by A J Storm
It didn’t take long to get clean, and since he wasn’t in the mood to hang out under the hot water, he quickly shut off the water, chugged the last of his beer, and grabbed a towel to dry off. Frustrated, he had a huge urge to be in front of his laptop. A pair of black fleece sweat pants hung on the back of the bathroom door, and he slipped into them. They hung low on his hips.
He set his laptop up on the dining room table in such a way he faced the window looking out over the Austin skyline. Most of the lights of the city were on, twinkling in the distance. Austin all lit up was his favorite time. Another beer sounded good, so he grabbed another and sat in front of the computer.
That’s where his late-night adventures always began—plastered in front of his computer, hunting for the name of someone who had wronged someone else. Tonight was Viper’s turn.
The jacuzzi was exactly what Willow needed. First, it was her nerves as she went to see Chaos unannounced, then when she stopped by her parents to explain about Nova, only to have her mother belittle her as she usually did while her father sat and did nothing.
The cherry on top of her melting sundae was arriving home to find her house had been broken into. Thank God, Chaos came to help. She knew her mother would think she deserved it—certainly not because of anything Nova did.
Okay, stop this, girl. Nova’s in trouble.
She climbed out of the jacuzzi, wrapping a towel around her and let her hair down, combing her fingers through it. Willow pulled on the t-shirt she normally slept in. Usually, she didn’t wear panties, but since she was sharing a man’s home, she thought she’d better. When she grabbed underwear to take, she’d managed to grab nothing but thongs. Oh, joy.
The bed felt wonderful—sheets had to be above six hundred count Egyptian cotton—it was like crawling between sheets of butter. Once she turned the bedside table lamp off, she was out.
That is she was out until three hours later. She tossed and turned for another full hour until she drove herself nuts. Then her stomach growled and groaned.
Willow decided to get up to raid the refrigerator. If he was like most men, Chaos stocked mostly bottles—beer, water, wine, and pop. After all, he did offer to fix her one of those and something to eat. She should have taken him up on it. Maybe she’d find leftovers.
Quietly, she turned the doorknob, pulling the door by her body. She expected darkness. The light in the kitchen was on, and Chaos was sitting in front of a laptop with his back to her. She knew she should have said something, but his back had her mesmerized.
With as much stealth as she could muster, she tiptoed closer to get a better look. Taking up most of his back was a tattoo of a ghostly face inside what she thought was a Roman helmet from Biblical times. The top of the helmet had triquetra Celtic symbols covering the top and another ghostly figure coming out of a hole screaming.
The ink of other symbols and markings ran up to his hairline, her eyes following to the top of his hair. She recognized her reflection in the window behind him, then zeroed in on his reflection glaring at her. Fear shot through her at being caught, basically, spying.
“I’m… I’m sorry. It’s just so amazing.”
Chaos rose from his chair without a word, rushed into his room, and came out a minute later buttoning a long-sleeved shirt.
“You couldn’t sleep?”
“No, I woke up hungry. Thought I would rummage through your kitchen. Your back is beautiful, Chaos. Why did you hide it from me?”
“It’s personal. Let me see what I can find for you to eat.”
She sat in the chair next to his, watching him search through the refrigerator, pulling out different containers. Bread, cheese, ham, tomato, mayo, and brown mustard were lined up on the cabinet as his hands went to work. Guess I should have told him I’m not a fan of mayo.
Willow stayed silent while he worked, finally presenting her with a sandwich cut down the middle with a dill spear and potato chips on the side.
“Pop, beer, or water?”
“Oh, water, please.”
He gathered all the items and put them back into the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and wiped the countertop down with a rag. The water and chip bag were placed on the table in front of her.
“Go ahead and eat,” he suggested, grabbing a chip from the bag and popping it in his mouth.
She bit into her sandwich and was delighted with the explosion of flavors. Chaos smiled at her as he watched. “You didn’t think you’d like it, did you?”
