Jordan Summers - [Dead World 01] (13 page)

"I thought this was a working dinner." Red
said.

'"You said that, not
me."

Her eyes widened in surprise before she could school
her features. Red hadn't expected that kind of candor. She shifted
uncomfortably as if her seat had suddenly grown lumps: no one had ever been
inter
ested enough to ask about her, not
even the men she'd
joined with.

"I've been with the team for ten years. What else
would you like to know?" she asked, surprising herself and Morgan, if the
startled expression on his face was any indication.

"You can start by
telling
me why they call you Red. It can't be because of your
dark features or your hair, since it's black." He sat back, his large
frame relaxing into the chair.

"No, it's not due to my appearance." Her
stomach dropped and her face blanked. "You know why. It's all in the
file."

"Actually, that part's a
little vague. I can guess, but
I'd rather
you tell me."

"Sure you want to know before the food arrives?
Might ruin your appetite."

"I have a pretty strong stomach, so I'll chance
it."

"Suit yourself." She projected bravado that
she
didn't feel. "I tend to spill a
lot of blood when I go af
ter an
unknown. Very few surrender. I don't set out to
kill
anyone. It just happens. I guess I don't
appreciate
being fired upon."

"You don't miss." It wasn't a question.

"Never. My grandfather says I'm like a modern-day
Annie Oakley, whoever that is."

Morgan sat forward. "Where's your backup when all
this is happening?"

Red snorted. "What backup?"

"I see." His jaw tightened.

"Actually, I doubt you do."

"You're probably right. What does a boundary town
sheriff know about violence and unknowns?" he asked flippantly.

Red's stomach clenched. She hadn't meant to sell
Morgan short. Sheriffs like him were the front
line of
defense against the unknowns. She knew that better
than most, since his work aided hers.
"Sorry," she said.

"You should be."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither willing
to be the first to yield. Finally Red gave in. She  wouldn't garner Morgan's
cooperation if she continued to piss him off. Time to do a little male ego re
pair.

"How did you get into law enforcement?" she
asked, changing the subject.

"I guess you could say it's in my
blood,"
he said,
casually as he glanced around
the room, taking in the other patrons. Red followed his perusal. Several peo
ple
looked away as Morgan made eye contact.

The first time she witnessed this she'd chalked it
up to control, but now Red wasn't so sure. There
was
something weird happening here that went beyond respect for local
law enforcement.

Morgan slowly turned back to her. "Is anything
wrong?" he asked.

"Do you always get this kind of reaction from the
town when you go out?"

"No." He chuckled. "This doesn't happen
when
I'm alone," he answered, flicking
a gaze at the crowd.

Heat filled Red's face.

"I suppose lack of privacy is part of the joy of
small-town living." Sarcasm dripped from his words, but his eyes sparkled
with mirth.

"I wouldn't know. I've never lived in a small
town."

"Biodweller, eh?"

Red giggled unexpectedly at the disdain in his voice
and her tension began to ease. "Born and raised."

"I love it when you do that," he said,
staring into her eyes a moment before gazing at her mouth.

"Do what?" Red licked her bottom lip. He was
giving her that look again. The one that said he'd eat her alive given half the
chance. Self-conscious, she brushed at her face.

His gaze widened a fraction
before he lowered his
lashes,
effectively concealing his amber eyes. "Laugh,"
he said finally.

"Oh ... I knew that's what you meant." Red
actually felt the heat rising from her neck, trailing over her cheeks, until
it reached the tips of her ears. She couldn't believe he'd managed to make her
blush, li hadn't been his words as much as the infused meaning behind them.

Morgan opened his mouth to say something more, but the
food's arrival stopped him. He acknowledged the server delivering the trays and
then turned back to Red. "Where were you sired?" he asked, cutting
into the rare factory-raised beef he'd ordered. Bloody juice dripped from his
fork as he brought the steak to his mouth and bit down.

Red watched him chew, ecstasy clearly written on his
face. Her mouth went dry and she reached for her canteen before answering.
"I was born in the New
Town biosphere,
but I grew up in various cities. We moved around a lot when I was young, before
returning to my birthplace." She took a bite of her steak and groaned as
the savory juices burst into her mouth be
fore melting on her tongue.
"This is great," she said.

"I'm glad you like it." Morgan smiled.
"Do your parents still live in New Town?"

The food in her mouth turned to ash. "No."
Red shook her head. "They're dead."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It happened a long time ago. I barely
remember them," she lied.

Morgan watched her, his gold eyes probing into the
tender places she hoped to hide. "Who raised you?"

The question brought a smile to Red's face. "My
grandfather, Robert Santiago."

"The tactical team commander?"

"That's the one," she said.

He nodded, understanding dawning in his expression.

"See," she chided playfully. "I knew
you'd read my file."

"Guilty." He grinned.

"Now that you know my story, what's yours?"

He looked around casually, but the sudden tension in
his body betrayed him. "This is it," he said.

"I may have read the file,
but I doubt I know your
whole
story."

"Smart lady." He raised his canteen in
salute before taking a drink and setting it back on the table. "There's
not much to tell."

Red began to regret sharing her
past with this man.
What did she really
know about Sheriff Morgan Hunter?

Nothing.
The
answer came back swiftly in her mind.

