Wicked Rush

by Kym Grosso

  “Homemade, huh? She must be pretty special.”

  “Oh, she’s special all right.” Lars rolled his eyes, continuing his task.

  “What’s that supposed to mean? I can’t see much of her. Tan calves. Blue toes,” he noted. “What the hell is she doing in that damn robe?”

  “She’s probably just a little hungover from her spill into the ocean last night.” Lars held up the shiny triangular instrument in triumph. “Found it!”

  “Congratulations,” Seth responded, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Jesus, you’d think you were a woman.”

  “I’m a cook, asshole. Cooking is an art. Neither masculine nor feminine.” He pointed the utensil at Seth with a smirk.

  “Yeah, yeah. Whatev. Stop stalling. Who’s the girl?”

  “She’s…she’s someone who I’ve wanted to get with for a long time.” Lars plunged the server into the pastry and began to slice it.

  “A girl from the club? Does she skydive? Surf?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “So…she hasn’t been to Altura? Interesting.”

  “Nope. In fact, I get the feeling the only adventurous thing she’s done lately isn’t exactly legal.”

  “Hey, I’m not sure what that is even supposed to mean, but if she isn’t into diving or anything else, I can only assume she’s a one nighter.”

  “She’s not a one nighter,” he said decisively. “I’m not sure what she is.”

  “Wait. So you slept with her, right?”

  “Slept?” Lars paused and gave a chuckle. “I suppose you could say that. We did sleep together.”

  “So you had sex then?” Seth raised a questioning eyebrow at Lars.

  “Sex? Ah, now that’s a different question.” Lars eased the breakfast treat onto a plate.

  “You slept with her but didn’t have sex? What kind of a sleepover is that?” Seth laughed.

  “The kind where the girl tries to break into my house, gets caught, that’s what kind.” Lars shook his head, continuing to plate breakfast.

  “Who is she?” Seth’s tone grew serious.

  Lars glanced over his shoulder, and turned back to Seth. “Chill on this, ‘K?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You cannot go to Garrett. He and Chase already had a shit fit over this last night.”

  “What happened last night?” He paused and gave a small smile. “Lars. What did you do?”

  “You know I haven’t been able to put what happened aside…”

  “Me either,” Seth interrupted. “We almost got killed that day. I get that Dean wants to bury this for some reason but I’m with you. I don’t buy that chick’s story that it was some random attack.”

  “That chick,” he sighed, arranging the last slice onto a dish. “She works for Bart-Aqua.”

  “They got in some trouble a while back, right? Didn’t Garrett testify against them?”

  “’Bout two years ago. They got off. Moved to the west coast.”

  “You think she’s into something dirty?”

  “Not sure,” he replied.

  “What’s this got to do with the girl out there?” Seth glanced to the pool.

  “My girl.” Lars set the knife down in the sink and rested his palms on the edge of the counter. “She’s Dr. Braelynn Rollins.”

  “You’re shittin’ me? You mean she’s here?” Seth raked his fingers through his long hair, and scrubbed his hand over his scruffy cheek. “No, wait. Didn’t you just say the chick out there tried to break into your house?”

  “Yes, yes I did. Look, Seth. You’re welcome to come out and have breakfast with us, but this morning, I’m getting some answers.”

  “But I thought the chick from the beach was some kind of scientist. How the hell did she think she’d break into your house?”

  “That’s the thing. I’m not sure on the why. But she didn’t succeed. Not even close. I found her outside my back door fumbling with the key pad. By the time I got her upstairs she was frozen.”

  “So let me get this straight. A person tries to break into your house, and instead of calling the police, you take her up to your bedroom?”

  “Yeah, that’s about it.” Lars smiled, amused by how funny it sounded. But no matter how irrational it seemed to others, he’d been confident it was the right decision. “Don’t give me that look. I didn’t fuck her. I just, you know, warmed her up a little.”

  Seth gave a loud laugh. “I bet you did. Holy shit, bro. You can’t just keep women in your house like that.”

