Van, Becca - Her Shadow Men [Slick Rock 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (3 page)

Daniel continued to gaze out the windshield, and Britt wondered if his brother was even listening. “I love it when she leaves her hair down. God, that hair is so wild, with all those blonde waves and kinks. Those eyes of hers turn dark gray when she’s aroused. I’ll bet she wears the sexiest lingerie we can imagine. I wish we could have stripped her down in that kitchen and touched her sweet-smelling skin,” Daniel rasped. “Shit, we’ve got to change the subject. It’s getting downright painful sitting here with my cock so hard it’s aching.”

“Yeah, I hear you, brother.” Britt opened the passenger door. They’d sat here long enough, and he wanted to clear his head. “I’m going to see what we have from the agency. There’s been a lot of criminal activity lately. I don’t like it. I feel like something big is going down, but until we have our next assignment we just have to sit pretty. I guess that’ll give us more time to work on our woman.”

Daniel only nodded. It seemed as though his thoughts were still being pulled that direction. Britt decided to give him a minute alone.

Britt was inside the house making a pot of coffee before he heard Daniel enter. He looked up to see his brother reaching for two coffee mugs. It was going to be a long night. Once he had a full mug in his hand, Britt went to the study while Daniel turned on the TV. He booted up his computer and listened to the messages on the answering machine. Most of them were just friends and family touching base, but the last message made him sit up straight in his chair. It was from the head of the agency, and he didn’t like what he heard one little bit.

Fuck.
He didn’t need to have to deal with this shit right now. He wanted to concentrate on getting Debbie into his bed. He sighed and rose to feet. He needed to talk to his brother.

“What’s up?” Daniel asked as soon as he entered the room.

Britt and Daniel were more in tune with each other than most brothers. They had gone through an elite training program with nearly all aspects of the military and were third
dan
black belts in karate. They could lose themselves amongst shadows and become nearly invisible to the human eye. They had learned their trade well and were that good at hiding.

They could move with speed and stealth and were lightning fast when necessary. They had made up their own language using hand signals and facial expressions. Just the twitch of an eyebrow could mean the difference between life and death. They worked out regularly, pushing their bodies to the limit of their strength and endurance, but it was all necessary if they were to survive pitting themselves against the evil in the world.

“We have a problem. That bomber we put away a few years back has managed to escape from prison. He’s as good as announced he’s headed for us,” Britt stated and took a seat on the sofa.

“Do you mean Glen Parker?”

“Yeah.” Britt rubbed his face. The news of the breakout was unwelcome, but now that Parker was out, it was no surprise that the man was heading for them. Britt still remembered Parker shouting “Like for like” across the courtroom at them. He blamed Britt and Daniel for the loss of his family, and he had promised he would get the Delaneys back.

“Fuck. How the hell would he know where we are? We never use credit cards to travel, we always use cash,” Daniel said, his frustration apparent.

“We just bought a house, Dan. How hard would it be to find our names in the town records?”

“How long has he been on the run?”

“A couple of days.”

“Shit. Do you think he had inside help to find us? It would have taken a lot longer to find us without it,” Daniel said.

“That’s what I was thinking, but I don’t think so. As far as anyone around here knows we are just deputy marshals. The other operatives wouldn’t sell anyone out. Parker must have had access to a computer while he was in prison. He probably did a search on our names and they came up because of our property purchase,” Britt speculated.

“Wait a minute. Didn’t Debbie know we were some sort of some sort of government operatives? How the hell could she have known that?” Daniel asked.

“No way, Dan. She had nothing to do with it. She probably got her information from Leah. Seamus and Connell knew who we worked for. We told them when Leah was in trouble.”

“Shit, I know. I didn’t really think she had sold us out. I’m just grasping at straws.” Daniel paused as though realizing something. “God, we are going to have to keep an eye on Debbie. If this guy comes to town, she is going to be in danger because of us. Glen Parker is one mean son of a bitch.”

“I know. I’ll call Sheriff Luke Sun-Walker and Damon Osborne. I’ll have them keep an eye out for anyone new to town, just in case he’s not working alone. I’ll also send him a photo of the bastard. There’s not much we can do but watch over her,” Britt stated.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I want her living here with us. The sooner she’s in our house and our bed I will feel so much better,” Daniel said.

“I will, too, Dan. But you and I both know that’s not going to happen for a while. She’s going to baulk every time we get near her.”

“But she will give in eventually. As much as I know she wants to resist us, I’m not sure she can,” Daniel replied with a smile.

“From now on, I think one of us should take her lunch every day. She’ll get used to us being around faster,” Britt declared.

“Good idea. I’ll go first,” Daniel pronounced. Despite the circumstances and the dangers that might lie ahead, he shot Britt a grin. “I missed out when you two were in the kitchen. It’s my turn.”

Chapter Four

“Thank you,” Debbie said to her customer. “I hope to see you again soon.” She glanced at her watch. It was only 11:30 a.m., but it felt like it should be four in the afternoon. She couldn’t believe how busy she had been this morning. Already her feet were sore and her lower back was aching.

