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

by Aria Grace

  Edge thrusts a few more times, pumping me full of his seed. “God, yes,” I say, my cock spewing more and more ribbons of cream with each pass. “Fill me.”

  Edge thrusts one final time before collapsing on top of me in exhaustion. Our panting seems to be in rhythm as Edge pulls me close.

  “I’m covered in…”

  “Shh,” he whispers against my neck, wrapping his arm around my come-coated chest. “You can wash off in the morning.” He chuckles lightly before taking a deep breath. His exhale tickles the hairs on my neck, but I want more. Pushing my ass against his still thick cock, I melt into his arms and let him hold me as we fall asleep.

  The quiet chirp of my phone wakes me up, but the obvious lack of an extra person in my bed is what finally gets my eyes open. Edge is gone. I shouldn’t be disappointed…but I am.

  Reaching for my phone, I rub my eyes to help them focus then check the screen. A text from Alexi. I’m coming over. Everyone is still passed out.

  I turn to look for Edge and see him watching me from the other bed. “Did you sleep over there?” I don’t know why I bother asking. The answer is pretty obvious, but I’m a glutton for punishment.

  “Yes. I thought it would be best.”

  Of course he did. I hold up my phone and wave it at him. “That was Alexi. He’s coming by for a minute.”

  Edge sits up and throws his legs over the far side of the bed. All I can see is his bare back and his perfectly muscular ass when he stands up to pull on his jeans. “If you want to grab a shower, you should hurry.”

  I guess that’s his way of telling me I’m dirty. But that’s old news. He’s known I’m damaged goods since day one. If he doesn’t like how I look or smell after he’s fucked me, that’s too damn bad.

  “I’m fine.”

  His eyes narrow at my sharp tone, but he doesn’t question me any further.

  Smart man.

  Mimicking his movements, I turn my back to him while I get dressed.

  A few minutes later, Edge is on the phone ordering room service when Alexi knocks on the door. I pull him into a tight hug and will myself not to get emotional.

  He’s safe. He’ll be fine.

  “I’m so glad you were able to stop by.” I feel silly reacting so strongly but my gut keeps shooting warning flares up to my brain and I keep ignoring them. That shit only lasts so long.

  Alexi’s strong arms unlock around my back before he pulls back. “Me too. I didn’t drink as much as everyone else last night, so I woke up early. They’ll probably be out for a few more hours.”

  Justin clears his throat to get our attention and we both look at him expectantly. “Do you guys want to sit down? I have a few more questions for Alexi.”

  “Yeah, of course.” I drag Alexi to the love seat and we both sit on it and wait for Justin to share whatever is on his mind.

  “This school you told us about. Why did they choose it?” Justin doesn’t waste any time before jumping into business. I’m sure that’s a good thing but it can be annoying as hell when I’m not in a good mood.

  “We own some property in town. Maybe it’s a staging area for equipment? Or maybe that’s where they’ll keep the kids until they can transport them? I have no idea.” Alexi leans back and rubs his palms together as he thinks back on what he knows. “But I still think it’s because services are slow at best out there and should buy plenty of time for them to get out undetected.”

  Justin turns to me. “You can still get into their network, right?”

  “Yeah, I should be able to. I don’t think they would’ve found my markers.” I laugh at the idea of them finding my signature code and doing anything to lock me out. “And even if they did, they wouldn’t know what to do with it.”

  “Why?” Edge’s deep voice startles me from his perch against the back wall.

  Justin paces in front of us as he figures out his next words. “I want Liam to work with Rainier on getting access to their network. That will help us pinpoint exactly when their attack is going down. In the meantime, we need a way to lure Joseph away from his home. We need him somewhere where you can get to him.”

  Justin looks Edge right in the eye, and they seem to have a silent conversation between them. Edge glances at me then back to Justin and nods once. “Fine.”

  Alexi stands up and faces Edge. “What are you going to do to my dad?”

  Edge looks at Alexi without blinking, giving him the truth without trying to sugarcoat it. “I’m going to kill your father.”