  “I kind of can. I did. How the hell else am I supposed to get answers? I told you I found that key down at the beach. Well guess what? The doc would like it back. Apparently that’s what she was after last night. When I went to the gala, I had a little chat with her. We were supposed to meet tonight, but she tried to lift it. Still don’t know why she thought she’d be able to break into my house. She’s not exactly telling me the whole truth, that’s for sure.”

  “So she just voluntarily decides to spend the night with you?” Seth glanced outside and back to Lars with a suspicious smile.

  “She was tired. Hypothermia does that to a person. Now this morning…that was another story. Come on,” Lars told him, setting forks and napkins onto the counter. “Breakfast is getting cold. We’ll eat outside.”

  “Hold up there. How’d you get her to stay?”

  “Let’s just say I struck a deal.”

  “What kind of a deal?”

  “I, uh, you know…I may have cuffed her to the bed.” Lars shrugged.

  “What the hell? So you’re telling me she sleeps in your bed and then allows you to tie her up? No way.”

  “I wouldn’t exactly say she was a fan…”

  “Holy shit, Lars. You handcuffed her? To your bed?” Seth shook his head in disbelief. “Hey, it’s not that we don’t do this kind of shit, but if I’m understanding you correctly, you aren’t having a relationship with her. Restraining someone in your house without consent…you’re treading a slippery slope.”

  “What was my choice? If I called the police, hell even if I’d called Dean, there’s a good chance she would have been arrested. She would’ve ended up in cuffs one way or another. No matter what she was trying to do last night, and believe me I’ve been thinking about this, it wouldn’t have worked. I think she was coerced into it. That woman out there isn’t a criminal.” Lars sighed and blew out a breath. “Let me rephrase. She isn’t the kind of person who makes a living out of breaking into houses. I don’t think she knew what the hell she was even doing. She could have been killed down at the surf. Her actions scream desperation. Now why she’s doing these things? Who’s making her do it? Who shot at her? Shot at us? I don’t know.”

  “Let’s say all this is true. Someone is making her do these things. Silencing her. Why handcuff her?”

  “I didn’t want her leaving when I was in the shower. She hasn’t opened up yet. I need answers and I need her to trust me.”

  Seth gave a hearty laugh. “And handcuffing her to a bed is gonna do that? Seriously, man. I’ve been around a lot of women in my lifetime, and tying them up if they don’t want to be tied up, that’s, uh, that’s a new approach.”

  “I just told you. She would have taken off. So the choice was cuffed by me or cuffed by the cops. If Dean came to the house, she’d be in serious trouble with the law. Probably have a record. So you tell me, which would you choose?”

  “I get what you’re saying, but I’m just a little worried that maybe she’s not as innocent as you’re thinking she is. Maybe, Lars, just maybe, she should be locked up.”

  “Too soon to tell. But I just have a feeling she’s innocent. Something isn’t right. I can’t let it go.” Lars turned to Seth, a sober expression crossing his face. He couldn’t be certain he should confide in him, but since he’d been shot at too, he deserved the truth. “Garrett and Chase. I can’t ask you to keep this from them if they press you on it. But last night I saw them at the Bart-Aqua event. They wouldn’
t say why they were there but I know he’s keeping a watch for Giordano. You know how Garrett is. He’s a tight lipped son-of-a-bitch. It’s why I trust him when we’re thirty thousand feet in the air. But last night.” He paused. “I don’t know. They don’t want me investigating what happened on the beach. Frankly, it doesn’t make any sense to me. What difference does it make to them?”

  “It shouldn’t affect Emerson Industries,” Seth commented.

  “Exactly. It doesn’t directly affect Garrett or Chase or Emerson Industries. Now Dean? He’s another story. He was A-Okay with buying Dr. Rollin’s story, and leaving the case open. If he thinks I’m questioning his integrity or the competence of the police force, he would have every right to be pissed that I’m questioning Brae behind his back. But Garrett? It’s not like him to warn me off of this.”

  “Not unless he’s got a stake,” Seth responded.

  “Exactly.” Lars went silent as their eyes met in a moment of understanding.

  “You know I can’t divulge what’s going on at Emerson. I’ve got my own division I run, and my hands are full with that.”

