No One to Trust (2 page)

Fear skittered along her exposed skin. “I
don’t understand—”

“Your car. Now,” he barked as he jerked the
front door open. He didn’t even glance behind him as he strode
outside.

Not bothering to pull the front door shut
behind her, she started to slide into the passenger side of her car
while Porter dumped Benny in the back. Before she’d even shut her
door, Porter kicked the car into drive and sped off.

“What…what are you doing here?” She hated
that her voice shook but she couldn’t control it. She was grateful
he’d shown up but she hated that he’d seen her and her brother in
this kind of situation. Keeping her family life private was too
important. And Porter had already made it clear what he thought of
her brother. She didn’t like giving him more ammunition against
Benny.

“Don’t you know what kind of man Orlando
Salas is?” he ground out. It wasn’t so much a question as a
statement of disgust.

As he sped down the stone driveway, she
glanced behind them to see two men running out the front door, guns
in hand. At least they didn’t open fire on them. Thankfully the
iron gate was still open as Porter tore through the opening. “How’d
you get past his security? And where’s your car? And why are you
even here?”

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask that
first question,” he muttered and chose to ignore her other two
questions completely.

She bit back a retort and tried to take a few
steadying breaths. Porter might drive her crazy with his bossy
attitude, but Lizzy worked for Red Stone Security, which was owned
by his father. And his brother Harrison was her boss. Not that she
had any fear Harrison would fire her if she got into it with
Porter, but still, she liked to pick her battles wisely. As the
peacemaker of her family she was used to stopping fights, not
starting them.

She glanced over her shoulder again and was
relieved to see that no one was following them. Turning to Porter,
she said, “Explain how you knew I was at Orlando Salas’s house.”
She figured she probably should have asked nicely, not demanded an
answer, but right now she felt as if her insides were actually
shaking.

He shot her a sharp glance that put her on
edge, but at the same time made something annoyingly feminine
inside her flare to life. Without even trying the man exuded a raw
sexuality that made her abdomen clench with need each time she saw
him. Or thought about him. Lately that was too often.

“I put a GPS tracker in your car a couple
weeks ago,” he said quietly.

It took a moment for his words to register.
She shook her head, sure she’d misheard. “
What?
”

He shrugged and made another left turn. “It
was the only way I knew to keep you safe.”

“Safe? What… Do you realize how crazy this
sounds? You put a
tracker
in my car!” The tiny voice in the
back of her head told her to shut up and be grateful he had
considering what had just happened.

His sharp features never changed as he pulled
up behind an SUV parked by the curb. He fished out a set of keys
and handed them to her. “I want you to drive my vehicle and I’ll
follow you back to your place.”

She sputtered and stared at his outstretched
hand.

“Lizzy, please. I’ll answer all your
questions once we get out of here.”

His use of her nickname took her off guard.
He rarely called her Lizzy. The first time had been right before
he’d pushed her up against a wall and kissed her until she was
breathless and panting for more. They’d dated for roughly a month
after that kiss and since their very brief relationship ended,
she’d been nothing but ‘Elizabeth’ to him.

She mentally shook herself. Now wasn’t the
time to argue with him. The part of her that wanted to get as far
away from Orlando Salas’s house as possible knew that. She snatched
the keys from his hand and hurried to his SUV. She might have a lot
of questions for Porter, but more than anything she was simply
grateful for his presence. If not for him, she’d probably be dead
right now. Or worse. After what had just happened, energy hummed
through her and she could actually feel her adrenaline high
starting to crash. If he hadn’t shown up when he had…Lizzy shivered
and a cold sweat blossomed across her forehead. She couldn’t think
about that right now.

* * * * *

Raw, untamed energy hummed through Porter as
he pulled away from the curb. He glanced once in the rearview
mirror. It didn’t look like they were being followed and so far
Elizabeth’s brother hadn’t stirred.

