Love 2.0 Read online

  “That’s nothing new. Are you worried they’ll follow your trail?”

  He snorted. “If I left a trail they could follow, they’d have issued the cease-and-desist order years ago. No, I find it too coincidental that Elvis found me around the same time as my friend’s warning.”

  “You think they’re trying to bait a trap?”

  “It’s entirely possible. After everything that happened four years ago—I’m no longer part of the team. I guess you might say I’ve been kicked out of the fraternity. Only I’m still useful, and that pisses a few people off.” Kaz recalled the look on Jones’s face this morning. “They hate that they need me, which I find very amusing. And then there are a few by-the-book company men who hate using outside help. They don’t see me as much different from the guys we’re going after—which is bullshit.”

  “Agreed. But you nonconformists always lose points for not playing well with others.”

  “I’m not a nonconformist.” Kaz straightened up and away from the window. “I’m an outside-the-box thinker who doesn’t like to waste time explaining what I’m doing and why. It’s better for everyone if I just do my thing and let them clean up the mess of bad guys at the end.”

  “Having been the target of that impatience, I agree.” Paxton stood. “That reminds me, did you happen to fix my computer before Elvis arrived?”

  “Yes. It appears you imported a virus through an email attachment that corrupted and crashed your computer. I replaced your hard drive, then updated it with the most recent saved backup, so you’re all set. The only documents I couldn’t save are those within the last twenty-four hours.”

  “Kaz, you really are a wizard. You just saved my bacon. I don’t pay you enough.”

  “You don’t pay me anything.”

  “You get all my respect. Let’s go grab lunch.” They headed out of the office and down the sidewalk toward the diner. “Don’t think we’re going to avoid a conversation about your activities as the Wizard.”

  “What activities? I’m done.” For now, at least. “I sent Elvis away. It’s a nonissue.”

  * * *

  Kaz had meant what he’d said, but that was before the Elvis sightings started rolling in all over town. Climax, NC, might be a laid back little town, but they had a high-speed gossip mill. The first Elvis sighting was at the Gas ’n Grub. Elvis ate a ninety-nine-cent hot dog and pumped ten dollars of unleaded gas into a rusted-out Ford Fiesta. Ten minutes later Elvis popped in at the Piggly Wiggly and bought tampons, deodorant, toothpaste, and a ten-pack of Piggly Wiggly macaroni and cheese. Next, Elvis stopped at Crazy Mike’s Tire & Muffler and talked him into selling her one retread tire plus installation for forty bucks and a performance of Mike’s favorite Elvis song, “Burning Love.” While Mike worked on her car, Elvis hit up the Spin Cycle across the street. Washed and dried a load of delicates. Elvis wore thongs, by the way.

  It seemed like Elvis wasn’t in a hurry to leave Climax, but then Kaz thought about it. With the cash from both himself and Paxton, she was taking care of some neglected basics. Basics she hadn’t had the money for, which made him feel like a total heel. Damn. Everything about her was fitting the profile of a woman on the run. But then, she would fit the perfect profile if she was being used to set him up, wouldn’t she? Nope. He wasn’t taking the bait. Not even a nibble. It might be taking Elvis a while, but she was making her way out of town. He was sure of it—until the last Grapevine update came in.

  Elvis had a run-in with Jeb McClatchy’s mean ole steer, Pisser, over on Weaver Dairy Road. The good news was, it was the final road out of town before the interstate.

  The bad news was, although the steer walked away, Elvis’s Ford Fiesta didn’t. And then his brother Quinn, on duty with the local Climax police force, called to tell him that Elvis, who had a probable concussion and some cuts big enough to need stiches, was asking for Paxton and Kaz Cates . . . and their magical wizardly skills.

  Paxton grinned across at him. “Sounds like Elvis really is all shook up.”

  Yep, or the devil in disguise. Either way he needed to deal with Elvis.

  Chapter Three

  Elvis had refused to go to the hospital. Kaz easily tracked her down at the small clinic in town. She was behind one of the curtained stalls singing “Don’t Be Cruel” and . . . crying?

