Dangerous Secrets (2 page)

“I will. And thanks for bringing her home. No telling what might have happened to her.”

As the door shut, Izzy turned to Adam. “What made you suggest taking her to the hospital?”

He shrugged. “My brother-in-law is a cop.”

She fell into step with him as they walked back to her car. “I didn’t know you had any siblings.” As an only child she’d longed for brothers and sisters growing up. Her mom had died during childbirth so it had always been just her and her dad. Well, except for Edna. Her father’s personal assistant had played a big part in her life too. She’d helped Izzy buy her first bra and she’d given her the sex talk when she was fifteen even though by then Izzy already knew everything important.

“One brother and one sister.” He rarely gave away personal details about his life unless specifically asked. Something she normally found refreshing.

She hated when people told her their life story within minutes of meeting, probably because everyone wanted to tell bartenders about their problems. It might be a stereotype, but it was one she found to be increasingly true.

“I’m jealous.” A smile tugged at her lips as she glanced at him.

“You’re an only child?”

“Just me.” She pressed the unlock button to her keyless entry as they neared her car. “Listen, Adam, you don’t need to follow me home. I’ll be fine.”

“Humor me okay?”

Pursing her lips, she suppressed a smile and got into her car.

Adam kicked his truck into gear and followed Izzy out of the parking lot. The back of her silhouette was outlined by his headlights. Not that it mattered. He saw her face every time he closed his eyes.

The vision of her interrupted his sleep on a nightly basis. She usually kept her wild curly hair pulled back at work, but the few times he’d seen it down left him imagining what her long hair would look and feel like against his skin as she rode him.

He rolled his shoulders once, trying to alleviate the tension, but nothing worked. With her dark brown eyes and high cheekbones, she had almost exotic features. The smattering of freckles across her nose only added to the innocent quality about her. If it wasn’t for her fair coloring, he would doubt she was even Edward Ballantine’s daughter.

Edward.
He cursed the day he’d ever made that ridiculous deal with him. It had seemed so simple at the time. Keep an eye on Isabelle without her knowing his true identity. Five weeks. That was how long his contract was. It was icing on the cake if he could convince the rich daughter to return to Savannah, but as long as he did his job and she was safe, he and his brother would land the Forester deal.

Not so simple once he met her. Watching out for her certainly wasn’t a chore. Unfortunately convincing her to return home was impossible without getting to know her. And he still didn’t understand why she was working in a bar barely making ends meet when she had a father like Edward Ballantine. Her father had been fuzzy on those details, but he planned to find out.

And soon.

As he steered into the parking lot of her place, he pushed those thoughts away. He needed to focus on the present and convince her that Savannah, Georgia, was a much better option than Coconut Bay.

Parking wasn’t numbered, so he chose a spot next to her. By the time he’d rounded his truck she was still sitting in her car. Leaning against his vehicle, he waited until her door finally opened. Sinfully long legs emerged first. His breath caught. It seemed no matter how often he saw her, he still fantasized what it would be like to have those slim legs wrapped around his waist…and shoulders. Damn, and she was wearing pants. He hadn’t even seen a hint of skin and his cock was already raring to go.

A shudder racked his body. Now was not the time. Hell, there was never going to be a right time for his thoughts. He’d been hired to protect her, not drool over her.

“Sorry, I was talking to Carolyn.” Izzy shut the door behind her.

“No problem. Is she okay?”

“I guess so. She wouldn’t tell me what was going on, but she apologized for not showing up tonight.” Izzy tucked her phone back in her purse, but kept her keys in hand. “Thanks for making sure I got home safe.”

He ignored the comment and took a few steps toward the three-story building, forcing her to follow. After what had happened tonight, he was walking her to the door. Her place was on the second floor, but technically he wasn’t supposed to know that. He knew a lot about her that she hadn’t told him. Like the fact that she had a bachelor’s in business development, but a master’s in medieval literature.

To say the woman was a mystery would be a sore understatement.

“I’m on the second floor.” She motioned straight ahead with her hand as they walked down the short sidewalk.

“Are you working tomorrow morning?” He already knew the answer, but didn’t want her to know he’d checked her schedule. This had to appear impromptu.

“No. I am tomorrow night though.”

“Do you want to get some breakfast after the staff meeting?” Something primal inside him sparked to life when her eyes flashed with desire. If she was anyone but Edward’s daughter, he had a feeling they’d already be inside her place and naked by now. Not because that was his style, but because it was obvious she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

She turned to face him as they stopped in front of her door. “Sure.”

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow so we don’t have to worry about leaving your car at work.”

