she didn’t take her eyes off the two men.

Warren began to pace back and forth. He seemed nervous about something because he kept checking his watch.

“I been reading the papers, and, well, I think this guy who attacked you is the one running around killing people. You should have some protection.”

Then she understood the purpose of Wayne’s call. This was his not too smooth way of inviting himself over for a cuddle and whatever else he could get away with. “Well, Wayne, right now I have protection from Deputy Sheriff Warren Hilber and Petty Officer Carlisle. They’re standing right here in my condo, talking to me.” She decided it was a good idea to let someone else know about the two jackals in her home.

Hilber winced as Carlisle looked on sheepishly.

Christy had an idea. “I actually think you could tell the whole office these guys are here to protect me right now. Please tell Simms, too. I don’t want any of you guys to worry.”

“Oh, that’s good, Christy. Do you need anything? Simms says you’re taking a few days off.”

“That’s right. The stress has been almost too much. Had a bit of a rocky start and all.” She looked at Warren. “But I’ll tell you what, could you come over in, oh, say an hour? I need a couple of things from my desk.”

“Sure. Happy to help. In any way.” He lowered his voice and her stomach turned.

“I have two buyer files I’m working on. They’re inside my middle drawer. Could you bring them over?” The files wouldn’t be too hard to find. They were the only two ones in her desk.

She didn’t look at Warren but saw him flinch.

“Maybe I’ll detain these two nice gentlemen so you can see for yourself how well taken care of I am. I think one of them is looking to buy a new home. And I’m going to be tied up for a few days.”

Carlisle was looking up at Warren with a pained expression, holding his hands out, palms up, and shrugging.

“Sure. Sure I could do that, Christy. Anything else?”

“Ask Simms to call me later tonight, okay? I have some questions.”

“Yeah. I’ll be over in about an hour, maybe less, if it’s okay.”

“Fine by me.” She paused, sucked in her gut and said, “Come over as soon as you like. Thanks, Wayne. That’s real sweet.”

She couldn’t help but gloat when she hung up the phone.

“Well, officers. I need to get this questioning over with so I can get ready to receive company. You’re welcomed to stay, of course. We were discussing cooperation.”

“If Kyle calls you, we want you to let us know,” Hilber blurted out.

“Gee, I would have thought you’d have gotten a wiretap by now.”

“The man can’t be trusted, miss. Do yourself and everyone else a favor. Don’t let him con you like he’s done others,” Carlisle said without expression. “You’re in way over your head. Don’t risk it for a little…a little…fun.” His right eye flinched when he said this.

“Well, suppose you leave me your cards so I’ll have your numbers handy.” She looked back and forth between the two men. Carlisle turned to face Warren just a little too quickly.

Warren patted down his breast pocket and then the seat of his pants. “I’m fresh out of cards, miss.”

Christy took one of hers out from a box next to her chair. Flipping it over, she handed it to Warren, with a pen. “Why don’t you just write your contact information here? Do you check emails?”

“Yes, I do,” he said, with a lopsided smile, looking up to her looming over him. She didn’t trust the man. It was more than the creep factor she had with that dog Wayne. This man was pure cold evil. With authority and a gun.

He wrote his phone number and email address neatly on the card and handed it back to her. Again, his cold stare chilled her.

“Now your turn.” She presented the pen and card to Carlisle, who leaned back so as not to touch it.

“It would be better if you just contact Warren. He’s lead on this,” he said, his eyes not returning her gaze.

“Um hum. Just give me your contact info anyway. Humor me,” Christy insisted, her head cocked at an angle. She smiled to let him know she knew he was struggling and was asking anyway.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. That’s classified.”

“How about your name—your proper military name.”

“No, sorry, ma’am. That’s not appropriate in this case.”

“Then next time, you can stay outside, sailor.” She put the card and pen on her kitchen countertop next to the stove. Warren was, fidgeting, looking unhappy.

“If you will excuse me.” She motioned to her front door.

The two men exited. Warren turned before he closed the door behind him. “We’re going to catch him and all his team members. Even you can’t deny that a rogue SEAL with a boatload of guns and explosives stashed everywhere is a danger to the good people of San Diego County. Way too dangerous for you to be playing with. You don’t want to get scooped up in this net. Trust me, you don’t.”

I already am. Nothing I can do about that now. Only person who can pull me off is the guy with the three-toed creature tattoo.

The security desk downstairs in the Infinity office rang her phone about a half hour later.

“We got a Wayne Somerville down here. Says he has an appointment with you.” Jerry’s usual friendly voice was stiff and oddly cold.

“Sure, send him up.”

Jerry didn’t say anything before he hung up. She was going to thank him but got a dial tone in her ear.

When she heard the ping of the elevator, she opened her door and watched as Wayne lumbered down the hallway in a suit that looked a size or two too small and that showed off his midsection girth. The difference between the layer of blubbery fat giggling as he moved and Kyle’s measured strides and chiseled abs was laughable, but she held it in and risked him thinking she was glad to see him.

But in a way, she was. She’d been surrounded by men the last twenty-four hours, and there was only one man she wanted to see.

She smiled and said, “Thanks, Wayne,” as he handed her the files. “I really appreciate this.”

“No problem. I was going to bring you some flowers too, but thought it would, you know, remind you of the incident and of that bad guy.”

She knew he was making excuses for being cheap. Why bring flowers if you weren’t sure it was going to pay off?

“How thoughtful. Thanks again. You want to come in?”

“Sure.” Wayne’s eyes bugged out of his head, growing to saucer size.

“You want some coffee?”

“Sure, Christy. Thanks,” Wayne said as he poked his head in her bedroom doorway, and then did a 360 in her living room. “This place is really nice. I’ve sold a couple of units here, but I think this one is way better.”