  “Hey, there you are.” His brother Quinn turned to him. “Elvis asked for either you, Paxton, or the wizard. Is she a friend of yours?”

  “No. She delivered Paxton’s birthday gram from Sijan a few hours ago. I’ve never met her before.” Kaz glanced over to where McClatchy stood at the front desk, wringing his ball cap in his hands. “So, it’s true? McClatchy’s bull hit her?”

  Quinn nodded. “Yup. Her car’s a mess. She said no to the hospital, but we at least talked her into the free clinic. Doc and Delaney are back there with her.”

  “What’s Delaney doing here?” Delaney was a nurse, but Kaz thought she’d taken some time off as she was weeks away from delivering their first baby. “I thought she’d stopped working for now.”

  “Me too. She got bored and started volunteering here last week.”

  The curtain fluttered and Delaney exited leading with her very pregnant belly. “Kaz, Elvis would like to see you. Or Paxton. Not really sure which one, but she told me to list you both on her contact form.”

  “What? Why?”

  “We thought you would know. But either way, she’s a bit agitated, so would you mind going in to try to calm her down? Doc can’t even get her to settle long enough to stitch up her arm.”

  “How did I draw the short straw? Why didn’t you call Paxton?”

  “Figured he’d be in court, but even if he isn’t, I’d have called you first anyway. You’re much calmer than Paxton.”

  Kaz had a feeling he was going to be sucked into the situation no matter if he went back there or not, and he’d rather her not keep asking for the Wizard. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Delaney led him back behind the curtain, where Elvis was lying on a cot as Doc tried to talk her into a ride in the ambulance over to Memorial.

  “Elvis, I brought Kaz back.” Delaney lifted her hand, directing him to stand next to Elvis’s bedside. “Since you asked to see him.”

  He reached out and took her hand, leaning over so she could see his face. “Hey there, Elvis.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered. Tears built up in her eyes until they escaped and slid from the corners and down her temples to the white paper under her. “Thank you very much.”

  “We meet again. Doc says you don’t want to go to the hospital.” Her eyes, the soft green of a forest fern in dappled sunlight, focused on his and held him captive.

  She shook her head and winced. “Ow. No, no hospital. I don’t have health insurance, so really, just no.”

  Delaney leaned in. “You don’t need to worry about that. Jeb McClatchy is insisting on paying your bills.”

  Reaching out a hand, Elvis grabbed onto Kaz’s forearm. “Please, no. Can’t they stitch me up here?”

  Moving his gaze over to Doc, who nodded, Kaz patted her hand. “Sure, sure. Doc’s the best. Only you have to lie still. Head hurt?”

  “A bit. Doc says a probable mild concussion.” She squinted up at him. “I don’t need an expensive visit to the emergency room to tell me that.”

  Doc cleared his throat. “I can’t force you to go, but what you will need is someone to watch you for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. I won’t let you leave here without that.”

  “So, as you can see, I could use your help.” She blinked up at him, pleading with her eyes. “I can’t drive. The cop said my car is wrecked.”

  “You can’t drive with a concussion anyway. Let’s get her wound cleaned up and prepped for stitching.” Doc nodded over to Delaney before exiting through the privacy curtain.

  Delaney moved forward to clean up the gash on her arm.

  “Please tell me they didn’t cut the sleeve off my Elvis costume.”
This time she grabbed Kaz’s shirtfront and pulled him down toward her. “Monty’s going to make me pay for it.”

  “It had to be done.” Delaney wiped around the gash carefully. “Besides, not sure you’d get the bloodstains out of the white fabric anyway.”

  “Uh, Delaney, your patient just went pale.” Her face had gone pasty. The mutton chop sideburns had been peeled off exposing a classic oval face, high cheekbones, and an ugly bruise blossoming on the left side of her face. Kaz leaned closer. “Hey, Elvis, you okay there?”

  Her eyelids fluttered and sweat beaded along her forehead. “The word ‘blood’ does that to me. Weak stomach.”

  Kaz looked to Delaney for confirmation. She shrugged over at Kaz. “It happens. I’ll go let Doc know we’re ready for him.”

