Page 20 of James (Big Northwest #6)

CHAPTER TWENTY

PHILLIP

B RINGING HER HERE was a bad idea.

He should have known the minute James walked into his office she’d be the focus of everyone’s attention. There was just something about her. She was beautiful, sweet, funny and kind. Also a little crazy, which made her like catnip to these guys.

“Can I get you anything?” Theo was the first to try to crawl up her ass. “Coffee? Tea? Something to snack on?”

“She’s fine, Theo.” Phillip rested one hand on James’s lower back, angling her into his office. “Go back to work.” He closed the door right in the other man’s face, urging James to take one of the seats across from his desk. “Sorry about that.”

“Why are you sorry?” She sat. “Theo seemed super nice.” She smiled up at him. “Maybe he can help me figure out how to get my money from the safety deposit box.”

She was goading him and it was working. The worst part was, he liked it. Liked how ready she was to give him shit.

“No fucking way.” Theo was just as good looking as Enzo was. The last man he’d want James working with. “I’ll help you get everything you need.”

“But I thought you were super busy today.” James stood up and started to wander around the room, peering at the items on the shelves lining one wall. “You’ve got to figure out how to keep Enzo from discovering you’re the one who helped me get out of Vegas.”

He had to figure out more than that, but it was irrelevant. “I have time.” Sitting behind his desk, he placed a call to the contact he’d used to find James in Vegas. After they left, he’d had Nathan send him to watch her apartment and keep him apprised of anything that happened. No one had shown up, so he felt comfortable sending the guy in to pack the place up and put it in storage.

James wandered closer as he gave the man directions to handle both her possessions and her car. Once he was finished, Phillip disconnected the call, waiting to see what she had to say. How many questions she would ask.

“Well?” He held his hands out. “Let’s hear it.”

“Hear what?” James jumped up onto the desk, sliding her butt right in front of where he sat, letting her legs dangle at either side of his. “Sounds like you have everything figured out.”

“Not everything.” He rested his hands on her thighs, unable to stop himself from touching her. “I don’t know what the fuck to do about that car we left in the garage at The Venetian.”

James pushed her lower lip out as she thought. “It’s kinda weird that no one has heard anything about that, right?” She leaned closer, her long blonde hair dropping down to tease against his knuckles. “Your team would have noticed if there was a news story about a hit-and-run a few blocks from my apartment, wouldn't they?”

He tipped his head in a nod. “They would.” It was unexpected there hadn’t been any fallout from that, but not impossible. “But I don’t think Enzo is in the habit of taking his men to the hospital when they’re injured.” He scooted his seat closer, the width of his chest widening her legs. “Or to the morgue when they die.”

“So he would have just taken the guy I killed at the club and dumped him somewhere?” James’s brow furrowed. “That doesn’t seem right. What about his family?”

She was so damn complicated in the best way possible. Could kill a man without guilt but still want him to have a proper burial. It was a dichotomy he’d struggled with himself during his years working for Alaskan Security.

There were bad people in this world. Lots of them. Many deserved to die, and he had a hand in taking a few of them out. Not once did he lose sleep over what he did. Not a single time did he regret pulling the trigger.

But did their families deserve to never know what happened to them? Their kids? Their wives? Their mothers? The people connected to them hadn’t usually earned suffering or grief, yet his actions brought both. It was a difficult moral conundrum to navigate when his conscience was the one involved. When it was James’s on the line, it was fucking miserable.

“That’s a burden you can’t carry.” He reached up to smooth back her hair, cradling her face in his hands. “They came after you. Whatever you needed to do to keep yourself safe is on them, okay?”

Her blue eyes moved over his face, so open and honest and sweet. “Okay.”

Without thinking, he leaned in, brushing his lips against hers. It felt so natural it wasn’t until she sighed and melted against him that it registered what he’d done.

He’d almost kissed her a hundred times—thought about it even more—but was smart enough to know what it would lead to.

And obviously dumb enough not to care.

Gripping her ass, he pulled her closer, dragging her off the desk and into his lap as the kiss deepened. She tasted so fucking good that he couldn’t make himself stop. Couldn’t make himself think this was anything but right.

Her hands slid up his chest and around his neck, fingers spearing into the hair at the back of his head, holding tight as she made a soft sound that traveled from her mouth to his. It was fucking perfection, and he was well on his way to figuring out how to get his mouth on more of her when someone knocked on his door.

“Fuck.” He tore his lips from hers but held tight when she tried to slip away. “ What ?” Whoever it was better have a real fucking good reason for interrupting or they were fired.

Theo peeked his head in, looking apologetic enough that he’d get to keep his position. “You’ve got a call.”

“Who is it?” He turned the chair so he could reach the phone on his desk.

Theo’s eyes flicked to James before coming back to him. “Craig.”

Of course it fucking was. “Put him through.” He picked up the phone as soon as it rang, bracing for what was to come. “You could have called my cell.”

“I would have if I’d known you were in Chicago.” Craig sounded a little put out. “I was just looking for an update and didn’t want to bother you since you were supposed to be bringing my wife’s sister home by any means necessary.” Craig enunciated the last three words. “That’s what you said, right? That you were going to do whatever it took to get James back here?”

His friend was pissed. Understandable considering he didn’t know the whole story. “That is what I said.” Phillip raked one hand through his hair. “But things are a little more complicated than I thought.”

