Page 11 of The Reluctant Siren (Texas Sirens: Legacy #2)

Harlow wished the man didn’t look so fucking delicious. Jensen strode over to her, stepping in front of Niall’s Jeep.

I’m serious about us. I’m serious about you.

Niall had said the words and they meant everything to her and yet here she was breathless at being so close to an asshole who betrayed her. Maybe Deranged Dad was right and she made bad choices.

“I’m sorry. I got caught up in some crap at the club,”

Jensen said.

“I knew you were picking her up, and I wanted to make sure everything went smoothly.”

“You shouldn’t have come. You could freak her out,”

Harlow said, keeping a careful distance between them. The last thing she wanted was her current boyfriend to think she was going to fall back into her old boyfriend’s arms. Which she wasn’t about to do. No way. No how.

“And you should know my boyfriend is here. I expect you to treat him with respect.”

His eyes went soft.

“Of course. Harlow, I’m not here to wreck your life. I’m here to help.”

“You’re here for you.”

And she shouldn’t forget that. She didn’t buy his whole “I’ll give up revenge for justice”

speech. It was bullshit meant to get her into a position where she would help him. Where she would spend time with him. She wasn’t foolish. The sex had been spectacular.

But it wasn’t worth her soul.

She had to keep reminding herself that she had a good man now. She had Niall. She didn’t need a gorgeous asshole who could rock her entire world because that was exactly what Jensen Wiley would do. He would drive her crazy with pleasure and then send her into a shame spiral because he wasn’t a man who could love her.

“I’m here to get a job done,”

he said quietly, his big body lit with Niall’s headlights. It made him look like some freaking shadow daddy.

“I’m tired, Harlow. I want to be done. I want to come home.”

She barely managed to not roll her eyes.

“Well, I’ll try to help you get out of Dallas as soon as possible. I still think you should go back to your truck. Miranda doesn’t know you’re in the club under false pretenses, does she?”

“I’ve never told anyone but you,”

he replied.

“You and my best friend are the only people in the world who know where I am.”

“I didn’t know where you were, Jensen. If I had I would have sent someone else in,”

she said, slightly irritated at his poor hot-boy expression.

“Now get back in your truck and meet me at the McKay-Taggart building. Look up the address on your phone. We both know you can Google.”

“I’ll explain it to her,”

Jensen replied.

“She doesn’t know your boyfriend either, but you brought him along. Why didn’t you bring Ruby?”

“Because Ruby is working on something…”

She stopped, a frown coming over her face.

“How do you know about Ruby?”

Ruby hadn’t become her partner until she got home from LA. They’d seen each other at The Hideout, but they hadn’t connected until Gabe had put them in a room together and had them do research on a potential Dom. Ruby had done her computer thing and Harlow had followed him, and they figured out he was a sex offender, called the cops, and saved The Hideout a whole lot of trouble.

And became besties and partners in what her dad called a slow dive into hell.

She wasn’t sure if that dive was for her or him, and she wasn’t about to ask.

But she did want to know how Jensen knew about Ruby.

He frowned her way.

“Like you said. I can Google. Did you think I could walk into this city and not look you up? Not figure out what you’re doing?”

“Well, Jensen, I thought you wouldn’t care.”

Since he was the one who had left her to rot in a jail prison where they handcuffed her not broken arm to a hospital bed.

“I told you, I didn’t walk away because I don’t care. I did it because I love you.”

Oh, she was not listening to that. Not for a fucking second. She put up a hand.

“Don’t say those words to me.”

“They’re true. I get that you have moved on, but I haven’t. I can’t and I don’t think I ever will,”

he replied simply like they were talking about the weather and not a relationship she once hoped would end in marriage and kids and white picket fences.

So unlike the passionate man she’d fallen for.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,”

he added quietly.

“Seeing you again has thrown me off. Let’s talk about Miranda. You got her mom?”

“Her mom is with a bodyguard, and we’re going to move them both to a safe house.”

She should at least let him know what she was doing. She’d decided this after long hours of thinking about how much to trust him.

“She’s going to tell us everything she can about the organization.”

“I know more,”

he replied.

“You don’t need Miranda.”

Had he thought about this in any way? “You know if you are the witness for this particular prosecution, you’re going to have to divulge all the criminal crap you’ve done over the course of the last few years. You aren’t a cop. You don’t have immunity.”

He gave her a smirk that she wished wasn’t so sexy.

