Page 43 of Justified Fear
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.This case is getting on my nerves.And my back is stiff.”
“Well, you did have a handful of a woman fall on top of you the other night.”
He said nothing to that as they started walking up the sidewalk that led to the front door.
“And she can cook.I bet since she spent time in Texas, she knows how to make spicy food.”
“Why is that important?”He didn’t need Rami’s answer because he had an idea of why he was fixated on their victim.She was gorgeous and sweet, with that cute smile and those eyes…not to mention her thick, wavy hair and her curvy body.
“No reason.Just…I find her intriguing.”
Ryan stopped in his tracks.Rami walked a few more feet before he realized Ryan had stopped.He turned to look at him, his eyes full of questions.Rami was the kind of guy who was running from his demons and using sex as part of that escape plan.Ryan knew he had no room to talk.Not that he had been jumping from bed to bed like Rami had been doing, but he did understand what was going on.He would be damned if Rami would use Keely that way.
“Don’t.”He practically growled the word.
Rami’s head cocked to the side as he studied Ryan, then he nodded.“I wasn’t saying I was going to try to talk her into a date or anything.I just find her interesting.”
Ryan rolled his shoulders again.Maya, sick of waiting for him, plopped down on the ground.
“Besides, I don’t poach.I have plenty of other women to keep me busy.”
Still raw from Rami’s interest in Keely, Ryan spoke without thinking.“Yeah, I thought you had an interest in Nikki.”
Rami’s eyebrows lowered as he narrowed his eyes.“What.The.Fuck.”
He shrugged.“You seemed really upset when she was dating that pilot.”
A few weeks ago, she had gone out on a few dates with an Air Force pilot.It wasn’t dating or serious.Nikki never got serious.Much like the man glaring at Ryan at that moment.
“They weren’t dating.A few dates.That’s all.We’re just friends.”
He nodded.“Cool.So you’re okay if McGuire asks her out?He’s interested.”
“McGuire?From Team Charlie?”
The newly formed Charlie Team was headed up by former Alpha Team member Marcus Floyd.As with the rest of TFH, there were a lot of retired military personnel in the ranks.McGuire was former member of the Delta Force.
“Yeah.He was asking about her the other day.”
Not a lie.Truth was, Elliot, otherwise known as ‘E’, had been asking, not specifically because he wanted to ask her out.He saw her training and was worried she would kick his ass.Since E was about six foot six, and Nikki topped out at about five-four, it was kind of funny.But, since Rami was being an ass, Ryan wanted to rattle his cage.
“The hell?He’s like over a foot taller than her.”
Ryan shrugged as some guilt crept in.Yep, it had been ten seconds, and he already felt bad about what he had said to his teammate.
He opened his mouth to correct his comment when the door opened.
“Are you two done having your little chat?”Nikki asked.
“Yeah,” he said.At the same time, Rami said, “No.”
He ignored his irritated teammate and headed into the house.They stopped just inside the doorway to put on the same booties Nikki was wearing.As he walked behind Nikki, he was surprised by the opulence.From the outside, it looked like a typical upper-middle-class house.It was one of the newer homes built into the mountainside.Still, when you thought of gaudy and over-the-top mansions, they were usually in other areas like Kailua and on the other side of Diamond Head.
Marble flooring gleamed beneath their feet as they followed Nikki down a long hallway.The walls were bare, and there were no other discernible objects in the house so far.
Definitely a rental of some sort.
