“Hey, aren’t you a deputy in town?” the brunette behind the blonde asked as Isabella made the drinks.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Oh God, Meredith, he’s the one you were drooling over the other day when you saw him outside of the patrol car as we stopped in to the boutique. He was helping that little old lady step onto the sidewalk.”

  “Oh my God,” she said and placed her hand on his chest. “That was so sweet,” she told him.

  He could smell the liquor on her breath, and the pungent perfume. It was too strong. He removed her hand. “Part of the job.”

  She ran her finger along his chest again and smiled. “You carry your handcuffs with you wherever you go, in case someone needs discipline?” she asked. He heard Isabella chuckle. He looked at her with a stern expression as she placed the cocktails down onto the bar and added the toothpick of fruit. Her smirk vanished at the seriousness of his glare.

  “Here you go, ladies. Sex on the beach times three.”

  The blonde turned to look and reached for the glass. She took a sip. “You are the best bartender around. You know what a woman wants and deliver. Can’t say the same for a lot of men I’ve met,” the blonde said and glanced at Prime.

  Isabella leaned closer. “You see those three guys over there near the front of the stage, where the band is playing?”

  The blonde looked. “Yeah, nice,” she said.

  “They’re friends with the guys in the band, and military. Like secret operations and things. They might be more your speed and reciprocate what you’re looking for,” Isabella said and he was shocked.

  “You think?” the blonde asked and took a sip from the straw but her eyes were on the guys at that table near the band.

  Isabella nodded. “Worth a shot. You aren’t getting anywhere over here with these guys. They’re here for a few beers and to relax tonight.”

  “Thanks,” she replied and then whispered to her friends, who fixed their boobs in their tops and then wiggled away toward the guys at that table.

  Prime covered Isabella’s hand as she wiped down the bar. She paused. He felt the connection, the attraction immediately. Her eyes went from his to his brothers’, who took the spots the ladies were just in. “I hope you got rid of her because you were jealous,” he said firmly to her.

  Her cheeks flushed but she replied quickly. “Sorry, Deputy Jameson, but it takes a lot more than good looks, handcuffs and helping an old lady onto a sidewalk to get between my legs. Now if you don’t mind, I have work to do, and no time for games.” She slid her hand out from under his and walked away, completely shocking him.

  “I think you lost your touch,” Colt said and chuckled.

  “I think you pissed her off,” Wesson said and then finished off his beer.

  Ade walked over. “Another round?” he asked, chuckling.

  “What’s that smirk for?” Prime asked him.

  “Just watching the Jameson brothers crash and burn. Maybe you need Finlin? Then you can really get on Bella’s bad side,” Ade said and chuckled.

  “Nice. What do you know about her anyway? She doesn’t seem too friendly,” Colt asked.

  “She’s really sweet, and smart, too. She’s living in the cottage behind McCormick’s Bar and Pub. I think she might be related to them or a good friend of the family. Not sure. You guys planning on working your magic to go out with her?” Ade asked and smiled like he knew something.

  “Our brilliant brother here might have destroyed his chance,” Colt said.

  “Me? I could have used a little help.”

  “You, Prime, needing help with a woman?” Wesson said, straight-faced and Ade laughed.

  “Well, I can tell you this much, there are about five sets of brothers, all interested in her. Never mind a few single guys, including Tylin Lawrence. He’s at the end of the bar with two of his friends. He comes in here throwing around his money, and just watches Bella all night, and tips her well,” Ade told them.

  Prime looked down that way. Sure enough, they were talking to Isabella and she was laughing and engaging in conversation. He felt jealous.

  “They don’t make her blush though. You three do. I could tell,” Ade said and then walked away to pour some beers to a few guys who just approached the bar again.

  Isabella was shaking. She couldn’t believe how attracted she was to Prime and his two brothers, Colt and Wesson. God, she could feel their eyes on her. Actually feel them on her body. Maybe she was just lonely? It had been more than two years since she had sex. She came so close to being raped. She had been forced to perform oral sex on her abductors, and allowed them to touch her and do things, but they didn’t rape her. She got out of there before that could happen.

  With the sober, dark thoughts came thoughts of Caroline. She glanced at her wrist, saw the tattoo, the date, the butterfly. She cleared her mind and refocused on the bar and work. She had a job to do and the last thing she really needed was a relationship. Not when she wasn’t really feeling like herself yet. She didn’t want anyone latching on to her. It annoyed her right now, and she didn’t feel she could trust a soul, never mind some older guys who obviously were a lot more experienced than she was.

  She glanced back at them and the Jameson brothers were watching her. She learned fast how this town worked and she wasn’t jumping onto the ménage train, or believing the whole guardianship bullshit. She took care of herself. She was well trained in self-defense and martial arts. Military stuff Kever and his friends taught her over the past year. She knew how to shoot a gun, use a hunting knife and she wouldn’t back down to anyone or anything.

  Jesus, they got me all fired up. I never let a man get the better of me. Not the two I dated and had sex with, nor the ones who tried to get me into bed. These men aren’t going to break me down.

