Asking For Trouble (8 page)

"Let's call Logan...this isn't something you
need to get directly involved in. If they'll hurt your brother,
they'll hurt you, or use you as leverage against him. You could be
in danger, even right now," Chase told her, then added, "Logan's
company does security too. I think we should get you a bodyguard,
maybe a couple for your parents too."

"Jesus, I have money, but I'm not rolling in
it!" Jazzie told him in frustration.

"Don't worry about the money, I'll take care
of it. I just want to make sure you're safe," he told her then ran
a hand through his hair. "Hopefully, Logan can get things resolved
quickly, that way we won't need them long."

Jazzie ran over to Chase and threw herself
into his arms and said, "Thank god, you're with me...thank you for
your help."

"It's no problem, Jazzie..." he said then
pushed her to arm's length. "Let's call Logan and get things
moving. He's based in Dallas, so he should get here pretty
quickly."

She nodded then he pulled out his cell and
dialed. Two hours later, she had three very dangerous looking men
sitting in the living room of her parent's home. Joe and Carlos had
left after they finished the dishes, thank goodness. They would
have made this whole meeting a circus, she knew. Her brothers were
hotheads and were not known for their discretion.

"Miss Ramos, you say your brother has
evidence against Al-Gonon?" the tired looking, square-jawed man
Chase had introduced as Logan asked.

"Yes, that's what he said when he
called...he said he needed time to sort things out and stash the
evidence he had. He said it was for leverage?" she told him, then
added, "And call me Jazzie, please."

"Al-Gonon is being investigated for
developing and selling black market biochem weapons, did you know
that?" he asked and watched her intently.

It was weird how he didn't blink, his gray
stare was so intense it sent shivers parading down her spine, and
made her feel guilty of something. "No, I didn't know that...who's
investigating them?" she asked.

"Government agencies...the FBI, among
others," he told her matter-of-factly, then added, "Your brother is
in a lot of trouble, ma'am...and you might be as well."

"You really think they'd try to hurt the
family?" Jazzie asked with a whimper.

"No doubt about it...you need protection,
and we need to find your brother. Can I borrow your cell phone for
an hour or two?" he asked and held out his hand, then told her, "I
want to see if we can trace his call to you and get a general
location for him."

Jazzie passed the phone to him and released
it from her clammy palm. "It came in as unknown, but his cell
number is programmed in my phone."

"He might be using a throwaway...they can
track him by his regular phone," Logan informed her. "We might be
able to track the tower pings by your phone, even if he is using a
disposable phone."

Jazzie looked over at Chase who was sitting
on the sofa beside her. He looked like he was worried, but there
was an edge of impatience there too. "Chase, you can head back to
Amarillo now...I'm sure Dave and his guys will protect us. Thank
you for calling him."

"No, I think I'll take your mom up on that
offer to stay here tonight. I'd feel better if we knew something
before I leave," he said in a deeply concerned tone. "I don't want
to leave at all, but I have to leave in the morning, I've got a
meeting tomorrow evening."

"Really, you've done enough, Chase...thank
you for your help," she said then leaned up and kissed his cheek,
then offered, "Won't you go get your bag, and I'll show you where
Frankie's room is..."

Chase nodded, then stood up and stretched
his hands over his head, which caused his t-shirt to pull tight
over his muscled chest. Although the view was spectacular, and
Chase Rhodes was a wonderful man, absolutely nothing stirred inside
of her other than friendship.

"When I get back, we'll both go upstairs,
because you've got to be exhausted too," Chase looked down and told
her firmly.

"I passed that point about two hours ago,"
she admitted then yawned.

Dave Logan looked up from his laptop and
told her, "We're not going anywhere, Jazzie, so you don't have to
worry...my guys will be outside, and I'll crash here on the couch,
if that's okay?"