“Um, no, I didn’t. Not usually a sandwich fan, and I hate mayo, but this is great.”
“I make a damn good sandwich—special bread and the mayo plus mustard mix well together. Oh, and fresh tomato is another perk. All together, they make your taste buds happy.”
She ate three-quarters of the sandwich and all the chips and pickle. Her tummy was satisfied. “Thank you, Chaos. It was very good.”
“You’re very welcome. You should have had it earlier when I suggested, and you’d still be asleep.”
Not sure how to interpret his tone and meaning, she sighed and scrunched her face up, trying to decide if she should say anything. After several seconds of frustration and feeling as if her head would implode, she spoke up.
“Chaos, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to pry into your life. The tattoos are all so beautiful. I’ve never seen anyone who’s body tells a story. Please forgive me. I won’t ask or stare again. Well, I may stare—can’t help that, but I won’t ask.”
“No, Willow, I’m sorry. You’re my guest and to make you feel uncomfortable is not acceptable. Each tat tells a story, but certain ones I’m not ready to share. My brothers don’t even know about them all. Please forgive me for shutting you out.”
He smiled at her, and she reeled from how handsome his face was. His vivid green eyes twinkled when he smiled, lighting up his entire face. She felt her face heat and knew she was blushing as he continued to smile at her. He was doing it on purpose, and she jerked her eyes away from his gaze.
“You’re even more beautiful when you do that.”
“When I do what?” she asked, keeping her eyes averted from him and popping a chip into her mouth.
“When you get embarrassed and blush.”
Chaos roared with laughter when she told him he could stop at any time. His laughter was contagious, and she found herself joining him. Willow realized there was much more inside this man sitting beside her. She wanted to dig inside and discover more but knew she’d have to be careful.
“All right, I think I can sleep now,” she announced, pushing back from the table and standing. “See you in the morning.”
“Good night, Willow. Sleep well.”
When Willow woke the next morning, a note was taped to the refrigerator. Chaos had left her instructions to help herself to anything in the kitchen. He explained he had a conference call with his brothers and had to go in early to set up for it. He welcomed her to come and join in once she was up. He gave instructions on how to take the elevator down one floor to the office, and Maggie would be there to help her the rest of the way.
Hungry, she fixed herself a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. She discovered a banana and a jar of peanut butter, which she took, spooned out some peanut butter into another cup and mixed both together into a spread and put it on her toasted bread. Instead of woofing down her breakfast, she took her time to savor it.
Her mind concentrated on Chaos. Her hope was he believed her apology and accepted it. She didn’t want a wall between them if they were going to work together. He was a different breed of man—at least from any she’d ever worked with before. Her intuition told her he was sensitive down inside the confidence he used as a shield. She wanted past that—she wanted to know the true Chaos.
Once finished, she cleaned her mess and placed the dishes into the dishwasher, showered, dressed, and made her way into the elevator, programming it to go down to the floor underneath.
Maggie was at her desk but immediately rose and greeted Will
ow when she walked in. She ushered her into the conference room where Chaos had two men on a split screen, talking to them.
Chaos was deep in a conversation with Mac and Creeper when he heard a disturbance behind him. Already knowing who it was, he turned to find Maggie bringing Willow into the room. The blue business suit with pale blue dress shirt enhanced the tattoos that showed around his neck. He had the jacket off, draped on the back of his chair while talking with the two.
“Boys, I’d like to introduce Willow Maxy to you. Willow, this is Mac and Creeper—Mac’s on the left and Creeper on the right,” Maggie offered while Chaos rose from his chair, pulling out the one next to him, encouraging her to sit.
“Maggie, darlin’, you’re looking mighty fine this morning,” Mac said, tipping his hat to Willow.
Creeper was a bit more subdued in his greeting. “Willow, nice to meet you. Chaos always finds the beautiful women. You keep them hidden for him, don’t you, Maggie?”
