Bordering On Love (A James Family Novel Book 3) Read online

  "Thank God my mother gave up on me years ago." Mark said. "She knows it’s a lost cause. With the hours I keep, it's hard to meet a decent woman."

  "You're just not looking in the right places," Jeff said.

  "Just because you have been married since you were what? Twelve? That doesn’t make you an expert on love," Mark fired back.

  "Jeff married his high school sweetheart and Mark is jealous as hell," Nikki explained to Keegan.

  "I am not! I just don't think he is in a position to judge the rest of us poor saps."

  Nikki's phone buzzed. "Henry says I need to get my ass back there now."

  "Henry wouldn't know patience if they sat in his lap," Mark said.

  "Please, he probably has had Patience in his lap down at the club." Jeff laughed.

  "Our boss is a lonely old man. He likes to look for love in all the wrong places," Mark said by way of explanation to Keegan.

  "Is this what I have to look forward to? Maybe my mother is on to something."

  Nikki tried to imagine Keegan in a strip club but the neatly dressed, proper man standing next to her in his too new Levi's and the expensive looking black sweater just didn't fit that scene.

  "Try the online dating before you get desperate. It's not so bad. I get laid a lot."

  "Okay, Lewis! That is way too much information!" Nikki fake vomited before getting serious. "The building with the guns is through there. Follow that path and it will lead you right to it. There is a dirt road leading to it from the side road over there. That's how the truck got in and out. Let me know immediately if there is any more action. After we get with Henry and iron things out with ATF I will let you know where we go from here."

  "Yes, ma'am," Jeff shot her a mock salute.

  "How about you?" Mark asked Keegan. "You hanging with us since this is your land?"

  Before he could answer, Nikki jumped in. "I'm taking him with me—"

  "I bet you are!" Jeff elbowed her in the ribs.

  "Shut up, Barron. Henry asked to meet him. Keegan is Border Patrol. Boss thinks they might be brought in any way since the guns came in through the port."

  "Actually, I am not officially Border Patrol until next week. I'm still nosey as hell though."

  Mark and Jeff laughed and clapped him on the back. Keegan joined them but Nikki just gave them all her best glare until they paid attention to her again.

  "You two, go. Guard the stuff and try to stay off the hook up sites, Lewis."

  "Damn, Nik, don't you ever cut a guy a break?"

  "Go." She pointed in the direction of the barn. Mark stuck out his tongue at her before following his partner to the path.

  "Super mature, Lewis."

  "I aim to please, Nik. You ought to try it some time." He disappeared in to the trees and overgrown grass.

  She turned to Keegan. "You want to follow me?"

  He shrugged. "Sure. I suppose I ought to take my truck this time even though riding with you would likely be a whole lot more exciting."

  As he winked at her, Nikki wondered what exactly he meant by that but decided against falling into the trap. "Fine. But try to keep up."

  Nikki jumped into her Impala and was pulling out of the drive before Keegan had even gotten into his truck. She caught his eye in the rearview mirror as the tires spun against the dirt. He had a peculiar expression she couldn't quite place but she dismissed it quickly, pressing her gas pedal to the floor board and shooting down the road. A few seconds later she sat at a red light when the heavy rumble of a diesel engine sounded through the missing back window. Keegan was grinning at her from the vehicle behind her.

  He had caught up quick. Nikki could appreciate a man that could keep up with her.

  11

  Keegan

  Keegan concentrated on the sedan in front of him. Nikki wanted to make him work for it but he was a competitive man who had never lost anything in his entire life. Except, of course, the woman he had been in love with but that didn't count. The game hadn't been played fair. This simply gave him another chance to redeem his record. Nikki was full of challenges that he found himself wanting to meet head on— a mass of contradiction, all sexy and sweet one minute and cussing like a sailor the next. She was bossy, determined, and motivated, a dangerous combination in a woman but Keegan liked that about her. And she knew how to drive. Like really knew how.

