Wicked Ties (Steele Security Series) (5 page)

“Hi, Paul, it’s me, Chaise.  I don’t have my gate opener with me.  Do you mind letting us in?” she asked sweetly.

“No problem, Miss –
”the guard started but Chaise promptly cut him off.

“Thank you so much, Paul!  We really appreciate your help!” she quickly responded.  Paul smiled and keyed in the electronic override code to let them through.

“Have a good night,” Paul called as Bull slowly pulled through the gate.  Bull waved in response.

Chaise was infinitely relieved that she was able to stop him before he said her last name.  That would cause a whole new set of problems she wasn’t ready to deal with, including confirming to Bull that she lied to him.  He already knew, she had no doubt of that, but she wanted to be the one to explain it.  Having someone else reveal it before the right time could be disastrous.

Bull gave her a knowing look as he rolled up his window and inched forward.  She smiled apologetically, yet again, and the urge to explain herself was overwhelming.

“Colton,” she stated hesitantly, drawing out his name and obviously unsure of how she could explain without explaining, and without making it even worse.

“Chaise, I understand.  Martin isn’t your last name. You’re scared, and until you trust me, you want to stay anonymous.  Just know that needs to change soon,” he stated sincerely.

Chaise’s thoughts immediately went to his statement implying that she didn’t trust him. 
That couldn’t be farther from the truth
, she thought.   She knew for a fact that if Noah could trust him, she could, too.  The problem existed in him learning of
her
true identity.  Would that destroy the delicate tendrils of trust that he was just beginning to form with her?  Would he even give her a chance to explain?

Mentally chastising herself, she pushed those thoughts away to deal with at a later time.  Bull looked at her, clearly expecting a response, and she realized she’d been lost in her own thoughts.

“I really appreciate that, Bull.  You just don’t know how much,” she responded truthfully, maintaining eye contact with him as she reached to touch his arm.  She wanted to tell him that she did trust him.  With everything in her, she wanted to reassure him that he was good, honest and trustworthy.  Unfortunately, she couldn’t convey that to him without opening herself up for the questions she wasn’t yet able to answer. 

She
directed him where to park in the parking garage underneath the oceanfront, high-rise condominium building.  Bull looked around and gathered Chaise in close to his side to protect her.  The unfamiliar arc of electricity shot through him immediately upon the physical contact.  The look on her face told him she felt it, too, but she moved in closer to him, willingly wrapping her arm around his waist as he tucked her under his thick, muscled arm.  Chaise couldn’t imagine a safer place in the world to be. 

B
ull stood at the massive picture window on the twenty-second floor of the luxury high-rise condominium.  Chaise’s
apartment
was really an eight thousand square foot, two-story luxury condo with an unbelievable view of the Atlantic Ocean from every room.  A very talented interior decorator was apparently utilized to create a natural flow from one room to the next in the open-air design.  Feelings that had been stamped out and forgotten suddenly surfaced within Bull.  Thoughts of ineptness and questioning if he was good enough to be there appeared from nowhere.

Bull
sternly reminded himself that she was in danger and she needed the help that he could provide.  He was there for a reason and that reason was his job and
only
his job.  His internal discussion proved successful as he pushed away the insecurities of his youth.  Bull slowly walked around the condo, taking in the few personal pictures that were scattered around the massive first floor, noting that Chaise wasn’t in any of them.  Just as he was nearing the kitchen, where a stack of mail was piled on the counter, Chaise bounded around the corner from the back stairs and plowed into him.

She let out a shriek when she met the wall of muscle and bounced off of him.  Bull grabbed her forearms, pulling her slightly
toward him and steadied her footing.  She let out a scared chuckle as she playfully swatted at his chest and said, “You scared the shit out of me!”

Bull laughed easily as he responded, “This place is big enough to get lost in. I’m lucky I found you at all.  I must be in the wrong business.”

Chaise looked around the luxury condo as she said on a sigh, “It is great, isn’t it?  I’m obviously in the wrong business, too.”

Bull looked at her quizzically, obviously confused by her statement. 

Chase quickly amended her statement, “Oh, this place isn’t
mine
.  I could never afford this on my salary.  It belongs to the company I’m consulting for—they use it for executives, important visitors, people like that.  Since my contract with them is only for a short time, they are letting me stay here for free.”

