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Val laughed. “You’re about to get a black eye.” He started to walk away. “I’m checking on Cameron and the baby. Don’t let any blood get on the carpet.” He got to the hallway. “And don’t forget. He isn’t now and will never be a client of Vortex. He’s an asshole, so stay clear.”
“You’re not the boss,” Viv called after him, but he disappeared without another word, and she once again wondered why he put her in charge if he didn’t think she could make sound decisions.
“I am an asshole,” Red said. “But I have a problem, and I need help.”
She turned in a circle to get her bearings in the strange house. “I can’t tackle any problem without a cup of coffee. This may take two.”
Red pointed towards the kitchen. “Looks like the coffee pot’s over there.” As she poured herself a cup of coffee, she couldn’t help but think about what Val had said. She knew her brother was just looking out for her, but she also knew she had to make her own decisions.
“So, tell me more about this problem you have.” Vivian sipped her coffee and sighed.
Red leaned against the counter, a serious look shadowing his features like a dark storm. “Like I said, last night, a woman broke into my house. She crept into my bedroom in the middle of the night.”
Vivian’s eyes widened. “If I recall correctly, your friend said you have a bed you don’t mind sharing. Is that not true?” She watched him squirm.
“Griffen was being a jerk.”
“Okay. Did you report the woman to the police?”
Red nodded. “Yes, and Aiden, the sheriff, came out and removed her, but he told me he wouldn’t spend another dime of the town’s money to help me.”
She took another sip and set her cup down. “You said a woman. Did you know her?”
Red rolled his eyes. “No. Yes.” He let out an exasperated breath. “I don’t remember her, but she remembers me.”
“Is that a hazard of your job? So many women, so few morals? I mean memories?”
He kicked off the counter. “Look, either you’re willing to help me or not.”
She pointed to the chair across from her. “Have a seat, and we can discuss your needs.”
“How many people work for Vortex?”
She leaned back and stared at him. The question was common, but something about it didn’t sit right with her. It was like Red was interviewing her, but not for her services.
“Six, if you don’t count my mother.”
“She’s a bodyguard?”
“No.” The idea was laughable, but she controlled the giggle that threatened to escape. Her mother wielded a wicked spatula on Sunday mornings for pancake breakfast, but she’d never fired a gun, been in a fistfight, or driven in a high-speed chase. “Let’s talk about what you need. I’m a bodyguard, not a mind reader.”
Red looked at her skeptically. “You’re not exactly built like a bodyguard.”
Vivian stiffened, but she tried not to show it. “That’s because the word bodyguard conjures images of big unskilled men. I’m skilled, smart, and strong. I’m an experienced personal security expert. I can handle myself, and I can handle you or anyone slithering into your bed uninvited.”
He shook his head. “Maybe, but it’s hard to take you seriously when you’re sitting there wearing…” He leaned closer to take in the print on her pajamas. “SpongeBob.”
She leaned back with her coffee in her hand. “What do you wear to bed?” She raised her cup to her lips and took a drink.
He gave her a crooked smile. “Nothing.”
She nearly choked. Not because he wore nothing to bed but because she could almost envision what that looked like.Lucky little stalker.She shook her head and set her cup down before she dropped it.
“So, when this woman came into your room last night, you were wearing nothing?” His brows lifted as she took in his tight-fitting gray T-shirt that hugged his pecs like a lover. She closed her eyes and tried to banish the image she’d created. What the hell was she doing? This was the annoying asshole who dismissed her in the bakery like she was a pesky child. “Never mind. It’s irrelevant.”
“To you. You didn’t get a reach-around at three this morning.”
No, she didn’t. It had been a long time since she’d gotten anything from anyone at three in the morning. The last real action she’d seen between the sheets was when she was on assignment in Australia and woke to find a snake in her bed. At first, she thought it was a lover’s caress until she came to enough to remember she didn’t have a lover. She flung that snake across the room and watched it slither out the open sliding glass door. “It sounds like this isn’t unusual for you if the sheriff tells you to stop calling him.”
