by Tate James
"Yes, sir," he chuckled, holding the door open for me to leave ahead of him, "bacon and coffee. Your wish is my command."
I glared at his teasing, then almost stumbled when he shot me a wink.
What the fuck?
As we made our way through the Copper Wolf headquarters, already busy with people well into their workday, I couldn't help but notice a difference between us. Somehow the forced reminder of our past, of how we'd both been fooled by Chase's charms and what we eventually done to fight back, had also reminded us of who we used to be. How close we’d once been.
In a way, being my second meant Zed was closer to me than any person alive. But I could see now how we'd lost the closeness of friendship, and damn, I'd missed it.
Now definitely wasn't the time to start rekindling my eight-year-old crush on him.
28
It was afternoon by the time I made it home, and after a long soak in the bathtub, I fell back into my bed for an afternoon nap. I needed it.
When I woke up again, my internal clock was all screwed up, and it took me several minutes of blinking at my clock to work out if it was seven in the evening or morning. Eventually, the darkness clued me in to the fact that it was, indeed, evening.
I could smell pizza, so it was a safe bet that Seph had sorted out dinner for herself with takeout, seeing as she was a lousy cook. Yes, I was failing at parenting her, but on the upside, she was still alive. So, fuck it. She had plenty of time to learn how to cook.
Driven by hunger, I dragged my ass out of bed and made my way out to the kitchen to check if she'd ordered enough for me too.
"Seph!" I yelled when I found the kitchen empty. "Where's the pizza?"
"Get your own!" she shouted back from the living room. "I didn't even know you were home, so I didn't get you one!"
Grumbling insults at my little sister under my breath, I stomped through to the living room to steal a slice. Then froze midstride and let out a string of silent curses.
"Dare, what the fuck?" Seph shrieked when she saw me standing there like an idiot. "Put some clothes on!"
I glowered at her. "Maybe you need to tell me in advance if this is going to be a regular thing. How was I supposed to know you had company?" With a shrug, I sat my ass down on the sofa and grabbed a slice of pizza from the open box on the table. "Hey, Lucas. Nice to see you again. Still working on that art project?"
He shook his head, a wide grin splitting his face, and quickly flicked his gaze over my outfit. Or lack thereof. I had come straight from bed and was only wearing a pair of red bikini briefs and a loose tank top that did nothing to hide my nipples or generous side boob. In my defense, he'd already seen me naked plenty of times, so this wasn't so scandalous... But Seph didn't know that.
"Actually, we finished that last week," he replied, subtly shifting in his seat and pulling a pillow into his lap. "Seph generously offered to tutor me in economics so I could catch up. My homeschooling over the last few years has been a bit lacking, so I'm behind."
Seph was still glaring brutal death at me, so she hadn't seen the way Lucas's line of sight kept dipping to my hard nipples. But I was probably pushing my luck, so I scooped up another slice of pizza and stood up once more.
"I should leave you to it, then," I told her with a teasing smile. "Good luck on your homework, Lucas. Seph sucks at economics."
"I do not!" she hissed, throwing a pillow at me as I left the room laughing.
I didn't go far, lurking in the kitchen to eat my stolen pizza and eavesdrop on my sister's study session. Yes, I was at that level of pathetic, but fucking whatever. The distraction of my naughty little liaison with Lucas was the perfect mental relief after the stress of Saturday night at Anarchy. Like he’d said... I needed him in my life right now. He was keeping me sane, reminding me that I was still human. That I was more than the image I'd built for myself.
For the most part, their voices were low enough that I couldn’t hear anything that was being said, so I just ate my food, then went to the fridge to find a drink. Just as I was opening a bottle of orange juice, Lucas's words met my ears clearly.
"...really sorry," he was saying, and I froze to listen. "I thought I was really clear; I don't want to lead you on, Seph. You're crazy beautiful, obviously, and an awesome girl. But I have a girlfriend. I've already told you that."
