Savor the Danger
Page 105

“I met Arizona at a bar where she shouldn’t have been. The same bastards I’m after now were there that night. Thanks to her, they got away from me.”
“You’re blaming me for that?” Arizona demanded. “If it wasn’t for you, I would have had them!”
Undaunted by her interruption, Spencer continued. “It didn’t take me long to figure out that she uses herself for bait.” Grim-faced, he glared at Arizona. “She knew they were following her, not the other way around.”
When they both stared at her in disapproval, Arizona gave a negligent shrug. “That’s my unique way of cornering someone.”
Jackson wanted to pull out his hair. He felt sick. Defeated. How long had Arizona been playing that game? And how the hell had she survived so long? All that time, while he thought he’d made her safe, she been throwing herself into the path of destruction.
Correctly reading Jackson’s expression, Spencer nodded. “You see my dilemma. I want the bounty—”
“But not with her as a casualty of the process.”
“That’s about it.”
“Hold on.” Keeping Spencer in his sights, Jackson withdrew his cell and put in a call.
Trace picked up. “I take it he’s someone you know?”
“Not me, Arizona. He says he’s a bounty hunter, maybe following the same people we want.”
Wasting no time, Trace asked, “What’s his name?”
“Spencer Lark.”
“Give me ten minutes.”
“Thanks.” Jackson disconnected the call.
Laconic, Spencer asked, “This is an operation?”
“Something like that.”
“Great.” He again glanced around the area before zeroing in on Jackson. “So we can either continue with the pissing contest or we can get inside and make some plans.”
Not for a second did Jackson trust him. He didn’t know him, but he sensed that all the treachery was coming to a head. “Already got a plan.”
“Yeah, well, I hope it includes locking Arizona in a closet. Apparently that’s what it takes to keep her out of trouble.”
That was one taunt too many, and Arizona shocked Jackson by launching herself at the big man.
Rather than dodge her, Spencer appeared to anticipate the move. He caught her to him, swung her up, and Arizona ended up dumped over his shoulder.
When Spencer held her there, Jackson started to react, but seeing how careful he was with her and hearing no complaints from Arizona, he held back.
To Alani, the guy said, “Excuse me,” and he carried Arizona into the apartment.
Shocked by it all, Alani met Jackson’s gaze—and cracked a smile. “Oh, my.”
“It needed only this.” Never trusting things to be what they seemed, he ushered Alani back into the apartment, too. His phone made a sound, and he glanced at it to see a message from Dare.
Three simple letters. WTF?
He shook his head. Seriously. What the f**k was going on?
He couldn’t wait to find out.
SPENCER STOPPED IN THE living room and dropped Arizona down to the couch. With alacrity, he backed away from her.
Alani could understand why. The younger woman appeared more than furious. And it didn’t take a genius to know she had a very short fuse and the audacity to back it up.
Jackson drew her to a halt just inside the front door. He closed it, then leaned back on it. “Why the hell didn’t you stay in the kitchen?”
Though the turn of events had been more than fascinating, Alani turned to Jackson. He had a lot to explain. “Arizona didn’t want to stay.”
He grunted. “If you start following Arizona, you’re going to find yourself dealing with a lot of trouble.”
So much frustrated affection filled his words that Alani smiled and leaned into him.
Perplexed, Jackson said, “I will never understand you.”
“I know.” She let out a sigh. “Jackson, why didn’t you tell me this was all part of a grand plan?”
He surprised her by saying, “I should have. I’m sorry.”
Ever since Arizona had shown up, she’d been caught in a whirlwind of emotions. The way Jackson and Arizona interacted like siblings added new insight to his personality, emphasizing his big heart. He’d taken a wounded, abused girl and made her family.
How could she not love him?
Arizona certainly did. Alani glanced at her again. She was by far the most exotic and the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen.
Long dark curls hung down her back. Smooth caramel-colored skin contrasted sharply with light blue eyes, fringed by long, lush lashes. Tall and slender, but with Barbie doll curves, Arizona would turn heads wherever she went.
That is, if her “drop dead” attitude didn’t turn people away.
It hadn’t deterred Jackson, and it sure wasn’t deterring Spencer, either. At the moment, he and Arizona were engaged in a furious, whispered debate. Their gazes were hot enough to set the apartment on fire.
She shook her head. “It’s a lot to take in.”
“Gotta roll with the punches. But yeah, I didn’t see this one coming.”
It struck her that Jackson might not be the one to blame this time. “It was Dare and Trace, wasn’t it? They wanted me kept in the dark?”
“They worry about you.” He cupped the side of her face in that tender, attentive way of his. “Doesn’t matter now anyway. Arizona has thrown a kink in the works. Soon as Trace finishes his check on our newcomer, we’ll have to reevaluate everything.”