Cooper Read online

  I worked at an insurance company in town now, and it was the most boring work I had ever done. Not to mention that I took a huge pay cut to go work there. Every time I thought I saw something interesting in a person’s file, I got all excited, thinking this would be the one that would send me down the investigative path. Each one turned out to be a dud. But I couldn’t go back to Reed Security. I had made up my mind to carve out a new life for myself, and I was going to do that.

  After we returned from being on the run, I no longer wanted to live in an apartment by myself. So, I hunted and hunted for a roommate. It took forever, but finally, just after Christmas, I found a woman about my age that needed a roommate for her house. Of course, Coop was pissed. He thought I should move into the panic room with him. Except, he wasn’t actually asking me to move in with him. It was followed up with, ‘you know, one of the other suites’. So, yeah, that wasn’t exactly the romantic gesture I had been hoping for. I moved in with Delaney, and while she wasn’t in the same field of work as me, she found my love of solving mysteries just as fascinating. She was always wanting to hear about my old job, even though I really couldn’t tell her a whole lot.

  “Are you working today?” she asked around a yawn.

  “No. The office is closed, and even if it wasn’t, there’s literally nothing to do there.”

  “Why don’t you just go back to your old job?”

  “Because, I need a change.”

  “Yeah, you keep saying this, but I hate to tell you that you changed the wrong way. You’re so smart and you have mad computer skills. You should have gone to Pittsburgh or Philadelphia and put those skills to use.”

  “But then I would be leaving everyone behind.”

  She rolled her eyes at me. “You already made the choice to leave them behind. If you really didn’t want to leave them, you would still be working at Reed Security.”

  “No, this is good. I can still see them, but I don’t have to be at their beck and call every single day.”

  She leaned forward, a small glint in her eye. “You want to know what I think?”

  “I’m sure you’ll tell me no matter what I say.”

  “I think you secretly like being at their beck and call. I think you love the thrill of a good mystery and nothing makes you happier than being up all hours of the night, trying to solve whatever it is they throw at you. I think you left Reed Security because you felt like you were giving up something, but you don’t really know what that is. And most of all, I think that if you really didn’t want to have to deal with them anymore, you would stop putting yourself in the position to help them out.”

  “I don’t-”

  She stopped me with a glare. “You told me you lent them your skills over Christmas.”

  “That was different. I was already there and-”

  “Sebastian contacted you about it before you left. Don’t bullshit a bullshitter. I know you better than you think.”

  “You do not,” I said defensively.

  “Really? Want to make a bet?”

  “What kind of bet?” I asked hesitantly.

  “If I can name all the men that work at Reed Security, you have to agree to do side work for them.”

  My jaw dropped. “First, how would you know the names of all the men?”

  “Because you talk about them all the time. Do you know how many times I’ve gone to bed at night, using them as inspiration for my wet dreams?”

  “I…I do not talk about them that much. Okay, second, why would I agree to do side work for them?”

  “Because Sebastian keeps asking you to, but you keep telling me that it would really fuck with your head and you need the space.”

  I stared at her dumbfounded. There was no way that I talked about them that much. “Fine,” I said with a smirk, certain that there was no way that she could name them all.”

  “Alright. Let’s see, where should we start?” She tapped her finger against her lips and then grinned. “Well, let’s start with Sinner. He is my favorite, after all. He’s tall and has the most gorgeous blue eyes that you’ve ever seen. He’s a lady killer, but gave it all up to have the love of his life, Cara. He was kidnapped and tortured when he was working a job in California and he was really screwed up after that, but his love for Cara helped pull him through.” She sighed dramatically and fanned herself. “And that body. You’ve shown me a picture. At his age, there’s no way that he should look that good.”

  “Describe him,” I said, not believing that she really could.

  “Tall with jet black hair and piercing blue eyes. He’s big, but more on the lean side. He’s got great muscles, but more beautifully muscled than overly large. And he has these adorable dimples, but most of the time they’re hidden under his scruff.”

  “Fine,” I said, really annoyed by her accurate description. “Tell me about Cazzo.”

  “Ah, Cazzo,” she said dreamily. “The man of my dreams.”

  “I thought you said Sinner was.”

  “Well, seriously, all these guys are the men of my dreams.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Okay, so tell me about Cazzo.”

  “Well, he was a Green Beret with Sinner and Burg. So hot, by the way. Silky hair, sensual lips that make me want to run my tongue over them and suck them into my mouth. Olive toned skin from his Italian heritage. Angular jaw with a rough beard that I can imagine scratching me between my legs….” She sighed again, and I wondered for just a second if she was on the verge of an orgasm. “And then Burg…God, that man is huge. Hence the name Burg, because he’s the size of an iceberg. I imagine that he has other attributes that are equal in size. He’s a God of a man, not only because of his charming smile and his ocean-blue eyes, but because he was so amazing when his wife was dealing with cancer. He’s the epitome of what every woman wishes that her husband was.”

