Edge of Control: An Edge Security Novel (Edge Security Series Book 1) (17 page)

He moved into the elevator and put himself between Dani and the woman. The woman smiled at him, all coy sweetness. “You must be the new field operator. Mr. Knight and Mr. Blackwell always pick the best men.” She held out her hand. “I’m Ashley.”

He gave her his game face, the one he wore just before he made a kill. She blanched and withdrew her hand. He turned his back on her.

“You did great, Dani,” he said. “Don’t worry, you’ll be off probation and a full operator in no time.”

The woman behind him gasped. But Danika’s tentative smile made his lie worth it.

While Jake drove Dani to her apartment he spoke on the phone with Rhys, who was going through her place, clearing it.
 

Dani kept quiet. She needed to figure out where she was going to stay tonight. She didn’t have any close friends besides Tassia and Chuck, and Chuck lived in such a tiny apartment that she hated to impose on him.

It looked as if she’d have to use her meager savings and get a hotel room. Or maybe she could stay at E.D.G.E. Mike often slept there.

Jake pulled up to her apartment and found parking on the street, just as the sun’s last light died. Rhys met them at the main entrance. “All clear,” he said. “I’ll watch from the street.”

She went inside and Jake followed. At her door, he drew his pistol and motioned her to wait. He disappeared into her apartment, coming back long moments later.

“Okay, it’s clear. Grab enough clothes for a week.” He closed the door behind them and stood by it, like her personal sentinel.

She paused before heading to her room. “Thank you for helping me.”
 

He nodded, his intense gaze searing her, before breaking eye contact. “Two minutes, remember.”

Right. She headed for her bedroom. She started stripping out of the tracksuit and her grimy pajamas before she’d even closed her door. She pulled on her favorite jeans, tight but soft, a pair of boots, and a t-shirt with her leather jacket over it. Then she snagged her backpack from under her bed and shoved clothes into it. She made a quick pit stop in the bathroom, snagging toiletries, and eyed the shower longingly.

“Come on, Kashnikov,” Jake said. “If they’ve got eyes on this place, our time’s running out.”

Hearing him say her real name made her pause. It had been too long since she’d heard someone say it. She smiled.

“Coming.”

Jake’s phone buzzed and he spoke briefly into it before turning back to her. “We’ve got company. We need to go out through the balcony.”

“The balcony? Why not the stairs?” She couldn’t scale a freaking building.

“I don’t want a confrontation. You’ve been through enough. Let’s just leave nice and quiet.”

Jake moved fast, sliding open the glass door so it made no sound. She joined him outside, slipping her pack onto her back. The balcony was small, just large enough to hold her tiny grill, two chairs, and a dead potted plant. The wrought-iron railing was pretty, but fake, so it wouldn’t rust. It was a classy building, after all.

Her neighbor’s balcony was a large ten-foot leap away. Was she supposed to jump? Jake shut the door and smiled. “Don’t look so worried. We’re not going far.”

“Not going far?” She looked over the side to the ground four stories below.

Jake had already hopped over the railing and stood on the other side of it. His calm gaze assessing. “Down one, I think.”

Her eyes widened, remembering hanging from the walkway just hours ago. “We’re four floors up. Shouldn’t we just hide?”

“We are. Just not in your apartment.” He crouched down, grabbed the bottom edge of the concrete and flipped himself down and onto the balcony of her downstairs neighbor, not even giving her a chance to be irritated with him. He disappeared for a moment before he returned and extended his arms to her. “Your turn,” he said.

She swung her legs over the railing and positioned her toes on the balcony edge. Jake had made it seem so easy. She tried to ignore the fact that she was four stories up, but she couldn’t help looking down.

“Look at me, Dani.” Jake’s calm voice drew her gaze. “Place your hands on the lower bars. Then swing your legs down. Trust me. I’ve got you.”

“Trust him, he says,” she muttered to herself. She gripped where he’d said and noticed how slick her palms had become. “I don’t know about this.”

“Dani. Think of this as a test. You need to trust me.”

“This isn’t a freaking test; this is the Russian mafia out to kill me.”

He sighed. “You are an exasperating woman.”

She gripped the bars. “And you…” She swung her legs down with a gasp. “Are an insufferable know-it-all.” Her legs dangled for a fleeting second and her sweaty hands slipped. “Do you have me?” Her voice squeaked.

