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Flint stood behind her and locked his arms around her waist. At her ear, he whispered, “Wait until I have you by myself for a few minutes. I plan to pamper you in ways you can only imagine.”
This time goose bumps scattered across her skin. The hint of seduction made her nipples burn, her cunt clench. Unfortunately, company arrived before she could try her hand at a vixen’s practices, tease and tempt her cowboys until one of them tossed her over his shoulder and carried her off to bed.
The doorbell rang out with a set of chimes. Her men went from flirty to serious. They scrambled. Flint immediately grabbed her hand and dragged her behind the dining room door. Tyler and Jax went to the foyer. Mrs. Gibbles, the housekeeper she hadn’t met but had heard enough about, answered the door.
From where Brianna stood, she could tell the housekeeper had already been informed of the new dangers they’d soon face. Tyler was on the left with his pistol drawn which placed Jax on the right, hiding behind the door with his gun in hand as well.
Flint whispered at her ear. “We need you to ID Vicky McKay.”
Her insides trembled. She’d long since come to terms with the dangers her father’s business represented. She was also aware of what they potentially faced in the coming days. Apparently it was worse than she thought if Kane had called in his friends from Fletcher.
“May I help you?” Mrs. Gibbles spoke through the screen door.
“I’m Joshua McKay. This is Aspen, my brother. We’re here to see the Jackson brothers.”
Mrs. Gibbles glanced to her left. Tyler rotated his hand in a circular motion, indicating he wanted her to move the conversation along. She attempted to look around the two broad men. “Who is in the vehicle with you?”
“Our wife, Vicky,” Joshua said. “Our brother Patrick wasn’t able to make the trip on short notice.”
She nodded and again she turned to Tyler for coaching. He whispered something to her, keeping his gun cocked in the air. “Mr. Tyler wants to see Mrs. McKay, please. I hope you understand. They’re taking extra precautions this morning.”
“Certainly,” Aspen said. He motioned for Vicky.
A minute later, Vicky stood on the porch. A feisty little woman, she traipsed up the front stairs with her strap heels dangling from her fingertips.
“Honey, this is Mrs. Gibbles, the Jacksons’ housekeeper.” Joshua glared at Mrs. Gibbles and as if he thought something was suddenly wrong, he muttered, “Get her out of here, Aspen.” He backed away from the door as if he’d determined they were about to be ambushed.
“That’s her,” Brianna said, pushing away from Flint and rushing the door. Jax caught her around the waist and stopped her.
Tyler stepped forward, made a show out of putting his safety on, and tucked his gun at the small of his back. “Thank you, Mrs. Gibbles.” He pushed open the door. “Come on in, fellas. My apologies for the alarm.”
“You’re sure it’s her?” Jax asked, holding Brianna against him.
“Positive.” She wiggled free of his grip and hurried to the door. “Vicky!”
“Well I never in my life…” Vicky rushed inside and grabbed her. After a hug, she held her at arm’s length. “Look at you. You’re absolutely gorgeous. No wonder these boys want to protect you.” She glanced at Joshua and then Aspen. “Oh stop acting pissed off. They were just looking after her. You two should understand that better than anyone.”
Introductions were quickly made and the McKays were invited to join them for breakfast. Once they were seated, Joshua said, “Kane says you’re expecting trouble.”
“That’s right,” Jax said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “I’m a little embarrassed here. I’m confident we can keep Brianna safe, but for whatever reason, Kane thinks you can help us more than we can help ourselves.”
“We’ve had experience dealing with legal matters,” Aspen said.
“We’re the kind of friends that don’t help you pull the trigger necessarily, but we’re damn good at hiding bodies.”
“Oh Josh, stop.” Vicky smiled, sipped her coffee, and patted Brianna’s hand. Turning sideways in her chair, she said, “Tell me about you, honey. How long have you lived here?”
“She moved in last night,” Jax said.
“Oh.” Vicky relaxed her grip on Brianna’s hand. “Well trust me when I tell you, being a damsel in distress isn’t always a bad thing. The best relationships in this life are often born and bred from hard times and dangerous beginnings.”
“She should know,” Aspen said. “We’ve gone through our share of them with Vicky, Peyton, and the girls.”
“The girls?” Jax searched their faces.
“We think of Ansley, Kimberly, and Trixie as ours as much as the Cartwells,” Vicky explained. “Thank goodness our own daughter hasn’t been in a lot of danger yet.”
“Don’t jinx us, Vicky,” Joshua said, taking a bite of a buttery biscuit. Around a mouthful of bread, he added, “We’re prepared to help. Kane filled us in. Now with that said, we always want to know Vicky is safe. In the event there’s trouble, we only ask for one thing. You boys protect Vicky just as you would protect Brianna.”