She’d had a constant stream of customers, and since she hadn’t slept well, she was having trouble coping with the workload. Since starting work at seven, she had written up an advertisement to hire on some help, updated her expenditures and sales, and placed another order for more lingerie. She had never been more relieved for it to be Saturday, and she couldn’t wait to be able to close her doors at two this afternoon. By the end of the week she was usually exhausted, and the reduced hours at the start of the weekend were her only way of coping. If she got someone to answer that ad, relief would be in sight. That way she could do the dreaded necessary paperwork during working hours instead of before or after.

Taking advantage of the lull between customers, she went to the kitchen and poured herself a coffee. She took a sip then sighed when she heard the bell over the door calling her. She hesitated when she saw Daniel Delaney walking toward the counter, but tried to school her expression into a polite, cool mask.

“Hi, honey, how are you?” Daniel asked.

“I’m fine, thank you. What brings you here?”

“You do, of course. I brought you some lunch,” Daniel replied.

He lifted his hand to show her a bag from the diner, and her stomach growled at the thought of the good food inside. She hadn’t taken the time to eat breakfast that morning, and seeing that bag had her salivating.

She made her way around the sales counter and sat down on the stool. She watched as Daniel placed the sack before her and then pushed it toward her.

“Why don’t you eat while you have your coffee? I’ll keep you company,” Daniel stated and gave her a wink.

“What do you want, Daniel? I don’t have time to waste. I’m too busy.”

“You work too hard. Will it really hurt you to take a few minutes to eat and relax? You have no customers at the moment. Eat. You look tired. When are you going to hire in for some help?”

“I placed an ad in the paper this morning. Thank you for lunch,” Debbie added and reached for the bag. The scent of the veggie sandwich caused her mouth to salivate and her stomach to growl again.

“It looks like I was just in time.” He smiled at her and watched her take her first bite. Even though Debbie felt nervous and self-conscious in his presence, she was too hungry to argue with him. She hadn’t even realized she had been hungry until he had walked through the door. She sipped her coffee when the sandwich was gone and realized she was being rude.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“Yes, that would be nice.”

Debbie was about to rise to get it when the door opened, admitting a customer.

“You attend to your customer. I can get myself a coffee,” Daniel said and then walked across the room and disappeared into her small kitchen.

Debbie pushed him from her mind and got to work. By the time the customer left with two bags full of underwear and happy smile, Debbie had forgotten Daniel was in the back. She was too busy to even think. She worked diligently for the next two hours and then sighed as she turned the
closed
sign on the shop door. She bolted the dead bolt and sighed as she went back to the counter to slump over it. Her feet, legs, and back were killing her.

Large hands settled at her waist. Debbie jumped and squeaked with surprise. She looked over her shoulder and straightened up when she saw Daniel looming over her.

“Sorry, honey, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Daniel said as he stepped back.

“What are you still doing here? I thought you had already left.”

“I don’t know whether to be insulted or not,” Daniel said and gave her a smirk. “I have been looking over your security system and locks. They’re not good enough, honey. You need to get a better system, and the lock on your apartment door would be child’s play to get through.”

“Excuse me? What gives you the right to go snooping around my store and apartment? I can’t believe you did that. And stop calling me ‘honey.’ I have a name, use it,” Deb said through clenched teeth
. How dare he do this to her? Who did he think he was?

“I didn’t go into your apartment, Deb. I was just making sure you have the right security. You never know when you will need it. I don’t like the fact that you are living alone and could be vulnerable to criminals. I was just trying to help. I know what I’m talking about. I have spent years fighting scumbags and criminals. I just want to know you’re safe.”

“Then I suggest you take it up with the security company. I got what I could afford at the time, Daniel. I don’t care what you think or say. I have security and I won’t be forking out any more money for more. Nearly every penny I earn goes back into this business and now I am going to hire some help I will also be paying a wage. So just back off.”

“Hey, don’t go getting touchy. I was only concerned for your welfare,” Daniel replied calmly.

“Please, leave. I have too much to do to waste time talking to you.”

“Ouch. Okay, but don’t think you’ve seen the last of us, Deb. We like you a lot and we mean to have you in our bed,” Daniel stated.

Debbie watched until he walked over to the door, unlocked it, and exited. He turned back to her and pinned her with his heated stare. “Lock up after me,” he said, and then he was gone.

“In your dreams, pal,” Debbie muttered under her breath. She locked up, glanced out onto the street through the glass, and watched Daniel until he disappeared around the corner.
God, woman, you are so pathetic. You can’t even take your eyes off him when he’s walking away.

Debbie spent a couple of hours doing her sales report, and then she headed upstairs to her apartment. She cleaned her one bedroom from top to bottom, and by the time she had finished she was so tired she was hardly able to stay on her feet. She stripped off her clothes, showered, and fell into bed. Her last thought as she drifted off was of Britt and Daniel.

* * * *

Debbie came awake fully alert. She glanced at her glowing alarm clock and saw it was just after midnight. She listened intently, wondering what had awakened her from such a deep sleep. She didn’t hear anything other than the normal creaks and groans as the timber frame of her building cooled and contracted. Something crashed downstairs, and she bolted upright. Her heart began pounding rapidly in her chest, her palms became sweaty, and her breathing escalated. The sound had come from her store.