  My cousin drops back onto the sofa next to me and I reach for his hand. “It’s the only way to stop him, Lex. You know that as well as I do.”

  He nods sadly then looks down at the floor in front of him. “Okay, just tell me what I need to do.”

  17

  Edge

  Justin’s plan is a good one, but I don’t like the idea of using Liam as the bait to lure him out. It feels like an unnecessary risk, but with the new information from Alexi, we don’t have time to come up with something better.

  That’s why we head straight to Rainier’s after we land in Nevada. Justin has to take care of a few things back at his office so he drops Liam and me off with Rainier and says his goodbyes. When we’re ready to head to Texas, Justin and one of his best guys will be at our sides.

  “Edge, my man.” Rainier pulls me into a bear hug and smacks my back. Hard. “It’s good to see you.”

  “You too, Rainy.” I wink at the dirty look he gives me because of the stupid nickname I gave him when he was a kid. He once peed in bed when I slept over. I was asleep on the floor beside his bed and woke up to his piss raining down on me. It was disgusting and hilarious and the name has been a favorite ever since. At least for me it is.

  “Well, Eddie, who’s your friend?” Okay, that’s just low. He knows I hate being called Eddie. That’s what my mom called me up until the day she abandoned me. But I keep my cool and ignore the jab.

  “Rainier, this is Liam.” I gesture to Liam. “I think you’ve heard me say a word or two about him.”

  “Liam, this is Rainier. He’s my best friend from childhood.” I raise an eyebrow at my friend. “At least he is on good days.”

  Rainier laughs and reaches out to shake Liam’s hand. “Every day we wake up with our junk in working order and our minds sharp enough to know what to do with it is a good day.”

  “Okay, anyway.” I chuckle at my odd friend and his odd way of breaking the ice with strangers. “Like Justin said on the phone, we need to get Liam into his uncle’s network and bank accounts so we can gather blackmail material.”

  Rainier invites us up to his office. “You a programmer?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t finish my degree but I got close.”

  “What languages?” Rainier is trying to act tough but I know he’s just messing with the new kid.

  “Hold up.” I raise my hand between their little nerd standoff. “Before you get too far into the weeds, I need to run home and collect some stuff. Will you guys be okay without me for a few hours?”

  “Of course,” Rainier says, waving me out without a second glance.

  “I guess.” Liam’s less confident response has me moving to him in quick strides.

  I pull him into my arms and brush my cheek against his. “You’ll be safe here. I promise.”

  Liam’s arms wrap around me and he sags against my chest, as if this is what he needs. My chest contracts at the idea that I’m what anyone needs. But if he does, I’ll be here for him.

  And that thought only makes me feel like a bigger douche for being so cold this morning when we woke up. But I panicked and didn’t know what to do. I wanted to stay in bed with him forever. But there are still so many secrets between us that I can’t allow myself to develop feelings for Liam until my work is done.

  And once he finds out the full extent of what that work is, I’m positive he’ll never have good feelings for me. So I hold him against me and rock gently, whispering reassurances in his ear until he backs aw
ay.

  “We’ll be fine.” He presses the heels of his palms against his glistening eyes. “Take your time.”

  As soon as Rainier and Liam get into the Nicola family network, we all scour every file and folder to gather as much evidence against the family as possible. The drug money wasn’t easy to find because it was buried in shell corporations that didn’t do anything but disguise other corporations. But Liam found it eventually. And after setting up a new account online, he transferred half a million dollars into it from the family coffers. If Joseph ever notices that money was stolen electronically, he might automatically assume Liam or Alexi were involved.

  And that’s just one more nail in Joseph Nicola’s coffin.

  But the other business was left surprisingly unsecure. Liam suspects it’s because he’s not around to secure the data and Joseph is too paranoid to hire someone. So, in an extremely unsophisticated system of security by obscurity, we find folders within folders that eventually show videos of children playing in a school yard and hundreds of photos taken by a long-range camera.

