Page 218 of Protective Heroes

“Appreciate the help, man. See you on the flip side.”

“You got it.”

Reece ended the call, and both men turned, nailing her with quizzical looks. Geez. It was amazing how in sync they were, if not a little scary. She’d seen it before, one completing the other’s thoughts or performing the same motion, but to be on the receiving end was a whole other thing.

Caden took the lead and voiced the last question she never thought would be tied to a girl like her. “Abigail, sweetheart, mind telling us how you managed to piss off a Mexican drug lord?”

Eight

Abigail dug her toes into the cool sand, her gaze leveled on the calm waters of Puerto Vallarta. They had landed a little over an hour ago in the quaint Mexican beach town, but she could be in Alaska right now for all it mattered. After the men cleared the perimeter, she’d made a beeline for the water and hadn’t moved since.

She mentally recapped the last hour. For the entire ride from the airport to their safe house, Reece and Caden had peppered her with questions she had no answers for.

Do you have any family members that might have joined with the Mexican drug cartels?

Do you have any friends that could link you to any organizations beyond the border or possibly in the States?

The answer was the same for all of them. No. Contrary to what everyone thought about Latin families not everyone had a big posse of relatives. Abigail shook her head, trying to make sense of it all.

Frustration bit at her resolve and her chin quivered. She ran through the questions again, searching for any connection that tied her to the craziness of the past twenty-four hours of her life.

She fisted her fingers in her hair and sank her head to her knees, the beginnings of a headache working the fringes of her mind.

She inhaled a lungful of salty sea air and her shoulders relaxed slightly. She raised her head and rested her chin on her folded arms. Dawn breached the horizon and the sky brightened with indigo and fuchsia. She loved watching sunrises on any other day, but today she only feared what the new day would bring to her doorstep.

Still wearing her borrowed sweatpants and T-shirt, Abigail pulled the elastic cuffs of her pants over her calves and let the fresh air cool her skin.

Over the years, she’d taken several self-defense lessons, but how could she defend herself against something like a freaking Mexican drug cartel? Trepidation slinked a slimy path across her mind. The simple fact was she couldn’t.

Reece and Caden were the only people she knew that could deal with the extraordinary circumstances. Looking back, she was so foolish to think she could have stayed at home without their protection.

With bullets zipping by her head and a fire straight from hell turning her house into an ash grave, between both men she never doubted her safety. Ghost sensations of their distraction methods tickled a trail of anticipation along her spine. Caden had promised that their little demonstration on board their private jet was only the beginning.

She scooped a handful of sand and let the tiny grains flit through her fingers and be carried away on the wind. If only she could get time to stand still right here and right now. Locked away with two bosses who obviously expressed more than a professional interest in her would be the easiest solution to all her problems. Abigail laughed at herself. The release felt so good she rocked back and let out a heartfelt laugh that reached deep down into her belly. She’d almost slept with not one but two drop-dead gorgeous men after getting death threats, being shot at and losing everything she owned in this world.

She could still laugh, but it quickly fell away. Something was up with Reece. The way he pulled back into himself so quickly worried her and if she asked him, he would only give her a cagey look. She’d be better off asking a rock for answers. Or Caden. Maybe he’d give her a little insight as to what bothered his best friend.

Abigail rose and dusted off the damp sand clinging to her sweats. Determination elbowed out the self-doubt and fear, and she straightened her shoulders. She hadn’t gotten this far in life only to let some damn criminal intimidate her and push her out of her home. She quickly amended the thought. She had every right to be petrified of the Uzi-toting bad guys, but she had help and she intended to take full advantage of that fact. In more ways than one.

A small smile played at the corners of her mouth. If nothing else, today reminded her that tomorrow was never promised. Faint memories of her father’s warm laugh and vanilla-scented pipe tobacco danced across her mind.

Sí, everything could change in a blink of an eye. If she waited, who knew where they would be tomorrow or even an hour from now.

Abigail turned on her heel and crossed the small distance between the beach and the back patio of the villa Reece and Caden had secured for them. Speaking of, both older men sat facing her, their sunglasses masking their eyes from her.

“I’d like to take a shower, if that’s all right?”

“Make yourself at home, darling. The bedroom is on the top floor to the left. Use the one in the master suite.”

“You’ll find a T-shirt and another pair of sweats in the drawers to change into. Sorry, there’s not anything else, but we’ll remedy that today.”

“Don’t worry. Clothing is the least of my problems.” She added a seductive inflection to her accent and raked her gaze over Reece’s body for good measure. No way she’d let him shut her out. Not if she could help it. Damn those glasses, she’d kill to see into his eyes right now.

Abigail walked over to where Caden sat and trailed her fingers along the defined muscles of his arm, across his broad shoulders and down the other arm. She leaned in and brushed her lips against his in a feathery kiss.

Without breaking a step, she moved to where Reece sat opposite Caden and settled in his lap. She slipped her arms around his neck and dipped her head to claim her taste of him.

Abigail pulled back and peeled back his glasses to hold his gaze. Her lips hovered a whisper away from his, teasing him closer.

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