“While I agree with your reason, if she turns those needy green eyes on me after you turn her down, don’t expect me to be so chivalrous.”
“Call me if you find her,” Brody responded tersely then grew irritated with himself when Ian smiled knowingly before heading up the street. He had developed a fondness for Piper the first time he met her in Geneva, a fondness that had not, apparently, diminished over time and abstinence. But his obsessive attraction would have to be put on the back burner for now. Until something broke on the case they had been building against Pasquino and, indirectly, Sandoval, sorting out his personal feelings where Piper was concerned would have to wait.
Brody spotted the man named Crack as soon as he stepped into Rowdy’s. With tattoos visible on every inch of exposed skin, long grey hair pulled back in a ponytail and sporting a pierced ear, he had the weathered look of a man who had lived a hard life as well as biker gang member written all over him and Brody suspected the Harley parked out front belonged to him. The bar looked like a million others with tables and booths taking up most of the space, leaving room for a small dance floor, an even smaller stage that looked like it might be used for Karaoke, and a long, mirror backed bar which the bartender was currently standing behind, eyeing him.
“You Crack?” he asked the gruff looking man as he took a seat on a stool in front of him.
“You FBI?” Crack asked even though he knew he was. The sheriff had let him know as soon as he heard they were on their way, setting Crack’s mind at ease. That girl needed someone out there with her since she insisted on living outside of town.
“I go by Brody, and yes, my partner, Ian and I are with the bureau. You heard Piper’s back safe?”
“Yeah, Gary made sure we all knew.” At his raised brow, Crack added, “Hope’s a small community. We look out for our own. That girl had a lot of us worried. Can I get you a beer?”
“Not today, thanks. That girl is why I’m here. Have you seen her?”
A grin split Crack’s lined face. “Gave you the slip, did she? I’m not surprised. She’s always been fiercely independent. Nope, she hasn’t been in today.”
Brody checked his anger and his worry and hoped Ian had better luck. He rose, started to leave, then he turned back to ask, “You took her home Tuesday night?”
“Sure did. She and Haley hung around a little later than usual and it was getting dark by the time they started out. I saw Haley to her apartment above her shop then drove Piper to her cabin, waited until she went in. She was fine
when I left.”
“She wasn’t drunk, or even tipsy?” he asked remembering how only a few glasses of wine had affected her.
Crack laughed outright at the suggestion. “That girl could drink me under the table. She does love her beer, but no, she only had two and she went home completely in control.” Sobering, he looked Brody in the eye, stating, “You watch out for her, you hear.”
“I’ll do my best,” Brody said. That is, he thought irritably, if he could find her.
Ian held the door open for two women exiting the small store then cursed Brody a blue streak when he entered. To his right were racks of women’s clothing, to his left a sales counter which held an assortment of aromatic products women liked to wear and men liked to smell. It was the kind of shop he wouldn’t normally step foot in and was determined to step right back out of as soon as he talked to the woman standing behind the counter staring at him out of wide, frightened blue eyes. He had championed enough victims to recognize one and this woman was silently screaming victim. He could have told her it wasn’t wise to advertise the fact, then again, fear rarely allowed for rational thinking.
“The way you’re shifting your eyes, looking for a way to escape, tells me you’re here alone. Suck it up and look me in the eye,” he ordered her gruffly. Her backbone stiffened and anger overrode the fear, which was what he wanted. “That’s better. It’s okay to be afraid, just don’t advertise it. All that will do is give a potential assailant more power over you, which is what he wants. Your hands are shaking. Put them down, behind the counter where they can’t be seen,” he said as he approached the counter slowly, his eyes never leaving her very attractive face.
