Stripping Their Hearts

  She could feel the energy in the room when she first stepped on the stage, of course she couldn’t figure out why it was so intense, until she saw the two handsome men standing with Tommy. They had to be the best looking men she had ever seen. Kit felt herself fumble a little but she recovered, their piercing stares made her feel like a bug under a microscope.

  Kit kept doing her routine, making sure she kept them in her line of sight. As she reached the pinnacle of the routine, she completed one of her most difficult moves, which included her removing her top while she flipped around the pole. One of the men who were sitting in the front caught her top and apparently took it as an invitation to get up on the stage with her.

  This had happened only a few times before, Tommy always had one of the guys looking out for them, but tonight was different. He was talking to the two men and not paying attention to what was going on. So when the man hit the stage, the room began to shake with the loud calls and music. She saw one of the other men he was with jump up as well and together they began to grab her.

  Kit screamed loudly, and everything happened in slow motion. The two large men froze, and as she was whipped around, out of the corner of her eye she saw another man, with black slicked back hair and an expensive suit stand up and yell something. A man who was standing behind him, who looked like a muscle man, began pushing his way through the crowd.

  She focused on trying to get away from the men on the stage and she turned, hoping to get behind the curtain. Unfortunately, they were faster than she was in her slick soled cowboy boots. One of them grabbed her hips and began to try to move with her to the music while letting out a loud cat call that made her wince. While his friend grinned and stepped in front of her and licked his lips while he stared at her tits, which were thankfully still covered with star pasties over the nipples.

  “Come here, darling,” the man drawled and Kit rolled her eyes.

  When the two strangers who had held her attention finally reached her, Kit was getting extremely pissed off. Damn Tommy to hell for being an asshole and not paying attention. She folded her hand into a fist, leaned back, and swung it at the man. Then she let her self-defense training kick in and she bent over catching the other man off guard and flipping him over her back. He landed with a thud in front of the two men.

  Kit stepped on his crotch at the same time as straight-arming his friend who was coming back at her again. The two men stopped and shook their heads as she kicked the other men’s ass. But it wasn’t until they heard the shot ring out that the large men made a grab for her.

  One of them pulled her behind the curtain while the other one pulled out a large gun and crouched in front of the curtain sweeping the room looking from where the shot came.

  “Holy shit, let me go, STEPH!” Kit screamed, fighting against the arm that was dragging her further into the back of the club where the dressing room and exit was.

  “Katherine,” she heard the man say loudly but she wasn’t listening, or it didn’t penetrate her brain that he was calling her by her real name. No one knew her real first name but Tommy and that was because the little shit looked on her phone one day when she left it on the table and he saw an email with her first name on it. Thank God, it had only been her first name. She went by Kit here and everyone knew her as Kit, it was safer.

  “Damn it, let me go, I have to get Steph, she was on the stage next to me,” she screamed and began kicking and struggling harder. It was no use, of course, because the man had a good hold on her around the waist, pulled her back to his chest, and dragged her like she was a sack of flour.

  “Katherine,” he tried again and still she fought him, hearing the screaming and yelling from the front of the club, and several of the other dancers ran back through the curtain, but Steph was still not there. Where was she?

  “Steph!” she screamed again then sank a little when her friend came barreling through the curtains looking like a pissed off diva.

  “Muther fuckers shooting up the place and shit,” she screamed and ran to where Kit was. “Did you see that shit, I mean what the fuck, it was like Rambo meets a Teletubbie. Fucking Tommy squared off against Rambo one who looks like the Rambo two holding you, blocking him from getting back here. Then Jimmy B is getting in on the action trying to get back here while Rambo one is yelling at Tommy. The customers are all running around ‘cause no one knows where the hell the shots came from and I swear on the bible, Ginger ran into the room buck ass naked and was screeching at the top of her lungs about some man in the backroom trying to take all her money. This is like crazy.”

  Kit and the man froze as they listened to the long speech Steph was giving. Then the curtain parted again and a naked Ginger, something Kit would never get out of her head, came screaming back with the large hot man, known as Rambo One following her and Jimmy B and Tommy following him. The men were yelling Kit’s name and Rambo two lifted her off her feet, threw her over his shoulder, and ran. She didn’t have time to even think about what was going on because the two Rambos kidnapped her, half-naked, out of the back of a strip club in the middle of the afternoon.

  Her life could not get any weirder.

  Chapter Four

  Tank jumped into his brother’s truck and squealed out of the parking lot going forty by the time they hit the street. They needed to get the fuck outta there and fast. Not listening to the struggling woman or his brother, Tank pulled out his phone and hit speed dial one. She answered on the first ring.

  “Yo,” Harper said into the phone. “Only been a few hours, you telling me you already got the tears dried up.”

  “Boss,” Tank said tightly and he felt the air over the line change. Harper may be a smartass, but when it came to serious shit, she was solid.

  “Talk to me,” she ordered and Tank laid it all out for her as fast as he could while driving like a bat out of hell toward the one place he knew was safe. The cabin.

  “Situation is fucked up. Katherine is involved in the situation I was sent here for, how I do not know. Gotta get her safe then we will worry about how to handle it. Wanted to keep you up to date with shit, I will call back when we find out more,” Tank said briskly.

