Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
A ugust waited in Rami’s kitchen while his friend fixed coffee and Ivy took Gigi into her bedroom to get cleaned up. Taschen would be arriving in fifteen minutes.
Ivy exited the bedroom and closed the door behind her. “She’s going to shower and borrow some of my clothes.” She folded her arms over her slight frame, an exact copy of Gigi’s. Still, despite how identical they were, down to their facial expressions, he’d be able to tell them apart in a lineup.
Ivy had a softer, gentler manner. Gigi was all brass balls and sex appeal, a combination that both fucked with his head and constricted his cock.
To say Ivy didn’t have the same effect on him was an understatement, though she was just as gorgeous, and sweet as hell. She simply wasn’t Gigi.
“Good.” He forced the syllable from his mouth.
“Sure you don’t want a cup of coffee?” Rami asked, as he poured the addicting brew into a white mug.
“No thanks. Just want to get Gigi to the safe house already. Taschen needs to hurry the fuck up.” He tapped his finger on the counter at his back. He forced his mind away from the urgency itching his feet and instead focused on the last case they’d talked about. “This might not be the time, but have you made any headway on Zain’s case?”
Before taking their client, Boyd Sommers, to Denver, August had been picking away at Rami’s missing brother’s file.
It was glaringly obvious that he was working toward a dead end, but August didn’t have the heart to tell Rami that. He’d looked hard, but finding a missing person across the world was next to impossible. They’d gotten the odd lead, but to find Zain’s body—because surely the dude wasn’t alive—they’d need to be there, boots on the ground.
And without an army, going into Afghanistan and poking around a terrorist group was a surefire way to get them killed. Nonetheless, August had vowed to help Rami obtain closure. Any answer was better than no answer. So, August had roped in Toth’s brother, Dare, asking him to use some of his government-level tech to find any trace of Rami’s brother, dead or alive.
He hadn’t heard back yet.
Rami’s face darkened and his eye twitched. He took a sip of his coffee and gave his head a slight shake. “Nah, nothing yet. I’ve gotta dedicate some more hours. Once things settle down with Gigi, I’ll stay at the office late more often.”
Ivy rose onto her tiptoes and kissed Rami’s cheek. “If anyone can find him, it’s you.” She squeezed his bicep then picked up one of the two steaming mugs of tea on the counter and carried it to the wooden kitchen table. Pulling out a chair, she sat and pinned August with her stare. “Which safe house are you going to?”
He chewed back a wad of annoyance. Far as he knew, information about the safe houses was top secret. Even wives and girlfriends weren’t supposed to know where they were unless they used them. But Rami was the boss—one of ’em anyway. August looked at his friend, who gave him a nod of permission.
“Probably downtown.”
Ivy’s head jerked back an inch. “Why? Wouldn’t it be better to get away from the city?”
“Not necessarily. If we leave town and they find us somehow, we’re without backup.” He’d just experienced what that was like at the river. “Besides, if we go to the woods, we’re just hiding.”
She tipped her head to the side. “That’s the point.”
“No. The point is to end this thing. Hiding will drag it out. If they didn’t stop looking for her when she was in witness protection, they’re not going to stop over the next few days and weeks.”
Ivy’s face turned solemn. “This isn’t going to end well.”
Rami came up behind her and smoothed his hand down her back. “It will for Gigi. Not for the cocksuckers after her.”
She sighed and wrapped her hands tighter around the mug. “What’s the plan then? Get to them before they get to her?”
“Exactly.” August nodded. “I got a name from the assassin. As soon as I get Gigi settled, I’ll have the team get to work.”
Ivy’s troubled expression didn’t lighten. She got up to add something to a slow cooker, and August and Rami began discussing logistics. Ten minutes later, a horn honked outside.
August pushed away from the counter and met Rami’s eyes. “Be on the lookout.”
“No shit.”
“I mean it. Just because one assassin is dead doesn’t mean they haven’t already sent more. Can’t let down our guard.” There was always the chance they were being watched. Carting Gigi around while going to his office and to his house for new clothes and supplies was too risky. It was better she stayed in one spot until they could get her to the downtown apartment.
“They come here and they’re dead, bro,” Rami promised. “End of story.”