“Who are you?” Haley managed to ask with some semblance of outward calm. Men rarely came into her store and she knew the ones who were locals and came and shopped for their wives or girlfriends. When tourists came to Hope, the women browsed the stores and the men went fishing or sat in Rowdy’s waiting for their women. This man was a stranger, a very tall, very big stranger with dark brown hair and eyes and a hard, chiseled face. While one part of her, the biggest, most controlling part, instantly feared being alone with such a man, another, much smaller, definitely much more insignificant part of her was responding as any normal, red blooded woman would. And that shocked the hell out of her since she hadn’t felt any inkling of sexual interest in anyone in over six years.
“Ian MacGregor. I’m looking for your friend, Piper. She seems to have slipped away from us.” Ian smiled at her, a smile that had drawn more than his share of women, but wasn’t surprised when she didn’t take the bait. He was a good eight inches taller than her, which put her at about five six, yet she managed to keep her eyes on his. She was a slender, small boned woman and he had trouble controlling his anger as he wondered what, and who, had been responsible for her fear. At least she had stopped shaking, he thought ruefully.
“Oh. You’re one of the agents Sheriff Nolan called to help look for her when she went missing. Sorry, you just missed her. She’s headed back home.” At his frown, she instinctively took a step back even though her fear had subsided when she realized they were Piper’s guests.
“Damn it, I’m not going to hurt you,” Ian snapped even though he knew he shouldn’t. Whatever happened to make her so skittish, it wasn’t his problem, even though nothing pissed him off faster than the abuse of women or children. “Was she going home through the woods?” he asked in a calmer, softer tone.
“Yes.” Her gaze went to the door when the bell rang. Another tall, large man walked in, this one with hair as black as Piper’s, piercing grey eyes and a goatee framing a mouth Piper claimed was to die for. Brody Pearce was exactly as her friend described. Even though Haley knew she was in no danger of physical harm from either man, she still had trouble swallowing past the large wad of fear stuck in her throat, still couldn’t steady her erratic pulse and she found herself desperate to have them leave. “You’re looking for Piper too? I just told Agent MacGregor she just left.”
Brody was as good at reading people and body language as Ian and he had no trouble spotting a woman with an abusive past. At least, he hoped it was in the past. Remaining by the door, he visibly relaxed at hearing Piper had been here and was already headed back to her cabin, but his anger and worry over her continued obstinence still simmered.
“Thank you,” he told her before turning his gaze to Ian. “I’ll drive back if you’ll take the woods.” Brody recognized Ian’s anger on behalf of Piper’s friend, knew he was itching for physical release, and hoped the walk would cool him down.
“Can you give me directions?” Ian asked her tersely.
Haley quickly gave them directions and breathed a sigh of relief when they left. Piper hadn’t seemed to mind having both men living in such close quarters with her for the time being, and Haley wished she could be that open and easy going around men again. For the first time in six years, her body had seemed interested in the opposite sex. Now if only her mind could get on board.
Brody pulled in front of Piper’s cabin and quickly noted she hadn’t returned yet. Leaning against his car, he folded his arms across his chest and kept his eye on the path where she would exit the woods into her yard. He was coolly composed having gotten his anger under control by ceding that he shouldn’t have dictated to Piper the way he did. That concession didn’t mean there wouldn’t be consequences for her foolish rebuttal. Consequences he was itching to deliver despite knowing he was going to have a demanding cock aching for release by the time he was done. When Piper emerged from the woods a few minutes later, her startled eyes met the intent in his.
“What’re you doing?” Piper asked him warily as Brody pushed away from a bright red vintage car that looked to be in mint condition and slowly stalked toward her. She had high-tailed it back here as fast as possible, but obviously hadn’t been quick enough.
“Did I or did I not tell you not to take off by yourself?” he asked silkily, smiling slightly when she retreated a step before clenching her jaw in determination.
“I don’t answer to you. Where’s Ian?” Damn it, Brody had a gleam in his eyes that had her nipples puckering and her pussy dampening and she didn’t know whether to be pleased or pissed off. Only he had been able to arouse her so quickly and it was only him she had trouble resisting. Unfortunately, he had proven he didn’t suffer the same affliction when it came to resisting her.