Her brown eyes widened slightly, but she nodded. “Sounds great.”

He guessed she was surprised because up until now he’d kept his distance. Without thinking—or maybe not caring—he reached out and tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. The overwhelming need to touch her sometimes scared the shit out of him. Being close to her sometimes wasn’t enough. Her work uniform consisted of black pants and a black tank-top. Something so simple shouldn’t be sexy, but with her long legs and lean frame anything she wore was guaranteed to drive any man with a pulse crazy.

When she sucked in a deep breath, he realized he was practically cupping her cheek. And the heated look in her dark eyes told him she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. Warmth spread throughout his abdomen. Things could get out of hand so quickly if he let them.

All he’d have to do was lean down a fraction…He dropped his hand and took a step back. “See you tomorrow.” Instantly his body mourned the loss of touching her.

If the way her mouth pulled into a thin line was any indication, she felt the same. Wordlessly she turned away from him and let herself inside her apartment. Only when he heard the lock slide into place did he leave.

Once he was back in his car, he let out a long breath. What the hell was the matter with him? He had to be all kinds of stupid to touch her like that. Getting involved with Izzy—
Isabelle Ballantine
—was not an option. Not only was she so far out of his league that it was beyond laughable, she wasn’t the sort of woman a man had a fling with.

She was the forever kind of woman, and a woman like her wouldn’t settle down with a man like him. He was straight blue-collar working boy and she was class and money. It was just the way of the world.

His phone rang, jarring him out of his mental bashing. When he saw the number he frowned. It was a little after one. “Hey Ben. Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” his brother said. “Couldn’t sleep. Figured you’d be off work by now.”

“I’m on my way home.”

“How are things with the rich girl?”

He gritted his teeth. When he’d agreed to this, he’d thought of her the same way. Not anymore. “Her name is Izzy and don’t call her that.”

“Whoa man, chill. I was just checking in. We’ve got two weeks until Edward decides which security company to use.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” he said as he took a left turn.

“All right, I will. We landed the temporary hospital gig and the contract for The Devlin Group in Cartagena.”

“We got the Devlin job?” Adam wasn’t surprised about the hospital job. They’d needed to beef up security after a few serious bomb threats and he’d known their bid was right on the money.

Landing The Devlin Group, however, surprised him. Marcellus Security had put in a bid to provide security for six Fortune 500 company executives and their families operating and living in Colombia for a month in a very high profile deal. Adam had been concerned their bid was too high but he’d been unwilling to cut costs to hire second-rate contract employees. All his guys were ex-military, most of them former Special Forces.

“You better believe it. I’ve already contacted the team. They’ll be ready to go. Of course Marian is already bitching about the paperwork, but I’m sure once she gets her next bonus check she’ll change her tune.” Ben’s voice was light and Adam knew his brother didn’t mind Marian’s complaining any more than he did.

Marian was their cousin and had been with them since they’d started Marcellus Security four years ago. Back then she’d worked for pennies while pulling sixty-hour-plus weeks. She could complain all she wanted because she’d earned it.

Adam sighed as he steered into his driveway. He and Ben were partners and he hated leaving him and Marian with all the day-to-day business. “I should be back in a few weeks. Listen, we don’t
need
the Forester job so if you want me to come back—”

“Forget it. Edward Ballantine might be a little strange, but we’ve got the right numbers, and if we land this gig, it’ll open the door for
government
jobs. That man has all the right contacts and I don’t think I need to tell you that’s where the real money is.”

Yeah, his brother didn’t need to tell him that. The security industry was cutthroat but if they could get in with the government, it would open up contracts all over the globe.

Something he needed to remind himself of when he was around Izzy. He couldn’t let his growing feelings for her get in the way of their plan. She might be trying to gain her independence from her family but she didn’t have a clue what it was like to starve or worry about getting shot walking home from school.

He and Ben had been taking care of each other since they were kids. He was tired of working for pennies. And this job would change their future.

The man glanced in the rearview mirror as he headed toward the outskirts of town. It didn’t look like anyone had tried to follow him from Mad Dog’s. He didn’t think anyone had time to write down his license plate number.

Still, he might have to lose the truck anyway. The small town police department of Coconut Bay was getting remarkably close to tracking him down. Maybe they were finally catching on to his clues, subtle though they were.

Contrary to what stupid psychologists and psychiatrists thought, he didn’t want to be caught. He simply enjoyed screwing with the detectives on his trail. Soon he’d leave for a bigger city, but this is where everything would start for him. This place held a lot of memories for him so it was only fitting.

His hands fisted around the steering wheel as he tried to steady his breathing. Losing control was something he rarely did anymore.