“Yeah, my mom left it to me.” She started grinding coffee beans.

“Free and clear?” He whirled around to look at her.

She was offended, of course, that he wanted to know how well off she was, but today she felt generous and had already dished out her quota of frost this morning. And Wayne didn’t really deserve the sharp end of her patience.

“Yes. I have no mortgage.” She smiled to the brewing coffee—that pleasant smell she loved lying in her bed when she knew Kyle was in the next room, waiting for her to awaken.

“Wow. That’s nice. Wish I had a rich relative.” Envy lurked like a snake between his words.

“She wasn’t rich. It was the only thing she had, and she’d saved her whole life to buy the place. Used some money she got when my dad passed away.”

“Oh. Good for her,” he said distractedly as she handed him his mug. He peered down into the creamy brew. “Thanks for the cream.”

“Two lumps of sugar, too.”

“You remembered. That means a lot to me, Christy,” he said as he lowered his voice, his gaze lowering to her chest.

“Funny how I remember little details like that.” She sat on Kyle’s chair. “Have a seat.”

Wayne repositioned the pillows so his hefty frame would fit on the couch and then sat, leaving little space for another person.

“Who was your mom’s Realtor?”

“She bought it from the builder. A grand opening special, I think.”

“Jeez. Talk about timing. Good for her…and for you, too.”

She was letting his lack of transparency amuse her this morning, a morning without very much good news.

He sipped his coffee and put it on the table in front of him. Leaning forward, he pressed his palms together. “I’m sorry we got off to a difficult start. I was hoping we could be…friends.” He had blushed, and Christy thought it looked more like unwelcomed sunburn.

Everyone wants to help me. Do I look that helpless?

Yes. She decided she did. Damn it. That was going to have to change.

“I suddenly have lots of people offering to help me.”

“Oh, yeah? Who?”

He was probably wondering if another Realtor was in the picture.

“Well, there’s the local police, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and some Naval policeman or something. Forgot what they call him.”

“MA. Navy term for MP. Wonder why all of them are so interested. I mean, I can see why they’d be interested in you, but…”

“The triple homicide.”

“You were unlucky. I’m sure they’ll figure it out soon enough.” Wayne frowned and added, “They think he’ll continue to strike until he gets caught. Death by cop sort of thing, I guess.”

This worried her.

“Just how well do you know this guy, Christy?” He squinted his eyes and waited for her answer.

“We’re friends.”

“Be careful. You’re playing with fire, Christy.”

Tell me about it.

Chapter 21

It wasn’t wise, but Kyle knew he would call her. He wasn’t even sure which was more important, his worry over her safety or his need to talk to her for his own personal reasons. And it didn’t matter.

She picked it up on the first ring.

“Christy’s house of good times.”

Kyle didn’t quite know what to say. He heard the bitterness in her voice, but something else.

Pain.

He remembered himself, and his reason—at least the reason he’d given himself—for calling. “Christy, I apologize for my behavior.”

“You seem to be repeating your sorry routine an awful lot, sailor. I’d say you’re pretty practiced in it. Impressive.”

“Actually, I’m not. I don’t usually have to.”

“Well, you don’t have to now.”

“What I mean is, I don’t usually get involved.”

Now it was Christy’s turn to pause. “Is that what we are? Involved?”

“Yes.” There. He’d whispered it. Had she heard? “I told you before, this wasn’t a pit stop. You’re a nice lady. You deserve more than I can give right now.”

“So exactly what is
this
thing between us that you won’t describe—this thing that isn’t what you can give me right now?”

“I care about what happens to you.”

“Get in line.”

“Excuse me?”

“Let’s see. Where do I begin? I get scared out of my gourd at the gym last night with some strange guy walking past my sauna door when I’m lying there buck naked. I decide maybe I’m being foolish, but no, the San Diego PD is here this morning asking questions about some fire and a triple murder, thinking you’re involved.
He
wants to help. A Deputy Sheriff stops by with one of your Navy buddies…”

“The sheriff’s department was there?” This wasn’t a good sign. But what did he expect?

“Yessir.”

He’d been a dumbass. Stupid. Why hadn’t he thought about Christy being questioned?

“Can I come over and talk to you?”

He heard her sigh into the phone, clouding the reception.

“Which Kyle is it who is coming over? The one who screwed me on the countertop and said he wasn’t ready for this, or the one who just wants to talk?”

“I promise. Just talk.” It wasn’t much, but he’d take it. If she’d let him.

While waiting for him to arrive, Christy wished the chatter in her head would stop. Her pulse had quickened. She was beginning to sweat again and knew she didn’t have time for another shower. In spite of what she told herself, she’d put on makeup, just a little of Madame’s perfume, the cherry lip gloss, a little mascara. She brushed out her hair, and then she heard him, the relentless tap tap tap on her door like the beating of her heart.

Bad sign, girl. Here you go again.

Kyle had arrived at her door so fast she barely had time to finish getting on decent clothes.

Damn.
Even his knock was sexy. She inhaled a big gulp of air and opened the door.

She was doomed. He stood there, leaning against the doorframe, one forearm resting against the trim, his hips at an angle, his smile at an opposite angle. And the crease at the side of his lip. On the left. Did he know?

Did it matter?

Oh, hell no.

His hard chest was against her, his arms tight around her waist. The force of his lips as he kissed her instilled courage and resolve. She’d been ridiculous, of course, but she was so far over the edge for this man, even if he had done what they said he’d done…

Christy, what in the world are you doing? The guy could be a cold-blooded killer.

“Where’s that little talk we were going to have?” she said to his hungry mouth. God, she needed that mouth on her right now. She stepped on tiptoes and pressed her lips hard against his. His tongue plunged in deep. His hands found her chest and snaked under her bra, squeezing her breasts. Was that her moan she heard, or his?