  “You need backup?” Harper said and he could hear her typing something.

  “Don’t know yet,” Tank replied.

  “I will take that as a yes,” Harper said. “Zero and Sting are free, I will get the read into the situation. Also, make some calls, see if I can figure out how Katherine Steppe got involved in the situation.”

  “Tread lightly,” Tank said and he heard his boss laugh.

  “Don’t I always?” Harper replied.

  “Like a bull in a china shop,” Tank snorted and disconnected the phone. He knew his boss was going to find out what she could and no one would be the wiser either. She hired the best of the best, and her geek squad was the best—they could find a needle in a haystack with the right information. They just hadn’t had the right info, maybe Katherine would, he thought and looked to his brother who was pulling off his shirt to give to the woman who was sitting in the back quietly.

  “Here,” Sonny said and flipped his shirt over the seat to Katherine. He heard a snort but then saw arms stretching while she was putting the shirt on. Damn, all he could think about is what she looked like when she was on stage; her perfect body was going to haunt him forever.

  “Thanks,” Katherine muttered then snapped, “Wanna tell me why the hell you kidnapped me, and where the hell you are taking me?”

  “You do realize that someone was shooting at you?” Sonny snorted.

  “Me?” Katherine laughed. “Do you know how many times there had been guns shot off at that club since I started? I am pretty sure they were not shooting at me.”

  The cab of the truck was silent as both men paused to digest what she said, then Tank and Sonny both erupted at the same time.

  “What the fuck?” Sonny yelled.

  “Are you joking?” Tank yelled.

  “Uh, yeah,” Katherine sai
d then paused, “Why would you think they were shooting at me?”

  It dawned on her finally, there was a club full of people, and yet these two men had singled her out to kidnap and rescue. This wasn’t good; what if they worked for the men she was hiding from? What then, were they taking her to them, were they going to kill her? Shit, hiding in that shithole for a month and suddenly here, she was stuck in the one situation she was avoiding. She only needed to make it to tomorrow too, then she would have had help.

  “Baby, they were so shooting at you,” Tank growled like he was pissed off.

  Kit was confused, they were pissed because someone could possibly have been shooting at her, but the only ones who would be shooting at her would be the men who she overheard that day in the hallway. As far as she knew, she hadn’t pissed anyone else off bad enough to shoot at her. If that were the case, and they were trying to protect her, just who the hell were these two men, and what did they have to do with all this. Nothing was making sense and suddenly it hit her, someone was shooting at her.

  Shit.

  Her body froze and she felt a cold sweat begin to coat her skin, she couldn’t breathe, they were going to kill her, she thought.

  “Oh fuck, shock,” Sonny muttered when he turned around to see why she hadn’t said anything.

  “Fuck,” Tank said and pushed his foot on the gas. They were out of town already; it wasn’t far to reach Nederland, CO. That was where the cabin was. The town was made famous by a family from another country who came to the U.S. with their father cryogenically frozen when he died. They stored him in a Tuff Shed until the authorities discovered it and after a lengthy battle, they allowed a company to keep the man frozen, as per the family request, using a reputable company to keep him frozen in the Tuff Shed. Because of all the media, the town decided to use it to help with tourism. So now, every year in March they celebrate Frozen Dead Guy Days, a festival that draws hundreds of people a year that come and celebrate. Creepy, yes, but ingenious really. Tank and Sonny’s father had thought the story was a hoot, and while growing up, they attended the festival every year. He even went so far as to buy a cabin so they would have a place to stay every year. The cabin had gone into a trust when their parents died; it was their safe haven. This was the first time any of the Briggs children needed it.

  “Bro, she is freaking out,” Sonny said.

  “Calm her down,” Tank said and looked in the rearview mirror. “We will be there soon.”

  Sonny cursed under his breath and leaned over the seat.

  “Babe,” Sonny said softly. “Hold it together until we get to where we are going.”

  He heard a sniffle and then Katherine take a deep breath. “Are you shitting me?” she screamed loudly, which caused his brother to jerk back and hit his head on the roof of the truck. Tank jerked the wheel when he was also startled but got it under control quickly.

  “Sweetheart,” Tank growled. “You may want to stop scaring the shit out of me while I am driving, trying to keep us in one piece until we are safe.”

  “Safe?” Katherine screech. “Safe? How am I safe? I have no clue who you are, where we are going, and what is going on. All I know is my dumbass should have left when I heard some men talking, but no, I hide because of some asshole and now my life is upside down and crazy. You know, I don’t do crazy, I am normal, like so normal I am boring most of the time. Up until a month ago, I did my job, went home, had a glass of wine, and crawled into bed and read my smut books for fun. I didn’t go out partying, I didn’t chase men, just wanted to find a nice man to settle down, have two point five kids. After realizing that most men who pick up women in bars are manwhores, I joined a dating site. Haven’t even had my first date yet because I am so boring. Oh my God, I am gonna get shot before I even have sex, I am pathetic, sad, a loser.”

