Nauti Intentions (6 page)

He was final y fattening up. He’d been bedraggled, skinny, when he first showed up more than two months before. He’d been in one too many

fights, and pride and hunger had glittered in his topaz eyes as she set out a bowl of cat food mixed with hamburger.

Now, in the past weeks, he was demanding more than just food. He was demanding affection. Nothing and no one had ever demanded affection from

her. Before the cat, she had just lain on the couch until she couldn’t hold her eyes open any longer, then trudged to her cold bed.

Now she stayed here until the animal grew tired of her petting.

The cat was safe, she decided. Al he wanted was the food and a few strokes over his heavy body for a while, then he was good to go.

But tonight, he didn’t go. He lay there and lay there, until Janey couldn’t hold her eyes open another moment.

“Come on, Fat Cat.†She pushed at his heavy butt. “I have to sleep.â€

Surprisingly, he didn’t scratch her for her daring. He rose, stretched, and hopped off the couch, looking at her expectantly.

“Time to go have fun, huh?†She moved to the door, then paused. He wasn’t moving behind her. “Do you want out?†He blinked those

yel ow eyes back at her sleepily. “Last chance.†She yawned. “I’m going to bed.â€

When he didn’t move, she shrugged, checked the litter box she kept on hand, then checked the security system, and moved to the bedroom.

She turned down the heavy quilt, flipped the light on low, and moved into the bed. As she pul ed the quilt over her, she was surprised to feel a heavy

thump at the bottom of the bed.

Lifting, she stared down at the cat as he curled at her feet, his eyes blinking back at her. Wary. Warning. And her lips quirked as he growled at her.

“Night, Fat Cat,†she murmured, rather enjoying the warmth against her feet.

She could get used to this, she thought. Just a little bit of affection. It felt good. As she drifted off to sleep, the thought floated through her mind that she

somehow knew Alex would demand so much more.

More than that kiss.

More than just a little sex.

A lot of sex.

She didn’t know if she should be frightened or excited. But as sleep took her and the dreams began to filter through her head, for once they

weren’t nightmares. They were Alex. Kissing, stroking her. Alex murmuring against her flesh. Alex. Demanding.

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Alex sat in his truck and watched the apartment far longer than he should have. The street had cleared of traffic, the old center of town was empty, al but

deserted at this time of the night, and he was sitting there staring at a woman’s window like a lovesick fool.

Hel , how had he let himself come to this? He hadn’t even done this crap when he was a dumb-fuck teenager. And it looked like he was about to

get caught.

Hel . Sheriff Mayes’s cruiser eased up behind his truck as Alex laid his head back against the seat and hit the electronic locks to release them. A

second later, Zeke was sliding into the pickup, his sheriff’s hat in his hand, watching Alex with a considering expression.

“I’ve sat out here a time or two and talked to Natches, one of his cousins, or his uncle Ray. But this one is a first for you, Jansen.†He leaned

back against the door. “Something I should know about?â€

Alex stared up at Janey’s window. “I’m a fucking dead man.†He sighed.

He trusted Zeke. Trusted him more than the Mackay boys did, and had no doubt anything he said would stay with Zeke. Another slipup. A year ago, he

wouldn’t have given a damn. Nothing would have induced him to tel the sheriff anything personal.

Zeke turned his head, looked up at the window, then back at Alex, and let out a soundless whistle.

“Damn, Alex. Natches is as protective over that little girl as he is his new wife and that skinny kid he had brought out of Iraq. Are you sure about

this?â€

“No.†He was damned sure he was going to end up fucking her, no matter what he told Zeke.

“You’re fourteen years older than she is, Alex. That’s a lot of years. If you don’t have more in mind than a few hot nights, then you better

watch your ass. Or your head. Because Natches is damned good with a sniper rifle himself.â€

Actual y, Natches was better at it than Alex.

“Yeah. I better be careful.†But not because of Natches. Fighting Natches wasn’t what worried him. Hurting Janey. The thought of that bit at

him.

Zeke sat silently then, staring up at the window with Alex.

