HAYDEN (Dragon Security Book 5) (2 page)

But this…she needed this as much as I needed her to do it.

“Gentlemen,” I said, standing, “would you give us a few minutes?”

Hayden leaned over and said something to Sam that made her punch his shoulder. I’d never seen my friend quite so violent. She was normally a very gentle person, always kind to everyone around her. This was out of character. But, somehow, Hayden had always managed to pull out the more passionate parts of her.

When they were gone, I moved around to the front of my desk.

“I need you to do this, Sam. This is a potentially big client. If we could get them to allow us to run security on their buildings…it would be huge.”

“I know.”

“It’s just a few hour’s work, probably be over in one afternoon.”

“I know.”

She looked up at me, the remnants of her blush still putting color into her beautiful face. “But does it have to be with Hayden?”

“I thought the two of you were getting along. I keep finding you whispering together in the break room—”

“Once.”

“Once is more than enough.”

She sighed. “If you really want to know, that was about you. We were talking about you and Dante. Hayden worries about you. I think he feels responsible for you since Luke left. Or maybe he has a thing for you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Hayden is more of a brother to me than Cole.”

Sam giggled because Cole
was
my brother. And because she knew more than anyone else that Cole and I were closer now than we’d ever been, in part because he’d finally grown up and committed himself to one women rather than the dozens he was always chasing in high school and during his time in the Marines. He was married to Amber, the mother of our nephew, and they were expecting another baby in six months.

I took her hands. “I know I ask a lot of you. But this is really important.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I’ll do it. But if he makes one more grandma joke…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll dress you up so sexy, he’ll lose his dentures.”

Sam laughed, thinking I was joking. I wasn’t.

Sam

I felt like I’d been transported back to high school. I was sixteen and watching Megan get ready for a date with Luke. But this time I was the one who was trying on the sexy tops, not Megan.

“Pink has always been your color,” she said, holding a simple pink babydoll top up against me.

“And blue. I like blue.”

She grabbed a light blue top from the bed and held that up to me. She was standing behind me, her arms wrapped around my shoulders. I caught a little sadness in her eyes, but then she forced a smile.

“I think you’re beautiful whatever you wear.”

“You know what I want to do?” I said suddenly.

“What?”

“When we go to New York, I want to buy myself some new clothes—different clothes. I’m tired of dressing like this,” I said, lifting the hem of my skirt. “What do you think?”

“I’ve been trying to get you to do that for years!”

I turned back to the mirror, holding a racy red blouse to my chest.

“What do you think?”

She laughed. “A little much for a meeting with a mortgage officer. But we can make it work.”

She went to her closet and pulled out a black silk blouse that was fitted at the waist.

“With a pair of slacks?” she asked.

“Maybe.”

But there was this dress in her closet… When we were in high school, I used to spend hours in Megan’s room, looking at all her clothes, her shoes, all the things my mother would never allow me to wear. My mom was ultra-conservative. That woman went to church every Wednesday and Sunday and attended every prayer meeting, everything the pastor suggested she attend. And she kept a pious home, expecting me to say my prayers five times a day—before each meal, before bed, and first thing upon waking. She would fall over dead if I even attempted to step out the front door in a t-shirt and jeans. She expected me to wear proper attire, which to her meant long skirts, baggy, non-formfitting blouses, and a sweater. And those were always either black or gray.

Even now, whenever I dressed in the morning, I could hear my mom’s voice at the back of my head screaming about my whore-of-Babylon ways because I chose sweaters and blouses with color in them—pinks and yellows and greens—and the occasional dress that might show a bit of skin.

To my friends and co-workers, I still dressed incredibly conservative. But to my mother, I was dressed provocatively, just looking to get myself into trouble. According to her, I was going straight to hell because I wore a light blue sweater set to church a month ago.

Most people would cut themselves off from someone like my mom. But she was my mom.

I lifted the dress I had in mind from the hanger in Megan’s closet. When I turned, her eyes lit up and she smiled this big, wide smile.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

I slipped out of my own clothes, but before I could put the dress on, Megan took a slender box from the top drawer of her dresser.

“I’ve never worn these, but they’d go perfect with that dress.”

It was a lacy bra, white and red and black with demi-cups that would allow for some cleavage. And the panties were cut high, but narrow, leaving very little to the imagination. Much better than my granny panties.

“Megan, these are expensive. I don’t want to—”

“Nonsense. I have dozens like them.”

I looked at her. She shrugged.

“Luke liked them.”

“I’m sure he did.”

“Maybe Hayden will, too.”

I groaned. “We’re just pretending to be married, Meg.”