Oh shit. That had to sting. I bit my lip, torn between wanting to comfort my sister—because she was a goddamn catch—and cursing her out for not respecting his boundaries when he'd made it clear he wasn't available.
"Yeah, sorry," Seph replied, giving a forced laugh. "Yeah, I know. Sorry, I wasn't trying to... Look, can we just forget it and move on? I didn't—"
"It's cool," he cut her off before she could ramble anymore. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable either; I just want to be transparent. Your sister would probably cut me into a million tiny pieces or something if I led you on." He said it with a small laugh, but he damn well knew he was right. I would.
Seph groaned. "Fuck, she totally would. Christ, can we just keep this between us? She can be a bit of a psycho..."
Ouch. That hurt.
"She just loves you," he told her, his tone serious. "You're lucky to have her."
Seph made a sound like she disagreed but didn't argue. Instead, she changed the subject back to their homework, and I drummed my fingertips on the counter. I should go back to my room and leave them to study in privacy. I didn't mistrust either of them, I was just fucking curious. I'd lost so much of my own teen years that it was fascinating for me to observe from the outside.
Just as I was about to retreat into my room, Lucas said he was going to the bathroom. A second later, he appeared around the corner to the kitchen with a look of determination on his face.
My lips parted to ask what he was doing, but he pressed a finger to his lips. Two long strides saw him cross over to me, then he grabbed my wrist and dragged me around the corner into the guest bathroom with him.
His lips slammed into mine a split second before the door closed behind us, his hard body shoved me against the tiled wall, and his hands cupped my face.
Fuck it. I kissed him back, digging my fingers into his back and pulling myself closer. He gave a quiet moan against my mouth, his hands sliding down my body to cup my ass, then he lifted me until my legs wrapped around his waist and his hard cock ground against my panties.
"Fuck," he breathed after a moment, his chest heaving just as much as mine was. "Fuck. I shouldn't have done that. Now all I can think about is burying my dick in your incredible pussy..."
I rolled my hips, groaning at how hard he was against my clit. "You called me your girlfriend," I whispered, and his hands tightened on my butt.
"You heard that?"
I gave him a long look. "Lucas..."
"I know. Trust me." His gaze was serious as he stared back at me, searching my eyes for... something. Then he gave a rueful smile. "You're gonna have to put some clothes, on or I'm never getting rid of this boner."
I grinned, then leaned in to kiss him again. This time it was less of an intense, desperate thing, and my stomach flipped over and over.
"Okay, seriously," he groaned, several moments later. "I need to splash some cold water on my dick or something before Seph comes looking for me."
I snickered quietly, then dropped my feet back to the floor to leave him to it.
"Hey," he whispered, halting me with a hand on my waist as I reached for the door. "Will I see you tonight? I'm on from ten."
I turned my face to look at him over my shoulder. Bad move. I couldn't say no to him, not when he looked at me with such open adoration.
"I'll be there," I promised, then quickly slipped out of the bathroom and raced to my room before Seph could see my puffy lips and lust-filled eyes.
Holy hell, Lucas was turning into the worst kind of addiction. Soon I needed to think about what the fuck I was doing with him because nothing stayed a secret forever. Not between sisters.
Back in my room, I decided I was in need of another shower. A cold one, this time.
By the time I had showered, dressed, and done my hair and makeup, Lucas had already left and Seph was sulking on the couch in front of the TV. Okay, sure, she could have just been watching TV, but the fact that she was eating ice cream direct from the tub suggested she was feeling a bit sorry for herself.
"Hey, you," I said, sitting down beside her and trying to take the tub out of her hands. She tightened her grip on it and glared, though, so I backed off. "Good study session, then?"
"Fuck you," she muttered, scooping more ice cream into her mouth. "Did you have to go shaking your ass in his face like that? You know he has a girlfriend, right? That's just rude, flirting with a guy who's not available."
My jaw dropped as I stared at her, initially thinking she was joking, then I realized she was serious. Apparently, she had no idea I'd heard her doing exactly that.
