Wicked and Dangerous (11 page)

Javier looked displeased. “I don’t know whether to be happy that you think I’m better
than Xander at anything or annoyed that you find me a better representation of female
companionship.”

“Blow it out your ass, brother.” Xander grinned, then turned back to Decker.

Everyone drifted to the living room. London sat in the middle of the sofa, and the
brothers took their respective places on either side of her. Javier’s hand tousled
their wife’s long, loose hair. Xander’s hand dropped to her thigh. Decker risked a
glance at Rachel on the loveseat beside him. She looked both a bit shocked and envious,
and it occurred to him that she deserved to feel as desired and adored as London.
Could he fulfill that need for her?

“Coffee for either of you?” the blushing blonde asked, trying really hard not to be
affected by her husbands’ touches and failing more than not.

“No, thanks,” Rachel replied.

“None for me,” seconded Decker. “We won’t stay long. I’ll just grab my things . . .
Rachel has been kind enough to let me crash with her for a few days while I find a
place of my own, so I won’t interrupt your newly wedded bliss anymore.”

London flushed, and when Xander laughed, she nudged her elbow right into his stomach.
“We love having company . . .”

“You don’t have to be polite,
belleza
. It’s always nice to see you. It’s even nicer to see you leave so Javi and I can
be naked with our wife,” Xander snickered.

Decker laughed. “You’re an asshole.”

Xander looked like he could care less.

Shaking his head, Decker turned to Rachel. “Will you be all right here if I gather
my stuff? Shouldn’t take long.”

“Sure.” She sent him a reassuring smile.

He squeezed her hand, then rose, sending Xander a look. His pal followed. Decker heard
the girls talking animatedly and glanced back to see Javier watching them with a doting
expression. Rachel would be fine here. Unless the bastard who’d hired out her murder
was watching her day and night, he would have no idea where she was. Javi would keep
her safe.

“What the hell is going on?” Xander muttered in his ear.

“I gave her a sob story about being in your way and needing another place to hang
for a few days so I could look for some digs of my own. I can’t think of another ruse
that will keep me with her twenty-four/seven. I’m almost sure that Rachel’s ex-husband
isn’t the one trying to off her. I think he’s too clueless to hire a killer. I’ve
got no other suspects, and I don’t like the way any of this smells.”

Xander appeared to mull his words, then nodded. “I can see that. And she has no other
enemies?”

“Not that she knows of, according to her.”

“Think she’s being dishonest?”

They reached the guesthouse out back that Decker had been using, and he started gathering
his toiletries from the granite vanity and shoving them into his duffel. “No. She
can’t lie worth a damn.”

“Then she’s not paying attention?”

“More like she could never imagine that.” Decker gathered a pair of jeans and a jacket
from the back of the chair in the corner and tossed them into his bag. “She gives
everyone the benefit of the doubt. Her ex was a douche bag of massive proportions
to her for years, and she still tried to make excuses for him and see his best. She’s
really . . . fucking sweet.”

“You like this girl.” Xander cocked his head and stared, looking oddly gratified by
his observation.

Decker looked down and focused on his duffel’s zipper, then paused.
Why deny it?
“Yeah. The first time I saw her picture, it was like an uppercut to the stomach.
She just manages to tug at me in a way I don’t understand.”

“Ever been in love?”

“No.”

“That’s why you don’t understand it. Love is a sneaky bitch. One minute your life
is normal. The next you’re mooning over a woman who’s just mowed you down, like some
tornado you didn’t see coming. She’s suddenly the center of your thoughts, and you
don’t know how it happened. It’s a short trip from there to her becoming the center
of your universe.”

“I met Rachel less than eighteen hours ago.” But hadn’t he already been thinking about
a future with her?

Xander shrugged. “I knew London about, oh, thirty minutes when I started to think
she might be the one. Javi said it was about five minutes for him. There was just
an instant click.”

That made sense to Decker now. Twenty-four hours ago, he would have thought Xander
was insane. “Damn.”

“When you know, you just know. I’ve seen you with a lot of women—mostly bimbos—over
the years. She’s not your usual speed. You seem more . . . settled around her.”

