Page 6 of James (Big Northwest #6)

CHAPTER SIX

PHILLIP

S HE WASN’T GOING to like his plan. Would probably hate it.

But it was the easiest option, and the one most likely to work, so it was what they’d be going with. His own feelings about the plan had zero to do with his decision to implement it.

Mostly.

“Come on.” Phillip opened her door, holding out a hand. “The sooner we get moving, the sooner you’ll be safe.”

“Safety is relative.” James frowned, but took his hand, letting him pull her out. “And nowhere near as prevalent as people want to think.”

He didn’t like the despondence in her voice. The hopelessness it carried. Instead of leading her inside, he lingered, hoping she could read him as easily as he read her. “We will keep you safe, James. I promise.”

Her chin tucked, one brow angling. “ We ? You’re not going to claim to be able to keep me safe on your own?”

“I think it’s been established that we're more effective as a team.” And what a fucking relief that was. To have someone just as capable made his job a hell of a lot easier. Phillip closed the driver’s door, took the fob from her hand, and turned toward the entrance. “And I want you to keep that in mind as we go up to the room.”

James kept up with him easily, her long legs moving quickly as they entered the heavily scented air-conditioning of the hotel. Leading her through the casino, he kept to the edges of the pathways, watching for any sign of the men desperate to get their hands on the woman at his side.

He flashed his room card to the attendant guarding the bank of elevators and ducked into the first open one he saw. There were already a few people in it and he didn’t want any of them to remember anything about James. So, after punching the button for their floor, he crowded her into the corner, blocking her body with his as he palmed her hip.

James stiffened for a second, but then relaxed, a huff of a laugh warming his skin. Leaning into his ear, she whispered. “This is your brilliant plan?”

“Never said it was brilliant.” He ran his nose up the column of her neck, finding it pretty damn easy to look like a man obsessed. “Just said it would work.”

“I don’t think you said that either.” James gripped the front of his ruined T-shirt, pulling him closer. “But you’re playing your part awfully convincingly. Can’t let people think I’m an unwilling participant.” She caught the lobe of his ear between her teeth and tugged.

Shit . He hadn’t considered she’d jump into this with both feet. He should have. That seemed to be how James did just about everything. She was a fucking force to be reckoned with. One that could bring out the worst in him if he let it.

But that was easy to forget with her hands in his body.

He pushed closer as a pair of college-age guys got into the elevator. If anyone would remember a tall, leggy blonde with clear blue eyes, it would be them, so he used them as an excuse. An explanation for why he needed her so close.

James’s lean body pressed tight to his, her lips brushing his ear as she said, “Careful, or I’ll have you almost nutting in your pants like I did last time.”

The elevator stopped, letting out a round of people. “Is that a threat?” He smiled against her skin. “Or a promise of a good time?”

She hummed, her fingers skimming over his stomach. “I guess it could go either way.” Her touch started to slide lower, but the soft chime of the elevator signaled their arrival.

“Saved by the bell.” Phillip caught the hand she’d planned to torment him with, holding tight as he led her out, staying between her and everyone else to limit their view. Going straight to the door of his room, he flicked the keycard against the reader and twisted the levered knob, standing back to scan the hall as he urged James inside with the press of his hand against her back. Satisfied the coast was clear, he followed her in, flipping the ball latch into place before crossing the upper sleeping space to join her in the sitting area of the suite. There, he dropped his shirt and jacket onto the table while James flung open the curtains.

“Holy shit.” She looked out over the strip, taking in the view as the sun went down. “This room must have cost a fortune.”

“Not really.” Phillip crossed the space to stand beside her. “Hotels would rather you spend your money in their casinos, so the rooms are relatively cheap.”

James wrinkled her nose. “I can’t imagine risking losing money.”

“The risk of losing isn’t what most people focus on when they gamble.” He studied her. “They think more about the possibility of winning.”

James snorted. “Yeah, but what are the odds they get to do the winning part?” She leaned closer to the window, palms resting against the glass as she took it all in. “Not great based on how fancy these hotels are.”

“True.” Phillip struggled to take his eyes off her. “But the chance of getting what they want is worth it.”

