Zane grinned. 'My normal response to that would be to say that I'd like to see you with a woman. But you're with one. I'm surprised, Jeff. And impressed. What you lack in quantity, you make up for in quality.'
'Thank you.'
Maggie raced toward him, a moplike ball of fur tagging along. 'Uncle Jeff, Brenda said I can brush Muffin and we're going to watch a movie together.'
She raised her arms as she approached and he automatically swept her up against his chest. Muffin raised herself up on her back feet, her front paws scrambling against his legs as if she, too, wanted to be picked up.
Zane raised his dark eyebrows. 'Uncle Jeff, why don't you introduce me to this lovely young woman?'
Jeff would rather have left the brunch. Too many people were watching him, talking about the shock of seeing him with a child. He knew they were right, that he had no business being with an innocent like Maggie. But for reasons that weren't clear to him, the little girl wasn't afraid. He hoped he didn't do anything to change that.
'This is Maggie,' he said. 'Ashley's daughter. Maggie, this is Zane Rankin. I work with him.'
Maggie's blue eyes widened. 'Uncle Jeff is very important. He keeps bad men away. Do you do that, too?'
'Sure,' Zane said easily. 'But Uncle Jeff is the best.'
Maggie snuggled close to him. 'I know.' She pressed her tiny rosebud mouth against his cheek, then motioned for him to put her down. 'Muffin really wants to see the movie,' she explained, gave him a quick wave, then disappeared into the crowd.
As soon as they were alone, Zane's gaze turned speculative. 'I hadn't realized you and the kid were so close.'
Jeff shrugged. 'She's pretty easy to like.'
What he didn't say was that Maggie terrified him. He didn't want to do anything to hurt her and the knowledge that he could was just one more thing that kept him up nights.
Zane looked as if he wanted to say something else, but then he stepped back. 'The ladies have returned.'
Jeff turned and saw Ashley and Amee approaching. Zane was watching them, as well, but Jeff noticed his friend was paying as much attention to Ashley as to his own date.
Something hot flared to life inside of his chest. It took him a moment to recognize the bitter heat of jealousy. No way, he told himself. Jealous of Zane? Ashley hadn't looked twice at the man. Besides, Zane would never try anything. Ashley wasn't his type. But despite the logic, the feeling remained, making him uncomfortably aware of being out of his element.
He wasn't prepared to be a part of society's mainstream, he reminded himself. The cries of the dead were never quiet and he would do well to remember that.
'Amee was telling me the most interesting things about your business,' Ashley said as she stepped close to him. 'Did you and Zane really single-handedly save the British royal family from certain death?'
Jeff shot Zane a questioning look.
His partner grinned. 'Okay, so I might have exaggerated the story a little.'
Ashley moved close to Jeff. 'How much? I want to hear the part where you threw yourself on the queen to save her from a flying bullet.'
Amee beamed. 'Aren't they just the bravest men? Zane has over a dozen scars. You should see them.'
'Maybe another time,' Ashley murmured.
Jeff looked into her eyes and saw the humor lurking there. 'There was no incident involving the royal family,' he said softly into her ear. 'They have their own security.'
'I figured as much, but Amee was so proud.' They watched as the blond bombshell ran her manicured fingers up Zane's arm.
'Zane's offered to show me what he does,' the young woman said, 'but I'd be too frightened.'
'You mean, take you on an assignment?' Ashley asked, sounding doubtful.
'No. They have an executive training course in a couple of weeks.' Amee sighed. 'But it's just too scary for me.'
Zane winked at Ashley. 'Maybe you'd like to go. It's just for a weekend. You could check out what it is Jeff does with his day.'
Jeff hesitated. His first instinct was to change the subject. No way did he want Ashley to see what he did in his world. She would be terrified. Which meant it probably wasn't a bad idea. Her being scared would be the safest way to end the relationship before he did something stupid and hurt her. Her current view of him wasn't based in reality. The weekend away would change that.
'I'm intrigued,' Ashley admitted. 'What happens during the training weekend?'
Zane shrugged. 'It's no big deal. A dozen or so executives join us in the mountains. We have a special resort we use. It's rustic, but not unpleasantly so. We teach them some basics about staying safe, how to recognize a terrorist threat, that sort of thing.'
'Why do I think it's slightly more complicated than that?' Ashley asked.
'You'd be perfectly safe,' Jeff assured her. 'If you're interested, I'm sure Brenda would be willing to baby- sit.'
She stared at him. 'Do you want me go?'
No, he didn't. But he also knew it was important that she saw a piece of his reality. Being around her was changing him, and not for the better. He was getting weaker, softer. If she saw the truth, she would back off.
'I think you'd find it interesting,' he said. 'There's nothing dangerous for the participants. It's not survival training.'
'Are there bugs?'
He grinned. 'Just little ones. You could take them.'
'Okay. Sounds like fun. If Brenda doesn't mind watching Maggie, I'll go.'
'Great.' Zane gave her a thumbs-up. 'I'll arrange everything.'
Just then Brenda announced that brunch was being served in the main dining room. Jeff put his hand on the small of Ashley's back and ushered her toward the doorway. Amee said something about shoes and the subject was changed. But he couldn't stop thinking about the weekend retreat, two short weeks away. Nothing would be the same at the end of those forty-eight hours. He wasn't sure if his friend had done him a favor or just sent him a one-way ticket to hell.
Chapter 12
The site of the executive security camp was a lodge on the east side of the Cascade Mountains. As always, the weather was better than on the Seattle side. Ashley stepped into sunshine as she exited Jeff's BMW.
'Now here's something I haven't seen in a while,' she joked as she raised her face to the warm rays. The past few weeks had been typical for spring in Seattle. Plenty of cool days and lots of rain. The weather people kept hinting at sunshine but then changing the forecast.
Her feet crunched on the gravel parking lot as she moved to the rear of Jeff's car and waited for him to open the trunk. She glanced at the cars around them. 'Lexus, Jaguars, Mercedes and…' she counted 'three limos. So, Jeff, tell me about these clients of yours.'
He pulled her shabby suitcase from the cavernous truck. His own bag was soft, black leather. It was so smooth to the touch, she wouldn't mind a coat in the same material.
'Executives,' he said. 'I told you that.'
'Yeah, but I was thinking about my local bank branch manager. These people are way different.'
He grinned. 'I think one of our participants might own your bank. That counts.'
'Oh, sure. We can have a detailed conversation about the way the ATMs seem to always go out at five o'clock on Fridays.'
She looked at the lodge, noticing for the first time that it seemed much more elegant than rustic. She returned her attention to Jeff and realized he was dressed in one of his tailored suits. Why did she suddenly have a bad feeling that she was completely out of her element?
'Jeff, maybe I don't belong here.'
