Hostile Territory (Blackbridge Security 1)

“Yeah?” I prod. “You and Misty? Even after all this time?”

Tug told me they have two grown children, but this man is looking at Misty like she’s a snack that’s about to get eaten. I can’t help but smile. Some fuckers have all the luck.

“All this time.” He taps the side of my beer bottle with his own. “Maybe you and Dani can make up once we get her back home.”

I snort a laugh. “Yeah. That ship sailed a long time ago.”

Tug nudges my shoulder and indicates a guy walking across the room toward Rivet, the female member.

“Is he Cerberus?” The predatory look in his eyes doesn’t reflect the disposition I’ve seen from the guys.

“That’s my stupid-ass son,” Shadow says, disapproval in his voice.

“Kid doesn’t have a fucking chance,” Tug whispers as the others in the room grow quiet and watch him approach her.

Shadow snorts a laugh. “I hope she embarrasses the shit out of him.”

“He seems pretty sure of himself,” I observe.

“That kid gets more ass than any guy I know,” Tug interjects.

“My kid, remember,” Shadow grumbles.

The blond guy, bearing an insanely striking resemblance to the man sitting beside me, spits out a beyond stupid pickup line. No one around him laughs, and after a cursory glance, Rivet goes back to the conversation she was having with Grinch.

“Idiot doesn’t know when to quit.” I can feel Shadow’s irritation growing by the second. “If he touches her, I’m going to kill him.”

Just as the words leave his mouth, Shadow’s son reaches his hand out and trails a finger down Rivet’s arm.

Faster than lightning, she spins, and in a combination of moves I’ve not seen outside of a kung fu movie, she has him on his back on the floor. Like a bug she had to scrape off her windshield, Rivet takes a step to the side. The guy on the floor says one last thing to her, but she ignores him and picks up her conversation with Grinch as though they weren’t interrupted.

“I knew we made a good choice with her,” Shadow says proudly before taking a long sip of his beer.

It takes several long minutes before the kid picks himself up off the floor. He doesn’t even look in Rivet’s direction when he slinks back off to sit with a group of people.

“See you in a couple of hours,” Shadow says before crossing the room with determination. It’s only minutes before he and Misty disappear.

“Pretty sweet place you guys have here,” I tell Tug. “Where are your people at?”

“Max and Jasmine?”

I nod, not at all weirded out that my friend is in a polyamorous relationship with a guy and girl.

“They’re around here somewhere.”

“I’m surprised everyone agreed to help me.”

“Shouldn’t be,” Tug says draining the last of his beer. “It’s what we do.”Chapter 16Anna

I feel like a fool for winking at myself in the mirror, but I’m killing it in this dress. The floor-length black silk is like a sensual caress on my skin, and not only do I look sexy in it, I feel phenomenal. It’s doing great things for my injured ego.

My mom picked it out and as much as I hate to admit it, she always has the perfect eye and picks the things I never would’ve looked at. Nine times out of ten, they work out, so I can’t really complain that even at thirty-two my mother is still buying me clothes.

The ringing of the doorbell outside of the suite keeps me from thinking about the conversation I had days ago about Deacon’s Diesel jeans. I’d wondered more than once if his mom grabbed those for him on sale, but I know enough about fashion to tell they were from the latest line.

I shake my head and plaster a smile on my face. With a deep breath in and a long slow breath out, I reach for the doorknob. This will be the first time we’re seeing each other since he got pissed about Flynn being in here with me, and I just don’t have the energy to fight with him again tonight. He was gone last night, and I didn’t sleep well.

“Hey there…” The words die on my lips when I see that it’s not Deacon standing on the other side of the door.

If I had taken a moment to consider the facts, I would’ve known that Deacon would’ve either used the key he managed to pilfer or he would’ve texted me from the damn truck and told me to get my ass down there so we could get this night over with.

“Hi, I’m Wren,” the shaggy-haired guy says with a quick smile. I don’t miss the mild tremble to his lips. “I’ll be escorting you tonight.”

“Is that so?” I barely catch myself before I cross my arms. Doing so would wrinkle the dress, and the last thing I need tonight is disapproving looks from the other people at the gala.