Warm arms came around her legs and his deep voice soothed her. “I have you. I’m not going to let you fall. Now let go.”

She didn’t want to. What if he slipped? It was an awkward angle and she wasn’t a petite woman. What if he couldn’t hold her?

“Dani,” he whispered patiently.

He was a Navy SEAL, and she’d seen his biceps. He could handle her weight. She could trust in that. Her apartment door burst open. She didn’t wait around to see who entered.
 

She let go.

Jake felt the added weight as Dani let go. He gripped her legs tight to his chest and slid his hands up to her firm ass. It fit so nicely in his palms that he had to restrain himself from kneading it. Despite the precarious situation, he felt himself harden. He lowered Dani slowly and soundlessly down his body, hugging her soft curves to his chest. She was panting by the time her breasts came within sight of his gaze. He held her like that, too high for her toes to touch the ground, and completely within his power. He smiled at the thought.

Her wicked tongue came out to lick her lips and his dick strained against his jeans. The only things that stopped him from following that tongue back into her mouth were the two thugs in her apartment.

The balcony door slid open. He set Dani on her feet, holding her beside him, and focused completely on the task at hand.

They spoke Russian, and despite not being as fluent as Dani, he still knew enough to understand what they said.

“We missed her,” one said. The scratch of a lighter sounded. “Vladimir won’t be happy.” Cigarette smoke wafted down to them.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find the bitch and pay her back for Petroff.”

Jake felt the tremble go through Dani at the thug’s words. He gave her a little squeeze. He pulled his gun from behind his back.

He wasn’t going to let anything happen to this woman, who was such an odd mixture of scrappiness and vulnerability. Even now she lifted her chin, though her eyes still showed fear, and nodded at him. He gave her a last squeeze before motioning her back against the brick wall. He’d already checked the balcony door. It was locked, but he’d jimmy it in a minute. Right now, he wanted to hear more of what the two men said.

“No. Can’t.” The smoking man exhaled heavily. “Vladimir has decided she is to work for us.”

“This is a lotta trouble for a whore.”

“
Mudak
,” the man swore. “She’s some kind of computer expert. He wants her skills.” A slight wheezing laugh. “And her body.”

“And if she doesn’t want to?”

A small pause while the man exhaled again. “Then we get to have our fun.”

Dammit. Jake did not like the sound of that. He wasn’t letting Dani out of his sight until this was over.

The smallest whisk of sound behind him had him spinning toward the noise. Dani stood by the open balcony door with a shit-eating grin on her face. Silently, she waved him through the door.

The woman had serious skills. They hustled into the dark apartment and he slid the door quietly shut.

A well-used La-Z-Boy sat in front of a large, wall-mounted TV. A battered side table held a lamp and a pile of car and girly magazines. A heavily stained beige chair that looked to have been taken from a dumpster was the only other furniture in the small living area.

A growl behind him raised the hair on the back of his neck. He turned to see a large Rottweiler hunched low to the ground, its claws digging into the grayish carpet. It must have weighed about one-twenty.

He stepped in front of Dani. With his bigger mass, he’d be harder to take down. He needed to neutralize the dog before it made any noise to alert the men. Tensing his muscles, he waited for the dog to spring.

“It’s just Bear,” Dani said, sidestepping him and moving to the dog. Her voice changed to the one women used when they spoke to babies and puppies. “Come here, Bear. You’re a good guard dog, aren’t you?”

Bear started to wag his hind end and took a few steps toward Dani. Jake began to relax and turned to get a glimpse out the balcony door. Bear growled.

Jake froze.

Bear went back to wagging his tail and panting while Dani kept cooing and rubbing around his ears and neck.

Jake tested the dog and stepped toward the front door. Another skin-crawling growl sounded. “I don’t think Bear likes me.”

“He’s just precious.” Dani continued to pat the dog. “And his owner is a big goof, isn’t he?”

“Are you expecting that dog to answer you?”

She glared at him over her shoulder and he had to stifle a laugh.

“We need to get out of here. Rhys is waiting.”

She stood up and gave Bear a final pat. Jake started for the apartment door and Bear lunged at him. Jake managed to swat away the dog’s head using a forearm strike to its nose. The dog whimpered and tucked its tail. Big coward.

