Two in the Afternoon (3 page)

Chapter Five

Leaving the storage room behind, Cal watched Molly's ass as they made their way down the hall leading back to the bar area. It wasn't doing a damned bit of good to cure his raging libido, but the view was mighty fine.

As they cleared the hallway, every detail before him came into sharp focus. Master Chief had a large blond man pushed up against the wall closest to the entrance. With a beefy forearm pressed against his throat, the man couldn't speak but had his hands raised in the air, attempting to show no threat. Another large man, this one with short black hair, had a baseball bat pointed at his face by the Master Chief's other hand. Bo stood behind Master Chief, emitting a low but fierce warning growl, every muscle rigid as he held himself in check.

Molly surged forward, but Cal held her back. Pushing her behind him, he held her there with one hand as she fought to get around him.

“Stay put,” he ordered.

Immediately she stopped fighting him and settled in behind the bar, reaching for her own baseball bat. Obviously, Noah was well prepared for trouble breaking out at the pub.

Striding forward, Cal spoke, “Master Chief, need a hand?”

“These two sons-a-bitches are the ones following Molly.”

She really should have been frightened, but Molly was far more fascinated than afraid. Cal strode across the pub with single-minded intent. He wore another pair of rugged khaki shorts with a plain white tee. Basic guy wear, but when Cal grabbed the man at the end of Chief's baseball bat and every muscle in his body bunched and flexed, he looked anything but basic.

As Cal shoved the man up against the wall, each item nailed to it rattled and threatened to fall to the ground. Bo gave a brief bark and vibrated with rage as the unknown man swore vehemently.

“You have two seconds to explain yourself before I tear you apart. Understand?” Cal punctuated his words with another push, cracking the man's head against the wall hard enough to snap his jaw shut in the process.

“We are not the men following Molly, but we do need to speak with her.” This came from the blond Chief had pinned with a forearm.

Chief growled, “You'll damn well talk to me instead, boy.”

Cal's normally honeyed skin was darkening with anger, turning a mottled red, as he pulled the darker-haired man away from the wall. “Now we take this outside.” Over his shoulder he called to Molly, “Call the police.”

“Wait. Gabe Ryan sent us.”

Molly dropped her bat and rushed to Cal. She hadn't heard from Gabe in over seven months and just hearing his name from a stranger's lips brought a flash of anxiety. “Let him go. Now, Cal.”

She ran a hand down his broad back and relished the strength there before turning her gaze to the man presently lifted up on his tiptoes.

Cal slowly settled him back to his feet but didn't step away. With his grip still firmly bunched in the man's shirt, he still controlled the situation.

Forcing a calm she didn't feel, when she spoke it was controlled and tight. “How do you know my brother? And why have you been following me?”

The man looked pointedly down at Cal's hands on his shirt. In response, Cal only tightened his hold again. “Captain Ryan asked us to keep an eye on you until he got home. He's scheduled to relieve us in ten days.” He glanced at his partner before going on. “And, again, we are not the ones following you.”

Relief washed over her, Gabe wasn't hurt and he'd be here soon. “If you know my brother, and he really did send you, then he'd have given you a code for me. What is it?”

The man looked embarrassed for a moment, which was a good sign. If he really knew Gabe, then he should be embarrassed by their code. “Captain Awesome says that Princess Prissy's fort is under attack.”

Cal looked amused and relaxed his hands, letting the man stand without his support, and stepped back.

Molly hadn't been called Princess Prissy in years, but growing up, it had been her constant nickname. Though she'd never called Gabe by his self-given nickname. Captain Awesome, indeed.

As children, they each had their own backyard fort and had often attacked one another in mock battle. Even as a child, Gabe had been a warrior, and Molly had spent her entire childhood trying to keep up with him. He was only a year older, and they'd spent plenty a summer day waging war with water guns and fake swords. The memory made Molly smile, missing her brother more than ever.

Even as children he'd protected her from the evils in the world. When their parents' drinking would turn angry and belligerent it was always Gabe stepping up and taking care of her. From making sure they had food to attempting to hide her in the closet when things got really ugly, he was always her hero. By the time she was seventeen their father had drank himself into liver failure and their mom had left her children behind and never looked back.