He scowled. “Just because you’re married doesn’t mean the rest of the world wants
to be.”

“You’ve never been the kind to bury your head in the sand. Don’t start now.” Crossing
his arms over his chest, Xander leaned into his face. “I’ve never seen you stick your
neck out this far for anyone. I mean, I paid you for years to get me out of scrapes.”

“I’m damn good at it, too.”

“The best, which is why Javi and I hired you to help with the company’s security.
But you wanting to protect Rachel, taking days and days to do it, practically moving
in with her . . . I know damn well it’s not a platonic situation. In the past, you
were always a blow-and-go kind of guy. Once the orgasm was over, you were pretty much
done and gone.”

How was that for an unvarnished truth? Pretty exact. Decker had gone through most
of his life not making too many connections or calling anyplace home. The curse of
the military brat. It had carried over into adulthood. But now, he had the oddest
desire to plant roots and grow them. He didn’t want to be alone anymore. No, that
wasn’t it. Being with Rachel appealed to him, even more than he would have thought.
What if he made her his, had someone to come home to every day, got married and started
a family?

Decker didn’t hate the idea. And that just about floored him.

“Maybe . . . things have changed,” he acknowledged.

Xander grinned. “I knew it! One look at you and—”

“But it’s not that simple, Xander. I’m just a fling for her.” And didn’t that suck?
“Rachel thinks I’ll be gone in a few days, tops. I doubt she’ll miss me when I’ve
gone. She’s only been divorced about fourteen months. She may not be ready to hear
that I’m . . . falling in love.”

“She has feelings for you. It’s all over her face.”

“And when she finds out I lied to her about almost everything?”

“She’ll forgive you.” Xander clapped him on the back. “Dude, you’re trying to save
her life and preserve her peace of mind.”

Yes, but would she believe that he’d wanted her for
her
and not just because he’d been playing the hero or fulfilling a responsibility?

“If I haven’t solved this by Tuesday night, I’m going to have to tell her that someone
wants her dead, that I picked her up for a reason . . . everything. I don’t want to
scare her, but I need to come clean with her. I’d just rather do it once I know she’s
safe.” He blew out a ragged breath. “I don’t want to lose her.”

“Sounds smart. Who are your other suspects? What’s your plan?”

“Some ideas have been brewing in the back of my head. I need to look into her neighbors
and friends, just to make sure there’s no one I should zoom in on. Her ex might not
have been the one to hire me, but my gut tells me the whole damn mess has something
to do with him. I’ve just got to prove it.”

“Can I help?”

“Occupy Rachel for a few minutes and let me borrow a laptop.”

“Sure. I’ll shut you up in my office at the back of the house for a bit.”

Decker lifted his duffel, nerves biting his belly. “Perfect.”

Xander shut him into the room lined with bookshelves. A sleek laptop sat in the middle
of the leather-topped monstrosity. He tried not to think that the guy had probably
done the nasty with his wife here more than once and focus on his task.

A few clicks of his computer later proved that her friend Shonda had neither the money
nor the motive to want Rachel dead. The woman had four hundred dollars in checking,
and her rent was past due. Shonda never had so much as a parking ticket, and she’d
been named teacher of the year at Magnolia Elementary last year. Saturday at noon,
she’d been working on a Habitat for Humanity project about forty miles away. And the
woman’s brother was still in the hospital. Decker scratched her off the list of suspects.

He looked into her neighbors. The house next door to her on the east had actually
been vacant for the last six weeks. On the other side lived Brian Boone, a man who
traveled for a living. His girlfriend either lived there or took care of the place
while he was gone because she always signed for his deliveries. According to Brian’s
credit card statement, he’d just dropped a hefty sum at a jewelry store Friday afternoon,
then sprung for a fancy French dinner last night. Twenty bucks said the guy was engaged
now. Happy people didn’t usually solicit murder, especially in the middle of popping
the question. Decker removed him from the list, too.

A quick scan of all the occupants on her street and the rest of her coworkers didn’t
turn up a single red flag. And this wasn’t some random psycho killer. They usually
wanted to do their own dirty work just for the thrill.

