by Lexi Blake
Sarah shot her the finger, which Lena ignored.
“Bitch,” Brad said before slamming out the door.
“Okay, so we’ll keep an eye out for each other,” Kori said. She wasn’t sure she bought Mia’s theories, but people who lost friends didn’t always see things clearly.
“I’m going to find a hot stud and dance the night away, and Jared can kiss my juicy ass good-bye,” Sarah stated, holding herself regally. “This house of pleasure is closed to him.”
“I guess we should head back out,” Mia said.
Kori let Sarah go first and held Mia back. “Give Case a chance.”
Mia glanced to the door. “I want to. He’s so…overwhelming and I worry about his family.”
“The Taggarts are some of the most amazing men I’ve ever met in my life.”
“I’ve found appearances can be deceiving,” Mia said quietly.
“How do you know if you don’t try? I’m going to ask you something. What’s going to make you happy? Trying and failing with Case—who could honestly use some happy things in his life right now—or being too scared to try at all?”
Mia frowned, thinking for a moment. “I worry that I’m crossing a line I can’t come back from. Kori, I haven’t told you everything, but now isn’t the time. Let’s say I have an ulterior motive for being here.”
“The stuff with your friend?” It wasn’t a hard leap.
“Yes.”
“Case has nothing to do with that.”
“He might,” Mia replied. “McKay-Taggart has worked for some interesting people.”
“I assure you Case Taggart would never do anything to hurt you. He’s not that kind of guy. If he’s interested in you, it’s because he wants to spend time with you. He’s not working. The man wants a dance. I wasted so much time with Kai. I didn’t read the signs. I held off showing him I was interested and I did it because I was scared. Then we lost Theo. I think that made every single one of us realize how short life can be.”
“I’ve lost a lot of people in my life. I lost my parents when I was very young. I lost my brothers for a long time after that.”
“What would your parents want for you?” It felt good to be helping someone. She couldn’t help Sarah and Jared, but Mia and Case were a different story. If they liked each other, there was zero reason for them not to try.
Somehow being in love with Kai made everything seem possible.
Mia sniffled. “They would want me to be happy. My friend would want me to be happy. But Kori, until I figure this thing out, be careful.”
She leaned over, giving her friend a hug. “I will.”
Mia straightened up and smiled. “I’m going to go ask that cowboy to dance. Can you hold my purse?”
It was the job of a good girlfriend. “Will do.”
Kori took Mia’s little bag and followed her out, sure at least one thing had gone right tonight.
* * * *
Kai watched as Kori walked out with Mia. She looked over and gave him a wink and that was when he realized what she was carrying. Mia’s purse. It was one of those tiny things that was mostly a wallet with some bling on it. It wouldn’t carry more than some cash, credit cards, and her phone. He was only interested in one of those things.
Mia stopped in front of Case and held out her hand.
Shit. Kori had done it, and she looked so happy for her friend.
Kai’s gut twisted.
“What is she doing?” Jared asked, staring out on the dance floor where Sarah was commanding attention.
“I think she’s dancing, man,” Squirrel said as he stood up and slapped Jared on the shoulder. “Face facts. You lost that one. Guess you can’t win ’em all. I’m going to grab a beer from the bar. A real beer. All the crap they have in the VIP lounge is artesian crap. I’ll be back.”
“Have you seen the others?” Jared glanced around as though he realized his crew had deserted him.
Squirrel shouted over the music. “They’re out and about, brother. Don’t worry about them. Find another lady and have some fun. I know that’s what I’m going to do.”
Kori sank down beside him, settling her purse and Mia’s away from him. He would have to reach over her to get to it. Damn it. He wanted to tell Case to fuck the whole op. He wasn’t doing this. If Kori found out, she could get hurt, and the most important thing in the world to him was that Kori didn’t get hurt.
But he owed more than Kori. He owed them all. He had to make this work.
Case stood up, taking Mia’s hand in his. He towered over the blonde, and even from where Kai was sitting it was easy to see how the couple leaned into each other, how their bodies couldn’t seem to stay apart. The smile he gave Mia wasn’t all about the op.
Case looked over at Kai and nodded. “We’re going to go dance for a while. Be back in a bit.”
Mia clung to his hand, looking up at him like he was everything she wanted. She winked Kori’s way.
“I think that’s going to work out,” Kori whispered in his ear. “Thanks for pointing it out to me. I hope at least one of my friends finds a happy place tonight.”
Actually, it looked like Sarah was doing a pretty good job herself. The brunette beauty was commanding the dance floor, with not one but two guys vying for her attention. Her hips moved sensually, her eyes flashing.
And Jared couldn’t look away. Kai noticed all the women had given up and walked off while Jared frowned toward the dance floor. “Does she know either of those men?”
Kori flashed an impish grin. “It depends on what you mean by the word ‘know.’ Because the way she’s twerking on that one dude, she could know him biblically soon.”
