Sloan (The Protectors Series) Book #9 (13 page)

Chapter 24

Becky had tried on so many dresses she was ready to drop in exhaustion. She stood in the dressing room staring at herself, turning this way and that. Being a redhead, it was hard to find colors that didn’t clash with her hair. The deep purple she currently wore was the best by far she had tried on. It cut low, but not too low, in the front, making it look classy, not trashy. The dress fit her form, and her ass didn’t look huge. She looked in proportion and that wasn’t easy with her body type. With a sigh, she stepped out of the room to face the fashion police waiting for her.

“Okay.” She spread her arms wide. “Please tell me this is the one because I honestly don’t know if I can try on another.”

“Wow!” Caroline stood, then turned her around, and stepped back. “That is amazing and the color is stunning on you.”

“Absolutely, the one.” Nicole grinned as Tessa nodded in agreement.

“Thank God!” Becky went to sink into a chair, but stopped when they yelled.

“Don’t wrinkle it!”

Becky sighed, glancing at the chair longingly. She had finally met most of the mates. Nicole, Tessa, Pam, Lana, Angelina, and Caroline were amazing women. Katrina and Jill weren’t able to come because of training.

“Well, let me get this off so I can collapse.” She turned to head to the dressing room, but heard her phone. Reaching over, she picked it up and grinned. “It’s my son, Frankie.”

Answering, she held the phone out. He was Facetiming her. “It is so good to see your handsome face.” She smiled and felt tears, but held them back.

“Hey, Mom!” Frankie smiled, then frowned. “What are you wearing?”

Laughing, she moved the phone so she could show him her dress. “I have a function I’m going to with my new boss.” She brought the phone back up. “What do you think about that?”

“Dude, your mom is hot!” another voice came over the phone.

“Shut up, Mike.” Frankie punched out and there was a loud commotion over the phone before Frankie came back into view. “Sorry, Mom.”

“Is that your roommate?” Becky chuckled.

“Yes.” Frankie rolled his eyes, but grinned.

“Hi, Ms. Spencer!” A face popped up behind Frankie.

“Hello, Mike.” Becky narrowed her eyes. “You boys behaving?”

“Totally,” they answered in unison.

“So how’s the new job?” Frankie had stood and was walking, making the picture jerky.

“It’s good. And everyone is so nice.” Becky drank her son’s face in. God, how she missed him.

“I still can’t believe you’re working for a vampire, a VC Warrior,
the
VC Warrior.” Frankie did sound awed by the fact. “Those guys are badass.”

If he only knew, Becky thought, but didn’t say anything. “Hey, I have some new friends I’d like you to meet. They’re mates to some of the warriors.”

“Cool.” Frankie smiled and Becky wondered how many girls were chasing her little boy because he was so handsome. Okay, Momma Bear needed to chill out.

Turning her phone, she aimed it toward the women. “This is Nicole, Tessa, Angelina, Pam, Lana, and Caroline.”

“Hi, Frankie!” they all said and waved.

“Don’t worry. Your mom is being well taken care of.” Caroline smiled into the phone.

“Hi!” Frankie smiled with Mike in the background.

“Damn, we need to go visit your mom,” Mike said.

“Will you shut up?” Frankie sounded irritated. “Hey, thanks. I hate her being there alone.”

“Well, we got her.” Nicole called out. “No worries!”

“It was nice meeting you!” They all waved as Becky turned the phone back toward her.

“I miss you,” she said into the phone. “Are you eating enough? Are you okay on money?”

“I miss you too, Mom, and yes, I’m fine. Stop worrying.” Frankie chuckled.

“I’m your mom. It’s my job to worry.” Becky grinned then sniffed, not wanting to cry, but dammit, it was hard.

“So is your boss nice?” Frankie abruptly changed the subject.

Her cheeks heated. “Yes, he’s nice as far as bosses go.”

“Mom?” Frankie tilted his head, staring at her. “Are you blushing? Are you crushing on your boss?”

“Stop changing the subject, Frankie,” she scolded, glancing at the women, who grinned at her. “How’re your grades?”

Frankie laughed. “They’re fine, Mom.” They were both silently staring at each other. “I’m glad you got friends. It’s time you enjoy your life. I’m fine.”

Okay, that got her. Dammit. She sniffed, her son’s face blurring. “You take care of yourself.”

“And you have fun on your… date.” He grinned.

“It’s not a date. It’s a function.” Becky rolled her eyes then wiped a tear away.

“Whatever,” he teased. “Love you, Mom. I’ll call you sometime this weekend.”

“Love you, too.” She waited until he disappeared before she let her tears flow.

The women surrounded her, offering comfort where they could. “You have a one-in-a-million son, Becky.” Nicole gave her a nod. “And he loves his momma very much.”

