Hiding From Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 2) (9 page)

“You might have to help me with that,” she whispered, her lips caressing his stubbly jaw while his hands roamed over the curve of her bottom. “Hot sounds good.”

So very good. His mouth took control of their kiss, dominant and playful at the same time. She gave herself over to him, happily following his lead until they were both breathless and aroused. She moaned as his lips traveled over her jaw to nibble at her earlobe before sliding down to a shoulder, her heart galloping a mile a minute.

“Let’s go upstairs,” she urged, letting her head fall back to give him unfettered access to the nape of her neck.

Instead of nibbling at her sensitized skin he took a step back, his expression conflicted. “You know I want to, babe, but you’re dead on your feet and we need to be on the road early in the morning. I’ve still got a few things I need to take care of. If I carry you up those stairs neither one of us is going to get any sleep for quite a while.”

“Suddenly I’m not very tired,” she teased, running her hands up and down his muscled arms, the flesh warm under her palms.

He captured her hands in his and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I take this seriously. You’ve been scared for too long. I want to give you some peace of mind if I can and to do that I need to make sure I don’t lose focus. There are things that need to be done before we leave in the morning.”

She admired his dedication but damn if she wasn’t more than a little disappointed too. West could rev her engine with a simple kiss but she’d waited for a man like this for a long time. Someone who put her safety and well-being before his libido.

Crap and double crap. She’d fallen for an honorable man and this was the result. Safe. Sound. And aroused.

“You’re a good man, Westin Anderson.” She pushed at his shoulder playfully. “A frustrating one, but good. You get me all wound up and then…nothing. A girl could get a complex, you know.”

He tugged her back into his arms, the warmth from his body easily penetrating her blue jeans and shirt to heat her skin. “I’ll promise you here and now that when we get to Las Vegas the odds will definitely be in your favor. In fact, let’s call it two-to-one. Two orgasms for you for every one of mine. Deal?”

She liked those odds.

“Deal.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “Seriously, don’t stay up too late. You need to sleep as much as I do.”

He gave her bottom a playful slap as she passed him on the way to the stairs. “Just don’t hog the covers. It’s supposed to be cool tonight.”

Bounding up the stairs, Gigi felt more hope than she had in a long time. She’d told the truth to West and he was determined to keep her safe and help her find her siblings. Plus the Feds were looking into Alan’s dealings in Chicago.

Maybe she had a future after all.

‡

G
igi was having
a wonderful dream.

She and West were walking hand in hand down a white sandy beach, cool water lapping at her toes and the warm sun beating down on her bare skin. Birds glided overhead while palm trees swayed in the gentle breeze. The scent of coconut oil and hibiscus filled the air and she kicked out her foot playfully, splashing water on West’s legs. He laughed and pulled her closer, a wide grin on his handsome face. Leaning down to look into her eyes, he cupped her cheeks in his strong hands, his face inches from her own as if to tell her something very important.

“Don’t say anything.”

Gigi sucked in a breath, her eyes flying open.

Her heart raced and her body trembled at being awoken so abruptly. West sat on the edge of the mattress, his fingers pressed to her lips. She opened her mouth to speak but he shook his head. Instead of talking he tossed the covers aside and drew her out of bed. Guiding her to the large walk-in closet in the corner of the room, he opened the door and backed her into it, pressing a handgun and a flashlight into her shaking fingers.

“There’s someone trying to break into the house. They’re trying all the doors and windows. Stay here while I take care of this and don’t come out for anything. Nothing, do you hear me? When I’m done I’ll knock on the door three times. Got it?”

She heard him although he’d kept his voice deliberately soft and low. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves she grabbed onto his arm, not wanting him to go out there.

“It’s dangerous. Call 911.”

The minute the words were out of her mouth she realized how idiotic they sounded. West was the police and handling a burglar was probably a boring night for him.

“Obviously you haven’t woken up yet, babe. I’ve got this. Just stay here and be safe. I’ll be fine. I’ve already called for backup.”

Of course he would have. He was a trained cop and she was still bleary-eyed from REM sleep. Just for a little extra added embarrassment her hair was probably sticking straight up as well.

“Can I help?”

“Yes. You can help by not doing anything that would distract me. So stay here until I come and get you. If anyone doesn’t knock and tries to come through that door? Shoot them.”

Instructions didn’t come much clearer than those. She nodded and he closed the closet door behind him, leaving her in the dark. She took a few steps backwards until she could feel hanging clothes on her back. Sinking to the floor, she leaned back on a cardboard box, squirming to try and get comfortable.

Her heart had slowed to its normal pace and she stretched her legs out from their cramped position. There was nothing to be afraid of, really. West would catch the burglar and she’d sit here like a fool in the closet with a loaded gun.

Kind of ironic. She’d been waiting all these months for one of Alan’s men to come for her but tonight she was cowering in a closet because of someone who wanted to steal West’s Xbox.

Life was strange.

*     *     *

With all that
was going on in West’s life the last thing he needed right now was to fend off a burglar. Probably some young kid or maybe a junkie looking to score a DVD player, iPhone, or a Playstation that would bring a quick buck. He should be lying in bed next to Gigi catching up on his sleep but instead he was climbing out of his bedroom window and walking as silently as possible on his roof.

