Whiskey: A Reed Security Romance (Reed Security Series Book 7)

by Giulia Lagomarsino

Gabe looked a little uncomfortable as he ran his hand along the back of his neck, nervously looking over at Hunter. “Uh…No offense, Lucy, but I’m not really into that. I mean, you’re beautiful and all, but not really what I’m looking for.” His eyes flicked back up to Hunter and for the first time, I wondered if Gabe really was fucking gay. He almost looked desperate. Like he was longing for something. Maybe something he almost had when he walked in on Lucy and Hunter?

  Hunter wrapped his arm around Lucy possessively and pulled her in tight, shooting Gabe a back off look. Gabe cleared his throat and jerked his thumb toward the bar.

  “I’m gonna go grab a beer,” he muttered as he walked away.

  Ali walked over to me after cleaning up in the bathroom, still trying to wipe cake from her face. I had an extra shirt in my truck that I had given to her. “How you doing?”

  “Good. Your friends are nice.”

  Her face was red with embarrassment and she wouldn’t look me in the eye.

  “See? I told you it would be fine. I mean, aside from confusing me with another man and destroying the bar.”

  “I swear, it was a big misunderstanding. I-”

  “I know. Relax. The truth is, this is pretty normal for Harper.”

  “I just feel so bad that I ruined the birthday cake,” she pouted.

  “Well, now you’re officially part of the group. You’re really not one of us until you embarrass the shit out of yourself.”

  “Oh, thanks. That’s so reassuring.”

  “Just telling it like it is, baby. You want to head home?” She looked exhausted and a little overwhelmed. She hadn’t hung out with a group this large in a very long time. Even with how fun it all was, I knew it was too much for her.

  “I don’t want to make you leave your friends,” she said hesitantly.

  “Ali, I know this is a lot for you. If you’re ready to go, we’ll head out. There’ll be plenty of other parties to go to. You don’t have to push yourself to do too much too fast.”

  “Yeah,” she finally agreed. “I’m ready. I’m just not quite comfortable with all this yet.”

  “I know. It’s fine. Let’s say goodnight and we’ll head home.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Chris

  WE HAD GOTTEN into a good routine over the last month. Axel was doing great with his training, but I was pretty sure that it was more than he thought it would be. But he never complained. He just kept on moving. I was proud of him for taking on such a hard training schedule.

  Ali had been working for Kate for a few weeks now and she was really liking the slower pace of the clinic. After everything she had already seen with the Blood Devils, this was exactly what she needed. Our house had just been finished last week. Our house wasn’t in as bad of shape as some of the others, and we didn’t have little kids running around. I started fixing up the basement on the weekends for Axel. He wanted to help, but he didn’t have enough time in his training schedule. Besides, this was something I wanted to do for my son.

  Sebastian had kept our load pretty light over the past month while we were all trying to get our lives back. Between houses needing repairs and the need to be at home with our families, nobody really wanted to take on any jobs just yet. We stuck with security installations until we were all back to normal. Cazzo had taken some time off to be with Vanessa. She was pretty devastated over the loss of their baby and Cazzo was pissed as hell that his sanctuary had been destroyed and someone had been able to get to Vanessa.

  Sinner and Burg spent a few weeks helping him install new security measures around his house, along with a panic room. Personally, I thought that might be taking it too far, but when I saw the room when it was completed, I asked him for the specs so I could have one installed at my house. A few of the other guys felt the same way and it wasn’t long before we were all trying to find the latest and greatest to secure our homes.

  We had a meeting this afternoon to discuss taking on jobs. It was time we all got back to work or we wouldn’t have a business to run anymore. I walked into the conference room and waited for everyone else to arrive. The guys all bantered, making fun of each other like they always did and I grinned, thinking that we were all finally getting back to normal.

  “Alright, guys. That’s enough. Let’s get this meeting started so I can get home to my wife.”

  “Still got you by the balls, Cap?” Ice laughed at Sebastian.