Dani threw her arms around Bear’s neck. “Easy, Jake. He’s just doing his job.”

“Should I have let him bite me?” Jake shook his head. “We don’t have time for this. Hold the dog while I check the hallway.” He went to the apartment door, keeping an eye on Bear the whole time. He didn’t trust that Dani could hold the dog, if it decided to take revenge.

He unlocked the door and cracked it open. The hallway was quiet. “Say goodbye to the mutt,” he said, stepping out. “It’s time to go.”

“Goodbye, Bear,” she said, giving him a last ear rub. “I have to go with the big, bossy SEAL now.” When she moved to Jake’s side, he struggled not to laugh at her little rebellion.

They didn’t speak as they left her neighbor’s apartment and raced down the stairwell and out onto the street. In the dark, they could still see the glow of the thug’s cigarette as he stood smoking on Dani’s balcony. The other was probably tossing her place just for shits and giggles.

Rhys appeared out of the shadows near their car. “Everything good?”

Jake nodded. “Cakewalk.”

“Good. Call if you need backup.” He walked down the street to a black sedan and got in.

As soon as Jake pulled their car away from the curb, he glanced at Dani. “So, where are we staying tonight?”

Dani choked at Jake’s question and ended up coughing. His lips twitched, and she glared at him.

“You can’t… You’re not staying with me.” Besides, she didn’t know where she was staying.

“Wrong answer.” Jake steered the car onto a busy street. “You need protection. I’m not leaving you alone until this is over.”

Dani’s chest tightened and she was pretty sure she was doing a good imitation of a fish when he sighed in exasperation. “Look, if you want, I can get someone else assigned to watch you.” His fingers tightened on the wheel. “But you need
someone
.”

Dani rubbed her forearm, feeling the buttery leather of her jacket. The thought of Koven or someone else looking after her, ordering her around, made her grimace. “You,” she whispered, giving in. “I want you.”

Jake’s gaze seared her. She hastily rephrased. “I mean, you’ve got experience…” She huffed a breath.
Try again, Dani
. “You’re good at this protection stuff, so yes, you’d be the best choice for me.”

He snorted. “Okay, Dani,” he said. “Where are we going?”

She shrugged. “How about the operator’s lounge at E.D.G.E.?”

“Seriously?” he asked. “You don’t have any friends who might let you bunk with them?”

She stared out into the darkness, noting they were headed toward downtown. “No.”

He didn’t say anything for a while. She wanted to smooth away the small furrow between his brows, but didn’t know how, so she bit her lip and looked out the window.

Jake pulled the car into the underground parking of a large chain hotel.

Dani straightened in her seat. “What are we doing?”

Jake didn’t look at her. “We need showers. You need real food and a bed, not vending machines and a crappy couch. This is the hotel I’m staying at.” His lips compressed and he looked at her. “Deal with it.”

Her eyebrows rose. Deal with it? She shrugged. “Real food sounds good to me.”

He nodded, and didn’t say anything while he parked the car. “You do know you’ll be staying in my room with me, right?”

“Wait. What?”

He snorted. “Don’t worry,” he said. “You can have the bed. I’ll take the floor.”

For a moment she wondered what Jake slept in. She squashed that thought. She was in so much trouble.

“I’ll take the floor,” she said finally, as they took the elevator up. “It’s your room. But you have to buy me dinner.”

“You’ll take the bed. And E.D.G.E. is buying us both dinner.” Jake opened the door to his room. “Make yourself at home. Rhys is right across the hall. I’m going to update him.”

The room housed a king-sized bed, a TV almost as large, an elegant wooden desk, and a table for two. She walked past the bed with its creamy duvet, straight to the window and opened the curtains. Seeing the street below made her feel better.

She just wasn’t used to being around strangers that much, let alone a stranger who happened to be a gorgeous man who’d already kissed her. She swallowed.
Dangerous thoughts, Dani.

The door closed behind her with a thunk and she jumped. Jake moved past her, giving her plenty of space. He closed the curtains she’d just opened. “Sorry,” he said. “Can’t have people seeing in here.”

“Right. Of course.” She shook herself mentally. She was being ridiculous. Jake had already said that he wouldn’t pursue anything with her because they were working together.