Free Savor the Danger by Lori Foster

It was almost amusing, given how big and skilled and dangerous they could be.
    Knowing the way they thought, she continued, “It makes no sense that anyone would want to hurt me. Jackson was the one drugged.” She held up a hand. “But yes, I realize that if that woman had anything to do with him being drugged, then she saw my face and she heard Jackson call me by name.”
    â€œIt’s a long shot,” Jackson told her. “But why take any chances?”
    Trace moved to stand over her. “It’s also possible someone knew you would be at his place, and that’s why Jackson got drugged in the first place.”
    Dear God. She hadn’t even considered that. Had he been drugged so that someone could get to her? Had she inadvertently put Jackson in danger? Thinking aloud, she said, “I called him from my cell—”
    Trace asked, “Not your office phone?”
    â€œNo.”
    Dare stood. “Where is it?”
    â€œMy purse.” She nodded toward the kitchen. “In there.”
    Dare left the room to get it.
    Jackson had been too quiet. She glanced at him, and got caught in his intent stare.
    Overly gentle, he reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. “I don’t want you to worry, Alani. No one is going to hurt you.”
    Because people had already hurt her, an invisible fist squeezed her lungs. It took so little to alarm her.
    Nothing really new in that. Since escaping Tijuana, she hadn’t really stopped being afraid. Sometimes she hid it well, and sometimes…sometimes it woke her in the middle of the night, a scream burning her throat, her face wet with tears.
    Swallowing down the shame of cowardice, she nodded. “I know.” And then, hopefully with more strength, “So what now?”
    Trace and Jackson shared a look. Jackson took her hand. “For about a dozen or more reasons, I’m hoping you’ll let me hang around. If Trace wasn’t leg-shackled—”
    â€œLeg-shackled?” Sidetracked, Alani gave a laugh that sounded far too forced. “Priss would get you for that.”
    Jackson showed his teeth in a wicked grin. “Yeah, she’d probably try.” He quickly held up a hand toward her brother. “Don’t hit me, Trace. I’m not a hundred percent, so it wouldn’t be fair. Besides, you know Priss is always on the fence about whether or not she likes me.”
    Trace sawed his teeth together. “Shut up about it.”
    Under most situations, her brother was the personification of icy calm.
    When it came to his wife, Priscilla…not so much.
    But then, given that Jackson, in the course of a rescue from intruders, had taken Priss naked from the shower, Alani understood why it nettled Trace.
    After a tense silence, her brother reined in his angerto address her. “Do you have any appointments you need to cancel?”
    Avoiding a direct answer, she said, “I usually work every day.” She couldn’t help but resist the idea of having her life turned upside down again.
    Jackson turned her toward him. “You can still keep your appointments, but how about I tag along? Just as an extra precaution.”
    â€œBut…” Okay, she got the need for vigilance. But would it never end?
    Dare strode back in, still holding Alani’s phone. “Do you need to jot down any of your saved numbers before I turn it off?”
    â€œWhy would you—”
    â€œCells can be traced. For now, Jackson can set you up with a prepay. Use it if you have to make a call. Otherwise, just use your landline.”
    â€œFor now,” Trace reiterated. “Just till we rule out a few things.”
    Alani wilted. Surely they were overreacting. But the last thing she wanted was for any of them to know how cowardly she felt about it all. “I know the numbers I call often, and customer numbers are in my files.”
    Trace walked over to stand in front of her, then held out a hand.