Dropping to his knees, he slowly crawled close to the edge that hung over the side of the house. Coming from the ground below, he could hear a few whispers and the sound of someone shaking the window frame.

West craned his neck and was able to make out two figures in the shadows. Not the best odds but then he’d been in much worse. If the guys were amateurs they’d run the minute he identified himself.

Easing the .38 from his shoulder holster he pointed the barrel down at the dark outlines before shouting. “Police! Drop any weapons and lie on the ground.”

Normally that command – out of the blue and in the middle of the night – was enough to get a perp to piss himself before he went belly first into the grass shouting he was innocent and it was all a set up. Or he called for his lawyer.

It didn’t matter which to West. The guy could tell it to the judge at arraignment the next morning.

This time neither of the figures did any of those things. West barely had time to scoot back and duck his head as one raised his arm in West’s direction. There was a flash of light from a gun barrel piercing the darkness and then he felt the whistle of a bullet fly past his ear. Flattening his body to the rough shingles, he heard three more shots ring out in his general direction but none as close as the first.

What the fuck?

An urgent unintelligible whisper and then the thud of footsteps in the grass as the men ran, probably toward a getaway vehicle. West swung down from the roof, landing with a jolt on the air conditioning unit before jumping to the ground. Glad he kept himself in excellent shape he broke into a sprint, the men not far in front of him.

“This is the police! Stop!” he bellowed again but he already knew they weren’t going to stop fleeing the scene. If they had the audacity to shoot at a police officer they weren’t going to suddenly throw down their weapons and surrender like good little citizens. The sound of sirens in the distance indicated however that backup would be there momentarily and West could get this situation under control. This was a residential neighborhood and West didn’t want any of his neighbors to get hurt.

Especially not the woman who was hopefully following his exact instructions.

One of the men looked over his shoulder and wildly fired two more rounds, one hitting a window in West’s house and the other flying off into the air. These assholes were going to hurt an innocent bystander at this rate and already lights were coming on in windows down the street, one by one. Soon people would be streaming out of their houses and into the line of fire, drawn by the sound of shots.

Stay where you are, babe. Just stay there.

West raised his gun but one of the men dashed into the darkened street as the police backup careened into the neighborhood, sirens blaring and lights flashing. Whether the perp was temporarily blinded or simply not paying attention West didn’t know, but the man bolted straight into the path of the oncoming vehicle. There was a squeal of tires and the sickening sound of metal on bone. West’s stomach twisted in his gut and he winced at the splash of red on the black and white cruiser.

Bodies streamed from the homes along the street and West lost sight of the other man until he heard the roar of an engine and a vehicle barreling out of the neighborhood. He couldn’t make out the license plate but he could tell it was a dark Ford Escape, possibly navy blue or black. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he quickly sent a text to Nancy who was working police dispatch tonight about the speeding SUV. He added, “Armed and dangerous. Do not engage without backup.”

With more sirens screaming in the background West knelt next to the injured man. The other officer had already started administering first aid and West was careful to stay out of the way while still getting a glimpse of the suspect’s face.

Shit. No one he knew.

Strange that someone from out of the area would be breaking into homes but the economy wasn’t the greatest and desperation made people do strange things. Another cop car pulled into West’s driveway and Lou Blanton hopped out. Lou was an experienced officer and a good man to have on the scene.

I need to get to Gigi.

“Jesus, you take a leave of absence and this is what happens?” Lou peered down at the blood covered man and grimaced. “What’s going on here?”

West stood and pointed back to his home. “Two guys trying to break in. Heard them trying the doors and windows. I gave them the usual warning and told them to stop but they started firing on me before taking flight. I pursued and they continued to fire on me but this one ran into the path of Jerry’s cruiser. The other got away in a dark SUV. Late model. I asked Nancy to put out a BOLO.”

Lou whistled and jotted down a few notes. “Did you discharge your weapon? Damn, there are too many people around here. We’ll need a couple of officers just to deal with the crowd.”

More officers were arriving along with an ambulance, the flashing lights illuminating the entire block. For a measly burglary attempt this was quite a mess. The local news was bound to show up any minute.

“No. Too many people. I never had a clear shot.” West paced, too wired to stay still. “Listen, I have someone in the house and I need to give them the all clear. Can you handle this?”

Lou was more than capable and West needed to get back to Gigi, who had to be on pins and needles listening to the gunfire and wondering what was going on.

“Sure. It looks pretty routine. Foiled attempted burglary with an added injury when the suspect ran. Jerry looks pretty shook up though.”

The young cop who had been first on the scene was pale and standing a few feet away from the prone man while the EMTs worked. The stricken expression of the officer told West that he needed to make sure that he talked to the kid. Jerry hadn’t done anything wrong but he was clearly blaming himself.

“I’ll be back in a few.”

West slapped Lou on the back and jogged into the house and up the stairs. He almost pulled the door open but then remembered he needed to knock first. He could have been the recipient of a lead bullet in the chest. His woman was a damn good shot.