Page 8

CHAPTER 8

“D amn, you guys okay?” Brick asked, looking at them in the rearview mirror, his brown eyes filled with worry.

“We’re all right.” The thick rumble of Taschen’s voice was like sound therapy. She focused on his warm body next to hers, on his strong, rigid muscles and his even breathing. “Did you get a look at the shooter?”

“No. I was going to loop around to the other side of the cemetery to see if I could catch anyone fleeing, but Rami asked me to grab you two instead.”

Taschen grunted. “I can’t believe they came here. Someone’s got a lot of balls.”

Sephie didn’t speak. The gritty texture of fear coated the inside of her mouth. She huddled even closer to Taschen. Chills spread up and down her body and her teeth chattered.

She met his gaze. It was the only source of calm she could locate. “Are you sure you weren’t hurt?” he asked.

She glanced down at her bare feet. “Nothing really hurts.” Another shiver took hold.

He tightened his arm around her waist and rested his other hand on her thigh. “You’re in shock.”

His words surprised her but of course it was true. “Did Annie and Clayton make it out?” She’d never forgive herself if something happened to them. The killer had come to the funeral for her and had just about murdered Pippa’s family in the process.

Taschen spoke low into the microphone in his ear then returned his attention to her. “They’re in Rami’s car. He’s taking them home and will see they get to the airport for their flight.”

A sigh rattled her shoulders. Thank god. Taschen’s fingers flexed on her bare skin. She didn’t shift. She’d keep his hand in place if it meant begging.

The heat from his palm only intensified the cold in the rest of her body. If she could have curled every inch of herself into his hands, she would have.

She was cozied up with her bodyguard. The fact swirled in her stomach like booze the morning after spring break. She needed to be careful. Needed to back off. Getting emotionally close to him wasn’t healthy. He’d been hired to be her temporary babysitter. Once this blew over, he’d be gone.

Who was she kidding? Common sense had no place here. Not right now. There were a million reasons why Taschen’s touching her was a bad idea, but she wasn’t going to focus on a single one.

She pressed her knees together and clamped her lips shut, but the tremors didn’t stop. It was possible the shooter was the same man who’d attacked her in her apartment. That she was the target because of her broadcast. But given what she’d seen online, other possibilities spread out like the intricate threads of a spider’s web. The idea that Pippa had been murdered grew large in her mind, pushing any lingering doubt away.

The envelope Clayton had given her burned against her side, but she didn’t reach for it. Clayton had told her to wait until she was somewhere safe to open it. She’d trust Taschen to see what was inside, but no one else. It’d have to wait until they were alone.

“What’s the plan?” Brick asked. “I can drive you back to Seattle or you can take over when we meet up with Rami.”

“Rami’s getting Pippa’s family somewhere safe,” Taschen said. “Once he’s done, I’ll take over and drop you off before we head out of town.”

Sephie bolted forward, gripping his suit jacket. “Ohmigod. Yvette. I need to find her.”

Taschen’s face hardened. “We’re not going back. ”

She wet her lips. “Then I need to call her. Please, let me use your phone.”

Resistance flared in his eyes, but he slowly withdrew his phone. “Be careful what you say. Don’t tell her anything about where we’re staying.”

Greedily, she snatched up the device. “I won’t.” She dialed Yvette’s number and the line rang in her ear.

“Hello?”

Relief melted Sephie’s bones. “It’s Sephie. Where are you?”

“Thank you, Jesus. I was so worried about you.” The huff and puff of her friend’s breath told Sephie she was still outside. “I can’t believe they came for you at the funeral. I was talking with old clients when I heard the screams. Are you hurt? Was anyone?”

“I—I’m fine. I don’t know if anyone was injured, but we got Annie and Clayton out.” Sephie kept her grip tight on Taschen’s arm. If she let go, she just might slip away. “Please be careful. I think there’s something more going on.”

“Lady, I don’t like any of this one bit. I didn’t get a chance to tell you this earlier, but this morning, my back door was unlocked. I know, I know. That doesn’t sound like a big deal. But I’m absolutely positive I locked it. You know me. I triple-check my stove before I leave the house.”

Concern curdled in Sephie’s stomach. “Your house alarm didn’t go off?”

Taschen turned toward her, his gaze sharp.

“No. That’s the other thing... I think someone turned it off.”

Sephie’s senses tingled. “Do you think they’re just trying to scare you?” The question was moot. The fact that someone had gotten into Yvette’s house and was able to disarm her security system screamed their intent. They might not have hurt her, but the threat was clear.

“I think they wanted something. But damn if they’ll get it.” Bravado rang in Yvette’s voice. Her ballsy attitude was coming back swinging.

“You might need a bodyguard as much as I do.” She lifted her lashes to meet Taschen’s face and her belly tightened. Yvette might need a protector, but Sephie sure as hell wasn’t willing to share hers. “What do you think they were looking for?”

“Listen. I’m just getting a hotel for the night. Can you call back later?” Yvette asked. “I’ll tell you more when I can.”

Sephie grimaced, anticipating Taschen would shut that idea down fast. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Please. It’s important.” The line went dead.

***

By the time they’d met up with Rami and dropped off Brick at his car, it was after 5:30 p.m. Taschen flicked his gaze to Sephie in the passenger seat. She’d been quiet since talking with Yvette, and she kept glancing at the clock.

“You hungry?” he asked.

“Not really, but I guess I should eat.”

“Takeout okay?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Definitely. I feel like I’m wearing funeral and I-was-just-shot-at energy.”

