by Huss, JA
“She smells different,” Ford continues.
“Different how?” Ronin asks back.
“Deliciously different. Like her pussy is candy, that’s how good—”
“Enough,” I bark.
“Rook got her birth control implant taken out yesterday,” Ronin says, ignoring me. “That’s what she was doing at the doctor.”
Ford lowers the paper all the way to his lap so he can look at Ronin. “That’s a step forward.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” Ronin beams a smile at him.
“Hello? Anyone here besides me? You two whipped dumbasses do realize the jury selection starts today for the trial, reporters are in town in force, someone stole seven motorcycles from my shop and possibly robbed our friend Drake as well? Not to mention we need to get a military-grade robot out from his shop without getting caught. Like today. We don’t have time to talk about candy pussy.”
“Spencer,” Ronin pipes up. “There is always time for candy pussy.”
“And she makes this little squeal now.” Ford keeps going, like I never said a word.
“What?” Ronin and I say together. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Ford talk about sex before. He might make a comment in general. I did this or she did that. But he’s never talked about a girl before. It’s… strange. And while I’m no slouch in the fucking department, I’m not really into the shit Ford does. So I have to admit, I’m interested in what he’s got to say.
Ronin turns to face Ford as well, so apparently he’s interested too. “What kind of squeal? Because Rook, she does this little tongue thing right when we get started. Like, drags the tip over the edge of her top teeth, then licks the center of her lip. Fucking shit drives me wild.”
Ford smiles a far-off smile, like he’s picturing something. “It’s more of a squeak, really. Like she’s trying to hold it in and not let on that she’s excited.” He shakes his head. “She’s always excited.”
“Fuck. Is it lunchtime yet? I might take Rook home and make her do the tongue thing for me.”
“I might need to take the whole afternoon off,” Ford adds. “I do not believe in quickies. And if I get a squeak at the beginning, you can bet your ass it’s gonna end up a scream at the end.”
“It’s only nine o’clock, you horndogs.”
“Nine?” Ford asks. “That means Ashleigh is getting ready to walk to the coffee shop. I can probably catch her before she wakes Kate up from her morning nap.” He gets up and throws the paper down. “I’ll be back later,” he says as he pulls the door open and bumps into Rook.
He pushes past her without a word and Rook is just about to ask what’s going on when Ronin corners her. “Follow me, Gidget. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
And then I’m alone.
What the fuck?
They didn’t even give me a chance to tell them Ronnie’s little tell. She does that shudder thing. When I touch her for the first time before we fuck, she shudders. And she closes her eyes for a second. That’s how I know she’s in the mood. Granted, I can make her shudder any time I want, but when she’s really horny, all I gotta do is drag a finger down her arm and I get the closed-eye shudder.
I grab my phone from my desk and press her beautiful face. I don’t expect her to answer, so when I hear her voice after the first ring, I feel… happy.
“How can I help you, Spencer?”
“Are you available today?”
She sighs. “Yeah, I already got you four apartments lined up to look at. I’m just pasting directions into the email right now. Be sure to check—”
“No, Bomb. Fuck the apartments. Are you available to see me today?”
She pauses. “See you?”
“Yeah, like, for lunch? Unless you’re having lunch with that asshole from last night.”
Silence.
I hate that I added that dig. I’m such a fuck-up when it comes to her.
“Ronnie?”
“I have to work at the shop. Everyone’s down in the Springs until Thursday. I gotta open and close. So if you need anything else—like, shit that does not involve lunch—call me over there.”
I get the three-beep hang-up.
That’s just perfect. Just fucking perfect. Ronin is off screwing Rook. Ford is off eating candy pussy. And I’m stuck here with no one. And the worst thing is, I’m the only one who’s worried about all the shit that’s going down. Those two assholes are so busy with their women, they’re getting sloppy and slow.
In fact, it’s a good thing Ronnie and I are on the outs. Yeah. It’s perfect, actually. Because now I can stop thinking about her and concentrate on my job.
