The Shadow of Mudflap (A Foxtrot Team Novel #1) (8 page)

Could he do this? Self-doubt plagued him. He’d already had one partner die under his watch and another was in a coma. Now they wanted him to protect his brother. How would he ever face his mom again if something happened? Hell, how would he be able to face himself?

Mudflap had been instructed not to discuss the true status of the situation with anyone, including TC, even in private, so he grabbed a beer out of the fridge and sat down with him. “Hell of a day, huh?”

TC’s eyes were bleak when he looked at Mudflap. Mudflap was used to TC being completely in charge and sure about everything he approached. “Fuck, yeah. It’s hard to take over a program and step into an established situation, but I’m thankful you’re going to be part of my staff. It will help to have you on the sidelines with me.” He seemed to be measuring his words carefully. Like Mudflap, he’d probably been warned about possible listening devices. “It’s hard to determine what the best course of action is.”

Mudflap now found himself in the rare situation of having to assure his older brother. He just had to do so in the same vague terms because of security issues. “That’s when you trust the team of support staff you have behind you. They’re the best and they’re out there to protect you and the program and keep every part of the football team in top shape. It’s going to be fine. You’ll see. You’re the right man for this job. Just trust your team.”

“Thanks, Mudflap. It helps to know that you’re going to be a part of that team. Thanks for being willing to help out.”

“No problem. That’s just part of my job and watching Tech trounce on the rest of their competition this year will just be a perk.”

They both took long pulls off their longnecks and continued to sit quietly, musing over the situation. Not being able to talk about this openly with TC was a pain in the ass.

Derek came bounding into the house. He practically bounced with enthusiasm. “Mudflap, call your girl. I have a great idea for your next date with Shanae. You’re going to double with Lisa and me.”

Mudflap quirked an eyebrow in question. “Oh, really?”

Derek had been fascinated with his friend, Lisa, ever since he met her two months earlier. He may be suffering from a broken heart, but this was a positive sign he was bouncing back.

“And what exactly will we be doing on this date?”

“Um, I kind of booked the three of us for an all-day golf lesson.” Lisa was a gold pro at the local country club.

It had been a stressful day, but Mudflap couldn’t stop the smile that slid across his face at Derek’s sheepish look. “Um, Derek, does Lisa realize this is a date?”

“Naw, of course not, man. I’m just there to distract her while you romance the sweet Shanae.”

“Shanae?” TC asked, turning back to Mudflap. “Who’s that?”

Again, he had no control over the grin that pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Shanae is a sweet little paramedic I met a couple of weeks ago. I’ve gone out with her once and hope to do so again soon, but that may be too difficult with my new job.” He frowned as he thought about his new job. It might be best if he stayed away from Shanae until this was all resolved. He knew the threat wasn’t focused on him, but he was quickly becoming entwined in TC’s life and the Texas Tech football program which could bring danger to his doorstep.

TC asked Derek, “When’s your date scheduled?”

“Friday, but what are you talking about? What new job?” Derek’s glance darted between the two brothers.

Mudflap met TC’s concerned gaze and began to shake his head at Derek. “I’m not going to be able—”

“Yes, you can,” TC interrupted. “We just meet for a couple of hours on Friday morning, and then let the team go so they can unwind before game day. You’ll have off that afternoon, too. I’m likely to be the only one working at the stadium and if it would make it easier, I could bring my work home.”

“Are you sure?” Mudflap was torn. He knew what his new job entailed, but he really wanted to see Shanae, too.

TC nodded, but Derek was tired of being kept in the dark. “Wait, what the hell are y’all talking about? What new job, Mudflap? What happened to your job at the fire department?”

“They gave me a leave of absence to help our new local football coach on the sidelines. For the rest of the season, I’m the new Texas Tech Team Trainer.” He grinned at the shock reverberating off Derek’s face.

“Don’t worry. It’s just for the rest of this football season. My older brother needs some propping up on the sidelines.” He might as well use this situation to give TC some hell.

“Fuck you. You just have certain skills my current staff is missing. We’ll have that fixed by next year.” TC grinned and Mudflap was happy to see him relax a bit more than he’d been all evening. It was going to be a long season at this rate.

He turned back toward Derek. “So, golf Friday?”

