ROMANCE: MAIL ORDER BRIDE: The Other Man’s Baby (A Clean Christian Historical Western) (New Adult Inspirational Pregnancy Romance) (28 page)

For the rest of the week, Asia studied ten years worth of figures. She took Karen, the receptionist, out to lunch and casually asked her questions about shipments, supplies, and any changes over the past decade. Karen knew nothing.

At closing time on Friday, she packed her briefcase and logged off the computer. As she walked past Peter’s office, he called her name. Ugh!

“What is it, Peter?”

He rose from his desk, gathered his briefcase and jacket. “What’s going on? Why are you pulling up old spreadsheets?”

“What? How do you know about that?”

He folded his arms across his chest. “I know everything, Asia. Don’t  forget it. Whatever you’re looking for, stop it now. I won’t tell you again.”

“Is that a threat, Peter?”

He walked up to her until only a few inches separated them. When Damien had done the same thing Monday night, she could hardly keep her hands off him. With Peter, every cell in her body was screaming to run. She began to tremble

He grabbed her chin roughly in his hand. “Yes, it’s a threat. To you, to your dad, and to your precious Damien.” Then he shoved her hard, until she stumbled out of his office. He tossed his jacket over his shoulder and locked his office door. “I mean it, Asia. Don’t mess with me. Or I might just take you AND your family down.”

An hour later, Asia was tucked into her apartment wearing her favorite comfort sweats, a freshly delivered pizza in front of her. She was just pouring herself some wine, when her cell phone rang.

“Hey, this is John.  I just delivered your pizza.  Buzz me up.  I forgot to drop off your soda.”

“Oh no, that’s a mistake. I didn’t order a soda.” She hung up and picked up a pizza slice and took a bite. That phone called bothered her. Something had been odd about it. She was almost finished her second slice when she remembered: her pizza account was only on her landline. She dropped the piece of crust in her hand. What the...? Then the buzzer for downstairs sounded next to the door. The trembling started again.

Quickly, she ran into her bedroom, shutting and locking the door. She dialed her cell quickly.

Damien answered on the first ring. “What’s up, Asia?”

“I’m not sure, but could you come over? Something’s not right with the pizza guy and—“Someone started banging on her door. “And someone’s at my door.”

“I’m on my way. Lock yourself in your room.  Don’t let anyone in.”

The banging on her door lasted for over ten minutes. Ten minutes after it stopped, Damien called her cell to let her know he was downstairs. She hurried out of her room to buzz him in. When she opened the door to his knock, he looked like a fine  white boy in his leather jacket and jeans.

“You okay?” He asked softly.

She nodded. A sob caught in her throat, but she refused to release it.

“Come on back to the house with me. You’ll be safe there.”

“You believe me? That it wasn’t my imagination?”

He leaned against the door frame and nodded. “A car shot out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell when I pulled up.” He shook his head. “No coincidence I think.

“Did you recognize it?”

“No.”

When they got outside, he gestured toward his Harley. “Can you still handle yourself?” He challenged.

Could she? Biting her lip, she nodded. He tossed her a helmet and she caught it easily. He climbed on and cocked his head. She straddled the seat behind him.

“Put your arms around me,“ He commanded.

She did, placing her hands lightly on his hips.

“Asia,” he warned. “We’re too old to play these games. You want to get someplace safe, put your arms around me!”

With a huff, she locked her arms around his waist, her chest resting against his back. Like coming home. She took a deep breath.

“Ready?” His voice was rough.

She nodded into his jacket.

And they were off. The wind hit her arms and her legs, but his broad back protected her from the worst of it. The exhilaration was everything she remembered. So was his heat and his smell. She clung to him, breathing it all in.

“Upstairs or down?”” He asked once they were parked in the driveway. He was asking if she wanted to stay at his parents’ house or his.

She hesitated too long, and he headed toward the front porch, but she didn’t move.

“Upstairs,” She whispered, rubbing her hands lightly over the goosebumps on her arms.

He stopped, seemed to take a deep breath, then returned to her. He gently took her hand in his. “Upstairs it is.”

