His Moment to Steal: In the Line of Duty, Book 4 Read online

  “Because I am.” Luke looked at his friend, his comrade. As a fellow army security specialist, he’d worked closely with Garrett in the field. And even though Garrett had demons, and had learned to overcome them thanks to Tallulah, he was a guy Luke trusted with his life. They spent many nights talking in the field, and Garrett was one of a handful of guys who knew about his past.

  “Go on.”

  Luke twisted off his beer cap, took a long pull from the bottle and set it down. He let loose a breath, gave a hard shake of his head, and said, “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”

  “Try me.”

  He met Garrett’s glance. “Taylor’s Market.”

  Garrett planted his elbows on the table, and blew out a slow breath. “What the hell were you thinking? Wait, let me guess…” He paused and smacked Luke on the side of the head. “You weren’t thinking with this.”

  “I thought the owners had changed over the years, then I found out it was Taylor’s daughter Emery running the show.”

  “You could have walked away.”

  “I could have. But I need all the work I can get,” he said, although deep in his gut he knew Emery was the reason… Emery with the big pleading eyes…

  Garrett nodded, because he knew Luke was financially tapped, every spare cent he made going into the scholarship fund. “How is Allison?”

  His heart tightened at the mention of his sister. He drew a breath and let it out slowly. “She’s good. She graduated the top of her class and is now in law school.”

  “Law school, huh?” Garrett twirled his beer bottle on the tabletop. “Maybe she wants to right some wrongs.”

  “Hopefully,” Luke said.

  “She still doesn’t know.”

  “Of course not. The scholarship fund was set up anonymously for a reason. If she knew it came from me she wouldn’t take it.” He looked into his beer bottle, his stomach in knots. He might not have talked to his sister in ages, but he still kept close tabs on her. “She hates me, Garrett.”

  “You did what you had to do, Luke. I get that. And I bet she doesn’t hate you.” He took a sip of beer and went quiet for a moment, like he was deep in thought. “Maybe you should try talking to her.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” he said, and even though he knew Garrett was right—he had to do what he had to do—it didn’t make pushing his sister away from him, or turning her against him any easier. But he couldn’t let their father turn his back on her too, all because she wanted to visit her big brother in juvie.

  The old man was disgusted with Luke after the incident and wanted nothing more to do with him. Nor did he want Allison visiting or having any connection with a Phillips who would shame his entire family. The bastard had given Luke an ultimatum—either he put Allison out of his life and stopped her from visiting or the old man would disown her as well. Luke had no choice but to push her away—for her own good.

  When Luke took the blame he never thought Taylor’s connections ran deep and he’d end up in juvie. Community service yes, but never locked in a hellhole where he was forced to use his fists more than once to survive. Another kick to the teeth was that Dear Old Dad had turned against him. He sure found out who had his back—and more importantly who didn’t—when he found himself in trouble. His father had died a few years ago, never knowing the truth, because he refused to speak to his only son, deeming him unworthy. Jesus, they’d all lost so much.

  “So speaking of doing what you have to do, what are you going to do about Taylor’s daughter?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You like her?”

  “I did before I found out who she was.”

  “And now you don’t like her.”

  “Yeah, no, I don’t know.” Okay, now he sounded like Trent.

  “I messed in the wrong sandbox once,” Garrett said, grinning. He held his hand up to show off his wedding ring. “And look how that turned out.”

  “Didn’t you get your ass kicked by Ving over that?”

  “Yeah, but it was worth it. I married the sweetest girl in the world and she gave me a beautiful daughter.”

  “I wanted to sleep with Emery, not marry her,” Luke said.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought about Tallulah too.”

  Luke scoffed. “Whose side are you on here anyway?”

  “Come on.” Garrett nudged him with his elbow. “You know I’ve got your back.”

  “Then maybe you should try to give advice that’s actually useful.”

