“Then Micah and Nik can drag her back,” he said icily. “Either way, she’s right, it has to end here, once and for all. And hiding her isn’t an option any longer. If she doesn’t face it, if she’s not a part of her own protection, then she’ll never feel secure.” And he hated realizing that. Hated having her in the line of fire.
He had assumed the malevolent shadow of her father had died the night Sorrel had been killed. He had been certain she would be safe then. Until she was attacked in France while she had been aiding French and American authorities in going through Sorrel’s estate.
This threat was coming from either her father’s former allies, or from his former enemies. Though why, Jordan hadn’t been able to learn. Sorrel was dead, there was no leverage Tehya could provide his enemies. The Sorrel organization had disbanded, and those not in prison had gone on to much more lucrative ventures. Those men had no reason to want to strike out at her. It didn’t make sense, but there was too much proof that somehow, somewhere, this was coming from her ties to her Sorrel.
“You shouldn’t have let her go off alone,” Lilly said, the distinct, feminine arrogance of her European accent emphasizing her displeasure. Lilly had no problem expressing her displeasure when she felt it warranted.
His lips thinned.
“Enough,” he said coolly. “I’m no knight in shining armor, Lilly. I can’t be her savior. All I can do is try to get her through this alive.”
Lilly gave a delicate little snort as her husband cleared his throat. It was more than obvious he was covering a chuckle.
“There’s a difference between being her savior and her lover, Jordan,” Bailey said. “And don’t even try to tell me you weren’t, or aren’t interested.”
Jordan glared at John, then at Travis.
John held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, man, she has a mouth of her own. I just try to protect it when she pisses too many people off.”
Hell. He didn’t need this crap. He should be out there following Tehya, ensuring her safety rather than leaving the task to others. For now, she was his woman, his lover. She was his responsibility.
Not that they weren’t fully capable of protecting her, but the male protective instincts rising inside him didn’t care. She was his. He didn’t trust anyone to protect her as he knew only he could.
“I did get around to researching the landscaping company she owns,” Finally Bailey had something to say other than the subtle recriminations she and Lily were prone to aim at him. “I reached the previous owner before we came in this morning. He’s retired and living the life in Florida.” She rolled her eyes. “The company had been up for sale for over a year before Tehya bought it. There’s nothing suspicious there. He absolutely adores her, though. She negotiated the price down by several thousand dollars despite his best efforts. He said it was like stealing money from his own kid until he dropped the price for her.” Amusement and affection filled her voice.
Jordan could believe that. Saying no to Tehya was damned hard, even for him.
“It was near bankruptcy when she bought it,” Lilly said, taking over. “It’s now thriving. She has quite a few customers, many who began with simple, small projects and then ended up calling again for other projects as her flair for design became known. When I called them, supposedly for references, he sang her praises and all but demanded I hire her.”
“She has an excellent head for business,” Travis said, taking his turn. “I went over her accounts when I hacked her office computer this morning. She’s building slowly, taking her time and ensuring she’s not overreaching. As stated, she’s a damned good designer and she has a some good employees.”
“Losing the business would break her heart,” Lilly said as she stared back at him, her gaze hard, as though he were somehow endangering the business their friend so loved.
Hell, the two women weren’t going to stop.
“I’m not asking her to walk away from it, Lilly,” he reminded her, irritation hardening his tone. “You know that.”
Her lips thinned as she turned away from him. It was evident the two women were somehow blaming him for this situation.
Much more, Jordan admitted, and he would have to rethink his decision to bring the couples in. He may end up having to send them back
to their own lives.
“She’s stopped, Jordan.” John interrupted his thoughts as a report came through to the Bluetooth communications set he wore at his ear. “A bar in Hagerstown.”
“Friendly’s.” Jordan gave a short nod. “She’s been going there for a while.” Rory and his partner Casey had been watching her there for nearly a week.
“And she had a tail.” John turned to him as Jordan felt his body tighten with furious tension. “They pulled back for some reason, though, when she pulled into the bar. Micah’s certain he and Nik weren’t spotted, but when she pulled into the parking lot across from the bar, the tail turned around and disappeared.”
“They knew where she was headed,” Jordan guessed. “There’s someone either waiting at the bar or heading in behind her. They’ll wait to see who follows her in.”
John gave a tight nod. “Whoever’s following her here are damned good Jordan. That’s the only glimpse thats been caught of them. They’re careful.”
“Too damned careful and too damned quiet. We don’t even know how many are watching her, who’s hired them, and not even a peep regarding their agenda,” Lilly crossed her arms beneath her breasts as she frowned back at them.
John shook his head as his wife, Bailey, moved closer, and he wrapped his arm around her. “They can’t remain hidden forever though. Sooner or later, they’ll have to make a move, and when they do, we’ll be there, waiting.”
Jordan stared at the two men and their very capable wives as they stared back at him, and thought of the two men following her, as well as the one winging his way to Maryland even now. He’d called in the best help he could find to save the only woman who had mattered to his soul since he was a boy.