“He is the best.” Becky sniffed through her tears. “I just miss him so damn much.”

Tessa wiped her eyes, then smiled. “I think this calls for lunch and ice cream.”

“Hell yeah, it does.” Lana turned Becky around, leading her to the dressing room. “Let’s get this dress and a pair of shoes, then go eat and have some girl talk.”

“Since when do you do girl talk?” Caroline glanced at her sister with a surprised grin.

“Hey, I’m learning,” Lana replied, pushing Becky inside the room and shutting the door.

Becky held her phone to her chest, wanting so badly to call Frankie back, but she wouldn’t. She had to keep reminding herself he was no longer a young boy, and she had to ease herself out of his life so he could live his. Damn, no one said being a mom would hurt so damn much.

******

When Sloan’s gaze landed on the burnt spot in the warehouse parking lot, rage beat through his body. The car was gone, but the evidence of the explosion remained.

Walking inside, his eyes focused on the trainees working on mitts. His eyes fell on Ben, who was pretty damn good, but his attitude sucked, which was a damn shame. His eyes fell on Katrina. She was fast, but her hits were light, as if not wanting to hurt the person holding the pads.

“You ready for them?” Jax asked, stepping toward him. When Sloan nodded, Jax turned around. “Everyone stop, come this way, and take a knee.”

Sloan waited, watching each of them. Not a one of them made eye contact with him, other than Katrina, but she looked away quickly.

“I guess by now you have all heard what happened here and at other training facilities across the city.” Sloan waited for them to answer before continuing. “I want everyone on alert. We are not going to stop training. I have set up cameras on the property here. Each one of you will take shifts to be on watch. One person steps foot on this property, I want to know about it ASAP. If you fail at your shift, you will not enjoy the consequences.”

“Yes, sir.”

One brave soul actually raised his hand. “When does this start and how do we know when our shift is?”

“We already have one of you monitoring now,” Blaze replied as the group looked around to see who was missing. “The system is set up at the compound. The list of shifts and times are posted on the back wall. If you have a problem with your time, tough shit. Be there. If you fail to show, you are out of the program.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Any questions?” Sloan asked, once again staring them down. “Good. Now get your asses busy.”

Jax stayed behind while Blaze took over. “Any new news?” Jax asked, his eyes focused on the trainees.

“No, but I’m hoping some information will come tomorrow night,” Sloan replied, also watching the trainees. “I have that fucking function bullshit again and Mayor Groper will be there as well as a few other council members. Hopefully spreading the word about these assholes may give us some information.”

“True.” Jax grinned, then tried to hide it with his hand.

“What?” Sloan had seen him from the corner of his eye and frowned.

“Nothing.” Jax cleared his throat.

“What are they betting and how much is at stake?” Sloan cursed. Dammit, he’d known it was coming.

“That she’ll come in to work tomorrow all rosy and satisfied.” Jax chuckled, then stepped away from Sloan when he growled. “And it’s pretty up there.”

“What in the hell is wrong with you guys?” Sloan hissed with a shake of his head. “Fucking assholes.”

“Hey, you do these functions all the damn time and this is the first time you’ve taken a woman.” Jax held up his hands. “You were just asking for this, my friend.”

“Yeah, well, fuck you and fuck Jared and Sid, who I know are behind the betting.” Sloan turned to leave, still muttering. “This shit is going to stop. No more betting. I’m the boss and what I say goes.”

“Hey, I’ve seen you take a few bets in my time here,” Jax reminded him.

“It wasn’t about me, so that was fine,” Sloan said and meant it. “This shit will stop.”

“Have fun tomorrow night.” Jax chuckled, hurrying onto the mat.

“Fuck you, Jax.” Sloan walked out the door with a sigh. Fucking assholes!

Chapter 25

Becky stared at herself in the mirror, hoping she looked okay. After lunch with the girls, she had gone home and passed out until early that morning. She had kept herself busy cleaning and running errands. But it being time to leave, she was a nervous damn wreck.

She had actually cleaned with her new heels on just to make sure she wouldn’t make a fool out of herself. She would die if she embarrassed not only herself, but Sloan.

She didn’t even know what kind of function they were actually going to, other than it required a tux and evening gown. It was a first for her, and looking into her terrified expression, it showed.

The knock on her door made her jump. Her breathing became erratic. Taking a deep breath, she locked eyes on herself in the mirror. “You can do this!”

Before her reflection could say otherwise, she walked out of the bathroom to the front door. Opening it, she gasped and actually wobbled on her heels. Sloan stood staring down at her, his eyes roaming her body as his eyes darkened.

“Why do your eyes do that?” she asked without thought. She was struck stupid by how damn handsome he looked in a tux. Jeans and T-shirts fit Sloan fine, but a tux was just… holy-shit fine!

