Her Master Defender (The Masters Men Series) (5 page)

“Okay, we’ll see you in half an hour,” he said and hung up.

“I’m paying for the door. That is not negotiable.” Their food came and she waited until the waitress left to push the point. “I mean it.”

“Didn’t doubt it for a minute,” he said cutting into his open-faced roast beef sandwich. “When we know how much it’s going to cost we’ll deal with paying.”

Okay, she could let it go for now. He seemed to be enjoying his food and hers smelled heavenly. They could talk later. Her stomach demanded fried chicken now.

Twenty minutes later Copper looked for the waitress. Dos had eaten only half of his food, but pushed the rest away. She turned her gaze back to him planning to dig for more information while they waited.

“You ready?” he asked reaching for his hat hanging on a peg at the end of the booth.

“We have to wait for the bill.”

“I’m sure Maddie put it on my tab.” He stood and lifted her coat from its hook.

Copper stood ready to argue, but he held her coat up. When she turned to slip her arms in his breath brushed her ear. He surprised her by whispering in her ear.

“You were right. Maddie does know me.”

Copper turned her head and found herself caught in his delicious gaze. Who needed dessert with yummy eyes like that close by? She saw the moment he realized how unguarded his gaze was and shuttered it. A shame, Copper thought with regret. She really wanted dessert.

He pulled her coat onto her shoulders and they left the diner. Not wanting to push too hard she didn’t take his arm again as they walked back toward the shop.

“So how long since your accident?” she asked.

“Accident?”

“The leg?” Copper clarified knowing he was just putting her off.

“You’re right, you are like your father,” he said without looking at her.

She smiled despite his lack of an answer. Copper didn’t push as he raised his hand and waived to someone in a truck in front of her place. As they got closer she saw Master Security stenciled on the side of the truck. “Your partner?”

“Something like that.”

Copper glanced up getting frustrated with his non-answers. Looking back at the other man she realized she didn’t need a better one this time. Only steps away stood the explanation. When Dos pulled the other man close in a man style hug she met the eyes of the newcomer. They weren’t dark chocolate like Dos’, but just as intense in a gold flecked hazel kind of way.

“Copper Kerrigan, Ace Masters,” Dos said.

Shaking the offered hand she met the man’s humorous grin.

“He didn’t tell you, did he?”

She laughed as she shook her head. “No, he doesn’t seem to like to talk about himself.”

“Family trait, sorry,” Ace told her with a wink. “So let’s take a look at the damage.”

Copper waved toward the door understanding that the slight teasing was meant to put her at ease, not give more information. That was okay, she didn’t mind digging.

“You two are twins?”

“Nope,” they both answered without looking at her as they took measurements.

No doubt they’d been asked many times. Not surprising since they looked identical except for their eyes. Copper didn’t feel put off. “Who’s the big brother then?”

“Me,” Dos answered.

“He’s bigger, I’m older.”

Copper laughed at their sibling rivalry. It made Dos seem not quite so distant. The thought sobered her. It reminded her of her father’s comments and request for help.

“Did you serve under my father, too?”

Ace looked at her over his shoulder. “You’re related to the Colonel?”

Nodding she raised her eyebrows, “So?”

“No,” he answered after looking at his brother.

Closing ranks, she thought undeterred as they left the doorway and entered the shop. “I bet you’re glad to have Dos home.”

“It’s been a long time since we had someone try so hard to pry information out of us. Longer since they looked as good as her,” Ace said chuckling but not answering.

Dos turned, staring hard at Copper. She stared back.

“What?” she asked feigning innocence.

“Stop, he’s not going to tell you anything.”

“Why, because you told him not too?”

“No, because – aughhh.” Dos grabbed his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

“What’s wrong?” Copper asked walking over to him.

Dos didn’t answer. He stepped around her and walked through the open doorway.

“Dos?” she called starting after him.

“I’ll go, you stay here,” his brother said pulling her back after grabbing the cane Dos had dropped. “We’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Figuring Ace knew what to do she nodded and stayed behind. Her gaze never left Dos as he walked stiffly across the street to his office. Something was seriously wrong but right now she couldn’t help. Deciding she needed to keep busy or worry herself crazy she snagged a trash can and started cleaning up again.

Dos stumbled into his office and almost made it to his desk, but not fast enough. He fell into the chair Copper had sat in earlier. It was a full blown attack. Spasms already had control of his muscles. His fingers felt like talons as they curved into his palms. His elbows dug into the arms of the chair as his body arched in a body breaking contraction.

“Where’s the medication?”

Hearing his brother’s voice, though it sounded miles away, Dos forced his eyes open. The burning pain behind them made him doubt what he was seeing. Hallucinations were common when an attack hit.

“Dos, where’s the medication?”

“Desk,” he forced out through his tight clenched jaw.

Seconds later the form he’d seen stood over him again trying to pry his mouth open. Dos fought him as much as he could with his strained body.

“It’s okay, Dos. It’s me, Ace, your brother.”

They’d said things like that before, tricking him into submission. Then they would pump more drugs into him. No, he wouldn’t let it happen anymore.

“Come on, man. You scared Copper to death.”

What? They couldn’t know about Copper. He hadn’t known her when . . . his eyes regained some focus. He recognized Ace standing over him.

“That’s it, brother,” he heard Ace say.

Dos felt the medicine strip slip inside his mouth. He closed his eyes waiting for it to dissolve and take effect. When the spasms eased he slumped in the chair. Hearing footsteps coming toward him he opened one eye.