  As soon as they were alone, Elvis squeezed his hand and pulled him closer. “Please help me. I need you to agree to monitor me for the next twenty-four hours or Doc won’t let me leave. If you just agree, then I’ll get out of your hair. Please.”

  Well, Kaz knew that wasn’t going to work. “You don’t have someone you can call to stay with for the next twenty-four hours?”

  Again she began to shake her head but stopped abruptly. “Ouch. No, I don’t. But that McClatchy guy said he’d pay for a hotel room for me while the garage fixes my car, so maybe you could drop me off there?”

  “I can’t do that.” He’d hoped for a clean exit, but that wasn’t looking possible now. “How about I take you over to my mom’s? With five boys, she’s dealt with concussions plenty of times. She’ll be happy to—”

  “No. Never mind. I just remembered someone I can call. Thanks for coming, but you can go now.” She closed her eyes and turned her head away.

  “Who? Two minutes ago you didn’t have a soul to call.”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but a coworker.”

  “You made it my business when you asked for me. Who? Why don’t I call them for you?” If he took this woman at face value, she wasn’t simply down on her luck. No, if she was looking for the Wizard, she was looking to disappear. She might not have insurance, but Kaz would bet she also didn’t want her name in anyone’s computer system.

  “I’ll call them once I’m stitched up. I’m fine. I don’t even have a headache anymore. It’s gone. It was probably the shock. So, again, thank you.”

  Kaz could see the pain in her stiff lips pressed together, hands clenched in the sheet until her knuckles were white, and the careful way she kept her head still. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “You’re a rotten liar, Elvis. And you don’t know Delaney, but she’s the most bullheaded woman I’ve ever met. No way is she letting you leave here without help.”

  Her eyes widened and then her gaze examined his face.

  “You don’t really have a friend to call, do you?”

  “No.”

  “Okay. Would you like my help? Like I said, my mom will be happy to help. She likes to mother everyone.”

  “No. I don’t want to meet more people. I just need my head to stop hurting, fix my car, and get out of town. Maybe call my boss and give him the bad news about his Elvis costume.”

  Doc and Delaney came back into the cubicle to stitch her up. Kaz tried to back away, but Elvis grabbed his hand tight.

  “Stay. Please.” She had turned her head away from where they hovered over her arm, her gaze locked on Kaz. “I have this thing about needles and blood.”

  “You’re going to feel a pinch and a short sting.”

  “Ow!”

  Kaz grinned and squeezed her hand harder. “He hasn’t done anything yet.”

  “I like to be prepar—ow!”

  “Now he has.” Delaney patted her shoulder. “You won’t feel a thing in a minute. Kaz, bore her to tears with that explanation of nanotechnology you laid on me last week. That will keep her mind off what Doc’s doing.”

  Kaz was bad at small talk, so he did exactly as Delaney suggested. He expounded on the newest finding on nanotech and its possible extrapolation into future technology. It took ten minutes and sixteen stiches to close the gash.

  * * *

  Mira was hanging on to every word Kaz said, trying not to think about what the doc was doing to her arm and hoping she wouldn’t pass out. Although if she passed out, she wouldn’t have to worry about the newest problem life had thrown at her. If life were a test, she was failing spectacularly.

  Ornery bull, 1, Mira, 0. The image of a huge, bellowing bull charging her careened through her memory and she went light-headed with the instant sliver of fear again. She heard the bull’s hoof scrape the asphalt road, saw the snot and drool fly from its nose and large set of jaws as it tossed its head around before aiming those seriously sharp horns at her car and charging straight at her.

  No. Stop, Mira. She banished the bull from her mind, focusing instead on the incredibly hot man in front of her. Squinting up into his eyes, she let his deep voice soothe her. His eyes were a warm brown set off with a forest of black eyelashes. A straight, sharp blade of a nose combined with his strong jaw and dark slashes of his eyebrows into a handsome face. His hair, the color of rich espresso, was slicked back from his face and just long enough to be held back with a tie of some sort.

  He looked like a pirate. A modern pirate, she amended, as her gaze lowered to his blue jeans, well-worn and snugly wrapped around his lean hips and muscular thighs. A pirate with kind, intelligent eyes.