Gabe had stuck around until she graduated, packed her off to college, and promptly joined the Army. And she had missed him every day they'd been apart. Gabe was a warrior and was finally living life on his own terms, and she could never begrudge him that.

He'd been an elite Delta Force soldier for over five years. The danger he lived with on a daily basis brought fear to her life at every level. She couldn't wait to see him, speak to him, and possibly yell at him for not being there when she'd needed him most. Not his fault, but emotions weren't always rational and without him she'd had no one to rely on. Every time she heard his name her heart seized, waiting for the bad news that she just knew was going to come someday.

“All right, you pass.” She nodded at Chief and grabbed Cal's hand, tugging him away from the men. “Let's sit down and hash this out.”

Bo padded back to his bed by the bar, content that all was calm again. The two groups of men eyed one another warily. Cal and Chief stared down her brother's friends like they expected them to grow horns any second.

They each took a seat at one of the larger tables near the windows, Molly flanked by Chief and Cal. The other two men across from them, looking slightly outnumbered.

Not that they appeared intimidated. They were just as capable as either of the men at her side. Just as confident, calm and competent as her brother.

The blond man spoke first. “I'm Danvers, and this is Masterson.” Both men nodded, and Molly made introductions for Cal and Chief. “Ryan had us on recon detail for the last couple of weeks.”

“Recon detail? What does that mean?”

Cal spoke before Danvers or Masterson. “It means they're gathering information, keeping an eye out for trouble.”

“What trouble? The only trouble I've had is you guys freaking me out because you're always following me around!” Molly could feel her blood pressure spiking. Her brother had given her a tail without telling her. Noah and Chris had called in a damn Army Ranger to watch out for her, and now the two goons she'd been afraid of were in her bar, telling her another story. What the hell was going on?

Again, it was Cal who spoke. “I'd say they're here to scare someone else away. No way they're sloppy enough to be seen if they didn't want to be.”

She eyed the men across from her. They nodded in agreement. “Lay it out for me. What exactly is going on around here? And why didn't my brother tell me you were going to be following me?”

“Well, our orders were to stay in the shadows unless a threat presented itself. No need to frighten you unnecessarily—” Masterson broke off.

Danvers picked up the story. “Then we noticed that blue sedan. Captain wanted us to be seen immediately, to warn them off. Yesterday we got word that we needed to make contact with you, but that was made impossible when Rambo over here drew a gun on us in the parking lot.” He glanced at Molly. “Obviously, you've got more backup than your brother anticipated.”

Molly felt Cal bristle at the Rambo jab, but he held himself back and let it slide. Chief, however, wasn't going to let anything go. “Damn straight he drew a gun on your dumb asses.”

Both men looked sheepish. “It's understandable, given the threat. But it slowed us down trying to reach Molly.”

Molly wasn't surprised that Chief knew about the fiasco yesterday. Of course Chris would have called him and put him on alert. It was nice to be so protected, but it was also more than a little bit stifling to be surrounded by so many men who felt obligated to take care of her.

She wasn't stupid enough to be too angry. After surviving Pratt's attack over a year ago, she might find all the testosterone overbearing, but she also understood that her ego took a back seat to her physical safety. After barely escaping Pratt's assault in one piece physically, she was painfully aware of her own limitations. Pratt had outweighed her by a hundred pounds, easily. He had underestimated her, and that was the only reason she had walked away from him with only a broken hand and a few shallow cuts from his knife.

It had taken months to feel comfortable in her own skin again. Even now, after all this time, she wasn't completely at ease. And it felt exceptionally good to know she wasn't as alone in all this as she had first thought. The tension in her chest was starting to unfurl, just enough to let her catch her breath.

After a year of watching her own back it felt good to take a breath that wasn't couched in all-consuming fear. Her family had only included Gabe for so long, that she hadn't realized Noah, Tenn, Chris and Chief had slowly become a part of her trusted circle.

She heaved a great sigh and rested her head on the table, suddenly very exhausted. Cal ran a hand up her back. “Now what?” Her words were muffled against the table.