  “Okay, I think I get-”

  “And while we’re talking about men that are just amazing, let’s talk about Jules. I mean, seriously…the man stayed behind and sacrificed himself for his team. That man…I almost cried when I found out that Ivy was pregnant and he didn’t remember her. And when I saw his picture, I almost passed out. I mean, he’s just insanely ripped and his face is just so beautiful in that really weird, caricature kind of way. Like, he has these sharp angles, but they’re surprisingly beautiful. That Ivy is a very lucky woman.”

  “I get the picture.”

  “And then Chris, dark and brooding, mysterious, and everything a sexy cowboy should be. The way you describe him assessing people with those almost black eyes, staring from under the rim of his cowboy hat…” She fanned herself for the twentieth time. “So hot. I seriously need to ride that man. Well, if he wasn’t already with the love of his life. And by the way, why have all these men already found the loves of their lives? Why not me? I could definitely be the love of someone’s life!”

  “I think you’ve proven-”

  “And what about Ice? Blonde hair, ice blue eyes, and looks just like Val Kilmer, circa Top Gun? Yes please! I will take him and let him accidentally fuck me anytime!”

  Had I really told her this much about all the guys? Seriously, she was still rambling on about more of them and I was astounded about how much she knew. It was scary. Which meant that I had definitely said more than I planned, and created a monster who would no doubt fall in love with any of the guys that she met through me.

  “Okay!” I shouted. “I get the picture. I have been telling you way too much about all of them.”

  “And?”

  “And I will tell Sebastian that I’m open for side-jobs.”

  “Why do you call him Sebastian?” she asked.

  “Um…because that’s his name.”

  “Yeah, but you used to call him bossman.”

  “Well, he’s not my boss anymore, so that wouldn’t really make any sense.”

  “Right,” she said, giving me a knowing look. “You don’t say it because you’re worried you’ll fall back into old habits. And
if you fall back into old habits, you’ll be right back there, working for him and loving every minute of it. And you’re determined to prove a point right now. Just like refusing to move in with Coop. Does it really have to do with not wanting to move too fast or is it more about you wanting to keep your distance from the company that you love so much?”

  Well, shit. “You know, you suck.”

  I got up and walked away as she laughed at me. Sometimes I really hated how well she knew me. We had only known each other a few months, but either I was really that transparent, or I had just talked about myself so much that she really did know me that well.

  “Can I change my mind about what you have to do?” she called out to me.

  That peeked my interest. “What do you want?”

  “I want you to set me up with one of the few remaining men at the company.”

  “No,” I said firmly. “There’s no one left.”

  “Not true,” she smirked. “There’s still one left. And possibly a second.”

  I groaned and rolled my eyes, irritated that I had given up that information also.

  “Fine. There’s maybe one man that I could set you up with, but then it would be all weird. What if things didn’t work out?”

  “What if they did?” she said, waggling her eyebrows up and down. “Imagine all the hot sex I would have. Not to mention, I would be yours for the rest of my life.”

  “Like, you would owe me your life?”

  “Something like that.”

  “You’re on.”

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  I was rushing out to my car when I saw one of the ladies from down the street waving to me. I ducked my head and pretended like I hadn’t seen her. She was one of those housewives that wore khakis and a button down blouse with a visor on her head. I had no clue why she would want to see me, but I wasn’t interested in talking. I quickly unlocked my car and shoved my stuff inside, but she got to me before I could get in and take off.

  “Rebecca!”

  Sighing, I turned around with a forced smile on my face. “Yes?”

  “It’s me, Carrie Anne.”

  “Right,” I nodded. “How are you?”

  “Oh, you know, I’ve been busy with the kids. Gregory is in fifth grade and Mary Sue is in eighth grade this year. Can you believe it?”

  Another forced smile. “Hard to believe.”

  “I know. They grow like weeds. You’ll know what I mean someday. I see that young man that’s always coming by here. He’s quite the catch, although I couldn’t help but notice that he has some terrible scars. I wonder what happened,” she prodded.

  I said nothing, just stood there with a tight smile on my face, refusing to get involved in her petty gossip, especially where Coop was concerned. There was no way that I was letting anyone in on Coop’s life. If he wanted someone to know what happened, he would tell them. And considering that I hadn’t been clued in yet, I certainly wouldn’t let anyone know as much as I did.

  “Well, I’m sure that if he’s the one we won’t have to wait long before we hear wedding bells. I’m sure you’re just so thrilled about the prospect of planning your own wedding. I remember planning mine. It was just perfect,” she gushed.

  “Oh, I won’t be getting married. I don’t believe in all that mumbo jumbo,” I lied. “Besides, it makes it easier to kick them out if there are no papers to sign,” I grinned.

  She looked shocked and her hand was pressed against her chest like she might be having a heart attack. Her mouth opened and closed several times, so I continued.

  “Besides, men are really only good for one thing, if you know what I mean. And it ain’t mowing the lawn. I can hire someone to do that.” I let out a dramatic sigh, “I just love a good fucking, you know? But it can get stale if you’re with the same man for too long. Or, sometimes you just need more than one flavor of ice cream at once.” I jabbed her in the side with my elbow, like we were sharing a deep, dark secret. “But Coop is definitely good for now. We’ll see how long that lasts.”