“She tel you about the notes?†Zeke asked then.

Alex lifted his head slowly. He and Zeke were more than just friends. Before Zeke got out of the military, they’d fought together a time or two. They

had more of a connection than Zeke had with the Mackay boys. Alex knew when Zeke was tel ing him something sensitive.

“What notes?†he asked careful y.

“Yeah, I was afraid she was keeping it to herself, especial y after she made it a point to make me swear to investigate it myself. Hel . Damned

Mackays. Every one of them is trouble in one way or the other.â€

“What notes, Zeke?†Alex could feel the tension tightening in his body then, the hairs at the back of his neck lifting in warning.

“There’s been three in the past two months. Words cut out of the newspaper and taped to plain white paper. No prints, nothing unusual, no way

to trace it. Always left somewhere she won’t miss them. The first was taped to the door of her apartment. The second shoved under the front door of

the restaurant. The third was shoved under her apartment door. Al three warning her to get out of town. That a traitor’s slut wasn’t wanted in

Somerset.â€

Damn. Alex felt his hands curling around the steering wheel, tightening. Violence raged through his body, and the need to exact vengeance slammed

inside him.

“Natches doesn’t know?â€

“She made me swear I wouldn’t tel a single Mackay.†Zeke smiled at that thought of that. “I haven’t told a single Mackay.â€

No, he was tel ing Alex. Alex slid him a furious glance. The bastard.

“So I get to spread al the good news?â€

Zeke shrugged before pul ing a plastic envelope from inside his jacket. “I was out looking for you tonight anyway. I was waiting for you to heal up a

little bit before we talked. You’re stil official y deputized with DHS last I heard, so this is your business.â€

Alex took the envelopes. “Copies?â€

Zeke nodded. “Al three of them as wel as the report where we dusted for prints. We didn’t find anything. But I don’t like the tone of those

letters, Alex,†he admitted. “They worry me.â€

They worried Alex now. And what worried him even more was the fact that Janey wasn’t tel ing her family about them. They could protect her, help

watch out for her. Yet she was taking it on alone.

“You weren’t able to find out anything?†Alex asked again, even though he knew Zeke would have told him if he had.

“Nothing. And I’m worried about her. I hear the crap that goes on in this county. And I’ve been in that restaurant to hear some of the

comments she gets. She’s like a damned robot in there, and people can be mean. They keep striking until they see blood. Janey doesn’t show

blood. It could end up getting her hurt worse.â€

Natches was going to have to know about this. If Zeke thought the youngest Mackay cousin would kil him for fooling with his sister, it was nothing

compared to what Natches would do if Janey ended up hurt and he’d had no idea there was a threat against her.

“Natches is going to be pissed at you, Zeke,†Alex warned him. “He’l know you held back on him.â€

Zeke shrugged. “It won’t be the first time, wil it?†His voice was fil ed with amusement. “Be careful, though, Alex. Janey’s not the play-

around type. She’s been hurt a lot in her young life. There’s no sense in adding to it.â€

No. There wasn’t. But damned if he could stay away from her now.

“I know that, Zeke.†He knew it clear to the bottom of his soul.

Zeke nodded and left the truck, leaving Alex to stare up at that damned window as the light went out. She was going to bed. His body clenched at that

thought of it. Did she sleep naked? Somehow, he doubted she did. She was young, a virgin; had she learned how sensual the sheets could feel against

her naked flesh?

He would show her. Show her how erotic it could be to sleep naked, curled against his body, his hands petting her through the night.

He closed his eyes and breathed out roughly. His cock was pounding in his slacks, ful y engorged and torturing him with the need for sex. Not just any

sex either. Oh hel now, it had to wait thirty-seven years to get picky and decide it was getting hard for only one woman.

One younger woman.

He was hooked on her kisses, and he had a feeling he was about to get hooked on much more than those perfect sweet lips.

He groaned at that thought. Natches would kil him for sure, but after that kiss earlier, Alex decided, it just might be worth it.