And that tall, dark-haired bitch had interfered with his plans. He’d been watching Andrea for a month. Now all his planning had gone to shit because of that bartender. As his breathing slowed, he set the truck to cruise control. No need to tempt the fates and get pulled over for speeding. Not when he had more important things to do.

He needed to do something to take off the edge. It had been days since he’d taunted a certain detective. Time for a check in.

He pulled out one of his many throwaway phones and dialed the number. It only rang once.

“Jack here,” the man snapped.

“In a bad mood tonight, Detective?” He kept his voice intentionally low, raspy.

Silence.

“Still there?”

“What do you want?”

“How’s Maria Martinez?” His last victim should still be in the hospital if he’d done his job right. It was her fault he hadn’t been able to get hard and finish what he desperately needed to take off the edge.

“What. Do. You. Want. I’m not going to ask again.” The detective’s voice was heated and angry. He rarely gave in to his anger.

Ah, he’d hit a nerve then. The Martinez bitch was friends with some of the police force. One of the reasons he’d chosen her, but not the main one. “I’m leaving clues for you, but you’re not making progress. Maybe I should work faster.”

“Clues?”

He figured the detective was testing his knowledge. So far his activities hadn’t hit the local papers. “You know exactly what I’m referring to.”

“Damn it, what do you want from me? I’m tired of these calls,” Detective Dennis said.

He wanted recognition for his work, but he wouldn’t beg for it. Something the smart detective should realize soon enough. “The marks on their backs mean something.” He pressed the end button then tossed the phone out onto the highway. That was the biggest clue he’d given so far.

The stupid sluts were half-breeds who deserved what they got. Now it was only a matter of time until the detectives figured out why he was choosing his victims. He smiled as he thought of their reactions.

Izzy spared herself one last glance in the mirror, then rolled her eyes at her reflection. Adam would be picking her up in a couple minutes and she was worrying herself for nothing. Technically, they weren’t even going on a date. He’d asked if she wanted to get breakfast after the staff meeting. That was it.

Of course that didn’t stop her from putting on a jersey halter-style summer dress that accentuated all her curves. Not that she had many, but she capitalized on the ones she did. She’d only known Adam a few weeks, but every time he’d seen her she was fairly sure she’d been wearing her work uniform. The plain black getup didn’t exactly scream sexy siren. It was time for him to see her in a different light.

Last night he’d looked like he wanted to kiss her. Not because of her last name, and certainly not because of who her father was. Nope. He wanted her just for her. Or at least she hoped so.

She pressed a hand to her stomach and tried to force the jitters away. It was like she was sixteen again and getting ready for her first date. Her doorbell sounded and she jumped. She quickly smoothed on lip gloss then grabbed her purse. Almost as an afterthought, she tugged the hair band from her ponytail and left her hair down.

A second later she opened the door to find Adam standing there. She could feel heat creeping up her neck and cursed her Celtic heritage for the billionth time in her life. Simply seeing him shouldn’t get her all hot and bothered. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” He handed her a Styrofoam cup of what she hoped was coffee.

She shut the door behind her as she stepped outside and took a sip. An appreciative sigh escaped. Irish cream. Her favorite. “Mmm, thanks.”

“Did you look through the peephole before you answered?” he asked.

She glanced over her shoulder to look at him as she locked the door. “Uh…no, but I didn’t think anyone else would be here at six-forty-five in the morning.”

“You should start making a habit of it.”

“You sound like my dad,” she joked.

“I’m serious, Izzy. When I talked to the police last night they asked about the girl’s hair color.” The tone of his voice caused a shiver to snake down her spine.

“Why?”

“It looks like this guy is targeting brunettes. I’m sure there’s more to it than that, but as of now that’s the only thing they’ve found in common with the women. Or at least that’s all they’d tell me. You need to start paying attention to the people around you.”

“Oh.” Self-consciously she fingered a dark curl. Technically she had auburn highlights, but she doubted some maniac would make the distinction. And Adam was right. She should have known better.

“Yeah, so just be extra careful. Toby’s going to increase our night security after what happened.”

“Good.” She fell in step with him as they walked to his truck. In a surprising move, he held the door open for her. She’d never quite understood the phrase before, but damn butterflies danced in her stomach when he did. It was more proof of his southern upbringing.

When he slid into the driver’s seat and started the ignition, she shifted in her seat and caught a whiff of his spicy aftershave and something else. Something all Adam. Something all man. She cleared her throat. “Where exactly are you from?”

He spared her a quick glance before reversing. “Why do you ask?”

“Hmm, southern manners, a sexy accent I can’t quite place. I know you’re not from here.”

