Trouble in a Tight Dress (Six Points Security, #1) Read online

  “Remember, press, don’t pull,” Austin said from behind her.

  “Got it.” Honestly, she didn’t know why she was so nervous. Austin was there, he knew what he was doing, and he wouldn’t let her do anything stupid like shoot herself in the foot. And yet, her heart pounded as if she’d just run a mile. On the exhale, Nina pressed the trigger, and even though she knew it was coming, the jerk of the gun made her breath catch. It was easier the second time. And the time after that. And that. And that. Until the gun finally clicked empty.

  “All right, let’s see how you did.” Austin hit the switch to retrieve the target from downrange. It was a silhouette of a person from the waist up, with bull’s-eye rings that radiated out from the heart and head. Three rounds had pierced the chest area, while two poked holes in the shoulder. Another three had hit outside the silhouette, and the rest missed the target altogether.

  “Not bad, for your first time shooting.”

  She frowned. “You’re just saying that so I don’t feel bad.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Then you’re just saying it because you want to have sex later.”

  The corners of his mouth twitched. “Of course I want to have sex later. I’m a guy. But I also want you to be able to defend yourself in the event I’m not around, and that’s a lot more important than sex.”

  He put neon orange dots over the holes she’d created and sent the target back down the lane. This time, he doubled the distance. Raising his gun, he quickly took aim and fired in rapid succession. When he brought the target back, there was a tight grouping of holes in the center circle of the bull’s-eye over the heart.

  “Now you’re just showing off.” Playfully, she swatted his shoulder, and she could tell he was fighting a smile.

  He ejected the magazine and loaded a fresh one. “I was a terrible shot when I started basic training. But I kept at it, and my drill sergeant rode my ass, and over time I got better. Eventually, I attained a marksman rating in both rifle and pistol. If I can do it, so can you. Trust me.”

  “We don’t have that kind of time.”

  “Don’t need it. I’m not looking to turn you into a sharpshooter, at least not yet. For now, all we need is for you to get comfortable with the weapon. Once we get that, you’ll be able to consistently hit the center of mass. With this caliber, it’s enough to drop an attacker.” He replaced the target with a fresh one and sent it downrange. “Let’s try it again.”

  A half hour later, she’d burned through all the ammo, and the muscles in her right hand ached from fatigue. The booth reeked of gunpowder, and even with hearing protection, her ears were starting to ring.

  “Nice shooting, Tex,” Austin said as he reeled the last target in. The chest bull’s-eye was riddled with bullet holes, with only a few straying outside the silhouette. Not a great grouping, but it was a huge improvement over where she’d started.

  He unclipped the target and handed it to her. “You can hang that on your front door to ward off any would-be burglars.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  He smiled, and she felt it all the way to her toes. “When we get back to the office, I’ll have Joyce start the paperwork for your concealed carry license. You’ll have to take a course, but don’t worry, it’s easy and it doesn’t take very long.”

  “That’s all I need for the license?” When he nodded, she said, “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

  “For our purposes, it’s a very good thing. I want you to be able to defend yourself both physically and with a firearm. Just remember, never draw your weapon unless you intend to fire. And never fire unless you intend to kill. Period. Any questions?”

  “Not a one.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  AFTER LEAVING THE RANGE, Austin drove them to the office, where he asked Ty to give Nina a lesson in self-defense before she started her work for the day.

  Truth be told, he’d rather give the lesson himself, but if he touched her, he’d kiss her. And if he kissed her, well...they wouldn’t get anything accomplished.

  Besides, he had a lot of work to take care of, starting with a video conference with his crew in Miami, a proposal review for a potential new client, and a few rounds of prospective employee interviews. Plus, he needed to touch base with two other crews that were working cases in the field. If he was lucky, he could get it all done by the time Nina’s shift was over. She’d agreed to spend the rest of the week at the safe house, and he couldn’t wait to get her alone again.

