Archer (14 page)

K
age’s bedroom resembled a dressing room at Saks, minus the mirrors and complimentary coffee. Jane stood next to the bed in the ninth of the dresses Sabrina had brought to the house for her to try on in an attempt to fancy her up for her first date with Kage. The red stretchy material hugged her curves, its short skirt ending at the middle of her thighs.

The thin straps allowed a deep V in the front and its scooped back dipped to an almost indecent level just above her ass. She twisted her upper body, studying her exposed flesh.

“My back dimples are showing. Kage isn’t even going to see the dress, he’ll be staring at my back all night,” she said.

“Girl, that’s hot. I’d give anything to have your dimples. Kage is going to go ballistic.” Sabrina sat down on the floor and opened a shopping bag. “I’ve got the perfect shoes too.”

“I have bigger feet than you. I’ll never be able to wear them.” She eyed her favorite boots, the ones she had worn when she ran away from Scott. “I need something I can wear those with, or my sneakers. The clothes I left at the house when I went away for college don’t include high heels.”

“You’re only a half a size bigger than me. You can handle a little discomfort for a couple of hours.” Sabrina held up a pair of red four-inch heels with a black spike. “Here they are. I bought them to go with the dress for Tiffany’s wedding last year.”

“Tiffany Winters?” Jane sat down on the edge of the bed, remembering the lead cheerleader who led the fashion pack at Bay City High. “Who’d she marry?”

“Tyler Schooner,” Sabrina said.

“Get out!” Jane laughed, holding up her foot for Sabrina to put on the shoe. “He always had his head buried in a chemistry kit.”

“Not anymore. He’s gorgeous and the proud daddy of a little girl.” Sabrina stepped back. “Perfect. Try to walk in them.”

Jane stood and tottered. In a borrowed dress and shoes, excitement filled her. Scott had forbidden her to wear anything with an ounce of sexy in it the last two years. His idea that she was not to attract another man’s attention went to the level of paranoid.

“How do they feel?” Sabrina asked.

Jane walked to the dresser and back, finding her balance. “Okay. They’re a little tight in the toes, but the heel doesn’t rub.”

“I told you they’d work for you.” Sabrina moved to pick up the mess they’d made in their mad search to find Jane something to wear.

A knock came at the door. Sabrina scrambled to it and peeked out. “You can’t come in.”

“Why not?” Kage said.

“Because she has to make an entrance. It’s a girl thing. You have to pretend you’re not picking her up in your bedroom.” Sabrina glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at Jane. “He’s sexy, but he’s clueless on how women work.”

“Reservations are in a half hour,” Kage said.

“She’ll be ready. Just go…my God, you look hot.” Sabrina whistled. “Does Garrett ever clean up and wear anything like that?”

“Um, you’d have to ask him,” Kage said. “Is she going to be ready in time?”

“Of course. Go out in the living room. She’ll come to you.” Sabrina slammed the door and faced Jane. “Makeup. Now!”

As promised, Kage steered clear of the bedroom to give her time to prepare. In ten minutes, Jane put on her makeup, spritzed perfume on her lower back so as not to stain the dress, and left the room. Sabrina said her goodbyes.

Jane hesitated in the hallway and pressed her hand to her stomach. She hadn’t expected butterflies, but there they were, fluttering on sunshine.

A deep breath and a prayer she didn’t make a fool of herself, she stepped out into the living room. All worries left her. Kage stood beside the couch watching her.

In a navy suit, cream-colored shirt and red tie, he’d transformed into a man who ate CEOs for breakfast. His stubborn lock of hair already rebelled and flopped down on his forehead. His gaze warmed, and she knew he liked what he was seeing. She ducked her chin, her heart racing. Oh, wow.

“Baby?”

She caught her lip between her teeth and raised her eyes to him. He came to her and, instead of taking her hand, he walked around her. Behind her, he sucked in his breath and his hand went to her back.

Braless, she swiftly inhaled at the slight touch against her skin. She froze, smiling inside, letting him take his fill of her.

“Fuck, Janie.” His finger traced the slight indentions on her lower back. “You’re killing me.”

