Boom (Aces and Knaves, #2)

by Gadot, Helene

  "You brought a someone home with you on your night out?" Reese tried to sound nonchalant, but a stiffness made it into his tone.

  She decided to fuck with him a little. "What if I did?"

  "I'd have to replace the memory with something better." He pressed closer to her.

  "That won't be hard. I was alone."

  Reese groaned and closed his eyes. "You're killing me. Beckett will fuss if we don't sleep."

  Ridley was tired of fighting him, fighting them. She was going to take what she wanted without all the doubts and second guessing for once.

  "Who says we have to tell him?"

  Reese grinned. "I knew you were my soul mate."

  "One of them anyway." Ridley turned in his arms and pressed her lips to his.

  Chapter 29

  Ridley

  REESE GROANED AND TIGHTENED his arms around Ridley, tugging her until she sprawled on top of him. Her hands explored his smooth chest, free of the marks she left on his flesh. She stroked his ribs she'd broken as their mouths teased and tongues played.

  He nipped at her bottom lip and trailed stinging kissing and bites along her neck, his hands sliding her shirt up her back. She pulled away so he could yank it over her head, leaving her in nothing but a pair of underwear.

  He sucked in a breath as he drank her in with hungry eyes blazing blue fire. "Fuck, you're gorgeous." His hands smoothed along her sides as she bent back down to kiss him again.

  He rolled them over, trapping her beneath him, grinding his pelvis into hers, drinking down her moans. Lightning flashed in her veins and her skin flushed with heat, her head spinning in a fog of lust and impatience.

  Ridley shoved at the waistband of his boxer briefs, slipping her hand inside and palming his length.

  He cursed into her mouth, making her smile. "Evil woman."

  "We can always follow medical advice and go to bed instead." She pumped him lazily, an innocent expression plastered on her face.

  "Not a chance in hell."

  Reese's playful attitude disappeared as he divested them both of their underwear and shoved his fingers between her legs. She writhed against the bed, her thighs falling open further.

  "You are soaked for me." He fucked her harder with his fingers as he licked at her nipples, closing his mouth around one and sucking the stiff peak into his mouth.

  An embarrassing whimper squeaked out of Ridley. All her nerves lit up and she fought to pull air into her lungs as he played her body with a hungry and wild expertise.

  "More. Give me more."

  He released her nipple with a pop and grinned evilly up her body, never stopping his finger-fucking. "Don't worry, sweetheart. When I'm done with you, you'll be nightmare free for a week."

  Reese pulled his fingers out of her, shushing her complaint as his mouth teased down her stomach. His hands wrapped around her thighs and he pinned them open as he flicked his tongue against her clit, making her buck against him.

  His hum of appreciation vibrated through her, making Ridley convinced she would break completely apart into a thousand pieces. Reese let out a wicked laugh that puffed across her core and she shivered and thrashed in response.

  He shoved three fingers back inside her at the same moment he sucked her clit into his mouth and a shockwave of pleasure slammed over her, leaving her dazed as she shook with the aftershocks.

  When she came back to Earth, Reese was nuzzling into her belly, a smug and satisfied expression on his face.

  "That all you got?"

  "Just giving you a moment to recover."

  "Moment's over." Ridley shoved him onto his back, wrapping her fingers around the base of his cock and running her tongue across the tip.

  He jerked beneath her and cursed. She smiled at having him at her mercy this time. She was going to enjoy torturing him.

  She swirled her tongue around him, teasing him, treating his dick like it was a lollipop before taking him deep into her throat, making him shout and dig his fingers into her hair.

  He only lasted another thirty seconds before he grabbed her arms and yanked her up his body, kissing her hard, thrusting his tongue into her mouth.

  Ridley reached blindly for the drawer to her nightstand and pulled out a condom. Reese laughed as he took it from her and slid it on.

  "Feeling impatient, are we?"

  "I got mine. If you want to stop, that's fine with me. I guess I am a little tired."

