“We travel light,” Pax said with a grin.
She couldn’t imagine taking a road trip using only one bag, but they were guys. They probably only had a change of underwear and a razor. She flipped on the light switch and held the door open for them. Their presence seemed to dwarf her tiny living room. She remembered AJ being here with Joey when they were younger. Not much had changed since then, other than a few pieces of furniture. Teresa had stripped off the threadbare wallpaper and painted, brightened the colors up a bit. Otherwise it was just an old house that she loved.
“Bathroom is down the hall to the left.”
AJ turned to her. “I’ve been here plenty of times, Teresa.”
“Oh yeah.” She’d forgotten how often AJ used to come over to hang out with Joey. This had been like a second home to him, since AJ and his stepfather never got along. And her parents had loved AJ like he was one of their own kids, so he had always been welcome there. Which meant Teresa got to see a lot of him, too, something she certainly hadn’t minded since she’d always been madly in love with him, from the time she was twelve until he disappeared off the radar when she was eighteen. She wanted to ask him where he’d been. And those badges he and Pax had flashed . . .
“So are you and Pax cops?”
AJ skirted his glance to Pax.
“Come on, honey,” Pax said. He took her by the hand and pulled her onto the sofa. “Let’s sit down and we’ll explain it to you.”
“I’m sorry.” She dragged her finger across her forehead. “My manners suck. Would you like something to drink?”
AJ sat at her other side. “We’re fine. You look like you’re about to drop. You need some sleep.”
“I can’t even think about sleeping right now. My mind is filled with visions of the fight, of what I saw. I keep replaying it over and over in my head. I’m sure I’m right.”
“We’re sure you are, too,” Pax said. “You did everything you could. You told the truth. Let the evidence uncover the rest.”
She lifted her hopeful gaze to Pax. “Do you think the evidence will point to the guy who actually killed Larks?”
“I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see. But AJ is right. You look tired.”
“I’m not tired. I’m tense as hell.”
“Turn around.”
She cocked a brow. “Why?”
“I’ll rub some of that tension out of your shoulders, help you relax a little. Maybe you’ll get sleepy.”
He didn’t have a leering grin on his face, just concern. Teresa turned, facing AJ. This would be a good test. She was alone in her house with two men. She hadn’t had any man in her house except Joey. Not since before . . .
No use thinking about that. She was tense enough already.
AJ watched intently as Pax laid his hands on Teresa’s shoulders. He pressed in light and gentle, using just his fingertips along the muscles between her neck and shoulder.
“You
are
tight.”
“Been a rough night,” she said.
He moved along those muscles, then to the nape of her neck, sliding his fingers into her hair, the palm of his hand resting on the back of her head. Tiny pinpricks of sensation skittered along her skin. Relaxation warred with distinct interest, and she was shocked to discover she enjoyed Pax touching her. She dropped her chin to her chest and he increased the pressure, moving from her neck to her shoulders again.
“AJ, why don’t you rub her neck while I do her shoulders.”
“Sure.” AJ scooted in, lifted her legs and draped them over his lap. “Rest your head against me, honey.”
She did, letting her head drop against his chest. He slid his fingertips against her temples, making gradual circles there. Teresa didn’t want to say a word. This just felt too good. AJ in front of her making magic movements with his fingers, erasing all the tension from her head and neck, and Pax behind her working kinks out of her shoulders.
She was surrounded by two men, caged between them. And she wasn’t freaked out, wasn’t panicking, was allowing them to touch her freely. In fact, she became more aware of Pax’s warm breath caressing her neck and the feel of AJ’s steely thighs under hers. Despite the arctic temperature of the room from her well-running air conditioner, she was flushed with heat. Not panic hot, just . . . hot. Every time Pax’s fingers sailed along the naked flesh of her shoulders, her nipples tightened, and the feel of AJ’s hands in her hair caused goose bumps to break out across her skin.
“Does it feel good?” Pax asked.
“Yes. It feels great.” Really great. She felt like the sea, undulating waves crashing lazily against the shore. She let out a soft moan, loving their hands on her.
And then they stopped. AJ stood and moved away.
Dammit. They didn’t know, couldn’t know.