  The Impala raced down the interstate, expertly moving among the other vehicles and maneuvering around them. Keegan was hard pressed to keep up in his cumbersome truck but he did. The BMW would have been better for the game of cat and mouse but he held on anyway.

  Without warning, Nikki took an exit. Keegan followed, hot on her trail. They raced along Shore Drive, barely keeping with the speed limit. When they finally came to a stop in large municipal lot in Norfolk, Keegan was grinning like a little kid on Christmas and nearly as giddy.

  "Not bad driving there, Border Patrol." Nikki said as she stretched her long legs out of her car.

  "You held your own, DEA." He resisted the urge to grab her and pull her to him. The adrenaline made him want to kiss Nikki for all he was worth. She looked at him with a heavy intensity, like she was feeling the same way. Keegan chalked it up to adrenaline and not at all to the intense attraction they shared. "Take me to your leader."

  Nikki burst into laughter as she waved him on. "This way, brave one."

  Keegan followed behind her for a few steps admiring the way her jeans fit her backside like they sewn just for her before catching up and falling into stride beside her.

  "So, were you trying to lose me back there or just show me up?"

  "What makes you think I was trying to do either? Maybe I just like to drive fast."

  "Oh, I believe that. Tell me about your boss." A change of subject was a good idea. All the talk of fast driving and such was getting his motor running a little too much.

  "What do you want to know? You already think we are sleeping together."

  He felt the flush of blood rushing to his face at the reminder of his stupid question. "I'm sorry about that. The guy did sound smitten though."

  "That's about as nasty as the idea of sleeping with my dad."

  "Like I said, sorry."

  "It's okay. I can understand why you might think so. Henry is intense. He loves the job and he wants it done right but he'll go to bat to defend his agents to the greatest extent of his abilities."

  "Definitely not a bad thing."

  "No. But then on days like today he gets a little worked up. Just wait until he sees my car."

  They reached the door to a relatively nondescript office building. Nikki punched in an access code that let them in. Keegan followed her to the elevator that they rode to the third floor. When they stepped out of the car, a loud bellow met them.

  "Nikole!"

  Nikki sighed. "That's Henry."

  Keegan figured as much but didn't say anything. They took a short hallway to a corner office with a full view of the Chesapeake Bay.

  "Hi Henry. Don't call me Nikole."

  "Nikole is your name. I was there where your parents christened you."

  "This is Keegan James. He owns the house."

  Henry extended his hand and Keegan shook it. "Nice to meet you, sir."

  "Please, just call me Henry. Sir makes me feel old."

  Keegan smiled at the older man with his greying hair and expanding waistline. "I totally understand. Years of agency experience drilled it in to me."

  "So, you're Border Patrol."

  "Not official until next week, but yes."

  "What about your last job?"

  "Ten years in the FBI."

  "You left the one alphabet for another?"

  "Needed a change of pace. I've got family here. My twin brother is Homeland."

  "Homeland, huh? Seems this government work runs in your family." Henry settled back down in his chair behind his desk. He motioned to two chairs for Nikki and Keegan to sit in.

  "I suppose it does.”

&
nbsp; Henry nodded. "I'm impressed. I hope you like life here at the beach. It's not for everyone."

  "His house is in Chesapeake, remember?" Nikki asked.

  "Six of one, half dozen of the other. Have you ever experienced a hurricane?"

  "Not the way they hit here."

  A knock on the door sounded, interrupting them.

  "Enter!" Henry yelled.

  The door opened and Keegan chuckled as the tall man sporting trademark James blue eyes entered the room. Rising from his seat he grabbed the man in a half hug. "Will, so great to see you again! I was wondering when I would run into you around here."

  "Hey, man. How's it going? Long time, no see. Logan's wedding, right?"

  "Sure thing. It has been much too long. How's life been treating you?"

  Will grinned. "I can't complain."

  "How's that brother of yours?"

  "You know, keeping to himself as usual."

  Nikki and Henry looked confused. "You two know each other?" Nikki asked.

  "You know that family in ATF I mentioned? Meet Will James, my cousin."