  She walked closer to the end of the bar as Lawrence and his buddies walked over. They were wealthy. Or at least that was what the gossip from the ladies was. Tylin was into banking and oil, his buddies into fast cars and gambling.

  “Evening, gorgeous,” Tylin said to her and as he looked her body over she felt very little. In fact, nothing compared to when Prime or his brothers looked at her. That pissed her off.

  She gave a sweet smile. “Hello, Mr. Lawrence, how are you and your friends doing this evening?” she asked as she set down four coasters.

  “Very well, now that we finally snagged the best spot in the house, where we can enjoy the view,” he said and looked at her breasts, let his tongue peek out a little, and she chuckled.

  “What can I get you?”

  “Your acceptance to attend one of our parties. You keep declining,” one of the other guys said to her.

  “I’m a busy person, and I don’t really like parties.”

  “What? How could you not like parties?” one of the other men asked.

  “Just don’t. So what can I get you? I’m pretty busy, as you can see,” she said and they rambled off their drink orders of beer and bourbon.

  She made their order and they watched her. A glance at the other end of the bar and she could see the Jameson brothers in a dead stare at her and she felt guilty, like she was doing something wrong.

  She made the drinks and then took an order from a few other people. As she made a mixed drink and shook the shaker, a couple of guys made comments. “Love that uniform on you, Isabella,” one guy said and took a slug from his bottle of Bud Light.

  She poured the drinks and as she set the glasses down the guy who commented about her top leaned closer as he placed his hand on her arm.

  “Where’s Candice tonight?” he asked her, and she didn’t like the look in his eyes.

  She went to move her arm and he held tight. “Release my arm. Now,” she said to him.

  “Where is she?”

  “I don’t know. She was a no show.”

  “Problem over here?” Ade asked as the guy released her arm.

  “No problem.” He licked his lower lip and she had a funny feeling in her gut. She remembered eavesdropping over a conversation between Candice and Faith. Faith told her that she should end things, and fast. Was this the guy who Candice was trying to end things with?

  She pulled back and then held his gaze, and he stared at her like a man who was up to no good. That dark, cold expression warned her that he was trouble. She hoped Candice was okay.

  She walked back toward the register and Ade was right next to her. He placed his hand on her hip and leaned closer. “Are you good? What did he want?”

  She glanced up at him. “He was looking for Candice.”

  Ade scrunched his eyes. “She’s been acting funny. I hope he isn’t bothering her, or that she didn’t get involved with him.”

  “You know who he is?”

  “Only a little bit, but I can tell he’s trouble. I think Prime even got him on a DUI one time, but instead of locking him up, he drove him home.”

  “Prime did that? Why?”

  Ade snorted. “Because he’s a good guy. Plus, being a retired Marine, he will give anyone a break the first time they fuck up, but after that, no way.”

  “Hmm. I guess that makes sense.”

  “So you like him and his brothers, huh?” he asked her and she felt her cheeks warm but she narrowed her eyes at him.

  “No.”

  “Bullshit.” He chuckled. “It’s okay. That’s how shit works around this town. You can avoid it all you want, tough girl, but those men, they aren’t going to walk away from this. I can tell you right now, they never come here together. Prime will show up here and there with friends, but Wesson and Colt? Hardly ever. And Finlin? Jesus, forget about him.”

  “Finlin?” she asked.

  “Their oldest brother. Total badass. Six feet four, capable as could be.”

  She felt her belly tighten and an odd sensation travel through her body, like she was both intimidated and aroused.

  They couldn’t continue talking because more people were at the bar ordering drinks. That was when she noticed that the guy looking for Candice had disappeared.

  Chapter 3

  “Kever, this is fucking crazy. Are you looking at these reports?” Agent Gerry Market asked him. They were at their desks at headquarters and going over a possible sighting of Lionel Casper, Isabella’s father.

  “This can’t be accurate. There’s no way. I mean, throughout the investigation there was never any indication that this whole thing was about guns,” Kever said to Gerry.

  “Could you imagine? I mean, we thought drugs, laundering money, but this makes sense. Lionel had access to military bases and operations and could easily have gotten soldiers looking to make some money, to aid in stealing weapons.”

  “That’s insane. To think that there were soldiers willing to do this, and knowing that the possibility would be those guns eventually being used against military soldiers. Jesus.” Kever shook his head in disbelief.

  “Where does that leave us now, and the investigation?”

  “At a new start. We were all fucking wrong. There has to be more to this, and a reason for abducting Casper’s daughters. Isabella needs closure. She lost her sister, and was used in some deal with potential terrorists.”

  “Shit, this means antiterrorist task force notification, Homeland Security, and all the help we can get to find those guns. This is why Serpen and Portino were talking to someone overseas in the Middle East. He was making plans to ship these weapons out.”

  “Or he was making plans to secure them someplace here in the States, so they could be used when the time came to attack,” Kever said.

  “Holy fuck,” Gerry replied.

  Kever rubbed his jaw. “We need help on this. We have to notify the right people and keep things on the down low so we don’t alert Serpen or Lionel Casper that we’re on to them.”

  Gerry looked down at the computer. “We’re getting some feedback from intel on the phone logs. If they can pinpoint a location, a person or group, then we have our connection and perhaps it can clear up why the daughters were taken.”