He had left a lamp burning in the living room. She hesitated at the door. She wished she didn’t feel it, the heat that had rushed from the palm of his hand into hers. Her hair was a mess, pulled back in a messy bandana. An old T-shirt covered an old bra that revealed her shoulder and part of her bra strap.

He stood three feet from her, his eyes never leaving her face. “Make me stop, Asia.” He pulled his shirt over his head. Tanned muscles rippled across his chest and in his arms. There was a tattoo on his shoulder, another down his side, but she couldn’t make them out. She swallowed thickly as she noted how perfect his body was.

“Asia, you’re killing me. Say something.” His voice was husky. His eyes were dark, like the pupils had consumed the rest.

“Please, Damien.”

“Please, what?” He pulled away, looking down at her.

She opened her eyes. “Please kiss me.”

His warm mouth covered hers and they shared a kiss like when they would sneak away as teenagers. Their lips melted against each other, fitting together perfectly.

They lay in the bed talking into the night.

Her eyelids grew heavy and she confessed. “I don’t do this.”

He looked at her blankly. “Do what?”

“This chatty, get to know you again thing. I don’t do this.”

He smiled and pulled her closer. “You don’t let people in anymore. Isn’t that what you mean? You don’t let people see that you have a soft side?”

“What do you know about it?”

“I know that I can see how you hold yourself apart, refuse to let your guard down.”

“Keeping my guard up is good. It keeps me safe, so I won’t get hurt again.”

“You’re going to have let someone in eventually. Your mom wouldn’t want you to be alone.”

She didn’t answer, just rolled on her side and closed her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her, kissed her hair, and she let him.

“Good night, Asia.”

“Good night, Damien.” She wanted to tell him she had let him in, but the words caught in her throat.

The next day, Asia walked cautiously among the rows of plants. Damien had sent her downstairs to pick peppers to go with their lunch. He’d said they were the only vegetables that were ripe enough to pick.

“What are you doing here, Asia?”

She whirled around and clutched her chest. “Jesus, Abby, you scared me to death.”

“Are you with my brother again? If you break his heart again, I swear I’m coming after you.” Abby’s hair had been colored a dark shade of blond and it stuck out all over her head like she’d just woken up. The nose ring was new, and so were the tattoos climbing up her arms.

“Whoa, wait. I never broke your brother’s heart. And if we are together, it’s nothing to you.”

“What the heck? How could it be nothing to me? He’s my brother! I thought you were the one who’s all about family.  Isn’t that why turned your backs on us, to appease your precious aunties?”

Asia planted her hands on her hips. “We’re not going there, girl. You have no right.”

“I have every right. “Abby eyes glistened with tears. “You never thought about me and what I was going through. God, I adored your mother. I adored you. My mom fell completely apart after Isabella died. She became so protective over me and Damien, we could hardly breathe. And me? I just wanted my bestie back.”

“Oh, Abby.” Put up or shut up. She walked slowly toward her old friend, watching her like she would a stray dog, uncertain if it would bite. But she didn’t. When Asia wrapped her arms around Abby, she collapsed into them and sobbed.

After a while, they wandered around Damien’s garden, talking.  Abby told her things she didn’t know, like about Damien’s father’s kidney disease and how Damien had moved home to help the family while he went through dialysis. And other things, too, that made Asia feel awful, but also made her look at Damien with new eyes. Or very old ones.

“What’s with all these returns from Quantico, Virginia?” Asia asked Damien over the phone on Sunday.

“What are you talking about? Where are you?”

“I had an idea about where the weapons are coming from, so I came into the office.” She tapped the screen in front of her. “There are dozens upon dozens of returns from Quantico. The same amount nearly every week.” She read off the box dimensions and the cost.

“It’s paper,” He said. “They’re packing the guns in paper boxes and returning them.”

“So what does it mean?”

“It means we have to start stalking returns. Get out of there, Asia.”

She logged off the computer and gathered her things. “I’m leaving in five minutes.”

“Coming here?” He asked softly.