“You think my accent is sexy?” His words were laced with amusement.

She nodded. “You know it is, and I’m sure I’m not the first person to tell you that so quit fishing for compliments. And you still didn’t answer my question.”

His lips curled up slightly at the corners. “I’m from Louisiana.”

“Is that where your family lives?”

A low rumble emitted from him and it took a second for her to realize he was laughing. The deep sound reverberated around the cabin of the truck, enveloping her and completely taking her off guard. She’d never heard him laugh. Not really. This was actually more of a chuckle, but she liked the rich sound. Maybe a little too much.

“You should think about a career in journalism.” He shook his head and took a left turn.

She leaned back against the seat and bit her lip. She did have a habit of drilling people without realizing it. Growing up it had been tough to distinguish between people who wanted to be her friend because of her last name and those who simply liked her. Old habits die hard, she supposed.

“My family lives in Savannah now,” he said as they steered into the restaurant parking lot.

For a moment she considered not saying anything, but since her family lived there as well it might seem odd that she wouldn’t naturally mention it. “Mine does too.”

“Small world,” he said as he put the vehicle in park.

She stared at him, looking for any sort of recognition, but his face remained impassive. He’d never let on that he knew who she was. Just because his family lived in the same city didn’t mean anything. She had to stop looking for ulterior motives from everyone she met.

The parking lot of Mad Dog’s was already full and once they stepped inside, it was obvious they were the last ones to arrive. At least the meeting hadn’t started yet. All the servers, bartenders and hostesses sat spread out across three tables and booths in the corner of the restaurant, waiting for the meeting to begin.

Adam placed a protective hand on the small of her back and her nipples tightened at the feel of his hand on her body. “I’m going to find Toby before the meeting starts,” he murmured in her ear.

The feel of his warm breath on her neck sent a ribbon of awareness curling through her. “Okay.” She weaved through the empty tables until she reached everyone. Ignoring the curious stares, she slid into the empty seat next to Carolyn.

“Did you arrive with Adam?” her friend whispered too low for the three servers sitting on the other side of the big booth to hear.

Instead of answering, she shrugged. “Forget about that. What’s going on with you?”

A fiery blush spread across her friend’s cheeks. “I’m…I won’t be bartending anymore.”

“What? Why?” She frowned at Carolyn.

Carolyn glanced across the table, and Izzy followed her gaze. The other servers weren’t paying attention to them. One was busy texting and the other two looked half-asleep.

Her friend leaned in closer. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered.

“What!”

Suddenly the dull chatter of the restaurant stopped. Izzy shifted in her seat and looked around. Everyone was staring at them. Turning back around to face her friend, she mouthed “sorry” to Carolyn before taking a sip of her coffee, pretending to ignore everyone.

After a few minutes, everyone resumed talking while waiting for their boss to arrive. Carolyn leaned in and whispered again, “I’ll tell you everything after the meeting.”

Izzy nodded in agreement and leaned back in her seat. This was definitely not the kind of conversation they could have here. She had a ton of questions, though she had a fairly good idea who the father was.

She’d caught Carolyn and Toby in his office once and while they hadn’t been kissing, they’d been standing much closer than was appropriate for employer and employee. Not to mention her friend had looked like a deer caught in headlights when Izzy had stumbled upon them.

Carolyn was a beautiful woman. Petite with big breasts, stick-straight shoulder-length blonde hair—not from a bottle—and a year round healthy tan. She looked like a typical Florida beach bunny. Or a Barbie doll.

Everyone quieted as Toby and Adam walked through the swinging door from the kitchen. Normally Izzy drifted off during these meetings, but something told her she’d be interested in what her boss had to say today.

Adam slid into the empty seat next to her, and the dark gaze he raked over her caused an involuntary shiver to work its way throughout her entire body. Her breasts were still sensitized from when he’d simply placed a hand on her back. If a simple look and touch turned her on so much, she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when they finally got naked together. Well, if they ever did.

“Thanks for being so prompt, everyone.” Toby’s voice jerked her back to reality. “Last night there was an incident after closing hours, but thanks to Izzy and Adam what could have been something horrible turned into nothing.”

As he continued to talk about how the restaurant would be increasing security and how great sales had been lately, she zoned out, only picking up key words.

She gnawed on her bottom lip as her mind wandered. It had been nearly a week since she’d called her father. Guilt clasped a firm hand around her heart, but she shoved it away. Every time she called just to chat, he tried to convince her to move home. Something she wasn’t ready to do yet.