  Garrett laughed, then glanced at his watch and stood. “How about this. If you want to get her out of your head—” he paused and gestured toward the cute blonde girl who was casting glances Luke’s way, “—she’s just the girl to help.” Garrett dropped a few bills on the bar, then put his hand on Luke’s shoulder. “But you know, it wasn’t her that did wrong by you.”

  “Ah, about that good advice…”

  Garrett twirled the ring on his finger. “Look, all I’m saying is you never know what you can build when playing with someone else’s sand.”

  He wasn’t looking to build anything with Emery. “It wasn’t her sand I wanted to play with, Garrett. Now go home to your girls and stop pissing me off with your fucked-up analogies. You’re starting to sound like Jack.”

  “And how could that be a bad thing?” Jack Barnes asked as he took over Garrett’s seat.

  As Garrett laughed and headed for the door, his buddy Jack ordered a drink. Jack was the guy who’d called in a few favors and managed to open the old military base on the outskirts of town where they all trained service dogs.

  “So what was Garrett talking to you about?”

  “Her,” Luke said as he turned his attention to the blonde. Yeah, maybe he would take her home. Maybe she was just the girl to help him get Emery out of his head.

  Sweet and sexy, yet strong and stubborn Emery.

  Emery who needed him.

  Shit.

  Chapter Three

  Emery restocked the dry goods section but kept dropping the very expensive boxes of imported crackers because she couldn’t quite seem to concentrate. Her glance kept straying to the front of the store in search of Luke, who’d been coming and going all morning with his equipment.

  And oh what fine equipment he had…

  Honestly, she still couldn’t believe she’d gone ahead and hired him after finding out he was the man who’d sent her father on a rampage a little over a decade ago. Even though he’d kept her sheltered from the event, she did remember his rage and how he set out to make an example of the boy. She had no idea what Luke had stolen, but the fact that the courts had sent him to juvie for it, must have meant he’d taken one heck of a big haul.

  She was still a little surprised that Luke had agreed to the job after his run-in with her father. She didn’t miss the angry flare lingering in the depths of his silvery gaze when he saw him standing in the doorway, when he realized who Emery was. Even still, she was glad he’d signed on, and the least she could do was believe that he’d learned his lesson. Truthfully, she didn’t trust him on a personal level; then again she didn’t trust anyone. But she could only hope that on a professional level he wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize his business and find himself on the wrong side of the law again.

  Once a thief always a thief…

  As her father’s words pinged around her brain, she considered his reaction when he saw Luke sitting across from her. Emery had never gone against her father’s wishes before. Everything she did was to keep peace and make him happy—which was why she kept the state of the business to herself. After her mom had died in her early teen years, Jeremy had grown increasingly aggressive, making it difficult for her dad to take care of him. Emery tried to be the quiet one, keeping her grades up and walking around unseen so she didn’t give her father any more stress than he already had.

  Keeping him happy was important to her, which made her wonder why she hadn’t followed his wishes and sent Luke packing. But she already knew the an
swer to that question. If she didn’t hire Luke, what chance did she stand at turning her business around? He was the only game in town, unless she wanted to wait months, which she didn’t. Months could be too late for her. But the truth was after seeing him in action with Trent, she felt a little lighter knowing he was good at his job.

  She caught a glimpse of him moving through the doorway, a box full of motion-sensing cameras in his arms—hard, strong arms that brushed hers two days ago when he’d helped her with her melons. Melons… Emery bit back a groan as she remembered his teasing, as well as the hungry way he looked at her.

  But ever since he found out she was Winston Taylor’s daughter, that hunger had turned to anger. He now walked around with every muscle tense, his features harsh, his gray eyes cold and calculating as he focused solely on the task at hand. Which was probably a good thing, because honestly, the last thing she should have been doing was having an affair with the man who stole from her father. With him ignoring her, regarding her with dark, haunted eyes, she could keep her mind on her business, where it belonged.