August blew out a breath. “I hope so.” He made his way to Taschen’s waiting vehicle.
His friend slid a smile his way as August got in the front seat. “Hey, dude. You look like shit.”
“Back at ya, Scarface.”
Taschen touched the rough skin on the side of his face. “Mine adds character. Yours carries a smell.”
August buckled his seatbelt. “Can you be serious for a minute?”
“What, still hung up on your afternoon swim?”
He didn’t bother rolling his eyes this time. “You sound like Rami. I bet you two had a good laugh.”
“I fucking died when Rami told me you sank one of the SUVs in the river—after I knew you and Gigi were okay, of course. Dude, you trying to kill the company or what?” Taschen backed out of the driveway.
“Toth totaled a vehicle, too, when he was protecting Savannah,” August said petulantly. “It’s why we’ve got insurance.”
Taschen just chuckled. “Where to first?”
“The office. I need my own vehicle so I can get rid of you.”
Taschen let out a guffaw of laughter and headed downtown. The clock on the dash read 4:48 p.m. Rush hour. Half an hour later, they reached the office building and rode the elevator to the eleventh floor. Backcountry Protection Services monopolized all of it.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door with a frosted-glass window, they entered the company’s waiting area. “Did Pearl leave for the day?”
Pearl, their receptionist, was practically the backbone of the company. She lived for running a smooth schedule and, according to Toth, kept their books impeccable. Pearl was a godsend, and her presence in the workplace was like that of a stern grandmother. She often brought baked goods or had meatballs or her famous lasagna in the slow cooker in the staff room.
“She’s out with a cold.”
August winced. “Must be bad. Nothing short of the plague would make her call in sick.”
“Hey,” a chipper female voice chimed. “I didn’t know you were coming back.”
August glanced at the hallway to see young woman who looked a little like Taschen.
“Just brought this doofus over to grab a burner phone and a new ride,” Taschen said.
The woman made a giant O with her lips. “You must be August,” she said, with a knowing smile.
August chuckled. “I see you’ve heard of me.”
“Just heard you totaled a car. I’m Dana, Taschen’s sister.”
“You workin’ here?” he asked, as he made his way down the hall toward the utility room, where they kept extra weapons, surveillance gear, burner phones, and keys to whatever company vehicles weren’t in use.
“Dana recently left the FBI,” Taschen said proudly. “She’s a new addition to the team. Her investigative and computer skills rival Dare’s.” They often reached out to Toth’s brother for help on select cases.
“Nice to meet you,” Dana said with a wave.
August nodded. “You, too. Welcome to the team.”
“I better get back to work.” She sauntered to the office across the hall and shut the door.
“This goes without saying,” Taschen hissed, his voice low and lethal. “My sister’s off-limits. Got it? I don’t need any of you fucking buffoons trying to get with her. If one of you so much as look—”
“Dude.” August laughed. “You realize Toth and Rami are both taken, right?”
“You’re not.”
August pushed away the counterargument that wanted to project itself from his mouth. As far as Taschen was concerned, August was a bachelor. But really, he was very much taken with a certain pint-sized brunette who’d chew him up and spit him out if she knew he was reserving himself for her.
Because she didn’t want him. She’d made that as clear as fucking glass.
“Got it. Besides, I’m not interested. She looks too much like you.” August smirked. Dana was very pretty, but there was no way he could look at her and not think about Taschen. “What made her leave the FBI?”
Taschen’s face hardened, reminding August of the guy’s blinding temper and deadly fists. He’d witnessed Taschen lose his cool on bastards one too many times. But when they’d been in black ops together, it hadn’t mattered if Taschen went apeshit on a war criminal. “I dunno. She won’t say. Just said she was tired of it.” His tone suggested he knew there was more to it and he planned on finding out what.
August dug his keys from his pocket. Thankfully, he hadn’t lost them in the accident. He found the one that opened the safe then pulled out a Glock and a 9mm. After tucking one into his waistband and the other in a holster that he secured around his ankle, he examined the three sets of car keys. “We got a new ride?”
“Yep. It’s nice. All black, fully loaded Tahoe.”
“Sweet.” He pocketed the keys, shut the safe, and locked it up.
