He could easily take on the lunatic determined to kill them, or at least match him in a fight. Was it coincidence she’d now had two “episodes” when he was around? That was something she would consider, after her baby sister was safe. First running into him in the café and now on the streets, he must have thought she was off her rocker, or at least clumsy as hell.
Her stomach cramps still lingered. She knew the fiend with the onyx eyes lurked just out of sight watching them from deep within the shadows hidden by the night sky. She scanned the area again, but there was still no sign of their attacker. She shivered. They were still in danger and needed to leave, and quick.
“You know where you’re going?” Emma asked as she and Abby followed him to the car parked at the curb.
“215 Heritage.”
She blew out a breath, and the tension slightly eased from her straining muscles. They couldn’t get there fast enough to suit Emma. Jake grabbed the door handle and pulled; the swift movement shifted his jacket, revealing the semi-automatic resting in the holster. She almost missed it. His gaze caught what she was staring at, and he pulled his light jacket tighter to his chest, concealing the weapon from her sight.
Glock.
She hoped he knew how to use it, but if he didn’t, she sure as hell did
On the drive to her sister’s, Emma watched out the passenger window as they passed the scenery, her mind replaying the chase over and over. She was almost certain she had never seen the knife-wielding giant before. Her gaze turned to the man beside her. His muscular body appeared cramped behind the wheel.
Must not be his car
, she thought to herself as she sneaked peeks at him under her lowered eyelashes. His light jacket semi-covered the same blue cotton t-shirt stretched tight across his body at the café. His attempt to hide his bulging muscles was about as effective as the jacket hiding his gun. Neither was working for him. There was nothing sexual about his last embrace, but she couldn’t control her body’s response to his touch. She remembered everything about him from the café. His touch had turned her insides to mush. Now that the chase was over and the adrenaline coursing through her veins had slowed, she noticed the betrayal of her body. Emma rubbed her arms as an attempt to regain control.
Jake cleared his throat, his deep voice interrupting her perusal of his body. “Are you cold?” Jake asked as he reached for the air conditioner knob.
Emma looked up to his face. She swallowed the lump stuck in her throat and shook her head. “No.”
His lips turned up at the edges as he managed a slow smile. Reaching over, he rubbed her leg. His innocent gesture meant to reassure her she was safe, but it only ended up fueling the fire he ignited in her body.
The danger they had been in should have dampened her response to him, but it hadn’t. She shifted her gaze back to his face. The reflected light glimmered from the passing cars, highlighting his curly brown hair and setting off his ocean blue eyes. She could get lost looking into those eyes and was sure many women had.
Now that he’d offered her comfort, he was back to business—whatever that was. He pulled his hand back and gripped the wheel; his lips pulled in a tight line. Was he aggravated that he’d had to pick them up or was he worried for them? Jake repeatedly glanced in the rearview mirror, either checking out Abby or looking for a tail. She wasn’t sure which, but it was enough to pull her from the spell she had fallen under. A twinge of jealousy hit, and she returned her gaze to the window.
When they arrived at Claire’s house, the lengthy rows of limousines and cars had Emma fidgeting in her seat. The disturbing dash from the bald giant had made Emma entirely forget the party in full swing. The overflowing circular drive with expensive cars brought her back to reality. Men in tuxedos lingered on the steps, smoking cigars while talking business. Claire’s elegant mansion held a full house tonight, packed with filthy rich and famous people who supported her latest worthwhile cause. Heat traveled into Emma’s cheeks when she remembered she looked like hell. Her mussed hair and dirty clothes would be an eyesore for Claire’s guests and an embarrassment for her sister. She headed to the kitchen entrance, passing the catering staff as they scurried around, hoping not to embarrass her sister.
They made their way into the study without incident. Jake’s hand at the small of Emma’s back sent an electrical current tingling through her body. She hadn’t remembered her body reacting like this when Ben touched her, hell any of her exes for that matter. God, she hoped the bastard wasn’t here. She’d had enough excitement for one night.
