Retribution Boxed Set (Books One and Two) (27 page)

“How come I never get the cute ones?” Christian
said as she walked away.

“Shut up,” Sam replied.

She stopped at her door, waiting to see what
they’d do or if they’d say anything else she could hear, but they seemed to
have gone out on the patio.

Whatever. They could talk about anything they
pleased. In all reality, it was none of her business. She went into her room,
grateful to find that the door had a lock on it. As an extra precaution, she
pushed a chair up against it.

She was pretty sure Paul wouldn’t find her that
night, and she felt safe enough in Sam’s care. Nicole and Xander had trusted
him without concern. But having an extra barrier against the outside world felt
right.

She climbed on the wonderfully soft bed, pulling
the buttery sheets up to her neck, and turned off the bedside lamp. The blanket
of night fell around her, and the darkness coaxed her memories to the surface. She
filled her lungs and let the air slowly ease out.

She’d nearly killed a man tonight. Knowing that
she could have, iced her soul. She supposed most people would do the same in
her situation, but coming that close, was a horrifying experience.

When she got settled in Texas, perhaps therapy
would be in order.

Sam had barely taken his seat on the patio when
he received a call from Hunter that he was pulling in the drive, and he wanted Sam
to disarm the security system and unbolt the front door.

“Grab some beers while you’re in there,”
Christian said as Sam headed back inside.

He returned a minute later with Hunter carrying a
six pack and a large pizza box. “Hungry,” Hunter announced as he sat down.

Sam wasn’t sure if Hunter was telling them
he
was hungry, or if he was inviting them to share his snack if they were. Didn’t
matter. The guys were like brothers and could therefore infringe upon just
about anything except each other’s women.

“How’s she doing?” Hunter asked as he twisted the
cap off a bottle of beer.

“She’s alright,” Sam answered.

Christian chuckled as he helped himself to a
slice of pizza loaded with toppings. “She’s more than alright. She’s damn fine
if you ask me.”

Sam leveled a hard stare at his friend. “Do I
need to remind you she’s been through hell tonight? You don’t need to talk
about her like that.”

Christian shared a look with Hunter that implied
Sam was overreacting. Sam wanted to say he didn’t appreciate the look, but that
would earn him even more speculating. Christian turned his gaze to Sam. “Sorry.
It’s not like I would have talked about her like that to her face.”

“That makes bad behavior okay?”

This time Hunter raised a brow at him. “Is she
that hot?”

“She was at the wedding tonight,” Christian
answered for him. “Sexy blonde wearing a killer purple dress. One of Nicole’s
friends.”

Hunter’s mouth tilted in a rarely seen smile. “Oh,
I remember her. Shy smile, nice boobs.”

Fuck. “She’s a client. That’s all. She got the
hell beat out of her tonight before she tried to kill her attacker. I think she
deserves some respect.” He eyed them. “How about we figure out our next moves
instead of her anatomy?”

The guys both shared another look, and Christian
nodded his head in an I-told-you-so gesture.

Sam opened the pizza box and ignored them. He
wasn’t playing their games any longer. The more he argued against the
accusation, the more they’d keep at him. The scent of peppers, onions and
sausage attacked his senses, making him salivate, and he turned his attention
to the pizza instead. He’d eaten a nice meal at Xander and Nicole’s wedding,
but that had been hours ago…seemed like days ago. “I’d like to go after Paul
Castell,” he said around a huge bite of cheese and crust. “He’s the same one I
mentioned at the wedding.”

Christian nodded. “I agree.”

“Won’t the legal system pursue that avenue?”
Hunter asked. “They’ve got cause and evidence. From what Xander told me, this
abuse has been ongoing and is well-documented.”

“He deals drugs, but I’m not sure how big his
operation is. We could go after that aspect.” Why were his guys fighting him on
this?

“Again, won’t the police handle it? Hunter took a
bite of pizza. “You know I like to keep our activities to ones that fall
outside the law,” he said around a mouthful.

“He’s got a point,” Christian added. “Even though
she’s hot.”

Sam glared at him. “She’s got nowhere to go and a
ruthless man who will be hunting her. She’s Xander and Nicole’s friend, and I
think she deserves our help.” He took a swig of beer. “I’m not putting her back
on the street.”

“Fine. Give her a safe place to stay until
Castell goes to jail. But you’re going to have to work this on your own.”

“I’ve got your back,” Christian offered.

Sam nodded his thanks.

