Chapter 1
Dakota Languor drove his big SUV through the intersection, his list of things to do today long. He was often the one to go into town, depending on who was available and what else was going on. He did the job cheerfully, knowing it gave him a chance to get out. He loved everybody he worked with, absolutely adored the women there, but, for him, it got to be a bit too much at times.
He wasn’t used to living and working in the middle of a large family. And that was definitely what Legendary Security had become. He was good with that, but sometimes …
Saul was his best friend, and now that he’d found Rebel and she lived in town, the two of them were fast becoming another case of a live-in couple. Dakota knew Saul had discussed with Rebel about moving into one of the apartments on the compound.
Eight apartments were being rehabbed for company employees. Dakota doubted that would be enough, considering the speed with which Levi was filling up his company with some of the best damn men Dakota had ever been privileged to work with.
Dakota sped down the highway. He might stop for lunch or coffee, but he’d knock the things off his list like a pro—fast and efficient. Most of today was picking up parts and pieces that had been ordered from various warehouses and stores. Food had to be picked up too—that was always fun as Alfred’s list would be huge. The good thing was, he had phoned in the order, and it was paid for, ready for loading by the time Dakota got there.
Considering Levi had so many jobs on the go right now, with men coming and going on a regular basis, Dakota liked this diversion. Saul had just headed out to a job in Alaska and was always happy to go off on missions, but, at the same time, he would miss his sweetheart. To think how Saul and Rebel had worked out as a couple was amazing. Dakota was happy for his buddy. Saul hadn’t been looking for a relationship, but, when it came, he’d certainly recognized its value and gone with it.
Dakota wasn’t sure he’d have the same foresight. He’d never been married, and his years in the navy had shown just how difficult that life was on his friends’ relationships. In Dakota’s case, having been a SEAL and going off on dangerous missions had been very hard on his former girlfriends. And he never knew when he would come back, if he would come back. He figured it was easier on everybody if he didn’t give his heart away, so there would be less hurt all around. It was not that he wanted to be single all his life, and he certainly had a less dangerous lifestyle now, but it was still the same kind of work, and he was gone on a regular basis.
Plus he’d moved to Texas for this position. He didn’t want to do anything to mess it up. He really enjoyed the people he worked with. He’d worried that, when he left the navy, he’d feel this huge apprehension, fear of losing that sense of brotherhood. But, as he had hooked up with Levi almost immediately, Dakota had experienced a renewed sense of kinship and a sense of belonging. He loved his new life.
The fact that almost everybody here, living on the compound as Levi’s people did, was involved in a serious relationship made being single a bit awkward. But Dakota was okay with that because it was comfortable and maybe because he was even a little envious.
He’d watched Saul and Rebel come together, spark back and forth off each other, before settling into something that was almost like a lock and a key.
He hadn’t really expected that to happen to Saul. They’d been best friends forever. Saul had had several serious relationships during that time. Dakota had thought some of the women were perfect for his buddy. But none had ever worked out. Rebel had been completely different. And yet perfect. Considering how quickly Saul had clicked with Rebel, Dakota had to wonder if he could have that something special too. Not that one could plan for that.
Dakota’s huge fear was that the perfect woman would walk by and that he wouldn’t recognize her.
As he came to the outskirts of the city, he checked before changing lanes and then took a right at the next intersection. The best way to get through this long list was to be efficient about which places he went to and in what order. He stopped off at the first warehouse and picked up several parcels that had come in for Levi, loaded them into the back of the SUV, pushing them to the far corner and packing them in tight. By the time he got home today this vehicle would be stuffed, so he had to pack for maximum usage of his space. Plus the perishables had to be the last ones in and the first ones out.
At the mechanic shop, he picked up a few parts and pieces Stone and Merk had ordered for a couple of the rigs. The good thing was, everything was done on credit, and Ice paid all the bills. Dakota didn’t have to deal with the money issues. Originally, when Ice and Levi had first started the company, apparently finances had been very tight, but, now that money flowed freely and the company turned a profit, the co-owners were building up a lot of their inventory, improving on the medical clinic and rehabbing many of the apartments. Levi had inherited the huge compound from a family member, and, ever since they’d moved in, the place had been under construction.
Of course Alfred was a godsend. He ran the house and commanded the kitchen, where he created delicious meals for the entire compound single-handedly. There had been a lot of discussion about bringing in an assistant for him. Instead everyone just pitched in and helped alongside him. Nobody let him do dishes anymore, even though he protested mightily. But there was no need for that, as about thirty people hung around or lived in the place most of the time. Not all the bedrooms were full yet. But it must be getting close.