  Reese gave her a playful bite on her breast, grinning when she gasped and writhed. "Oh really?" He glided his fingers in her slit. "It feels like you're still unsatisfied. Still needy."

  "Then do something about it."

  "Gladly, sweetheart." He tossed her onto her belly next to him and jerked her ass into the air, giving it a playful slap.

  Ridley propped herself onto her elbows and pushed back against him as he thrust into her, his balls slapping her clit. He bent over her, reaching around to cup her bouncing breasts in his hands, his fingers plucking at her nipples.

  They quickly found a rhythm, slamming their bodies, wringing every bit of pleasure they could out of one another. He hit deep inside her, stroking the perfect spot to send warmth spreading through her. Her body tightened, stiffened, and then she flew over the edge, screaming out his name as she came.

  Her pulsing cunt brought him over along with her and he gripped her tight as he spilled himself, falling to the bed beside her. She collapsed onto her belly, trying to catch her breath, waiting for the room to stop spinning.

  Reese removed the condom and tossed it into her waste basket. He slapped her ass again and tugged her into his body until he spooned her from behind, sweat drying on their skin. He pressed a sweet kiss on the back of her neck as she snuggled closer into him, her entire body more relaxed than she'd been in probably years.

  They dozed in between kisses and whispers, finally falling asleep.

  Ridley woke to a shadow standing over her. Cormac. Again.

  "Why are you two naked?"

  Shit. She’d meant to get dressed before they returned. "It's more comfortable to sleep that way."

  "Uh huh. I'm telling Beckett you didn't obey his orders to sleep."

  "You just woke us up. Obviously, we listened to his suggestion." Ridley eyed Cormac carefully, worried this was going to cause problems.

  He smirked. "And the condom in the trashcan is from what? It wasn't there earlier."

  "Why were you checking my trash?"

  "I'm a trained investigator. I notice things."

  Reese ripped the covers off them both, completely baring their naked bodies to Cormac's gaze, who's eyes dilated as he stared at them. He groaned and stomped from the room. "Get dressed. We have news."

  "That was mean." Ridley fought back her amusement.

  "I know."

  "I approve."

  "I know that too."

  "Are they going to be upset?" She gnawed on her bottom lip with worry.

  "Don't start second guessing this now. They may be upset they aren't first, but they aren't going to be upset it happened." He rose from the bed and pulled on the clothes Cormac had brought him.

  "Technically, Maddox was first." Ridley yanked her shirt back over her head and slid her legs into the basketball shorts Reese no longer needed.

  "Doesn't count. That was before the rest of us knew you."

  "Uh huh."

  Reese pushed open the door. "Beckett. Ridley wouldn't let me take a nap and sleep off your healing."

  She shoved him. "Jackass."

  She and Reese lost their humor at the expression on the others' faces. "What's going on?"

  "The evidence those assholes sent us after? It was a key."

  "A key to what?" Ridley asked.

  Maddox cursed. "We have no fucking idea."

  "I assume you're supposed to go back to the robbers with a deal and the key and that's when they'll tell you what it opens and what you find inside will be the evidence you need to bury Wallace."

  Beckett nodded. "T
hat's our current assumption, yes."

  "Fuck."

  Chapter 30

  Beckett

  BECKETT SIGHED AT HIS phone as they sat at the table in the visitor center of the prison, frustrated he still couldn't find a match to the key they found.

  "It's okay, Beck,” Maddox said. “We'll get answers from the assholes on their way."

  "I was hoping I could figure it out without giving them this deal." He turned to the lawyer. "I still can't believe you were able to get a judge to sign off on it."

  "I went outside the Legion. Judges have higher clearance than regular Legion officers. And we needed to keep this quiet."

  Maddox sighed. "It's good work, man. I'm grateful."

  "You definitely owe me." Mick frowned. "What the hell is taking so long?"

  A guard came inside. Alone. "I'm sorry. But the prisoners you were here to meet are unavailable."