So he came back to Owen. Her ex seemed like the sort of guy who didn’t want to get
his hands dirty. If he was so worried about repairing his relationship, why would
he bother with Rachel? Did it have something to do with that expired marriage license?

That was it. He needed to talk to Owen, man to professor, and find out what the hell
was going on. While he was at it, he should meet Carly, too. Men were far more likely
to murder than women, but hiring the work out was definitely a female’s style. She
might consider an assassin something like a life adjustment handyman.

But in order to talk to the struggling lovebirds, he would have to leave Rachel.
Damn it
.

With a sigh, he cleared the computer’s cache, shut the lid, and picked up the duffel.
A rough plan formed in his head. He’d no more stepped into the living room when the
group shot his plan to hell.

“I’d like that,” Decker heard Rachel say. “Tomorrow would be great.”

“You’ll like my friend Delaney. She’s really kind. Just slap me if we get too deep
into the baby talk. She’s been through this twice, and I’m still trying to figure
out what’s going on with my body.”

“Tomorrow for what?” Decker barked.

Rachel welcomed him back with a smile. “London asked me to meet her and her friend
for lunch.”

He didn’t like it, but to balk might make him look controlling. Or force him to explain
now. Decker took a deep breath. Rachel would be with two other women in a public place.
As far as the guy who wanted her dead indicated, the job didn’t have to be complete
until probably the day after tomorrow. A little breathing room. Decker vowed to take
precautions and do everything possible to keep her safe.

He forced a smile. “That’s awesome. I’m sure you’ll have a great time.”

But the outing bugged the hell out of him over their early dinner. His fear for her
caused him to reach for her three times during the night to make love to her, each
time successively more possessive than the last. While she slept, he swiped her iCloud
password and downloaded an app that allowed him to track her phone. Anxiety made him
pull her into his lap over breakfast so he could hold her close. That same niggling
worry urged him to hold her tight as they were walking out the door. He escorted her
to her car and watched her drive off. Decker figured that she’d get angry or suspicious
if he stalked her the three blocks to the restaurant. The roads were public. She’d
be fine; he had to believe that.

Straddling his Ducati, he made his way over to Carly’s older brother’s place. Christian
Adams, age thirty, hadn’t been hard to track down. He was an auto mechanic with no
priors. Divorced two years ago. No kids. Ho hum. Hopefully, Owen, Carly, and this
dude would all be at his house, packing up and getting ready to head to the airport.

When Decker pulled up in front of the place, it looked spotless and well kept, if
a bit older. Mature trees swept over the roof in the breeze. A big dog napped on the
front porch.

A minute after he rang the bell, a short brunette with tousled dark hair, kind blue
eyes behind a pair of studious glasses, and a kindly inquisitive expression answered
the door. She wore a little sundress that hung off one shoulder and suggested that
she’d donned it hastily. No evidence of a bra.

Decker’s first impression was that this woman would never stoop to murder. Her capable,
open air told him she’d rather deal with a situation head on.

“Hi. Is Owen here? I’d like to talk to him.”

She turned wary. “You are . . . ?”

“Decker.” He put out his hand. “I’m his ex-wife’s . . . boyfriend.”

“Oh.” Her eyes widened as if startled. “I . . . yeah. He told me about you.”

So he’d made an impression on Owen. Nifty.

“Are you Carly?” he asked.

“I am.”

No doubt from Carly’s tone, she was really confused about his reason for being here.
In truth, he was now, too. If Owen hadn’t wanted Rachel dead enough to hire him, and
Carly wasn’t that kind of woman . . . who did that leave? A few more questions, then
he’d have to move on, turn his head inside out, and dig deeper to figure out who might
want Rachel on a morgue slab.

“Nice to meet you.” He stuck his hand out.

She took it. “Same to you. Is something wrong?”

Decker shrugged. “Just like to make sure Owen and I don’t have any problem.”

He had no burning urge to get along with Rachel’s ex, but women usually understood
everyone wanting to make nice. So he smiled and waited for her to play along.

He was surprised when she blushed. “I don’t know what you and Rachel said to Owen,
but he’s been expressive and, um . . . really affectionate since he came back.”