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Chaya made sure she spent no more time in her hotel room than she had to. She was betting Natches was a very early riser. She showered, dressed, dried her hair, and pulled it back into a ponytail, and within an hour she was out of there. And not a moment too soon. When she pulled her rented sedan onto the interstate, she swore that she saw Natches’s jeep headed toward the hotel.
She glanced at her watch and breathed out roughly. She had an hour to kill before meeting the sheriff at the diner. That was going to be a long hour, considering the fact she had to make certain to avoid running into Natches.
And who the hell was she kidding? An hour later, she pulled into the diner and stared at the wicked black jeep sitting beside the sheriff’s cruiser, and clenched the steering wheel of her car.
He was in there, waiting on her. She had run out on him this morning, terrified of what had happened the night before, leaving only a note. At least she had left a note this time, she assured herself. She had told him she would call him this evening, hadn’t she?
She jerked her case from the seat beside her and pulled herself out of the car. She forced her chin up, stared around the parking lot, and glimpsed both Rowdy’s and Dawg’s vehicles as well. Didn’t any of those damned Mackay men work? Surely they had something better to do than to harass her this morning?
Evidently they didn’t.
As she entered the diner, she flicked a look at the table beside the one Sheriff Mayes was sitting at, and restrained the urge to grimace. Three Mackay men sipping coffee. Rowdy looked amused, Dawg looked pissed, and oh boy, Natches looked ready to hit the damned roof.
Sheriff Mayes, that bastard, didn’t even bother to hide his laugh as she walked in.
She moved through the diner, thankful there were very few customers, and stopped in front of Natches. “Are you following me today as well?”
He tipped the glasses he wore lower on his nose and glanced up at her from over the dark lenses. She almost flinched at the anger burning in the forest green depths. He was livid.
“I’m going with you,” he stated. “As soon as you tell Mayes over there that’s the deal. ”
Shit. That wasn’t the deal. That was expressly—with an unqualified no—forbidden.
“I can’t do that, Natches. ” She forced herself not to show her own nervousness, or a reaction. She couldn’t, not here. He would take any weakness and run with it.
“You don’t want to do it like this, Chaya,” he warned her then, and she could feel her stomach tightening in dread.
“I don’t have a choice. ” She refused to glance at the other two men for their reactions. “This is my job, Natches, and you’re no longer a part of that team. ”
And then he smiled. She could feel her throat going dry, and she swore she could feel her stomach drop with pure female terror. This was one full-grown, pissed-off alpha male, and she was going to pay. She could feel it clear to her bones.
Not painfully. Not in bruises, in blood, or in insults. But, oh boy, was he going to get her for this one.
“Well, Natches, I guess she’s not as easy as we all thought she was. ” Dawg leaned back in his chair and shot her a tight smile. “Natches seemed to think you could see reason, Agent Dane. He even said you were smarter than to say no to him. ”
She turned her gaze to him, keeping it cool, detached.
“Oh, I see reason quite well, Mr. Mackay,” she assured him. “And if I had my preferences, then his company would be welcome. Unfortunately, Special Agent Cranston made his wishes clear before I arrived. And in this case, that prevails. ”
Natches muttered something uncomplimentary about Cranston that she highly agreed with.
Dawg shook his head, his smile jeering now. “Loyalty, Agent Dane? Where’s your loyalty? To your own butt or to those who can watch your back?”
“Enough, Dawg. ” Natches’s voice was hard with warning.
“Let her answer the question, Natches. ” Dawg held her gaze. “I’d like to hear her answer. ”
“I’ll tell you what. ” Her smile was benign, emotionless. He didn’t like her. He’d never liked her, and she didn’t give a damn. “Why don’t you go? Then you can share that federal prison with me when Cranston finds out about it. I hear big, tall guys like yourself are really popular there. You’re cute, James Mackay. They like cute rednecks with attitude there. Consider them a challenge, you know. ”
Rowdy snorted, and she could have sworn Sheriff Mayes was choking behind her.
Dawg’s eyes narrowed. “You’re playing in the big league here, little girl. You don’t want to keep this up. ”
“I said enough, damn it!”
Even Chaya flinched as Natches’s hand hit the table and he came halfway out of his chair. She stared at him, shocked, surprised as he and Dawg both seemed to hover over the table, almost nose to nose.
“Watch it, kid,” Dawg snarled. “I still remember how to wipe the floor with you. ”