“Bet I can get it. Besides, I haven’t done a ton of criminal crap. I mean some, obviously, or they wouldn’t trust me. The dude they think I offed for them is living in Oregon now. He’ll be happy to testify that I am a completely terrible assassin.”

The risks this man took. It made her ill.

“If Hamilton ever finds out…”

“Then I’m dead and you move on with your boyfriend in there,”

he shot back.

“All I’m saying is I’m your witness. You don’t need Miranda. She can hunker down in the safehouse. Hamilton is supposed to be here soon and then this can all be over.”

“Because you intend to murder him.”

“Only if I get the chance,”

Jensen agreed.

“You won’t get immunity for that. The prosecutors won’t need you. Do you even think?”

It made her crazy, and she needed to be calm. She held a hand out, stopping his next argument.

“Just go to the MT building and we’ll talk there.”

Before he could speak, a huff caught her attention and Harlow turned.

Miranda stood with a suitcase in hand, her eyes wide in the moonlight as she looked at Jensen.

“Master J.”

Shit. This was about to go south.

“Miranda, it’s not what you think.”

But Miranda’s suitcase hit the pavement, and she turned and ran.

“You asshole,”

Harlow hissed under her breath.

“I’ll get her.”

Jensen took off.

And then she heard the sharp report of gunfire. She ducked down, protecting her head with the Jeep. It had come from behind her, and she thought they were firing at Miranda, not her.

Jensen stopped and turned her way. Harlow already had her weapon out. She shook her head.

“Go. Protect her.”

Jensen growled but did as she asked. He had a SIG in his hand and had to realize that his cover was probably blown.

All because his ass couldn’t think straight.

“You okay?”

Niall crawled from the side of the Jeep, joining her.

“Should I call the cops?”

That was the least of her problems.

“Oh, I assure you someone’s already called them.”

“Do you think they took their shot and they’re done?”

Niall asked.

She shook her head.

“No idea. You need to get out of here. I’m going after Miranda. If this guy knows the neighborhood at all, he’ll know there’s a series of alleys he can use to cut her off. I think he panicked when she turned to run. Hamilton always was sloppy when it came to shit like this. He probably wanted to bring her in and the asshole he sent to kidnap her panicked when she started to run.”

Whoever Hamilton had sent likely thought Miranda saw him and ran. But Harlow knew this was about Jensen, the asshole idiot who was fucking up all her plans.

“I know this area. We’re not far from my gym,”

Niall said.

“I’ll pull around to the west side and pick you and Miranda up there. We can try to get to the MT building. I assume we want to avoid the cops if we can.”

He was so sexy right now. Calm and cool under pressure. His green eyes were steady on her, and if it wasn’t a terrible idea, she would kiss him. Instead, she nodded.

“I’ll meet you at the end of the alley behind this street. I’m going to go behind the apartment building and through the parking lot. Hopefully Miranda rounds back to there. The street dead-ends two blocks from here. Call Ruby and tell her to monitor what’s happening.”

“Be careful,”

he said, and then he eased back around the Jeep.

When she heard the car door close, she took off running for the entry to the apartment building, quickly getting behind the tall bushes. They made excellent cover. As she thought, the night was quiet around her. Either whoever took that shot was gone or they were after Miranda.

Did whoever shot at Miranda know who she was? Was it random? Harlow doubted it, and that meant they were in trouble, especially if they had gotten a good look at Jensen.

As she moved around the building, she had to recognize that she didn’t want the asshole dead and would do what she needed to in order to save his dumb ass. Not because she loved him.

Because once she had. Because she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she didn’t save him.

She needed more therapy. Was there a therapy that made a person less sensitive? Oh, yeah. That was called dating assholes.

There it was. It was Niall’s fault. Niall was such a good man that he was turning her into some whiny, can’t-let-a-dude-die chick. She would have to turn in her tough-chick card. She was morally gray, damn it.

Except she wasn’t, and she needed to follow her damn instincts.

Which led her to the pool area of the small apartment building. The pool was surrounded by a metal fence meant only to keep dogs and animals out, so she had an excellent view of the parking lot beyond. It looked like there were a couple of walking trails through the complex, likely leading to the park down the street.

It was quiet, but she could hear someone coming from her right. She stopped before turning the corner, listening. There was no sound of sirens. No people coming out of their houses. Perhaps they thought it was a car backfiring since there had only been the one shot. Dumbass hadn’t even used a suppressor. She would have a talk with Hamilton about his hiring practices one day. If the asshole survived Jensen.

“You know her?”

Miranda asked.