Porter hated the distrust he’d seen in her
eyes when he’d told her about the tracking device—something he’d
hated putting on her car—but he’d had no choice. Not long ago her
mother had called worried about her youngest son and his penchant
to involve Elizabeth in his troubles. Since he’d seen firsthand
what a destructive influence Benny had on Elizabeth, he hadn’t
hesitated to take things into his own hands. Putting a tracker in
her car had been the only way he knew to discretely watch out for
her.

If he could watch her all day he would.
Though for a completely different reason than keeping her safe. The
sexy woman had gotten under his skin in a bad way. Every night when
he closed his eyes, he pictured her face. Her perfect smooth skin.
Her perfect…everything. She was tall and slim and he often dreamed
of running his hands through her mass of soft brown curls. And
those espresso colored eyes were like dark pools just waiting to
drown him. After their short relationship months ago, he’d forced
himself to keep his distance. She’d made it perfectly clear that
where her brother was concerned she had no common sense and that
Porter would have no say in the decisions she made. Even decisions
that could get her killed.

It didn’t mean he could forget what it had
been like to taste her. Right before they’d started dating, for a
brief moment in her office he’d seen that white hot desire in her
gaze. It had wrapped around him like a cocoon and threatened to
suffocate him with its intensity. And he’d been willing to lose
himself in her. So he’d kissed her. And she hadn’t pushed him away.
Until a month later when he’d tried to make her see reasoning that
she couldn’t keep bailing her brother out of trouble.

In the end he knew it was a good thing. She
worked for his father’s company and his brother was her boss. That
kind of entanglement had disaster written all over it. And since it
was clear he’d never be a priority in her life, it was better this
way. There were too many things stacked against them and he wasn’t
a masochist.

As they neared her neighborhood, her brother
started to stir. “Shit…where am I? Don’t take me to the doctor. No
hospitals…” he coughed out.

Porter glanced in the rearview mirror and
glared. Dark eyes the same shade of brown as Elizabeth’s stared at
him with fear. “You’re in the back of your sister’s car. What the
hell were you thinking dragging her down to Orlando Salas’s house?
What kind of moron are you?” Porter knew he should rein in his
anger. This was her brother after all, but Orlando Salas was a
dangerous predator. He preyed on women then spat them out like
garbage. Now that Elizabeth was on that guy’s radar, Porter was
tempted to pack her up and haul her back to his place regardless of
whether she wanted to go or not.

Shame filled Benny’s eyes and he glanced
away. “I didn’t mean to get her involved in my troubles. I just…I
needed help. I thought…” His voice broke on the last word.

Porter pushed back a twinge of guilt. The man
had been beaten to a pulp so maybe he shouldn’t be shouting at him.
Still, there was no excuse in the world good enough for getting
Elizabeth involved with Salas. “We’re almost to your sister’s
place. What did you do to make Salas so angry?”

“I…uh, I owe him some money.”

Porter was good at reading people. Benny
Martinez definitely owed Salas money, but there was more he was
keeping to himself. There was a stark, raw fear evident in his eyes
and he wasn’t trying to mask it. He apparently wore his heart on
his sleeve, just like his sister.

Porter parked her car next to his SUV in the
driveway and jumped out before Elizabeth had stopped the engine. He
opened the back door and held an outstretched arm to Benny who was
struggling to get out of his seat. “Come on.”

Elizabeth hooked her arm under his other
shoulder and propped Benny up. “Porter, you can leave now. I can
handle it from here.”

Porter snorted. That so wasn’t going to
happen. “Why don’t you open the front door and I’ll get him
inside?” He’d formed it as a question, but he wasn’t asking. After
what had just happened, he wasn’t letting her out of his sight.

It looked like she might argue but she
snatched the keys from his outstretched hand and hurried up the
short walkway. Her one-story bungalow-style home was tucked away
behind a giant magnolia tree and a cluster of palmetto trees. She
lived in a safe neighborhood, but safe was a relative word. After
the potential enemy she’d just made, she was going to need his
protection. Porter was more than willing to provide it.