I glance out the window that overlooks the bike bays. All the guys are anxious to get started on their projects. Ryan and I are both working on major deliveries, one of which needs to be completed in two weeks. But I’m waiting on the chrome guy and the upholsterer for the custom seat.
I stand up and look out the window behind me. This one has a view of College Ave. In fact, I can see the FoCo Cinema from my office. I like that. I can spy on Bombshell from right here and she’ll never know, because I have a pair of high-powered binocs in my desk drawer and she likes to sit by the front window in the winter and outside in the summer.
The deafening roar of a badass bike makes me look left. It takes me several seconds to actually come to terms with what I’m seeing.
My Veronica.
On our bike.
She flashes past and I swear she flips me off as she passes. It’s hard to tell because she could’ve just been adjusting her hand on the grips, but it sure the fuck looked like she flipped me off. She turns into a space in front of the cinema and parks the bike. A group of college guys are in line at the front coffee window and they all turn to look at her. I know they say something, because that one-finger salute is crystal clear.
I chuckle. Veronica is adorable. And I’m feeling needy right now. It sucks that Ford and Ronin get to have girlfriends while I have to squirrel away the feelings I have for Veronica to try to keep her out of the messed-up shit we’re in. I’m not sure how Ford can justify it.
I mean, Ronin, I get him. He’s got one thing on his mind and that’s Rook. His job is lying to the police and bailing us out of shit. And right now, we’re not in any shit legally. He’s got nothing to do. Plus Rook works with us. She’s here all day long.
Ford, he’s a hacker, so I sorta get the feeling he thinks he’s ten steps ahead of everyone at all times. Why worry? And I bet he is. Who the hell knows what goes on in that freak brain of his. He’s practically employing his own private police force to protect Ash and Kate. And he’s got those dogs.
But that’s just not enough peace of mind for me. If I had my way I’d have all the girls locked up in here with us all day long. I’d stick a crib in the empty office on the other side of the shop and that could be Kate and Ashleigh’s little room. Rook could run the showroom and Ronnie could just sit in here with me so I’d never have to take my eyes off her.
Plus, there’s cameras all over this place. Not in here, this is the only private place in the whole building. But everywhere else is wired up for the show.
I sigh. They’d be so much safer here with me to keep my eyes on them. And that’s my job. Yeah, I am the initial planner. Ford gets that genius brain to come up with original shit every now and then, but mostly I come up with the plans and he carries them out. I run security. I protect everyone, boots-on-the-ground style.
This is a waiting game. The trial officially starts today with jury selection but the witnesses are not supposed to start until next week. Apparently jury selection is an art and major players understand this and take their time. That’s what our lawyers say, anyway. In the big-league trials—and this one certainly qualifies—jury selection is everything.
Rook is scheduled to testify next Monday. Day one. Witness one. She is almost the whole trial. She recorded that FBI fuck Agent Abelli threatening to sell her. She filmed him torturing her ex-husband to death. She f
ilmed him setting her house on fire with her in it. She had access to secret files that implicated more than a hundred people. More than one FBI agent. State senators, US Representatives, cops, a couple mayors, and a drug lord. And those are just the ones I remember off the top of my head.
Ford and I combed through each name before we put that last operation to free Ronin from jail in motion. But some of the names had no online database reference. Many were foreign.
Rook is the star witness. The only other evidence the federal prosecutors have, besides some questionable confessions from other members of the human trafficking crime ring, is the bank transactions. And all that was a setup by Ford. Except for the money transfer from the Columbian drug lord, every bit of it is fake.
And this worries me. Bad.
Because without Rook, the Feds have no case. And if the defense can pick apart those bank transactions, well, all that hard evidence falls apart too.
The guilt or innocence of Agent Abelli—and us too, since our stories are all wrapped up in each other now—hangs on the words of Rook Corvus and the hacking skills of Ford Aston.
And doesn’t that make the both of them very attractive targets?