“I don’t give a shit. If you’re not going to bring her home then tell me where she is and I’ll go get her.” Craig’s voice got louder. “I’m fucking tired of my wife crying, and if Jude asks me one more time when he’s going to see his Auntie James, I’m going to lose my shit.”

Maybe he should have kept Craig more in the loop on this, but he hadn’t wanted to worry anyone until he knew for sure what was going on.

Then he found out what was going on and knew there was no way to tell them and expect the sisters to stay put. They would have tried to come find her themselves, just like Craig was threatening to. If anything had happened to them, James would have blamed herself after working so hard for so long to protect them. Sacrificed so much to keep them safe. No way would he take that from her.

“Give me the phone.” Her voice was soft, but insistent.

He passed it over without hesitation. His first instinct was still to protect her from anything that might cause her pain. Physical or mental. But if anyone could explain things to her sisters without them going ballistic, it was James.

He started to shift, planning to ease out from under her and let her have some privacy for what would likely be an emotional conversation. But before he could put his plan into action, she gripped his hand with hers, holding tight, eyes on his as she said, “Craig?”

His friend was silent for a minute. When he finally said, “James?” there was shock in his voice.

“That’s right.” Her hold on his hand relaxed a little. “Don’t be mad at Phillip. Things have been crazy. He’s been working really hard to keep me safe from…” Her voice drifted off as she met his eyes. “Maybe I should put him back on the line.”

Reaching out, he punched the button to switch the call to the speaker. “Right now there’s only so much I can tell you, but I want to make it very fucking clear that no one is to try to come here, understand?”

“Shit, man.” Craig blew out a long breath. “What the fuck happened?”

“That’s a long story that James will probably have to tell you guys when it’s safe to bring her to Shadow Pine.” He tucked her a little closer, taking in the sadness and regret pinching her features. “Until then, I’m going to get her a burner phone she can use to make phone calls. Don’t give the number out and don’t tell anyone you’ve been in touch with her.”

“I know the fucking drill, ass.” Craig groaned. “This really isn’t what I was hoping to hear today.”

Phillip laughed, shaking his head. “And you don’t know the half of it.”

“Do you want me to come there? I’m sure Kenneth can help out with Jude while I’m gone.”

He and Craig had crossed paths on a job a handful of years ago and formed a working relationship that ultimately became a friendship. Normally he would take his friend up on the offer of assistance, but not this time. Craig had finally found what they’d both chased, and there was no way he’d risk putting Craig or the family he worked so hard to find in danger. “You stay there. It’s probably better if there’s someone in town who can handle shit if things get out of hand.”

Craig chuckled. “Believe it or not, I’m not the most capable man in town.”

“Good.” He was fairly confident no one would track James back to Shadow Pine—he hadn’t been able to—but the chance was always there. “Be careful. And call me if anything strange happens.”

“How likely is it that something strange will happen?”

He hated guessing on shit like this but understood where Craig was coming from. If someone told him James might be okay, he’d want fucking specifics. “It’s not zero but it’s less than likely.”

He told Craig he’d call when he had information to share and hung up, turning all his attention to James. “You okay?”

She sniffed, looking small and fragile. “I don’t know.”

“Come here.” He pulled her against him, tucking her head against his neck as he cradled her close. “I know it’s hard, but we’re on the home stretch.”

“Are we?” She sniffed again, snuggling closer. “Because it seems like there’s still a long fucking way to go.”

When it was all parted out it did. They had to collect her belongings. Her car. Her money and her ID. They had to deal with the rental they’d damaged and the one they’d abandoned. She needed more clothes. More stuff to put on her face and in her hair. Shoes. A phone.

And they had to figure out how in the hell to get Enzo off her trail.

“It won’t be tomorrow or the next day, but soon you’ll be with your sisters again.”

He smoothed down her hair, trying to soothe her even as his own insides churned. Because he was going to have to let her go when all this was over. James sacrificed so much for her sisters. Put herself in danger to protect them. It would only make sense she’d want to stick close after this.

But damned if she wasn’t fitting into his life so well.

“But what happens in the meantime?” She straightened, her blue eyes watery as they found his. “I can’t just live with you indefinitely.”

“Why not?” He braced, ready to counter any argument she might come up with. “I have the space. My place is secure. Morris keeps the fridge stocked and cleans it from top to bottom every other week.” He ran one hand through her hair, imagining what it would be like to find the long blonde strands all over his home. “It actually sounds like the perfect place for you to live.”

James stared at him, a line pinching between her brows. “I can’t sit around your house all day.”

“Then come to the office with me.” He might not love the attention his team would give her, but he’d get over it. Especially if it was his bed she slept in every night. “I’m sure Nathan can find plenty to keep you occupied.”

James still looked uncertain. “That’s an awful lot of time we’d be spending together.” She smoothed down the line of his lapel. “I’ve heard you lose interest really fast so you’re probably going to be sick of me by lunchtime.”

It wouldn’t happen. His certainty of that was absolute.

And it made him worry. “Maybe you’re the one who’ll get sick of me.”

James snorted, a smile finally working onto her lips. “Maybe.” Her finger wandered down the line of his jacket, following a path over his stomach as she leaned into his ear. “But I bet you could come up with a few ways to get me interested again.”

Would it be that easy to keep her attention? So much had been simple with her—even while they were climbing out of buildings and running for their lives—was it possible everything could fall into place the same sort of way?

If it could, then maybe he was going about things the wrong way. Maybe the ultimate end-goal shouldn’t be getting James home to her sisters.

It should be figuring out how to get her to stay here with him.