  As he walked past Larissa’s open door, he heard her mutter, “Gotcha, you little bastard.”

  Curious, he backed up a couple of steps and saw her squinting at the computer. “What’s going on?”

  She looked up at him over the top of her monitor. “Our servers have been under attack since this morning. Fortunately, none of the firewalls have been breached, but it got so bad at one point I had to take two of the servers offline.”

  A few months had passed since the last attack on their system. Back then, they’d suspected Mexican drug lord Roberto Aranza was responsible, but they hadn’t been able to prove it. “Any idea who’s behind it this time?”

  “Oh, yeah. I traced it back to some dumbass in Belarus. He put out a bounty on us.”

  That definitely wasn’t the answer he’d expected. “Why would he do that?”

  “My guess is somebody paid him to hack us, and he subcontracted the work. The cheap bastard offered the equivalent of a hundred dollars to anyone who hacked our data.”

  “That’s it? A hundred bucks?” The low amount seemed kind of insulting.

  Larissa shrugged. “I know hackers who’ll take this kind of job for bragging rights alone. The Benjie just sweetens the pot.” As she leaned back in her chair, a grin formed on her face. “Don’t worry; no one ever got close to our data, and I made sure the little shit won’t be putting out any more bounties.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask what you did to him.”

  The grin on her face widened. “Nothing big. I just infected him with a virus that’ll corrupt his entire hard drive. If he ever wants to use his computer again, he’ll either have to wipe the drive or pay me to remove the virus.”

  “Ouch. I’d forgotten how vicious you can be.” In times like these, he was grateful to have her working on their side. No hacker had ever compromised their servers, and whenever they tried, she inflicted her own special brand of cyber justice.

  “He brought it on himself,” Larissa said, looking mighty pleased with herself. “I also took over his personal blog and wallpapered it with goats.”

  Okay, he hadn’t seen that one coming. “Goats?”

  She turned one of her monitors around so he could see the home page of a website that was plastered with images of goats. Over the pictures was a message in big, bright, neon pink text: You got goated! To regain access to your site, follow the simple instructions below.

  Austin shot her a puzzled look. “Why goats?”

  “Why not?”

  He should have known better than to ask. “I take it this means you’ve been too busy to search for intel on Ivan.”

  “Oh, I still had time, but I haven’t found anything we can use just yet. The FBI and Homeland Security opened files on him a few years ago, but they never collected enough evidence for an indictment.”

  For a second, he couldn’t do anything but stare at her in disbelief. Screwing with some asshole in Belarus was one thing; the US government was a whole other matter. “You hacked the FBI and Homeland Security?”

  “Well, to be fair, Shane got into Homeland Security. The FBI was all me.”

  Austin cursed under his breath. “I don’t want you having that baby in jail.”

  Rolling her eyes, she made a sound that conveyed what she thought of his concerns. “You worry too much. Besides, even if I got caught—which I won’t—they’ll just try to recruit me again.”

  He shook his head, deciding it was best not to push the issue. “So what
did the Feds have on Ivan but couldn’t prove?”

  “Pretty much everything you’d expect for an organized crime boss: drugs, guns, racketeering, prostitution, and the occasional murder sprinkled in here and there when someone gets out of line. His base of operations is in the San Francisco area, but he’s been making regular trips to Orlando for about two years or so.”

  “Great.” Nothing surprising, but it didn’t make him feel any better.

  “I’ll keep digging,” Larissa said. “It’s only a matter of time before I find something good we can use. Now that the attacks on our servers are over, I’ll root around the senator’s tablet some more. Maybe I can find why Ivan’s guy was at that fundraiser.”

  With everything else going on, he’d completely forgotten that angle. “Good thinking. Let me know as soon as you find something.”

  “Will do. How’s Nina holding up?”

  “As well as can be expected. I took her to the range this morning. She’s with Ty right now, getting a lesson in self-defense.”