James’s expression changed, just like it did earlier in the car. Going from amused to sad in the blink of an eye. “I guess they haven’t learned you can’t always get what you want.” She turned away from the window, leaving him standing alone as she went up the steps and into the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower so I can get the rest of this makeup off my face.” The door clicked closed behind her.

He stood staring out the window for a few minutes, wondering what in the hell put that sadness on her face. Reading people was a big part of his job, and James was turning out to be a unique sort of person. She was sweeter than he first expected, but carried a wild—and occasionally violent—streak. She was filled with big feelings she didn’t—or couldn’t—hide. But while her emotions were easy to see, their reasons weren’t as simple to decipher.

Or make sense of.

She worried over her neighbors’ reaction to a fire alarm. Helped keep him safe as they climbed down the building, when she could have just as easily bolted. And devised an alternative plan for him to exit the garage so he didn’t have to follow her over another edge.

But not an ounce of remorse flickered across her face when she talked about having to kill one man, or when she hit the second with his rental car. A rental car the police might be looking for right now.

Scrubbing one hand over his face, he rubbed at the burning in his eyes. “Fuck.”

This was not how this was supposed to go. He was supposed to walk away and leave someone else to deal with James and her sisters. Go back to his business and his life. Forget Shadow Pine and the Karlson sisters existed and find a way to be happy in Chicago.

But he couldn't make himself do it. He’d gone all the way to Washington so he could tell Craig and the sisters that he was done in person. But the words wouldn’t come out.

Not after what his team had discovered.

Now he had to figure out where to go from here, and that required information from James. Information she likely wouldn’t want to offer up. She didn’t trust anyone—obviously with good reason—so it was going to be like pulling fucking teeth.

And as much as he loved a good role play, they didn’t have time to play dentist.

The bathroom door opened, cutting off his thoughts. James stepped out, wrapped in a towel. She looked him over. “Do you have an extra one of those T-shirts I can borrow? I don’t really feel like sweating my ass off in a hoodie all night.”

He forced his eyes away from her damp skin, going to where his suitcase was set on the collapsible rack. Flipping it open, he stepped back. “Help yourself to anything in there.”

James lifted her brows. “That’s awfully generous of you.”

“It’s not so much about generosity as it is about recognizing it’s in my best interest to keep you happy.” And clothed. The more she wore, the better off he’d be. “I’m not a fan of an unhappy Karlson sister.”

James perused the contents of his rolling bag, choosing an undershirt and a pair of boxer briefs before dropping the towel to the floor. “You never told me how you knew about the glowing eye thing.” She faced him, offering up a full view of her perfect body without a hint of embarrassment or shame. Probably because she was used to being mostly naked in front of men.

And damned if the thought didn’t make him want to hunt down every one of the bastards who’d paid to look at her and gouge their fucking eyes out.

Clearing his throat, Phillip averted his eyes, trying to regain his train of thought, and his self-control, as James pulled on his underwear. “One of Frankie’s employees was causing some problems. His adult daughter got involved. Tried to shoot Frankie in her warehouse.”

James straightened, eyes widening. “The fuck?”

He couldn’t stop his gaze from drifting to her bare tits. “It’s a little more convoluted than that, but your sisters… intervened.”

Fuck she was perfect. A body like a goddamned goddess and an attitude to match. He could imagine James sitting on her throne cutting down undeserving men without batting an eye.

“Did they kill her?” James shook out his folded undershirt and pulled it over her head.

“Uh,” he cleared his throat, wishing he could do the same to his brain. “No. Their husbands were able to stop them before anyone got seriously hurt.”

James pressed her lips together as the moisture from her hair sank into the shoulders of the white shirt. “Husbands?”

She had to have a million questions, and he’d love nothing more than to answer every one of them.

When she was safe.

“Husbands,” he confirmed. Before she could fire off another query, he made one of his own, hoping for an answer that would expand on what he’d learned on his way to Shadow Pine. “Do you know who sent the men to your work and apartment?”

James shook her head, but the gesture quickly changed to something like a shrug. “I mean, not for sure.”

“Explain.” He needed to know more than his team had been able to dig up. Without a complete idea of what they were facing, he’d be working with one arm metaphorically tied behind his back.

James chewed her lower lip, worrying it between her teeth. Finally she sighed, her whole body deflating with the exhale. “I fucked up.”

