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“She’s young,” Calder mumbled, zooming in on her face. He must have seen the bruise and gash to her cheek immediately as she got out of the truck, just as Brook had.
“Damn, that looks like it hurts,” Brook added, feeling his gut clench. He hated to see women get smacked around. He had no tolerance for a man who could strike a woman or treat her badly. Nor did his buddies. Conway, especially, had no tolerance for it. He was called out on a few domestic violence calls outside of town, and he made sure to put the fear of God inside those men.
Calder pulled back slightly, to zero in on the rest of her, including her expression as Conway was introduced by Sandman.
“She looks untrusting,” Brook stated.
“She looks pissed off and her eyes are darting around to everywhere else but to Conway. She’s hiding something.”
“So what else is new? You know how this shit goes down. We don’t get much info at first, and then we use our skills to interrogate. She’s probably just scared. Sandman said this situation requires special care. Her whereabouts had to remain hidden.”
“Well then you two should check over the security system again before dinner. I’ve got the stew cooking and the guest bedroom all made up and ready. I want you to be sure to block out the cameras in her bedroom,” Lincoln stated from the doorway. Their buddy was six feet three with blond crew cut hair, and tattoos up and down his forearms. He was well organized and on guard all the time. The man hardly ever slept, just like Calder.
“We did, but we kept the ones on her window so we could also set the motion sensors outside. Anyone comes out of that window or makes it far enough to climb into that window, and we’ll all know it,” Calder stated.
“Good. Then let’s go meet our new houseguest,” Lincoln said and then left the room. Brook glanced back at the flat screen television sets. The woman, their guest, was stunning, despite the look of fear in her eyes, and the way she constantly looked around her, ready to bolt. Something told Brook that this was going to be complicated. So why was he feeling a hint of interest and excitement as he headed out to the living room to meet her?
* * * *
J.J. looked around the living room as Conway gave her the tour. The man was so tall and big, he had to duck under the entryways throughout the home. As they entered through the kitchen, she could smell something delicious cooking on the stove in a huge pot. Her stomach rumbled and she swallowed hard. It had been days since she’d eaten a meal. Sure she picked at a few sandwiches, but since that night at the Emerald City Casino, she hadn’t had much of an appetite. She’d lost some weight, but worked out harder than ever. She hoped she could continue the working out, even if she had to improvise on things to use for weights. The Conway guy seemed really fit, and was filled with muscles. People worked for bodies like his. Maybe there was a home gym or at minimum some weights to use.
He led her out to the living room, where three other men waited for them. She stopped short. Sandman nearly walked into her, and as he placed his hands on her shoulders, she sidestepped out of the way of his touch and nearly tripped. She must have looked like some crazy woman, but as she looked at them, prepared to retort viciously if necessary, none of them said a word. Their eyes only slightly changed, almost unnoticeably. But she noticed. She’d trained herself well. It was what made her a good undercover officer, and what also landed her in the middle of this mess.
“My fault. Please, meet the rest of the team. This is Brook Lewis, Calder Murphy, and Lincoln Jones,” Sandman said as he pointed out each man. Brook nodded his head in a polite gesture to say hello. He probably realized he shouldn’t put out his hand for her to shake. He feared it would get bitten off. God, I feel like a caged animal. I’m so on edge.
She nodded her head as she crossed her arms and looked around the room to avoid eye contact. That was so unlike her.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll get better acquainted over dinner. Is that stew you’re making, Lincoln?” Sandman asked.
J.J. wondered if he was the only one who cooked. She should offer to lend a hand. It was what she normally would do when she came to someone’s home. But this wasn’t normal. This was a sentence. All because of what she’d witnessed and who was responsible.
“It sure is. Want to stay and join us?” Lincoln asked.
“Sorry. I wish I could but Grace made some plans, and if I head out now, I should get there in an hour or so.”
“Okay. Maybe next time,” Lincoln said and gave a smile before he shook Sandman’s hand. The five men exchanged pleasantries and then Sandman turned toward J.J.
“If you need anything, if you have any questions or concerns that Conway or the others can’t assist you with, then Conway will get in touch with me. It would be better to not take any chances communicating with me for a while. Just in case someone caught wind of this operation or whatever,” Sandman said as he held J.J.’s gaze. Sandman had a way about him. Even though he was huge and intimidating, he had kindness and empathy in his eyes. Frank had been right. Sandman was definitely trustworthy.
“Okay. As long as these men understand that, too. If I have questions, I expect answers,” she added. When she looked at the four men behind Sandman, they seemed to take on a different look. It nearly unnerved her.
Sandman glanced over his shoulder.
“J.J., you’re safe here. Conway, Lincoln, Brook, and Calder can and will protect you. They’ll answer your questions, and I’m certain they’ll have questions of their own,” he said. She got his message. They were on a need-to-know basis. She didn’t want to talk about what had happened t
o her and why she was here. God knew if these men held some sort of alliance to Dooley. If they did, she was dead. She wasn’t ready to die. Not without a fight, and not before seeing Dooley suffer for his crimes.
* * * *
Lincoln filled the large bowls with stew as Brook sliced the loaf of bread from the local bakery in town. Calder was pouring some sweet tea when J.J. entered the room.
“You can sit over here,” Conway stated.
“Can I sit here instead?” she asked, and Conway noticed that it was the seat closest to the entrance to the living room, and where her back was against the wall and she could see around the room. It was his seat. It gave him a funny sensation inside. This woman was on edge and in survival mode.
“Sure thing,” he said, and his team looked at him with concern, a bit surprised. He gave a stern expression and they went about getting things ready for dinner.
They ate in silence until Lincoln questioned J.J. on why she wasn’t eating.
