Nice and Naughty (8 page)

“It’s fucking true! The world feels right when I’m with you. I don’t need a year or ten to know that I’ll never find a woman like you again. I won’t throw that away because you’re scared.”

“Yelling in her face probably isn’t the best approach to convince her of what little self-control you possess.” Jason’s deadpan delivery came from the doorway in an attempt to diffuse the situation but Alexa lay stunned by the impact of Justin’s words and emotions.

He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Shit. You’re right, that was…stupid.”

The shrill ringing of the house phone drowned out his last syllable. Both brothers stiffened, becoming instantly alert. Jason set the tray he carried on the bed and grabbed for the receiver on the nightstand.

Angling closer, Justin whispered in her ear as Jason punched the talk button. “Only a few emergency contacts have access to that number.”

“Hello?” Tension emanated from each stiff muscle in Jason’s body. “I see. Yes. We’ll be there.” He replaced the handset in the cradle with a precise snap of his wrist.

“When and where, Jay?” Justin asked as though he’d heard the conversation himself.

“You have to stop doing that!” She squirmed from beneath him and faced them with hands on hips, unconcerned by her nakedness. “What the hell was that about?”

“Seems someone from the R&D lab kept process notes and they’re willing to make a deal.” Jason looked between her and Justin in silent communication but this time she understood exactly what they intended.

“Oh, no you don’t.” She stepped between them, cutting off their line of sight. “I’m going too.”

Justin watched his brother cross the gloomy street in front of their parked car. The tinted glass made surveillance possible, hiding them from any onlookers. The caller had demanded Jason come alone but neither he nor Alexa would have permitted a solo excursion. He hoped the fact they refrained from calling the cops would satisfy the informant.

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered under his breath as Alexa unfolded her lithe body from the backseat and climbed upfront. The awkward position must have hurt like hell considering her injuries but it gave him a world-class view of her luscious behind.

“Are you looking at my ass?” Her scathing tone implied he better not be.

“Yup.”

“How about you watch out for Jason instead?” She had a point there. He swiveled his head to face out the windshield. Although his brother trained in self defense to protect against money seeking schemers, it never hurt to have help.

“How did you talk us into letting you get involved in this again?” Justin fired the words from where he fumed in the passenger seat.

“I was already involved, remember?” Like he could forget the horror of witnessing her half-jammed into the hatch of that van. “Besides, no matter what he thinks, Jason needs someone to cover his ass while he’s exposed out there. From the way you’re holding that gun I assume you actually know how to use it, but it probably requires some concentration. In addition, you couldn’t refute that it would be easier to protect him if someone else were in charge of the exit plan. I happen to be an excellent driver. Plus, I’m an even better negotiator. It’s one of the reasons Jason hired me in the first place.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” The sly smile she sent him caused his cock to harden, a distraction he couldn’t afford right now. He had to clarify one thing, though, in case this situation went to shit like his instincts screamed it would.

“About what I said…you know, before.” Justin cleared his throat while keeping his attention glued to the surroundings, monitoring every nook and cranny of the shadowed alley for signs of trouble.

“Don’t worry about it.” Alexa attempted to brush him off. “Lots of people say things in the heat of the moment they don’t mean.”

Huh?

He heard her fidgeting, fingers toying with the zipper on her purse as she removed something metallic from inside and fiddled around with it. He risked a glance in her direction and caught the uncertain expression she wore as she chewed on her moist bottom lip. He nearly groaned.

Eyes forward, chief.

Jason stood with his back to a brick wall, vigilant, awaiting his contact’s arrival.

“You have it all wrong.” How could he do anything but love her? She was sweet, sexy, brave, smart, daring and a perfect fit for both him and his twin. “I want to apologize for the way I told you. I know you’re not ready to deal with it yet. I’m not going to rush you. I just wanted you to know I’m not fucking around here.”

He paused for a moment, double checking their surroundings. Her unusual silence urged him to continue. Maybe she would actually listen.

“Look, I don’t know what that jackass did to you…”

She interrupted. “He promised to love me forever but he really meant until he got bored. I walked in on him with the next gullible woman he met.”

Justin snuck a glimpse at their woman. Her curt explanation didn’t obscure the agony in her beautiful eyes but it did demonstrate how she had evolved to protect herself, by controlling her emotions and playing things safe. When a woman like Alexa loved, her whole soul would be exposed with nothing held in reserve. Giving that trust, and having it betrayed, had scarred her heart.

He was determined to heal it.

“Damn, honey. I can’t say I’m sorry ’cause if he wasn’t a supreme fool, you wouldn’t be here now. I’ll never let go of what we have but I’ll try to give you room to accept it. I’ll be right here waiting for you to tell me you’re ready. That’s a promise.”

He cursed his timing when a lone figure in a black trench coat approached, preventing her from responding. The man’s innocuous appearance contradicted Justin’s expectations for the bearer of information that had already cost the life of one person. His average height, plain brown hair and nondescript form helped him avoid attracting attention as he made his way in front of the car.

Justin’s fingers tightened on the grip of the S&W he held at the ready when the stranger’s hand dipped into the front pocket of his long coat. He relaxed marginally when the man retrieved a manila envelope instead of the weapon Justin feared. Maybe they’d get the info and get out of here quick and painlessly after all.

Jason prepared himself to knock the newcomer over and bolt for the car if he so much as looked at Jason funny, confident that Justin would have him covered. He wanted to stay and force some answers from the man but he wouldn’t risk Alexa’s safety by keeping her out in the open any longer than necessary. The thought of losing her had already become unbearable. As crazy as it seemed, Justin’s bold declaration this morning had been the truth. A better partner for them didn’t exist. The man barely made it up to him before he dug inside his coat and flipped out a packet of papers. “Take them. Hurry, I’m being followed.” The strained words accompanied a paranoid glance behind him as though someone might be standing right over his shoulder.

