Ruthless Game (GhostWalkers, #9)(127)
She flicked her gaze to the position he’d given her. Walking along the path merging with theirs was Amo Jeanmard, a man she’d known for some years. She glanced behind her and identified the Lanoux brothers, Robert and Dion. Twins, one was rarely seen without the other. They’d gone to school with Mahieu, but often dropped by the bar late at night to say hello. She liked both of them. She suspected
Robert flirted with her for fun, but that Dion was quite serious. From the look on his face, he wasn’t happy to see her with Drake.
She came from a society of people who were friendly but very private. The men had long ago tried to point out to her father that she was a wild child, but when he hadn’t responded, they all seemed to think they needed to keep an eye on her, from a distance of course.
“They’re neighbors,” she announced, relaxing a little. If a killer lurked in the grove, he wouldn’t show himself with so many grouped together. Once she got her charge settled into the bed-and-breakfast, she’d go back to the house and add to her supply of weapons. She wasn’t going to endanger anyone, but she had to make a living. Donovan was paying too much money and she needed it. She refused to be dependent on her brothers for income. That would give them some semblance of control over her and, at this late date, now that she was grown, she wasn’t about to let them have any say in her life. She flashed a smile at the Lanoux brothers. They had obviously quickened their pace to catch up.
Beside her, Drake reacted so subtly she couldn’t put her finger on what he did, but the air charged with tension and he seemed all at once dangerous, not at all the easygoing man he had appeared. His gaze settled on the two men and didn’t waver. She felt the difference, felt him coiling in readiness, and suddenly she wasn’t so certain anyone was safe with Donovan. His eyes glittered with menace and he very gently but firmly lifted her by the waist and put her behind him, leaving him to face the two brothers alone.
Dion and Robert were nearly as bad, splitting apart to come at Drake from either side, looking like professional fighters instead of the easygoing men she knew them to be. She was fast losing control of the situation, the tension in the air stretching so thin it could be cut with a knife. She should have been afraid for Drake, but something, some coiling tension in Drake, made her afraid for the brothers.
“These are my neighbors,” she reiterated. “My friends.” She curled her fingers around Drake’s biceps as if that might hold him back. His body was warm; no, hot. She felt the ripple of muscle beneath his skin and an answering heat pulsed between her legs.
Drake hesitated and then, to her relief, she saw him flash a brief smile. His eyes were still as focused and she noticed that his body still shielded hers, but some of the tension in him eased. Not tension, she corrected herself—that was coming from the Lanoux brothers. But certainly Drake was coiled and ready should an attack come.
“Dion.” Saria projected more friendliness than usual into her voice. “How are you? What are you doin’ here?”
“I could ask the same question of you, chère,” Dion greeted, stopping just a short distance from them, his gaze running over Donovan, sizing him up. Apparently whatever he saw he didn’t like, because there was no friendliness whatsoever.
“I’ve got a guide gig.” She willed Dion to understand it was lucrative and he’d better not blow it for her. “Drake, this is Dion Lanoux and his brother Robert. They’re close neighbors. Dion, Robert, this is Drake Donovan. I’m going to show him around the swamp and bayou.”
“Really?” Robert’s eyebrow shot up. “Why?”
“Robert.” Saria was appalled. “Mind your own business.”
“You don’ mind, Donovan, but I need to speak with Saria a moment,” Dion said smoothly, and held out his hand to Saria.
She felt a sudden surge of power running beneath Drake’s skin. Her eyes jumped to his face. He was looking at Dion, not Robert, and there was something very deadly in his expression. “Saria.” His voice was very soft. “If you’re afraid of them, you don’t have to go with them.”
He knew. She had thought she’d been so clever and careful. She’d hidden terror from her own brothers, from her neighbors, and yet this total stranger, within minutes of meeting her, knew. She forced a smile, a little impressed that he was obviously willing to fight off both brothers on her behalf. “No, even though they have clearly forgotten their manners, they’re friends.” Maybe if she said it enough times, both sides would stop posturing and play nice.
Ignoring Dion’s hand, she stepped around Drake, or nearly did. He shifted his weight slightly, cutting her off. His fingers just barely trailed down her arm to her wrist, settling with infinite gentleness. “You’re absolutely certain, Saria? I assure you, there’s no need to protect me.” He gave her a faint grin.
Her heart nearly stopped and then began pounding. He was so gorgeous. And the way he touched her, featherlight—she felt it all the way to her bones. Heat rushed through her veins and she swallowed hard, trying not to give in to sheer physical attraction.
“You’re wrong about that,” Dion said, glaring at the sight of Drake’s fingers loosely forming a bracelet around Saria’s wrist.
She followed his annoyed gaze and had to fight from blushing as she pulled away and very firmly stepped around Drake. “You could use the phone, Dion,” she said, “if it is so necessary to get in touch with me.” She walked ahead of him, but stopped where she could keep an eye on Drake and Robert. If the twins had planned some underhanded sneak attack on her customer, she was going to let them know once and for all that she could take care of her own.