Hiding From Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 2) (15 page)

“G
oddamit.” Alan Morton
smashed his fist down on the desk, ignoring the shot of pain that ran up his arm. He was too fucking angry to pay it any attention. His men had screwed up. Again. “You could have killed her. What were they thinking, pulling their guns like that?”

Georgette had been in the middle of a firefight between the men he’d sent to collect her and her bodyguards. If she’d been killed or even injured he’d take great pleasure in beating the idiot who did it to death. Slowly. He’d want the man to know he was going to die…eventually. The asshole would be praying for death when Alan was done with him.

“She had five bodyguards, boss. There was no way they could have taken her without firing,” the younger man stuttered, his face turning a distinct shade of reddish-purple. “I checked into that boyfriend of hers and he was Special Forces in the military. His brother worked for the DEA. They all knew how to handle a gun and one of them gave Steve a concussion and a broken arm.”

Alan hated whining and excuses and this guy was full of both. Finding men who didn’t lie down and give up when faced with a little adversity was almost impossible these days.

“Where is she now?”

He sat down behind his desk and rested his chin on his steepled fingers, breathing in and out slowly to try and regulate the rage churning inside of him. Every day that Georgette wasn’t in this house and under his control was a day of her moving farther away from him. Once she was back it would take months to create the docile and obedient creature she had once been.

But of course this time he had something to help motivate her.

The man swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “We don’t know. One of the guards drove her away and our guys weren’t able to follow because their tires had been shot out. We assume they’re still headed for Las Vegas.”

Alan slowly sat back in the leather chair, his hands tightening into fists. He would simply have to take care of this himself. He couldn’t trust anyone with something this important. Georgette needed to come home.

He knew just what to do.

“We’ve had men stationed in Vegas for the last year,” the man pointed out. “I’ll tell them to get ready.”

“Tell them to do nothing. They are to keep their distance. Follow and report only.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I know.” Alan inwardly chuckled at the young man’s confused expression. With an IQ of 150 he was used to running intellectual circles around most of the people he met. Rarely did anyone challenge him. He liked it that way. “They won’t be in Las Vegas for long. They’re coming to Chicago. They’re coming to us.”

*     *     *

“Hopefully Wyatt won’t
be long.”

West handed Gigi a straw for her iced tea and she accepted it with shaking hands. They were sitting in a truck in the parking lot of the Mixed Martial Arts center where Zach worked as an instructor. Wyatt had agreed to not only lend them his Ford-350 extended cab but also accompanied them to Las Vegas, helping to keep Gigi safe.

It was good to see Wyatt getting out of his self-imposed exile. Since he’d left the service a few years before he’d practically hidden himself away on that lonely piece of property, only leaving when he absolutely needed something like food.

Wyatt had come back from the Middle East to nothing. His parents had passed away while he was deployed and his wife had left him for his best friend after admitting the child she carried wasn’t his either. West’s friend had moved back to his childhood home, adopted a dog, and retreated from the world. It was probably the fact that Gigi was also alone that made Wyatt want to help.

Luckily there had been no trouble during the drive down nor when they’d checked into the hotel. West doubted that Morton had given up, however. His cop instincts told him this was the lull before the storm.

Gigi of course was nervous about meeting her brother and so far all of West’s assurances hadn’t made anything better. She was practically vibrating in her seat with excitement and more than a little fear. West had stayed in the vehicle with her, sending Wyatt in to find Zachary Rogers and talk to him. If they were still being followed – and West had no reason to doubt that – sending in an unfamiliar face might throw them off, at least temporarily.

“It’s just so overwhelming really. I’m going to see Zach after all these years. I’ve missed him so much.” Gigi’s voice caught and her fingers flexed around the cup, the knuckles white. “I just hope…you know…that he wants to see me.”

West frowned and shook his head. “Why on earth would he not want to see you? He’s your brother. Didn’t you say he took care of you and your sister when your mother couldn’t?”

Her lips curved into a smile. “He made the best macaroni and cheese in the world. You know, the kind in a box. It was really good though. I don’t know what he did to make it special but somehow it was. He made everything seem better. Even if it really sucked like when we couldn’t go to the movies like our friends. He’d help us build a fort out of blankets and chairs or we’d play hide and seek in the house. It was the little things he did that made our lives okay. Honestly all I’ve ever wanted was to have a normal life and a normal family.”

West had a sad suspicion that rabid hunger made Zach’s mac and cheese delicious. From what Gigi had told him her mother had barely provided food and shelter for her three children. West made a silent promise to himself to personally thank Zachary Rogers for caring for Gigi and her sister when no one else would.

“It sounds like he’s going to be thrilled to see you, babe. I bet he’s missed you as much as you’ve missed him.”

She plucked at her blue jeans, her gaze directed at the floor. “Maybe he feels he’s better off without us. He missed so much having to take care of us. Maybe he’s happier now.”

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. West’s woman was so fucked up about love, family, and relationships. It wasn’t her fault, of course. She’d had few if any role models and then when she’d thought she’d found someone who cared he turned out to be a batshit crazy criminal who would rather see her dead than free from his mad dictator-like control.

“Babe,” West began, turning his body towards hers and lacing their fingers together. “If you love someone caring for them isn’t a burden. It’s a privilege. He might be happy but I doubt he’s
happier
without you. You never stopped loving him and I bet he’s never stopped loving you.”

More staring at the floor, her shoulders stiff with tension. “I don’t think our mother loved us very much. My foster family cared but they didn’t love me or anything.”

Where was she going with this?