The red-alert hairs on the back of Bull’s neck were now at full attention, standing on end
, and making him tingle in a not so pleasant way.   In his experience, if something seemed too good to be true, it usually meant that it wasn’t true.

“The same company where you found discrepancies and where your intern worked when you believe she suddenly disappeared?  They have access to the condo where you’re living?”  Bull asked slowly as his hand moved to unsnap his side holster.

All color drained from Chaise’s face as she gasped and took an involuntary step back.  “You don’t think they’d come after me here,
do you
?”

“You haven’t told me what you found, but from what I’ve gathered, you think there’s something highly illegal going on at that company.  If that’s the case, I wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating them,” Bull answered truthfully.

Chaise nodded slowly, her eyes wide open and her pupils fully dilated from fear.  “I need to tell you everything, Colton.  In case something happens to me, you need to know what I’ve found.  So you can find Aura.”

“Let’s get out of here.  You can tell me in the truck.  You got everything you need?” Bull asked, pointing to the small suitcase she still held in her hand.  She nodded her affirmation and
he took the suitcase from her hand.  Bull led the way out of the condo, stealthily moving and checking around corners to ensure a safe route for Chaise. 

Bull couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.  His gut instincts told him that something was awry in
the condo and it wasn’t safe for Chaise to stay there any longer.  He pulled her in close to his back as they neared the elevator, using himself as a shield.  Once inside, he maneuvered Chaise to the front corner.  She was caged in the corner by his body.  His hands were planted on the walls on either side of her face. 

“We need to finish that talk real soon, Chaise,” his smooth, deep voice lowered an octave as he nearly whispered his command.  His face was close to
hers—so close, in fact, that if she lifted herself up just enough, their lips would touch.  His warm breath caressed her cheek as he leaned in closer, dropping one hand near her waist.  She waited for the warmth of his touch to ignite her already pulsing body. 

Instead, he reached to push the button for the lobby.  Waves of disappointment rolled through her as he straightened his back and stepped away from her. 

What the hell am I thinking? 
Chaise mentally chastised herself for such inappropriate thoughts in the most inappropriate times and places.  She glanced at her watch, noting the lateness of the hour, and decided she must have been even more tired than she thought.   She also decided she had waited way too long between relationships.

Stress and anxiety can do funny things to the mind.  That had to be reason why she was picturing Colton without his shirt on, the feel of his sinewy muscles and tan skin
against hers, the silkiness of his sexy, mussed hair between her fingers.  The dinging of the elevator reaching the first floor brought her out of her daydreams, or night dreams, as it was officially way too late to be considered daytime.  She quickly masked the smile that was plastered on her face the instant before Bull turned to her.

“Are you ready for this?” Bull asked.

Chaise stammered for a minute, wondering if she had actually spoken the thoughts aloud before she realized he was asking if she was ready to leave the safety of the elevator.  “Yes, I’m ready,” she managed to respond. 

“Stay close to me, Chaise.”

“Okay.” 
No arguments from me,
she thought.

Once safely in the truck, Chaise breathed a little easier.  She leaned her head on the window and closed her eyes, her thoughts drifting to her intern, Aura, and wondered where she could be. 
Is she safe?  What have they done with her?

Bull’s voice pulled her from her thoughts again, “It’s late.  If it’s
alright with you, we’ll stay at my place tonight and regroup with Rebel and Shadow tomorrow to come up with a plan.”

“That sounds great, Colton,” Chaise’s relief resounded in her tone.

Before she could start to tell him about the discrepancies and coincidences she uncovered, she fell asleep in his truck.  Cocooned in the warm, leather seats, hidden from dangers by an expert ex-military man, and the rhythmic rocking and swaying of the truck gliding down the interstate lulled her into a deep sleep.  She hadn’t slept well since she accepted the assignment, but it had become even worse since Aura went missing.

She opened her eyes briefly when she felt a flying sensation.  She saw Bull standing
outside her door, sliding his huge arms underneath her, and scooping her up from the plush seat.  Chaise wrapped her arms around his neck, clung tightly to him, and laid her head on his shoulder.  Within a few seconds, she was back asleep, being carried into his house as if she weighed no more than a baby. 

Bull maneuvered Chaise and her bags expertly through the front door and into the spare bedroom.  It had been a long day and night for both of them, but he suspected the events of the day had taken a harder toll on
her than she let on.  He still had so many questions and, truthfully, was looking forward to getting a lot of answers.  He was disappointed on one hand, but on the other hand, he found it strange that he was enjoying carrying her to bed, pulling back the covers, and tucking her in safely.