The moment she opened the blue and white
door, he sidestepped her, practically carrying Benny with him. “We
need to figure out what to do with your brother. He doesn’t want to
go to a hospital but—”

“I think you should leave now.” Her voice
shook slightly but he ignored what it did to him. She sounded
afraid and if he had to guess, embarrassed. Though he couldn’t
imagine why she’d be embarrassed. None of this was her fault. She’d
been trying to help her brother. Even though he hated the way it
obviously tore her up, he still admired her loyalty.

“Are you really going to fight me about this
now? Your brother needs help.”

Sighing, she shut and locked the door behind
them and pointed straight ahead. “Kitchen’s this way.”

In the brief time they’d dated he’d never
been to her place since she’d wanted to take things slow, but the
cozy home fit her. Picture frames of various sizes dotted the wall
along the short hallway leading to the other room. She pushed open
the swinging white door to the kitchen and propped it open. Quickly
she grabbed the vase of bright flowers in the middle of her table
and moved it to one of the counters. “Lay him on the table.”

Her brother groaned but didn’t protest as
Porter stretched him out onto the rectangular wooden table. At
least he was conscious. If he hadn’t been, they’d be on their way
to the ER.

“Do you have a first aid kit?” he asked
her.

Wordlessly she nodded and disappeared from
the room. When she did, he found a pair of scissors in one of the
drawers and cut Benny’s already ripped polo shirt away from his
body. The sides of his waist and stomach were bruised, but nothing
looked fatal. And he’d have a serious shiner for the next week but
unless he’d sustained internal injuries, he likely only had a few
broken ribs. They’d hurt but they’d heal. If Orlando had beaten him
because Benny owed him money, he wouldn’t want the guy dead. Just
in enough pain that he knew how bad it would be if he didn’t come
up with what he owed.

“We need to take him to a hospital,”
Elizabeth said as she strode back into the room. She handed Porter
a basic first aid kit.

“No hospitals,” Benny’s voice was strong.

Porter ignored him. “Help me lift him up to a
sitting position.”

When she did, he pressed his fingers against
Benny’s ribcage.

“Ahh, what are you doing?” Benny moaned.

“Your ribs are probably cracked, maybe
broken. You’re going to need to see a doctor, get X-rays, but until
then, I’m going to wrap this around you.” Porter held up the
elastic bandage.

Her brother nodded. “Okay.”

“Can you hold him still while I wrap him?” he
asked Elizabeth.

She bit her bottom lip, but nodded and slid
her arm up under Benny’s shoulders.

“I’m not going to wrap this too tight, Benny.
You need to be able to breathe so tell me if you feel too much
pressure.” When Benny grunted, Porter continued talking.
Elizabeth’s brother didn’t seem like he was close to going into
shock but Porter wanted to keep him lucid. While he’d prefer to
take him to the hospital, Porter could tell it would only cause
Benny to fight them, and that was the last thing Elizabeth needed
right now. “There’s only so much we can do here. If one of your
ribs is broken, it could puncture your lung or possibly your
aorta.”

Elizabeth sucked in a ragged breath beside
him. “Benny, you
need
to see a doctor.”

He shook his head. “No way. I can’t…I can’t
stay here either. Gotta get out of here.” He tried to struggle but
slumped against his sister. “I just need to rest and I’ll be fine,”
he mumbled.

After grabbing a bag of frozen peas from
Elizabeth’s freezer, he lifted Benny up. “Do you have a guest
bedroom or somewhere you want to lay him?”

She nodded jerkily and motioned behind her.
“Follow me.”

His boots thumped lightly against the wood
flooring as he trailed after her down a short hallway off the
kitchen. There were two open doors on the right side of the
hallway. The first opened into an office. She bypassed it and
ducked into the second one. When he entered carrying her brother,
she was pulling the light green and white flowered comforter
back.

“Do you want to lay towels or something down?
I still need to clean off some of his blood.”

“I don’t care about the sheets, Porter,” she
said softly.

Of course it was the wrong time, wrong place,
wrong everything, but his heart jumped when she said his name. It
always had. Probably because he always imagined her saying it under
much different circumstances. Naked ones.

Wordlessly, he stretched her brother out.
While he did, he was aware of Elizabeth leaving the room, but he
continued inspecting the rest of Benny’s wounds.