“Can it, boys and behave yourselves,” Maggie chastised, walking out the door.
Chaos nudged Willow’s chair underneath her as she sat down. She smiled at the men on the divided screen. Mac’s face lit up—always the boy next door, but Creeper had a dark side, and it showed in his eyes. Chaos could see her studying them as her hands folded together in front of her on the table.
“Mac is our cousin and right now is in Oklahoma, helping to cover the ranch while Howler and Sadie are on their honeymoon. Creeper is my baby brother, and unfortunately, we can never ask where he is. Fellows, you’re on your best behavior from this moment on. We’re here to discuss Willow’s sister’s disappearance. Also, we need to find out who the man named Viper is and what he has to do with Nova.”
Both men gave an affirmative nod and answered at the same time.
“Do either of you have a report you can give? I know it’s early in the investigation, but this guy has already touched Willow’s life by breaking into her house, obviously looking for something. We need to get going on this,” Chaos urged.
Creeper spoke first. “Willow, do you have an idea what they were looking for? Did your sister mention anything at all she was hiding and was important to her? Maybe not even last Thursday but in any conversations before she shared what was going on in her life.”
“No, nothing. I can’t even make a guess at it,” Willow answered.
“I’m looking into the darker, seedy side of Austin. If he’s still around here, we’ll find him,” Creeper responded.
7
Shock covered Willow’s face when she turned her head toward Chaos. Her eyes were huge, and he could read the fear in them at Creeper’s suggestion they may not be in Austin anymore. He reached over, squeezing her hand, and trying to reassure her they were still around.
“You know, Willow, if they’re searching, they’re still around.” His smile and eyes confirmed his belief they were.
“Cousin, do you have any idea how many people in the Austin area go by the name of Viper? Well, let me tell you, I do. There are two hundred men who use the name in their personal lives. And get this, twenty-five women do too. But since this Viper fathered a child, we can dispense looking at the women. Today, I planned to work my way through the men and have my contacts personally check them out,” Mac informed them.
“I don’t have to tell you this assignment takes priority over any others you’re involved in. Willow and I will be searching Nova’s house, then go to her parents’ ranch to do the same. We’re going to see if we can find anything Nova might have hidden in either place. Send me a report first thing in the morning on what you have so far or as soon as you discover something.” Chaos was about to switch them off when Mac spoke up.
“It was a pleasure to meet ya’, pretty lady. We’ll find her, Willow, I promise.” Creeper smiled and cut his connection off. The silence thundered in the room once the others were gone.
“Wow, Chaos, you have very colorful characters in your family. I have to admit they overwhelm me.”
“I told you that night at the bar, remember? They are very good at what they do, Willow. And don’t let Creeper fool you. Inside, he’s a regular guy—normal. Can I get you a drink, or are you ready to go search your sister’s home?” He stood in front of her when he rose from his chair.
“I’m ready to go now. You really are going to search the ranch?”
“Yes, I am. It’s why I put on the suit. I must make a positive impression on your parents. The tattoos will make their own impression.” He took the coat off the back of the chair and slipped it on, then held his hand out to her as she swung her chair around, facing him.
“Does that bother you? I mean, the impression your tats give to others?”
“Hell, no. I don’t give a shit what others think of me. The tats are who I am, and other people can either accept it or walk away.” Chaos smiled down at her, pulling her close and placing a kiss on her nose.
“I haven’t walked away yet.”
“Trust me—I’ve noticed. All right, let’s get out of here. We’ve got a lot to do.”
Willow walked into the reception area as Chaos opened the door for her. “Maggie, we’re off on a scavenger hunt. We won’t be back today, but you have my number—call if you need me.”
“Good to see you again, Willow. Believe me, boss, I’ve got your number,” Maggie teased as she winked at them both.
Chaos led her to the elevator, punched in the code for the underground parking, and stood smiling at Willow.
“Smile now, my friend, you won’t be smiling for long, I promise,” she teased.