  "Why? Where are they?" Maddox asked, cold fury making him swell even larger than his usual huge size.

  The guard gulped. "I'm sorry. I can't say. You'll have to call the warden and speak to him."

  "How about you take us to him and we'll talk to him now?"

  The guard grimaced. "He's out of the office at the moment."

  What the hell was going on? Why were they getting the run around?

  "Come on, you two. I'll make some calls and figure out what kind of screw up we're dealing with." Mick was already dialing as they exited the visitor center.

  Maddox and Beckett hung back, giving him and themselves some privacy once they got outside.

  "What do you think?" Maddox asked.

  Beckett didn't want to admit his suspicions, but he wouldn't lie to his friend and leader. "I think they've been silenced."

  "Dead?"

  "Probably. Or injured. Or put in solitary and threatened."

  Maddox yanked at his hair. "Dammit. Every single time we get somewhere, we end up at another dead end."

  "At least this time, we know who did it."

  "Much good it does us. There's no way to prove it."

  "Not yet. But we aren't giving up."

  "It's all starting to wear on me, man." Maddox rubbed the back of his neck, exhaustion in his eyes.

  "I know. Think about something more positive."

  "Like what?"

  "Like Ridley."

  Beckett breathed out a little relief as Maddox's face lost some of its rage and pain and a small smile tugged at his lips.

  "Ridley. Looks like we finally got her on board."

  "And she's coming over tonight. Let's leave all this mess here and just have fun tonight. We have the key. Eventually I will find the lock it goes to even if I have to search the entire fucking city for it."

  "If they've really been silenced and this isn't some random coincidence, this means it's a Legion conspiracy."

  "I know."

  Mick walked over to them, the answer already written on his face. Maddox cursed and yanked at the long strands of his hair.

  "They're dead, aren't they?"

  "Yes. There's going to be an investigation, but I think it's safe to assume they won't solve the case."

  "Cause of death?"

  "Poison generation. And yes. There's a poison generator locked up here who will get blamed for the deaths. If he wasn't paid or threatened to do it himself. I doubt there will be a record of Wallace visiting if it was him."

  "Fuck. I'm going to dismantle this shitty organization brick by brick. They have a lot to answer for."

  Mick eyed them seriously. "You need to be careful right now. Take a step back. Make it look like you don't know anything. I didn't tell the judge they gave you any leads yet, just that they promised they had hidden evidence. No one knows about the key other than me and your team. Keep it that way. They're going to be watching you closely now that they know you're looking into this and how close you've gotten."

  A stray, disturbing thought occurred to Beckett and made him stiffen.

  Maddox frowned at him. "What?"

  "Later." Beckett trusted Mick, but he didn't fully trust anyone with Ridley other than his team and Malia.

  And if they were being watched so closely, then the Legion could discover Ridley which could not happen.

  Chapter 31

  Ridley

  RIDLEY WAS IMPRESSED with the organization Beth had already brought to their garage. "I can't believe how much you've done in a day."

  Beth shrugged with a small smile. "It's not that big of a deal."

  Malia snorted. "If you aren't careful, we're never going to let you go. We suck at organization and keeping our shit straight. You are basically a godsend."

  "I'm happy to be able to help."

  Ridley shook her head. "None of that sweet shit. We're not big on that here. You want to work here, you are hired."

  "Awesome. Thank you. really. And Ridley, I've found a place to rent."

  "You don't have to move out." But Ridley couldn’t deny the relief she felt at Beth’s words. She really didn’t have room for a roommate.

  "I know, but you don't exactly have a lot of room." Beth echoed Ridley’s thoughts.

  "Can you afford it? We aren't paying you much." And Beth had gotten a call saying all their assets were frozen until the investigation was over. It might all be gone once it was since he was being investigated for theft.

  "Donald had some cash hidden in the house I grabbed before we left. It's enough to let me start over. More than enough."

  "Nice." Ridley chuckled with appreciation.