"That's fine, but my dad will be up early
tomorrow and he'll probably freak out..." she said and gnawed her
lip. Her dad would definitely freak out if he came downstairs and
found a stranger on the sofa. She could go wake him and her mama
and tell them what was going on, but she knew they'd never get back
to sleep. It was probably going to be a long time before
she
managed to go to sleep herself.

"You're probably right, I'll just stay in
the van then and watch the monitors. We put up some cameras
outside, and I'll put some up inside tomorrow," he told her then
snapped his laptop shut and stood up.

"I don't know if my mom will like that..."
she said hesitantly.

"We have to be able to watch the house,
Jazzie, you'll have to convince her," he said firmly.

"Okay, I'll talk to them in the morning..."
she agreed then slid her arm through Chase's when he went to walk
to the door.

Dave put his hand on her shoulder and said,
"Don't go outside any more than you have to."

So she was going to be a prisoner in her own
home now...that was just great. Her brother was missing, and she
couldn't go out to help find him. She'd agree with him for now,
because she was just too tired to argue, but she was definitely
going to revisit this tomorrow.

"Okay, hurry back," she told Chase and
stepped back from the door.

Jazzie had been wrong, she was asleep before
her head hit the pillow, and she slept like the dead all night. She
wouldn't have woken up, but the doorbell was ringing almost in one
continual peal, and it echoed inside her sleep drugged skull.
Thinking something must be wrong, she threw back the covers and
stumbled to her bedroom door, then down the stairs. Her hand closed
over the knob and she threw back the deadbolt, then slung open the
door, and winced at the bright light that pierced her brain. She
felt Chase stumble up behind her and put his hand at her waist.

"What the hell?" she said then shaded her
eyes with her hand, and saw that her sunlit visitor was none other
than Beau Bowman.

Her mother yelled from the top of the
stairs, "Jasmine, what's going on?"

"Go back to bed, mama...it's just a friend,"
she yelled back.

She glanced back at Beau and noticed his
clothing was rumpled, his hair was sticking up in fifty directions,
his face had more than a day's beard growth on it and his gorgeous
green eyes were streaked with red. He looked like he hadn't slept
in days.

"You look like shit..." she told him then
stepped back and opened the door wider for him to come in. He
didn't move, he just stood there on the doorstep looking at her.
His expression was closed and his eyes weren't giving away his mood
either. "You gonna come in?" she asked shortly.

Right then, one of the big burly guys that
was with Dave Logan stepped behind Beau and grabbed his shoulder.
Faster than she'd ever seen anyone move, Beau grabbed his arm and
tossed him over his shoulder into the shrubs by the door, then he
was on top of him and they rolled out of the bushes and into the
yard.

After trading superior positions a few
times, Beau got him in a headlock from behind then jerked his other
arm up behind his back, and put his knee in the middle of the guys
back. Suddenly, the man's partner, ran up and got Beau in a
headlock then took him down. Both of the big men were on him,
holding him down, and one of them pulled a pistol out of the back
of Beau's jeans.

Jazzie ran out of the doorway and across the
yard yelling, "Get off of him! He's a friend, and a Texas Ranger!"
She hit the guy on Beau's right side in the head with her open palm
and said, "Get off now, you're gonna hurt him!"

The guy looked at her, and his eyebrows hit
his hairline then he smiled and stood up. "Try your fist next time,
it'll work better," he told her then chuckled.

The man who was still on top of Beau, pushed
up, then jerked Beau to his feet. "Sorry about that...we saw the
gun, and decided to ask questions later," he told him with a
sheepish grin, then added, "Nice move on the porch, by the
way."

"Get the fuck away from me," Beau growled
and jerked his weapon from the guys hand, then straightened his
shirt and brushed off his jeans, before he looked at Jazzie with so
much anger in his eyes, she felt like he was scorching her brain.
"I'll be going now, it looks like you're well taken care of," he
said then locked eyes with Chance, before he turned and headed back
to his truck.

Jazzie ran after him, and the other men just
stood in the middle of the yard watching her. "Beau, wait!" she
yelled after him, but he didn't stop.