I stepped into the bathroom and put the underwear on, staring at myself in the full-length mirror attached to one wall. I hardly recognized myself. I’d always seen myself as this frumpy little girl, smaller than everyone else. I had mousy reddish hair and too many curves in all the wrong places. And eyes that boys in high school used to say resembled the color of baby shit. Kids can be cruel.

But this person looking back at me from the mirror was different. This person was almost beautiful. Her hips were round, but the right kind of round, her belly flat and her breasts large, but still perky…the sort of ripe that suggested youth. Her thighs weren’t as heavy as they were when she played softball, but they were still toned and attractive. And there was this innocence about her eyes that was almost alluring.

This person wasn’t Samantha. This was someone who looked like me, but was everything I had never been.

“Put on some of my perfume,” Megan called through the door.

She had dozens of bottles on her counter. I smelled a few and picked one that smelled like a mixture of roses and lavender. Then I slipped the dress over my shoulders, feeling almost immediately as though something was missing when the skirt left my calves bare.

But it was beautiful. The dress was a soft peach with a sweetheart bodice, cap sleeves, and a low waist. It hugged my body in all the right places, making me look almost like a beautiful woman, like Megan and all the other women I’d always admired. It made me feel like the person I’d always wanted to be but never believed I could be.

Tired of waiting, Megan barged into the room and suddenly came up short and gasped.

“My God, Sam!”

“Is it bad?” I asked, glancing in the mirror again.

“No. It’s perfect! You are so beautiful!” She hugged me so tight. “Your outside finally matches your inside.”

I groaned, tears burning in my throat.

“You’re going to make me cry.”

“You’re already making me cry!”

We clung to each other for a long time. Eventually, she peeled herself away and set me down on the vanity bench in front of her counter and did my hair, giving it a little curl and pulling it back from my face. Then she added a touch of makeup—just enough to highlight my eyes, my lips. She gave me a pair of beige pumps and a simple gold chain around my neck to finish it off.

“Gorgeous,” she said when she backed away to get a good look.

“Yeah?”

She nodded, tears glistening in her eyes again. Her doorbell rang and we both jumped.

“That’ll be Hayden and Dominic. Hayden should have the wedding rings.”

I groaned. “I’m sure he’s thrilled about this whole thing.”

“If he’s bothered by it, he hasn’t said anything to me.”

“Because he knows it wouldn’t do him any good.”

Megan grew serious. “Hayden hides behind his jokes and his lighthearted exterior. But he’s had a rough time of it, Sam. Cut him a break.”

“I’m not the one always making cruel jokes. It’s like being back in high school, being around him in the office.”

“I know. But, like I said, he’s had a hard time. Luke told me things about him that no one else knows.”

I frowned. I did background checks on all our employees. I remembered doing Hayden’s. He grew up with an aunt and uncle, lived a pretty quiet life in the suburbs until he joined the Navy. Nothing remarkable. I had no idea what Megan was talking about. But I trusted her; I trusted that she’d never lie to me, so I nodded.

“Okay. I’ll be nice.”

Hayden

I hated wearing suits. It reminded me of a time when I was forced to wear a suit that was slightly small with a tie that was tied too close to my throat. It was like going back in time, going back to a time in my life I’d worked hard to forget. But a lot of things were reminding me of that time now.

I stood in the middle of Megan’s living room, tugging at the tie around my neck even as Dominic rammed his elbow into my side to make me stop. Megan strolled into the room, looking surprisingly casual despite the fact that she was dressed for the office in slacks and a white blouse. I found myself wondering where Dante was and if he’d spent the night again last night. I knew he was making a habit out of spending the night here and it drove me crazy. I’d promised Luke a long time ago that I’d look out for Megan, and I never broke my promises. Never.

Dante gave off a wrong vibe. I didn’t like him, and I didn’t like him around Megan. But she wasn’t about to listen to me about it. He gave her whatever it was she needed right now and that was all that mattered to her.

“Are we all set?”

Dominic nodded. “I’ve got the surveillance truck all set up. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Good. We need video and sound on top of whatever Sam can get from the computer.”

“Speaking of Sam…where is she?”

Megan glanced at me, a soft smile on her lips. “She’s a little nervous. She’ll be out in a minute.”

Even as she said it, a woman came from the back hallway. But it wasn’t Sam, not the Sam I knew. This woman was dressed like a queen with silky material falling from her full breasts down to her low waist, her hips flaring out with a come-and-get-me sort of movement. Her reddish-brown hair was pulled back from her face, her eyes no longer hidden behind glasses. And those eyes—had they always been that big and round? That expressive?

Dominic whistled.