He left Taschen at the office and rode the elevator down to the company’s private parking garage. It had enough spaces to hold their personal vehicles as well as a handful of company SUVs. Finding the Tahoe, he hopped in and then headed to his apartment. Traffic was still busy, but his place wasn’t too far from work.
Ten minutes later he pulled into the parking garage beneath his apartment building. Every time he left Rami’s place and returned home, he felt as if he was downgrading. Rami had a nice cozy house that fit Ivy and him perfectly, and August just had an apartment.
Not that he couldn’t afford a place. He could. Probably a beautiful one, too, since he banked and invested most of his money. He rarely bought himself things, and working as a contractor allowed him a shitload of write-offs.
But part of him was holding out—waiting to meet someone? No, that was lame as fuck. Yet picturing himself in a house, with all that responsibility and no one to share it with, was almost as sad as waiting to meet someone.
Someone like Gigi.
He got out of the SUV and banished the intrusive thought. Of course Gigi would enter his mind. He hated being away from her right now, while she was vulnerable, hated that she was scared, hated that he wanted her... and hated that he’d already had her and couldn’t again.
That was a lot of hate for a woman he’d fallen for two years ago. He still hadn’t gotten back up.
August walked to the elevator and rode up to the seventh floor. Other than a few dishes in the sink from days ago, his apartment was orderly. A house cleaner came in once a week, a luxury he permitted himself because he was away so often for jobs, or working long hours, so other than laundry and tidying, he didn’t have much to keep up with.
Nothing was worse than coming home to a messy place. It was bad enough he rarely had food, and home-cooked meals were hard to come by.
He entered his bedroom and headed straight for the bathroom, where he stripped down. His stomach growled at the thought of a home-cooked meal. He did all right for himself, and if he knew he was going to be around he kept groceries in the fridge and cupboards. But his cooking expertise started at bacon and eggs and stopped at spaghetti or something on the grill.
Opening the glass door of the shower, he turned on the hot water. Gigi was a great cook. When they’d been together—hell, could he even call it that?—she’d talked a lot about her food blog. And she’d cooked.
Fucking amazing food.
Maybe if the house he bought had that kitchen she was talking about...
No. Hell no.
He stepped under the spray and let the hot water beat down on his back. Images of Gigi in the shower with him filled his head.
No, not just images. Memories. Her naked body pressed against his under this same damn showerhead, her lithe legs wrapped around him as he banged into her hot slit.
Jesus, she’d even gone down on him in here. He remembered how her tongue had swirled around his flesh, remembered the sweet, raspy sounds of the cries that had followed as he took her against the wall.
He wrapped his hand around his cock and dropped back his head, stroking roughly. He needed this release in a bad way.
Before he did something dumber than shit.
***
Clean, dry, and dressed in her sister’s jeans and long-sleeved mauve shirt, Gigi stepped out of Ivy’s bedroom and made her way to the kitchen. Knowing August would be a couple of hours, she’d taken the time to thoroughly wash, dry, and curl her hair. She’d even put on a little bit of eyeshadow and mascara, and she felt marginally less like the drowned rat she’d resembled almost an hour before.
Ivy greeted her with a smile, a plate in her hand as she bustled to the table. “How you feeling?”
Gigi walked across the smooth hardwood floor. “Clean,” she said with a chuckle, then took one of the seats Ivy gestured toward. “I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve seen your place. Isn’t that weird?” A glass of water sat next to her fork and knife. She took a sip.
Ivy set down a plate of creamy pasta and chicken in front of her. Gigi groaned. “Ohmigod, I haven’t had real food in days. Months, actually, because Joe didn’t buy much other than meat and potatoes.”
Nostalgia spread through her at the thought of Joe. He’d done a good job of acting rough and ornery, but every week she’d find a bar of dark chocolate in the cupboard.
Her sister served herself then sat with a wink. “Well, this is one of your recipes, which is why it’ll be delicious, but I’m sure it’d be better if you’d made it.” A beat passed. Ivy gave her a tense smile. “Who’s Joe?”
A lead ball of anxiety formed in Gigi’s stomach. Emotion swirled around her heart, but she stifled it. “The U.S. marshal who took care of me.” Sadness enfolded her. “He died the night the cartel found me.”
Ivy’s eyes filled with sorrow. “Rami mentioned someone was killed that night. I’m so sorry, sis...”
