Lina :Nemesis Inc. Alpha Team

Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

“Lina, wait.”

Crap!

What was he doing? Why was he following her? Seriously, could Mr. Hotty not take a hint? It kind of disappointed her to find he was so pushy.

Persistent. Her head insisted. But she ignored it. No, he was pushy. She kept walking. Maybe if she ignored him, he’d go away like a stray cat.

Cat, my butt. If he’s a cat, then he’s a freaking lion.

Lina quickened her footsteps and turned the corner. She was too darn mad to be upset or to freak out. Her inner self was right… he resembled a freaking lion as he stalked along behind her like an outrageous jungle cat. She couldn’t hear his footsteps, but she knew he was there. The goosebumps rising along her skin told her so.

“Lina.”

“Stop following me.” She didn’t bother to look over her shoulder as she answered. If she stopped watching where she was going, she’d be her usual klutzy self and trip over her feet.

“I don’t want to grab you, but I will if I have to,” Dalton’s voice came from right behind her. “Please stop and talk to me. I need to know you are okay.”

“If there are any drugs in my system, they have gone by now.” She took a turn in the opposite direction to where she wanted to go. She’s watched enough cop shows to know not to let a stranger follow you home.

“Maybe,” he admitted. “But also maybe not.”

“Why do you care?” she asked. “I’m not gonna sue your friend if that’s what you are worried about.”

He snorted out a laugh and fell into step beside her. “Rexar and his family wouldn’t give a shit if you did. They only want to know you are not hurt because of something that happened in their bar.”

“Why?”

“They’re good people.”

“I’m sure they are.” Lina took a left, pausing at the edge of the sidewalk to allow a limo on the opposite side of the street to pass. She squeezed her eyes shut and blew out a breath in frustration when the car stopped and reversed to where she and Dalton stood. Fabulous, her night just kept getting better and better, didn’t it?

The window of the limo lowered to reveal her family’s driver, confirming her worst fears.

“Miss Maxwell?” the driver called.

“Good evening, George.” She felt Dalton take a step closer. Knowing he was right there, almost standing on her heels, kept her determination strong. She would not allow this night to be the reason she had to go back to that house.

“Good, you finally decided to give up this nonsense.” George opened the door and stepped around the hood of the car. “I will drive you home. Your father will be thrilled.”

“He’s not my father.” Lina stepped back into Dalton, his fingers wrapped around her waist, steadying her so she didn’t trip. Having him at her back—so much better than a wall. At least maybe he would help her if she needed it. It wasn’t lost on her that this was a complete about-face from her determination that she didn’t need anyone. She wasn’t stupid, thank you and there were some things she just couldn’t deal with herself. George was one of them. “And I don’t need you to drive me anywhere.”

“What’s going on?”

Dalton’s words were soft enough that she barely heard them. His breath against her ear drew a shiver she didn’t understand, but she didn’t have time to question it right now. “Help me.”

“Yes.”

That he answered immediately, without even thinking about it, gave her hope. She didn’t know how to accept help. She’d never had it before. What did one do with help?

“You will get in the car, Miss Maxwell.”

“My wife is not going anywhere with you.”

OH MY GOD! What is he doing?

“Play along with me,” Dalton breathed the words against her hair.

She was insane, maybe crazy was a better word. Her stepfather was right, she should be locked away where she couldn’t get in trouble. If that gave him control of her inheritance, then he would be happy. She had promised her mother she would not let that happen. “We…”

“Mr. Maxwell hasn’t approved this marriage, Lina. You will come with me so we can get this matter resolved, before it has consequences you don’t want.”

From across the street, Lina could feel the menace in how he moved. Her stepfather’s dog liked to cause pain. She would only imagine what he and George would do to Dalton for committing the sin of trying to protect her.

“Stop right there,” Dalton warned George as the man stepped onto the street. “Do not come closer.”

George smirked that evil smile Lina hated so much. It had played a huge part in her nightmares for years. With Dalton here backing her up, she found some courage she didn’t know she had and said, “No. You have no rights to me anymore. Leave me alone.”

* * *

Fury and rage blasted through him at the fear he felt pouring off Lina. Over the sound of traffic and voices, he heard footsteps behind and tensed.

“It’s us.”

Recognition hit him, sending relief through his veins. He should have known that Noble and Zenko would follow him. They were tight as a team and rarely went anywhere alone. This asshole wouldn’t be a problem for him to take down. But with Lina to protect, having the boys here was fucking awesome. “Thank fuck.”

“What?” Lina whispered.

He wondered if she knew her ass was planted against his dick. Speaking of which, he willed it to not swell and grow, mentally telling it to behave. He kept his eye on the driver Lina had called George, as the man paused in the middle of the street to allow a car to pass. “My team is behind us.”