Ronin’s truck pulls up in front of the cinema and Rook leans over and kisses him before getting out and walking inside where the girls meet every morning to have coffee. That must’ve been one hell of a quickie because it’s only been about twenty minutes. Ronin backs up and makes the two-second trip across the street.
A few seconds later Ford pulls up to the cinema in the Bronco. He has to get out because Ashleigh has so much baby shit it takes two people to sort it out. Ford gets the stroller and then grabs Kate and puts her inside, while Ashleigh gets the dogs.
I have to shake my head at that. Why she puts up with his crazy dogs is beyond me. But I get why Ford does it. Those dogs give him peace of mind.
Me? I prefer guns.
Ford finishes up and then kisses his new wife goodbye on the lips and backs out. When I see them together, he’s like a different person. Ashleigh and Kate make him different. Nicer, I guess. Because when he’s with us alone, he’s the same old asshole he’s always been.
Ronin comes into my office and I turn around.
“Spying on Ron?” he asks as he grabs a bike magazine and plops down on the couch.
“Ford, actually,” I reply back. “He just dropped Ash and Kate off.”
The door opens again and Ford walks in, closes it behind him, and then just stands there looking between Ronin and I.
“What?” I ask, feeling nervous.
“Someone has contested my request to adopt Kate.”
“Who?” Ronin and I ask together.
Ford takes a deep breath and exhales out the words. “Kate’s father.”
Chapter Fourteen - Veronica
“I don’t get it,” Rook says, confused. I take a sip of my coffee and wait patiently for Ashleigh to position Kate for nursing. Ashleigh looks a wreck. Her eyes are all red from crying and all the color has disappeared from her face. “I mean, how does a dead man contest an adoption?”
Ashleigh starts to cry silently.
Rook and I look at each other and she mouths, Do something. Like I’m good with this girlfriend stuff.
I’m not. I was raised by a pack of wild men. I had very few girlfriends growing up. In fact, I think Rook is the only girl I’ve ever been really close to. But Rook’s the baby, so I take over. “Ashleigh, he is dead, right?” Rook’s eyes go wide and she shakes her head no. I ignore her. If there’s some sort of protocol for dealing with dead ex-boyfriends who contest adoptions by live husbands, I’m not up to speed. “I mean, he didn’t, like, show up in person, right?”
“No,” she says, sniffling. “It was a legal document served to me today. It came from a law office. Tony—that’s Kate’s biological father—Tony’s name is not even on there. It says something like paternal objection. But that’s not possible. He’s dead.”
“Where’s the papers?” I ask as Rook reaches over to rub Ashleigh’s hand.
“Ford took them. He’s calling the lawyers who are handling the case for us.”
“What does he say?” Rook asks.
“He didn’t say anything, really. Just that he’ll take care of it.”
“Well,” I sigh. “I’m sorry this is happening. But if Ford Aston says he’s gonna take care of it, I’d try not to think about it too much. If it can be done, he’ll do it.”
“Besides,” Rook adds, “it’s probably Tony’s family who’s putting up this fight. They think they have a claim, I suppose. Have you talked to them?”
Ash shakes her head no as she wipes the tears from her eyes. “No, they said they never wanted anything to do with me. They sent me nasty letters when I was in Japan after I found out Tony died. And now they go and pull this shit? I’ve been feeling so much better about things the past few weeks. I’m moving on, ya know? And then this happens and I’m right back where I was with the grief. I hate when people fuck with my life. I hate it so much. I didn’t do anything, why can’t they just leave me alone?”
Rook leans in and hugs her. “Ronnie’s right. Ford will handle it. Ford always gets his way. They won’t stop the adoption. He’ll make sure of it. In fact, let’s just go over there right now and see if he’s found anything out.”
“No,” Ashleigh says quickly. “He’s so upset, I can’t see him right now. God, it’s bad enough he had to put up with me and my sadness for the past two months, but this? It’s like a slap in the face. He’s been taking care of Kate like she’s his own child since she was four months old and we finally get home to file the papers, and this happens. I swear to God, if I find out this is Tony’s parents doing this to try to get a hold of Kate, I will lose my shit.”
