Wicked Ties (Steele Security Series) (3 page)

“Colton, what’s going on?”

“We’re being followed.  Rebel is going to shake our tail for us so we don’t call unnecessary attention to ourselves,” Bull answered in a tone that belied the severity of the situation.  It was as if she had asked for the time and he was merely supplying her with the information.

“Shake our tail?” she asked, dumbfounded.

Bull laughed, “You know, I never really thought about how that sounded until you said it like that.  Rebel’s going to make the bad guys lose us in four, three, two, one.” 

Suddenly, another Steele Security SUV darted out from a side street immediately in front of the large, black truck that was tailing them.  The driver of the truck barely had time to slam on their brakes to keep from hitting Rebel.  With nowhere else to go, thanks to oncoming traffic and Rebel’s SUV blocking the rest of the road, the black truck had to come to a complete stop. 

Bull drove on and watched as Rebel and Shadow exited the SUV and approached the truck with their
pistols drawn.  Confident the two men were capable of handling whoever was following so close that their tail was immediately made, Bull took Chaise to one of the rarely used mainland buildings of Steele Security.

Securely inside one of the safest buildings in the state,
Bull escorted Chaise to a ‘discussion room’ for a little talk.  The staff didn’t like to call them ‘interrogation rooms’ because that term immediately created a negative image.  These discussion rooms were plush, with comfortable, overstuffed leather chairs and couches, easy lighting, and a variety of refreshments.  When they weren’t sure of their guests’ integrity, they found this atmosphere was much more likely to promote information sharing than the old rooms they used in their military days.

Chaise took a seat in the comfortable leather chair and Bull poured her a drink before taking the seat opposite her.  He noticed a slight tremble in her hands as she took the tumbler from him.  Again noting that she wasn’t acting, he still didn’t trust her.  Her words and actions had shown that she was too invested in Noah and not enough in Brianna.  That didn’t bode well with him.  There was no way she was a current friend and didn’t know about Brianna.

“Back to our conversation earlier.  You say you trust Noah, right?”  Bull asked nonchalantly while keeping his all-seeing eyes fixed on Chaise’s reaction.

She didn’t make eye contact when she said, “Right.”

“Then you can trust me.  I’ve known Reaper for a long time.  We’ve had each other’s backs more times than I can count or even talk about.”

“Why do you call him ‘
Reaper’
?” Chaise asked, her voice full of curiosity.

“Same reason he calls me ‘Bull,’” he answered with a single shoulder shrug.

“Were you and he in the military together or something?” 

“Yes.”

Chaise waited for Bull to expand on his tour of duty with Noah.  The non-committal answers of his were wearing on her already frayed nerves.  She knew he needed to feel like he could trust her, but she needed some confirmation that she could also trust him.  After all, she was the one who had people coming after her to prevent her from sharing vitally important and damning information.

She looked at him expectantly and twirled her hand in the universal sign to keep talking.  Bull considered her request for a moment before carefully continuing.

“Yes, we were in the Army together.  He was my Captain and he’s been my friend for a great many years now.  I’ve worked for him since the day I left the military and he opened Steele Security,” Bull explained.

“How many years has that been?”  Bull could see Chaise trying to do the math in her head, counting back the years.

“Six or so,” he answered, knowing full well exactly how long it had been to the exact day, but he would only give answers in approximates.

Her head nodded in understanding, but her eyes said she was deep in thought, worlds away from the room they were in.  She was thinking about the last
‘six or so’
years that Noah has been out of the service.

“How long since you last saw
Reaper—um, I mean Noah?”  Bull asked.

Chaise looked back down at her glass for a second then turned her face away from Bull.  Her hand came up and quickly whisked away a tear before she turned back to him to answer.  “Um, I’m not sure, much longer than that, obviously.”  Her voice was shaky and she actually sounded hurt by just the thought of their length of time apart.

Bull’s eyes narrowed to mere slits in suspicion.  “You know his
wife
is pregnant, right?”

Chaise quickly looked Bull in the eye and her mouth was agape.  “I - I thought she may be,” she stammered, “but I couldn’t really see them very well from where I was standing.  I did notice he kept putting his hand on her stomach.  There’s usually only one reason a man would do that,” she finished with a humorless laugh.