  “I’m not asking you to breach confidentiality.” Lars knew full well that any divulgence would be a serious offense. They each had top secret clearances, and it would jeopardize their businesses if he even asked. “I want to be clear. We both have loyalties to our respective companies. But if you know whether Garrett and Chase are involved in this, I’d appreciate a heads up.”

  “I swear to you, I don’t know. I’ve never even heard Garrett discuss Dr. Rollins. I knew about the congressional hearing, but that’s it.”

  “I’m going to ask him again and see if I can get him to bend. This thing with Braelynn…none of it is adding up.” Lars stretched his neck left to right, attempting to ease the stress that had crept into him. He hoped like hell that his instinct on this was wrong, but he suspected Garrett had withheld critical information about the shooting.

  “I’ll keep my eyes and ears open. If this business with Dr. Rollins has to do with Emerson, you know I won’t be able to tell you details, but I’ll sure as hell confront Garrett. Chase too. We could’ve been killed that day.”

  “Absolutely. To be fair, both of us do shit every week that could get us killed, but bullets whizzing by our heads while we’re out catching waves is an entirely different scenario.” Lars glanced down to breakfast and began to slide the plates into his hands. “Hey, can you grab the forks and napkins?”

  “You got it.”

  “And Seth,” Lars said, giving him a look of warning.

  “Yeah.”

  “When you meet her…go easy, all right? I don’t know what’s going on with Brae but she had a rough go of it last night.”

  “Brae, is it?” Seth asked with a grin and a nod. He stood and reached for the utensils.

  “What about it?”

  “Nothing.” He rolled his eyes and laughed.

  “What?”

  “Just sayin’. You’ve gone from Doctor to Brae. Already got a nickname.”

  “So what? Just because I shortened her name, that doesn’t mean…” Seeing the smile on his friend’s face, Lars stopped his thought. “You’re an asshole.”

  Seth laughed harder, pleased he’d found a weak spot. “You’d better watch yourself, friend. You aren’t usually this, how should I say, taken with a woman.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you seem kinda obsessed. And before you get all riled up, you know I mean that in the nicest way. It’s just you know…” Seth shrugged.

  “I know what?”

  “You, uh, you’ve got a lot of ladies in your bed, out of your bed. At the club. At the office.”

  “I don’t date at the office.”

  “Come on, Lars. Get real. You know you don’t even have to try to get women. You just show up and they flock to you. Blue eyes. Good looks. Charm. Throw in the money and the girls get wet just standin’ next to you.”

  “Yeah,” was all Lars could manage. He knew it was true. He could have a different woman every day of the week, and on a good month he did. Selby had been the only woman he’d ever cared about, the only one he’d ever thought to date seriously. When she’d moved in with Garrett, the flavor of the week no longer sated him. He’d always known he’d never marry Selby, but a part of his heart belonged to her.

  “All I’m sayin’ is that you aren’t usually this preoccupied with a woman. Granted, we both almost bought it because of her little incident. But still. You’ve been talking about her ever since you left the hospital. You just stalked her at that charity event. And to top it all off, she was in your bed all last night and you didn’t even touch her.”

  “I did touch her.”

  Seth tilted his head, giving his friend a pointed stare.

  “What?” Lars exclaimed with a small laugh. “I did touch her. But not like you mean. Come on…stop looking at me like that. She just broke into my house. She was freezing cold. I only touched her to take off her clothes.”

  “Jesus.” Seth shook his head. “Do you even hear yourself? You took off her clothes and you didn’t make a move on her? Ah…my hero is falling. Taking a sword.”

  “I’m not falling for anyone. I don’t even fucking know her.”

  “Whatever. Call it an irrational crush. You’re like a damn woman.”

  “Fuck you.” Lars gave a smirk, aware his friend was calling him out on his shit. He knew he’d gone over the edge finding a way to meet her, to tell her about the key and find out what the hell had happened. But ever since she’d tried to break into his house, he felt vindicated, convinced more than ever he’d been right to do so. “As if I would try to make it with a half-conscious woman. Not happening in any universe. That’s not how I roll.”

  “I bet if I ask her right now, she’ll tell me she was awake a good part of the time.” He raised an eyebrow at Lars. “Oh yeah, I’m right.”