“How about something to drink now?” AJ asked.
His voice was laced with something Teresa couldn’t quite comprehend.
“Um, okay.”
She stood and went into the kitchen, not understanding what had changed.
SIX
PAX PEERED INTO THE KITCHEN TO MAKE SURE TERESA WAS
occupied before leaning close to AJ. ���What the fuck was that about?”
“We can’t do this.”
“Do what?”
AJ tilted his head. “You know what.”
Pax tried to remember what he’d done when he was touching Teresa. Nothing. He’d massaged her shoulders and that was it. “I was giving her a back massage. She looked tense as hell.”
“And you know damn well what that leads to. We’re not going there with Teresa.”
“Jesus, man, do you think every time I touch a woman it’s because I want to fuck her? I was trying to offer her some comfort.”
“Right. And you asked me to join in. Don’t play the player, Pax.”
Pax shook his head. Maybe AJ was right. Consciously he wasn’t even thinking about that, but there was no doubt he was attracted to Teresa. Maybe without even thinking about it . . .
“I know where we stand with her. But maybe you can leave it up to her.”
“I don’t know, Pax. She’s been through enough tonight. And it’s not like we’re going to stay and . . . well, you know.”
Pax flopped onto the sofa and laced his hands together behind his head. “I’d like to. Stay. And well . . . you know. With Teresa.” He waited for AJ’s reaction, figuring his friend would get pissed off. Instead, AJ just cocked his head to the side and slid a glance into the kitchen.
“You want to stay here? Just like that? What about the road trip?”
“She’s in trouble. So’s Joey. You know how it is. You take care of your friends. I just figured you’d want to hang out until this was settled. And it’s not like we had a destination in mind.”
“Okay. Good. Thanks.”
Pax shrugged. “I believe Teresa. I think someone in the Fists did the deed. But why would someone kill the leader of his own gang?”
“Because he wanted to become the leader?”
“Maybe. There are a lot of ways to oust a gang leader without killing him.”
AJ stood and paced the room. “If the majority of the gang agrees.”
“So what you’re saying is that maybe this was a coup of sorts. That not everyone wanted Larks taken down.”
AJ nodded. “It could have been a spur-of-the-moment thing. Hell, for all we know whoever killed him had a personal beef. We just don’t know the why of it.”
“Or maybe someone has a vendetta against my brother and Larks,” Teresa said as she reentered the room. “Killing Larks and making sure the murder is pinned on Joey kills two birds with one stone.”
Teresa brought the tray filled with drinks into the room and set it on the coffee table.
“It could be that, too,” AJ said. “Whatever the reason, someone in the Fists wanted Larks dead.”
She didn’t seem upset about them pulling away, but what did he know? They barely knew each other so he was going to have to let AJ lead on this one, and the warning look AJ sent his way said now wasn’t the right time. Still, there was something vulnerable in her eyes, a wariness there. Pax would like to know why.
Maybe that’s what attracted him to her—she was a mystery. He liked mysterious women. Too many of them were open books, wanting to blurt out their entire life stories the first night you met them. Pax liked a woman who kept her cards close to her chest. It made him curious enough to want to peel back some of the layers.
Teresa took the chair next to the sofa. Safe territory, not near AJ or him. Pax didn’t think he and AJ had come on strong. They usually saved that for women who knew what was up, who welcomed the challenge. All he’d been doing was offering comfort, nothing more. And maybe she was pissed off that she had gotten into their touch and they pulled back abruptly. She didn’t want to get burned again. He couldn’t blame her. Women didn’t take rejection well. Problem was, they hadn’t rejected her.
“So why would someone in Larks’s group want him dead?” Teresa asked. “Unless they’re trying to pin this on Joey.”
“It might be just that,” AJ said.
“That seems pretty extreme, even for the Fists. Besides, Larks is their leader. He would be in on any scheme to take down Joey.”
“He wouldn’t have been in on this one,” Pax said.
Teresa nodded. “Obviously.”
“Do you know of anyone on the Fists who has it out for Joey?”
She turned her attention to AJ. “Individually? No. Of course, none of them like the Thorns on principal. The whole rival gang thing. And Joey as the leader puts him front and center. But I can’t see how taking Joey out of the equation this way serves their purpose. Because now Larks is out, too.”