She caught up with him by the door of his
truck where he stopped to put his forehead against the door, with
his hand on the handle. His shoulders were slumped and he looked
like he'd lost his best friend. "Are you okay? You really do look
awful..." she asked with concern.

"I've been traveling for twenty-four hours
trying to get here because I was worried about you...looks like I
shouldn't have worried," he said morosely, then sighed before
finishing, "Looks like Chase has things well in hand..."

"Chase called a private investigator and
bodyguard. They think the family might be in danger, so they're
sticking around to protect us, while they try to find Frankie."

"Aah very nice of him, I'm sure you rewarded
him well," Beau said snidely then ran his eyes over her short
sleeper shorts and crop top. She was sure her hair looked like a
rat's nest and her hand fluttered up there and she patted it
down.

"I didn't make love with him, Beau...he
stayed, because it was too late for him to go to Amarillo last
night."

"Some friends of mine from the FBI are going
to come by here later to talk to ya'll...they've been looking for
your brother too," he told her and yanked on the door handle, then
opened the door. "Tell them to call me in Lubbock, I should be
there late tonight," he told her then put his foot on the step to
get inside.

Jazzie grabbed his arm and pulled him back
down, then said softly, "Wait, Beau..." He needed to get some rest,
or he was gonna wind up in a ditch somewhere. "Chase is leaving in
an hour or so, come in and I'll cook some breakfast, then you can
get some rest for a few hours."

"I can't do that, Jazzie...when I look at
him anywhere near you, I get sick...just thinking of him with you
makes me sick."

Anger surged up inside of her, and she
couldn't help the words that flew out of her mouth, "You don't want
me, but you don't want anyone else to have me? Is that about
right?"

"Wanting you isn't the problem,
sweetheart...I want you so bad I ache with it. The problem is what
I have to offer you, which is nothing, but it still doesn't stop me
going crazy seeing you with him, or anybody else for that
matter."

"You can't have it both ways, Beau...I'm not
that kind of girl," she told him resolutely.

"That's why I acted like an asshole to you
after we made love, because I know you're not that kind of girl,
but I'm not looking for a relationship."

"Well, let me know when you are..." she told
him quietly, then grabbed his arm and said, "In the meantime,
you're my friend and I don't want to see you in a ditch somewhere,
you need some rest. Thank you for coming to check on me...now come
inside...
please
."

Beau looked down into Jazzie's warm brown
eyes and knew he couldn't say no. Every time he looked into her
eyes, he was drawn in like a drowning man to a life jacket. There
was something about her that called to him, and it wasn't just that
she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met.

He nodded and huffed out a breath, then
pulled her to him and hugged her. When she slid her arms around his
waist and laid her head on his chest, Beau groaned and tried to
corral the emotions swirling inside of him. Yeah, he wanted her,
badly, but he wasn't going there again. It wasn't fair to her, and
he had to find some way to deal with her living her life without
him. With Chase Rhodes here, there was no time like the present to
start acclimating himself to that situation.

At least it looked like she wasn't mad at
him anymore.

With a kiss to the top of her shiny black
hair, he asked with a chuckle, "So, what's for breakfast? Should I
take an antacid?"

"Ranchos Quervos, but I'll lay off the
peppers and onions, if you have a weak stomach," she said with a
snort. "Wouldn't want to insult your tender constitution."

"You callin' me a wimp?" he chuckled then
gave her a squeeze.

"If the constitution fits..." she said and
looked up at him with a sassy smile.

Beau couldn't resist kissing that smile, her
luscious pink lips were too much of a temptation. He leaned his
head down slowly to claim them, but Jazzie put her hand on his
chest to stop him, and turned her face away, so his lips landed on
her cheek. "No, don't," she said softly and Beau's heart tugged in
his chest, then he huffed a frustrated sigh. "We're friends," she
said succinctly, then took a step back from him and grabbed his
hand. "Come on, let's go eat."