A smile curved his lips. “Because I like what I see.” He stepped into her house. “You are absolutely beautiful, Becky.”

She knew she blushed, but didn’t care. “Thank you.” Her eyes did some roaming of their own. “And you, well, I’m speechless and that says a lot. I’m never ever speechless.”

Sloan leaned his head back and laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Definitely a compliment.” She smiled up at him, loving his laugh. He should do it more often. Suddenly, she had the urge to make him laugh as much as possible—as part of her job as his secretary, of course.

“You ready to do this thing?” He reached for her.

She collected her bag and nodded, letting him lead her out the door. He closed it and made sure it was locked before taking her elbow and escorting her down the steps. “A limo?” she asked, impressed.

“Usually I ride my cycle, but I didn’t think that would work very well for tonight.” He glanced down at her dress, that hungry, dark look in his eyes.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Becky grinned. “I think we could have made it work.”

“Well, maybe after we leave, we’ll take a spin because I’m all kinds of curious now.” Sloan’s deep voice vibrated around her.

An older man stood next to the open limo door. “Thanks, Hank.” Sloan nodded as he helped Becky step into the limo.

“Yes, thank you.” Becky smiled at the man before disappearing inside.

“I’ve never ridden in a limo before.” Becky looked around in awe. “It’s huge in here.”

“Yeah, not real impressed.” Sloan frowned, then hit a button and the sunroof opened. “I prefer riding free.”

Becky smiled in understanding. Yes, Sloan was not the type to be contained. Sitting close, their legs touched. A happy thrum pulsed through her body at the contact. She glanced to see she had plenty of room and wondered if she should scoot over to give him more space. Ah, hell with it. She stayed right where she was. It was a once in a lifetime moment and she was going to take advantage of everything it had to offer, even sitting leg to leg with the most handsome man she’d ever met.

“You know, I don’t think I even asked what this function is. I just knew you needed a tux and like a good secretary”—she smiled sweetly at him—“that’s what I did with no questions.”

“It’s part of the job I despise.” Sloan frowned. “Bunch of people who think they are important get together to slap each other on the back.”

“Then why do you go?” Becky turned so she could see him better. He really did sound unhappy about going. “We can always skip out.”

“Oh, believe me, I think about doing that all the time, but in my position, I don’t have the luxury of skipping out. If I can benefit the council in any way by being there, then I’m there,” Sloan replied, his voice even and businesslike. “It’s like any job, parts of it suck. Honestly, I wouldn’t have even remembered this one if the mayor hadn’t called me to make sure I was going to be there. I have the invite, but never even looked at it.”

Becky laughed, shaking her head. “How about you let me handle your mail so the mayor doesn’t have to remind you? That’s my job now.”

“You most certainly can have it.” Sloan’s eyebrow rose. “I probably have a stack you can go through Monday.”

Nodding, Becky leaned back and looked out the window, not even knowing where they were going.

“Can I ask you a personal question?” Sloan’s voice broke the silence.

Okay, that surprised her. What on earth could Sloan want to know personally about her? “Sure.” She looked up at him.

“What happened with your marriage?” Sloan’s gaze didn’t waver.

“Oh, Lord.” Becky laughed. “What didn’t happen to my marriage? Let’s see, I was a naïve girl at sixteen who had unprotected sex with her first serious boyfriend and got herself pregnant. Frank stayed around for a while, but soon he was gone, only to show up later on down the road.”

“He left you to take care of your son, alone?” He frowned, his eyes narrowing.

“But he came back.” She tilted her head with a bitter grin. “And dumb me let him. After a few years we got married. I guess I felt having someone, even someone I didn’t love, to help me raise a good but rambunctious boy was better than nothing. I settled and I will regret that till the day I die. He broke Frankie’s heart more than he helped me. So I took what help I could get from him and once I found him in bed with my best friend, I finally left and filed for divorce.”

“I’m sorry,” Sloan replied. His tone indicated he really meant it.

“For what? Me being a dumbass?” Becky chuckled and shook her head. She was over that whole period of her life, so she could finally joke about it without breaking down or crying at her own stupidity.

“No.” He took her hand in his. “That he wasn’t man enough for you or your son.”

And wow! She had to look away from the intensity of that statement and his stare. “My only regret is that my son got hurt when all I was trying to do was make it right for him.” She sighed, long and loud. “But my son is on the right track and is strong, thank God. None of that seems to have had a lasting effect on him.”

“Because of you.” Sloan squeezed her hand. “I’d like to meet him someday. He sounds like a good kid.”

“Thank you. I did my best with him.” Becky hoped she didn’t get all teary-eyed and ruin her makeup. Lord, she was as weepy as hell lately and that had to stop. She wasn’t an overly emotional woman, except where her son was concerned. “And he is a great kid. I’m sure he’ll be showing up to check out where I work sometime soon.”