  "Well, no shit. What are the chances?" Henry stood and extended his hand across his desk to shake the ATF agent's hand. "Nice to meet you. I definitely see the family resemblance."

  "Yeah. It's kind of creepy." Nikki said as she shook Will's hand. "You could be twins."

  "Nope. I already have one of those." Keegan laughed. "More than enough."

  Will ran his fingers through his blond hair. Unlike Keegan and his brother Kaiden, Will wore his hair long and loose, hitting the tops of his shoulders. "I'm the good looking one in the family."

  "Yeah, I can totally see that," Nikki replied with a laugh.

  Keegan ignored the stab of jealousy that accompanied her words and motioned to his cousin to take his chair. "Have a seat, cousin. I know how hard age can be on the knees."

  "Aren’t you the funny one, Kee? What are you—about six days younger than me?"

  "Nine months actually, but I hide it well."

  Will took the offered seat with a grin at Nikki. "It's sure no hardship to sit here next to this beautiful lady. What did you say your name is?"

  "Nikki."

  He picked up her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "It is very nice to meet you, Nikki."

  "Shouldn't we get down to business?" Keegan purposely interrupted his cousin's flirtation. The jealousy pangs were becoming full on blows in his gut.

  "Yes, of course." Henry leaned back in his chair and steepled his hands in his lap. "It really is uncanny how much the two of you look alike."

  Keegan shrugged. "The James genes are all dominant, I guess."

  Henry sat back up and rested his elbows on the desk. "Anyway, as you know, my agent here found a stash of weapons that we were fully expecting to be drugs. She'd been working this case for a good long time and the intel said drugs so it was a bit of a shock."

  "I bet. How'd my cousin end up in the mix?" Will asked with a nod toward Keegan.

  "It's my property they were found on."

  Will turned to look at him. "I didn't realize you had bought a place. Here at the beach?"

  Keegan shook his head. "No, out in Chesapeake."

  "You moved all this way to live in the suburbs? What about surfing? The beach is where it’s at for us single guys, man."

  "I don't surf much. That's more Kaiden's scene."

  "Yeah, not so much since he got all hooked up with his gal. I haven't seen him out at Sandbridge in months."

  "Have you met Katie?"

  "Just once. Ran into them at dinner a few weeks ago."

  Henry cleared his throat. "You two want me to call out for tea and finger sandwiches?"

  "Sorry," Keegan and Will said at the same time. Nikki just watched them both quietly. Keegan caught her eye and winked. She returned the gesture with a small smile before turning her full attention on Will.

  "My boss here says I gotta share the case with ATF. I've put in a lot of man hours on this and I am not going to quietly step aside."

  Will grinned. "I find it hard to imagine you doing anything quietly."

  Keegan punched the back of his cousin's chair.

  "Dude! What the hell was that for?"

  "I'm sorry. My hand slipped."

  "Gentleman. Can we focus on why we are all here, please?"

  "Sure thing, Henry. Sorry about that." Will leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I need someone to show me the property and the stash. Then Nikki and I will set up a stake out to watch the goods until someone comes to retrieve them."

  "I've got a couple guys already out there, waiting for instructions," Henry said.

  "I can be ready to go now, if you are." Nikki smiled at him and those jabs of jealousy became a full throttle streak that passed through Keegan. Of all the agents in the ATF why did it have to be his Adonis look-alike cousin that showed up? Women practically ripped their clothes off in his presence. Will thrived on the flirting and suggestive behavior but as long as they had been alive, he was a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy. Nikki deserved someone better. Someone like him.

  "Excellent plan," Keegan said, sarcasm coating every inch of the words. "I am so glad we thought to bring the ATF in on this."

  "Why don't you just go on home now and let the big boys take care of business, little Keegan?" Will teased.

  His face burned with the rush of blood that filled every last tiny little capillary. Resisting the urge to punch his cousin on the jaw, he said, "It's my house. I am there too. If you don't like it, tough sh—"

  "There is a lady present!" Will interrupted. "Didn't my Aunt Clara teach you anything about manners?"

  "How much time did you two spend together growing up?" Henry asked.

