Dust (22 page)

"It was you." Her smile shined brightly.

"What was me, baby?"

"That day your father kidnapped me." I stiffened. "No, don't do that. Remember? I had my allergy attack, so Gabe's mom set me loose. I saw a boy who walked in and ordered me to leave. He was wearing this cap." She lifted her hand, showing it to me. "It wasn't Gabe. I'd met him already. What other boy that age would just walk into the house?"

I nodded slowly. "It could've been. But I was so out of it, I don't remember a lot of that night. Doctors said seeing my mom get killed traumatized me."

"It was you." She smiled. "I know it. I can see it now." She rubbed my chest. "I've often wondered what happened to that little boy. You saved my life," she whispered.

I squeezed her to me. "You saved mine, too. Everyday."

A knock sounded on my bedroom door, so I pulled away from her. I kissed her forehead and grabbed her hand to pull her with me. I just couldn't stop touching her, so I saw no reason to. When I opened the door, Margo stood there smiling. "Sorry to bother you two. I'm taking your granddad to the retirement home with Sara. He thinks she should watch some of the more, um, detailed care involved with the elderly.”

I chuckled. "He's definitely hazing her." I looked at Liv. "C'mon, I want you to meet him before he leaves. Oh, and this is Margo." I looked at her. "And this is Liv."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Liv. I'm sure Cecil would love to meet you, too."

We all walked down the hall and into the living room. A timid girl sat on the couch looking shell-shocked. "You must be Sara," I said, walking up beside her. She flinched.

"Oh yes, sir. Sorry, I'm late. There was an accident."

"I checked the traffic reports. She's right," Margo said. I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling at how stern she was pretending to be.

"Okay, okay. I've got some extra diapers... Oh, Killian," Granddad said, walking into the living room. He had the decency to look sheepish. Granddad did not have a problem with his bowels. At least not yet.

"Granddad." I pulled Liv from the side, and he gasped.

"It's you." He smiled and walked slowly to her. Did he remember her from the kidnapping? I held onto her hand when she stepped closer to me. For all her vibrato, she still had her scared, timid moments. The fact that her instinct was to come closer to me just made my pride swell. He stopped in front of her and stroked her hair. "Angel." Then he looked at me. "She's your angel. I told you she would save you."

Not this again. I think I might've blushed. "Granddad. Can we talk about this later," I muttered. I didn't want him embarrassing me in front of Liv.

"Angel under pink skies." He pulled a pink strand of her hair and lifted it. "What a beautiful angel you are," he murmured. "You even look like the princess angel. Same eyes. Same nose."

Liv gasped. "What did you say?"

He smiled. "You know her, this princess. Why does she insist on being called that?"

I looked at Liv and tears formed in her eyes.

"Firecracker, what's wrong?" I rubbed her back.

She looked up at me. "I go by Liv because Sam didn't ever call me that. I went by Angel before she died. My name is Olivia Angel Musgrave." She chuckled. "Sam was always jealous when Dad called me his little angel. She demanded to be called princess." Then she looked at Granddad. I was too shocked to open my mouth. "What did she tell you?"

"That you'd save Killian. Like he saved you all those years ago."

Liv cried, but she smiled through her tears. "The little boy in the kitchen." She looked up at me. "I told you it was you. Somehow Sam knew you saved me that night."

"Or that he'd save you one day." Granddad hugged her, and I watched as she held him tightly. He whispered something in her ear and she nodded before he pulled away. He looked over at me. "Treat her right, son." He hugged me then, but I could tell he knew exactly who he'd embraced. Maybe he'd called me son as a way to heal. He let go and looked at Margo. "Okay. Let's go. Make sure you bring some barf bags. You know I get nauseous." He put his arm around Sara. "You can sit by me."

I chuckled, but quickly stopped. If Granddad was having fun with the new volunteer, then so be it. After they left, I turned to Liv and wrapped my arms around her. "I thought he was crazy all this time talking about angels." She squeezed me in response, probably not able to speak about it yet. It was very weird to think about. Then she shifted and I looked down at her. She opened her purse and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me.

"What's this?"

"Open it." She smiled.

I did, and then I threw my head back and laughed. "You made me a card."

She bounced up and down on her feet. "See, I drew a stick figure and everything."

"So you're making cards for other people now?" I asked hesitantly. I didn't want to risk losing that smile on her face, but I wanted to know the truth.

"Yes. I only make cards for the living now. And no, I'm not going to do it professionally. This is more of a passion, now read the damn card before I take it away."