THREE

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Alex pul ed into the marina parking lot a little after seven the next morning. It was damned cold on the water in February. Those Mackays were frickin’

insane. Al three of them were stil on the houseboats, al of them with very pregnant wives.

Certi-fucking-fiable. That was al he could think. One of those very pregnant wives was his sister, Crista, and Alex was stil ready to blow Dawg’s

head off for not having that house ready yet. If it weren’t for the fact that Crista was the one holding things up, he and Dawg would have already fought.

He looked around and saw Ray Mackay’s pickup in front of the marina office, though he knew Ray wasn’t there. He’d cal ed the other man

that morning and asked him to meet him at Natches’s.

Shit. This wasn’t going to be easy. Natches had just gotten his sister back, thought she was final y safe and secure, and now this crap. And Janey,

Alex knew, hadn’t mentioned a word to her brother.

He stepped out of the pickup, tense, wary. Dealing with the Mackays al at once wasn’t a fun time to be had, and bringing news like this?

He couldn’t get those letters out of his head, though. They were brutal, filthy trash. No wonder Janey was so damned wary, almost frightened, last

night. She couldn’t know who was doing this to her; she would suspect everyone, and he couldn’t blame her.

He moved quickly from the parking lot along the docks. As he neared the
Nauti Dreams
, Natches’s houseboat, the door opened and Natches

stepped out. He was stil as wild as the wind, Alex thought. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and bare feet. His black hair was mussed, his dark green gaze

sharp despite the drowsy look on his face.

“You’re working early, Major,†Natches drawled as Alex stepped onto the boat. “Playing Cranston’s lapdog again?â€

Alex sighed. He’d been working with Cranston for years. His team was one of the agent’s favorites to cal out for the hairier assignments. Alex

had already been cal ed before a review board twice because of the insanity that was Cranston. But damn if the agent didn’t make life interesting.

They cal ed him the Rabid Leprechaun, and Cranston was inordinately pleased with that title. So much so that his agents and Alex’s team worried

that he took it a little too seriously. The thing about Cranston that the Mackays never understood, though, was that it wasn’t about the manipulations he

conspired to do; for Timothy, it was al about the past and everything he had ever lost. It was about retribution. And in ways, it had been for Alex as wel . He

understood that. For Alex, though, the thoughts of retribution were melting away beneath thoughts of Janey.

“Not this time, Natches.†He shook his head as he stopped in front of his friend. “We need to talk.â€

Natches’s eyes narrowed dangerously before he inclined his head into the houseboat. “Wel , we’re al here as you asked. Keep your voice

down, though; Chaya’s stil sleeping.â€

Evidently, al the Mackay women were sleeping. Ray, his son, Rowdy, Dawg, and Natches were waiting, but Crista, Kel y, and Chaya were absent.

He stepped into the wide front room and stared at the men huddled around the table at the side, a pot of coffee between them.

“Alex, good to see you.†Ray Mackay, Rowdy’s father, with his sharp Mackay green eyes and graying black hair, waved him over. “Get a

seat, son. We have a cup for you.†He poured coffee into a cup as Alex stepped over to the table.

He didn’t sit down. Neither did Natches.

“Seven in the morning,†Natches commented with a drawl. “Must be trouble.â€

“Trouble fol ows Alex,†Rowdy grunted. Evidently he didn’t like getting up early anymore either.

“So does Cranston,†Dawg commented mockingly. Another less-than-polite Mackay. Hel , they were nicer than this before they decided

monogamy was the spice of life.

“No Cranston this time.†Alex pul ed the letters from inside his jacket, unfolded them, and handed them to Natches. “I got these last night.

They’ve come in the past two months, to Janey.â€

Natches took the letters slowly, his gaze locking with Alex’s. He could feel the sense of danger, the ragged, burning fury already building as he

stared into the other man’s gray eyes.

When his eyes moved to the letters, his blood began to boil.

Traitor’s whore. Slut. You’re not wanted. Get out of town before you’re carried out in a casket.

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Traitor bitches aren’t wanted. You dirtied yourself with daddy and auntie. Did you moan for them? Did you beg like the bitch you are?