Once the apartments were completed, Dakota knew a lot of the couples would move into those spaces. That would change things too. He didn’t know how the meals would work at that point, but he figured it would probably be up to the individual couples. Some were so busy they’d appreciate offered food, and others may like to cook special dinners themselves. Dakota wasn’t sure how Alfred would handle life then, but, like everything else, after a few growing pains, he’d settle into a rhythm that would work for everyone.
Dakota made two more stops, cheerfully knocking them off his list. Just as he pulled away from his fourth stop, the rain came down. Within minutes the downpour was so extreme that he could barely see through the windshield. He reached an intersection and was about to pull through as various vehicles slid out of control, hydroplaning—the flooding in the streets was bad already.
He decided to get out of these main traffic areas. Side streets would be less dangerous. He took a right and then a left, and, as he turned right again, he peered left, then right. Both clear, he hit the gas.
A woman darted into his path. He yanked the steering wheel sharply yet still felt the bump as he hit her.
“Shit!”
He pounded on the brakes; the truck slammed to a stop. He shut off the engine, opened the door and ran outside. The woman leaned against his truck, staring at him with a dazed look in her eyes.
“Oh, my God. Are you okay?” He jogged to her, automatically assessing her condition. He found no blood, and she appeared to be standing on her own.
She looked up at him and said, “I’m … I’m fine.”
He shook his head. “No, you so aren’t.”
She gave him a brief smile and said, “Yes, I am.”
And with that she took a deep breath, almost as if she would go underwater, and she bolted. Down the street he watched her gait, seeing a limp on her left side and how she held herself with her arm wrapped around her chest. He knew that, although she wasn’t badly hurt, she was still injured. He hopped back into the truck, turned on the engine, completed the turn and went after her. She bolted up an alleyway. He followed.
He felt terrible. He hadn’t seen her before driving into the section, didn’t know where she came from until she was in the roadway, but he wanted her checked over by a doctor. It was like she had blasted from the darkness. He came up to the alleyway but saw no sign of her. He drove around the block and came down the alleyway from the far side, hoping to catch her coming out at the other end. He proceeded slowly around the corner. No one was there. No doorway was open.
Dakota passed by a door where a couple came out, laughing and joking at the rain, racing to get under cover at the store on the corner. Dakota pulled off to the side and parked. He opened the car door and raced to the door the couple had come out of. And stepped into the kitchen of a small restaurant.
The chef turned and frowned at him. “Use the front door,” he barked.
“Sorry. Did you see a young woman come through here just a few minutes ago?”
The chef motioned to the front of the restaurant. “Yeah, she’s in there.”
“Thanks.” He gave himself a quick shake, ridding himself of the effects of the rain.
“Remember the front door next time.”
“I will, thanks.”
He made his way to the front, passing a waitress carrying a tray of empty plates. “Sorry.”
He stopped to check out the boisterous atmosphere. He didn’t know this restaurant at all. It looked more like a small café, diner style. He walked past the tables, looking for the woman who’d run away from him.
Up ahead, sitting at a small table for two with a glass of water in front of her, was the woman he’d hit with his vehicle. He quickly sat down in the chair across from her.
She jerked back and stared at him in shock. And then slowly recognition kicked into her gaze, and she sank back into her chair. “I said I was fine.”
He shook his head. “You’re limping and holding your side,” he said, leaning closer. “I can’t in good conscience let you walk away without having a doctor check you over.”
She shook her head and bitterly said, “I can’t meet my deductible, so it wouldn’t matter if I was injured.”
He reached across and picked up her hand, holding it gently. “I’ll take care of your bill. I just want to make sure you are fine.”
She studied him intently. Then, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t let herself, she snapped her lips together and pinched them closed.
He sighed and sat back. “Are you always so stubborn?” he asked lightly.
“No, only when men track me down and scare the devil out of me.”
Her phrasing was interesting. The waitress walked over just then with a coffee carafe and two cups.
As she was about to leave, Dakota said, “Would you bring us a menu too, please?”
With a bright smile the waitress disappeared to get the menus.
He looked over at the woman. “At least tell me your name. I’m Dakota Languor.” He reached out his hand across the table to shake hers.
She shook his hand and said, “I’m Bailey Hoskins.”
“I like it. It’s different.” He tossed it around in his mind and then shrugged. “I like unique.”
“It is different,” she said gently. “That also made it difficult to grow up with. Kids had a problem with my name being different. So the kids deemed me different,” she said quietly. “It doesn’t really matter in what way.”
“Were you bullied growing up?”
