Breaking Her Rules(3)
Iris’s dark eyebrows rose slightly, her expression wary. “Yes?”
“Will you call me tonight?” God help him, he needed to know she was safe. Even if she only called and spoke to him for a few seconds, he just wanted to hear her voice.
She paused, the moment seeming to stretch on for an eternity. He hated making himself vulnerable in front of anyone, especially a room full of sharks who would rip apart any perceived weakness, but at the moment he didn’t care.
Iris was and always had been his weakness.
“Of course,” she murmured, her eyes softening for just a second before her familiar mask fell back into place.
Then she and Berr were gone.
* * * * *
Iris kept a firm grip on Berr’s upper arm as they headed down the stairs. This time the team didn’t bother trying to be invisible to the partygoers. In addition to her, they surrounded him in a tight circle as they hurried through the house.
“I’m not going to collapse,” Berr muttered as they eventually reached the waiting SUV. Vincent was already in the driver’s seat as she helped Berr into the backseat.
“I know.” But she figured he might need the support right now and didn’t want to admit it. “She’s fine, so you’ll be fine too.” Iris knew saying the words out loud would help him stay calm on the drive to Loretta’s house. They’d received word from one of her team that Loretta’s house had been broken into while Berr had been at the meeting tonight. Turns out Berr wasn’t the one being stalked, Loretta was. By one of Berr’s exes. The gunshot she’d suffered earlier in the week hadn’t been intended for Berr. Now Iris was incredibly thankful she’d left two extra men to guard Loretta.
It had saved the woman’s life tonight.
“I should have been there with her.” He glanced out the tinted window as they zoomed away.
“She insisted you go and Loretta is forceful.” The petite woman with flawless skin had been laid up with a gunshot wound and she’d still been a little terrifying.
“I should have—”
“There’s nothing you could have done. And she’s alive.” That was what mattered. According to her teammate, the woman who’d wanted to hurt Loretta was now dead, one of Red Stone’s guys having been forced to kill her in self-defense.
Iris figured that it might take Berr a while to come to terms with the fact that a woman he’d once been involved with had tried to kill someone important to him—and was now dead. She rubbed a hand over her face. What a mess.
There would be a whole lot of paperwork and a trip down to the police station tonight. She didn’t have to go, but if one of her men was filling out a report and being interviewed by the police, she wanted to be there with him. Iris also had a feeling that her boss, Harrison Caldwell, would show up too. And he’d bring a lawyer or two.
They drove in silence, taking only fifteen minutes to arrive at the quiet, middle class neighborhood on the outskirts of the downtown area. She could see the flashing blue and red lights bouncing off the trees of the dead end street before they’d reached the one-story cottage style home.
There were four police cars, two ambulances, a fire truck and two black SUVs Iris knew were owned by Red Stone. Oh yeah, total mess. Before Vincent had even parked, Berr had jumped from the backseat and was sprinting across the asphalt.
“Crap,” she muttered, unsnapping her own seat belt and following suit.
A police officer with blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun held up a hand as Berr neared the cordoned off area. The cops hadn’t taped anything off, but they’d set up small cones signaling where civilians weren’t allowed past and Berr didn’t look as if he planned to stop for anyone.
“Sir—” The woman stopped as Loretta cut her off with a shout.
“Gene!” Loretta sat on the back of one of the ambulances, a uniformed EMT in front of her. She waved a hand, swatting at the man who tried to stop her, and slid off her seat. Wearing a knee-length purple tube top-style dress, her bandaged shoulder was visible but she looked well enough considering everything. While her face was pale, she was definitely relieved to see Berr.
Berr didn’t pause as he crossed the distance between them. Loretta looked like she was about to say something, but Berr kissed her hard. Even though he was Iris’s client and she was supposed to be watching him at all times, Iris turned to the side to give them a little privacy. She ruthlessly buried the unwanted emotions that built inside her as she thought of the closeness she’d shared with Wyatt only a month ago. He’d kissed her the same way Berr was kissing Loretta now. The need and hunger emanating off both of them was almost palpable. And she so did not need to see that. Not when she was already a conflicting mess of emotions.