  “Firmly, but at least she’s my wife. How long is Lindsey staying with you again?”

  Ice glowered at Cap and shook his head. “What the hell was I supposed to do? Kick her out after we ruined her business?”

  “We could always put her up in a hotel,” Cap offered.

  “I think she’s planning on opening a B&B around here,” Ice said, almost to himself.

  “Bets in everyone,” Sinner said as he pulled out a pen and paper and started a pool.

  “Thirty days,” I said instantly.

  Ice glared at me. “I’m not involved with her.”

  “Fucking her isn’t the same as being involved,” I grinned.

  “Damn straight,” he said.

  “But it sure does lead to it,” I added.

  Ice’s face went lethal, just like his name implied. Sinner started taking bets on how long it would take before he bit the bullet and accepted his fate. Ice was getting more pissed by the minute. For as much as he acted like he didn’t want what we all had, I knew that he was needing something more in his life. Something that grounded him.

  The room got quiet and I pulled myself from my thoughts as I looked around, finally seeing that Lola was standing in the doorway. Hunter stood, but Lola shot him a glare that said to sit his ass down.

  “About time you came back, Lola.”

  “Well, where else do I get to shoot at people?”

  She took a seat and propped her feet on the table like she owned it.

  “My rules still stand,” Cap informed her.

  “Got it, Cap.”

  “Knight has been working with Axel on training him for the military.” Cap turned his attention back to everyone at the table. “You’ll continue with that,” he nodded to Knight, “but we need to make sure we still get our training in for our guys-“

  “And girls,” Florrie cut in. “What?” she said as we all looked at her. “Just because I like to kick ass and shoot a gun doesn’t mean I’m a guy. I still like stilettos and looking pretty.”

  I caught Alec’s eyes drifting down Florrie’s chest where he blatantly stared at her breasts until his eyes flicked to mine and he quickly looked away. Very interesting. I wondered if they were just fucking or if Alec was just wanting to fuck her.

  “Anyway, work out your schedule with Chris,” Cap spoke to Knight. “If we’re lucky, that kid’ll be working for us one day. Let’s make sure he’s trained right.”

  We finished up the meeting and I headed down to the training room to get Axel. He was finishing up his workout schedule that Knight had put him on. He was on the treadmill right now, so I sat down and waited for him to finish. After this, we were heading home for dinner and he had his school work to finish. Ali wasn’t going to be home until late tonight because she was helping Kate with paperwork. They were trying to catch up still from when we were all out of town. Kate had a partner at the clinic, but her being gone had set them all back.

  “Ready to go, Chris?”

  I stood and walked over to him, slapping him on the back and instantly regretting it. “You sweat like I do.”

  “Well, working out most of the day will do that. I know I need a shower, but can we just go home? I’m exhausted.”

  “Sure, kid.” Normally, he showered here in the locker room when he was done with a workout. He was done in today. I could see it in the way he was standing.

  We headed out to the truck and swung by the Chinese restaurant for dinner. Fuck cooking tonight. As much as I loved Ali, I couldn’t subject her to my cooking. When we got home, Axel headed straight to the bathroom
for a shower while I laid out all the food. I heard the front door slam and smiled, loving the sound of Ali walking through my front door. I turned to greet her, but was met with the butt of a gun to my head. I dropped to the floor, my head spinning as I tried to get my bearings.

  Shaking my head, my vision cleared just enough that I could make out Slasher’s figure in front of me right before he swung the gun at my head again.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  My head was killing me and I could hear faint voices in the distance, but I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t open my eyes. Everything was so fucked up in my head. My throat was on fire and my mouth was dry. What the hell happened?

  My neck hurt from my chin resting against my chest, but I couldn’t seem to move it in any other position right now. I pried one eye open and saw concrete below my feet. I was in a chair. I tried to shake my head slightly, but everything hurt to move. I opened my eyes further and saw my cowboy hat pulled down low on my head. At least I still had that. I never went anywhere without it if I could help it.