“Now we keep up surveillance and report back to Ryan as soon as we have solid information.” Masterson's voice was quiet and calm.

“But you haven't seen anything. Have you?”

“Nothing conclusive. We've both got a gut feeling about this. Something's up, that's for sure.”

“So you guys are just going to keep tailing me?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“And my brother's going to be here in ten days?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“When you talk to Captain Awesome, you tell him I want you guys off my ass. Right now. I've got Chief here during my shift, and I've got Cal for the…rest.” She waved a hand in the air, indicating Cal next to her.

“We can relay the message, but he's not going to listen. He was very explicit that your safety is the number one priority.”

Molly still had her head buried in her arms and didn't notice the look the two men across the table gave each other. Cal gave Chief a glance, and the man spoke softly to Molly before hustling her off away from the table. The three men waited for them to disappear in the back before speaking.

“What's your second priority?”

Masterson looked over at his partner before speaking. “Before we answer that, we need to know how you fit in to all this. Ryan never briefed us about a boyfriend, and you just showed up on the scene yesterday.”

“Noah Harper pulled me in. I'm an Army Ranger on leave. Now either tell me what the second priority is or I want to talk to Ryan myself.”

Danvers glanced at his partner before saying, “Second priority is to haul these assholes in with substantial charges that will stick or neutralize if necessary.”

“Good.”

There was something not quite military about Danvers and Masterson. He eyed them across the table and took in their casual posture, their shaggier-than-military hair, even their slightly scruffy facial hair. When Masterson shifted a bit in his chair it raised the sleeve of his tee, exposing the bottom edge of a tattoo. It looked like the tip of a sword with flames dancing along the edges.

Cal nodded at the tattoo, drawing both Danvers's and Masterson's attentions. They both lifted their right sleeves, exposing identical tattoos. Inked into the blade of the sword was the phrase
miles conductus
. Which was Latin for mercenary. And everything clicked. Gabe Ryan had hired two mercs to protect his sister when he couldn't.

Cal sat back with a smile. He already liked Molly's brother. A man who knew how to get shit done. If you wanted to protect someone you loved, sometimes you had to make the hard decisions. If a psycho was gunning for his sister, he'd do the same damn thing. No question about it. Hell, he thought Gabe Ryan had already shown a great deal of restraint, since Harrison Pratt was still alive. “Molly doesn't need to know about that, but I'll back you guys if needed. You just let me know when.”

Chapter Six

They had settled into a comfortable silence when Molly came bustling out of the kitchen with a tray of food. Chief followed with a pitcher of iced tea. “I figured since we're all on the same team the least I could do is feed you.”

Molly's smile lit the room, and she looked more relaxed than when she'd left with Chief. The old man really had a way with her. If Master Chief had been thirty years younger, he might've given Cal a run for his money.

As they began to dig into Chief's crab cakes, the door to the pub opened and every eye turned in that direction. Cal's mind froze at the sight of the woman in the doorway. A quick smile formed when she spotted Cal, and she began to make her way to their table.

Danvers whistled low in appreciation as Lainey skirted around a table, presenting them with a view of her from behind. Cal kicked the man in the shins and gave him a speaking glance before turning his attention back to the woman.

Under his breath, Danvers said, “What? She's damn fine.”

“She's also my sister, you ass.”

Molly watched the very pretty woman make her way across the pub. She only had eyes for Cal as she wove through the tables. She heard Cal make a low comment to Danvers, but it had been lost to her, too low for her to register.

With a pair of comfortable khaki shorts, a plain white tank and hot-pink flip-flops, the woman looked far too casual to be drop-dead gorgeous. But when Molly took in the whole package, this woman was just that. Pretty, nearly black hair fell to her shoulders in an edgy, modern style that framed a face with golden skin and exotic gray eyes. Devoid of any makeup, she was fresh faced and slightly dewy from the summer heat.

It was her body that really made her a stand out, though. She was taller than the average woman, maybe nearly five inches over Molly, with mile-long legs that were trim and athletic. Both arms were covered in ink to just below her elbows. A slim waist gave way to an impressive chest that bounced and swayed as she walked. And every man in the room watched her make her way toward their table.