  One folder is called MATCHED, one is called UNMATCHED and the third is called WASTE. When we find a similarly disguised folder called BUYERS, it’s very clear to anyone what is happening.

  Because we’re worried Joseph might get spooked and move up his timetable, we head to Texas on Wednesday morning to get this show on the road.

  I hold my finger over the send button and wait for Justin to tell me his recording and tracking equipment is ready. When he gives me the signal, I press the button and wait for my nemesis to answer the phone.

  “Yes.” He doesn’t introduce himself but I recognize his voice instantly. I’ve heard it hundreds of times in my nightmares, in my memories, and in the fantasies in which I tear his balls off and shove them into his mouth while I slice off his dick, inch by inch.

  “Joseph.” Unless he’s an idiot, he’ll know this isn’t a misdialed call from my tone alone. “We need to talk.”

  “Is that so?” He almost sounds amused, which just pisses me off.

  “I’ve got something of yours.” I pause for a minute, and when he doesn’t respond, I force the words out of my mouth that I instantly regret. “Your genius nephew was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He tried to buy his freedom with information about the family, but I prefer good old-fashioned cash. I figured you were the person to talk to.”

  “I don’t know who you’re talking about.” He’s no longer amused. He’s probably running scenarios through his head of what I could be referring to.

  “Liam is with me. If you want him back, bring fifty million in clean bills to the Fanten Motel on Interstate 81 at noon tomorrow. If not, you’ll regret it.”

  Joseph laughs at my weak threat. I would laugh too if I weren’t risking the life of a young man I’ve started to care about as… Well, I don’t know how to describe my feelings for Liam. I don’t want to describe them. Not yet anyway.

  “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.” I can tell he’s bothered by what I’ve said but he’s still doing the dance.

  He’ll bluff to see if I’ll bluff. Eventually one of us will flinch. But if it means keeping Liam safe, Joseph can sure as fuck know I’m not the one who’ll flinch first.

  “Are you sure? I thought we were such a good Match. Even if we were Unmatched, I wouldn’t want to Waste the opportunity.” I’m careful to emphasize the words we found in his network.

  Joseph doesn’t miss the clue.

  “Fine,” he says, his voice back to amused. “We’ll be there. But make sure my nephew is perfect and unharmed. My wife has such a special attachment to him and will be thrilled to know he’ll be nuzzling into her bosom by tomorrow.”

  Liam’s face is bright red and his eyes look like saucers. Saucers with tears forming.

  I hang up the phone and hold my arms open. Liam doesn’t hesitate as he steps into me, tears already streaming down his cheeks.

  “What did he mean by that?”

  Instead of answering me, Liam just shakes his head.

  “Liam.” I use a soft, placating tone with him instead of my natural growl. “Did your aunt do something to you?”

  He nods against my chest then pulls back, still embarrassed by the conversation. “She made me sleep with her.”

  “Made you?” I ask, wanting to be crystal clear on what he’s telling me.

  “Yeah. It started when I was a kid.” His breath stutters and I know he’s almost done crying. “It didn’t happen all the time. And that’s why I finally got the nerve to leave. It hadn’t happened in over a year so I thought she was over it.”

  “Was she over it?” I ask, brushing my thumb across his high cheekbones.

  “I thought so. But based on what Uncle Joseph said, maybe she’s told him and wants me back.”

  I pull him against my chest again before lowering my head and claiming his mouth in a punishing kiss. Our lips are red and pulsing when we finally pull away for air. “You’re never going back there, Liam. You’re mine now.”

  18

  Liam

  I’m sure Edge didn’t mean to say I’m his in that way. He was just trying to reassure me that I was safe. Just like he always does. But in the process of calming me down, he’s also given me hope that he’s starting to feel about me the way I’ve been feeling about him for weeks.

  I’m fucking falling for him.

  I know it’s stupid and dangerous, but I can’t help it. He’s everything I ever dreamed my ideal husband would be…and he likes me too. That’s the really crazy part.