  “I hope they come up with something quick. This case can’t end soon enough. I want them all behind bars or dead.”

  “How is Isabella holding up?” Gerry asked Kever.

  “Seems to be doing well.”

  “Maybe you need to talk to her again about some of these findings and the names popping up. Perhaps she overhead something?”

  “Maybe. Let’s see what the phone logs expose. I’ll talk to the commander and get his feedback. Once we have more concrete information we’ll notify the proper agencies and call a meeting. We’ll get things moving and maybe with the extra hands we can dig these guys up and find out where they’re hiding out and what they’ve been up to this past year. I’d hate to think they were still in business, but now that we uncovered this gun thing, I feel like we missed too much.”

  “We can’t backpedal, Kever. We were all in this together and none of us detected any terrorist activities or pushing guns out of the military and into the hands of terrorists. There’s more to this, and we will find out.”

  Isabella was running through the woods and along the path as usual. She planned on stopping into McCormick’s for lunch since Jake and Eddie saw her this morning and invited her. As she ran a little faster, she heard some noises and then turned to see Wesson running through the woods and coming up behind her. She didn’t know where he came from and she was shocked that he snuck up the way he did.

  “Told you it can be dangerous running in the woods alone,” he said as he started jogging next to her. His tone was hard and filled with attitude.

  “I heard you a while ago, so you didn’t sneak up on me, soldier. A lot of people run through here,” she said as they approached the clearing.

  He grabbed her arm and stopped her. She gasped. “No, they don’t run through here. You need to be careful. You should stick to the park and the main roads,” he ordered.

  “I can jog anywhere I want to,” she said to him, staring up into his dark blue eyes. He was breathing a little heavy from running and she was, too. Their gazes locked. She felt that deep attraction to the man and all his muscles, even his military attitude. When he wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her against him, she was shocked.

  “Wesson,” she said but then he gripped her hair and head and pressed his mouth to hers. It was crazy, wild and she couldn’t believe how attracted to him she was. He slid his palms along her ass and squeezed. She moaned into his mouth.

  The realization of how hot and heavy they were making out in the woods and how she really didn’t know him came crashing to mind. She began to pull back. He released her lips and cupped her cheeks. She placed her hands over his large, warm hands as he looked down at her. Holy shit, was he big. She was trying to catch her breath.

  “Fuck. I’m sorry. Jesus,” he said and he looked down at her top. It was lowered on the side, her breast pulling from her bra. She eased back but then he pulled her against his chest. His cologne filled her nostrils. “I didn’t mean to maul you. I saw you, all alone in the woods, in your sexy running outfit and I thought about the fucking paper this morning. About the young woman walking alone in Central Valley and how some guy attacked her.”

  “What?” she asked and pulled back.

  He swallowed hard, moved his palms from her cheeks to her hips. “Prime was in a state. I’m surprised he isn’t driving the fucking patrol truck through the fields right now looking for you.”

  She gulped and stepped from his hold. She fixed her top, ran her hands along her spandex pants.

  He stepped closer and she retreated. He squinted at her.

  “What’s your deal?” he asked with that damn attitude.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You kissed me back. You feel this, and you’re pushing my brother Prime away and now me. After that kiss? What’s the deal?”

  “You were obviously upset about the situation in Central Valley and that young woman. You reacted. Felt concern for me and so we kissed. Let’s just forget about it.” She began to move when he grabbed her hand and stopped her.

  “Forget about it?” he asked and licked his lips.

  “Yeah, people do things without thinking them through first. It happens. Don’t beat yourself up over it, Wesson,” she said. She could tell she was making him angry. Damn it, she really didn’t need these types of complications.

  “I don’t do things like this. I don’t give a shit about anyone or anything but my brothers. I don’t do complicated. I don’t do commitments, but then there’s you,” he said and looked her over, moved closer and she froze in place.

  “I think we’re on the same page,” she said to him, staring into his dark blue eyes. His look of determination and hunger definitely got her blood moving and body parts interested. He was sexy, good looking, and add in the beard, those muscles and knowing he was an older, capable soldier, and oh boy, she was in trouble here.

  “Not yet we aren’t,” he said and pressed his mouth over hers as he slid his arm around her waist and hauled her close. They were at it again and she was lost in his kiss, in his strong, muscular arms and then he cupped her breast. She lifted her thigh up against his thigh and he slid his palm from her waist over her ass, squeezed and then stroked a finger down her crack and over her pussy. She felt oversensitive, alive, and tightened up from the friction of his finger stroking against the spandex pants. He moved his mouth from her lips to her neck and then lower. He slid her tank top down and was about to start exploring her breast right there in the woods when she stopped him.

  “Wesson, stop. Oh God, stop please,” she said to him and tried pulling back as he lifted his mouth from her bosom. They were both panting. The veins by his temples pulsated and she lowered her head to his chest. Stood straighter as he continued to caress her curves.

  “God damn, baby, you sure are sweet,” he said to her.

  She fixed her top, stepped from his hold. When she looked up, she licked her lips, could taste him on her and could smell his cologne. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”