  She watched his lips move as he went on about the latest fiber optics and some new chip technology that promised to revolutionize computers. Mira was almost computer illiterate, so Kaz was speaking a foreign language. But she didn’t mind. It was like watching a foreign film with a hunky movie star. No subtitles necessary because “hot male” was a universal language. He had a nice mouth with generous lips that moved with economy and precision. Nope, no idea what he was talking about and she was okay with that.

  Her mind wandered as her gaze traveled over his wide shoulders. He wore a long-sleeved collared shirt with the cuffs rolled to his elbows reveling a tattoo on one forearm. Thin lines of soft black, barely there ink—beautiful and hypnotic—turned in on themselves over and over like an ancient Celtic pattern.

  “Elvis? You okay?”

  What? She refocused to find Kaz staring down at her with a frown on his face. Glancing around, she saw both the doctor and nurse had left. Uh-oh. She hoped she’d been lost in thought and hadn’t blacked out again.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Just ready to get out of here.” Guess it was time to deal with reality again.

  She only thought about calling Monty to come get her for, well, a nanosecond. Monty wasn’t a sensitive soul. He cared about his bottom line and not much else. She wasn’t looking forward to telling him about the costume. Or having to pay for it. Dios, she couldn’t catch a break.

  “Doc said as soon as you’ve got someone to watch you, you can go.” Kaz raised an eyebrow at her. “My offer still stands. I’ll take you over to my parents’ house. You can rest up in their guest room.”

  “I’m not making your mom stay up half the night to watch over me. I can’t do that.” No, that wouldn’t work for her. Heck, if this had happened at home, she could call her sister for help. Which reminded her, she was supposed to call her sister yesterday but had forgotten. Call Vivian before she worries got added to her mental to-do list.

  “Fine. What if I stay over and check on you every couple of hours?” At least he would be a familiar face. “Either way, you’re going to have to trust someone because you’re from out of town.”

  Yeah, trust. Not in her wheelhouse. But he was right. She had no money, no car, and no one to call. Mira stared up at Kaz, trying to decide what to do. Based on the photo she’d seen, either this man or his twin could direct her to the Wizard who could help her disappear until her ex got bored and moved on. Maybe if she spent a bit more time with Kaz, she could turn his no into a yes. Considering she’d moved to Greensboro specifically to track him down, she’d be crazy
to turn down the chance. His parents would be right there, which meant she wouldn’t be alone with him. It was honestly her only option.

  “Okay. Thank you.” Mira sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. “Would you mind letting the doctor know so we can get out of here?”

  “Sure.” Kaz nodded and stuck his head out of the curtain, calling for the nurse. A soft conversation later and he turned back to her. “They’d like a name for the forms.”

  “Elvis.”

  “That’s what I thought you’d say. Okay, hang tight. Here comes Delaney. I’ll go deal with the paperwork.”

  Mira closed her eyes and rested back against the cot. The shock of the accident might be wearing off, but it had left her feeling vulnerable. It was probably fine to use her name up here in North Carolina, but she’d feel safer if she didn’t have to. She was already exhausted from trying to stay a step ahead of her ex; she really could use some time to rest up before taking that risk.

  “Elvis? Hey, just so you know, Cecelia and Seamus Cates are good people. They’re my in-laws so I might be biased, but you can ask anyone.” Delaney grinned and rubbed a hand on her belly. “I wish I could volunteer to watch you, but seeing as how I’m close to my due date, that might not be something you want to sign up for.”

  “Uh, yeah. Thanks, but no thanks. Like I said, even the thought of blood makes me light-headed.”

  “And Kaz is a sweetheart. He’s just the right man to help you.” Reaching out, Delaney pressed the button to slowly raise the bed.

  If Kaz was such a sweetheart, why had he refused to help her a few hours ago?

  “How are you feeling? Ready to stand up?”

  “You bet.” Her body ached, she had a wicked headache, and nausea still rolled around her stomach, but she pinned on a smile and lied because she didn’t want to lie on the clinic cot another minute. She moved like an eighty-year-old woman, though, because of the headache.