“Your mother had an addiction problem so I doubt she was capable of deep emotions. As for your foster mom and dad it sounds like they cared very much but maybe it wasn’t what you hoped for from a parental figure.”

She lifted her head and looked him in the eye. “Maybe I’m just not all that lovable. Some people aren’t, you know. I might be one of those people who are nice and everything but just don’t inspire great love.”

Gigi was completely serious. He’d obviously done a lousy job of showing her just how amazing and spectacular she was. How he’d fallen ass over tea kettle for her and hadn’t been the same since.

“That’s the biggest load of bull I’ve ever heard,” he said bluntly, watching her eyes widen with surprise. “Do you remember the day we first met? That day in the diner? You knocked me on my butt with your beautiful whiskey-colored eyes and your teasing smile. I was so hard I had to sit there and have two extra cups of coffee before I was in a decent enough state to leave. That’s what you do to me.”

“That’s just sex.”

“Is it?” he challenged. “Acting like a teenager with a crush isn’t all that normal for me now that I’m a grown ass man. I followed you around like you were a rock star if you’ll remember. It took forever to convince you to go out with me.”

Gigi laughed and slapped him lightly on his shoulder. “Only Westin Anderson the biggest stud in Tremont would think a week was forever. Considering I never intended to go on a date – let alone sleep with you – that’s pretty darn quick if you ask me. My acceptance was inevitable when you smiled at me and showed off that dimple in your cheek.”

She was tracing that dimple with her finger now and his heart quickened in response. What she could do with a simple touch was positively dangerous.

“People love you, Gigi. My mom and dad think you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. My brothers and cousins adore you and everyone in Tremont thinks you’re a total sweetheart. If you don’t feel their love it’s because you won’t open yourself up to it. I get why you would protect yourself that way but we’re going to put Morton behind bars. You’ll get your life back. Somehow you are going to have to find a way to let people in. You’re going to have to let me in.”

His Gigi was a fighter but it was clear she’d rather be shot at than take a chance on opening her heart to love. And him.

“I’m not sure I know how. I don’t think I can. Not after all this time.”

She wasn’t just talking about the last two years she’d been on the run. This was about her whole damn life and for a moment West felt despair take a hold of his gut. He didn’t know how to turn around a lifetime of thinking she wasn’t good enough.

He might have thought it was a lost cause but then he saw the light of hope in her eyes. She wanted to believe. To feel love. Give and receive. She was scared as hell but that didn’t mean it was hopeless.

It was
hopeful
.

He’d need to go out on a limb if he wanted any sort of a chance. This was no time for any of his commitment phobia bullshit. He’d been dancing around his feelings all this time, protecting his own heart. He was supposed to the strong man in this relationship but he’d been just as weak and chicken shit.

Pathetic. It stopped at this moment.

“You’d better figure it out because I love you. And I’ve never said that to a woman before so that should tell you just how damn serious I am. You’re lovable because I love you.”

Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open, clearly shocked at his declaration.

“I–I–”

She was speechless.
Good.
She needed to be knocked out of her complacency.

“I don’t expect you to say it back. Not yet anyway. I get that you’re scared and that you haven’t really had any practice with this love stuff. So I’m okay with waiting. But I believe that you do love me so I’m going to be saying and showing it all the time. I don’t mind not hearing the words but I do mind your emotions not being shown. Your actions mean more to me than mere words ever could.”

“I–I…don’t know what to say.”

She didn’t look scared or angry. If anything she didn’t believe him. He’d have to spend some quality time showing her he was for real.

“You don’t have to say anything. Just consider this me throwing down the gauntlet. I’m not giving up on you. I want us to be together so I’m going to become a major pain in your ass. When you need a push, I’ll be there. Loving you, and just generally making it difficult to hide away.”

His phone vibrated in his pocket before she had a chance to reply.

Jason. Finally.

West swiped the screen and pressed the phone to his ear. “Talk to me. What’s going on there? How’s Shane?”

“Shane’s doing well. He’s awake and talking to his parents. The doctors are going to keep him for three or four days but then he can go home with a health nurse to care for him. He told me to tell you not to worry and take care of your girl.”

West breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. The surgery had gone on longer than planned and his cousin had been in the recovery room for what seemed like hours.

“That’s good news. I bet he’s loving all the attention,” West laughed, remembering Shane’s predilection for dating pretty nurses. “Tell him we’re thinking about him, okay?”

“I will. But that’s not all the good news I have. I finally got that call back from my buddy in the FBI. He’s been working on the Morton case for over two years now and he’s willing to help us. Says that good old Alan is as dirty as they come. Gambling. Prostitution. Drugs. A veritable trifecta of sins.”

“Do they have enough to make a case?”

“They’ve got some circumstantial stuff but he’d like to get a slam dunk for the prosecutor. Morton hasn’t been a high priority yet, honestly. They’ve been using him to get to targets higher up.”

Adrenaline raced through West’s veins at the thought of putting Morton behind bars for the rest of the man’s miserable life. “Whatever we can do to expedite this I’m all for. I want this guy. Bad.”

“I know,” Jason grunted. “We’ll get him. Now I’m going to stay with Shane but Travis and Jared can fly down and meet you in Vegas if you need them. There’s nothing they can really do here but sit around and watch Shane terrorize the nurses and generally make everyone’s life miserable. I can already tell he’s going to be a piss poor patient.”

All the Anderson men were cursed with little patience. In a few days Shane was going to chafe at having to lie in a hospital bed.

“I’ll call you later today after Gigi meets her brother. I’ll have a better idea at that point when we’ll be leaving for Chicago.”