He'd played her, not that she'd told him anything that
couldn't be found in her data file. It was the
thought that she'd relaxed enough around him to care
lessly spill personal information that truly
angered her.
And she'd done so after only a few kind gestures and
words. This just wasn't like her at all. She
didn't go to
dinner with men. She didn't share her life. And she
certainly didn't flirt. Red was about to excuse herself from the table when he
spoke.

"I come from a very large extended family, some
of whom still live in the area."

'That explains the same last names around town."

He acknowledged her statement. "My family has
lived in this area for generations. I guess I never saw a need to leave."

Red could barely comprehend what it would be
like, feel like to have lived in one spot. With
her par
ents dead, she only had her grandfather and they'd moved often.
It seemed like every time she got settled someplace he'd find something wrong
with the area and decide they needed to leave. She learned early not to get
attached to anyone that she met. That's why she clung to Robert Santiago so
desperately. Once he was gone, she'd be alone. Not that she wasn't already. Her
existence required isolation—or so she kept telling herself.

She watched Morgan Hunter's face as he regaled her
with more stories about his childhood while they finished dinner. He'd grown up
with loving parents, close friends, and an uncle who liked to read fairy tales
to him while acting out the characters. His life had been idyllic. She envied
him that. Red pushed aside the melancholy thought and smiled at the trouble he
managed to get into during his youth. It was a miracle he and his cousins had
survived.

He was in the middle of another story when Red caught
a jerky movement out of the corner of her eye that didn't match the pattern of
the people around them. Her head whipped around out of instinct to face whoever
approached. She didn't realize she was gripping the knife until Morgan stared
at her hand. She released the utensil.

"Sorry. It's habit."

Morgan stopped midsentence, his
gaze going from
Red's
hand to the man who'd just stepped from the
shadows. "Kane." He nodded, acknowledging the
town
physician.

Red's attention shifted, too, along with the rest of
the women in the room. Out of uniform, Kane Hunter was without a doubt one of
the most handsome men Red had ever laid eyes on. She'd thought so when she met
him at the emergency care center earlier and her opinion hadn't changed.

His dark hair glistened like it emitted its own light
from within. A black shirt encased his broad chest,
before nipping in at his narrow waist. Loose tan pants
draped
his lower body, accenting his long strides. The only wrinkle came from what
looked like a portable heart monitor poking out of one of his pockets.
Otherwise, the line was flawless, like his features. No wonder all the nurses
at the emergency care center were crazy about him. He was a prime catch for any
woman.

Too bad he really wasn't her type. She'd never gone
for the nice guy who always saves the day, and she wasn't about to start now.
If something needed saving. Red planned to do it herself. Besides, nice guys
always wanted far more than she was willing to give. And there was no doubt in
her mind that Kane would demand a lot.

Red glanced at Morgan, then back at Kane. They had
similar facial structure and coloring, although Morgan was a bit rougher around
the edges. His jaw was scruffier and he seemed less inclined to preen.
Of course, the real difference came with their
person
alities.

She had never really understood
until now the archaic saying comparing the difference between night
and day. Kane flirted with abandon, his easygoing
manner contagious. He welcomed people with warmth
and caring, while Morgan's closed nature warned
everyone away. So why was she drawn to the one who
at any moment
might reject her?

Kane slowed as he neared the table, grinning as he
glanced from Morgan back to her. "You work fast, cousin."

Red blushed a second time in one night. She shot
Morgan a pointed glance.

"Ms. Santiago's in town for a short visit,"
Morgan said, reverting to a formality that they'd disposed of earlier.

"So I heard. I didn't think that you had time for
dinner." He raised a brow and his lips twitched in amusement.

“I—“

"It was my idea," Morgan interjected.
"I thought a little interdepartmental courtesy was called for."

"Is that so?" Kane extended his large hand.
"It's nice to see you again,
Gina."

"You, too." Red shook it, feeling the rough
cal
luses on his palm and fingertips before
releasing him.
A doctor who got his hands dirty. That's something you
didn't find every day. Her respect for him rose a notch.

"I didn't realize you two
knew each other." Morgan tensed, but still managed to force a smile. It
had never
bothered him before, but now,
with Gina, Kane's overly familiar tone had him on edge.

"We met briefly when I was finding my way
around," Gina said. "Kane pointed me to Jesse Lindley's share space.
Thank you by the way. The room's perfect."

"How civic minded of him," Morgan said
without
inflection, watching Kane from
beneath hooded eyes.

"Now, cousin. Your hackles
are showing," Kane
quipped. "You can thank me later, Gina." He waggled
his eyebrows at her.

Gina's color bloomed and her heart accelerated.

Morgan scowled, fighting back a
full-fledged growl.
He
loved his cousin like a brother and hadn't had any
problems sharing women in the
past. In fact, he'd taken
great pleasure
in doing so. But Gina was bringing out his alpha side. The hair on his nape
rose as he met
Kane's gaze. It was childish
to pull rank, but Morgan
couldn't seem to stop himself. The need to
exert his
dominance pounded in his veins,
sharpening his senses
until the urge
to pounce made his muscles twitch.

Kane's expression changed to one of momentary
surprise. "Well isn't that interesting," he said, holding Morgan's
gaze a second longer than was respectful, before slowly dropping his eyes to
the floor. He peeked at Gina a moment later and grinned, effectively
dissipating the tension.