“Yes, I do. We worked together when I was trying to take down the organization in LA,”

a quiet voice replied. Jensen’s voice.

“If you’re going to kill me, I would rather you did it quickly,”

Miranda replied.

She heard a sigh as Jensen led Miranda around the corner. He had a hand on her elbow.

“I’m not going to kill you. I’m literally trying to make sure you don’t die or get involved in this crap further. I came out here to make sure they didn’t pull this. Come on. She won’t have taken off.”

“I think I recognized one of those guys,”

Miranda said.

“I think he was the bartender.”

“Yeah, I think he was the new guy, too. I suppose that’s why he disappeared tonight,”

Jensen was saying.

She pulled out her cell and quickly told Niall to meet them in the parking lot in a couple of minutes. She slid it back into her pocket, not bothering to make sure he replied. He would be there. He wouldn’t let her down because he needed revenge on someone who cut him off or something.

That wasn’t fair. She took a long breath and forced the thoughts from her mind as Jensen eased around the corner, watching for anyone who might come their way.

“It’s me,”

she said quietly.

Miranda breathed an obvious sigh of relief.

“So you do know him.”

Harlow glanced to the side and saw nothing before joining them.

“He’s an old partner of mine. He’s been trying to bring this organization down for a long time. We need to get to the parking lot. We’re getting a pickup there.”

“I need to get my suitcase,”

Miranda said.

“I can’t believe I dropped it, but I saw Master J and freaked out. Even though of all the guys at the club, he’s the one who scares me the least.”

“I need to work on that,”

Jensen admitted with a grin. Like a gorgeous Doberman who knew he’d done a good job and wanted a freaking treat.

“We’ll get you new stuff. Or I’ll send someone to get it. We need to move now.”

She took the lead.

“Why would they send someone here?”

“We’ll talk about that when we get her to safety,”

Jensen replied.

“I didn’t come because I’m a reckless asshole. I came because I thought this might happen. I stayed behind because I overheard a conversation between Phil and one of the security guys. They have the bathroom bugged. I did not know that, Harlow. I swear I’ve swept for bugs before. I think it has to do with Hamilton coming into town.”

A flush went through her system.

“Damn it. That was a rookie mistake. So they know I’m not who I say I am. Do they have them in your office?”

She couldn’t believe she’d done that. She’d been in a club, and any kind of recording device was forbidden. Force of habit. She should have remembered it wasn’t truly a club.

“If there was, they would have already taken me out,”

he replied, his voice barely a whisper.

“Is your boyfriend meeting us? If not, we should make our way back to my truck.”

“Like I said, in the parking lot.”

She had to think this guy had taken his shot and was running since someone would call the cops.

“You said this was the bartender?”

She moved them along the edges, but soon they would have to make a run for it. She could see a big vehicle pull into the lot. Niall. He pulled the Jeep around, and though she couldn’t see him, she knew he would be looking for her.

“Miranda said she thought she saw the bartender.”

Jensen took up the place behind Miranda, though it was clear from the look on his face he wasn’t happy with it.

“That wasn’t who Phil sent after her. After they reviewed those tapes, I overheard Phil talk to Dave. He runs security for the upstairs.”

“He’s scary. He sometimes plays in the club, and he’s rough. Phil won’t let him play with the clients, so the staff has to…meet his needs,”

Miranda explained.

“I haven’t had to do it. You’re not allowed to play until you’ve been there for six months. Training, I guess.”

Harlow sent the girl a what-the-hell look.

“They need blackmail material on you. That’s the errand you were going to run. Then you would have been Dave’s new chew toy. What do we know about this bartender?”

“He’s new. There wasn’t a bunch of staff working tonight,”

Jensen explained.

“I suspect Phil is using this as a way to get the kid on board a lot faster than he normally would. Jack is… Well, Jack is charming. He’s pretty much perfect for Phil’s purposes.”

He sounded like an asshole to her, but she was going with it.

Niall turned his headlights off, letting her see the Jeep.

Damn but he was good. She was going to take back everything she said earlier and beg him to not hold it against her. He might have been a bit jumpy at the club, but he was solid out here in the field.

“That’s our cue. Jensen, watch our six.”

“Jensen?”

a deep voice asked.

“I thought your name was Jay. Jensen’s a dumb name, but then it fits since apparently you think you can betray us and get away with it.”

She turned and then tried to step in front of Miranda. The man behind them had a gun in his hand, aimed right at Jensen’s head.

“Well, Dave, you should talk to my momma about it,”

Jensen replied in a crisp tone.