  My head is spacing out, remember the finer details of when Edge made love to me last night. Okay, making love is a bit of a stretch.

  “Liam,” Edge says with his eyebrows furrowed. “Are you okay? You don’t have to do this.”

  I nod several times and try to moisten the desert inside my mouth. “I do have to. I need this closure as much as you do.”

  I stare into his eyes, hoping he sees nothing but sincerity. When his expression softens, I know he understands and will let me have this. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me.” Edge drops a kiss onto the side of my head. “Just because you’ll be there doesn’t mean you’ll be anywhere near the action. Justin will tie you to the car if I tell him to.

  I waggle my eyebrows. “Oh, that’s sounds fun.”

  Edge narrows his gaze and a low growl escapes his chest. “Does it?”

  “Well, not the Justin part.” I lean up and kiss his pursed lips. “But you can tie me up anytime you want.”

  Edge closes his eyes and drops his forehead onto mine. “You’re gonna regret you said that.”

  A shiver runs down my spine as I pray we both live long enough to regret anything ever again.

  Just a few minutes later, my uncle shows up in his black Escalade with two other cars following behind.

  Edge gets out of our car first. Justin and Bradley are positioned in the cement beams of the motel carport, poised and ready to fire with a simple signal from Edge.

  My uncle climbs out of the back of one SUV and my skin crawls at just the sight of him. I truly detest that man.

  “I know you.” Joseph walks toward Edge, not the least bit concerned about niceties. “Your brother was a snake, right? I remember seeing you that night.”

  My gaze is locked on Edge’s as a fury I’ve never witnessed sparks behind those hazel orbs. “So you’ve been expecting me?”

  Uncle Joseph shrugs. “Not really. I figured you’d gotten bored after killing my brother and his wife. She really was a beautiful woman. Such a shame.”

  My heart drops to the pit of my stomach as those words sink in. He’s talking about my mom and dad. And Edge isn’t denying it. Why isn’t Edge denying it?

  I climb out of the car, ready to go back to my uncle just to get away from Edge. Hell, that might have been his plan all along.

  “Get back in the car, Liam.” Edge’s tough-man act isn’t going to work on me anymore. Not after he’s been lying to m
e the whole time.

  “It’s fine, Edge. Just take the money.” I start walking toward my uncle.

  My uncle’s eyes bounce between me and Edge and two more men climb out of the SUV Joseph was in. My uncle Ronnie and his son Ron Jr are each holding guns as they approach me.

  “Liam, duck.” I don’t want to respond to him, but my body instinctively drops to the ground as gun fire peppers the air above me. I cover my ears as I roll toward the nearest car, hoping it’ll provide some cover while I wait for death to reunite me with my parents. The parents Edge killed in cold blood.

  I feel like I’m in a fog until Joseph’s shrill cackle forces my lucidity. I manage to pry my eyelids open far enough to see chaos around me but I’m numb. All I can process is Uncle Ronnie and Ron Jr both on the ground in front of me. They’re in the same place as they were when I last saw them. Neither one is moving.

  Footsteps and car engines fill the air around me and I expect to be left here to die. Maybe I’m already dead. I feel dead, buried under a thousand pounds of oppressive dirt, making it hard for me to move or breathe.

  I try to push up off the ground, but nothing happens. I hear a car stop just a few feet away from me, but I can’t lift my head to look at it.

  Justin’s voice rings out from the din of other sounds. “Let’s go. We can still catch Joseph.”

  My perspective changes as I am flipped onto my back. I still can’t feel anything or move but the view of Edge’s worried face staring down at me makes me want to reach for him and tell him everything is all right.

  He reaches out to me slowly, cupping my chin and the numbing I felt just a moment ago is gone as white-hot pain shoots through my body. “We need to get him to the hospital.”

  I close my eyes or pass out, I’m not sure which. But when I open them again, I’m inside a doctor’s office. I turn my head to look around, but the shooting pain is back, and I can’t do anything but whimper and try to stay conscious. “You’re awake,” Edge says, sliding onto the bed at my hip.