“Wow, Sam! You look amazing!”

She blushed, a slight nod accepting his compliment. And then her eyes moved to my face. I could feel everyone else looking at me, too. But, for the first time in a very long time, I was speechless.

“You should get going,” Megan said after a minute. “Your meeting is in less than half an hour.”

Sam walked past me. Watching her go was almost as wonderful as watching her approach. Megan moved up behind me and touched my elbow.

“Be nice.”

“Am I ever anything else?”

She gave me that look that said I was using humor where I shouldn’t. Again. I inclined my head, leaning close to kiss her temple lightly.

“I will be good, Mother.”

“Take care of her. She’s never done anything like this before.”

“I know.”

I joined Dominic and Sam in one of the black SUVs that Dragon provided all their assets. I tried not to stare at Sam as Dominic drove, but I was finding it nearly impossible. I knew she was beautiful. Anyone could look at her and see how beautiful she was. But there was something about a change of clothes and a little makeup that made her more than beautiful. Maybe it was this new sort of confidence she seemed to have. It radiated off her like snobbery tended to radiate off the super-rich clients we often dealt with.

Dominic pulled the SUV to the side of the road a couple of blocks from the hotel.

“This is where I get out.” He slipped a couple of microphones from a plastic case, handing each of us one. “Put it somewhere inconspicuous. I’ll test volume levels when I get to the truck.”

“What about video?” Sam asked.

“I’m already wired for that, sweetheart,” I said.

She glanced at me, and then her eyes moved to Dominic. “Is that good enough?”

“Are you going to use your iPad to hack her computer?”

She nodded.

“I can hack your iPad and use the built in camera.”

“I didn’t know you knew how to do that.”

He smiled. “You’d be surprised the things I know.” He touched her arm then climbed out of the car, walking off as if he was just another guy walking the busy streets of downtown Houston. I climbed up into the front seat and slipped the tiny microphone into the lapel of my suit coat. Sam was just playing with hers, clearly not sure where to put it.

“Here.” I reached over and slipped it from her hand, brushing my fingers against her breast as I hooked it under a crease on her small sleeve. “It needs to be fairly close to your face so he can pick up your voice.”

She nodded.

I was about to start the car when I remembered the rings. I slipped them out of my pocket and reached for her. She started to pull away, but stopped halfway through the movement. I slipped the ring onto her finger, liking the way it looked against her fair skin. She pulled away, reminding me that I was still holding her hand moments after sliding the ring onto her finger. I pulled away, slipping the matching ring on my own finger before starting the car. I was letting myself get distracted and that was a stupid thing to do as I was getting ready to walk into an undercover assignment. It could be dangerous.

Concentrate!

I eased the SUV into traffic and pulled into the underground garage at the Galleria. It was pretty busy for noon on a Tuesday afternoon, moms pushing strollers and men in business suits rushing to pick up something for the wife while on their lunch break. We parked near the hotel entrance, ten minutes before our appointed meeting time.

“You know what to do, right?”

Sam shrugged. “You talk to her about the kind of house we want to buy while I hack her computer and make a copy of everything she does.”

“We’re supposed to be newlyweds, so you’ll have to pay a little attention to me.”

Sam wouldn’t look at me. She seemed more interested in watching a young woman walk past with a screaming infant and a complaining toddler. I reached over to touch her, but she pulled away.

“Sam, this is important.”

“I know.”

“Megan thinks this client might send some big business our way.”

“I know that, too.” She looked at me. “I won’t blow this. But you have to promise you won’t get carried away.”

“Me?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “You know how you are, always making jokes, always calling me names. You tend to go overboard on everything. You can’t do that here. You can’t push me too far.”

There was something in her eyes that made me wonder about things that were none of my business. I knew about her mother; I knew she had a strict upbringing. But now I was wondering if she’d imposed those same restrictions on herself as an adult.

Was she really this innocent? This naive?

“We should go.”

I climbed out of the SUV and walked around to her door, offering her a hand as she climbed down. We didn’t touch until we were stepping off the elevator into the lobby of the hotel. I took her hand and she didn’t pull away. That was progress.

The loan officer was sitting at a round table in the middle of the restaurant, a laptop set up in front of her and a stack of paperwork beside it. She looked up, somewhat distracted, as we approached her.

“Mr. and Mrs. Brown?” she asked with a crooked smile.

“I’m Bill and this is my wife, Lucy,” I said, pushing Sam forward with a hand on her back.

“Nice to meet you,” she muttered.

The loan officer smiled, taking Sam’s hand and then mine. Her eyes moved slowly over the length of me, a look of appreciation coming into her eyes. At least it wouldn’t take much for me to distract her.