  The men were frozen as she rambled on, both of them stopped listening when she inadvertently said she was a virgin, she was a smokin’ hot woman who was pure and that was all either of them could think about. Everyone had told them they would know, their fathers, Jolly and Steve, it was how it happened. Their fathers had felt the same way with their mom; they met her and knew she was the one for them. There was no turning back. When they had been standing in the strip club Tank had been attracted to her, he knew his brother had as well. It wasn’t that hard to figure, but being in her presence, and listening to her sexy husky voice spewing out crazy shit, Tank knew, and so did Sonny. She was their reward, all the waiting, all the shit they had gone through, it all made sense because she was their reward for all of it.

  “When did everything go so wrong? I mean I am a good person,” Katherine said. “I pay my taxes on time, I have always been kind to my neighbors and made them cookies at the holidays like my mother taught me. Oh my God, my mother would be devastated, her daughter is a stripper. Even if it was the only way I could think of to hide, thank goodness she isn’t alive to see the mess I have made of my life. She was so proud of me, and I have fucked that all up.”

  While Katherine was babbling in the back Sonny turned around, sat with a thump in his seat, and then whispered, “You hear that.”

  “Fuck yeah,” Tank whispered back.

  “You feel it too?” Sonny asked.

  “Fuck yeah,” Tank said.

  “We gotta get this sorted,” Sonny whispered.

  “Fuck yeah,” Tank said then shook his head. “We need to talk.”

  “Fuck yeah,” Sonny sighed, both of them knew what that meant. They were going to have to make some serious decisions in the near future.

  “Babe,” Sonny said over his shoulder. “You gotta calm down, everything is going to be fine. I promise.”

  “WHO ARE YOU?” she screamed. “I don’t even know who you are!”

  “I am Sonny Briggs, this is my brother, Tank, and know this, we are the good guys” Sonny said quietly.

  “Good guys?” Katherine whispered.

  “Yeah, babe,” Sonny said.

  “How can you be the good guys, YOU KIDNAPPED ME!” Katherine yelled.

  Tank frowned. “We did not, we were recusing you.”

  “Rescuing does not include carrying me out of a building and throwing me in a truck and driving off. That is the definition of a kidnapping,” Katherine argued.

  “Are you serious?” Tank asked. “People were shooting at you! Standing there and asking questions wasn’t the route to go.”

  “Then take me to the police station,” Katherine reasoned. “I will file a report.”

  She of course wouldn’t, but they didn’t need to know that, she needed to get the hell out of town.

  “Babe, not happening,” Sonny said. “We got this covered.”

  Katherine sat back and frowned, she had no idea what to make of that. Her brain wasn’t working; it was jumping all over the place. Going from the fear of being shot at, and also knowing the situation had come to a head, and she had no idea what the hell to do now to remain alive long enough to fulfill her dreams.

  “I need to get a pet,” Katherine yelled suddenly. “A dog, I am gonna name her Princess.”

  The men frowned. “Uh, babe, what?”

  “A dog, I have always wanted a little dog, you know like a Shih tzu or something like that, cute and cuddly, she will follow me around when I am home, and cuddle with me when I am sitting in a chair,” Katherine said and looked around the car wild-eyed. “Stop!” she cried. “Pet store.”

  Tank looked at the small pet store in the center of town and shook his head, she was completely freaking out.

  “Not stopping at a pet store, babe,” Tank said slowly and looked at his brother who was trying not to laugh.

  “Why?” Katherine yelled. “I need a dog.”

  “I am pretty sure that you do not need a dog right this second. You are wearing my t-shirt and fishnet stockings and a thong with sparkly cowboy boots. Not sure if the straights are ready to see that. And I am sure as hell not ready to explain it.” Sonny snorted.

  She forgot, damn
it, she needed a drink and chocolate. They always helped her make sense of shit. Her mother had taught her that when she was growing up. She missed her mother; she would know what to do.

  They drove the rest of the way in silence as Katherine tried to sort out all the information rolling around in her head. She also, for some reason, believed these two men when they said they were safe, and the good guys. She didn’t know why, but she did.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  “Where has she gone?” a man with a scar down the side of his face yelled. They had almost had her in their hands and contained the situation. The stupid bitch had been standing right there when they had been talking and overheard everything. Their plans were on hold until they contained her. She could blow everything.

  He had a sweet gig going, had been doing it for years, selling arms to terrorists and making tons of money, and then someone had gotten greedy. One of the men he had working for him decided they were not making enough money, the fool. If he would have just been patient.

  Now they were all at risk of being found out, the whole lot of them, and the power these men had and were his partners wasn’t anything to play with. They didn’t like the uncertainty. He didn’t either.

  Years ago he stumbled on a shipment of arms that had been thought lost. It was just sitting there, ripe for the taking and so he did. Slowly he built up his reputation with the large shipment in the illegal trade industry, while keeping his day job in the FBI. Then he realized he needed more weapons. So with blackmail and bribes, he got what he wanted. Built a network of powerful men to protect him, and it was all going to come down around his feet if he didn’t get Katherine Steppe and control her.

  It was ironic really, Katherine Steppe being the one who heard them paying off a judge. Her father was killed in what started this mess. Now she was involved. He would have laughed at the situation if it didn’t piss him off so much.