“Okay, then,” Hunter replied. “You know Xander
will be unreachable for a couple of weeks while he’s on his honeymoon, and I’m
going to be out of town for a few days. Ryan’s available if you want to send
her to the coast. He’s following up with information on Georgio Donati, but I’m
sure Ms. Singleton would be fine. No one would locate her there.”

“You’re leaving town?” Sam asked Hunter. Not that
he needed to. Hunter had been on edge since Ryan had showed him that photo of a
woman looking like his long-lost love.

Hunter avoided his direct gaze. “Personal
business.”

“You’re going to look for Danielle,” Sam said,
hating that his friend was so tortured by this woman.

His friend focused a dark gaze on Sam, but didn’t
answer. There was no point in arguing. Hunter, himself, had said she was dead,
yet he stilled looked. There had to be more to the story, but Hunter wasn’t
talking.

Christian fired his own warning glance at Sam. It
was enough to cause him to stand down. It was a pointless argument, and all the
guys knew it. Ryan knew more information than the rest of them, but he’d given
Hunter some kind of oath and wasn’t much for talking about it, either.

“What do you need me to do, Sam?” Christian
asked, ending the challenge. “Hang out here during the day? The fact that
Christian owned a bar and therefore worked more evening hours than day fit
perfectly.

“That would be great. Then I don’t have to take
time off work, and I can go after my leads there.” He shifted his gaze back to
Hunter, and the guy nodded, approving. Not that Sam wanted his approval, but,
as in any kind of relationship, there needed to be give and take. As much as
Sam wanted to throw at Paul every ounce of might and brawn that he had access
to, Hunter’s way made more sense.

Once all three guys agreed to their plan, the tension
between them eased. Sam grabbed another slice of pizza and sat back, covertly
studying Hunter as their conversation turned toward the Duck’s latest baseball
game. One of these days, he’d discover what really happened and figure out his
friend.

*        *        *

Janie woke the next morning, surprised to find
she’d slept so well. It had been far too long since she’d had a quiet, safe
place to sleep. At the apartment she’d shared with Paul, it wasn’t uncommon for
visitors to arrive in the dead of night during the past few months. She’d never
answered the door. Never asked who’d stopped by or what they’d wanted.

After climbing out of bed, she eyed the luxurious
tub, but opted for a shower instead. Her life had completely flipped on its
head, and she was anxious to see what the day would bring. For the first time
in forever, she only had one thing on her to-do list. Call about the job in
Texas. Other than that, she had a free day ahead of her, and no idea what to
do.

The house was quiet as she slipped out of her
bedroom. She wondered if Sam might still be asleep even though it was well past
ten. But his bedroom door was open as she passed, the sheets thrown haphazardly
back into place.

In the kitchen, she found Christian pressing down
the lever on the toaster. He glanced up as she walked in. “Morning.” He wore
nothing but a pair of gray flannel pants, and she found herself staring at his
nice display of abs and biceps. An interesting tattoo covered his left pec.

She blinked, trying to pretend she hadn’t been
staring. “Morning.”

He grinned, his white teeth enhancing his
friendly smile. He obviously didn’t seem to mind her perusal. “Sam doesn’t have
too much in the house, so breakfast will be kind of sparse. I brought a few
groceries with me last night, and Sam will get more today. There’s some bread
if you want toast. Coffee’s over there.” He nodded to the coffeemaker near the
sink.

“Is it okay if I check out the fridge?”

“Help yourself to whatever you can find.” The
toast popped. He grabbed the slices and dropped them on a plate.

“Where’s Sam?” she asked as she opened the
refrigerator door.

“Work.”

She shifted her gaze to him, surprised at the
answer. Maybe not surprised, after all people had jobs, but she’d honestly
expected him to be there that morning. “All day?”

“More than likely. But don’t worry. I’m here for
protection.”

He did have a lot of muscles, but she wasn’t sure
how much protection that would give her if Paul sent a bullet sailing her way. “Are
you a cop?”

“Nope.” He set a knife sticky with butter and jam
on the counter and headed toward the table where his coffee waited.

“Then what makes you qualified to protect me? Not
that I’m saying you couldn’t. Just that…” She stopped before she insulted the
man any further.

“I’m a black belt, expert marksman.” He halted
long enough to lick red jam off his thumb. “Trust me. If someone comes through
that door, he’ll regret it.”

She supposed she had to believe that was true. She
turned back to the fridge. “Is it okay if I cook?”

Christian snorted. “Okay? Hell yeah, it’s okay.”

She smiled. “Good. I like to dabble with it
sometimes. You’ll make a great guinea pig.”

He frowned then. “What exactly do you have in
mind?”

