Master No (Masters and Mercenaries, #9)(21)

Master T. He was here. He was standing right here dressed in a black Western shirt with pearl snaps and a Stetson sat on his head. She wanted to hug him, but they needed to get away.

Faith shook her head, trying to catch her breath. “There was only him. We need to go.”

“Hush now, darlin’. You stay here while I take care of this,” he said in a slow, Southern accent. He physically moved her to the side as the door was beginning to open.

“Now you’ve pissed me off,” the man who had attacked her shouted through the door.

“Oh, son, you have no idea,” Master T said as his booted foot came out and he kicked the door back in.

Faith heard the horrible sound of bones crunching as her attacker’s hand got caught between the door and the jamb. The gun fell to the ground.

She stood and watched in complete horror as Master T opened the door again and then disappeared through it.

He didn’t have a gun. At least not one she’d seen in his hands. Her hands. They were shaking. Her whole body seemed to be a live wire, every inch of her skin crackling with the fact that she’d almost been killed and now her new play partner was likely being murdered by a man who had been sent to kill her. What was she supposed to do?

Police. She should call the police. Yes. She opened her purse to look for her cell phone. Where was it? Why did she have so much crap in her purse? Panicking, she sifted through, trying to find her phone. Master T was likely dying and it was going to be her damn fault because she hadn’t cleaned out her bag after the flight. She could find antibacterial soap and her passport but not her phone.

Finally. She grasped it and immediately dropped it. It clattered to the ground. It was twilight, but the outside lights hadn’t come on yet. She started to reach for her phone when the door opened again.

Faith shrank back and was about to run when she saw Master T step out, hauling a body behind him.

“You all right?” he asked.

Nope. Not even close. She picked up the phone. “I’ll get the police out here.”

The words were shaky, forced from her mouth.

Before she could press the emergency button on her screen, the phone was in his hand.

“I need you to think about this for a moment. Do you recognize this man?”

She didn’t want to look at him. “Is he alive?”

A big hand came up, cupping her cheek and gently bringing her gaze up to look into Master T’s blue eyes. He was calm. Perfectly calm. “Stay with me, Doc. I know you don’t want to look and if it’s too much for you, then I can try to make an ID through pictures, but it would be very helpful if you could tell me if you’ve ever seen him before or not.”

“Is he dead?” She knew the answer, but it made her sick to her stomach.

“Yes, he’s dead. I snapped his neck during the fight. He’s not going to try to hurt you again, but we need to figure out if this was a random pervert trying to get some or a professional sent specifically after you. That gun he was carrying makes me think pro. Most random rapists don’t have that quality of suppressor on their weapons and they don’t typically prowl the cosmetics counter at Neiman’s.”

Pro. It was what she’d first thought. “All right.”

She started to move, but he stopped her. “Hey, it’s all right now. You’re fine.”

She found herself wrapped up in his arms, his hands coming around to hold her tight. One big hand cupped the back of her head, sinking into her hair and gently guiding her against his really well-made chest. The other hand eased over her back.

“It’s all right, Faith. He’s not coming back for you.”

His voice was deep and melodic and soothing, and before she could think about it, she was breathing in his scent. Sandalwood. There was a hint of it in his aftershave and his shirt smelled like fabric softener. She let the heat of his body sink into her own and listened to the beat of his heart. It was steady, as though what had happened was no big deal. She knew that should set off warning bells, but at that moment it was so good to have a stable sound. Master T was solid and she needed the comfort he was offering her. The world had gone crazy, but here was warmth and safety and protection all wrapped up in a gorgeous package of man.

“You’re all right, darlin’.” The hands on her body felt comforting, not sexual at all. He was a calming presence, but she was suddenly very aware she barely knew this man and he’d killed someone. He’d killed a man and his heartbeat hadn’t ticked up at all.

She gently pushed away from him. “I’m good. It’s just a lot of adrenaline. We should call the police now.”

Master T stepped back, giving her space. The very act of disengaging from him made her wish she was back in his arms. “We can do that. You’ll need to call your father and let him know what’s coming his way.”

“What do you mean?” Even before the question was out of her mouth, she knew what he meant. “The press. The minute they find out who I am, the press will be all over it.”

No more anonymity. She’d likely be rushed into a safe house while her father took over the investigation and made her near murder a platform for a new law and order agenda. She wouldn’t be able to walk outside, much less spend the next three months relaxing. She would have bodyguards. So many bodyguards.

“Faith, I need you to make a decision and quickly. We won’t be alone out here for long and I suspect these security cameras picked up a lot we don’t want them to see. If you’re going to call the police in that’s fine. If you’re going to keep this quiet and allow my firm to handle it, then I need to get to work now.”