Mike paced in front of the stone fireplace, where a warm fire cast its glow over the room. He was wearing a path in Claire’s carpet as he kept his gaze down at his feet, his hands fisted at his side. Claire sat behind her mahogany desk, pushing papers around. Her relaxed posture didn’t hide the lines that creased her brow, telling Emma her sister was worried. The spacious room was comfortable enough with the supple brown leather sofa and chairs inviting guests to relax. Emma loved this room and often hid here when she had to attend Claire’s parties. Mahogany bookshelves lined the room and reached the ceiling. Emma smiled, remembering the endless supply of entertainment she’d found on nights when she should have been mingling with guests. The room was a reader’s dream and at times Emma’s only escape.
Jake’s gentle caress on her lower back pulled her from her memories. She looked up and smiled.
Mike stopped pacing when he noticed their arrival.
“About damn time.” Mike’s clipped tone reinforced his agitation. He stomped over to Emma and Abby and grabbed them up in a bone-crushing hug that made Emma wince. Soreness had already settled into her bones from their escapades.
The appreciative nod to Jake Donavan didn’t go unnoticed. “Thanks for your help.”
“You’re welcome,” Jake replied with an identical nod.
“Em, I thought I told you to stay put. When Jake called saying you two weren’t there, you scared the hell out of me.”
“That was the plan, big brother, until the knife-carrying, bald giant showed up trying to filet us. My intuition told me to run, so we did.”
“The same intuition you had at the restaurant?”
“Is there any other?” Emma ignored the strange looks Jake was giving them as her brother talked in code. She could almost see the wheels spinning as he looked between her and Mike, obviously confused by their conversation.
“Abby, why don’t you go get changed for the party and call John while I take Mr. Donavan to the kitchen for a drink?” Claire dutifully said as she held Jake’s elbow, guiding him to the door. Claire smiled and winked at Emma as she passed. “We’ll talk later.”
Abby rushed from the room in a hurry to call John, concern etched on her face. Her son was her life, her top priority.
“Okay, Em, who was chasing you?” Mike asked as he pulled her toward the nearby couch.
“I don’t know who he was. It was probably a random attack. He didn’t even look familiar.” Emma shrugged as she replayed the chase again in her mind.
Letting out a deep sigh and sinking into the couch, she grabbed Mike’s hand. One touch from Mike and he would know the entire story thanks to his own unique gift. Mike could pull memories from another’s mind. He would see everything that had happened like a video playing just for him. His distinctive abilities helped make him an exceptional detective.
After several minutes, he pulled his hand away. “You were right; he does look like a giant.” His lips twitched.
“I told you.”
“You forgot to tell me that you clocked Jake. I’m surprised you caught him off guard.” The grin on his face and twinkle in his eye meant he approved.
“You and dad taught me well.”
“How come you didn’t tell me you broke up with Ben?”
It was times like this that his gift was a godsend so she didn’t have to try to remember every little detail about her assailant, but every now and then, he was notorious for poking his nose where it didn’t belong. She couldn’t keep anything from him. The slightest touch of his fingers could reveal more than any brother would want to know.
“He cheated on me. There isn’t much left to say.” Emma shrugged. She gazed intensely into the fire, trying to make sense of both her lack of emotion from the breakup, and the relief she felt from it being over. Emma had never been in love with him even before the betrayal and should have broken it off sooner.
Mike got up from the couch and started pacing again. Even as a child, pacing was how he had always worked through problems. “Who else is mad at you Em? Do you think he sent the giant after you? Has he threatened you before?”
“No, he was mad and called me a few choice words, but he’d never physically hurt me.”
“Exactly what happened?”
“I caught them together in his office. I had a feeling he was hiding something from me, just didn’t have any proof. He followed me out to my car, claiming she didn’t mean anything to him, and that I had driven him to do it. He insisted it was all my fault.”
Emma looked up at her brother. “I didn’t buy a word of it, so I left, and the funny thing is, I’m relieved.”
Her brother would want to know every detail, but she didn’t want to deal with it. Not tonight. Emma sighed. “Can we talk about it tomorrow? I just want to go home and soak in a nice, hot, relaxing bath.”