A smile broke over his tired face. At the funeral, he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off her. The knee-length black dress was perfectly respectful for the occasion yet hugged every delicious, tempting curve of her body. The small slit at the back that revealed just a little of her thighs had him wanting to rip it open the rest of the way. And given the direction his thoughts went while he was sitting in the church, he assumed he’d be going to hell.

“You look very pretty.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, but even if he could have, he wouldn’t. “Especially for someone who was just shot at,” he added, to lighten the compliment.

He shifted his gaze from the red light and caught the blush tinting the apples of her cheeks.

“Thank you,” she mumbled. “You look pretty great yourself.”

“Don’t get used to it.” He tugged at his tie, freeing the material. “I only wear a suit when I absolutely have to, and I fucking hate it.”

Her soft chuckle strummed his heart.

“All right. So burgers and fries to go? We can eat at the hotel.”

“With a chocolate milkshake,” she added.

“Damn, that sounds like a stress-reliever to me.” He changed lanes as a fast-food sign caught his eye.

“It most definitely is.”

Half an hour later, they were in their hotel room with bags of hot food. He spread out their meals on the small dinette table and waited for Sephie to sit before he took his chair.

He popped French fries into his mouth and groaned. It’d been a while since he indulged in junk food. His abs weren’t going to take the meal well, but damn it hit the spot.

Sephie rolled back her eyes as she took a bite of her burger. “Oh god. I was wrong. I’m definitely hungry.”

He chortled. “Greasy food has a way of doing that to you.” He took another bite of the juicy burger. Stringy cheese filled his mouth, along with the tangy taste of pickles and ketchup. He had the damn thing polished off in fewer than ten bites.

Sephie alternated between the burger and fries, her pace slower. “There’s something I need to tell you. Clayton passed something to me at the funeral. He told me not to look until I was somewhere safe.”

Taschen hiked up his eyebrows, surprised not just by the interesting tidbit but also by the fact that she felt safe enough to share it with him .

He said nothing as she delved into the pocket of her blazer and produced a folded manilla envelope. Her hands trembled as she pulled apart the creased paper. She slid out the contents. A piece of white paper and a thumb drive spilled out.

Anticipation mixed with dread tightened his neck muscles. “What is it?”

She passed him the thumb drive and opened the paper. She read aloud.

“ To my brother,

“ If you’re reading this it’s because what I feared finally happened. You know me, Clay. I would never, ever harm myself. Don’t believe the lies that will be strung. ”

Sephie’s voice broke and tears rolled down her cheeks. Taschen caught her shoulder, rubbing gently as she continued.

“ I couldn’t keep these secrets forever. Raymond needs to pay for what he did to me—and what he did to a lot of us. I should have protected you, little brother.

“ I need you to be safe. Remember that vacation we took as kids? The one after mom’s divorce. Go there and take mom with you. Promise me. They won’t come for you there.

“ You need to give this information to Sephie. Whatever you do, don’t look at the thumb drive. Its contents will put you in worse danger. Sephie will want the same revenge as I did. She’ll see this through. Don’t go to the police .

“ I love you, and I’m sorry. ”

A haggard gasp sounded from Sephie’s throat. Taschen got out of his chair and pulled her to her feet. He gathered her tightly in his arms. Her face nestled in the crook of his neck and her body shook as she released a flood of tears.

“Shhh, babe. It’s okay. We’re going to get to the bottom of this. I promise you.” So help him god, he’d find Pippa’s murderer. He’d expose all those dirty bastards and rip out their fucking lungs with his bare hands for hurting Sephie.

She sobbed against his shirt as he smoothed his hand up and down her back. He closed his eyes, wishing with everything he had that he could absorb even an ounce of her pain. She didn’t deserve this.

His gaze shifted to the drive on the small table. Angst tightened his muscles. Whatever was on that damn thing was enough to get Pippa killed. He wanted to know what was inside, wanted the contents investigated, but they had to play their cards carefully. Besides, Sephie was shaken enough from the letter. He’d give her a chance to breathe before bringing up the drive. After a few moments, she pulled back but stayed in his embrace.

“I’m sorry. I’m a mess.” She swiped at her tears with shaking fingertips.

He caught her cheek with his palm, catching one of her tears with his thumb. “Not from where I’m standing. ”

She let out a shaky laugh, maybe remembering the last time he’d said those very words—in the kitchen just yesterday. Felt like a lifetime ago.

“You’re not a mess,” he clarified. “You’ve been through fucking hell. And I swear to you, those days are over.”

She blinked twice and leaned forward. Her mouth connected with his, sending a shockwave through him. Then her lips, so soft and supple, moved against his. All his blood rushed to his cock, and he had to thread his hand through her hair so he didn’t pull her to the bed.

Using every ounce of restraint he had, he let her lead the kiss. She moaned and swept her arms around his neck, pulling his chest against her firm breasts.

Need intoxicated him. Her vanilla-frosting scent bathed his awareness in all things Sephie. His pulse pumped through his veins and the urge to touch her, to slip his hand beneath her dress, nearly broke him.

Gently he eased away. His breath came out in hot, frenzied gasps. He swept his hand over his jaw. “We shouldn’t do this.” He’d meant to say “We can’t do this,” but so help him, he couldn’t put an end to it. Sephie would have to back away herself.

She nodded slowly, hugging her arms around herself. “I know.”

Without another word, she fled into the bathroom. The lock clicked. He bunched his hands into fists.

Hell. He’d just fucked things up. Not just whatever was happening between Sephie and him, but maybe even his job.

Because he couldn’t continue like this. Couldn’t torture himself and couldn’t risk hurting her.