What was he going to do? How long would Case keep Mia on the dance floor? He only needed a few minutes to properly upload the software to her phone if the device Hutch had rigged was half as good as he said it was. He had a small thumb drive attached to one end of the device. It contained the upload information and a program designed to get through any security she had on her phone. He would plug it into the phone’s port and it would upload the cloning application while it downloaded any information she had on her phone. In minutes they would have all her contacts, her e-mails, texts, pictures, anything and everything a person kept on their phone. If she used one of those training and fitness devices, they could potentially know when she was asleep.
It was a scary invasion of her privacy, but if she knew where Theo was or had any contacts who might know, they had to take the chance.
He wouldn’t get that chance if Kori kept sitting next to him.
It ran through his head to tell her. He could tell her everything. She wouldn’t break his trust, but doing that would violate Ian’s and Case’s. It could potentially put her in danger.
He had to find a way to keep her out of this altogether.
He leaned over to his brother. “Are you sure you’re all right with letting her get away? Sarah’s not the kind of woman who will hang around and hope you notice her.”
Jared’s jaw firmed stubbornly. “It’s better this way.”
“Really? Because it looks like the lady is going to have fun with or without you,” he pointed out. “I saw you with her the other day when you scened. Are you going to find another sub to practice on?”
Jared’s hand tightened around his water bottle. “She’s drinking. She can’t make a proper decision while she’s drinking and she’s my responsibility. She came here with me. I’m not going to allow her to go home with someone she doesn’t even know.”
Now he was thinking like a Dom. Of course, according to the FBI, Jared had been one for years. “Maybe you should talk to her. Or better yet, get out on the dance floor and ease up to her. Women love dancing. You can tell her you were wrong to ignore her. If you’re worried about hurting her feelings, I think you hurt her more by not being honest with her.”
“Do you think so? I like her, but I’m leaving in a couple of weeks. Hell, once filming starts I won’t have time anyway.”
“So tell her what you’re willing to give, what you can give,” Kai said. “Explain the situation and let her make her own decision. If the two of you want to play for the duration of your time here, I’ll help you work out a contract with her.”
“I’ve never tried it that way. It might work if we both know the boundaries.”
This was his chance. “So take Kori out for a dance and ease up to Sarah. You know I have two left feet. It’s going to be the only time Kori gets out there on the dance floor. Can you do me that favor?”
Jared stood up. “Yeah. I can do that. And thank you for the advice.”
Once this thing was done, he was going to sit down and tell his brother everything he knew about the stupid FBI investigation. It wasn’t Jared, but Kai was starting to wonder about the other members of his entourage. Watching them this evening, it was obvious they all had their issues. It was time to take his baby brother in hand and clean house. Jared needed people around who were there for the right reasons.
Hell, it was time to sit and listen to what his brother had to say. It was time to be a family again.
One day he and Kori might have some of those stinky, adorable baby things everyone else was so into. Shouldn’t they know their uncle?
“Be easy on my girl,” Kai said with a smile.
Jared held a hand out to Kori. “Hey, do a guy a favor and dance with me? I think I’ve changed my mind about Sarah and I need some advice.”
“Advice can totally be given while sitting down,” Kori said with wide eyes.
Jared reached for her hand and hauled her up. “Not when there’s dancing going on, darlin’. We’ll be back.”
Kori looked back as Jared hauled her toward the dance floor. That was a murderous look in his love’s eyes. He was going to pay later.
For now, he had a job to do.
The minute Kori was out of sight, he grabbed Mia’s bag. He picked up Kori’s too and headed for the lounge. If anyone asked, he was unwilling to leave the bags out in the open while he headed for the men’s room.
As fast as he could, he slipped into the lounge. It was quiet and empty. He strode behind the bar and opened Mia’s bag. He’d been right. There was very little in it. A credit card, her ID, a tube of what looked like lip-gloss, and her phone.
He pulled the small device Case had given him out of his pocket and quickly connected it to the phone. The screen flicked on, the security login coming on.
And a picture. It was Mia’s screen saver. Mia and three men, obviously her brothers. She stood in the middle, nearly overwhelmed by the three big men. They were smiling for the camera, though one man’s smile didn’t meet his eyes. Kai would bet anything that the one in the back, the only one who wasn’t touching the others, was Drew Lawless. He had the haunted look of a man who’d seen too much. Done too much.
Was he a member of The Collective? Did that man on Mia’s phone know where Theo Taggart was being held? If he did, he didn’t understand pain yet. He would after Ian Taggart got hold of him.
Or Mia could be completely innocent and then this would clear her and Case might find some solace.
He was doing the right thing.
The door came open and Kai slipped the entire phone and device into Kori’s big, open bag. He would have to fit it back into Mia’s. It was far easier to hide it in that tank of a bag his girl carried. He grabbed a bottle of something and pulled the cork as his brother’s agent walked into the room.
“Oh, it’s you.” He frowned and looked back down at his phone. He likely didn’t need to hide crap from these people. They wouldn’t notice anything at all that didn’t have something to do with them. “Have you seen Lena? I can’t find her.”
Kai poured himself a glass of…ugh, vodka. He actually hated vodka. Why couldn’t he have reached for bourbon? “Nope. She walked away with your brother a while back.”
“She said she had something to tell me,” he muttered. “I guess it can wait. I’m going to head back to the hotel. I’ve got some things I need to handle. Tell Jared to call me if he needs me. Or if he needs me to find him a girl. It looks like the one he wants is playing hard to get.”