  Larissa cocked her head a little to one side. “And what kind of lesson did you give her last night? Before you answer, keep in mind I can see straight through your bullshit.”

  Christ, was it that obvious? In a way, he wasn’t surprised by her question, but that didn’t mean he intended to answer it. Squaring his shoulders, he drew himself up to his full height. “In that case, I’m not sure how to answer aside from the standard it’s none of your business.”

  “Fair enough,” she said with a nod. “I’m happy as long as you’re both happy. But be careful, okay? I don’t want either of you getting hurt.”

  “Yes, Mom.”

  The sarcasm in his voice wasn’t lost on her. She shot him a look that reminded him of the way their mother used to look at them whenever they got caught doing something stupid. “Don’t make me come over there.”

  “You got it, momma bear. If you need anything, I’ll be in my office.”

  AS HE STOPPED AT A red light, Austin checked his rearview mirror again to make sure they hadn’t been followed. So far, he’d seen no signs of a tail, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious.

  “Are you sure this is necessary?” Nina asked from her seat on the passenger side.

  “After what happened to my truck, do you really need to ask?”

  No way was he taking any chances, especially when it came to Nina’s safety. While they’d been working, he had Nate and Ty install a new alarm system with motion-activated cameras on his company SUV. If anyone so much as breathed within ten feet of his vehicle, the cameras would activate and an alert would be sent to an app on his computer and phone.

  When the light turned green, Austin pulled onto the main road. “What do you want for dinner tonight? We can pick up a pizza, or I can make pasta.”

  “Pasta sounds good. Would you mind if we stopped by my apartment on the way? If I’m going to be gone all week, I could use a few more changes of clothes.”

  He flicked a glance in her direction. “It’s safer if we buy what you need.”

  “I need my own stuff. Come on, it’ll only take a few minutes.”

  Austin blew out an exaggerated breath as he shifted into the left lane to pass a slow-moving minivan. “You’re going to be a pain in the ass about this, aren’t you?”

  “It’s one of my finer qualities.” She smiled. “If we stop by my place, I’ll make sure to pack my sexy underwear.”

  That got his attention. “How sexy are we talking?”

  “Thongs, lacy bras, stuff like that.”

  “I’d rather see you in nothing at all.”

  “Yeah, but during the day, you’ll get to wonder what I’m wearing under my work clothes. And when we get back to the safe house at night, you can take it off with your teeth.”

  Okay, that definitely got his attention. Measuring the risks, he supposed it wouldn’t hurt to make a quick stop by her place. “One bag, that’s it. Then we’re going straight home. And if I see any hint of your brother, the whole thing’s off.”

  “Deal.” She flashed a sexy little smile that lit up her eyes and gave him all kinds of filthy ideas.

  A short drive later, they arrived at Nina’s apartment complex. Driving around to the back, Austin made several passes by her building before he parked in the front row by the handicapped spot.

  Nina unfastened her seat belt before Austin even had a chance to shut off the engine. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Wait, I’m going in with you.”

  “Don’t worry. It’s safe. Shailene’s home.” Nina pointed to a late-model white sedan. “See, her car’s parked right over there.”

  “Just because she’s home doesn’t mean it’s safe.” All of the things that could possibly go wrong flashed through his brain and made him wish he’d driven straight to the safe house. Bending down, he retrieved his gun from under the seat. “I really wish your roommates would accept the security detail we offered.”

  “I know. Me too. They both grew up on the streets and think they can handle anything.” Her lips pressed into a thin line. “I’ll try to talk some sense into Shailene when we go upstairs. Maybe she’ll listen this time.”

  He followed her up to the second floor, enjoying the way her hips swayed with every step. The light by the front door wasn’t on, and it took her a few seconds to fit her key into the lock. She pushed open the door, walked in a few steps, and let out a piercing scream.