  “Fuck you again.”

  “This is going to be fun, you know. Bustin’ your ass. Almost makes me feel not so bad for missing some killer waves this morning…almost.”

  “I’m serious. Be nice to her,” he warned.

  “I have manners,” Seth countered.

  Lars ignored Seth’s comment as he walked out to the patio and set the plates onto the table. Braelynn glanced at him, giving him a small smile that he swore would kill him on the spot. Jesus, she’s beautiful. Her curly brown locks spilled down her shoulders, her green eyes piercing through him. It was the first time she’d appeared relaxed, her face softened with the morning sun. Pleased she hadn’t tried to run away while he was in the kitchen, he hoped he’d earned her trust enough to tell him the truth. But as her focus flashed to Seth, her expression went cold, and he rushed to ease her mind.

  “It’s okay, Brae. This is a friend of mine. Seth.”

  “You said you wouldn’t call the police,” she immediately replied, her voice distressed.

  “Ho, ho, hold the presses there, darlin’. Not even close to being a cop. You got me all wrong, Doc.” Seth set the forks onto the table and slowly approached her, holding both hands up in the air. “I’m just a friend. One,” he paused as his eyes darted to Lars and back to Braelynn, “who, uh, likes to surf.”

  “Your appointment?” she asked quietly.

  “Yes, well, one of them. I forgot I was meeting Seth, and as always happens, he stopped by to look for me.” Lars knelt down to Braelynn, taking her hand in his. His eyes met hers, a warm smile on his lips. “I promised you I wouldn’t call the police and I meant it. You can trust me.”

  Braelynn’s gaze went to Seth who gave a small smile, and back to Lars. He sensed her fear but the gentle squeeze to his hand told him that no matter her hesitation, she clung to him. She may have been unable to articulate their developing connection but her touch didn’t lie.

  “Seth is just going to have some breakfast with us. Then he’s got to…”

  “Yeah, I, uh, should probably get going.
I can still get a few sets in,” Seth told her. “I promised a friend we’d go hike Torrey Pines later this afternoon.”

  Lars gave him a nod, appreciating his tact. “Let’s just have some breakfast and then we can talk. I’ll take you back to your car.”

  “Thanks. Sorry.” The color returned to Braelynn’s face.

  “No need to be sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Seth offered.

  “You okay?” The empathy in his voice surprised Lars. His protective streak had never been a secret but until now it had been reserved for those close to him. He prayed his attraction was skin deep, but as she blinked up at him, he suspected otherwise.

  “Yes, thanks,” she replied, her eyes locked on his. “I’m sorry. You won’t hurt me.”

  Lars couldn’t be sure if she meant it or if she’d said the phrase to convince herself. The words rolled through him and he wished he hadn’t invited Seth. He needed time to talk with her privately, to reveal her secrets, to touch her…body and soul. Desire coiled in his chest and he deliberately sucked a breath, swallowing the emotion. Seth would read it as easily as fear, and he wasn’t ready to reveal his cards to anyone.

  She stood and released his hand, and he watched in fascination as her courage returned. Approaching Seth, she extended her hand, briefly shaking his. Her intrepid greeting ended quickly and before she sat at the table, her eyes darted to Lars, an easy smile forming on her lips. He brushed his palm over her shoulder, but catching the look of interest on Seth’s face, he broke the contact.

  Lars turned to his friend, meeting his gaze directly. “Are you going to Altura tonight?”

  “Yeah, Garrett wanted to have a get together before the big charity event next weekend. The building’s almost ready,” Seth responded, concern in his eyes.

  “I’ll be there.” Lars mentioned Club Altura, aware he’d enjoy taking Braelynn.

  Its purpose or membership wasn’t discussed openly with others. Admittance by invitation only, the members were a select group of friends engaged in extreme sports, reveling in risk. While it had been Garrett’s baby, the team contributed, selecting monthly adventures. When not jumping out of planes or rock climbing, they enjoyed the social aspect. They held private parties with few rules. Push limits as far as you want, be safe, have fun. Not all members indulged in the open sexuality, yet no one judged.