  Heavy footsteps heralded someone’s approach. She glanced up and came face to face, or rather face to crotch with Luke. Oh God.

  What was that I’d just thought about keeping my mind on my business?

  She sucked in a quick breath, and when she caught the spicy scent of his skin, she swallowed the moan rising in her throat. Heat zipped through her body, despite the cold air blowing down on her, and she could feel her pale cheeks coloring, her blood burning hotter.

  “Are you okay?” Luke asked, his gaze narrowing as he looked at her with steel-gray eyes.

  “Yes.” She fanned her face. “It’s hot in here.”

  He wiped his brow, his T-shirt stretching tight across his broad shoulders. “It’s worse out there.”

  As she remained on her knees in front of him, Luke lowered his head, his ghostly stare locked on hers. The air went still as he stared at her, his haunting eyes penetrating, looking at her in a way no one else ever had. His eyes seemed to change color, taking on a darker shade of pewter as he raked his fingers through his short hair. Thick muscles flexed and in that instant, sexual heat flooded her, once again reminding her it had been two years since she felt a man touch her body.

  Unable to help herself, she moved her gaze to Luke’s big hands. She took in his calluses and wondered how they would feel scraping across her skin, touching her in her most intimate of places. This time there was nothing she could do to stifle the moan rumbling in her throat. She grabbed the box of crackers and gave them a little shake to smother her sexually frustrated groan.

  The sound seemed to do something to Luke. His head snapped up and he shook it like he was trying to clear it. “Can you come out to the van with me?”

  “Oh, yeah, sure,” she said, thankful for the distraction. She grabbed the shelf, about to hoist herself up, when his hand closed over hers and tugged. With little effort he pulled her to her feet, and because the movement caught her off guard, she fell against him. His arm snaked around her back, his big fingers splaying over her shirt. Her mind took that moment to wander, visualizing his big, strong body over hers, his lips on her mouth, her breasts, between her legs.

  She stood there breathless, his closeness completely overwhelming her. He dipped his head, and their eyes met. “You…ah, you okay?” he asked. “You seem distracted.”

  Since her voice had just taken a vacation, she nodded, and her hair fell into her face. Luke reached out, like he was about to move it, but then suddenly pulled his hand back like it had been slapped. Just then she could hear the squeaky wheel of a cart coming her way. She smoothed her hands over her apron and skirt, quickly pulling herself together.

  “So you needed me at the van.”

  Luke stiffened and stepped back, the muscles along his jaw clenching as he frowned. “Yeah. I have some things I want to go over with you.”

  She waved her hand and tried her best to keep her voice light. “Then, please, lead the way.”

  She followed him out to his van where his crew was working, and a blast of stale heat hit her when she entered. Good God, if she thought it was hot in the store, it was nothing compared to the heat in the van. It was stifling, even with all the windows open. She noticed the empty water bottles and coffee cups where the surveillance monitors were set up. If they didn’t stay hydrated they were likely to pass out.

  Luke introduced her to the rest of his team, who were watching the monitors. Colt, a very nice-looking guy who appeared to be in his mid-twenties, turned to her and tipped his Stetson. In his best Texas drawl, he said, “Howdy, Emery.”

  “Colt,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Tanner shimmied his chair closer, shoving Colt out of the way as he twisted his ball cap around. Translucent blue eyes met hers. “You’re only saying that because you don’t know him. He’s actually a pain in the ass, and it’s never nice to meet him. Now me, however…”

  “Hey,” Colt said, ramming his chair against Tanner’s. “I saw her first.”

  “You see what I have to put up with?” Luke asked, shaking his head. “It’s like herding fucking monkeys.”

  “I’d rather be a monkey than a hardheaded mule like you,” Colt shot back.

  “You mean hardheaded ass,” Tanner said, laughing.