Jason held out a wad of money, the amount specified for the trade.

“Keep it. I just want to get out of the game.” He spun on his heels and headed off. For one split second, Jason considered inviting the man to the sanctuary of their house but he couldn’t risk a trap. Not with Alexa involved.

“Thank you,” Jason called to the retreating form.

The brisk footsteps paused as he turned back, nodding stiffly, a moment before his face froze in a grimace of shocked pain and a red stain blossomed across his forehead.

“Oh fuck!” Jason rushed to the spot where the man had collapsed but his eyes already glazed, his limbs folded, completely lax, in a unique state reserved for death. A distant corner of his mind registered the car screeching up to the curb and the telltale ping of a bullet ricocheting off the pavement near his feet before Justin’s shout rang out.

“Let’s go, it’s too late for him.” Then, a second later, “Jason! Move it, now!”

Jason stumbled to the car waiting open for him and slid inside. Justin reached through the open window to slam the door shut with one hand while firing a few shots at a target Jason couldn’t see.

The memory of the stricken informant obscured everything else.

Chapter Seven

Alexa set her iPod on the center console, thankful that Jason had arranged to have someone grab a few essentials from her apartment last night. She attached the cables to the car stereo a moment before all hell broke loose. Justin shouted at her to pull forward, Jason stumbled back into the car and shots echoed with an eerie whine when Justin returned fire on an unseen assailant. She slammed the stick in gear and peeled away. Filtering all distractions from her mind, she focused on the job at hand. Rounding the corner, she forced her muscles to relax and let years of training take over. “Turn on the music,” she instructed Justin without removing her eyes from the road flying by faster with every gear change.

“Holy shit, now is not the time!” He spun around, scouting out the road behind them.

“There are two black sedans and a motorcycle in pursuit.”

She waited for him to finish reloading the gun before reiterating. “Press the dial at 6

o’clock and hang on.”

Avoiding a semi, she tucked them into a space barely larger than the car itself. Justin’s shoulder slammed against the door, resulting in additional cursing. www.samhainpublishing.com

“Sit down, put your belt on and play my damn music!” Her command left no room for argument. He settled himself as she wove into the current of traffic on the highway, avoiding another injury.

“Not like I can keep a steady line now anyway.” He grumbled before flipping down the mirrored visor to check on Jason. “You are okay, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.” Jason’s monotone response reached them.

“Alexa, step on it, they’re still right behind us.”

She observed the vehicles in her rear and side view mirrors, aware of their exact positions. “Turn it on.”

“Jesus Christ, you’re stubborn. Fine. Here.” He stabbed the button harder than necessary, the result of too much adrenaline, and the heavy beat of her selected score enveloped them.

She always accompanied her drives with music. It helped her get lost in the rhythm of the lines blazing by and focus on the opportunities between the drivers she streaked past. She edged ahead within moments, taking carefully weighed chances. She calculated each turn, pass and merge before accepting the risk. Beside her, Justin whooped with her successful movements, each increasing the distance between them and their tails. His enthusiasm faded to the background as the song transformed into a precise staccato refrain. She evaluated her options and studied the pattern of traffic before ditching from the highway at the last safe moment to exit onto an industrial strip of road. Warehouses lined the narrow street and huge trucks transporting goods abounded.

Only the biker remained behind them.

The skilled rider had the advantage, his motorcycle faster and more agile than Jason’s sedan, though Justin had obviously worked his magic on the car at some point. It responded with a roar when she needed power and accelerated quicker than she expected. Still, her chance to get away lay in being a smarter driver.

“What time is it?” She spoke in a calm, even tone.

“Time to go home,” Jason protested from behind her and she risked a quick glance at him. His pale face glowed against the dark leather interior and he gripped the oh-shit handle in the door hard enough that it would bear permanent dents.
Thank God he’s okay.
Her heart shuddered when she reflected on what might have happened, causing her to lose focus for a moment.

“Watch out!” Justin’s warning swung her attention back to the road in front of her where she avoided a parked car with inches to spare. She accelerated, bringing them up to speed, regaining her composure with fluid grace.

“Who set the clock in this car?” She asked. When Jason grunted a response, she counted on it being exact. “The time?”

“Five thirty-three.” Justin didn’t bother asking why anymore. While they’d waited for the doomed man to deliver his notes to Jason, she’d spent her time plotting. She traveled a route parallel to this road on her way home from the office on good weather nights, when she used an evening tour to unwind. Nothing ruined a drive in her convertible faster than being stuck in miles of traffic, choking on exhaust fumes. Therefore, she tracked most of the possible pitfalls in the city. She nodded. “We’ll make it.”

“What are you doing?” Jason’s censure shone through.

“Taking you home, safe and sound.” She navigated on autopilot, maneuvering the vehicle with efficient tactics. She managed to sneak away from the motorcycle at times but he always caught up again. She didn’t have a choice.

“Time?” Alexa checked her speed, too.

“Five thirty-six.” Justin read off the glowing numbers. “You have a plan?”

“Yeah but we’re too early.” She swung out wide and doubled back on their path, heading straight toward the man on the bike. He dodged out of their trajectory, expecting her to attempt to ram him but she couldn’t do that.

“Tell me when the clock turns to five thirty-eight.” She continued to backtrack until Justin gave her the signal.

“Now.”

As soon as the road cleared, she swung the car around one hundred and eighty degrees with a screech of tires to finish the loop.

“Five thirty-nine,” Justin announced. “But he’s still there, about five hundred feet behind us.”

Perfect.

She came over the ridge on West Hamilton and Jason shouted from the backseat.

“You’re not going to…”

Alexa judged the gap sufficient and committed to the stunt, slamming the gas pedal to the floor.