Free Dangerous Protector (Aegis Group Book 5) by Sidney Bristol
Authors: Sidney Bristol
don’t have a car. I guess we’re on your bike?”
“Nah, I’ve got a truck in town we can use. I’ll pick the bike up when I drop you off in a few days.”
“Oh, okay.” Why would he have two vehicles here?
“I was supposed to pick my cousin up. His truck was in the impound.”
“Won’t he need it?”
“Not unless he’s headed back to Moab.”
“I don’t understand…”
“My cousin’s stupid and has chosen to hang with his drug-peddling buddies instead of coming home, so he doesn’t get the truck back. Since it’s in my dad’s name, it’s mine now, I guess.” Marco shrugged.
“I’m sorry.”
Again Marco simply shrugged.
“It’s hard watching someone fight addiction like that. My dad…” Shit. Too real. Wrong life. And too late now. “My dad died of an overdose when I was pretty young. It was both the worst and best thing for my mom and I.”
“Fuck, I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
“It was a long time ago. I don’t think I ever really knew him.”
“Danny…he should know better.” Marco shook his head. The look in his eye…it was tortured. “His brother Daniel…the shit we went through…Danny should know better.”
She could read between the lines.
She squeezed Marco’s hand since she didn’t think he’d accept anything more from her. He had the whole strong, silent soldier thing down to an art. He was clearly one of a kind, a rough, good-hearted kind of guy. Saving the damsel in distress.
“Just so we’re clear, I’m not the kind of guy you should fall for.” Marco’s words were stern, and oh so cold.
Fiona swallowed.
Was she so easy to read?
“I’m not the kind of guy who sticks around. You should know that up front.”
“Oh, okay.”
“You want a good time? I’m your guy.” His gaze lowered to her chest, then up again. Her body heated at the memories alone, much less the future promise. “Don’t expect anything else from me.”
“I understand.” She sat up a little straighter.
“I’m not a good guy. This, what’s happening with you? That’s in my wheelhouse. I can help. But that’s it. Don’t get any of those monogamous ideas in your head.”
“I never thought you were offering me a ring. I’m not stupid.”
“I didn’t say you were. I just want to be straight with you. Scott wasn’t, and I think you deserve to know that when this is over, I’m out. I’m leaving. Probably on another long job.”
“I get it.”
“Fiona—hey—stop for a second.” He grasped her by the shoulders. “I’m a dick. A lot of people call me an asshole, or worse, but I try to be straight with people. I am who I am. You want to fuck? I’m good for it. You want to get this guy to serve time? I’ll do what I can. But I’m not the kind of guy you want to fall for. I don’t stick around. I can’t be that person.”
“You could have said that in a better way.” Hell, she felt a chill from his words.
“Probably. But at least I’m honest.”
“Got it. Loud and clear.” She wrapped her arms around herself. How could this be the same man who’d…
Her body went hot just thinking about last night.
But that was it. Last night he’d expected to fuck her silly and leave. Not stay.
Marco was a good guy, but not the kind of good guy she needed in her life. At least not for more than a few days. She’d give him those, but not her heart. Because he was right, he wasn’t the kind of guy for her, even though part of her wanted to be rescued from all the shit by a bad biker boy with long hair and a steely gaze. Life had taught her no one did the rescuing, no one but herself.
7.
Marco steered the old pick-up truck out of Denver and headed west toward the Utah border.
He’d really fucked it up this time. One way or another, he was going to pay for this. Helping Fiona appeased his conscience. A little. If Ghost could figure out who’d hired Scott and why, and removed all traces of the spyware, they could feasibly steal what Scott had
“Nah, I’ve got a truck in town we can use. I’ll pick the bike up when I drop you off in a few days.”
“Oh, okay.” Why would he have two vehicles here?
“I was supposed to pick my cousin up. His truck was in the impound.”
“Won’t he need it?”
“Not unless he’s headed back to Moab.”
“I don’t understand…”
“My cousin’s stupid and has chosen to hang with his drug-peddling buddies instead of coming home, so he doesn’t get the truck back. Since it’s in my dad’s name, it’s mine now, I guess.” Marco shrugged.
“I’m sorry.”
Again Marco simply shrugged.
“It’s hard watching someone fight addiction like that. My dad…” Shit. Too real. Wrong life. And too late now. “My dad died of an overdose when I was pretty young. It was both the worst and best thing for my mom and I.”
“Fuck, I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
“It was a long time ago. I don’t think I ever really knew him.”
“Danny…he should know better.” Marco shook his head. The look in his eye…it was tortured. “His brother Daniel…the shit we went through…Danny should know better.”
She could read between the lines.
She squeezed Marco’s hand since she didn’t think he’d accept anything more from her. He had the whole strong, silent soldier thing down to an art. He was clearly one of a kind, a rough, good-hearted kind of guy. Saving the damsel in distress.
“Just so we’re clear, I’m not the kind of guy you should fall for.” Marco’s words were stern, and oh so cold.
Fiona swallowed.
Was she so easy to read?
“I’m not the kind of guy who sticks around. You should know that up front.”
“Oh, okay.”
“You want a good time? I’m your guy.” His gaze lowered to her chest, then up again. Her body heated at the memories alone, much less the future promise. “Don’t expect anything else from me.”
“I understand.” She sat up a little straighter.
“I’m not a good guy. This, what’s happening with you? That’s in my wheelhouse. I can help. But that’s it. Don’t get any of those monogamous ideas in your head.”
“I never thought you were offering me a ring. I’m not stupid.”
“I didn’t say you were. I just want to be straight with you. Scott wasn’t, and I think you deserve to know that when this is over, I’m out. I’m leaving. Probably on another long job.”
“I get it.”
“Fiona—hey—stop for a second.” He grasped her by the shoulders. “I’m a dick. A lot of people call me an asshole, or worse, but I try to be straight with people. I am who I am. You want to fuck? I’m good for it. You want to get this guy to serve time? I’ll do what I can. But I’m not the kind of guy you want to fall for. I don’t stick around. I can’t be that person.”
“You could have said that in a better way.” Hell, she felt a chill from his words.
“Probably. But at least I’m honest.”
“Got it. Loud and clear.” She wrapped her arms around herself. How could this be the same man who’d…
Her body went hot just thinking about last night.
But that was it. Last night he’d expected to fuck her silly and leave. Not stay.
Marco was a good guy, but not the kind of good guy she needed in her life. At least not for more than a few days. She’d give him those, but not her heart. Because he was right, he wasn’t the kind of guy for her, even though part of her wanted to be rescued from all the shit by a bad biker boy with long hair and a steely gaze. Life had taught her no one did the rescuing, no one but herself.
7.
Marco steered the old pick-up truck out of Denver and headed west toward the Utah border.
He’d really fucked it up this time. One way or another, he was going to pay for this. Helping Fiona appeased his conscience. A little. If Ghost could figure out who’d hired Scott and why, and removed all traces of the spyware, they could feasibly steal what Scott had