Take a Risk (Risk #1)

by Scarlett Finn

  ‘Good guess,’ he said, reaching over her to the floor to give her the intact tee-shirt. ‘We should go and make sure she doesn’t beat on Ruger.’

  ‘We should.’ Donning the tee-shirt, she got up to go through and diffuse the situation, but Colt snatched her wrist and tugged her down at his side again, so she looked at him with a silent question.

  ‘We don’t have to run through,’ he said, taking his time in pulling on his jeans. ‘She can beat on him a little bit. He probably deserves it.’

  They were still kissing when Ruger came through, with a jabbering Suzette running in behind him. ‘This pervert was in bed with me!’ she screeched and picked up a side lamp, holding it up as though to protect herself.

  ‘Just for a minute,’ Ruger said, running his hands through his hair and rubbing his eyes. ‘Do I look like a man with intentions of screwing you? I just woke up.’

  ‘I don’t know what your intentions were,’ Suzette said, her face red with either rage or embarrassment. ‘I am an engaged woman, I’m taken. You keep your mits off!’

  ‘Your mits were the ones on me,’ he said. The amused smile that warped his lips was likely to set Suzette off again so Lyssa pounced up and rounded the couch to get to her friend.

  She took the lamp away from Suzette and placed it back on the table. ‘Ruger wasn’t going to hurt you,’ Lyssa said. ‘The guys were out all night. They’re ready for bed.’

  ‘He sure is,’ Ruger said.

  Lyssa led Suzette into the light of the window, to open it and let some fresh air in. She glanced back at Colt who was admiring her naked legs and not listening to a word that was being exchanged. There was no time for her to comment, or be flattered, because Suzette spoke and Lyssa was just happy that the subject had changed.

  ‘Who are they?’

  Suzette was looking out of the window, so Lyssa followed her line of vision. Colt came in behind them to do the same. He’d obviously been snapped out of his trance by Suzette’s tone of wonder.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Lyssa said.

  A broad man made of muscle skirted a black Camaro to take the arm of a tiny woman who had just got out of the passenger side. The lips of the women were working fast, but the man didn’t say a word. He snatched her other arm and slammed her back against the side of the car and Lyssa tensed.

  ‘Should we go out there?’ Lyssa asked. ‘They’re arguing about something.’

  ‘I think he’s got control of her,’ Colt said. ‘They’re fine.’

  ‘I think it was the woman that Lys was worried about,’ Suzette said, distracted by the show they were watching.

  The man did look mean, with a strong brow pulled down in a scowl that made fear shiver through her. He wasn’t the type to be messed with and that teeny-tiny woman wouldn’t last long if he turned on her. But the woman continued to speak, then he tried to open the door, but the female pushed her ass back to close it again while she stopped talking and plumped her lips.

  Digging her hands into the front jeans pocket of the male, the female pouted and said a few short words. The male then bared his teeth at her and she smiled in triumph. His hand came up and he grabbed her jaw to yank her head up.

  ‘Is he going to hurt her?’ Suzette gasped.

  ‘No,’ Lyssa muttered.

  The male hauled the little woman to the tips of her toes and devoured her mouth with such a flaying power that Lyssa’s own core began to tingle again and Suzette whimpered.

  ‘Wow.’

  ‘No, he’s going to fuck her,’ Colt grinned. ