Hamilton leaned against Dakota’s kitchen counter watching as Laz and his partner, Detective Ashton Chambers, questioned her. So much for just dropping off a jacket and leaving. This evening hadn't turned out the way Hamilton anticipated. It just went to show that it didn’t matter how much you planned, your life could change or end in a heartbeat.
Considering Dakota had witnessed a murder and could have easily been a victim, she was holding up pretty good. After she showered, he had given her a glass of scotch to help calm her nerves. Now her eyes were partially open and it probably wouldn’t take much for her to fall asleep.
Hamilton pushed away from the counter and walked across the open space to the living room. “Guys, how about giving her a little break?” he asked and nodded his head toward the kitchen, hoping they’d follow.
“Actually, that’s a good idea. I need to return a call. Be back in a few,” Ashton said and headed for the door.
Laz followed Hamilton to the kitchen. “You all right?” he asked, looking at him with concern.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Hamilton reclaimed his position next to the counter and Laz stood partially in front of him. It was clear he wanted to talk without Dakota hearing.
“What were you even doing here?” he whispered. With the open floor plan, it didn’t give much privacy for conversation.
“I met her the other day. Justin introduced us on the set of—”
“Wait. Is this the stuntwoman?” Laz asked and Hamilton frowned. He couldn’t remember mentioning her. “Dom told me about her and that he got her telephone number for you.”
Hamilton shook his head. “That kid talks too damn much. Does he tell you everything?”
“Yep, as he should.”
Laz and Dominic’s relationship had been like that from the day the kid started talking. Hamilton wasn’t an insecure man, but the bond between those two could’ve given him a complex. Instead, he was glad Dominic had several strong men in his life.
“We happened to run into each other the other day at Supreme,” Hamilton explained.
“Is she a client?”
“No. She’s Wesley Bradford’s daughter.”
Laz’s mouth dropped opened and Hamilton almost laughed. His friend was rarely at a loss for words, but he listened as Hamilton gave him the short version of that day in the conference room. He hadn’t been the only one to suffer at the hands of Wesley. His family and closest friends had gone through hell right along with him. Laz was one of few who knew what happened years ago and had no love for the man.
Laz narrowed his eyes and then glanced at Dakota before returning his attention to Hamilton.
“That gorgeous woman is that bastard’s daughter?” he said in a loud whisper. “You’re shitting me.”
“Nope. When I ran into Wesley the other day, I thought I’d be calling you to bail me out of jail. All the hate I felt for him years ago came to the forefront and I wanted to wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze.”
“Glad you refrained from killing the guy. What’s up with her dad?”
“He’s been receiving threatening letters and wants Dakota protected. He thinks she might be in danger, but she refused a bodyguard. According to her, Wesley being threatened is nothing new. Go figure.”
Hamilton had a feeling Dakota would change her mind about getting some type of protection after what happened tonight.
“Damn.” Laz glanced into the living room again. “Well, there is a way you can fuck with old Wes and really make him sorry for the shit he put you through.”
Hamilton was almost afraid to ask. “And that is?”
“Marry his daughter.”
“Yeah, right. That’s never going to happen.”
“Why not? You’re finally ready to settle down, and I can already tell by the way she’s been stealing glances at you that she’s interested.”
“Man, quit. She was almost killed tonight. Whatever look you think you saw was probably fear.”
“Nah, man. Any other woman would have totally freaked out and would probably be bawling their eyes out, but not her. She hasn’t shed a tear.”
Hamilton sighed, not bothering to respond because he thought the same thing. She might’ve been a badass stuntwoman, but what she’d just gone through would’ve made a grown man cry. The fact that no tears had dropped could’ve meant she lacked feelings and she was probably heartless just like her father, but Hamilton didn’t believe that. For some reason, he had a feeling Dakota was a fearless woman who walked to her own beat.
“Are you telling me you’re not attracted to her?” Laz asked.
“I’m not saying that at all. She’s a beautiful woman, but nothing is going to happen between us. So, you might as well lose that—”
“Because she’s Wesley’s kid.”
“Well, yeah, Laz. I can’t believe you even have to ask. That man made my life a living hell. I don’t want anything to do with him or anyone related to him.”
“Yeah you say that, but I'm picking up a different vibe from you. You're feeling this woman.”
Hamilton didn’t respond. What could he say? Everything Laz had said was true. He hadn't even planned to still be at her apartment, but he couldn't deny that the longer he was around Dakota, the more he wanted to be near her.
And that was a problem.
* * *
Dakota sat quietly, numbed by the night’s events, or maybe it was the scotch that she had recently downed. Sitting on her leather sofa, she tried to process what happened. One minute she’d been talking to Sonny, and the next thing she knew, gunshots rang out.
Each time she closed her eyes, a vision of his shocked expression after being shot in the back filled her mind. Had he not been standing there, she would be…
Dakota couldn’t finish the thought. Shivers gripped her and she held the blanket that was around her shoulders tighter. Even her ears were still ringing. Normally, she could compartmentalize everything in her mind, but this… This was something that didn’t make sense.
She shifted and brought her legs up on the sofa, but pain shot through her hip and tailbone, radiating through her body. She drew in a breath and bit her bottom lip, forcing back a groan as she lowered her feet back to the floor.
Her body had taken a beating over the years, but the aches she experienced now, mixed with the mental anguish clogging her mind was more than she could handle at the moment.
Just relax.
Forcing her body to listen to the words floating around in her mind, her breathing slowed and the pain eased somewhat.
Dakota glanced across the room and her gaze slammed into Hamilton’s. Heat rose to her cheeks. He’d been staring at her for the past hour but had kept his distance once they had gotten her into the apartment.
She could’ve kissed him for talking the detectives into giving her a short break. As a matter of fact, Dakota didn’t know what she would’ve done had Hamilton not showed up when he had. No way would she have been able to hold herself together without having his calm presence there.
Dakota rubbed her eyes, fighting to keep them open as she yawned. It had been a long day, and considering the detectives and Hamilton were still there, it didn’t seem the night was going to end anytime soon.
Even before she looked back across the room, she could feel Hamilton’s attention on her.
Yep. Still looking.
He watched her while he talked to the cutie-pie detective who he referred to as his brother. She figured he meant brother in blue since they had been on the police force together a few years back. But they seemed closer than just friends. They clearly weren’t biological brothers. Sure, they were both handsome, but it was safe to say they had different parents. Laz was white with the most startling hazel-green eyes she’d ever seen before. He also had a swagger that could capture any woman’s attention.
Dakota released a long sigh and dropped her head back against the sofa and closed her eyes. Technically, Sonny had saved her life. She didn’t even want to think about what would’ve happened if he hadn’t been standing in front of her.
“Dakota?”
Her eyes popped open and she lifted her head, surprised to see Detective Dimas sitting on the sofa next to her. Hamilton stood next to him, his arms folded across his broad chest and concern written across his face.
Had she dozed off? How hadn’t she felt the sofa dip or feel Hamilton’s presence? Especially since her body vibrated whenever he was near.
“Laz—I mean Detective Dimas—has a few more questions. Are you up for it?”
Dakota studied Laz for a moment as something dawned on her. “Are you Uncle Laz?” Her conversation with Dominic came to mind.
Laz flashed a sexy grin that went well with his hypnotic eyes. “That depends on who you’ve been talking to.”
“Dominic told me that you instructed him to always get a pretty girl’s telephone number.”
Laz chuckled and Hamilton cursed under his breath. “In my defense, I was referring to girls his own age.”
“Damn it, Laz. He shouldn’t be asking for anyone's telephone number. He's too young,” Hamilton said.
“I actually thought it was good advice,” Dakota said, looking at Laz. “Maybe you can share some of your wisdom with Dominic's father.” She yawned again as Laz burst out laughing.
“Yeah, I’ll do that.” Laz chuckled.
She didn’t bother glancing at Hamilton, knowing he was probably glaring at both of them.
Once the detective sobered, he asked Dakota, “How well did you know Sonny?”
“Not well. He moved into the building almost a year ago. I don’t see him every day. Well…I didn’t see him every day.”
“Were you two dating?”
“No,” Dakota said quickly, her gaze connecting with Hamilton’s again. She didn’t know why it mattered that he knew that, but it did. “I went out with Sonny once, but he and I aren’t…weren’t compatible. He was a little too rough around the edges for me, if you know what I mean.”
Detective Dimas nodded. “He was a street captain with the 4-1 gang.”
“Really?” She shouldn’t be surprised. Sonny hung out with some bad seeds if the “party” he had taken her to was any indication.
“What we need to figure out,” the detective said, “is if that hit was intended for him…or for you.”
* * *
This was the first time tonight that Hamilton had witnessed any vulnerability from Dakota.
He shoved Laz in the shoulder. “You really need to work on your tact,” he mumbled before taking the seat on the other side of Dakota. She’d had a quick shower and her light floral scent smelled fresh and clean, drawing him to her like a hummingbird to wildflowers.
“You think they were shooting at me? I thought it was some random shooting.” Her voice faded to a muted whisper. “My father. Surely you don’t think—”
“Before you start jumping to conclusions, the cops are not sure what the shooting was about or who—”
“It had all the signs of a hit,” Laz said matter-of-factly. Hamilton wanted to punch him, especially seeing that Dakota’s breathing had increased and she was holding the blanket around her shoulder with a death grip.
She turned startled eyes to Hamilton. “Is that what you think? You think that was a hit?”
He suddenly wanted to wrap her in his arms and provide some sense of comfort. He couldn’t lie to her but didn’t want to frighten her either. Dakota needed to be diligent in taking care of herself. That wouldn’t happen unless he was honest.
“Yes.”
“Oh my, God.” She leaped off the sofa, but winced and gasped, her hand flying to her hip as her knees buckled.
Hamilton was out of his seat before he realized it, and Laz flanked the other side of her.
“I think you need to go to the hospital,” Hamilton said as they led her back to the sofa. Dakota had refused to go earlier, claiming she was fine, but he wasn’t so sure.
She shook her head and didn’t speak right away.
“At least get checked out. It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Laz added.
“No. I just need a good, long soak. I’ve been banged up worse than this and survived.” Dakota reclaimed her seat.
“Do you have someone you can stay with for a couple of days?” Laz asked.
Hamilton glanced around the room at the ton of boxes. Dakota had explained that she would be moving in a few weeks to a place she was leasing in Brookhaven, a suburb of Atlanta. He wondered if she and her roommate were parting on good terms. After the shooting, he wasn’t ruling anyone out as possible suspects.
“Can you go to your father’s house?” Hamilton asked past the lump in his throat. Wesley might be a lot of things, but at least he had the means to keep her safe.
Why’d she have to be related to the guy? Had she been anyone else, Hamilton believed they could be good together.
“My father and I are not on good terms.” She snuggled deeper under the blanket and blew out a breath. “I like you, Hamilton. I wish we could have met under different circumstances.” It was as if she’d been reading his mind. “Just so you know, I’m not my father. I don’t know what happened between you two, but please don’t hold his issues against me.”
After a slight hesitation, he said, “Fair enough. So, what do you want to do? I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay here. At least not until the police know more.” Her roommate was out of town and wasn’t expected back for a couple of days.
“I think I need to hire some protection.”
Dakota spoke so quietly, Hamilton barely heard her. She might not have shown fear earlier, but she was clearly scared. It was like a punch in the gut. He liked the fearless side of her better but damned if a wave of possessiveness didn’t seep into his bones. He didn’t want anything to happen to her.
“I want to hire you.”
Hamilton shook his head. “You can’t hire me.”
“Ham, she does need some protection. At least until we determine who the target was,” Laz interjected.
Hamilton stood and ran his hand down his goatee. His friend was right. They could hope all they want that she wasn’t the target, but until Laz and Ashton found the shooters, Dakota could be in danger.
“Pack a bag. I’m taking you to a safe house.”
Laz looked at him with raised eyebrows. Hamilton tried to ignore him but could hear the unspoken words.
I know you want her, but are you sure this is a good idea?
This was absolutely not a good idea. Yes, she needed to be somewhere safe with someone to protect her.
Him being that someone was a disaster waiting to happen.