“Your application says that you’d like to buy a house in the three to four hundred thousand dollar range. Right?”

“Yes, ma’am. We just—” I began.

“Call me Rita.”

I smiled politely. “Rita. We just got married and we’d like a house big enough for my workshop out back—I build furniture—and for our future children.”

“You plan to stay in the area for a long time?”

“Both our families are here, so, yes, we do.”

Rita smiled, her eyes moving from me to Sam and back again. And again she let her eyes move slowly over the length of me. I smiled my most charming smile, leaning toward her over the table.

“We both have very big families. Catholics, you know. And we’re planning a big family of our own.” I sat back again, squeezing Sam’s thigh. “Right, darling?”

Sam brushed my hand from her thigh, but she leaned close to me and rested her head on my shoulder briefly. “Of course, sweetie.”

Rita frowned briefly, her eyes falling to the paperwork in front of her.

“Well, I see here that we ran your credit. Unfortunately, your credit scores are a little low.”

I glanced at Sam. She was looking at me, a look of accusation on her face.

“I told you not to buy that truck. We couldn’t afford the payments.”

“It was a cool truck, babe.”

“A cool truck that damaged your credit.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. I could feel Rita studying the two of us and could hear Dominic laughing in the earpiece that kept us connected. Sam suddenly leaned into me and kissed my cheek lightly.

“But I still love you,” she said in the softest voice.

She was good. For a second I almost forgot we were playing a part.

“Well,” Rita said, her eyes falling to our paperwork again, “I understand we aren’t the first bank you came to.”

“No. We went to several others and were turned down, or offered much less than we were asking for. But a friend mentioned that he’d gotten a loan through you.”

“Oh? Who was that?”

Dominic whispered a name in my ear and I repeated it. “Jack Wallace.”

“Yes, I remember Jack.” Rita’s eyes lit up at the mention of the name. She studied me again, but was suddenly distracted by Sam lifting her iPad. “Are we interrupting something?”

“Sorry,” Sam said, settling the tablet back on her lap. “My best friend was wondering how it was going, so I sent her a little picture. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” Rita said, but she turned sideways, away from Sam. “Let me take a look at these papers…”

“I’m going to run to the restroom,” Sam announced.

She stood, but I grabbed her arm before she could get away. We were supposed to be newlyweds, so it only seemed appropriate for me to ask for a kiss before she went away. I tugged her down toward me, brushing my lips lightly over hers. She hesitated, her hand coming to rest on my shoulder.

“Don’t be long,” I said.

That seemed to bring her back to herself. She glanced at Rita, and then nodded, walking quickly as she left the restaurant. I couldn’t help but watch her go.

“How long have you known each other?”

“Three years,” I said, letting the truth slip out before I thought about it. Three years I’d worked for Dragon, three years I’d come to the office nearly every day to find Sam already sitting at her desk, waiting for whatever the day might bring. Three years during which she snuck into my thoughts and refused to leave.

“You’re a cute couple.”

I focused on Rita, Dominic pushing me in my ear.

“We really want this house. I know our credit isn’t the best, but if I could do anything to convince you that we’re worth the risk…”

“There is something I can do for you. But it’s a little risky for me. If I got caught—”

“Anything you want, Rita.”

Her eyes drifted over me for a long second, and then she inclined her head.

“We have this program at the bank. If you’d pay double the closing costs, half now and half later, I could probably get you in on it. It would guarantee approval of your mortgage and help bring your credit rating up.”

“Really?”

She glanced around the room and leaned forward, speaking in a hard whisper. “I could get in trouble for this, but I like you, Bill. I’d like to help you.”

“I’d really appreciate it.”

“Great. So I’ll go ahead and push the paperwork through. When can you have the money?”

“I just need to make a call and I can have it in cash before our meeting’s over.”

She smiled a sweet smile. “Great.”

As she began to type, Dominic says in my ear: “Sam’s got her. She’s tethered her tablet to the loan officer’s laptop and she’s watching everything she’s doing. Unless you screw this up somehow, we’ve got this one in the bag.”

I pulled my cellphone out of my pocket and pretended to make a call.

“If you could bring me that certified check…”

Rita looked up and winked at me. “Maybe we can have drinks later. Celebrate.”

“Sure. My wife and I are staying here at the hotel. Room 954.”

“I thought you said you lived in the area.”

“We do. But our lease was up on our apartment, so we put our things in storage and moved here temporarily. If we don’t find a place soon, we’ll have to live with her mother. And that…” I shuddered. “Not something I want to do.”

Her smile widened. “Well, we’ll get you into a house as quickly as possible.”