She pulled out a carton of eggs along with a jug
of milk. “I don’t suppose Sam has any Grand Marnier, does he?”

Christian shrugged. “I’ll check the liquor
cupboard.” He returned a few minutes later with a bottle and a smile on his
face. “Whatcha going to make?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

She cracked eggs, added ingredients and whisked
while Christian watched with fascination.

“You seem to know what you’re doing,” he said,
now sitting at a barstool on the other side of the counter. He’d brought his
coffee with him, but left his toast to cool on the table now that there was the
prospect of something more satisfying.

She grinned. “I’m a sous chef at the Italian restaurant
on Tenth Avenue.” She paused, realizing she could no longer return to work. She
was scheduled for that evening, and she’d need to call them and let them know
she wouldn’t be back.

He chuckled. “Lucky us. I’d offer you a job at my
bar, but I’m afraid my customers wouldn’t appreciate your fine culinary talents.
They’re more the popcorn and hot wings type.”

“I make an amazing hot wing sauce.”

“I’ll bet you do.”

“Where’s your bar? She found a large skillet in
one of the bottom cupboards and added a slab of butter to it.

“Downtown. It’s called Caora Dubh.”

She widened her eyes. “I’ve been there. That’s
where Nicole works.” Two pieces of the puzzle linked. “Of course. You’re all
friends.” Why had Nicole never mentioned her relationship with these men? Then
again, Janie hadn’t talked about Paul’s friends, although they
were
a
different sort than Xander’s friends.

He nodded. “I don’t think I’ve seen you there,
though. I’m sure I’d remember a pretty face like yours.”

It surprised her to find he was seriously
flirting with her. “You must learn a lot of great pickup lines owning a bar.” She
dipped bread in the egg mixture before laying it in a casserole dish, and then
poured the rest of the mixture over it.

He laughed then. “Caught on to that, did you?”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s one of the oldest
lines ever used.”

“I know. Still works sometimes.”

She shook her head, smiling. “Well, if I was
looking for a guy, I’d definitely be interested.”

“But you’re not.”

She shook her head. “It might be a while.”

His demeanor quickly shifted from flirting to
concerned. “I’m sorry about what happened to you. Do you want to talk about
it?”

“No. It’s…” She didn’t want to go there again. Didn’t
want to keep reliving the nightmare. “How about a tour of the house instead? The
bread needs to soak for a few minutes before I cook it, so we’d have time.”

“Sure.” His smile was back in place. “Let me grab
a shirt, and we’ll go.”

*        *        *

Just before noon, Sam pulled his Charger into the
garage next to Christian’s classic Mustang. He’d been anxious all morning. The
hours had dragged by, and he’d had a hard time focusing on his work. He’d hated
to leave Janie even though he knew Christian would defend her with his life. But
he’d wanted to see her, to make sure she’d made it through the night okay
before he’d left. Unfortunately, he’d been the only one awake during the early
hours and had left the house not long after the sun had risen.

He punched in the security code and opened the
door leading into the house. The sound of laughter, male and female, greeted
him along with the smell of something tantalizing. Here, he’d expected she’d be
a wreck after the previous night, and instead, she was having a good time.

He followed the festive sounds and found the
couple in the kitchen, sitting at the bar, their used dishes pushed away from
them. The second he walked in, the jovial atmosphere disappeared. Janie looked
at him with a wary gaze, Christian with a guilty one. Sam forced a smile
through his inexplicable irritation.

“Glad to see you’re feeling better,” he said to
Janie. Truly, he was. He just wished he’d been the one to put the smile on her
face.

“Thanks to Christian. He has some amazing
stories.”

Christian shrugged.

“Must be the bartender in him.” The tone of his
voice had come out more sarcastic than he’d expected. Janie narrowed her gaze
as Christian widened his, and Sam immediately felt like a jealous idiot. If
Janie had been anyone else, he’d have been grateful to Christian for helping to
ease their client’s pain. “I stopped in during my lunch. I wanted to check on
you.”

“I’m okay.” From the new expression on her face,
she’d been better before he’d arrived. She obviously preferred Christian’s
company to his.

“Everything’s good here,” Christian added.

“Something smells good.” His stomach rumbled in
agreement.

Janie and Christian both looked at each other. “Sorry,
man,” Christian said. “We ate it all. You missed out, though. Janie, here, is a
chef.”

“Sous chef,” she corrected.

Sam flicked his gaze to her. “Really? He gave her
a hopeful look. The thought of a home-cooked meal sounded pretty damn good
right now.