“My soon to be nephew,” Bull said proudly, “or niece.  Either way, I’ll be
Uncle Bull
soon.”  All the color drained from Chaise’s face at his statement and her eyes welled up with tears that she quickly tried to stamp down. 

She didn’t know what to say when Bull confirmed that Brianna was pregnant with Noah’s baby.  A million different feelings flooded her instantly and she knew his keen eyes didn’t miss a thing.  She tried to mask the hurt and regret that filled her eyes as quickly as possible at the thought of Noah’s baby.

Bull continued, “And the
only
person who will protect that baby better than
me
, is Noah himself.  And that’s only because I don’t live with them.”  He looked at her pointedly to make sure she caught his meaning.

Chaise swallowed hard, swallowing the tears and trying but failing to hide the pain that was evident on her face.  “I’m sure you will make an excellent uncle, Colton.”

Bull couldn’t help but smile at this. “That I will, Chaise.  That I will.”

An hour, two drinks
, and a couple of cartons of Chinese food later, Bull realized he had enjoyed his amiable meal and conversation with Chaise. He actively fought against his almost instant attraction to her.  He kept trying to remind himself that she was a client at best and a threat at worst.  But there was something about her, something that drew him in and made him want to get to know her better—as a person, not as a part of his job.

These warring emotions were so far removed from Bull that he wasn’t sure how to proceed.  His training told him to proceed with caution.  The man in him urged him to pursue the attraction and enjoy it while it lasted.  The logical part of him told him to play the middle of the road as long as possible so that he could find out her true intentions and assess the threat she posed to Noah and Brianna.

Bull was intentionally friendly and relaxed with Chaise as he continued to watch her body language.  When he was content in his ability to make Chaise feel at ease in his presence and trust him, he decided it was time for her to start sharing her story.  He needed to know the whole story—why she was hiding, what scared her so much, why she needed Noah’s help, and why they were followed.

It was time for her to give him a few answers.

Chaise had watched Bull all evening—from the moment she saw him standing by Noah at the wedding, when he approached her outside the tent, in the SUV on the way to the building, and inside the comfortable, cozy room.  She didn’t want to feel the intense attraction toward him. 

But, dear lord, the man was
fine
.  The natural blond highlights in his light brown hair were no doubt from the strong Miami sun, as was his tanned skin.  His stark blue eyes innately penetrated and captivated anyone who dared to hold his gaze.  He was intense, and though he had been friendly over dinner, he was also powerful and intimidating.

He was a little taller than Noah, which had to put him at about
six-foot-five and he had the biggest arm muscles she’d ever seen.  They just kept rippling and flowing down from his neck to his wrists.  His expansive chest stretched his shirt tight across the middle, showcasing his impressive build and making her involuntarily salivate and gawk like an inexperienced school girl.

Bull had made it plain to her, in more ways than one, that he didn’t trust her and he wanted her to leave.  He questioned her motives, he questioned her integrity, and he questioned the reason why she specifically sought Noah out.  But these things only made him more
attractive—his loyalty, his protectiveness, and his unyielding resolve.  He clearly loved Noah, Noah’s new wife, and their unborn baby.  Men of his caliber were nearly impossible to find.  He reminded her of Noah in so many ways.

If she told him everything, would he believe her?  Or would he turn her away, push her out the door
, and leave her to figure it out alone?

No, that wasn’t an option.  There was too much at stake to risk that.  She would tell him what she
–could—what she had to tell him to ensure he gave his help.  But she would give no more than that until she absolutely had no other choice.  If, or actually
when,
that time came, she would pay the piper.  In the meantime, she didn’t really see any other choice.

Chaise could feel Bull’s eyes burn into her as he studied her every movement.  It was quite unsettling to be scrutinized so thoroughly, like she was a specimen under a microscope.  She shifted slightly in her seat and immediately knew that Bull detected her uneasiness.  His eyes narrowed slightly as his head
ever-so-slightly cocked to the side as he studied her.