She shrugged. “No more than anybody else I suppose, but I certainly got my fair share.” She studied his face, then dropped her gaze to his broad shoulders.
He knew what she saw. He was the epitome of the all-American boy—muscled, tanned.
Then she smiled. “I guess you weren’t though?”
“Never twice by the same person.” His tone was flat. He had no patience for those who were busy mocking others. “I’ve always been a straight player. And I don’t waste my time with those who aren’t.”
“So why are you here wasting time with me?” she asked in a half-mocking tone.
“Because I don’t even know what happened,” he admitted. “Not only were you running into a street without looking, but you were running away from something. I’ve seen too many cases, where a woman ran in terror, to not stop and ask if she needs help.”
She settled back into her chair, about to protest, when the waitress returned and placed a menu in front of her, handing the second menu to Dakota. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Dakota nodded his thanks and raised the menu, but over the top he watched her slowly stirring her coffee.
She dipped her spoon in the cup and pulled up a bit of the dark liquid, taking a sip and grimacing.
He grinned. “Not much of a coffee drinker?”
She shrugged. “Not a whole lot, no.”
He nudged the sugar and cream toward her. “Maybe try it with one of these.”
She studied them both and picked up the cream and poured in a decent amount.
He went back to reading the menu and decided the daily special, a chef’s burger, was perfect right now. He glanced over the menu at her. “At least let me buy you lunch.”
The offer seemed to startle her. Finally she nodded. “Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”
“Did your shirt or pants get damaged when you hit the vehicle?”
She glanced down, brushing at the moisture that clung to the material. “No. I doubt it.”
He motioned at the menu in front of her. “Pick something.”
She put the menu up between the two of them as if a barrier would help him go away. He wouldn’t do that, but he could understand her wanting to hide behind something.
He was patient as she studied her lunch options. If she was hoping to outwait him, she was out of luck. He wasn’t letting her from his sight until he had answers.
Finally she put the menu off to the side. “I’ll have a green salad.”
The waitress, as if seeing her actions, walked over to take their orders. He wasted no time in asking for two large burgers, fries, and a green salad for her. They went over the extras he wanted on the burgers, and finally the waitress collected the menus and walked away.
She stared at him. “Did you even listen to me?”
“I listened. Obviously you need more food than a green salad. And, even if you’re only a little bit hurt, your body needs to heal. You were still in shock when I arrived, and that means you need food, real food.”
“I’m not in shock,” she protested.
“Yes, you are. Your hands are still trembling. You’re still wrapping your arms around your body from being cold and wet. If something happened to you before we ran into each other, literally, that’s just added to the effect. What were you running from?”
She turned to stare at the pouring rain outside the window. “I’d just left the office and was heading to the bank. It’s a fair distance, so I cut through alleys to get there on my break. In a hurry, I wasn’t watching where I was going,” she said in a low tone. “It’s not your fault.”
“And yet I feel like it is,” he said gently. “I did not stop in time. And it really bothers me to think you might end up walking out of here with what appears to be a minor injury but could end up becoming much worse.”
“I’m fine. I have no pain anywhere.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“But you really don’t believe me, do you?”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you, but, when somebody’s in shock, they aren’t always aware of how badly injured they are.” His lips quirked. “Until later when it’s often too late.”
She slumped back into her chair and just stared out the window. But she did pick up her coffee cup and took a sip. The cup trembled in her hand.
He wanted to reach over and hold her hand steady, letting her know she’d be fine—he’d make sure of it.
She jerkily moved her hand forward and finally set the cup down again. Even getting a little bit of coffee into her seemed to help. It put some life back in her eyes.
“Are you ready to tell me what happened before we collided?”
She shook her head. “I have no intention of telling you anything.”
As he suspected. Something had terrified her into running, and that’s why she’d ended up in the road where she shouldn’t have been. He certainly didn’t let himself off the hook. His reaction should’ve been faster. Yet the rain was so heavy, it had been hard to see.
“Do you live in Houston?” he asked.
“Yes, I’ve been here for a few years.” Giving him a small sideways look, she asked, “You?”
“I’ve been here a couple months now,” he confessed. “A friend of mine and I moved out here for jobs with the same company.”
“Oh, that’s nice that the two of you came at the same time.”
He shrugged. “We work for Legendary Security. We were both in the navy, so leaving at the same time and moving here was actually a good deal on both our parts. We’ve been buddies for a long time, so we didn’t really want to find jobs across the world and have to start over without anybody there beside us.”
“Having friends makes everything easier.” She reached out a hand and added a bit more cream to her coffee.
He frowned as he noticed her translucent skin and the big bruise on the back of her hand. “You look like you never eat.”
