Twelve For Two Hundred (Men of the Vault Book 1)

by Aria Grace

  The façade of confidence I’m used to seeing when I look at Edge lifts, and I catch a glimpse of the real man underneath. The broken and lonely man who appears guilty and sad for what he’s done. “I’m sorry, Liam. But I really do want to help you and Alexi. Let me do this and then you can hate me.”

  “Fuck!” I ball my hands into fists and slam them down on the mattress. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

  A small smile tugs at Edge’s lips. “You do have a choice. I just hope you choose correctly.”

  “So, do you have some kind of plan or something?” I know I shouldn’t feel hostility toward one of the few people in the world willing to take on my family on my behalf. But Edge seems to pull out these extreme emotions in me.

  If I’m not pissed, I’m desperate.

  If I’m not aroused, I’m intrigued.

  And if I’m not terrified, I’m needy.

  How can one man who hates me turn me inside out with just a glance or a word?

  “I do.” He reaches for my hand, and I let him hold it without breaking eye contact. “Why don’t you get dressed, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

  I didn’t sleep well last night, too nervous about this trip to relax at all. I’m also anxious about spending so much time with Edge. In a hotel room. We’re staying in the same hotel as Alexi and his friends but on a different floor. Whenever Alexi can get away from them, he’ll come to our room to download what he knows. Of course, that means Edge and I will be alone most of the time.

  Even in first class, I feel smothered by the two giant men crowding me. I don’t know if they expect another passenger to come at me with a butter knife, but between Edge in the aisle seat beside me and Justin constantly leaning over the seat to talk to us, I need some space to prepare myself for the next forty-eight hours. So, I pop in my earbuds and turn to face the window then close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

  It feels like only seconds have passed before a tugging on my arm wakes me up. “Time to get up, buttercup.”

  Edge’s warm breath brushes past me, and I remember where I am. I open my eyes and jerk upright, only then noticing that I’ve been drooling on Edge’s shoulder. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry.”

  And then he laughs. Edge actually laughs as he wipes off the slimy mess. “No worries. I don’t mind cleaning up drips.”

  I’m speechless as he winks at me before motioning for the seat belt. “Are you planning to stay here all day? Or are you getting off the plane with us?”

  Justin’s big hand lands on my head and ruffles my hair. “Come on, kid. We’ve got a cousin to visit, right?”

  At the reminder of why we’re in Nashville to begin with, I immediately perk up. Slipping out of my seatbelt, I stand up to stretch. I can’t fully extend my arms from my window seat, so I place the palms of my hands on the ceiling and lean from one side to the other, trying to get as much of a stretch as possible.

  I can feel Edge’s heated gaze on the exposed skin above my waistband, but I don’t make a move to pull down my shirt. He’s been torturing me for almost two months now. He can suffer some torture of his own.

  Justin has arranged for a car to meet us outside of baggage, and after he exchanges information with the driver, Justin takes the keys and gets behind the wheel while Edge and I climb in the back.

  Edge looks up from his phone once we get on the road. “Are you hungry?”

  Instinctively, I rest my hand on my belly, trying to remember the last time I ate. “Yeah, actually. Now that you mention it, I could eat.”

  “Me too.” He taps at the screen of his phone. “Do you have anything in mind? Or do you want to see the room service menu?”

  “How far away is the hotel?” Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m starving. Waiting until we get to the hotel seems impossible.

  “We’re about twenty minutes out. But I can order something to be delivered right when we check in.”

  “That sounds good. What do they have?” I try to peek over Edge’s shoulder at the menu options as he scrolls through them.

  When he realizes what I’m doing, he holds his phone out so I have a better view, and then he leans closer to me. The heat emanating from his body is so inviting that I almost purr as I unconsciously sidle closer. Pressing against his side sends a shiver up my spine. I’m not proud to admit it, but I desperately want to touch him. More importantly, I want him to touch me.