“Where is the restroom?”  Chaise asked, hoping to convince him that her distress was from the need to use the facilities rather than from being so near to him.  Or from having secrets she wasn’t ready to disclose.

Bull stared her down for a couple of seconds too long for it to be a coincidence.  He really didn’t trust her in the least, but there was also something else in the way he looked at her.  There was a hint of masked desire.  It was so faint; Chaise wasn’t positive that’s what she had actually seen or if it was just the reflection of her desire in his eyes.

“This way,” he finally said as he stood and led her out of the discussion room and down a dimly lit hallway.  “Right here,” he motioned to the door on the left as he leaned against the wall on the opposite side.  He apparently intended to wait for her to finish and escort her back to the main room.

Chaise smiled warmly at him as she entered the windowless bathroom and closed the door behind her.  She looked around for a minute but the room only held the bare essentials.  No doubt it was the “guest” bathroom.  She took her time, washed her hands, and splashed water on her face.  She dragged the towel down her face to dry it and stopped when she caught the reflection of her eyes in the mirror.

“You can do this,” she whispered to herself, “you
have
to.  No matter how hard this is.”

A knock on the door startled her.  “Everything
alright in there?”  Bull called from the other side.

She opened the door and put on her best smile again.  “Fine.  Just fine.”

Leaning against the doorjamb when Chaise opened the door, Bull pushed up to his full, intimidating height as he crossed his bulging biceps over his equally bulging chest.  Chaise’s eyes couldn’t help but wander to the impressive mounds, and for just a second, she forgot to be nervous around him. 

Her slow perusal of his imposing upper body made her momentarily forget where she was.  That is, until her eyes found his eyes, the ones that were hard-as-nails and were currently piercing her without saying a word.

“Look –” he started when the sound of the door opening caught his attention.  Before she could even react, Bull had pulled his gun from God knows where and was silently stalking toward the sound.   Male voices came from the direction of the door and Bull suddenly stopped, holstered his weapon, and stepped into the open doorway from where the voices emanated.

“That’s a damn good way to get shot, man,” Bull said and then chuckled.  He turned and saw Chaise was still rooted to the spot where he left her.  He motioned for her to come to him
, and somehow her feet got the message before her brain fully understood. 

Chaise’s heart was pounding and she felt dizzy as she moved
toward the waiting Herculean giant.  When she first heard the voices, she was certain they had found her, had come for her, and she was completely frozen with fear. Chaise couldn’t remember a time when she had been so scared before. 

It must have shown in everything about her because Bull’s countenance changed from being stern to showing concern.   “Are you
alright?”

Chaise managed to nod but still couldn’t make a sound to answer him.  She didn’t trust her voice just yet.  As she reached Bull, the other two men came into view and she immediately recognized them from Noah’s wedding.  Finally breathing again, she held out her hand and introduced herself to them.

“I’m Chaise,” she said, intentionally not stating her last name.

“Yes, this is Chaise
Martin
,” Bull added, intentionally emphasizing her last name yet again.  She cut her eyes to him and couldn’t help but look apologetically at him.  He knew she was lying but he didn’t know why yet.  Maybe he would understand when she was finally able to tell him everything.  She hoped so, anyway.  He didn’t seem to be the type of man you could cross and get away with it.

“This is Rebel and Shadow,” Bull continued as he pointed at the other two men.  “They both work for Noah, too.  And, yes, we all served in the Army together, so you can trust them, too.”

She smiled and shook their hands as Bull formally introduced them.  She noted that although Shadow was bigger built than Bull, which in itself was really saying something, he had a friendlier natural carriage about him.  Rebel wasn’t quite as large as Bull but his eyes weren’t as hard and suspicious as Bull’s, either.  He caught the emphasis Bull placed on her last name and gave her a look of understanding as he shook her hand.  Even if Noah wasn’t there, she was sure she was in good hands.

“What’s the word then?”  Bull asked Rebel and Shadow.  Chaise looked between the three of them and instantly felt invisible. 

“Low-level hired hand.  Amateur.  He was supposed to follow her and see where she went.  Didn’t know shit about tailing someone,” Shadow answered with a laugh.