The limo had stopped and there was a tap on the window. Sloan knocked back and the door opened. Sloan stepped out, his hand appearing to help her emerge. She tried to do that as gracefully as possible. Not easy sliding across a leather seat in an evening gown.

Thanking Sloan and the concierge, she glanced up and gasped. “Oh, my God.” She stared at the mansion, alight with twinkling lights. “I have a strong feeling I’m not going to fit in here.”

Sloan chuckled as he held out his arm for her to slip hers through. “That makes two of us.”

“Okay, I’m going to apologize now if I embarrass you,” Becky whispered as they made their way to the door. “I will do my best not to.”

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and stared down at her. She knew people were coming up behind them, but he didn’t seem to care.

“You have more class and integrity than anyone inside those walls.” He wasn’t exactly whispering and again, he didn’t seem to care. “Don’t let anyone make you feel beneath them or I’ll have to….”

“You’ll have to what?” She stared up at him, waiting on pins and needles for him to finish.

This time he leaned down, his lips close to her ear. Chills and urges ramped through her body at the closeness of his lips to her skin.  “Kill them.”

A loud laugh escaped her lips and she slapped her hand over her mouth. “Stop it,” she said as they continued toward the party.

******

Sloan could listen to her laugh all day. She had a contagious laugh; even a woman who had passed them looked back and smiled at her. He felt a sense of pride having her on his arm.

Once inside he’d become alert. It was just part of his job, his makeup. Crowds made him edgy. Anything could happen and it wasn’t just him he had to think of; she was here with him and his responsibility.

A waiter came by, offering them a glass of wine, but he declined for himself. Becky however, looked up at him for permission and he grinned with a nod.

“I’ll just have one.” Becky took a sip and moaned. “Since I’m working, but, man, this stuff beats Busch beer.”

“You’re not on the clock so enjoy yourself.” He chuckled, glancing around, then back down at her. “And anything tastes better than Busch beer.”

She gave a tilted nod in agreement. “That is true, but it’s cheap.” She took another drink. “But this stuff isn’t.”

“Sloan.” A man walked toward him, his hand outstretched.

“Hey, George.” Sloan shook his hand, noticing how the mayor’s eyes kept dropping to Becky. Actually, a lot of males’ eyes were dropping to Becky and he wasn’t really sure he liked that very much. No, in truth, it was pissing him off. “This is Becky Spencer. Becky, this is Mayor Groper.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Becky took the mayor’s hand.

“Likewise.” The major’s eyes went to her breasts, which looked fucking amazing in that dress. Sloan really wanted to fucking smash the mayor’s face in, and he liked the guy. “George. George!” Sloan finally got his attention.

“Huh, oh. Come. I want you to meet our new DA.” George turned to look over the crowd.

“New DA?” Warning signals started going off inside his head and when he had this sensation, he usually wasn’t wrong. Something was off. “What happened to Lance, our existing district attorney?”

George stopped and looked at Sloan in surprise. “You didn’t hear?”

“Obviously not.” Sloan was not happy about this. Why hadn’t he been informed they were getting a new district attorney, and what the fuck happened to Lance Garfield?

“He was arrested on heroin charges, among other things,” George whispered, then frowned at Sloan. “I can’t believe you didn’t know about this.”

“Been a little busy hunting bad guys and keeping my trainees alive.” Sloan was not happy and he knew those around him felt it. He didn’t hide his feelings from anyone if he wanted them to know he was pissed, and he wanted their mayor to know he was not happy in the least. There was no way in hell, though, that Lance Garfield was on heroin. Someone had planted the shit; he’d bet his life on it.

“I heard about that.” George looked concerned. “Was anyone hurt?”

“No.” Sloan’s reply was gruff.

“Good, that’s good.” George once again looked around.

“Are you okay?” Becky tugged on his arm, leaning close.

He nodded, but didn’t give her a reassuring smile he usually would. His senses were alert and he knew someone in the fucking room was keeping close tabs on him. He hadn’t stayed alive for so long without knowing and trusting his instincts.

“There he is. Stay here.” George disappeared. Then just as quickly, he reappeared with a man in tow. “This is Sloan Murphy.”

Sloan nodded at the man, trying to get a read on him. He took the hand that was offered and shook. The man had a good grip and was actually trying to prove something with the tight squeeze. It was the man’s eyes Sloan didn’t trust. He took stock of the man, and his eyes were shifty to say the least. Sloan didn’t like him. His assessment was as instinctive as he was sure it was right. Every fucking time.

“This is our new district attorney, Evan Nico.” The mayor finished the introductions, not realizing he had just introduced two men who had never met, but were definitely enemies.

A not so subtle smile of “gotcha ya” hit Sloan’s lips as a “give it your best shot” grin lit Evan Nico’s.