“Ice pack,” Ace said, holding up a bag of frozen peas.

Allowing his brother to lift his head and place the bag against his neck, he felt more relief. After a few minutes of silence and letting the ice work its magic he met his brother’s concerned gaze. “I’m fine. Stop worrying.”

“Not going to happen,” Ace said not moving. “I haven’t seen one of those in a couple of weeks.”

“Yeah, well, why don’t you forget you saw that one,” Dos said regretting his move back home. Troubling his family with his problems was not acceptable. “Go take care of the door for Copper. I’ll work up a plan for her shop.”

“She’s going to ask questions.”

“Tell her I’m prone to migraines.” His brother’s sarcastic glare didn’t bother him. “It’s not a lie.”

“It’s not the truth.”

“The truth is classified,” he said prying his uncooperative body out of the chair.

“You can’t hide behind that forever.”

Dos froze halfway around the desk. Turning he stared hard into his brother’s eyes as he fumbled for a business card in his pocket. It took two attempts before his hand kept hold of the pen he reached for. He dropped his brother’s gaze needing all his concentration to scrawl his cell number on the back. “Give her our card and tell her to call if she has anymore problems,” he said letting Ace know the conversation was over.

Ace was almost to the door when Dos called to him. “And Ace?” He waited until his brother turned to face him. “The less people know the safer they are. I’m only here because I bought the cabin under an alias. No one but you and Tres know about it. I’m not keeping my distance because I like it that way as much as for everyone’s safety. Keep pushing and I’m gone.”

His brother’s almost imperceptible nod told him he’d made his point. Now Dos could relax, as much as he ever relaxed, and work on security for Copper’s shop.

Dos kept an eye on the progress across the street all day. The new door was in and Ace had helped Copper with some of the bigger clean-up issues before climbing in his truck, staring across the street then driving away. He knew Ace wouldn’t come back to the office.  

His brothers had shown up at the base hospital before he’d regained consciousness from the botched mission. He had not been pleased. When the doctors got his brain unscrambled enough to be coherent he and the Colonel had exchanged heated words.

After Dos’ father died in the line of duty as a cop and his mother’s devastation, he and his brothers vowed to keep people at a distance. At that time, they all planned on police careers like their father. That being the case, they didn’t want to cause anyone the kind of pain their mother had endured. The few slips they had made over the years proved the intelligence of their plan. So, he had specifically told the Colonel not to contact his brothers, or any other family, unless he was dead. Not missing, not wounded, not ill. Dead. That way there wouldn’t be all this wasted worrying.

Over the years his mother and sisters had grown accustomed to not hearing from him for months. He had more communication with his brothers, but not much. They all had lives to live. They didn’t need to be worrying about him. They sure as hell hadn’t needed to see him after that mission; lucky to be half alive, if you called his life now living.

It had taken both brothers multiple visits to convince him to return to Colorado when he was released from the hospital. He knew why the Colonel wanted him out of the hospital and off the base. Cardone would expect to find him on a base or close by. The cabin had been the best option. Dos had barely stopped short of making his brothers sign a contract saying they wouldn’t hover. And telling their mother or anyone else, family or not, anything about his health was forbidden.

He loved his family and would gladly die for any one of them. Putting them in harm’s way was another story. He would disappear before he let that happen. With his captors still on the loose knowing him at all was dangerous.

Helping Ace out with the security business was simply busy work. He needed something to do besides sit in his cabin and go stir crazy. Working up security for companies or planning a test of a preexisting system kept his mind sharp.

At least it did when it wasn’t short circuiting.

Pushing the irritating thought aside he watched the lights go out across the street. Finally. He had been wondering if she would ever call it a day.

Dos pulled on his coat and hat while he watched her close up shop. Hitting the remote start on his truck he left the office by the side door and climbed in before she even finished locking up. She started toward her SUV parked beside the building. Concern started to tingle at the back of his neck when after getting in she didn’t pull out. Just as he reached for the door handle, ready to rush over, her headlights flipped on, as did her blinker.

He let a couple of cars pass before turning to follow. No need making her panic thinking someone was stalking her. The day had been rough enough. He just wanted to make sure she got home without further incident.

A sinking feeling built in his stomach as he drove. There were only so many turnoffs in the direction she was taking. The last one, the one she took, being the road to his cabin.

He caught the light at the turn. It didn’t worry him. He could watch her progress until she made the first curve. The light changed to green right after her car made that turn. As Dos turned onto the road he cut his lights. It wasn’t full dark yet, so he could see well enough without them. This way she wouldn’t notice him. When she went around the turn shortly before the only other house left on the road he slowed down. He wanted her to have time to get in before he went by. Driving past he saw the lights on and her silhouette in the window.

He continued up the hill to his cabin. He’d only been inside five minutes before his phone rang, not that he wasn’t expecting the call. Copper might have told her father to back off, but Colonel Kerrigan preferred giving orders to taking them.

“Hello, Colonel.”

“I hear you had a problem today.”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle. We got a new door put in and most of the place is cleaned up.” It damned well should be as long as she stayed there. “I followed her home and she arrived without incident.”

“I know that except for the following her home, though I expected you would. I just talked to her. She said you had a migraine?”

Scrubbing his hand through his too long hair he gritted his teeth. He should have known she’d tell him. Bad enough his brothers had the Colonel’s number now the man had his daughter spying on him.

“It wasn’t--"

“Don’t lie to me, Major. She told me you didn’t return.”