It wasn’t that she didn’t love him. Hell, she’d even gotten a degree in Business Development to make him happy, but she couldn’t stand the way he smothered her. More than once she’d thought about working for him, but she wasn’t sure if she could tolerate his management techniques. He tried to micromanage her personal life. She didn’t need him doing that to her professional life, as well. Deep down, she knew he meant well, but it didn’t erase the fact that she was an adult and deserved to be treated like one.

The final straw had been when he’d talked to one of her supervisors at her last job on her “behalf.” As an assistant special events planner at a museum she hadn’t been very high up the ladder and that was fine with her. She’d liked getting the entry level job based on her own qualifications and merits. After a stupid conversation at Sunday brunch when she’d simply been venting about some issues she was having with one of her coworkers her father had taken it upon himself to interfere. She’d been livid when her boss had called her into her office and told her what happened. In college he’d made a stink to the dean one semester when she didn’t get the schedule she wanted and while that had been annoying, interfering with her job was way too much. It had been beyond embarrassing. He owned half the real estate in Savannah—including the museum she’d worked at—and he’d felt it was his right to butt into her life any way he saw fit.

Maybe moving to a small town to bartend wasn’t the best way to deal with him but it was the only way she’d known how to escape without going too far away. It had been easier than she thought to put in notice at the museum. She’d loved working there but it wasn’t what she wanted to do forever. Hell, she still had no clue what she wanted. Certainly not work at a restaurant forever but this was as good a place as any to figure it out.

She glanced up when Carolyn nudged her. A moment of panic seized her. Had she missed something important? Was everyone expecting a response from her?

Relief coursed through her that no one was looking at her and Toby was simply talking. “…And Carolyn is no longer going to be bartending. For those of you who don’t know, she just graduated so she’s going to be taking over the accounting for Mad Dog’s. Which leads me to an important announcement. Adam will be working behind the bar with Izzy for the next two weeks, but I will be looking for a permanent replacement. I don’t think any of you know, but Adam will be moving back home in two weeks. A few of you have voiced interest in bartending so see me after the meeting…”

She knew Toby was still speaking, but everything around her funneled out. Next to her Adam shifted in his seat. She could feel his gaze on her, but she avoided making eye contact as she built a pyramid out of sugar packets.

He was leaving? It shouldn’t matter that he hadn’t told her, but for some reason she felt almost betrayed. Totally irrational, she knew that. Still, she’d assumed he’d felt
something
for her. Maybe she’d read him wrong. Certainly wouldn’t be the first time she’d been wrong about a guy.

As soon as the meeting was over, Adam turned to her. “Listen, Izzy—”

“Do you mind if I walk Carolyn to her car before we leave?” Sure, she was annoyed with him, but her friend was pregnant.
Pregnant!
That took precedence over anything he had to say.

His jaw clenched, but he nodded. “Sure.”

Izzy nearly forgot to breathe as she and Carolyn maneuvered through everyone. A blast of warm air hit them as they stepped outside. “Oh my God! When did you find out?” The words were out of her mouth as soon as the heavy glass door shut behind them.

Carolyn grabbed her hand and tugged her along the sidewalk. It’s not as if anyone could hear them inside, but she obviously wasn’t taking any chances. Once they were a few yards away and close to the edge of the one-story building, her friend dropped her hand and wrapped her arms around herself. “I guess you want to know who the father is, huh?”

“Toby?” The word popped out.

She gasped. “How did you know?”

Izzy rolled her eyes. “Come on. I’m not blind.”

“Do you think anyone else knows?” She placed a hand over her still flat stomach.

Izzy shook her head. “I doubt it. I only know because I
know
you.”

Carolyn sighed heavily. “Thank God. I actually have a doctor’s appointment I need to get to so I can’t stay and talk, but I promise I’ll fill you in on more details later.”

“Okay. Are you going to tell anyone else?”

“Not right now. In a couple months I’ll have to, but I’m waiting to cross that bridge when I have to.”

“I won’t say anything to anyone. I promise.”

“Even to Adam?” Her friend snickered.

Izzy cleared her throat. “There’s nothing going on between us. Especially now,” she muttered.

“Oh please, I see the way that man looks at you. He’s always staring when he thinks no one else is looking. And he ran off that guy who was always bothering you…What was his name, Mark something.”

“What?” She remembered exactly
who
Carolyn was talking about, but didn’t know
what
she was talking about. There was always a guarantee that some of the male customers would annoy the female employees, but this one guy had been relentless to the point she’d considered talking to Toby about him.

“I can’t believe you didn’t know that. When Adam first started he told that pervert Mark that you were taken and if he knew what was good for him, he’d never come back to the bar.”