She shifted in his arms, and he bit back a groan. Damn it, his dick wasn’t a saint either and her fabulous ass grinding against him that way was going to get a reaction.

“Your team?”

“We’re military.”

Noble appeared on his right and side, while Zenko stepped in to flank them on their left. Dalton smiled against Lina’s hair. He was so damn proud of her for holding her ground and not moving when they did so.

“Oh.”

“I’m going to spin you around behind me,” Dalton warned Lina. “Then when he’s in front of us, you run like hell back to the bar, and tell the twins to send the cops, got it?”

“But…”

Dalton winced internally at the slight pleading tone in his voice, but shrugged off any doubt or weirdness he felt at his team seeing him like this. He needed her clear and safe, so he could fight if it came to it. “Please!”

“He’s dangerous. But no cops, my stepfather is the state governor.”

Well fuck, that explained her insistence that she’d have nothing to do with the cops. “He’s nothing.” Dalton kept his hands on her waist and shifted to the right. “This one has no chance between the three of us. Tell the twins behind the bar to keep you safe until I get there.”

“Ten seconds,” Zenko warned.

“Copy.” Dalton blew out the breath he’d been holding when Lina moved with him and slipped between him and Noble until all three of them blocked her from George’s view. “He’s mine,” he growled the order, knowing both his teammates would understand. “Go, Lina.”

“Miss Maxwell,” George shouted. “Lina, come back here.”

He felt the loss when Lina’s hands dropped from his waist. “Stay the fuck away from my wife, asshole.” He could see the surprised looks from his friends, but refused to draw attention to them by commenting on it. The guys would wait for explanations.

“You are not married.” George pushed back his suit jacket to reveal a handgun. “We checked earlier today, there are no records of her getting married.”

“Are we meant to be intimidated by that little peashooter?” Zenko drawled. He widened his stance, ready to move if the idiot drew the weapon and pointed it in their direction.

“Don’t know, man.” Noble smirked at his swim buddy. “He looks mighty proud of it.”

The confirmation that the asshole had at least been trying to get information on Lina pissed Dalton off and made him more determined to make sure he didn’t get close to her. He sidestepped with Noble and Zenko, all three of them moving in sync as they did in the field, preventing George from getting around them. “Is insulting the man’s weapon like insulting his dick?”

“It is if you call it a gun,” Noble deadpanned. “Only Marines would call a weapon a gun.”

“Preach,” Dalton agreed.

“Hooyah.” Trust Zenko to make the standard Navy response sound like another insult to George. Someday, he’d remember to ask him how he did that.

“Dude, you can either try to go through us,” Dalton shrugged, “or you can get back in your fancy ass car and tell her stepfather that Lina is mine now. If he comes near her, he answers to me.”

“You are nobody,” George sneered. “Mr. Maxwell will crush you like an ant.”

“Right,” Noble snickered. “He doesn’t know who you are, buddy.”

Thank fuck, his commander didn’t give his name. Not that he ever thought Noble would. He had more brain cells than that, and thankfully, those brain cells had chosen tonight to work properly.

“He doesn’t need to know who I am.” Dalton shrugged. “If he or anybody else touches my wife, I don’t care what governor they are or who they work for, they answer to me and my family.”

“I’m not afraid of you.” George looked more uncertain by the second. They all recognized the type. The only thing this man would understand was money and power. But give him someone who could stand up to him and, like all bullies, he retreated to lick his wounds.

“Our legal team will send you the papers in the morning.” Dalton pointed to the limo. “Unless you want your bus to be towed, I suggest you get back over there.”

“What?” George glanced over his shoulder, before cursing softly and running across the street to where a tow truck had stopped behind the limo.

“What the fuck have you gotten into?” Noble watched the asshole yelling at the tow truck driver, but spoke to Dalton.

“No clue.” Dalton turned to go back to the Corner Pyrate. He didn’t give a flying fuck about the weasel on a power trip. He had to get back to Lina and figure out how to help her.

“I think he got married and didn’t invite us to the wedding.” Zenko fell into step beside him. “I feel insulted, Boss. Do you feel insulted?”

“Yup.” Noble nudged Dalton’s elbow. “I sure do.”

“Assholes.”

“Whatcha gonna do?” Zenko asked.

“Marry her.” Dalton stomped around the corner, taking them from George’s view. “If she’ll let me.”

“Whoa.” Zenko caught him by the arm and pulled him to a stop. “Are you crazy?”

“Probably.” Dalton looked at first Zenko and then Noble. “But I told him we’re married. We either produce a license or she’s fucked.”

“Shit.” Noble scrunched up his face. “Is North Carolina a no wait state?”

“Walk and talk.” Dalton wasn’t hanging around for them to figure it out. He had a woman to find and a wedding to make happen stat.