AJ shook his head. “And that leaves both gangs vulnerable.”
“Right,”Pax said. “Now you have the Fists’ gang leader dead, and the Thorns’ leader is accused of killing him. Who benefits?”
Teresa clasped her hands together and leaned forward. “I don’t know. This doesn’t make sense. Why would this guy want his own leader dead? That’s the key question we need to find the answer to.”
“Whoa. Who’s this ‘we’ you’re referring to?”
“You, me and AJ.”
Part of him wanted to grin at the thought of the three of them trying to figure this out. The other part of him didn’t want Teresa involved in this at all. “No. Too dangerous.”
“I agree with Pax. This guy who killed Larks—did he see you?”
“No. I was on my way over to put a stop to the fighting. I’d had enough, especially when Larks coldcocked my brother. Joey went down, and that’s when I saw the bald-headed guy pull the knife and stab Larks in the back. I was afraid he was going after Joey next, so I grabbed my gun and ran like hell toward Joey, but the guy who stabbed Larks made a dash out the front door right after that without once looking back. He never saw me.”
“You have a gun?” Pax asked.
She nodded. “I keep it hidden under the bar.”
“Got a permit for it?”
“Of course. And in answer to your next question—yes, I know how to use it. And I would have, too, if that guy had gone after my brother.”
So she was tough. And not afraid to defend the people she loved. “What you did wasn’t a smart move. Someone could have stabbed or shot you.”
“I was aware of my surroundings. I’m not a moron, Pax.”
“I definitely don’t think you’re a moron.” He liked the way her cheeks turned pink and the exasperated look on her face. “So how far away were you when he stabbed Larks?”
She frowned. “I don’t know exactly. Six feet maybe? The whole place was chaos. I just saw Joey fighting with Larks and instinct kicked in. We look out for each other, always have.”
“You could have gotten hurt, Teresa. What were you thinking trying to get into the middle of a gang fight like that?”
She lifted her chin, her gaze skirting AJ’s. “I was thinking I was going to do whatever it took to protect my brother. And when that guy pulled that knife, I was certain he was going to defend Larks and use it on Joey.”
“Would you have used that gun on Larks?”
“On him or anyone else who threatened Joey’s life.”
“You shouldn’t have put yourself in the middle of a dangerous situation like that,” AJ said.
Teresa looked down for a second, then lifted her gaze to AJ’s. “I’ve been in worse and survived.”
“What kind of ‘worse’?” Pax figured that was an opening, and despite AJ’s warning to back down, Pax was going to take the opportunity to ask.
“Nothing.” She stood. “I’m really tired. There are two extra bedrooms where you guys can sleep. Come on, I’ll show you.”
“You need to show us your room,” Pax said.
Teresa stilled, that look of wariness shadowing her face again. “Why?”
“Because we need to know where you sleep so we can protect you.”
Her lips lifted and she let out a short laugh. “You’re not sleeping in my room.”
“Didn’t say that we were. We’ll be taking turns sleeping tonight. We can’t protect you if we’re both asleep.”
She cocked her head to the side and looked at both of them. “I don’t really think I’m in any danger.”
“You let us worry about that,” AJ said. “Just show us where your room is. We’ll make sure it’s secure in there, then we’ll get out of your way so you can get some sleep.”
She took a few seconds to look them both over. Pax wasn’t sure if it was because she didn’t trust them or because she didn’t really believe anything bad could happen to her. Finally, she turned and moved to the end of the hall and opened the door to her bedroom.
She flipped on the lights and AJ stepped in, Pax right behind him. Queen-sized bed covered in a brown and yellow quilt. Windows on either side. Pax took one side and checked the latches, while AJ did the other. “Secure over here,” Pax said.
“Same,” AJ said, then turned to Teresa. “Are there any other points of entry into this room?”
“Just a small window over the tub in the bathroom.”
“I’ll get it.” Pax went in the direction Teresa pointed. The bathroom was small, as was the window over the tub, but the window was big enough to get a body through. He double-checked the closure and came out. “Okay.”