****
Jake let Claire lead him out of the room, aware the siblings wanted to talk. The cryptic messages alone were evident enough. His military training and experience in private investigation and bodyguard work helped him pick up on the subtle clues and body language. Mike and Emma were speaking in some sort of code.
Orchestra music blared as they walked by the ballroom headed for the kitchen. Ladies dressed in black and white ball gowns and men dressed in tuxedos filled the entrance. A combination of strong perfumes hung in the air and threatened to choke him. Jake didn’t miss having to attend parties like this.
Once Jake had figured he could make anonymous donations, he’d quit going altogether, unless it was work related. The success of his company, Tactical Maneuvers sometimes depended on him attending all sorts of charity events. He’d opened the personal security business with his old black ops team after his parents died. His team was now the only family he had left.
Even though Mike didn’t work for him, Jake still considered him family from their days in the military. Mike had saved his ass more than once and had been there when he found out his parents had died. They’d left him with a huge inheritance these socialites would probably love to get their hands on. His considerable charity donations prior to his anonymity didn’t go unnoticed. Countless women chased Jake for the money he had in his bank account. His trust in women diminished when the gold diggers started showing up out of thin air. He wouldn’t hesitate to give the shirt off his back to someone in need, and some women tried to take advantage of that. So far, he’d only had unpleasant experiences and hadn’t found a woman he could trust; consequently, he had quit looking. His work kept his life chaotic, and he hadn’t found a reason to make any changes to his lifestyle yet.
Claire pulled him through the double doors to the kitchen. Wait staff with trays of finger foods and champagne scurried around. He would kill for a beer. No amount of champagne could get him drunk enough at parties like these, and he had tried at several. Jake turned to see Claire staring at him. She hesitated, and Jake was surprised when she bypassed the trays and headed for the fridge. She shoved a bottle of beer in his direction as she reached in for another one.
“How did you know I wanted a beer?”
“You look like a beer drinker to me.” Claire continued to stare directly into his eyes, taking in every movement he made. Jake felt like he was under a microscope as he shifted from one foot to the next and rubbed his temple.
Must be jet lag from the trip
. It wasn’t like Virginia was across the world, just a short trip with no layovers. It didn’t actually make sense, but that was all he could contribute it to. “Can I get an aspirin?” he asked to break her intense stare and the awkward silence.
“Sure…so you’re a friend of Mike’s?” she asked as she handed him the two white pills she pulled from the cabinet.
“From the military.” He shrugged, not offering her any more detail than was necessary. Jake didn't know how much Mike had revealed to his sisters about that time in his life.
“Are you here on business?”
“Nope, just a vacation…Thought I would drop in on Mike.” He took a deep swig of his beer to wash down the pills. The refreshing liquid slid down his throat quenching his thirst. Unfortunately, it didn’t do anything to temper the throbbing in his head. Even with all the conversation and clanging of glasses around them, they stood in uncomfortable silence staring at each other again. She was pleasant enough and beautiful too. All the women in this family were stunning. No wonder Mike had kept them a secret. “Well, I guess Mike’s going to be a while. I’ll show myself out.” He threw back his head and drained the beer.
As he turned to leave, Mike and Emma strolled in. “You didn’t tell me Emma got a hit on you,” Mike accused with pride in his voice.
“Lucky shot.” He smiled and winked at Emma.
“Emma gave me the guy’s description, and I have to go back to the office and start looking for him. Abby’s staying for the party, but can you take Emma home for me? We’ll pick up her car tomorrow.”
Mike had once trusted Jake with his life, and now that had transferred to his sisters. It was an offer he couldn’t turn down. When someone needed his help, he couldn’t refuse.
“Of course, I’ll make sure she gets home safe. I may even stay in town awhile to help you catch this guy.”
Jake motioned toward the door and led her out the same way they’d entered. He made short strides matching hers and placed his hand on her lower back. Butterflies erupted in Emma's stomach. One simple touch made her nervous like a schoolgirl with her first crush.