  "Enough," Keegan said through clenched teeth that match the fists at his sides.

  "Any chance of us getting back to the case anytime soon? I'd hate to break up your pissing match and all." Nikki glared at the two of them. "I've got a job to do and you two knitting sisters need to get over yourselves."

  "Knitting sisters?" Keegan asked.

  "Yeah. You bicker and gossip and argue like two little old ladies in a knitting circle."

  Will rose from his seat and clapped Keegan on the shoulder. "You hear that, cousin? Aunty Clara needs to teach the two of us here guys how to hold a knitting hook."

  "Needle. It's a knitting needle," Nikki said.

  "You say tomato, I say knitting hook. Come on, sweetness, show me the way to the good stuff," Will said, passing her a wink.

  Keegan watched as Nikki's cheeks turned a nice shade of pink. Will grinned at him and slipped him the middle finger behind his back. Same old Will.

  Nikki led the way out of the office. She chatted with Will as they took the elevator to the ground floor and then as they crossed the lot to where they had parked.

  "My car isn't in fabulous condition." Nikki pointed to the blown out back window.

  "What happened, darlin'?"

  "We got shot at. What the hell you think happened?" Keegan grumbled. Will shot him a scowl over his shoulder and Keegan returned the one finger salute Will had passed to him earlier.

  "It's true," Nikki said. "Someone caught us nosing around the barn and chased us. With a gun."

  "I'm sorry to hear that. I'm real glad you weren't hurt. I've got my Jeep, we can take that." Will pointed to a shiny red Jeep Wrangler. The old kind, with only two real seats. "Sorry cous, I've only got room for two."

  "We can take my truck. Plenty of room for all of us." He'd be damned if he let his cousin get Nikki alone for even a minute.

  Will looked to Nikki. "You're the boss. That work for you?"

  "Sure."

  "All right then, Kee. Your truck it is. Wait. Truck? What about the Beamer?"

  "Sold it. Not practical for what I needed any more."

  "I'm so proud of you for finally growing a pair. Your man card must have arrived in the mail since I saw you last."

  "Will you just shut up?" Kee
gan growled under his breath as he led them to his truck. He slid behind the wheel and was relieved to see that Nikki climbed up into the passenger seat leaving Will to sit in back. Right where he belonged, as far as Keegan was concerned.

  "So, tell me about yourself, Nikki." Will started chatting as Keegan pulled onto the interstate.

  "There's not much to tell. I live in Virginia Beach and I am married to the DEA."

  "That's it? No hobbies? Likes? Dislikes?"

  "No. Pizza. People who ask too many questions."

  Score some points for Nikki! He was ridiculously happy that she seemed more annoyed with Will than taken by him.

  "Harsh there, Miss DEA."

  "What can I say? I've been called much, much worse."

  "You're a feisty one. Good thing I like feisty." Will settled back against the seat, folding his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. "Yes, sir, I enjoy a challenge."

  12

  Nikki

  What the heck was up with Keegan's cousin? Sure, he was good looking. Very good looking but he was kind of a jerk. No wonder he was still single. Nikki tried to imagine the two men growing up together but all she could picture was Keegan knocking Will to the ground for hitting on his girlfriend. Will seemed like that sort of guy.

  She took a tiny little bit of satisfaction out of Keegan's apparent jealousy though. The more Will tried to hit on her, the more irritated Keegan seemed to get. She shouldn't enjoy that but she did. As good looking as the other James man was, Keegan was more her speed. She like a confident, put together guy—not one that constantly seemed to have to prove how awesome he was. If she ever got the chance to clue Will into this fact, she would. If he didn't spend so much time trying to get attention he would be an okay guy. It was obvious he was smart and his toned, fit frame screamed athlete. He mentioned surfing. She could totally see him out on a board, tanned and muscular with his blond hair blowing in the wind.

  Nikki glanced over at Keegan. He was tense. His knuckles were white where they gripped the steering wheel. Will still had his eyes closed but she didn't think he was asleep. The truck was flying down the interstate.