“Well,” I say more to myself than anything, “if I were you, I’d call their asses up and ask them what the fuck? Ya know? Put them on the spot. Make them come clean and say what they want. Maybe they just want to make sure they get visitation or something? And then you guys can sort it out in like ten minutes and put it behind you.” Both Rook and Ash are staring at me. “What? That’s what rational people do. People like Ronin, Spencer, and Ford do the complicated shit. Who needs complicated when you have easy. I mean—”
“No,” Ash says. “You’re totally right, Veronica. That’s brilliant.” She perks up at my idea, but Rook is frowning.
“What?” I ask her.
“Ash, if Ford says he’ll handle it, then you should just let him handle it.”
“Why?” I blurt. “Are you so brainwashed by Ronin that you can’t imagine picking up a phone and asking a simple question? I mean, come on, Rook. Not everything is a conspiracy.”
Ashleigh is looking at me as these words come out, but she glances quickly over to Rook and her whole attitude changes. “Yeah, you’re right. Ford can deal with it, I guess. Let him call them up and ask what the fuck.”
My mouth drops open. “Are you kidding me? Ashleigh, seriously. It’s a phone call. Rook, stop messing with her.”
“Ronnie, there’s things going on that you don’t know about, OK? It’s better to hand this off to Ford and the guys and let them figure it out. I’m sure Ford is hacking into some secret database getting information as we speak.”
“So you’re saying you two are part of the Team, but me, I’m not. So I can’t possibly understand how complicated it could be to just call up people she already knows and ask them what the fuck they want with her kid? Is that about right?”
“What if it’s not them, Veronica? What if it’s some sort of trap?”
“What fucking trap? Why would anyone be using this stupid adoption to trap Ashleigh?”
Rook sighs, but she stays silent.
Ashleigh won’t meet my gaze.
“Oh, yeah, OK. Once again, you two are in on the secrets but I’m not. You two are with the guys, and I’m not.”
“That’s not—”
Rook is interrupted by Ford and Ronin as they e
nter the cinema and walk over to us. “Come on, ladies,” Ford says. “We’re taking you home.”
“Rook,” Ronin adds, “you’re staying with Ashleigh today until we take care of some business.”
Ford gathers up Kate and calls the dogs to heel, while Ash frantically stuffs her things into the stroller. A few seconds later they walk out to the waiting Shrike truck out front. I look through the window and see Spencer at the wheel, but he’s got his shades on, so I can’t tell if he’s watching me or not.
“Later, Ronnie,” Rook calls out as Ronin urges her to hurry. “I’ll see you later.”
And then I watch them all pile into the truck and take off.
I look around after they’re gone and everyone is staring at me. “What the fuck are you all looking at?” I slap a tip down on the table, grab my backpack, and walk out the door. The Shrike truck is stopped at the light at the corner and I can see them all talking inside the cab.
Then the light turns green and they turn and disappear.
Well, that’s fucking awesome. I swing my leg over my bike and start her up. Fuck them. Just fuck them. I back out and head the other direction on College. A few seconds later I pull into a spot in front of Sick Boyz and turn off the engine.
I sit here for a few seconds thinking about how shitty I feel. They seriously just left me sitting there like some worthless garbage.
And that’s two times in two days that I feel like worthless garbage.
And then I see him.
Bobby Mansi. He’s coming out of the hardware store a few doors down, tossing his keys a little, like he hasn’t got a care in the world. I bet he doesn’t, rich bastard.
He turns his head and I look away real fast, pretending to mess with my bike before slipping my helmet off. When I look up again, he’s standing right next to me.
“Miss Vaughn. I didn’t see you this morning. How did you sleep?”
“Great actually. The couch was very nice.” I wince internally at that stupid remark.
“The couch, huh? Well, I’m glad to hear it.” He points up to the shop sign. “Is this where you draw lines on skin? Sick Boyz, Inc.?”