“Yeah, I’ll just move back our tee time to afternoon if your girl’s in.”

“I’ll give her a call. I’m not sure what her schedule is like at her job and that’s assuming she says yes.”
Please let her say yes
. Even with everything going on, he desperately wanted to see her again…and soon.

Shanae

Tuesday morning dawned way too early for Shanae. The LiFT team was in the process of moving all their gear into the stadium and training center and examining the ins and outs of the facility before the arrival of the football team for practice.

Shanae rounded the corner of the upper level of the stadium where she literally ran into Mudflap. His strong arms reached out to grab and steady her after she bounced off his very muscular chest.

“Whoa, there.” His hazel eyes reflected the same surprise she felt as he realized who he held in his arms.  His brows lifted in question. “Shanae, what are you doing here?”

Her skin tingled across her arms where Mudflap held her in his gentle grip. “Lift EMS is the new contract medical emergency provider for the stadium, so I’m working.” She took in his black shorts and red t-shirt with the Texas Tech logo. “What about you? This is a different look for you.”

He chewed on his lip and gave her a chagrined smile. “I don’t know if you heard who the new head coach is, but he’s my brother, TC. He asked me to take a leave of absence from the fire department to come help him shore up his staff for the rest of the season as a team trainer.”

“Really?” Why didn’t LiFT know about this? “Is that normal for the coach to be able to bring in his own staff like that? Especially family?”

He shook his head. “Probably not, but with him coming in mid-season, they’re giving him lots of leeway. He doesn’t have time to concentrate on other things besides the team right now and he needs people he can trust on his staff. As for me, this is just a temporary thing. I want to help him and the team out as much as possible.”

Hmm, something still didn’t seem right about this. She looked around at where they stood. “So what are you doing up here?”

“Just getting the lay of the land, so to speak. It’s a leftover from my days in the Army. I like to know as much as I can about my surroundings.” He gave her a flirty smile. “So I guess we’ll be seeing more of each other now.”

They would. It was a weird coincidence. In Shanae’s line of work, that didn’t usually mean good things, but she couldn’t let him know that. She needed to call her boss, Daniel, and find out what he knew about this.

“We will. Oh, and I’m sorry I didn’t get to return your call last night. It was late when I got in. Did you need something?”

“I actually called to invite you out on another date. My roommate scored golf lessons with a pro at the local country club. Would you like to round out our foursome on Friday afternoon?”

“Golf? Really?” She considered her directive to get closer to him. It was an order, so she had to ignore the rolling in her stomach and the voice in her head screaming at her that she should avoid this guy if she wanted to keep her heart. She forced a smile. “That sounds fun, but you have to pay for all the balls I lose.”

“Darlin’, I’ll provide you with all the balls you need.”

* * *

Shanae opened her front door Friday afternoon and her breath caught at her first sight of Mudflap standing there in board shorts and golf shirt. It shouldn’t be anything that turned her on, but he had an aura about him that got her motor running, big time. From his tanned and heavily-veined forearms, to the hint of chest hair peeking out at top of the buttons of his shirt, to his muscular calves, this guy pushed all her buttons in the most delicious way. She’d never in her life had such an immediate visceral reaction to a guy. That was dangerous. She couldn’t let him affect her. He needed to stay firmly in her head as a target for work and only that.
Ignore his charm and their chemistry.

His slow easy smile told her that he didn’t mind the way she looked, either. His gaze examined her from head to toe and he seemed pleased. She wore a fitted yellow polo top with a purple and yellow plaid kilt skirt, long enough to cover the throwing knives she had sheathed on the outside of her thighs, but not so long that it hid her toned thighs. She’d paired the outfit with white boat shoes for comfort to walk the long golf course.

“Hey, there. You look good enough to eat,” he growled. He glanced back at his Bronco. “Unfortunately, Derek is waiting for us in the car so I can’t take a nibble.”

Her pulse skittered. That tone in his voice…yummy.

“Thanks,” she said as she leaned up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “You know how to make a girl feel good.” She lingered for a moment right below his ear to whisper, “You look pretty damn good yourself. But it’s hot and we don’t want the poor thing to suffer from heat exhaustion. I’m confused though.” She glanced at him as they walked out toward his truck. “Why would you bring your dog golfing? Are they even allowed on the course?”