"Are you kidding?" I laughed. "I had no idea you'd brought your friend home, so it wasn't exactly a deliberate clothing choice. Furthermore, I wasn't flirting with anyone." I rolled my eyes, then pushed up off the sofa. "I've got to go to 7th. See you in the morning."
Seph just grunted something that might have been "Okay, see ya!" or might have been "Screw you, asshole."
Deciding not to engage when she was being a bitch, I just left her to it and grabbed my keys to head out. Lucas's shift wouldn't start for a while yet, but I still had an empire to run and a saboteur to root out.
No rest for the wicked, apparently.
29
It took a couple of days longer than I’d anticipated, but eventually I got the call I'd been expecting from the moment FBI-Adam had died at my feet.
"Ms. Wolff," the woman on the other end of the call said, "this is Special Agent Dorothy Hanson. I wondered if you might be available to meet? I have a few questions."
I was walking back to my car from grabbing a coffee and shifted my phone to the other ear so I could fish out my keys from my bag. "Special Agent Hanson, how lovely to hear from you," I replied with a small smile. "Yes, of course. I'm surprised you called first."
"Uh... I wasn't aware we'd met before, Ms. Wolff." The woman was already off-kilter by my friendly response.
I gave a soft laugh. "Not in person. So, what can I do for you?"
There was a short pause, then she replied, "This morning would be preferable. I have just come from your office in Rainybanks but was told your schedule is fully booked."
I smiled. My staff were the best. "Well, it is. But I'm always happy to make time for the FBI, Agent Hanson. I was heading into one of my clubs today to check inventory; would you care to meet me there? It's called 7th Circle."
"I know it," she said in a clipped tone. "I can be there in a little over an hour."
"Great." I clicked my key fob to unlock my car. "See you then."
I ended the call before she could, a little power play to mess with her confidence a bit, and dropped my phone into my handbag. Just as I reached for the door handle on my Corvette, I caught a swift movement from the corner of my eye.
Acting on instinct, I dodged. A metal baseball bat smashed straight into the window of my car where I'd been standing. It didn't smash, thanks to the toughened glass I used in most of my vehicles, but goddamn, that would have hurt if it'd hit me.
My attacker was bigger than me, male, wearing a black hoodie and a mask covering his lower face with a skull grin painted on it. He swung again, his form terrible, and I easily maneuvered out of the way before his bat slammed into the hood of my car, leaving a nasty dent.
I scowled, more irritated than anything. "What the fuck is this, idiot hour?" I demanded, dropping my bag and coffee, then pulling a knife from the hidden pocket of my dress.
"Screw you, bitch," the guy snarled back, swinging his bat at me again.
I could imagine if he were sent to attack some random woman on the street wearing a dress and heels, he'd have probably already killed her. So someone either gave this poor fuck bad info, or...
"Motherfucker," I hissed, changing tactics before I slit his throat like I'd just been planning. Instead, I tossed my knife aside and used my bare hands to disarm and disable my attacker. I was very careful to only use self-defensive techniques, which resulted in me catching a lucky elbow to the face while I twisted him up and tossed him to the pavement.
Once I had him locked up in an arm bar, I glanced up at a good Samaritan passer-by who'd just run over from the shop across the street to help. Plenty of other people were staring, but only one had tried to come to my rescue.
"Are you okay?" the guy asked, staring down at me in shock where I knelt on my attacker’s back. "My wife is calling the cops; let me hold him for you."
Ugh. Great. Like I needed to deal with dirty cops who weren't on my payroll anymore.
"Thank you so much," I told the man with a tight smile. Blood had just started dripping from my nose, so his timing was impeccable. "That would be great." I let him take over holding my attacker, then retrieved my knife from where I'd tossed it. The dickhead on the ground was just spouting insults and profanities, and I got the distinct impression he was new in town. He had no clue who he'd been sent to attack. Or how close he'd just come to being killed.
I scanned the area as I picked up my handbag. Luckily I had some tissues in there which I held to my bleeding nose, then grabbed the few things that had rolled out when I’d dropped my bag. I tossed them back inside before straightening up. Sure enough, the CCTV camera across the street that should have been pointed at the entrance to the jewelry store was pointing directly at my car.
