Irresistibly Rugged

Chapter 1 Lois West tucked her short-sleeved black button-down shirt into her black knee-length skirt. Despite being married to one of the wealthiest men in the world, she still dressed like she had life goals to be a nun or something. The only exception to the rule was the short sleeves, but it was hot in Florida. Her devout parents would understand. Anyone should. She smoothed her fingers over her hair to ensure her bun was tight, not needing a mirror for the familiar chore. Her phone rang. The unmarked number beeped at her. 727 area code. It was Kirno. She stilled as adrenaline rushed through her. Months ago, when she’d agreed to a pretend marriage, she hadn’t expected to like anyone in the family she spied on. She’d agreed because it would be her only shot at not marrying some man she’d never care for, earn some money, and escape her dull life. Once she completed her assignment, she’d be absolutely free for the first time. So, she’d married for money. But as the Bentleys had been found innocent, nothing about this job made her happy. Lois wasn’t being a good person at all, and it didn’t sit well. She picked up the phone and Mariam said, in a huff and without even a hello, “You’ve not reported in for the past twenty-four hours.” Dylan’s footsteps outside her bedroom echoed. She froze though her heart beat fast. He knocked on the door and she said, “I can’t talk now.” She tossed her phone on her bed and clenched her waist, turning toward her husband. Dylan stared at her with big, brown eyes that seemed to see into her mind. Her stomach did its usual flip. Lois wished she could be herself with him, but since they’d met she’d been playing a part—and she was no actress. He pushed the door wider and asked, “Lois, are you okay?” Her pulse zipped and it wasn’t just about that phone call. She batted her eyes and tried to shake off Mariam’s accusation, placing her hand on her hip. “Yeah, sorry, what’s going on?” He pointed with his thumb to the front door behind him. “Roy and Caitlyn have something to say upstairs.” Their family often had meetings that she’d been a part of to share information with Mariam, and Kirno. Lois lowered her head. “One more minute and I’ll be ready.” He didn’t move but eyed her up and down. “You don’t have to put on makeup.” The girl her parents wanted her to be caused her lips to purse automatically. Years of training to be a good, sweet girl had her quickly pout as she shook her head. “I don’t wear makeup.” He shrugged. “You did last night. It was a nice look for you.” Last night they’d gone to a wedding, so it was a special occasion. Either way, she had to ensure they weren’t on the same page. He needed to never trust her because one day soon, she’d leave. So, she patted her bun and pretended to be the woman of faith she was portraying as she batted her eyes, “Tell you what. If you want to have a baby with me, then I’ll wear makeup for you.” The look of disgust and the tightness of his body showed how much he despised her. Good. Her stomach unknotted, as she knew he’d stay ten feet away tonight. “Don’t do this. Let’s go.” She shouldn’t be attracted to Dylan. He’d figure her out in a heartbeat if she got too close. It was better this way. She checked her buttons were perfect and walked out beside him, purposely leaving her phone on the bed. The less distractions, the better. They walked past security, which included her brother, Adam, who likely told her parents her every action. She couldn’t trust him with the truth about what she’d done. No one knew. If only she’d just escaped like she’d first intended, and never sought cash for a better life. Money, or the quest of it, had caused her nothing but more and more problems. As she and Dylan rode the elevator in silence, then walked to his parents’ apartment, she didn’t feel better until she hugged Hannah, who’d been nothing but nice to her—though Hannah thought her a mindless woman who did nothing but pray every day. Hannah let her go and Lois saw their friend Caitlyn with her strawberry blonde shiny hair standing in the center of a circle with Roy, holding her husband’s hand tight. Something had changed. Lois held her tongue. Hannah ushered her over to a long buffet table and gave her a cup of tea. “Lois, how is everything?” Dylan was on the other side of the room, with his brothers. Good. She wouldn’t feel the knots in her stomach that she betrayed him specifically if he wasn’t close to her. She sighed and gestured to the circle of people. “I’m good, what’s going on with Caitlyn?” Hannah walked with her to stand in the circle too. “Now that you’re here and you have your tea, hopefully she’ll tell us.” Had Lois been last to arrive? Her skin buzzed. She hated making a scene. She aimed for the middle so no one ever noticed her. Now her skin had that slimy feeling again. The Bentleys were innocent. Which meant she was hurting people who hadn’t done anything wrong. This wasn’t who she was. Lois had set out to find her own path, not hurt people. But for now, she kept her lips sealed. Caitlyn met everyone’s gaze in the room. “I wanted to let you all know that I was asked to report to the police anything I saw happening within the family, but I never betrayed anyone.” Her too? Lois’s stomach fluttered. Dylan asked, “You’re the spy?” Lois heard the words like they were arrows directed right at her. Caitlyn took a deep breath and faced off against Dylan as she said, “I never hurt anyone here. I never would.” Roy clasped his wife’s hand in solidarity. Caitlyn finished, “The Bentley family is like my own. We wanted to tell everyone, so I’m not hiding anything.” Roy added fast, “I believe my wife and I don’t intend to keep anything a secret from her.” Lois feared she might get violently ill. Dylan would throw her to the wolves, not support her. They kept each other at arms’ length, and Lois was feeding information to the people out to hurt them. She’d gone from