Gigi picked up her fork and twirled the fettucine on her plate. “Me, too. He was a good man. I wish I could have done something—anything—differently. He shouldn’t have died.”
Ivy’s hand covered hers roughly. “He was a protector. It was in his nature. He knew the risk and still wanted to serve.”
Gigi swallowed and glanced at the empty spot at the table. “Where’s Rami?”
She waved dismissively. “On the phone with Toth. I think he wanted you and me to have some time alone.” Her eyes grew round with mischief. “Sooo... August, huh? How’s that going?”
Gigi curled her lip. “It’s not.”
Ivy hid a smile. “Oh? I thought maybe since you two have history there might be a spark or something there.”
Gigi sighed. “I honestly don’t know what he thinks. He’s hot and cold. One minute he’s holding me, touching me, the next he’s grumpy and distant.”
Ivy took a bite of her food and moaned. “Oh lord. This is one of your best recipes.” She cleared her throat and wiped her mouth with the napkin. “August is... well, he’s August. All I know is he jumped at the opportunity to help you and didn’t even call to tell us you were in trouble. He clearly cares.”
“He’d do that for anyone.”
Ivy narrowed her gaze. “Do you really think he treats you like he would any other client?”
The memory of August’s gaze boring into hers as their vehicle sank burned through her mind’s eye. His words were strong and reassuring.
I won’t let you die .
And he hadn’t.
“I think he’s still mad about how things ended between us.”
Ivy stabbed a sun-dried tomato. “Didn’t you break up when he went to South America?”
Gigi grimaced. She placed her fork on the table and rested her chin on her fist. Guilt had stolen her appetite. “I broke things off, yeah. We’d only been seeing each other two weeks when he left. But we... had chemistry.”
Ivy bobbed her eyebrows. “I remember. Best sex you ever had, right?”
Warmth spread to Gigi’s cheeks. “You have no idea. But he didn’t know how long he was going to be gone. He wouldn’t tell me anything about the mission, but knowing he was in black ops made it so scary. There was a good chance he’d die—and I was supposed to just wait? I barely knew the guy.”
“Okay, so he was gone how long?”
“Five months. And by that time, I didn’t think I’d ever see him again. He never called or texted while he was away.”
“And you’d met Todd.”
At the mention of her ex, rage threatened to blur her vision. Todd. The man who’d almost gotten her killed. Because of him, her life was still at risk despite the fact she hadn’t seen him since the day she was taken into witness protection. “Yes. And Todd was everything August wasn’t. Boring, but in a way I thought was good. Predictable.”
“Safe?” Ivy asked sympathetically.
Gigi snort-laughed. “God, I was stupid. Yeah, I thought Todd was safer than August.”
“Because of his work or because of how you felt about August?”
Gigi picked up her fork and stirred the beige noodles around the creamy sauce. It needed a bit more salt but otherwise Ivy had made it perfectly. She didn’t want to think about the fears and weaknesses that had contributed to her falling-out with August, but if she was being honest, and she always was with Ivy, she had to admit her faults.
“Both,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “August scared me. But not just his profession. Not even the bullet scars on his body. I was scared because I’d never felt like that before. I’d never felt so totally out of control and so totally complete.”
“Love at first sight,” Ivy said wistfully.
Gigi smacked open her mouth. “Stop. I do not love August.”
Ivy raised a hand. “I didn’t say you still do. But it sure sounds like you did two years ago. And, sis? I don’t think you ever got over him.”
Knock , knock
The front door shook gently and before Ivy could stand, Rami emerged from the hallway. “Stay put.” He went to the door, gun drawn and body tense.
Her assassin probably wouldn’t knock, but Rami was nothing if not thorough. “It’s August,” he announced, and swung open the door.
August entered wearing a long-sleeved navy-blue Henley that clung to his biceps and light-wash jeans that accentuated his thick legs and enormous stature. He’d showered and styled his dark-blond hair a bit, and his piercing green eyes landed on Gigi.
Her heart stopped and started. The butterflies in her belly multiplied and fluttered up to her chest. She couldn’t take her gaze off August. Her eyes and her heart were riveted.
Completely captured.
Her earlier words had been devastatingly true. No other man could ever have this effect on her.