  "He didn't know I knew the code to the safe."

  Malia grinned. "Sneaky. I like it."

  "So, where's this place you found?" Ridley asked.

  "It's two streets over actually. And already furnished so I don't need to worry about buying furniture."

  "Why don't you empty out Donald's house?"

  Beth shuddered. "I don't want shit from there. Just his money."

  Ridley could understand that. "Fair enough."

  "When are you moving in?" Malia asked.

  "I already signed the lease and paid the deposit. So, tonight after work."

  "Are you going to be okay on your own? Remember we don't open tomorrow." Ridley didn’t love the idea of her being alone for so long so soon.

  Beth nibbled on her bottom lip, but stiffened her spine. "I know. I'll be fine. I'm going to spend the time reading up on motorcycle mechanics and watching some tutorials."

  "I have a few books you can borrow,” Ridley said. “And a whole stack of magazines I haven't gotten around to recycling."

  "Thank you. Are you two hungry? I can go grab lunch. My treat."

  Malia nodded. "Sure. I could go for a burger and fries."

  "I'll be back."

  Malia waited until Beth left before speaking. "She's keen, isn't she?"

  Ridley grimaced. "Is it wrong I'm finding it suspicious?"

  "Nope. I'm sure it's just because you make her feel safe and she's trying to make sure you don't send her packing, so she's being helpful, but it is coming off a little single white female."

  Ridley snorted. "You know it's only a matter of time before she asks to help us with the website."

  Malia glanced back at the door Beth left through. "I know. And we could use her help, but she's nowhere near ready and we can't trust her yet. We don't know her."

  Ridley nodded. "Agreed. If she asks, I've already decided to offer to teach her self-defense. So, I'll tell her until she can protect herself and until she's had more time to heal over everything she's been through, she can't work with us on that."

  "Most abuse volunteer services have the same rules in place."

  "Exactly. After what she's been through, I can't imagine she's as okay as she's pretending to be."

  "What was it like? When he used his abilities on you?" Malia asked.

  Ridley’s jaw tightened. "It was actually more terrifying than my father. Worse than my nightmares. Hell, it was like something out of a nightmare. Not having control
on your own body? Being forced to attack someone you care about? And no matter how hard I tried to shake it off, it only wrapped tighter around me."

  "And she lived that for two years and you were the first person who helped her. You pulled her out of hell. A little single white female is probably natural in that situation."

  "I've never been able to get rid of you." Ridley grinned at her friend.

  Malia scowled. "Ha ha. Very funny. Though. Fair point."

  "Let's hope it doesn't take me a year to trust her like it took me to trust you."

  Malia arched a brow. "It only took you two months with those guys of yours."

  "Well, they can give me orgasms." Ridley grinned as she remembered her conversation with Reese.

  "Gross."

  "And, you paved the way. Without your stubborn ass refusing to leave me alone, I'd never have decided to give them a chance." She just hoped she didn't end up regretting it.

  "You made the right choice. With me, obviously. And with them. And you'll make the right one with Beth. You inspire loyalty."

  Ridley shuddered. "Okay, this is way too much serious, mushy shit. It's making me incredibly uncomfortable."

  Malia laughed. "Good. Me too. Let's get back to work."

  The roar of a bike engine sounded outside. "Perfect timing. Sounds like we have a new client."

  Ridley moved over to the counter they had set up for paying bills and setting up schedules. Her brow furrowed when Cormac strode inside.

  "Cormac? What are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you guys until tonight."

  "We need to talk."

  "All right. Malia, we'll be in the office."

  "I'll make sure you have privacy."

  Chapter 32

  Ridley

  CORMAC FOLLOWED RIDLEY into the office and she gestured to the couch. "Have a seat." After he sat, she joined him on the couch. "What's going on?"

  Cormac eyed her steadily. "They're dead."

  Ridley startled, her heart racing in fear. "Who?"

  "The three bank robbers."