  Emery watched the way the three interacted, loving the easy camaraderie between friends. It was obvious they were all close and cared a great deal about each other. She knew Luke was ex-military and couldn’t help but wonder if these two were ex-soldiers as well. As she thought about that and listened to them razz each other, some small part of her heart tightened, wishing she had experienced this kind of friendship growing up. But if past experiences had taught her anything it was to never open up to anyone.

  Unable to help herself, she smiled up at Luke, and when she did something in his face softened, making him look so adorable, so sexy and boyish it took two locked knees to keep herself standing. For extra measure, she grabbed the edge of the counter, gripping it like it was a lifeline.

  “Are you okay?” Luke asked, slipping his hand around her waist and holding her against him.

  As she once again found herself in his arms, the hard-packed muscles on his chest and stomach pressing against her, it was all she could do to fill her lungs. “It’s just so warm in here,” she fibbed.

  “Yeah, it is.” He held her longer and his fingers felt hot, heavy against the small of her back. “Here, sit down. Once the equipment arrives, we’ll be able to do the monitoring from your office, but for now, this is what we have to work with.” He pulled a chair out for her and when she lowered herself he nodded to Tanner. “Grab her some water.”

  Tanner shook one of the empty bottles. “We’re out, man.”

  Emery held her hands up. “It’s okay. I’m okay, really.” Before Luke could protest, she turned her attention to the monitors. “Can you tell me what’s happening here?” she asked, redirecting the conversation.

  Images flashed before her, showing her different angles of the market. Luke leaned over her, and as his hard stomach muscles pressed against her body once again, she had no idea how she was going to concentrate. Good God, the guy was so hard, so hot, so tempting. Too bad he no longer seemed interested in her.

  Which was for the best, she reminded herself.

  “You see right here?” he said, pointing to different areas of the store as the images flicked by. “And here?”

  She nodded, and leaned toward the monitor. “Yeah.”

  “Blind spots,” he said. “We definitely have to add cameras here and here.” His finger moved over the glass, and as he traced the screen, she imagined that rough pad of his index finger tracing another area of her body…just like that.

  Good God, Emery. Get it together.

  With the heat getting to her, not to mention Luke’s closeness, she peeled off her apron and set it on her lap. She heard Luke exhale slowly, his warm breath tickling her neck. She shifted as
his presence grew invasive, overwhelming.

  “This all sounds good to me,” she said.

  “Yeah, but there are going to be extra costs involved.”

  Luke stayed close, too close, and he looked a little restless when she twisted in her chair. Her shoulder rubbed up against his stomach as she mentally went over her budget, and while she couldn’t afford it, she couldn’t afford not to either. “Okay,” she said.

  For the next twenty minutes Luke talked to her about security measures, going over things from advanced surveillance software that could compare a shopper’s movement between video images and recognize unusual activity, to predicting where a shoplifter was likely to hide. The system also recorded the opening of back doors, and took snapshots of the perpetrator. He then went over the use of RFID—radio frequency identification chips—which could be imbedded in the wheels on each shopping cart, as well as on products, to monitor inventory.

  Not only was she fascinated by the information, she was also impressed with his vast knowledge and his passion as he explained it all to her. One thing was for certain, the man was intelligent and truly loved what he did.

  When he was done, Colt pulled out a number pad and set it next to one of the monitors.

  Luke pointed to it, and that’s when she noticed the corkboard behind Tanner. A picture of a girl stood out amongst the dozen or so notes. She looked to be around twenty, and for a moment she wondered who she was, and what she meant to one of these guys, but turned her attention back to Luke when he started talking to her.

  “Right now I have to get back inside and work on the electrical, so Colt is going to go over how to set the system once it’s in place.”

  Colt’s chair squeaked as he shifted closer, his blue eyes holding a bit of mischief as they raked over her. “So, Emery,” he said. “What’s your number, sweetheart?” From the look on his face, she knew he wasn’t talking about the key code for the number pad he was holding.

  “Colt,” Luke warned.

  Looking a bit sheepish, Colt shot a glance over his shoulder. “What?”