Kai nodded, praying for the fucker to leave the whole time. Maybe he should have gone into the bathroom to do this. It was behind him and through the hall, but he needed to get back out to the couch. He had to be sitting there when Kori came back.
The minute the door closed again, he glanced down. The software was still loading. A green light would flash when it was done. He could see the screen flashing as the code took over. If everything worked properly, she would never know it was there, but he could see it taking over all her systems, sending copies back to the thumb drive.
Another few minutes. That was all he needed. He needed his luck to hold out a few more minutes.
How long could the damn thing take?
The green light flashed and he pulled the drive out of Mia’s phone, pocketing it.
The door opened, loud music blasting inside the quiet of the lounge.
“There you are.” Jared was carrying Kori in his arms. “Your girl had some trouble with her heels. Can you fix up an ice pack?”
Shit. He couldn’t slip Mia’s phone back in her purse. He let it drop into Kori’s open bag again and prayed they hadn’t seen it in his hands. “What happened?”
He didn’t like the look of Kori in his brother’s arms. Even though he knew damn well Kori had zero interest in Jared physically, he didn’t like anyone holding her except him. He’d done this. He’d insisted she go out and dance and now she’d gotten hurt.
“Set her down on the couch and I’ll take a look at it.”
The minute Jared turned his back and started to settle her in, Kai switched the phone over and closed Mia’s bag.
Done. Finished. It was over.
The door came open again and Kai realized he’d managed it just in time. Chaos erupted as the entire crew seemed to file in.
Sarah rushed in, holding Kori’s shoes. Squirrel walked in with Brad. Mia and Case followed, a frown on Case’s face as Mia immediately went to Kori’s side.
Yep, that had been good timing on his part. He looked over and nodded Case’s way. The big guy breathed an obvious sigh of relief.
Kai quickly got the ice pack ready and went to look at his girl’s ankle. Maybe it was time to call it a night. All he had left now was the handoff and then he and Kori were home free.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Kori stood up and her ankle held. No doubt about it. She was never going to be the world’s most graceful dancer, and if she never had to see those damn heels again, it would be way too soon. She’d twisted it as she was dancing with Jared, who turned out to be an amazing dancer but not the most attentive of partners since he’d had his eyes on Sarah the whole time.
“Is it okay?” Kai glanced down as though he could see through to her bones. He’d been sweet and very gentle with her, but he hadn’t thought she’d done more than twisted it slightly.
It felt like he was right. She wasn’t sore after a couple of minutes with the ice pack. Well, her ankle wasn’t sore. The rest of her was deliciously, delightfully sore. “It’s all good, but I think I’m ready to head home.”
Kai had ordered everyone out so he could look her over. It was nice and quiet in the lounge now. She had to admit that if one was required to be in a nightclub, having a lounge and bathroom all to oneself was really the way to go. When the door closed, she couldn’t hear the thudding music from outside.
Kai leaned over and kissed her. “I’ll go and call us a taxi. Give me a few minutes, though. I need to talk to my brother and make sure everyone else has rides home if they want to go. Can you stay here? I won’t be long. And stay out of those shoes. I’ll carry you out myself.”
She nodded. Staying put seemed a good thing to do. “Did Mia get her purse?”
“Yes and yours is sitting on the bar. Do you need it?” He glanced over to where he’d placed her bag.
“I’m good.”
She settled back down. She was ready to go home, get in PJs, and cuddle with her man. Nothing would be nicer than sleeping in Kai’s arms. It had only been a few days, but she was already worried about how she would sleep when he wasn’t there with her. Inevitably, he would want to stay at his own place when his brother cleared out.
Then they would have to figure out how to settle into their relationship. The last few days had been bliss, but all relationships inevitably moved past the flurry and excitement of those first couple of weeks. When Kai was back at his place and they were still working together and playing together, she would see where their relationship could go.
Of course the way Jared and Sarah had been arguing, there might be more than Kai at her place tonight. They were the reason Kai had ordered everyone out. Sarah had accused Jared of deliberately running off her two dance partners and Jared had shot back with a lecture on how dangerous it was to play around with men she didn’t know. He’d come damn close to calling her behavior promiscuous, which likely would have gotten him Sarah’s pump right in his balls.
They were probably making out somewhere.
Kai walked out and Kori took a deep breath and sat back. It hadn’t been the worst night ever and now she could relax.
The door came open and Mia slipped inside. “You okay?”
Kori smiled. “I’m fine, but I think we’re going to head home. This is not my scene.”
She preferred Sanctum, where she knew everyone and they all watched out for each other.
Mia nodded and sank down beside her. “That’s what Kai told Case. They went off somewhere. I guess Case had something to say to Kai.”
“What’s wrong? Did you not have fun with Case?” Kori was watching her and she didn’t look like a woman who was happy with the way her evening had gone. It surprised her since when they were out on the dance floor, Mia had clung to Case and her eyes had lit up.
“I think someone went through my purse. Did you need something in there? It’s totally cool if you did. I just want to make sure it was you.”