A spark of jealousy rose in Molly as she watched Cal frown at the new arrival but stand to hug her. He kissed her cheek and said something in her ear that caused the new girl to laugh before placing a kiss on Cal's cheek in return. As he turned to face the table at large, Cal kept an arm around the woman.

This was so not good. Already she was getting attached to Cal. One damn day! A couple of smoking hot kisses and she was just greedy enough to want more from him. The very same someone she didn't even want to date.

When Molly stood to excuse herself, Cal was starting introductions, but she wasn't listening. She needed a few minutes to regroup before she could play nice. Just when she thought she was getting a handle on the chaos that was her life, she suddenly felt off balance again. She had to make an escape before she said or did something ridiculous. Like make it obvious that she wanted more from Cal than a short fling.

She caught her foot on the table leg and stumbled forward, like a fool, then righted herself in a hurry. Striving for some semblance of control, she picked up her plate and turned her back to the crowd watching her retreat.

“Molly?” Cal's voice broke through the buzzing in her ears, sounding confused and a little sharper than his normal tone.

Without turning around, she said, “I'll be right back. Just a sec.”

What the hell was wrong with her? She did not have feelings for Cal Eversman, she was not jealous of the beauty on Cal's arm. She just needed to catch her breath. And regain control of her life.

She was angrily scraping her plate into the trash when Cal burst through the door.

Cal watched Molly closely. He'd assumed she was upset about Pratt and the situation becoming so much more than she'd thought, but that didn't explain why she was preparing to wage war with him right now. Molly's shoulders were a rigid line as she set her plate down and turned to him.

Having learned from an early age that understanding women was harder than infiltrating an enemy camp unarmed and alone, he just waited for her to continue before opening his mouth.

She vibrated with tension. “I'm fine.”

Okay, now he was really confused. “You are obviously not fine.”

She scowled at him, but without any real heat. “I'm freaking out. Okay? I just got jealous of your friend! That is not supposed to be happening. And everything else is out of control. So out of control I can't even comprehend how to put it all together again. Now go away so I can freak out alone.” She was getting that panicked edge to her voice again, the kind where only dogs could hear her as she started to squeak.

Well, hell. That explained a lot. He tried not to smile, but he couldn't help himself. A smile curved one side of his mouth and Molly gasped at his display.

“This isn't funny!” She took a step toward him, probably to tear his face off with her bare hands. She was tiny but mighty.

When she was within reaching distance, he gripped both wrists and pulled her close. She struggled against him, but it was useless. “Molly.” She struggled more and tried to stomp on his foot. He jerked her fully against his body, feeling her breath catch as he held her hands behind her back with a gentle grip. “Listen to me. That's my sister. Her name is Lainey, and if you look closely you'll notice that she's my twin.”

She looked surprised, and he felt her body relax in his arms. “You have a twin? And she's a girl?”

With a smile he answered, “Yes, to both questions.”

He watched a blush climb her neck and creep across her cheeks. “Oh.”

She was adorable. It gave him a glimmer of hope, just a small one, after getting shot down earlier for a real date. Not that he was against a little fun, but the spark between him and the spitfire in front of him deserved more than just a fling. She could make him yearn for things he'd never anticipated wanting.

He released her now that the threat of bodily harm had passed and brought his hands to cradle her face. “There's no need to be upset. We can work on getting everything under control. The important thing is you stay safe and protected.”

Still blushing, she said, “I'm sorry… Everything is out of balance in my life and it isn't like me to be so damn clingy. Not that it's an excuse. Lord, I'm making a fool out of myself.”

Scowling now, Cal brought his face closer to hers. Their lips nearly met as he felt her hands curl around his waist, gripping him tightly. “We are exclusive, while I'm here. Agreed?”

In response she took his mouth. Hungrily, he absorbed the feel of her body pressed close. Her lips were warm and pliant under his and within moments, their kiss turned erotic and his dick hummed to life again. This tiny woman had the power to turn him inside out.

They were both too wrapped up in each other to hear his sister's entrance but quickly broke apart when she spoke. “Oh. I'm really sorry to interrupt you guys. I need to go check in at the cabin I rented, but I thought maybe we could plan on dinner later?”

