“I promise, but that won’t happen.” I kiss her forehead, open the door for her, watching her until her car starts. I don’t let on that I had the guys scan her car to make sure there wasn’t anything suspicious.
I climb into my own truck and follow her back to where my morning started. Maybe this time I can explain to her how she needs a stronger lock, to turn her shit off, and to be more aware of her surroundings when she comes and goes. I’ll also be getting the other letters that I saw on her kitchen counter this morning.
Four
Taylor
The whole way to my place, my eyes were either on the road or looking in the review mirror to see Slade, not that I could actually see him. His truck windows are so dark that even when I was straining to see him, I couldn’t.
By the time we make it into my complex, dusk is setting, and the streetlights are starting to come on. I pull into my designated spot and Slade parks beside me, not even caring that it’s assigned to my neighbor. My eyes are glued to the way he climbs out of his monstrosity of a vehicle.
“That man is too hot for words. The kicker is he probably knows it,” I mumble to myself as I climb out of my car, grabbing my bag. By the time I go to shut my door, Slade is at my side. His hand slides to my lower back.
“Come on, Trouble. Let’s see what all you need to pack and how much of a pack mule I’ll be.”
“Be still my heart. Did you make a joke?” I stop in my tracks. The hand not holding my bag is over my heart, in utter shock.
“Trouble, that’s you. The best kind of trouble there is, though.” I’m caught in his gaze.
“I highly doubt that.” We continue to my place, and Slade takes my keys out of my hand when we arrive at my door.
“Stay right by the door. Let me clear it before you go inside.” Slade unlocks my door with ease. It has me wondering just how many doors he unlocks for clients.
“Sure.” I visibly swallow, trying not to get my hackles up about the possibilities of him helping other women. I’m not sure where this ridiculous idea came from. It’s not like we’re dating; this is his job.
Slade takes his gun out of his side holster, and I watch the way his forearms flex as he holds it out before allowing the door to open. He takes one last look at me and then heads inside. I’m left standing in the breezeway, my thoughts a jumbled mess. Bridger wasn’t wrong. I knew they all set up shop here in Virginia. I could have stopped by anytime, but part of me thought it would be weird for not only them, but for me, too. I was always Travis’s little sister, the one who sent care packages. I had no problem cutting up when we were on Skype calls, until Slade appeared. One time, I even saw him shirtless, his muscles on full display. The way his muscles flexed as he walked, I took in the scar that was a jagged edge on the right side of his oblique. As soon as Slade saw me look at it with worry on my face, he moved to hide it.
“It’s clear, I’d like to get in and out as fast as we can, though.” he demands.
“That’s fine. I’ll pack enough for a week, and if need be, I can stop by after work and pick up more.”
“As long as you have either me or one of the guys with you, that’ll be fine.” He watches my every move as I walk toward the kitchen. My eyes narrow on the pile of mail, not even wanting to touch the stack.
“Do you want me to go through this, or would you rather handle it?” I point to the small stack.
“I’ll handle it.” He pulls latex gloves and a bag out of his pocket, taking care of it.
“Well then, I’ll be back in a flash.” I walk away, mentally categorizing what I will and won’t need for at least the next week. Obviously, clothes for this week, on the more casual side, work clothes, gym clothes, a few books, toiletries, and my laptop. “That should do,” I mumble out loud as I grab my suitcase out of my walk-in closet. The one thing that sold me on this condo was this closet. It was the biggest I could find within my budget, so I lost out on a modern amenity like a dishwasher, but it was worth it in the end. Especially considering I only ever cook for myself.
I place all of my clothes in my suitcase, leaving it open as I go into my bathroom to grab the necessities, trying to be as quick as possible. My hands are full when I come back out, and there standing in the doorway, looking larger than life, is Slade. And where are his eyes locked? My bag with my bra, panties, and nightgowns laying on top. The unhealthy obsession I have with undergarments is really kicking me in the ass today.
“Slade.” I snap my fingers to get him out of his dazed look.
“You ready?” His tone is more abrasive than ever before.
“I have a few more things to gather. Give me five more minutes?” He nods before turning around to leave. I take my time gathering everything I need out of my bedroom before heading to the kitchen. There’s one thing that will be a necessity to get me through this weird limbo that I’ll be calling life.
“I’m ready.” I’m rolling my suitcase behind me, my laptop bag is on my shoulder, and my purse is on the crook of my arm when I walk out of the kitchen.
“All right, I turned everything off.” He quirks his eyebrow.
“Oh, you mean my wax warmer? Pshh, that stays on twenty-four-seven.” I wave his thought away.
“It’s still a fire hazard,” Slade grunts, those luscious locks of hair he’s fisting at the nape of his neck. I want that those hands to be mine combing through them.
“I highly doubt that, but okay.” He grabs my suitcase out of my hand, and instead of wheeling it around like normal people, picks it up. I follow his lead as we walk out to the breezeway and he locks my apartment, even double checking to make sure it’s locked.
“Come on. You’ll have to follow me to my place. Once we’re there, I’ll program my number in your phone, along with my address, and the other guys’ info as well.”
“Okay.” I follow him to my car, then to his house, wondering what the hell will happen next.
Five
Slade
“I didn’t expect you to have a home though. If I’m being honest, I figured you lived at the office,” Taylor says as we walk up the front steps of my bungalow style house. It has a huge front porch and the backyard leads to a river, giving me a scenic view of the trees and water.
The way Taylor has no filter, it’s causing me to smile more than I have the past three years, and I’ve only been around her for a few hours.
“No, I need a place of my own and away from Nighthawk. Drake is the one who sleeps there more than any of us.”
“Well, it’s gorgeous.” I allow her to walk ahead of me. Taylor’s hips sway in the tight as sin skirt she’s wearing. Her heart shaped ass, and the way her calves arch in her legs as she takes a step in her high heels cause my jaw to tick.
If Travis knew the fucking thoughts running through my head, he’d kick my ass. No, he’d do more than that. He’d bury me up to my neck in a desert and let the vultures peck away at my body.
“Thank you. I’ll show you around. Drop your stuff wherever.” I motion with my hands. My house is meant to be a home, nothing pretentious or stiff. If I wanted that, I would have done what my family expected of me instead of joining the Navy as soon as I graduated high school. The family empire isn’t what I wanted. When I told my parents that I’d spoken to a recruiter and signed the papers, I basically signed the papers to be disowned. Leaving that day, it didn’t hurt like it should have. Instead, it left me feeling free for the first time in my life.