to do their dirty jobs.
Drawing on his acting skills,
he stepped from behind the van, looked up at the building, and shielded his
eyes, hoping the mark would think he was there to check out the building.
“Hey,” shouted the man. It
was hard to tell much with one word, but it might have been laced with a Russian
accent.
Dirk returned his gaze to the
man. “Hood sent me.”
The man grunted and mumbled
something foreign. The guard pulled out his phone. Shit . So much for deception.
#
Clay had graciously offered
to take Elena shoe shopping. Not only didn’t she want to walk around in
four-inch heels every day, she appreciated the diversion of going to the mall.
The place was packed and being in a crowd made her feel safe. The only negative
was that Dirk was out there looking for Hood’s men and in possible danger while
she enjoyed herself with Clay.
Clay looked around and moved
her away from the rush. He held up his phone and pressed a button. “Dirk just
sent this over. I’d like you to watch.”
For the next twenty seconds,
the nightmare returned. Chills raced up her spine and her pulse raced. At first,
she wasn’t sure if he had the right warehouse until he moved across from the
building with the red letters. She swallowed the lump in her throat and slapped
a hand to her chest to calm her beating heart. As much as she tried to push
aside those horrible two weeks, she couldn’t.
“Yes. That’s it.”
Clay texted her message back to Dirk.
Because they were within
hearing distance of a ton of people, it probably wasn’t safe to say too much.
“You said he sensed a you-know-what. Do you think that could be the guard or
Hood himself?”
“I’m sure Dirk will find
out.”
“What if it is? Shouldn’t he get
someone to help him?”
“He can handle himself. Dirk
won’t go on the offensive if the odds are stacked against him.”
She hoped so. As ridiculous
as it sounded, she might be falling in love with Dirk. She was sure her friends
would say it was some kind of white knight syndrome, but she disagreed. Not
that she had a little black book that listed her criteria for a man, but if she
had one, she could check every box in regards to him.
“How about this shoe store?”
Clay’s comment jerked her back to the present.
“Too expensive. We don’t have
to shop here.” Discount shoe stores were everywhere.
Clay wrapped an arm around
her waist. She thought it would be strange to have another man besides Dirk
hold her, but she liked it. Ever since they’d broached the idea of her being
both of their mates her mind had wandered. She failed to comprehend what it would
feel like to have four hands, two mouths, and two penises at her disposal. Stop it. The whole concept was too much
and definitely not right.
Clay escorted her into the
shop that only sold shoes. “Pick out a couple of pairs. I know Hood’s men took
your luggage.”
“You’ll have to wait until I
get a job to pay you back.”
He pulled her to his chest
and heat raced up her face. People crowded the store, and she wasn’t used to
such public affection. “You’re with us now. You don’t have to worry about
money.”
His words were nice to hear,
but she couldn’t take advantage of them. “I appreciate that, but I need to pay
my way.”
He kissed her forehead and
let her go. “Suit yourself.”
She roamed around the store
and picked out a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of comfortable looking
sandals. Once she tried them on, Clay paid for her purchase.
As they were leaving the
store, he stopped near the entrance. “Come with me.”
“What’s going on?” Her heart
spiked. This constant pressure wasn’t healthy.
He led her back to the bench.
“Put on the sneakers. You’ll be more comfortable.”
He wouldn’t get an argument
from her, but she didn’t like the way he was looking around as if he’d spotted
something or someone. As soon as she laced up the sneakers and stashed her
heels in the empty box, he took her