saint to sinner in the past twenty-four hours. And yes, she believed the Bentleys were innocent. They weren’t the evil billionaires who stole from churches, charities, seniors, families and more across the country. Bile rose up her throat—she needed to go, now. She put her tea cup down, squeezed Hannah’s hand and headed toward the door, clutching her stomach. She shouldn’t be here. Her face felt hot. As she reached for the handle, Dylan stood in her way. Did he expect her to out herself, here? No. He didn’t know. She ignored the growing nausea in her stomach and asked, “Dylan, what would you do if I turned out to be the spy and not Caitlyn?” He gently patted her shoulder like they were friends. “We don’t have to go there anymore. It seems you’re innocent.” So now he’d deem her okay to talk to, without disdain in his serious gaze? Her eyes watered but she’d not say a word. She nodded, desperate to leave. “I’m going downstairs to finish packing for Paris.” “I’ll be down in a few minutes.” He stepped out of her way and closed the door behind her once she left. Nothing was right. Caitlyn wasn’t the spy. She, simple Lois West, was. She passed her brother in the hall, ducking her head—she suspected that he kept her parents informed on the state of her marriage. She’d wanted to be like Adam, who’d joined the Marines after high school, and escaped the strictness of their home. Since she’d agreed to marry Dylan and report back on everything she saw, she’d gone from a spy adventure to hurting people. Her body sizzled with negative energy and the power was eating away at her. The elevator ride was lonely without Dylan at her side, and no one bothered her in the hall. She returned to her bedroom and headed right into the en suite bathroom, where she splashed water on her face. She glanced in the closet at the safe room and wished that was a place she’d find solace. But there was no forgiveness. Not for her. As she left the bathroom, she saw her cell phone flashing on her bed. She picked it up and the unknown number was Mariam. She crawled onto the mattress, let her head hit the backboard, and answered, “It seems the Bentleys think there is no one else spying on them.” Mariam snorted. “That’s your report?” Right. Mariam was bad. The Bentleys were good and she now worked for the bad guys. She opened her eyes and stared off into nothingness as she said, “They cleared their name and have access to their fortunes again.” “We’re well aware,” Mariam said. Lois shook her head. “So you don’t need me…” “Wrong, Lois.” Mariam’s words were like razors to her heart. “Your job is even more important now. You need to tell us everything.” Why? Every floor was bugged. Microphones and tiny cameras had been built into the walls so not even the top-notch security knew. Roy’s stolen laptop had given Kirno access to every file he’d touched. This needed to end. Every day felt like she’d survived a fist fight, when all she wanted to do was walk barefoot in a park and lie down in green grass. She banged her head back. “Everything is more complicated.” Mariam said, “You’ll still get that pay-off if you help us.” Money. Right. She’d never had any in her life. If she was broke and penniless, it wasn’t anything new. Maybe she should have just married Bart like her parents had wanted. But then she’d just be a different kind of miserable. Her life wasn’t anything like those movies and TV shows where having money meant happiness. She sighed. “I’ve betrayed good people.” Mariam said, “This isn’t about good or bad. It’s a paycheck.” Lois glanced at the ceiling, murmured a silent, quick prayer, and said out loud, “Look, I’m thinking it’s time to stop.” Mariam’s voice didn’t crack at all as she said, “Then your parents will pay for your mistake.” No. Ice rushed through her. “What?” Mariam kept her words slow and measured. “Your parents go to church every Sunday. They volunteer at the food pantry every Saturday. They have a nice quiet dinner together every Friday night. It would be easy for them to have an accident.” The hard words tore into her. Every muscle in her body was tense as she jumped off the bed. “So you’re threatening me?” “Finish the job you started and no one gets hurt.” Mariam hung up without another word. Lois headed into the living room, but then paced back to her bedroom. Mariam could see her almost everywhere and tears stung in her eyes. She went into the safe room in her closet. The Navid-installed additions were literally the only quiet place in the condos. She didn’t fully close the door, but she collapsed on the bed and let her tears fall. Her parents didn’t need to pay for her mistakes. Everything she believed was a lie and somehow she needed to fix this situation without hurting anyone else. She wiped her eyes and sat at the desk near the door. She thought best with lists. So she penned out what she could do. She wrote the word “police” but the only crime committed right now was her own. And this wouldn’t save her parents. She wrote down “Adam,” her brother, but he’d not be able to protect their parents from a group as large and evil as Kirno. Next, she wrote down “Dylan.” Hmm. He’d hate her, but then he probably already did. She underlined his name because he had the resources. And in exchange for his assistance, she’d point out some cameras in the building’s architectural blueprint. He could keep his family safe too. And helping them might, just might, free her from the guilt that ate at her. Lois heard the front door open. She left the safe room and returned to the foyer. She drank in the tall figure of a man far too sexy to ever be hers, for real, and her body tightened. It was time to come clean. She walked toward him, this time with her head a little higher than usual. He didn’t notice as he removed his tie and headed to his bedroom without glancing at her. “Lois, are you ready?” If she said anything unusual here, Mariam would know. Her parents needed her to