“Does it look all right?” she whispered, afraid he’d have her go change her outfit the way Scott always demanded when she dared buy something without his approval.

“You’re beautiful. You’re always beautiful, but every man tonight will see what I get to take home with me, and I’m not sure I want another man’s eyes on you.” He walked around her and stood in front. “Do you understand why I would want to keep you to myself?”

She swallowed. “Because you think I’ll tempt a man to talk with me?”

“What?” He shook his head, putting his hands on each side of her face. “No, baby.”

She frowned, and his thumbs swept her cheekbones, relaxing her facial muscles. “Did Carson make you think it was your fault if a man looked at you, talked with you?”

Because Kage forced her to look at him, she closed her eyes to hide from the truth. She knew how ridiculous Scott’s demands were, and she’d fought with him over his controlling attitude more times than she could count. Sometime during their relationship—she couldn’t pinpoint exactly when she’d given up—she’d stopped fighting it.

Her lack of effort to be perfect for him happened slowly, until she believed it was easier to go along with what Scott wanted. She opened her eyes and stared up into Kage’s face. How could he even like the person she’d become?

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“For what?”

“I’ll go change.” She moved her foot back to walk away, but he held her in place.

“You dressed for me?”

Everything about today centered on pleasing Kage, but it was also about her. She sucked in her lower lip, remembered she had lipstick on, and sighed. She wanted to dress fancy and have a good time tonight. Of course, she never forgot that their purpose of going out on date was to draw Scott out in the open.

“Yeah.” Her breathing grew shallow. “I wanted to thank you for giving me the best few days of my life. I…you…I have a lot going through my head. I can’t even think right, and I’m afraid I’m messing everything up.”

“You’re afraid.” He wasn’t asking, he came to his own conclusions, and he was right.

She nodded. “It’s stupid, I know. I remember what I was like, but sometimes it feels like that part of me has died.”

“The Janie in you,” he whispered.

Again, he wasn’t asking. He knew.

“Soon we’re going to deal with what he’s done to you, and there’ll be nothing in your mind that brings him back between us. He doesn’t belong inside your head, let alone touching you. When I told you that you’re mine, I meant it. I also meant you’d be yourself. I know you’re struggling, baby. It kills me, because you don’t deserve to work through the scars Scott placed on you.”

“I wasted four years, Kage. I lost my friends, my family, my dad.” She shook her head. “What if it’s too late?”

“It’s not. I won’t let it be.” He wrapped her in his embrace. “You’re beautiful. You’d tempt a man just by breathing, but I’m selfish. Tonight your body is for me. Those dimples are mine to enjoy. Your attention is on me, and your dress is mine.”

“Well, really it’s Sabrina’s outfit. She’s letting me borrow it,” Jane whispered against his chest, her body vibrating.

His chest rumbled with laughter and he nuzzled her neck. “I’ll buy her a new one, because the moment we get home, I’m going to rip it off your body and take what is mine. All of you.” He trailed a finger along her cleavage. “This.” His hand went around to her ass. “This.”

She leaned into him. “Kage…”

“And after I’m done sampling everything…” He lowered his mouth to her ear. “I’m going to make your eyes flutter the way they do, right before you come.”

“Shit,” she whispered, clutching his coat in her fingers. “Do we have to go out tonight?”

He laughed again. “Yeah, baby. Let’s end this shit, so we can move on to better things, huh?” He leaned back, inhaling deeply. “I have something for you before we go.”

“What?” she said.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small canister the size of a one-and-a-half-inch socket. “It’s Mace. Slide the lever on top to the side and squeeze the orange strip. You want to point the top at your target. Make sure you don’t have it pointed up but away from you—you don’t want to get that stuff in your own eyes.”

She held the Mace, turning it over in her hand. “Really? It’s mine?”

“Yeah.” He tipped her chin, chuckling. “Will you lay off wanting a gun now and sneaking around headquarters?”

“Yes.” She stood on her tiptoes in her borrowed high heels and kissed him on the lips. “Thank you. That has to be the coolest thing anyone has given me. Mace. I never would’ve thought to get any. I can take down Scott and watch him cry. It’s perfect.”