  After the night he stood over me and watched me beat myself off without lifting a finger to help, I’ve tried to convince myself that he has zero attraction to me. I’m sure that’s still true, but in moments like this, when he’s so close and doesn’t mind my body touching his, it’s hard to think straight. My dick agrees that it’s hard to focus on anything except the electric sensations pulsing through me where our bodies are in contact.

  “It’s up to you.” He points to a list of restaurants on his phone. “You can order from almost anywhere.”

  Edge slowly scrolls through the list until he passes something called Biscuit Love.

  I reach up to stop him, pointing at the top of his screen. “What’s that? I love biscuits.”

  “Let’s take a look.” He taps and expands the menu to investigate. Just reading about their award-winning biscuits and gravy has my mouth watering.

  “God, that sounds good.”

  “Agreed.” Edge hits a few more buttons. “I’ll have a selection of breakfast items scheduled for delivery in half an hour.” He looks at me, and his face is just inches from mine. His mouth opens, but no words come out for several seconds until he blinks hard and turns away from me. “Is that okay with you?”

  “That’s perfect,” I pant out, embarrassed by how desperate I sound. And then I remind myself about all the other embarrassing things he’s witnessed. Wanting him is the least of my problems. And knowing he doesn’t want me helps keep my hopes at bay.

  As promised, our food is waiting for us at registration when we check in. Alexi and his friends aren’t scheduled to land for another hour, so I’m not worried about running into anybody who might recognize me. But the sooner we get into the hotel room, the safer we’ll all be.

  Justin walks us up to the suite and quickly eats something before leaving us alone to get settled. He says he needs to check out the hotel and find any weak points in their security, but there’s a strange tension between him and Edge that even I can feel now and then.

  We spend a few minutes savoring the delicious breakfast before I finally ask the question on my mind. “Is everything okay between you and Justin?”

  Edge furrows his eyebrows while he wipes his mouth with his napkin. “Yeah, of course. Why do you ask?”

  I shrug one shoulder and take another small bite. “Just feels like there’s something weird between you guys. I can’t tell if it’s good or bad.”

  Edge smiles and shakes his head to reassure me. “We’re fine. He’s, um, my ex, so things are a little awkward, I guess.”

  “He is?” I’m a little shocked. Justin is hot, so that part isn’t surprising, but he has an even wider frame and is at least an inch taller than Edge. I guess I assumed Edge was interested in smaller guys, but that was probably just wishful thinking. I can’t stop my mind from imagining those two huge bodies together. The picture is fucking hot…but something about it doesn’t feel right to me.

  “Yeah, we broke it off almost a year ago. But he is the best man I know for this job. I trust him with my life and with yours, so you don’t have to worry about our past interfering with our present situation.” It’s sweet that Edge wants to reassure me of my safety. I appreciate it, but it’s unnecessary. Since I’ve been with him, my safety hasn’t even come to mind. I just know I am. I don’t know if it’s his sheer size or intimidation factor, but not even my uncle seems scary when I’m anywhere near Edge.

  “I wasn’t worried. Not in the least.” I give him a sly smile and waggle my eyebrows. “I just didn’t know if I should give you two some privacy.”

  Edge
laughs again. That’s twice in an hour. Before today, I don’t think I’ve heard him laugh once. “No, definitely not.” He shakes his head with an amused grin still shining back at me. “We really aren’t compatible, even though we tried to be for a long time.”

  “What happened?” I quickly realize how inappropriate my question is and try to backpedal. It’s obviously not my business to ask, but he’s in a good mood, so I just hope he isn’t pissed. “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

  “He wanted more than I could give.” Edge lets out a long sigh, as if resigned to this truth. “Until I take care of a few pressing matters from the past, I just can’t focus on a relationship. Maybe someday.” He shrugs and glances at me, holding my stare for a moment before turning back to his cup of coffee. “But maybe never.”

  “That’s so sad,” I say quietly, not realizing I’ve said it out loud until he puts down his cup and stares at me hard.

  “What is?”

  “What?” His sudden change in demeanor has my heart racing. Why is Edge suddenly so mad?

  “What is so sad?” Edge asks in a low tone.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.” Why do I have to ruin everything with my stupid mouth?