be strong. Lois knocked on his bedroom door and pointed to her own. “Yeah. Bags are packed. I’m ready, but you need to come and get them.” His gaze narrowed. She walked toward her room without waiting, but knew he was right behind her. Her hips swayed a little, for the impossible dream, but she needed the spies around them to think she wouldn’t betray them. Once he came to her room though, she headed into the safe room. He followed her. Any second, she’d see true hatred grow on his expression. She ignored the impulse to pray for real and straightened her clothes. Once he was also inside, she closed the door and realized just how small this place was. He stared at her and asked, “What’s going on?” “Nothing,” she said automatically. Where were the words? He stepped closer. Her heart did a little flip from his nearness though they both knew they hated each other. “Don’t give me that. You were crying.” He’d noticed? She licked her lips, unsure how to start. The hammering in her chest demanded she get going already. She blinked and held his gaze. “I… look. Don’t worry about it.” They didn’t trust each other, and what she had to say wouldn’t help. Dylan said, “Lois, you’re pushy and religious, but not a bad person. I don’t do crying though.” She’d been the woman her parents had trained her to be. Funny how acting like the religious wife who read the bible at all hours hadn’t made her a saint, or in truth a good person. It was time to stop all pretenses. It was time to be the person she was and not lie about everything, ever again. “Right.” “So what’s going on?” Now. There was no more time. She let out a sigh and pointed to her chest. “I… Caitlyn’s not the spy you need to worry about.” His eyes widened. “Excuse me?” She checked that the door was fully closed, then pressed her back against it to face him. “It’s me. I’m the spy for Kirno. And now I need your help.” His braced himself. “You’re the spy?” Was it so impossible? She never said much, always tried to blend in or disappear into the walls, but then that had been her life. Now she needed to shine a small light on the truth. Lois hugged her waist and didn’t move from the door. “Look, my contacts at Kirno are Sam Zandi and a woman named Mariam Shahpour.” Dylan swayed on his feet like he recognized the names. “Mariam?” If Lois planned to work out a deal to protect her parents, then she needed to at least give him some information. Trust had to start somewhere. She loosened her bun and let her plain, straight, boring brown hair down. The ache at her temples eased. “I’ve worked with Natasha Stephens and know she was paid to marry Oliver so we could work together. She failed, and her job at Kirno was over if she couldn’t get more information for them. My job continues, even now that you’ve been found innocent, I guess.” She played with the elastic and didn’t look at him. Dylan brushed her shoulder. “Why are you telling me now?” She sucked in her bottom lip. He was innocent. One day he’d have a beautiful family with picture-perfect children and some model on his arm. She wanted him to be happy. She’d hurt him enough. And maybe one day, if she was lucky, she’d find herself another Bart. She winced at the idea but then lowered her head. “Because I’ve been lying since we met—when I agreed to the job I thought you were guilty. And now, I can’t let them hurt my parents.” He reached for the door behind her to open it. “Let’s get your brother.” Adam? If he helped, he’d be in danger. She used her shoulder and slammed the door closed. Once she heard the click she said, “The building is wired. It’s why I brought you here. In exchange for your help I’ll show you a building schematic and every camera Kirno has on you.” He scratched his chin and stared at her. “After what you’ve done, you trust me to be fair?” Why was this so hard? Her body jittered but she wasn’t sure what to do. She pressed her lips together and told herself to be grateful that he hadn’t thrown her out or laughed at her or said no. She met his gaze. “No, but you’re my only hope to ensure they’re okay.” He put his left hand in his pocket. “How?” She needed to be clear with him. “We invite them here, where my brother can keep them safe, while you continue your search. I’ve given you Mariam’s name already, and I’ll help you with the security breach.” He put his arms to his sides. She trembled as she waited for his response. Dylan had spoken for months about getting revenge on those who’d hurt him. She was one of them. He shifted, studying her. “You need me to save them?” She never wanted to live with her parents again, but she couldn’t let them be hurt either. She bounced on her feet and said, “Yes. If you bring them here and keep them safe, I’ll tell you everything I know.” He widened his stance. “How can I trust you?” The knot in her stomach squeezed and perspiration dotted her brow. She took a deep breath and wished that worked to ease her tension as she said, “Because you’ll have the people I love.” He touched her shoulder like they were friends as he said in a low voice, “I thought you wanted to be free of them.” Lois couldn’t stop the tears that came from her eyes. She was so weak and she hated herself for crying. “Free doesn’t mean hurt. I don’t want to live with them, but I don’t want them in danger or worse, because I was stupid and reckless. I thought you were guilty as charged and I was doing the right thing, but I was wrong. And I’m sorry for everything I did to you.” He opened his palm and held it in front of her. She wasn’t sure what he meant. She just stared at him. He said, “Then let’s work together, Lois.” Really? She reached for his hand and held it. For the first time she wasn’t racing to push him away. She wasn’t looking to say something pious or meek. She was just holding his hand. His strong, capable hand, as they walked out the door together. Once her parents were safe, she’d let him go, but for now she needed Dylan Bentley.