“Whoa, hang on.” He shook his head, his lips twitching. “You’re not to play the hero. This is in case you need it, in case someone, somehow gets near you. I don’t want Carson anywhere close to you. You’re mine, so I’ll protect you, but if something happens, you’ll have a way to defend yourself and get away. You run like hell, baby, and don’t look back.”

Her excitement dwindled, and she nodded. “Do you think he’ll show tonight?”

“I hope.” He watched her put the Mace in a small clutch purse, also borrowed from Sabrina to go with the outfit. “I want him dealt with and gone.”

O
n Friday nights, the Crystal Palace boasted a live quartet that’d make any man head straight to Corner Pocket for a beer. It wasn’t Kage’s prime choice for a date night. He’d rather hit a more intimate spot away from the high rollers who visited the casino if they were here on a real date and not drawing out Jane’s ex-boyfriend.

Kage requested a table far from the music, near the windows that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. He scooted the edge of his empty plate forward and caught Lance’s eye.

Lance and Garrett sat separately, one by the band, the other at the first table they’d passed as they entered the room. Their companions were oblivious to the purpose of their dates at the nicest restaurant in the casino. So far, Jane handled being the focus of everyone’s attention well.

He’d worried about her blowing their plan. Her impulsive nature tended to get her in trouble, but he soon learned that if he kept his hands on her and her attention on him, she forgot she was sitting in the middle of a trap. Luckily, the atmosphere and the knowledge that they were on their first date seemed to distract her.

The waitress arrived with dessert. A chocolate something or other that looked like cake with a side of ice cream. Kage smiled at Jane’s reaction.

“Next time,” he murmured.

She tilted her head, her fork halfway to the cake. “What?”

“We’ll do it right. Just you and me. We’ll have a real date.” He winked and stuck his fork in the dessert, reaching across the table to feed her a bite.

“Maybe one day we can get a room here at the hotel, and you can teach me how to play the slots down in the casino. I’ve never gambled before.” Her smile grew and she scooted closer. “Maybe I’d win big.”

“Not happening.” He took his own bite of cake. “We’ll go somewhere else. Not here.”

“Why not?” Her back went straight, and then she dove into another bite of cake and muttered, “Sorry.”

He grabbed her wrist before softening his touch and letting their hands fall to the table. “Look at me.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“What’s going through your head?” He rubbed the soft skin on the inside of her wrist. “Don’t tell me what I want to hear. I want to know what you were thinking when you closed yourself off from me and apologized.”

“I don’t understand what you want from me,” she said.

“Answer me first. Why were you sorry?”

She glanced at the tables beside them and lowered her voice. “It’s expensive. We don’t have to stay here.”

“That’s what you thought?” He grinned, finding her interpretation of his reluctance to come back to this place hilarious.

“Well, yeah. It’s the swankiest place I’ve ever been to. I guess I got caught up in the moment and forgot we’re here because”—she shrugged—“you know. We’re just pretending.”

His humor fled. “We sure in the hell aren’t pretending. This is real, you and me. I’ve told you, and I’ll keep telling you until you understand. I don’t play games.”

“Okay,” she breathed. Her eyes relaxed and her breasts rose, pushing against the neckline of the dress.

He brought her hand to his lips and skimmed his mouth across her fingers. “The reason I don’t want to bring you back here is because my uncle has his hands in the workings of the casino. There’s a good possibility that he’s downstairs right now and he’s got the camera aimed at our table. I don’t like him looking at what is mine.”

“Oh.”

He squeezed her hand. “I also don’t gamble. Ever.”

She nodded. “I get it.”

“Do you?” He held her gaze. “All my life I’ve made sure I’m clean. It’s not enough to be a good person. I have to rise above that and prove myself. Everyone waits, hoping, expecting me to do something to screw up so they can shake their head in pity, knowing I’m just like my father, my uncle, my mother.”

“Kage—”

He stared at her. “I’d never bring you down to that level, Janie. You’re too good for a place like this, despite the price tag. I will do whatever I need to do to make sure nothing about my family touches you.”

“That’s why you always follow the rules. Even with normal things the average person commits every day without a second thought. You don’t. It’s always in the back of your mind.” She blinked hard, and damned if her eyes weren’t filling up with tears.