  I used the brim of the hat as a shield and glanced around the room, careful not to move my head and give away that I was awake. Waking up like this was never a good thing and based on the tingling in my hands, I had some kind of rope tied around my wrists and it was cutting off the circulation.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could make out Axel’s shoes not too far away. There was another set of shoes standing with him, but I couldn’t make out who was in them.

  “This was always going to be your life, you ungrateful bastard. We’re gonna start over and your first job is to take out this fucker.”

  I knew that voice. It was a voice that I thought I had snuffed out just a month ago. This couldn’t be real. I had fucking prayed that he was dead, but we had never gotten confirmation that he was dead. I shouldn’t have let my guard down. I should have had someone tailing Ali all the time, but I was too focused on making sure that she had a normal life. I hadn’t wanted her to feel like she was still in danger. Not to mention that we were all cleaning up still from being attacked. Nobody really had the time to follow her wherever she went. It was just too much to ask of the guys right now.

  I turned my head slightly. Standing not fifteen feet from me was Slasher, the man I could have sworn I had killed. Yet here he was, standing with my kid and handing him a gun. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to get my bearings. If I was going to get us out of here, I had to figure out what the fuck was going on and how I was going to get out of this mess.

  “It’s simple, kid. You shoot this fucker and I’ll let you live. You need to prove to me that you’re worthy of my name.”

  Axel shook his head in disgust. “Guess what, asshole-”

  “Looks like your son is just as much of a pussy as you are,” I cut in before Axel could say any more. If he told Slasher that he wasn’t his kid, Slasher would put a bullet in him before I had a chance to stop him. Axel looked at me in confusion and maybe a little hurt. I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to convey my thoughts.

  “He’s not a pussy. He’s gonna put a bullet in you and I’m gonna watch.” Slasher held a gun to Axel’s head and nudged him toward me. “Now or never, kid.”

  Axel looked back at Slasher and then to me. I could see the gun trembling in his hand. He was scared as fuck, but he had to do it. There was no other way out of this right now. If he shot me, he might still have a chance to get away. If he didn’t, Slasher would kill him and then me. Axel’s eyes filled with tears and I gave a barely imperceptible shake of my head. I glanced down toward my stomach and then back up at him. His hand slowly raised until the gun was pointed at me.

  “Come on, Axel. Prove to me that you’re not the pussy he thinks you are.”

  I swallowed hard as I saw a single tear fall from Axel’s eye. I nodded at him with my eyes, trying to tell him it was alright. He didn’t have any other choice. I held my eyes firmly on his, hoping to give him strength. When the gun fired, I did my best not to blink or show any signs of weakness. I blocked the pain for as long as I could.

  The kid had done good. He had remembered what I’d taught him about where to shoot a person. While a shot to the stomach was extremely painful, a person could live up to a day or so after being shot if nothing vital was hit. That’s what I was praying for.

  “I wanted you to shoot him in the fucking head,” Slasher yelled, pushing his gun hard against Axel’s head.

  “This is more painful. He could live for hours, dying slowly and in pain. More enjoyable for us, don’t you think?” A slow grin curved his lips and I thanked God that he was able to pull himself together. Now all I needed was for one of my brothers to figure out where the hell I was.

  Knowing that Axel would be fine, I finally let my eyes slide closed as the pain tore my insides apart. I couldn’t tell where exactly the bullet hit, but it was fucking excruciating. The more pain I appeared to be in, the better it would be for Axel. Luckily, I didn’t have to pretend all that much.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Alison and Axel

  I WATCHED SLASHER drive off with my son and Chris. I had been driving down the road to our house when I saw him shoving Chris in a van and pointing a gun at Axel. I was too late to do anything, but I could follow them. I saw them about a half a mile ahead of me and tried to catch up, but I got stuck at a light. I slammed my hand on the steering wheel in frustration when I saw the car turn down an alley.

  “Fuck!”

  When the light turned green, I slammed on the gas, racing through the intersection. I thought I saw a Reed Security SUV and it vaguely crossed my mind that I should call someone and let them know what was going on, but I couldn’t stop looking for the car. If I did, I might never see Chris and Axel again.