Some motherfucker had just tried to catch me on camera killing someone.
To what fucking end?
Crouching low, I put my face level with my attacker and peered into his angry eyes. "I hope you know someone sent you here to die," I told him in a quiet voice, dabbing more blood from my nose. "Who hired you?"
"Fuck you," the guy snarled, and I gave a shrug.
"You're kind of lucky cops are already on their way; otherwise I'd be hauling you into my office for questioning myself. Don't worry, though. One of my associates will pop past your cell for a chat later. Be sure to tell him everything you know." I gave him a cold smile, letting him see the violence in my eyes before I patted him on the cheek and straightened up.
My helper frowned at me. "You'll want to get some ice on that," he said, nodding to my face.
I touched my fingers to the bridge of my nose and right eye, where the dickhead's elbow had connected, and sighed. Great. Now I was going to have to explain a black eye to Zed when I saw him. Not to mention the blood that kept dripping from my nose. I had a weak blood vessel on the right side where my nose had been broken years ago and it didn’t take much to set it off.
"I'll do that," I said with a tight smile. "Thanks for your help here."
Without hanging around to deal with the cops, I slid into my somewhat dented car, ignoring my helper’s protests that I needed to wait. I just gave him a little wave and drove away, passing a police cruiser on my way. When my nose continued bleeding, I got annoyed and twisted up a piece of tissue to pack it. Such a good look.
The further I drove from the scene, the angrier I became. That had been a deliberate setup. But to what end? Sure, killing someone in the street in broad daylight wasn't great PR, but it was the sort of thing that could be cleaned up. Especially when there was no physical evidence left by the time law enforcement got on the scene.
"Fucking fuck," I exclaimed when I stopped at a red light, slamming my fist against my steering wheel. It was a damn good thing I'd gone for my knife and not my gun, or I wouldn't have had that time to contemplate my options. Then what? I'd have been arrested?
A sick feeling churned my stomach. Whoever had it out for me definitely had a good majority of the SGPD on their books. So what in the hell did they plan to do with me once I was incarcerated?
My imagination was a dark and scary place, so the
number of things that flashed across my mind were enough to make me shiver. Thank fuck I'd thought it through... this time. I needed to be more careful in general, though.
By the time I pulled into 7th Circle, I was a tight bundle of anxious energy. There was still forty-five minutes until the special agent would be coming to meet me, though, so I headed into the bar to grab some ice for my eye.
Staff wouldn’t start arriving for several hours yet, so the ice wells were all empty and I needed to go through to the storeroom to grab some from the ice maker.
After wrapping a handful of cubes in a cloth, I pressed it to my face with a grimace and made my way up to my office, flicking on lights as I went. The cleaning crew must have only recently left because the whole place smelled sharply of disinfectant, and I sneezed twice on my way up the stairs, setting off the bleeding again.
Once in the office, I sat down with a heavy sigh and placed my ice down on the desk so I could re-pack my nose with tissue, then hunt through my bag for my phone. I needed to call Zed and inform him what was going on. Maybe he had some ideas... or at the very least, he could sort out a visit to my wannabe attacker in his holding cell.
"God shitting dammit," I muttered when I realized my phone wasn't in there. It had likely fallen out when I’d dropped my bag, and I hadn't seen it when I picked up. Security wasn't such a concern—my phone was passworded. But it was an inconvenience I didn't have the patience for.
Grumbling to myself, I turned on the desktop computer, activated a remote wipe of my phone, then sent Zed an email asking him to grab me a new one on his way into the club later. Then I moved onto the nightly reports and started my analysis of the stock variances that had been mentioned several times by my managers.
I hadn't been working on it for long when my eyelids started drooping. The third time my lids started to flutter closed, I straightened up in alarm. Spreadsheets and numbers did not bore me enough to put me to sleep, and I'd had plenty of sleep. Was I concussed?