Framed Shadows: Shadows Landing #6, Kathleen Brooks [great novels of all time TXT] 📗

your knitting.” Dare emailed the video to himself and handed the phone back to Miss Ethel. “Let’s knit, ladies.”

18

Tinsley didn’t think protective service would be so much fun. However, she’d had a blast with Mallory and Blythe. Now they were curled up in Ryker’s home theater watching a movie and eating popcorn.

“So, you and Paxton. I heard it’s an opposites attract type thing,” Mallory said with a wink.

“I thought he didn’t like me when we first met. I thought he was an arrogant know-it-all,” Tinsley said, laughing at how badly their first meetings had gone. “I was very wrong.”

“I understand that. It wasn’t all roses for my husband and me either,” Mallory said. “But now we’ve been married forever, have our kids, and couldn’t be happier. What about you, Blythe?”

“My girlfriend’s name is Veronica. I think I fell for her while I was hitting this guy with a stun gun and Veronica calmly called the police. She even winked at me while she was talking. It was like ten thousand volts of electricity hitting my heart. Well, except it was fifty thousand volts I was shooting into a very bad man.”

“You scare me a little. Want a job?” Ryker asked Blythe from the doorway of his home theater.

“Thanks, Ryk. That’s nice of you, but I’m happy in Keeneston,” Blythe called out from her recliner.

“Are you joining us?” Tinsley asked. They used to do movie and game nights as kids right up until Ryker’s incident. Then he had shut them out. Gone was the happy-go-lucky boy he’d been. When he dug and buried himself, it was Tinsley who had pulled him from the black hole he was stuck in. He wasn’t the type to ever sit back and laugh anymore. No more board games. No more movie nights. No more laughter.

“What are you watching?” Ryker asked.

“To Catch a Thief,” Mallory answered.

“How appropriate,” Ryker said dryly as he walked through the darkened theater and took the recliner next to Tinsley on the far side of the room.

Tinsley reached out and placed her hand gently over his on the armrest and gave it a little squeeze.

“You ever shot anyone with fifty thousand volts, Ryk?” Blythe asked, using the nickname no one else was brave enough to use.

“Can’t say I have, Miss Kencroft,” Ryker answered. Tinsley looked over at him. His face was partially in shadows, but she saw the twitch of a lip.

“You want to?” Blythe asked. “I bet if you just smile at that young assistant who is walking around here like she’s your girlfriend, she’d let you stun her.”

“She totally would let you do it,” Mallory added with a snort of amusement. “Heck, I almost got her today.”

“What did Bianca do?” Ryker asked them, looking confused. Ryker probably didn’t pay attention to lowly assistants.

“I guess her name is Bianca,” Tinsley said slowly. “Well, Bianca doesn’t realize I’m your cousin. She cornered me in my room and told me, quote ‘Ryker will tire of your sluttish ways by the end of the week so you better not unpack.’”

Ryker growled deep in his chest and his hands fisted. “Did you tell her you were my cousin?”

“No. I just slammed the door in her face. I figured she’d find out soon enough. Sorry, Ryker. I know you have a lot on your plate right now. That’s why I wasn’t going to bother you with it.”

“You’re family, Tinsley. You never bother me. I’m here to protect you and that includes harassment from out-of-line assistants.”

“Actually, we’re here to protect her,” Mallory reminded him with a grin. “However, Tinsley wouldn’t let us stun that Bianca chick.”

“What are you three doing in here? This is off limits to your kind,” Bianca interrupted, with her hands on her shapely hips in the dark doorway.

“Speak of the devilette,” Blythe muttered.

“Kind? What kind are we?” Mallory asked innocently as she leaned forward to block any view Bianca might have of Ryker.

“You’re after Ryker, but you’re too late. He’s mine.”

Tinsley almost felt sorry for Bianca. Almost. Mallory leaned back in her chair as Ryker leaned forward so that Tinsley, Mallory, and Blythe no longer hid him from view. “Bianca, I take it you haven’t met Tinsley Faulkner, my cousin, who is closer to me than any sister could be?”

Tinsley waved. She even gave a big smile, hopeful the dim light in the theater room would let Bianca see it.

Bianca’s face fell as she realized Ryker had heard everything. “These are her bodyguards, Blythe Kencroft and Mallory Westin-Simpson. Yes, that Simpson family. Marge will have your final check ready in the morning. You can pick it up at the Charleston office when you turn in all business-related items in your possession. Your services are no longer required.”

Ryker leaned back into his recliner and took a deep breath. “Blythe, pass the popcorn, please.”

“Sure thing, Ryk.”

Blythe passed the popcorn and Bianca stomped her foot. With a little cry of disappointment over losing out on any possibility to bag Ryker, she stormed from the room. Tinsley smiled at her cousin. He might not notice the small changes, but she did. Ryker was finally starting to peek out of the bunker he’d been hiding in since that night so long ago now.

Paxton had staked out the Myriad headquarters for two days, but he hadn’t seen the Spiller brothers once. He had seen men moving drugs and guns for Myriad, though. It had felt good to go on a bust again. Kord and Granger were having a grand old time working undercover. Kord bought some drugs and Granger got a gun at their separate takedowns. Connor arrested the drug dealers and a basket of homemade muffins was brought to the surveillance van by Miss Josie’s grandson. That afternoon, Granger had approached the gun dealer and bought some weapons before the team went in and busted him. Dare handed him off to a local ATF agent. Miss Trudie and Miss Ethel sent their grandkids to the van with seven matching knitted caps for next winter and