She found Vincent hovering behind her. Kell and another Red Stone agent were talking to the female officer, no doubt letting her know who they were and why they were there.
For the next few minutes Iris and Vincent kept an eye on Berr and Loretta who couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Eventually Vincent opened his big mouth, just like she knew he would. “How is it that you’re married, Iris? And how come none of us know about it? And why weren’t we invited to the wedding?”
“Seriously?” Her head snapped up and she glared at him. He wanted to talk about this in front of a client? Well, Berr wasn’t exactly in hearing range, but the timing was inappropriate. Besides, she couldn’t find the right words to tell her coworkers that she’d had a quickie marriage in Vegas a month ago but now wanted a divorce without sounding like a flake. It was too personal and she didn’t want others knowing all about her business. Her private life was just that. Private.
Kell tried to smother a laugh with a cough as he strode up to them. It was a pathetic attempt.
“What? I’m curious.” Vincent shrugged, those pale eyes of his flashing with amusement.
She half nodded in Berr’s direction, hoping Vincent would get the hint, but the client was now feet away from them and looking at her. Iris glanced over his shoulder to find Loretta talking to a police officer and an EMT.
“I’m curious too. Wyatt Christiansen…” Berr trailed off, shaking his head, his gaze growing speculative. “It makes sense that he’d end up with a woman like you.”
Despite her desire to end this conversation immediately, a spark of anger popped inside her. What was up with a relative stranger talking to her like that? “Like me?”
He held up his hands in a placating gesture. “I just meant…bad ass. Harrison gave me your resume. It’s impressive. You and Christiansen fit, that’s all I’m saying.” Berr turned back to watch Loretta. “She said to give her a few minutes while she packs a bag. They wanted to take her to the hospital but she’s not injured and she refuses to go so we’re taking her to my house.”
Iris nodded at him then looked at Vincent and Kell. “You two escort them back to his house. I’m going to the station. Are the cops okay with our presence?” Depending upon who was on duty made a difference for Red Stone’s reception anywhere.
“Yeah,” Kell said. “And Harrison’s on his way to the station. I figured you’d be going so he’s meeting you there instead of coming here.”
“Good. Call me if there’s a problem.” Iris said a polite goodbye to Berr, then headed toward the closest police officer.
She tried to clear her head of all thoughts Wyatt, but couldn’t get his sexy image out of her head. And she wanted to throttle Vincent for bringing up her marriage. She still couldn’t believe she’d married Wyatt and she certainly didn’t want to talk about it when her husband refused to divorce her. Stubborn ass.
A month ago she’d had to take her vacation time or lose it and had no clue where to go when Wyatt had asked her to visit Vegas for the week. He’d just bought another hotel out there and she’d needed the break so she’d gone. They’d been friends for a long damn time, but they’d somehow ended up married her second night there. Okay, there was no ‘somehow’ about it. She’d been completely sober, unless you counted being high from the most addictive sex she’d ever had. After making the jump from friends to lovers so quickly they’d spent the next week practically naked the entire time, and f*cking on any surface they could. Wyatt had been adamant that she wear his ring, that she show she was his. God, the man was so possessive and with anyone else it would annoy the shit of her. But with him, it terrified her because she felt possessive about him too. Always had. But what chance did they have of making things work?
She felt her cheeks heating up as she thought about those nights—and days—wrapped up in his strong arms. Damn Wyatt for being so sexy and stubborn. All it had taken was one look at him tonight and she’d wanted to run her hands through his jet black hair and pull his mouth to hers. Then rip his clothes off and let him completely dominate her. She’d never been like that with anyone else, but letting Wyatt take control came so naturally it made her want to run far and fast from him.