Secretly glad Danny had arrived to collect her, she’d been surprised he’d been wearing his work gear.
Able to sense Danny approaching from behind, she didn’t jump at his words. “Moira, this is Jane. She’s going outside before you, and you will stay behind her at all times.”
“Are you sure all this—”
“Yes,” he said curtly.
She shrugged. If that was best, then she’d trust him. She only hoped Jane, or anyone else, didn’t plan to watch her paint. She’d call a halt to that quickly.
They exited as he’d instructed. They acted as if bullets could fly at any moment. With it being so early in the morning, the streets were nearly empty.
He spoke in her ear. “Never let your guard down.”
She was officially freaked out, especially since she’d gone on her own from the tavern to Laura’s. Was this what the security Danny and his teammates did day-to-day?
Danny slid a hand to her lower back to guide her from following Jane. “You’re in the back with me.”
Things would feel better and make more sense when they got to Danny’s house. If she said that enough, she’d eventually believe it. Once belted into her seat, her body went rigid at the armory the agents carried. Were their weapons and carrying them even legal?
Life had been easier when she’d just been a painter in her homeland. She sighed. What was done was done. She’d been in the US long enough—three months—that she’d felt safe, until last night.
In the driver seat was someone she didn’t recognize, but he looked a lot like Jane. “Where are Cowboy and the other guy from last night?”
“Investigating.” He didn’t sound happy about it.
Thinking on that response, she pulled in her eyebrows and asked, “I thought you said the brothers—these Hamilton men—worked the investigations.”
“They do, but it’s different. If they were available, they’d help with this.”
Noticing they didn’t seem to be going directly to Danny’s, she looked at him in question.
“Since we don’t have Cowboy and Doc, we’re checking out the neighborhood before we stop.”
“Oh.” She turned to stare out the window, keeping her gaze on nothing particular. Would this become her life now? She’d been lucky in having Justin and Danny at her side, and she’d been safe.
When they pulled into a spot on the street right in front of his house, she wondered how they’d been so lucky. These spaces filled up fast and stayed that way. Then, Jane, who’d exited the SUV before they parked, tossed an orange cone in the back of the vehicle.
She spun to Danny. “I thought you couldn’t do something like that.”
With a one shoulder shrug, he grinned. “You’re right. Slide over and exit my side.”
She turned to the window, where another guy faced outward from the vehicle, but he also covered her entire door. She just shook her head. There was time to figure out all their Mission Impossible stuff. Danny had informed her that wasn’t the type of agents they were.
While the two of them moved up the walk to the front door, Jane had already opened it. She turned and looked at them, before walking in the house with her gun like she was on some cop show.
Beside her, Danny stiffened, and she didn’t know why.
“Shit,” Danny said beside her. “John, get up here.”
The man had already been doing that, so she guessed they had those ear things Danny had told her about.
Before Danny dashed off, he reminded John, “Protect her with your life.”
She froze, fearing what had Jane and Danny spooked. She jumped at that thought.
They waited for what seemed forever, even though she knew it’d only been around five minutes, before John turned to her and motioned her toward the front door where Danny waited, watching their back. Their six, he’d taught her one night.
When she faced Danny, sympathy swam in his eyes. Why?
“I’m sorry, Moira.” His voice had almost cracked at his emotions. She couldn’t understand what he was apologizing for.
Glancing behind him, her heart sank. “Nay.” Her pulse sped up, beating through her veins. Her hands turned so clammy she wanted to rub them on her pants. Instead, she pushed by him. Her studio had to be secure. Surely, they wanted something downstairs. Drugs or money? After racing up the stairs, she sank to her knees when she reached the top. Everything was in disarray and destroyed.
An arm slid over her shoulder, pulling her into an embrace that allowed her to weep over all she’d lost. It wasn’t just the destruction of her studio. It was her only link to who she’d been in her homeland.
A second arm went around her, and she snuggled into Danny’s chest, thoroughly dousing his shirt while she cried.
His soft kiss on the top of her head and his tight hold on her brought her sanity back to normal.
“I’ll help you restock the place.”
His tenderness renewed the tears that’d just slowed. She’d miss him so much when she finally went home.
Chapter Twenty-One
Opening the door to Cowboy and Doc, relief lifted from his chest. Not only did they have more agents protecting Moira, but he also wanted to know what they’d found.
As they walked into the living room, Cowboy blurted, “Dude, your place smells like—”
Danny sighed. “I know.”
“Is it your choice or hers?” Cowboy continued on his path to embarrass him, but it wouldn’t work.
He stared at the agent, knowing he was bringing levity to the meeting. “Does it matter?” Sure, it smelled like flowers, but he didn’t mind because it wasn’t overly powerful, and it was Moira’s favorite