She raised her gaze, studying him for a long moment. “I’m getting better now.”
“Were you sick?” he asked, his tone sharp.
She shook her head. “Emotionally traumatized. I lost my husband eighteen months ago. I came close to fading away. I just didn’t care anymore. But I turned a corner a few months ago, and I’ve been slowly regaining my strength.”
She picked up her coffee and took several more sips as she again stared out the window.
He knew she wasn’t seeing anything out there but was staring more into the long line of years behind her. “I’m sorry. That’s very difficult.”
“It was very difficult. He was sick. When he went in for tests, they found he had stage four cancer. He was gone within six months. There was just no time to even adapt, to get through treatment or even try to fight. He was there, and then he was too sick to be anywhere but in the hospital. He was moved to the hospital so damn fast, and we just didn’t realize how quickly everything would be over.” She shook her head, clenching her fingers together. “We’d only been married six months before he got really ill.”
“At least you had those first six months,” he said gently.
She gave him a tremulous smile. “It took me a long time to see that. But you’re right. Still, when you lose somebody, it’s hard not to rail against the injustices of the world, not to cry and not to be angry because you’re the one left behind, the people you love all gone. I dived into my work and ended up volunteering after-hours. I did everything I could to work myself to the bone, so I couldn’t feel. To just delay getting home and trying to sleep at night so I could get up and do it all over again. I lost a lot of weight, and it wasn’t exactly a healthy lifestyle. But it took quite a while for me to sleep and even more time to get up without tears in my eyes.”
“Even eighteen months isn’t very long for grieving.”
“No, but it’s long enough,” she said. “I realized quite a few months ago I had to do something about my downward spiral, and Rick would be very upset with me if he knew I was letting myself decline to that extent. He always asked me to take care of myself. It’s not that I wasn’t able or capable, it just never occurred to me. I’d go without several meals and not really notice, and then suddenly I’d be super hungry and have to eat.”
“Regular meals are necessary to keep your energy up.”
“Why would I want to keep my energy up? I wanted to come home and to drop off to sleep until the next day. It was only through sleep that I could forget the pain of what I’d lost.”
Just then the waitress walked over with two large platters.
Dakota looked at the stacked burger with appreciation. He’d have to remember this place. “This looks great,” he said.
He studied the platter in front of Bailey. The burger was just as big as his with a decent size salad too. He picked up his burger carefully—large enough that he needed two hands to hold it—and took a big bite. Real meat, barbecued perfectly on a grill, just the way he liked it.
Together they munched in silence, enjoying the hot food and being inside the warm café. When he finished his burger, he turned his platter and offered her some fries.
She shook her head. “It’ll be all I can do to eat my own.”
“I suspect you didn’t have any breakfast this morning, did you?”
She shook her head. “No, I had breakfast a long time ago.” She sighed heavily. “You probably shouldn’t be talking to me. Or be seen with me in any way.”
He raised an eyebrow in question. “Why’s that?” He popped a french fry into his mouth and chewed.
She shook her head again but wouldn’t explain.
He knew there was more to the story, but he wasn’t exactly sure how to get it out of her. “What are you running from?”
She gave a broken laugh. “That’s why you shouldn’t be talking to me. For all I know, you’re in trouble now.”
“How?” He tried to keep his tone gentle and undemanding, but no way was he letting her off the hook with this. He needed to know what had happened.
She shook her head and continued to eat her salad. The waitress came back and topped off her coffee.
He let her eat in silence for a few more moments and then said, “Tell me what is wrong.”
She looked at him. “You can’t fix it. And I’m not putting anybody else in danger.”
“What danger?”
She just shrugged but kept silent.
“Remember I work for a private security company? Remember I was in the navy? Handling danger is what I do. I help people in trouble.”
“Maybe, but you do it for money, and that’s not something I have. And this is too dangerous, even for you.”
He sat back, shifting sideways on the chair, figuring out how to get her to open up. He was more a “if the hammer didn’t work, then bring in a sledgehammer” type of guy. But that approach didn’t work well with women. He needed to find the key to helping her relax.
“Money isn’t the issue,” he said gently. “If I can do anything to help, you need to tell me.”
This time her headshake was emphatic. “Thank you for lunch,” she said. “I have to go to the ladies’ room. Excuse me please.”
She stood up, grabbed her purse and walked past him. Having sat for the last hour, her body was stiff, and he could see her limp was more pronounced. He swore under his breath. He really needed to look at her leg. She was also slightly hunched over, and he knew that was to protect her ribs. It was possible she had cracked one or two. He hoped it was just bruising instead, but he knew even that would take a long time to heal. He watched until she walked past the rest of the tables and went into the women’s bathroom. Then he waited.