  I turned down the road that I thought Slasher had taken, but I couldn’t see the car anywhere. I slowed down so I could check side streets and then I started driving up and down any road I could until I found them. I was just about to give up when I spotted a car up ahead. It was pulled up to a building that looked abandoned, but no one was in the car. Not wanting to be too close in case he had seen me, I parked a few blocks down and pulled the gun out of my glove compartment that Chris had stuck in there a few weeks ago. I checked the gun quickly, trying to remember what Chris had told me about how to use the weapon. This was the same one I had practiced with when he showed Axel and I that first day.

  I stuffed the gun in the back of my jeans and hoped it didn’t somehow fire and shoot me in the ass. That would be just my luck. I ran along the sides of the buildings, trying to be as stealthy as possible, and then ducked down when I got to the window outside the building. Peering in from the corner, I saw Chris tied up in a chair and Axel holding a gun on him while Slasher had a gun to his head. Vomit rose in my mouth and I swallowed it down, needing to be strong if I was going to get them out of this.

  I took a few deep steadying breaths and pulled my gun out, checking it with shaky hands. You can do this. I repeated it over and over in my head until I heard the sound of a gunshot and flinched down. When I realized that the gunshot was from inside the building, I peeked in to see Chris staring down Axel. What had happened? Slasher pushed the gun against Axel’s head and a grin took over Axel’s face.

  This didn’t make any sense. Why would Axel be grinning at Slasher? I looked back to Chris and saw him slumping in his chair. Blood was dripping on the ground beneath him. I had to go in there now or I might never get another chance. I ran for the door and flung it open before I could think better of it, but the bright light from outside had temporarily blinded me in the dark space.

  “Just in time,” I heard Slasher say. I held my gun up, but was still seeing spots and didn’t want to accidentally shoot Axel. I heard the door open behind me and then a gun fired. I was hit hard about the same time and then another gun went off.

  Axel

  This was fucking insane. I had just shot my father, the one man that I felt I would truly be able to rely on the rest of my lif
e. The man I looked up to and wanted to be just like. I had been about to tell Slasher to go fuck himself, that I wasn’t his kid, but I saw the look in Chris’s eyes. He knew as well as I did that if I said anything, Slasher would kill me, and that would fucking gut Chris. He wanted me to shoot him. He wanted me to put a bullet in him. How the hell was I supposed to live with myself?

  I was breathing too fast and my palms were sweating. If I didn’t calm down, I was going to get us all killed. I had to pretend like it didn’t kill me to shoot my own father. I had to hold it together. I had shot Chris in the stomach because he had told me that someone could survive for days with a bullet wound to the stomach. He had also told me that it was a slow, painful death. If I had shot him in the shoulder, it wouldn’t have been a life threatening wound. My only choices were the head or the chest and either of those would have killed him. He might survive this though.

  The door slammed open and I saw my mom enter. Panic filled me. I knew that Slasher didn’t give two shits about her. He would kill her in a heartbeat, but what the hell could I do about it? Slasher still had his gun pointed at my head. I wasn’t fast enough to shoot him before he could pull the trigger. My eyes flicked to Mom. She was holding a gun, but she wasn’t shooting. I didn’t know if she didn’t want to or couldn’t.

  I wanted to yell at her and tell her to run. I wanted to tell her that she should save herself. She shouldn’t be in the middle of all this, but then Slasher pointed his gun at her and I spun around, not even thinking as I pulled the trigger, shooting him in the head just as his gun went off.

  I watched as his body slumped to the ground. I didn’t feel a fucking thing but relief. I stared at the blood draining from his head and knew that this wasn’t over for me. This was just the beginning of the life I would build for myself. I looked over at Mom and saw that she was covered on the ground by Gabe. I had seen him slip in just before Slasher turned his gun on her. I ran over to Chris, praying that I hadn’t just killed the man that had saved me from certain death.