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Chapter Fourteen
Miami knew Essexand Giles weren’t comfortable with her walking around the Prairie Winds compound without one of them by her side, but she was going stir crazy locked in the ivory tower of the club’s top floor. The penthouse was equipped with every amenity, and she could step out onto the balcony for fresh air, but she needed to expend some of the nervous energy threatening her sanity. No doubt they’d be notified the minute she stepped into the elevator, but she didn’t care.
Expecting to be intercepted as soon as she stepped out of the building, Miami was surprised to see Lilly West walking across the cobblestone path leading to the Forum Shops. The other woman turned and waited for Miami to catch up.
“Fed up with being cooped up?” When Miami nodded, Lilly laughed. “I told your men they couldn’t keep you up there for long, but they gave me patronizing smiles and those blasted dog-in-the-back-of-a-car nods.” Miami’s confusion must have shown on her face because Lilly giggled. “I forget young people didn’t have those creepy felt-covered critters. People would put them on the flat surface below the rear window in their cars. The eyes would glow when the lights were on, and the head was on some sort of spring, so it was continually nodding up and down.” Lilly shuddered, then shrugged. “The damned things always creeped me out.”
“You must be talking about those bobblehead dogs.” One of Lilly’s men walked around the corner of a building and pulled his wife into his arms. “Those are the only thing I’ve ever known you to find creepy.” After pressing a kiss to her lips, the man turned to Miami and shrugged. “Now she just blows up the things she finds creepy.”
Lilly grinned at Miami and gave her husband an unrepentant shrug.
“I admit, I do enjoy a good explosion.” Lilly nodded her head toward the area Miami remembered Giles telling her housed the gun range and obstacle course. “I’m going to check on Saraya. Dean brought her over this morning to train. She was also planning to help set up a couple of new obstacles, and I’m dying to see them. Come on. We’ll go snoop a bit while Del talks to his sons.”
“You always know when Kent and Kyle are in trouble with their mama—she refers to them as Dean’s and my sons.”
Miami couldn’t hold back her laughter. She hoped to get to know the elder Wests better. Their love and respect for one another were obvious. Lilly West reminded Miami of her own mother—flamboyant, independent, loving, adventurous, and funny. Miami nodded and waited as Del gave his wife very specific instructions.
“Stay at the course or firing range. Minimize your exposure, and for God’s sake, stay out of trouble.”
“Gosh. It was going so perfectly… then you blew it.” Lilly threw her head back and laughed at her own joke as her husband walked away, shaking his head.
“Was that some sort of inside joke?”
“No. He was serious about all of it. Truthfully, the first part is solid advice and was intended more for you than me. It’s the last part that’s pure fiction. Tobi may be a trouble magnet, but I’m different. Where she seems to attract trouble, I run headlong into it every chance I get.”
As they approached the front door of the training facility, the hair on the back of Miami’s neck stood on end.
“Do you feel that?” Miami wasn’t sure what was happening, but something seemed amiss.
“The heat? This is only the beginning. Damn, I need a vacation. Someplace warm but not stifling… with a beach. And musicians next to a tiki bar, with hot cabana boys serving drinks with little umbrellas. Yes, indeed.”
By the time Lilly broke free from her fantasy, the feeling of impending doom had passed, and Miami could once again take a deep breath.
“Follow me. We’ll take a shortcut to the course.”
Cutting through the building, it didn’t take Miami long to lag behind as she tried to take in her surroundings. The space was a high-tech wonder. The indoor shooting range looked like something from the future. Looking into rooms as they passed, Miami wondered how they brought enough electricity into the structure to power all the equipment. When she realized her thoughts had strayed to what their monthly power bill must look like, Miami laughed to herself.
Yes, indeed, I’m becoming my mother.
“If you think this is impressive, you should see the lower levels.”
Levels? Is she serious?
“The armory is housed in solid bedrock. It’s an engineering marvel, but I’m not really fond of spaces without windows. I’ll let someone else show you those spaces.”
Miami appreciated Lilly’s candor. Somehow the small chink in her armor made Lilly seem more approachable.
“I’ve used the indoor range, but I prefer the one outside. There is something about the smell of gunpowder and the kick of a recoil that’s impossible to replicate with electronics.”
“Why do they have both? It seems redundant.”
“Significant others of team members are required to learn to shoot for their own safety.” Lilly’s side glance was filled with amusement. “Boaters on the river were complaining. It seems some of the newbies were firing wild shots in every direction.”
“Holy shit.”
“The range is elevated, so there was no real danger. People kicking back, enjoying a beer, and chatting with their friends aren’t expecting projectiles to go whizzing over their heads. Turns out they get downright cranky about such things.” Lilly’s eyes were bright with amusement, and Miami found herself laughing, as well. The more Miami thought about it, the more she wished she’d been a fly on the wall during thosemeet-greets. “For once, I wasn’t in the hot seat.” Lilly paused mid-stride causing Miami to bump into her back.
“Damn. Sorry.”