It wasn’t a full explanation, but it was a promising start. “How?”

She wouldn’t look at him now. Instead, she began pacing across the space at the foot of the bed. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.” Her words were soft and rushed. “No one was supposed to be able to find me.”

“But they did find you.” He stepped in her way, blocking the imaginary path she was following. “And now we have to figure out how to get you back to your sisters in one piece.”

James looked up at him, a hint of moisture collecting in her blue eyes. “Don’t you think if I could have gone back there I would have already?” Her chin wobbled a little, barely more than a twitch. “I’m not staying away from Shadow Pine because I don’t want to be there. I’m staying away because I won’t risk whoever’s following me finding out there’s five other women just like me.”

The urge to grab her, pull her close, was so strong he had to turn away. Get her out of his sight and hope it was enough to help him think straight. “Who do you think is following you?”

James was silent.

He risked turning back to face her. “If you don’t tell me I can’t help you, James.”

She lifted her chin, standing taller in his shirt and boxers. “Maybe I don’t want your help.”

“That might be true, but you need it.” He stepped closer, drawn in by her strength. Her bravery. Her selflessness. “You might be able to scale a building better than me, but I have a whole team of investigators at my disposal. People who can follow every trail you give me.” He only hesitated a second before offering the full scope of what he could provide. “And I have connections that can make men disappear without a trace. If you want to be able to go home to your sisters, I’m your best shot at making that happen.”

James stared him down, indecision warring in her gaze. Finally, she said, “There was a customer when I worked in LA.” She swallowed, her throat working as her eyes took on a faraway look. “He came in all the time and tipped really well. One day he asked for more and I told him I didn’t do that.” Her lips quirked in a hint of a smile. “He didn’t appreciate being told no, and I had to… repeat myself.” Her blue eyes barely lit. “Physically.”

“Did you kill him?” Not a question he ever expected to be asking one of his clients, but it already seemed like a normal concern with James.

“No.” She winced. “But…”

He waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, he urged her on. “But…”

Her expression tightened, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I might have ruptured one of his testicles.”

“Only one?” He raked a hand through his hair. “Let me guess, Mr. One-Nut didn’t appreciate your attempt at castrating him.”

“I mean, probably not, but that’s not why I think he’s trying to find me.” James pointed at her eyes. “He got a pretty good look at me when I was pissed off, and I think he was into some shady shit. Likely thinks there’s money to be made off whatever I am.”

Okay. That wasn’t so bad. The guy was probably a drug trafficker. Maybe mafia of some sort. Both things could be handled if you knew the right people. “So this guy who’s trying to find you?—”

“I didn’t say I knew for sure he was the one who was trying to find me.” James shifted on her feet. “It could be someone else.”

“Someone else… Specifically?” There was an off note to her voice that had him worried. A weird stiffness to her posture. “Or generally?”

James’s pale brows pinched. “A little of both?”

He rubbed at his jaw, scratching at an itch that wasn’t there just so he’d have something to do besides react. “I’m gonna need you to do a little better than that.”

James groaned, her head falling back. “It sounds so bad when I say it out loud.”

“It’s gonna be a lot worse if you keep it inside. Might as well spit it out so we can deal with it.” Part of him wanted to remain blissfully unaware. To continue ignoring the way this woman was blurring the lines he lived by.

But that wouldn’t keep her safe, and it sure as hell wouldn’t help him get her home so he could move on.

“Ugh.” Her head dropped but her eyes didn’t meet his. “I told you I fucked up.” She let out a breath, lids closing as she said, “I just didn’t say how many times.”

“Times? With an s?” Was she saying— “Are you calling what happened with One-Nut a fuckup?”

James bobbed her head side-to-side, in an almost nod. “I guess you could call it that.”

Fucking hell. “How many?”

She stared at her bare feet, toes wiggling against the floor.

“ James .” Phillip moved in until he was standing right in front of her, hands on his hips as he leaned down in an attempt to bring her attention to his face. “How many?”

She shrugged. “Five or six?” The tip of her tongue traced her lower lip. “Possibly seven or eight?”

Christ. Eight times she’d done something like that? Eight possibilities of who could be after her? Eight different men he had to track down and?—

“Ten.” James gave him a hesitant smile. “But I promise that’s it.”