He pulled her door open for her, but stalled her entrance into the Bronco. “Dog? I don’t have a dog.”

She scowled at him in confusion. “Isn’t Derek your dog?”

Mudflap burst out laughing as she sat down in the car. But it was the outraged, “What the hell did he tell you to make you think that?” coming from the backseat that told her she’d gotten something wrong.

She turned slowly to the backseat. He was a young, clean cut, extremely good-looking guy, who was not happy right now. He looked like a model from a young, hip magazine ad; well, he would if he wasn’t scowling.

Wincing, she offered her hand to him. “I guess you’re Derek, huh?”

Mudflap got into the car and continued to laugh at Derek’s expense. Derek shoved at his shoulder and muttered, “Asshole.” He took her hand. “Yes, I’m Derek. It’s nice to meet you, Shanae.” His scowl quickly morphed into a flirty smile. “Already I can tell you’re too good for this guy. I say we dump him on the back nine and you and I can make a fun day of it without him.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Uh oh, this guy and that mischievous smile were trouble. She couldn’t help the giggle that erupted. “Sorry about the dog comment. I misunderstood.”

“Aw, sweetheart, no forgiveness is necessary. I know who to blame.” He turned to glare again at Mudflap. “Besides, gracing us with your beauty today more than makes up for it.”

Shanae couldn’t help the eye-roll. This guy was digging it deep.

“Hey, now. No horning in on my girl.” Mudflap frowned at Derek, but the corners of his mouth twitched with humor.

The two guys continued the back and forth banter all the way to the golf course, through renting their equipment, and even while meeting up with their golf pro for the day, a very attractive redhead named Lisa. Shanae clued in on the fact that Derek had a bit of a crush on her simply by the way he continued to give both Shanae and Mudflap a hard time, but then got stiff when it came to interacting with her. It was sweet, but Lisa seemed completely oblivious to Derek.

Shanae would guess there was a pretty good age difference between the two. Derek was young, definitely early twenties, while Lisa was probably closer to thirty. Shanae doubted Lisa even saw Derek as a possibility for a date. She watched the two of them as Lisa corrected Derek’s form on the fourth hole. Lisa slid her hand down Derek’s arm to adjust his grip and all his muscles tightened in response.

Mudflap slid in to stand behind her. His hand wrapped around her waist felt entirely too right, so right she completely forgot about Lisa and Derek. She could feel the heat coming off his body and her pulse skittered.

But then Mudflap, who’d also been watching the other two, whispered in her ear, “I think his shaft is too big for that stroke.”

Shanae worked with guys all the time so her gaze immediately landed on Derek’s crotch where his erection pressed against his pants. “Don’t,” she hissed at Mudflap. “Don’t give him a hard time right now. Poor kid is infatuated and she isn’t even aware of him.”

Mudflap nuzzled her ear for a moment before whispering, “Ask her for some help on the next hole and make her aware. He’s a good guy. It would be nice if he could hook up with a woman who might actually appreciate him.”

And right there, Shanae’s heart melted a little bit more for this guy. Damn, sexy and sweet.

On the next hole, they switched golfing partners and the girls headed to the women’s tees. Shanae began her mission with a bit of chit-chat. “So, Lisa, how long have you known Derek?”

Lisa glanced back at the man in question. “We met a little while ago at a Red Cross fundraiser in town.”

“Oh, really? Were you there with your boyfriend?”

Lisa gave a self-effacing chuckle. “No, definitely not.” She sighed deeply. “No boyfriend for me. Hell, it’s been four months since I even had a date.”

“So you’re open to dating then?”

“Oh yeah, just not any great prospects. You know anyone who’s single and gorgeous?”

“What about Derek? I’m pretty positive he’s interested.”

Lisa’s eyes widened. “Derek?” She glanced back over at the men and flushed red. “He’s way too young for me. I’m not a cougar.”

“Oh, come on, he’s not that much younger than you and you are way too young to be considered a cougar. Besides, he seems like a really nice guy, too nice according to Mudflap. Girls his age keep breaking his heart because he’s a romantic. You should at least give him a hint that you might be interested and see where it leads.”