  “Um…” She gave a quick smile and cleared her throat. “I wouldn’t know anything about that, dear. Anyway, I was just coming by to ask if you still work with that security company.”

  “No,” I said with a sad smile that was so fake. “I quit. Now I work in insurance.”

  “Oh.” She chewed her bottom lip and glanced at my house. “It’s just…a few people have had their garages broken into. Things have been stolen, but the police haven’t found anything.”

  That peeked my interest. “Really? What kind of stuff has been stolen?”

  “Weird things. One man had a huge box of duct tape that went missing. Another had a set of shovels go missing. Our garage was broken into about a week ago. The tarp that we cover our car with was taken.”

  “Maybe someone’s planning to murder all the neighbors,” I joked.

  Her face paled and she took a step back. “I hadn’t thought…”

  “Oh, God. I was just joking. I’m sure they were just taking whatever was easiest to grab.”

  Her laugh was uncomfortable even to me, and I regretted making the joke. “Sure. I’m sure that’s all it is. The thing is, we were all kind of hoping that you could get us your friends and family rate on security systems through the company.”

  Wow. I was a little shocked at how ballsy this woman was. This was maybe the second time that I ever spoke to this woman and she was already trying to get bargain deals with me.

  “Actually, there is no friends and family discount. If you want one, I can put you in touch with the owner, but I don’t have any pull with him over the rates.”

  “But you have a system in your home.”

  “Yes, and I installed most of it myself.”

  Her eyes lit up and I instantly regretted saying anything.

  “So, you could do it for us. And you could probably monitor everything also. Oh, I don’t mean on a daily basis, but if something happens, you would be able to catch the thief in the act.”

  “I don’t really have time-”

  “And you’d be doing us all such a big favor. Why, some of us have kids and we just can’t take the risk that we’re not protected.”

  “Listen, I think you misunderstand-”

  “And of course, we’d be willing to pay just a little. We wouldn’t ask you to do it for nothing.”

  “No!” I practically shouted, instantly regretting it when I saw I’d caught the eyes of several other neighbors. I smiled as nicely as I could to ease the blow. “I don’t have the time or the extra equipment for what you’re asking for. And it’s not as simple as putting up some cameras. There’s a lot more involved for what you’re talking about. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

  She looked stunned, so I quickly shoved past her and opened my door, slipping inside to get away from her before she could come up with a response. I would stay away for the rest of the day just to avoid having to talk to that woman again.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Coop

  I finished dressing and walked out into the living room to grab my keys. Kayla was sitting on the couch flipping through the TV channels while her homework sat on the coffee table untouched. I snatched the remote out of her hand and flipped the TV off.

  “You need to finish your homework first.”

  She scoffed at me and grabbed her homework. “Why does it matter? It’s not like I go to a real school.”

  “You actually do go to a real school,” I said, irritated that she was being pissy with me again. “Just because you don’t go to public school doesn’t mean that it isn’t a real school. Sebastian hired the best teachers, ones that you used to like.”

  “Well, maybe I don’t like them anymore.”

  “Why are you acting like this? I don’t get it. We’ve been here for a little over a year and you’ve never had a problem with being here. In fact, when we first came, you were excited because you got to be around other kids.”

  “None of them are my age.”
/>   “You’ll meet kids your age when you go off to college.”

  “Yeah, that’s a really great time to have my first kiss.” I cringed, but she continued. “I’m going to be the only girl that goes off to school having never made it to second base, let alone first.”

  I shook the images that flashed before my eyes out of my head. “Look, when you finally meet someone that you want to kiss and…touch…it should be when you’re older and more mature.”

  “How old were you when you had your first kiss?”

  “That’s besides the point.”

  “No, that’s exactly the point. Other kids my age are actually living their lives, and guess what? They’re still alive and well. They’re going off to school and some of them have even…” She gasped and covered her mouth. “Had sex!”

  “No,” I said firmly. “There will be no kissing, no touching, no licking, no biting, no sex!”

  “No biting? Is that something that couples actually do?”

  “Please stop talking about this. I know what you’re doing.”

  “I want to get a job,” she said, totally changing the subject.

  “What?”

  “Well, if I can’t actually date someone, then I want a job.” She sighed and flopped her head back on the couch. “Look, I’m not asking to bring a boy home or anything. I just want a job so I can feel normal like other kids my age. And besides, I’m almost eighteen. I’ll be an official adult soon, so why shouldn’t I have a job?”

  “You…you just want a job?”

  “Is that really so hard to understand? I mean, I would meet other people my age and have some contact with the outside world, and as an added bonus for you, I’ll stop talking about dating.”

  “And bases,” I threw in. That was just way too uncomfortable for me to talk about with her.

  “I don’t need to talk about bases with you. There’s this thing called the internet. It’s where I’ve gotten all my sexual information over the years.”