*
Inside the bathroom Bailey stared at her reflection in the mirror, hating to see the huge bags under her eyes and the fear still lurking in the background. “What the hell has happened to my life?” she whispered to her reflection.
She used the facilities and turned back to the sink, washing her hands as she embraced the heat of the water. She was so cold inside and out, and her body was stiff and sore. She certainly didn’t blame him. She’d run smack into his vehicle. A damn good thing he wasn’t going any faster and had deflected the impact, as she probably would’ve been killed or severely injured at least.
She took a moment to brush her hair as she gathered her thoughts. She didn’t know what to say or what to tell him to make him happy enough to leave her alone. He was just a little too determined to keep her close. She was hoping she’d escape from the restaurant without him seeing her leave. It meant sticking him with the bill, but, since he’d offered, she didn’t feel guilty. Not to mention he had ordered three times the food she would have.
A knock came on the door. She quickly dried off her hands, wiped her face, tossed the paper towel into the garbage can and opened the door. She smiled at the middle-aged woman and stepped out. Then she searched the restaurant, looking for a way to get past Dakota. A large noisy crowd of office workers came in as a group. They walked past him, heading for a table between the two of them.
Quickly she joined the crowd, eased to the outside of the group, getting past Dakota’s table, and made it to the front door. She opened the door and slipped outside.
The rain had eased up, which was a good thing. She was still so very cold. She needed to get home, and she needed to get home now.
She turned the corner at the closest intersection and crossed the road. Just as she stepped up on the far side, a hand grabbed her elbow gently. And she knew without turning around it was Dakota. “You should let me go.”
“We’ll go around to my truck, then I’ll take you home. You shouldn’t be walking around in the rain when you’re injured,” he said firmly.
She shook her head. “I live a few blocks away.”
“Good, then it won’t take very long to get you home.”
She couldn’t protest without causing a lot of attention, and that wasn’t something she wanted.
She let him lead her around to the alleyway and help her into his large black SUV. Inside she was dry and warm and comfortable. She settled back into the deep seat and buckled up.
When he got in and turned on the vehicle, he pivoted and looked at her. “Where are we going?”
She gave him a few simple directions, and, a couple minutes later, they pulled up in front of her apartment building, with visitor parking on the street. He turned off the engine, hopped out and came around to her side. She wondered at his sense of chivalry, that he opened the door and reached up to help her down. Maybe he was just afraid she would sue him, when, in truth, all she wanted was to be left alone.
He led her up the apartment building steps. “What’s the number?”
She punched a number in for the security code. When the buzzer released, he pulled open the door and motioned for her to go in. He followed her straight to the elevators, where one waited for them. He walked in with her and pressed the third floor.
She smiled. “Are you always so observant?”
“Always.”
And she believed him. She wished he was the kind of person she could call on to help her. But he was a good man, and she didn’t want him to get hurt. “I can’t tell you, you know.”
“You will tell me.”
She frowned at him. “No. I won’t. I can’t get you hurt too.”
He rounded on her. “Who hurt you?”
She took a step back and shook her head. “Not me.”
He studied her for a long moment while the elevator slowly continued to climb. “Did you see somebody hurt somebody else? Did you see a crime committed?”
She winced. “How did you come to that conclusion?”
“Don’t stall. This is important and time-sensitive. Did you see a crime committed?”
When the elevator doors opened, they both stepped through and walked to her apartment door. She put her keys into the lock and pushed her door open. She stepped inside, and he came in behind her.
“Answer the question.”
She took a deep breath and slowly nodded. Now that they were inside her apartment, and she wouldn’t be overheard, she had fewer qualms about telling him. If he was so determined to push his nose into her business, well, maybe this would finally scare him off.
She took another deep breath. “I saw the mayor of Houston standing in an alleyway beside another man. They were talking to a third man. The man at the mayor’s side took out a small black handgun, and he shot the third guy, in the chest. He dropped to the ground. Looked dead already to me. While the mayor just stood there, watching.”
“This morning? You saw that happen this morning?
She nodded. “And they saw me. That’s why I ran. I didn’t expect to see anybody there. I was just cutting through the back way. But I saw them. I turned and ran right into you.”
“That might’ve been the worst morning of your life,” he said with a gentle smile, “but running into me will make a shady day a great deal better.”
“That’s very …” She closed her mouth, searching for a word.
He reached out, tilted her chin toward him. “No, it’s not conceited or arrogant. It’s the truth. Because I’ll help you, whether you like it or not.”