“Looks like it,” she said. Hanging up, she glanced toward the warehouse. A return from Quantico had been scanned right before closing time. It would only take her a minute to find it, open the box, and see if their suspicions were right.

#

Finding the box took closer to thirty minutes. Staring into the open box at the gun parts, Asia could hardly believe her eyes. Who could be behind it besides Peter? Karen? Skip?

“Well, well, well, what do we have here, Mac? Little Miss Better Than Everyone Else.”

Not able to control the scream that came from her throat, Asia jumped up off the concrete floor. Peter stepped out from behind a tall shrink-wrapped pallet.  Beside him was a big, mean-looking Hispanic man.

Peter folded his hands behind his back and walked toward her.

Busted. What could she do? “What’s going on, Peter?” She tried to sound strong, but her voice trembled.

“Do you see what I see, Mac? What could Asia Ferrell be doing with a box full of broken down government issue weapons?” He shook his finger at her. “What would your precious father say? Franklin
is
why you came back, isn’t he? Because he was suspicious of the books? Looks like we might need to make another deal to keep your father safe.”

He had been in on it with Skip all those years before. “You? You knew that Skip sent me away, blackmailed me?”

Peter laughed. “Knew about it? I told him to do it. I didn’t need my side girl trying to hang out in the same building as my wife. That wouldn’t have set well with anyone.”

Before she could stop herself she shoved him hard. Caught off guard, he landed on the floor. “You, snake. I gave you the benefit of the doubt.”

Then Peter was on his feet. “You stupid witch!”  He shoved her hard. The air flew out of her and she doubled over, feeling like she was going to vomit.
“Peter, easy man.”

Everything was turning gray. Peter Shoved her again, then everything edged to black.

“Are you okay, miss?”

Asia tried to open her eyes against the raging pain in her head. Through half closed lids, she could see a uniformed officer leaning over her. Blinking rapidly, she attempted to sit up, but couldn’t manage it. A cold weight rested on her forehead and something clutched her left hand. She turned her head to find Damien squatting on the floor beside her, his hand wrapped around hers.

“Damien! You’re okay.”

His face creased with worry, he leaned over and kissed her gently on the mouth. “I’m fine. You scared me, princess. You were passed out on the floor when we arrived.”

“How did you get to me?” She dimly remembered the roar of motors and a lot of shouting.

“I called some of The Riders as soon as I hung up with you. They met me here.” He frowned down at her. “I didn’t trust you to leave things alone.”

“Excuse me, Damien. I’m going to have some questions for Miss Ferrell after the ambulance arrives—“

“Ambulance,” She wailed.

“Yes, ambulance. You need to go to the hospital and get checked out.”

“Where are Peter and the other dude?”

“It was Mac helping Peter.” He sighed. “They didn’t give up easily. They’re knocked out over there.”  He gestured across the room.

“I’m sorry about Mac,” She whispered.

He shook his head. “I can’t believe I missed it. Peter was blackmailing him. Some of Mac’s family is here illegally. I can’t trust him again, but I guess I can understand why he did what he did.”

She nodded. She could understand, too. “So this part is behind us? I can put in my notice?” She asked hopefully.

He laughed softly. “Yep, this part is behind you. But, the worst is yet to come—telling your aunts your plans for that diner.”

She groaned. “That’s not all. I have to tell them about you, too.” She laced her fingers through his.  “You saved me.”

“Haven’t I always saved you?” He kissed her nose.

Instead of getting mad, she brought his hand up to her mouth and kissed the bruised knuckles gently. “Yes, you always have.”

He took a deep breath. “God, I almost lost you, Asia.”

He leaned his forehead against hers and she felt the dampness on his cheeks. Her white boy biker was such a softie.

“Hey, hey,” she said, “It’s okay. You didn’t. You got the bad guys and,“ She grabbed his face in her hands and slowly brought his mouth to hers. “You got the girl.”

His mouth whispered against her lips.  “Did I?” he whispered. “Did I get the girl?”

“Truth or dare,” she challenged.

“Truth. I love you, “ he said and waited, his eyes that intense black again. “I dare you...”

Put up or shut up. “I love you more,” She said and pressed her mouth against his.