  Edge takes several slow breaths in and out through his nose, staring me down before he finally leans back in his chair. “It’s okay. You’re right. That is pretty sad.”

  I don’t know what to say. Thankfully, the burner phone I bought rings right then, so I scramble to check it just for something to do.

  It’s a text from Alexi. Just landed. Heading to the hotel.

  I immediately write back, grateful he landed safely. I’m here already. Talk soon.

  “Is that Alexi?” Edge asks before taking the last bite of his food.

  “Yeah, they’re on their way here. He’ll text when he can get away.”

  For more than two hours, Edge and I just hang out. We flip through the TV channels and find a game show marathon then proceed to binge-watch The Price is Right. Neither of us is very good at pricing household products, but I have more fun sitting on that foldout loveseat with Edge than I have in a very long time. I can’t even remember the last time I laughed as hard as I do whenever Edge does his Drew Carey impersonation.

  Whatever awkward tension I felt previously is now gone. Being with Edge is starting to feel like when I hang out with Alexi. Except, the sexual tension between me and Edge is still lingering there. It comes and goes, not always at the forefront of the moment, but when one of us accidentally brushes against the other or our eyes connect in just the right way, it’s clear there’s a deeper connection we’re both struggling with.

  For me, I just don’t want to make an even bigger fool of myself than I already have. He’s witnessed the aftermath of me selling my body to men who just want to use it as a sex toy. There is no way he respects me as a man or could ever consider me as a lover. Even when he paid money to do anything he wanted with me, he couldn’t bring himself to touch me.

  So while the interest coming from Edge is likely disgust and curiosity more than anything, the feelings on my end are pure lust. He’s one of the sexiest men I’ve ever seen and even his hand wrapped around my arm or on my knee makes me want to melt into a puddle at his feet. I can’t think of anything I want more than for Edge to touch me for pleasure—just once.

  Justin comes back in and gives us a strange look as we yell at the idiot on the TV to bid $1 on the riding lawn mower. Without a word, Justin sets up his laptop on the table in the corner, but his eyes keep darting between me and Edge. It seems like he has something to say but is keeping it to himself.

  Shortly after that, the text we’ve been waiting for comes in. Coming now.

  Justin walks out of the room to do a sweep of the floor and watch Alexi come in. His short, messy blond hair appears through the entry first followed by his crystal blue eyes. As soon as the door fully opens and I see my younger cousin’s sweet face, I throw myself against him, hugging him like it’s been years instead of months since we’ve seen each other. “God, Alexi, I’m so glad to see you.”

  He holds me tight, pressing me against his chest while resting his chin on my shoulder. “Me too. I was afraid they found you.”

  “Found me?” I pull away and step back, right into Edge’s chest. He steadies me with one hand but doesn’t move away from me.

  “Is someone looking for Liam?” Edge’s voice is low and gruff, a complete one-eighty from his casual tone just a few minutes ago.

  “I don’t think so, but I don’t know for sure. Let’s sit down so I can tell you what I know. I can’t be gone for too long.”

  Justin pulls two chairs over from the table and we all sit down. “Where do your friends think you are?”

  Alexi flashes his goofy smile. “I told them I was going down to the lobby bathroom to drop a deuce.”

  I chuckle and feel another wave of relief roll through me. He hasn’t changed at all. “Okay, so we’ve got like twenty minutes?”

  “Give or take.” He shrugs. “But we need to hurry.”

  We all agree and listen quietly as Alexi begins to share everything he knows about his dad’s plans and the people involved.

  Hearing Alexi explain the plan his dad and the rest of our family have in motion is overwhelming. They’ve chosen a lower-income school in a rural area to attack. One that doesn’t have technology like cameras or shot detection systems in place to potentially slow them down.

  And although there was speculation that I’m still alive, Alexi doesn’t think they’re looking for me. My uncle is usually too preoccupied with his current projects to worry about things that are unimportant to him. Namely, me.