His training and his mental conditioning didn’t allow him to rest on his laurels. 
There was more than some local gang going after Chaise.  They didn’t blow up cars and fire multiple shots at a building that was well outside of their known territory.  No, his gut told him that it had to a bigger operation that was only using the gang as a front.  Whatever the organization was, it must have a significant presence to use a well-established gang like the
Tres Sieses
.  There would be no sleep for Bull that night.

Chaise startled awake, unsure if the loud noise came from her nightmares or from somewhere in the house.  As her eyes somewhat focused on her surroundings, she was momentarily disoriented and unsure of where she was.  She vaguely remembered Colton picking her up from his truck, so she assumed she was at his house, as planned.  She eased out of bed, quietly opened the door, and crept down the hallway
toward the front of the house.

There was better light in the living room, shining in the windows from the security light positioned outside, so she was able to make out the furniture in the room.  The large man-cave room held an impressive array of audio-visual equipment for the large flat-screen TV, an oversized, overstuffed sectional sofa wide enough for Bull to comfortably rest on, and a matching recliner.  Bull had the chair fully reclined and his eyes were closed. 

Quickly glancing at the clock on the wall, she reasoned he was most likely asleep at 3:45 am.  Chaise jumped when Bull’s voice challenged her before his eyes even opened.

“What are you doing out of bed?”

“Bad dream,” Chaise answered softly as she moved around to face him.  “Mind if I lie down in here with you?”

“Is the bed not comfortable?” Bull asked with genuine concern.

“It’s great.  It’s just that…well,” her voice trailed as she started biting her fingernails.

“Just that what?” Bull prompted.

“Don’t laugh.  It’s just that I feel safer in here with you than back there.  You wouldn’t know if they came through the window to get to me,” she replied shyly. 

Bull held back a laugh since he could tell she was seriously scared of that scenario playing out.  She seemed so young to
him—or maybe
sheltered
was a better word.  She didn’t really seem like she had experienced a lot on her own. 

He surmised, from his training in reading people, that she had a controlling father who didn’t want to let his little girl find her own way in the wide, wild world.  She wouldn’t know that he had a state of the art alarm system and no one could get on his property, much less in one of his windows, without being riddled with bullet holes first.

Bull stood and led her over to the couch where he gestured for her to lie down.  When she complied, he pulled a blanket out and covered her with it.  As he leaned over to cover her, their faces were once again very close. 

Unable to resist the urge, Chaise rose up and kissed his cheek.  When he didn’t move away from her, she moved her mouth to his soft, plump lips.  She softly kissed him, a chaste kiss at first, then with more fervor as her tongue lightly grazed his lips.  Bull’s mouth opened, giving her entrance and returning the kiss.

Bull’s hands went to her face and his fingers threaded through her hair.  He tilted her head to the side to deepen the kiss.  His response to Chaise’s kiss was unexpected, but it felt so right.  Bull’s logical mind kicked in and told him to slow the freight train down before it crashed.

Gently ending the kiss, Bull brushed his knuckles across her cheek and said, “Get some sleep, Chaise.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?” Bull furrowed his brow and titled his head slightly.

“You need sleep, too,” she replied slowly, as if he were slow and didn’t understand plain English.

  Bull smiled as he remembered the missions, both in the service and in the employment of Steele Security that had kept him awake for more than
thirty-six hours at a time.   But she was worried about him staying up half that time.  “I’ll make it,” he replied genially.

Chaise mumbled something about stubborn, bull-headed men and snuggled under the blanket.  Bull reclaimed his comfortable recliner and watched Chaise as she drifted back to sleep.  He listened to her rhythmic breathing pattern, watched the softening of her face and relaxation of her entire body
, and knew the exact moment she had succumbed to sleep.  A fleeting thought flashed in his mind about wanting what Noah and Brianna had but he quickly pushed it away.

Mentally reprimanding himself for the momentary lapse in discipline, Bull steeled his thoughts and relaxed in his chair.  He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds around the house.  He knew every creak and moan and would know immediately if anything was out of the ordinary. 

Bull was more relaxed while “on duty” inside his house because Steele Security monitored his alarm system from their central location.  If his system suddenly quit, as in someone cut the line or they turned his electricity off, Steele Security would call his phone and they would immediately dispatch units if he didn’t answer.