  All of Austin’s senses kicked into overdrive. Moving Nina behind him, he stepped past the couch and saw an attractive young woman in her early to mid-twenties sprawled out on the carpet. Her long black hair was matted with blood, and her olive complexion appeared ashen. A baseball bat lay just beyond her reach, and a burgundy stain marked her white tank top where she’d been shot.

  “Shailene...she’s...” Nina’s voice trailed off.

  Austin went down on one knee and checked the woman’s pulse. To his surprise, he found one, although it was so faint he almost missed it. “She’s still alive. Call 911. I’ll be right back.” Quickly, he swept through the other rooms in the apartment to make sure the shooter was gone. Satisfied they were alone, he returned to the main room, where Nina sat on the carpet beside Shailene, her cell phone pressed to her ear.

  “I don’t know; she was like this when we got here. Will the ambulance be here soon? Oh God, oh God, I can’t get her to wake up, and her pulse is really weak.”

  A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door, followed closely by a man’s voice announcing, “Orlando police.”

  Not wanting to cause any problems with the police, Austin set his gun on the kitchen counter before he crossed to the foyer. He checked the peephole, and when he saw one uniformed officer and two paramedics, he opened the door, identified himself, and directed them to Shailene and Nina.

  “Babe, you need to move back so the paramedics can help her.”

  Gently, he led her across the room and wrapped her in his arms, making a point to keep her facing away from the medical team working on Shailene. It broke his heart to hear her cry, but it also made his blood boil. He didn’t know how, and he didn’t know when, but he was going to make her brother pay.

  “It’s all my fault,” Nina said, her voice muffled against his chest. “They came here for me. If I’d been home, I could have—”

  “No. Don’t play that game. There’s no way to know what would have happened. For all you know, you’d be back in the trunk of a car. Or worse.” The words came out harsher than he intended, but that didn’t make them any less true. He tipped her chin up so her eyes met his. The tears running down her cheeks hit him like a punch to the gut. Biting back the surge of emotions, he forced his voice to remain gentle. “This is not your fault, Nina. Not one damn bit. If you’re going to lay any blame, lay it on the asshole who shot your roommate.”

  And while he was at it, Austin put some of the blame on himself. Damn it, he should have assigned a security detail, regardless of whether they wanted it. He
wasn’t sure if the attack was meant as a message, or if Shailene was just a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  No matter the reason, it sparked something dark and dangerous inside him, and he wasn’t quite sure how to handle it. He’d do anything to keep her safe, just as he’d do anything to bring her lowlife brother to justice.

  Nina’s lower jaw trembled as she nodded. “I know, I know. I just...I want...” A sob hitched in her throat as she glanced back at the paramedics, who were loading her roommate onto a stretcher. “Oh, Shailene.”

  Austin held her close and stroked her hair while she cried, and then he held her hand and stayed by her side while she gave her statement to the police. And later that night, after an officer watched her pack a duffel bag with a few changes of clothes, he drove her straight to the hospital.

  Chapter Eighteen

  MUCH TO NINA’S RELIEF, Shailene made it through surgery and was being moved to the intensive care unit, where she’d most likely stay for a few days.

  Knowing her roommate survived the attack did nothing to ease Nina’s guilt. She’d already felt bad enough about the convenience store clerk and Austin’s truck. None of this would have happened if she’d left town after running into Victor at the fundraiser. There wasn’t anything she could do to change the past, but she could shield those she loved from further harm.

  Stifling a yawn, she drank the last of her Mountain Dew and set the empty can between her legs. For the past six hours, she’d been running on caffeine and fear, and her nerves were frayed beyond repair. Dorcas was asleep on the couch to her left, her head resting against Ty’s shoulder, and Nina envied her roommate’s ability to sleep between updates from the doctors.

  Nina glanced to her right, where Austin sat beside her, and the ache in her chest grew so strong she found it hard to breathe. Without a doubt, she loved him, and that clouded her judgment and made things even harder.

  As though sensing her gaze, he glanced up from his phone and leaned over to give her a quick kiss. “How are you holding up?”