Cal placed Molly in front him in an effort to hide his erection from his baby sister.

“Oh.” Molly looked up at him with a question in her eyes.

“Sure, Laine. How about you meet us here around seven and we'll go from there?”

“Excellent.” She smiled and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, and he noticed the slight bruising on the inside of her wrist.

When his eyes locked on the bruise, she dropped her arm quickly and attempted to rush out the door.

“Laine.” It was a command, and she recognized it as such.

She stopped with her back to him and steeled herself before turning around. “Cal. Can we not do this right now?”

“What happened?”

Molly looked confused by their conversation but let him step around her without question.

“Not now.” She gave him a pleading look and looked at Molly pointedly before saying, “Later?”

“Lainey. You are going to tell me what's going on right now or you are not leaving. What else happened? Does Dad know?”

His little sister bit her lip, and he feared he was going to have a crying female on his hands. But Lainey Eversman was tougher than that. She shoved at his chest instead. “Look, buddy, everything is fine. Dad doesn't need to know, and I'm here to see you before you ship out to some godforsaken country for another year.”

“Don't change the subject.”

“Fine. The boyfriend didn't appreciate becoming my ex.” She held up her wrist for his inspection before saying, “But it's handled, and he's history. I'm here to see you, since Dad clued me in on where you were. Thanks for calling me, by the way.”

There was more to the story, there always was with his sister, but it was enough to calm his nerves. As soon as he dealt with Molly's situation, he was going to track down that bastard ex-boyfriend and tear him limb from limb. No one laid a hand on his sister. He nodded and said, “We'll talk more tonight.”

With a quick smile, so much like his own, she rushed out the door without a backward glance.

Molly watched Cal's sister bolt out the kitchen door as he gathered himself a few feet away from her. When he turned, he was rubbing a hand over his scalp in irritation.

“Is everything okay?”

He retraced his steps back to her and laid a brief kiss on her forehead. “She's fine, a little shaken up, but I'll handle the ex.”

Now it was her turn to smile. “I'm not quite sure you know it, but you and your sister speak shorthand, so I only followed about half of the conversation.”

His eyebrows shot up, and then he chuckled. “It's always been that way between us.” He took a deep breath before going on. “Her boyfriend left a bruise as a parting gift—faint, but definite. She's close with our dad back in Ohio, so I was surprised to see her here. I called Dad when I got stateside but hadn't given Laine a call yet. She's obviously spooked about the boyfriend to show up unannounced here. And it's unlike her to take time off from the studio, even more so when it's unplanned.”

“Is she okay? That's awful.” For a brief moment Molly remembered Pratt's attack. How helpless she felt when he laid his hands on her, pushing her against the stone wall at the car park. “It's terrible when you feel helpless.”

Cal frowned and she felt the tension in him as she hugged him tight, running a hand down his back to sooth. “She's a tough cookie. And like you, she can hold her own. You don't have a big brother as an Army Ranger without learning how to handle yourself.”

It made her smile, to hear his obvious admiration for his sister. It also made her wistful for her own big brother. “You don't think it's more? After what happened in Chicago I really needed my family. That's why I moved closer to Gabe, even though he's never here. At least when he is on base I'll be able to see him.”

Cal frowned, in thought. He looked at the door Lainey had just left through and then back at Molly. “I'll talk to her. You're probably right, she wouldn't ask for help outright, but she would just show up unannounced because it made her feel better. Especially since my unit will be shipping back overseas in a few months.”

Just the thought made her heart clench. It was hard enough to worry about her brother's safety every second of every day. She wasn't ready to face worrying about Cal's safety as well. Getting involved with him, however casually, wasn't going to end well for her. Molly didn't exactly excel at casual relationships. Which couldn't be more obvious to her after her weird little panic attack a few minutes ago.

Molly got attached, involved, and it was obvious Cal was already looking ahead to when he left town and moved on with this career. Sometimes being such a girl was a total pain in the ass. She'd really like to have this casual fling without letting her heart get involved. Well, she could try anyway.