“Just why is that?”
“After you meet the ‘rents,’ you’ll be begging to leave. Especially with my mother—one of a kind.”
“Let’s make a wager. I’ll bet you I can win your mom over and if I do, you cook for me in my apartment. If I lose, then I’ll take you to the most expensive place in Austin.”
“I’m not a good cook, Chaos. I never learned.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll talk you through the recipe and teach you how to cook it. I don’t intend to lose,” he said, stepping out of the elevator while holding the door open.
“We’ll take the truck,” he pointed to the pickup, hitting the key fob, unlocking the doors.
Chaos helped her climb into the cab even helping with her seat belt. He loaded himself behind the steering wheel and drove across town. He asked her if she had a way to get into her sister’s house. Luckily, she had a spare key.
There’ll be no breaking and entering today, thank God.
Nova’s house was in a similar kind of neighborhood as Willow’s, only on the opposite side of Austin. Pulling into the drive, she slid out the door on her side before he could help Willow out. He hadn’t noticed it before, but she had a small purse, hanging across her chest with a body strap. His head shook as if clearing cobwebs, thinking his powers of observation needed a reboot. She dug a single key out of the purse and unlocked the front door.
“Well, hell,” she exclaimed, stepping into a front room that had been searched and turned inside out. Willow looked back at Chaos. “They’ve been here, too. We’ll never know whether or not they found anything.”
“We’ll go on the assumption they didn’t. I guarantee you they came here first. Why else would they hit your place? They didn’t find whatever it was. Take heart—we’re not lost.”
She smiled at him, then led the way to the other rooms. Her sister’s bedroom, like hers, had been destroyed. Chaos could barely see the bed for all the clothes and crap piled around it. The top mattress hung off to the floor on the side of the bed. Nothing had been left untouched. Even all Nova’s pictures of her on her horse or just her horse had been searched, taken apart, or simply broken when they were thrown on the floor.
“This is a mess. I’ll need to let Mother know about it, and she and Dad can clean it or hire someone to do it. I don’t have the time. This should prove to her Nova’s made some bad choices in her life too,” Willow complained to t
he room.
Chaos wondered what her complaint was about but chose not to ask. It wasn’t the best time to grill her over it. He’d wait, and maybe she’d bring it up later. After they decided they were wasting their time, Willow locked up after grabbing Nova’s laptop.
“All right, tell me how to get to the ranch from here,” Chaos urged.
“Get to Highway 1, cross the river and take West 45th Street all the way to I-35 heading north, then take 290 to Elgin. They live five miles outside of Elgin. Just get to Elgin, and I’ll get you to their home from there.”
Highway 1 was a few blocks from Nova’s house. He entered onto the highway and drove across the Colorado River. The exit for West 45th Street was several miles after crossing over the river, and it took him through downtown Austin straight to I-35. He knew exactly where he was from there and could relax a bit while driving until he got to 290 going west. When he hit the city limits of Elgin, Willow spoke up.
“Now, stay on this highway and drive straight through town. Once, you get on the other side, make a left turn onto the first road you come to at the end of Elgin. There won’t be one on the right. You’ll drive a little bit, go over a hill, then see the two-story ranch on the right.”
When Chaos topped the hill and came to the gated entrance, Willow gave him the code for the gate. On top of another hill stood a massive, two-story mansion. White fencing sprawled along pastures filled with horses as far as he could see.
“My God, Willow, you didn’t tell me your parents were loaded. This is incredible.”
“No, I didn’t. I frankly don’t give a fuck how much money they have. It doesn’t make them better people, contrary to what my mother thinks.”
“I don’t mean to pry, but you have a problem with your mother. What’s the deal?”
“No. My mother has a problem with me. I didn’t go to Nationals in high school for barrel racing, I didn’t win tons of blue ribbons for showing my horse, and I certainly wasn’t voted Queen of the Thoroughbred Teen Riders.”