Deke walked right up to Dan and punched him straight in the face.
Maddie gasped. “What are you doing?”
Dan was on the ground, holding his nose. His glasses had come off and they were somewhere on her yard. He couldn’t see, and he would likely call the cops and then it would be all over the neighborhood that Maddie Hill had two men fighting over her on her front yard. One of her coworkers was two doors down. She didn’t know Sharon all that well, but the one thing she did know was that the woman liked to talk. A lot.
Deke stood over Dan, his hands both fists. “How long have you been here? How long have you been trying to fuck her for intel?”
Maddie stopped looking for Dan’s glasses. What the hell did that mean?
Had Dan called Deke by his name?
Dan—who often joked that he wouldn’t recognize a gym if he got lost and walked into one—kicked up and caught Deke in the gut. He did one of those kung fu, Bruce Lee things where he leapt to his feet from his back and turned the tables on his opponent.
Deke was the one on the ground now, and Dan stood over him.
“You know why I’m here. I’m absolutely certain you’re here for the same damn reasons,” Dan said, his tone deeper than she’d ever heard from him. He talked about how bad his eyes were, but he didn’t seem to mind the loss of his glasses.
Deke nodded, his head hanging. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry, man. She means something to me, and I think you know that, too.”
Dan seemed to relax and held out his hand. “Of course I know. I know everything about her.”
Deke took his hand, allowed Dan to help him up, and then punched him again. “Then you know you should have fucking called me. I’m not going to let you use her.”
“What is going on?” She wasn’t sure how they knew each other, but it was obvious they did, and they didn’t seem to be friends.
“You are going to pack your shit and go home. Get off my op.” Dan growled the words. “Or I’ll have you taken out of here, and you won’t like where I put you.”
Deke reared back again, and that was when Maddie’s heart nearly stopped because when Dan’s hand came up there was a gun in it. She caught the glint from the porch lights and in her mind’s eye, saw Dan shooting Deke and his life ending right here and now. She wasn’t thinking. Instinct had her running across the grass and throwing herself in front of Deke.
Deke’s arms went around her and then the whole world was moving, turning and twisting as they both hit the ground and he rolled over her. Her breath fled as Deke’s whole weight crushed her into the ground.
“It’s a taser, Deke. I wasn’t going to shoot you,” Dan was saying.
“This isn’t a taser.” Boomer’s voice could be heard from somewhere above her. “I will shoot you if you make another move, and I won’t miss, man. I’ve got him, Deke. You can get up and get Maddie inside. The neighbors are starting to get interested.”
“What the hell were you doing?” Deke rolled off her and was on his feet faster than he should have been. He held his hand out.
“I didn’t want him to shoot you.” Her heart was pounding, and she still didn’t understand what was going on. “Dan has a gun.”
“We all have guns. But he’s holding a taser, and he’s not going to fuck with Boomer, who absolutely will shoot him if he makes a wrong move,” he said as he hauled her up. “Don’t you ever do that again. He could have hurt you.”
“I wasn’t planning on hurting her, asshole. I was going to tase your balls so you didn’t hit me again,” Dan hissed Deke’s way.
“You leave and don’t you ever come back, Drake. I see you around her again and I won’t care who’ll come after me,” Deke promised, getting in front of her. His big body was a wall between her and a man she’d never known.
Since he had another name and knew things he shouldn’t know.
“I’m not leaving. You have no idea what she’s involved in,” the man whose name wasn’t Dan said.
“And he’s not going to discuss it on the lawn.” Kyle was on the top step, his arms crossed over his chest. “Get inside, now. All of you.”
“He can leave,” Deke offered.
“He can’t, and you know why. Drake, get in here. Deke, get your caveman under control because if we don’t take this scene inside, we’ll be dealing with the cops soon.” Kyle’s words were quiet, but there was no doubt he understood the danger they were all in.
They weren’t going to figure out anything if the police showed up. Especially not if they started wondering why she had a two-hundred-pound muscular hottie hanging off her roof with some kind of rifle.
How had he gotten a rifle into her house without her knowing it? How the hell had he gotten on the roof? She’d been pretty sure those windows didn’t open.
“Fine, but he makes a wrong move and I won’t be responsible for my actions.” Deke grabbed her hand and gently dragged her close. “She’s not some pawn for the Agency to use.”
Agency? What Agency? Did Dan/Drake work for a competing tech firm? Her stomach turned because she would absolutely get fired if she’d been the idiot who dated a corporate spy.
Boomer’s face suddenly came into view. “Hey, I ordered Chinese and burgers. I did not order for him.”
What was he hanging from?
“Is he okay?” They would need an ambulance if Boomer fell.
“He’s fine.” Dan/Drake strode up the steps to her door. “Even if he falls on his head, that one just gets back up and starts eating again.”
Boomer disappeared and Kyle ushered her mysterious former date into the house, and she was left with Deke, who started to lead her inside.
“You were dating a CIA agent, baby.” Deke led her up the stairs. “We’re going to talk about your taste in men.”
Not a corporate spy. A real spy.
She forced herself to move as she realized her whole world had upended.
Again.
* * * *
His heart was still pounding as he walked back into Maddie’s house.
She’d thrown herself in front of him. Anything could have happened. He’d realized the weapon in Drake Radcliffe’s hand had been a taser. It was practically a toy in their world. It was what they used when they wanted to make a point but not actually hurt the target.
And yes, on some out-of-control Saturday nights there were dumbasses who played with them. He wasn’t one of those men.
But Maddie had thought it was a gun. She’d thought he was about to be shot, and she’d thrown her body over his.
She’d nearly given him a heart attack, but he knew exactly who to take all his stress out on.
She pulled at his hand as they entered the hallway leading to her great room. “What is going on?”
Deke took a deep breath. None of this was her fault, and he wasn’t about to take his anger at the Agency out on her. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m sorry. My adrenaline’s up. Help me calm down.”
She softened immediately, hugging him and rubbing her head against his chest. “Of course. It’s okay. I was scared, too. I didn’t know he carried around a taser. I thought he worked in biotech. He’s supposed to be a research scientist not a spy. I guess that’s why he was so willing to listen to my work stories.”