There was my firecracker. I leaned down and kissed her before looking at the card again. It had a drawing of a presumed dead body with blood oozing out of it. Then I read the inscription, "'Congrats on finishing college. I'm not surprised you did. You have a ton of talent, and that is not a fib. But if you keep drawing blood, your new boss will think you're mental. So go out and buy some new art supplies. You know I'm not giving back your pencil." I looked up, smiling, and she waved the pencil in question tauntingly. Even though the card was silly, it was the nicest thing I'd ever gotten.

"If I want it, I can take it, firecracker. I think we both know I can," I teased as I took a step toward her. She retreated.

"Well c'mon, babe. I ain't got all day to show you up."

"Brave words for someone running from me." I lunged then, tackling her onto the couch. I kissed her, the pencil forgotten. "No, Liv, you don't have all day. We have the rest of our lives."

She smiled at me. "Awww...that was corny."

I grabbed my chest and feigned being stabbed in the heart. "Ouch, you're dangerous, woman."

She laughed, but then her face softened as she looked at me, through me. If I hadn't been resting on top of her, I'd have crumbled under the intensity of her emotion-filled stare. "This is day one," she murmured.

I didn't understand what she meant by that, but before I could ask, she poked me in the side and giggled. Whatever deep feelings she'd embraced vanished and the playfulness was back. Her laughter was infectious, and I wanted her enveloped in this joyful moment and as many as she could stand from here on out. I would ask her about the "day one" comment later. I knew there would be time for serious discussions. There'd be time for everything.

"You're still dangerous," I teased.

Her hands dove into my hair, and she pulled me down, my lips touching hers. "And don't you ever forget it," she whispered against me.

"Never, my sweet angel, never."

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that."

We spent the rest of the day with her showing me just how I was going to pay for that. I hoped this was how I'd be paying for it the rest of my life.

B
rody “Brutus” Jackson
isn’t your average small-town mechanic. The shop where he spends his days doubles as the headquarters for the mercenary group he works with. They jokingly call themselves the Bang Shift because the government contracts they take are the less savory ones, and they’re all just shady enough to do what’s necessary to get the jobs done. As far as Brody’s concerned, it’s the perfect arrangement for a man with no memory of his past, and no hope for the future.

Under FBI protection, Alexandria Collins and her son have been in hiding for ten years. When it’s time to move again, her piece of crap car breaks down and the man giving her a tow is the biggest, hottest guy she’s ever seen. She is determined to ignore the need her long-neglected body hungers for. After all, the last man she showed interest in put a gun to her head.

Brody thinks the skittish Xan is sexy as hell, but it’s not her hot body that has him rocked to his core. He knows her from somewhere, and in his line of work, that’s a dangerous thing. Following orders have never been this hard, but when he finds out she’s his next assignment, he will protect her at all costs … even if what she needs protection from most is him.

A
fter finally getting
out of her disastrous relationship, Maya Carmichael has sworn off all bad boys. Sure they’re hot. The attitude? No thanks. But when her car is vandalized while on a night out with her roommate, she realizes her ex is truly sadistic. Her friend insists they lay low for a few days while the cops do their thing. Unfortunately her temporary haven will throw her in the path of another bad boy. Oh, she’s heard stories about her roommate’s brother, Hunter, and he’s just the type she wants to avoid. Until she sees him … and all good intentions fly out of her busted windshield.

Hunter Anderson might be the easygoing jokester within the Bang Shift crew—the small Arkansas town’s mechanics and the government’s secret mercenaries—but underneath his lighthearted exterior lurks demons of a past he’d love nothing more than to forget. Working on cars and taking the occasional contracted mission help, but he fears nothing will stop his past from coming back to haunt him. No one has tried penetrating the façade to get to the real person below. No one, until Maya.

The attraction is undeniable, but there’s more to Hunter than he can ever let on, and for Maya, this hot distraction makes it easy to forget the real danger she’s in. It has nothing to do with losing her heart to him.

When really it has everything to do with just that.

T
he Bang Shift Series

Blade (The Bang Shift Book 3)

Shelby (The Bang Shift Book 4)

M
andy Harbin is
a
USA Today
Bestselling and award-winning author of several books across multiple romance genres ranging from contemporary to paranormal romance. She is also the number one bestselling author in teen romance under the pen name M.W. Muse with her popular Goddess Series. She is a Superstar Award recipient, Reader’s Crown and RWA Passionate Plume finalist, and has received Night Owl Reviews Top Pick distinction many times. She studied writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, earned several degrees, and even pursued an MBA until she realized becoming an author did not have to remain an unfulfilled dream. Mandy is a PAN member of the RWA and serves on the board of her local chapter. When she’s not penning her latest book, you can find her hanging out online where she loves to connect with fellow readers.

• @mandy_harbin
  
• Author.MandyHarbin