  Although I was the lead programmer for the family over the past three years, he didn’t ever consider me to be a threat to him or anyone else. And I wasn’t. I’m still not a threat to anybody, unless they try to hurt Alexi. I don’t think my uncle would hurt his only son, but if he knew Alexi had confided in me and my friends, my uncle wouldn’t think twice about making him disappear. His motto is family first, business second…as long as family never interferes with business. Once that line has been crossed, there’s no going back.

  Justin and Edge ask a million questions about the equipment and vehicles that will be used during the attack. They even pull up a blueprint of the school within minutes of Alexi disclosing the name. I’m impressed by their resources, and my confidence in Edge’s ability to keep me safe is only growing. But at the same time, I’m even more nervous about getting in the middle of whatever my uncle has planned. Not because I’m worried about myself, but because Justin and Edge are innocent in this whole thing. They’re putting their lives on the line to save people they don’t know, just because I asked them to. That’s a lot of pressure on my shoulders, and my stomach feels like it’s loaded with boulders as the reality of what they’re about to do sinks in.

  “Are you okay, Liam?” My name on Edge’s tongue brings me back to the conversation.

  “What?” I look around the room and find three sets of concerned eyes focused directly on me. “I’m fine.”

  Edge scoots closer and rests his hand on the small of my back. “You look pale as a ghost. What’s wrong?”

  I look him in the eye for a long moment before turning to Justin and then Alexi. “I don’t want you guys to get hurt because of me. Maybe we should just let the police handle it.”

  “No.” Edge’s fist closes around the back of my shirt, making it tighten against my skin. I should probably be scared of his sudden anger, but the possessiveness of having him holding me in place sends a shiver through me, ending straight at my growing cock. “Absolutely not.”

  I turn to Alexi, hoping to appeal to his conscience. “Alexi, you’re already out of there. Finish this weekend with your friends and then come back to Nevada with us. I can get you an apartment, and you can start fresh. No one will look for you there, and you can finally be free.”

  Alexi’s eyes soften as he scoots out of the
chair and kneels in front of me. “You know I can’t just ignore what they’ve done…what they’re planning to do.”

  My vision blurs from the unshed tears blocking it, but I don’t look away from him.

  “And I know you can’t either.” He takes one of my hands in his. “If I don’t go home, they’ll just speed up their plan or move it somewhere else. They won’t stop just because I’m not around. We have to do this.”

  My chin falls forward, bouncing against my clavicle in defeat. “I know.”

  “You won’t be in danger at all.” Edge’s palm flattens on my back and he rubs up and down. “I promise you that.”

  Looking him straight in the eye, I voice the fear that’s gnawing at my chest. The only reason I would consider running back to Nevada and hiding away from my family forever. “No, but you will.”

  Several emotions flicker through Edge’s eyes as he holds my gaze. He seems surprised by the genuine concern I have for him but also…happy. And as he continues to search for nonverbal answers to the unspoken questions between us, I see something else pass over his features that I haven’t seen since that first night.

  Desire.

  He wants me.

  I don’t know if it’s out of sympathy or because he feels a sense of responsibility to comfort me, but his hazel eyes darken and grow wide as the air between us feels heavy.

  Justin clears his throat to get our attention, and I remember Edge and I aren’t the only two people in the room.

  I look toward Alexi and he’s on his feet, brushing invisible dust off his knees. “I’ll try to check back in tomorrow before I go, but if I don’t see you, be careful and I love you.”

  I jump to my feet and give Alexi a tight embrace before letting him walk away from me. “I love you too, Alexi. Please be safe. And if anything feels wrong, just leave. Don’t worry about anything else. Just keep yourself safe.”

  He smirks before play-punching me on the arm. “Yeah, you gave me that same speech when you left three months ago. I haven’t forgotten about it.”

  I nod once, trying to keep my emotions at bay. This goodbye feels more permanent than when I left San Antonio. Back then, I knew I just needed to earn some money and then I’d send for Alexi so we could both start over. But now that I know what he’s going home to, I can’t shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach that I’m never going to see him again. “Try to come by tomorrow, okay?”