“Don’t, baby,” he whispered. “Not with me. Never for me.”

She lifted her chin and wiped all traces of pity off her face. “I get it.”

“Good.” He glanced across the room, caught Garrett’s intense gaze, and brought his attention back to Jane. “Let’s call it a night. I’m done here.”

“What about Scott? He hasn’t shown up yet.”

Kage stood, slipped on his jacket, and walked around the table to help her out of her chair. “I’m running out of patience, and you haven’t relaxed since we got here. Let’s go home.”

Carson might not have shown his face, but the tension in the room had never let up. Whether it was being in a place where his uncle’s eyes were always watching or the anxious feeling to get this done and over with, Kage couldn’t tell. He only knew Janie’d had enough, and he wanted her home where she was safe, away from his uncle, away from Scott.

Jane’s step faltered near Garrett’s table. Kage placed his hand on her lower back. The tension was evident in the way her spine stiffened.

“It’s okay.” He continued to lead her toward the front.

She leaned against his side. “Was he here the whole time?”

“Yeah.” He smiled at the hostess and continued walking out the door leading to the main floor.

He walked through the large, open area of the lobby, ignoring the sounds coming from the games in the casino to their right. On high alert, his gaze swept the area as he slowed his pace. If anyone was watching, he wanted to appear as if he were full from dinner and satisfied after an evening out with his woman.

“Who else was here?” Jane looked up at him.

“Lance.” He smiled and stepped toward the automatic doors. “Smile and stick with me. I’ll explain when we get in the car.”

He gave the valet his card. Five minutes later, they pulled away in the Mustang. He glanced at Jane. Learning they weren’t alone tonight, she’d gone quiet.

“Talk,” he said.

“I just want my life back and to forget I ever wasted those years with Scott.” She pressed into the seat. “I’m sick of it. Sick of it all.”

Kage flipped his turn signal on, drove around the corner, and accelerated onto the highway.

“Hang in there a little longer. I promise you, we’ll clean this up, and Carson will no longer be a concern.” He reached down and squeezed her thigh.

Jane jerked away. “He’s taken everything away from me.”

“Don’t let him get under your skin. We have a handle on him. He can’t touch you.”

“He already has.” Her voice rose, and she shifted in her seat. “He’s still doing it, and now he’s making you, Garrett, Lance, and Tony do whatever he wants. Don’t you see? He won’t stop, and I’ll lose even more people in my life. I won’t survive if someone else dies because of me.”

Kage hardened, flipped on his turn signal, and slowly pulled over to the side of the highway, setting his emergency blinkers on. Then he turned toward her. “Who died?”

She clamped her lips shut and refused to look at him.

“Janie. Who died because of you?” he said.

His heart pounded. She’d given him information, and he had a firm grasp of how she’d been forced to live with Carson. But murder? That was new and important. It explained why she’d kept the truth from the agency and why she continued to protect everyone else.

The trauma from witnessing someone’s death could be why she whimpered while she slept, staring at the wall long after he comforted her.

“Baby, look at me.” He guided her head around and held her cheek in the palm of his hand. “Who did Carson kill?”

“I can’t…not now.” Her chin trembled. “I can’t.”

He opened his mouth, and his phone rang. “Dammit.”

Shifting in his seat, he reached behind him and pulled out his phone. “Yeah?”

“There are alarms going off at your house. I’ve dispatched Lance and Garrett.” Tony paused. “I’m locking up headquarters and heading that way. Where are you located?”

“Highway 101. We’re twenty minutes away.” He turned the keys and started the engine. “You’ll reach there first. Hold that bastard for me.”

“Got it.” Tony disconnected the call.

Jane grabbed his forearm. “What’s going on?”

He turned on his signal, looked behind him, and hit the highway. “Breach at the house. Alarms going off.”

Her fingers tightened on him. “He’s there.”

“Yeah.” He glanced at her. “When we get there, you stay in the car and lock the doors. Do not get out of the Mustang and do not open the door for anyone but me.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

He stared straight ahead. He hoped one of his men arrived first, so he didn’t kill Carson with his bare hands.