“You have to know you’re outnumbered. I don’t see your friend.”

“He’s here. In fact, he’s right behind you. Hey, lady. Don’t you turn around. Lay the gun on the ground or I will start shooting,”

Dave ordered.

“Is there someone behind me?”

Harlow asked in a whisper.

Miranda nodded and sniffled, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“It’s Jack. He’s got a gun, and it’s pointed right at your head.”

They didn’t know about Niall yet. Or didn’t realize how close he was. He would watch and call Ruby. Ruby would know what to do.

Call Taggart, who would call her dad, who would call the US Navy to come and save his ridiculous baby girl.

Shit. Maybe it was okay to die here. It looked like a nice place. It was peaceful. There was a beautiful rose bush her dead body could fertilize, and she would never have to listen to the lecture Chase Dawson would give her. She could spend eternity listening to the pool.

“Hey, I’m serious, bitch,”

Dave said.

“Sorry. She’s considering whether she wants to die or listen to her dad yell at her.”

Jensen proved he knew her.

“Which way we going, babe?”

Asshole. Unfortunately it would traumatize the hell out of Miranda, and then she would leave her and Ruby a terrible Yelp review. My mom hired this company and I got the co-owners brains on my favorite sweater. Zero stars. Do not recommend.

She lowered the weapon to the ground and held her hands up.

“Okay, let’s talk about this. You haven’t actually done anything yet, Dave. You can let us go and I’ll get my client back to her mom. You’ll never see her again.”

Dave had dark hair that needed a cut and eyes that were too small for his face. He was roughly six foot and leanly corded with muscle. She might be able to take him. She knew some nasty tricks, but she would have to get close. She wished she could see the asshole behind her.

“You, too, Master J,”

Dave said with a chuckle.

“Put that gun down or we’ll kill the women. I’m going to assume you got a thing going with the PI? Yeah, we figured out you’re a PI after you talked to that traitor there in the girls’ room. You know we have computers, too, Harlow Dawson. It wasn’t hard to figure out your name after we knew your occupation.”

Shit. Yep, she had fucked this up on every single level. She deserved the lecture. Of course, peace was good, too. That rose bush was looking better and better.

“Stop it,”

Jensen said, putting the gun down.

“You are not going to die and leave me here. Let’s go somewhere and talk because in a few minutes the cops are going to be here. I saw someone looking out their window. You’re right in the light, Dave. Whoever that was almost certainly saw your gun.”

Dave’s expression went dark, and his eyes narrowed.

“Then I should get my job done. Jack, take out the traitor. I’ll take care of Miss Dawson, and then we’ll haul Jensen back. He’s got some questions to answer.”

She heard Jenson curse and then the sound of a ping in the air. This Jack person wasn’t the idiot Dave was. He had a suppressor on his gun. She looked to Miranda, terrified at what she would see.

Miranda’s eyes were wide, her mouth open. But she seemed whole.

“What the hell?”

Jensen moved to get his gun back in hand.

That was when she realized Dave was the one with a neat hole in his head.

She turned and then she was the one gaping. “Jack?”

Her cousin Jack O’Malley stood there and gave her a wink.

“Hey, there, cos. You wrecked a six-month undercover op. Tell that asshole to put the gun down. I’m a fed, Jensen. And I’m damn near thirty years old, so you can stop calling me kid. Though I know I look good for my age. Hell, I look good for all the ages.”

“What the fuck, Jack? You couldn’t call?”

Harlow asked.

And then Jack’s eyes narrowed as he watched Jensen.

“Damn it, man. I am not joking. Don’t do it.”

Jensen was moving, an unholy gleam in his eyes. For a moment she thought he was about to try to kill her cousin.

Then she realized there was another man in the scenario.

Niall jogged up, his face pale.

“Harlow, are you…”

Jensen stood there looking slightly psychotic. It was stupidly sexy on him. “Niall?”

“You know my boyfriend?”

A nasty feeling was taking root in her gut because she already knew the answer to the question.

He held his hands up.

“She doesn’t know anything, Jensen. Don’t fucking blame her.”

Jensen attacked her boyfriend, fists flying in both directions.

Jack sighed and moved beside her.

“We’re going to get a hell of a lecture from your daddy, you know that, right?”

She felt her heart constrict. Well, at least she knew how Jensen was so up to date on her life. And why Niall wouldn’t sleep with her. He wasn’t interested in her. He was saving her for his friend.

“Yeah,”

she replied and thought about killing them both.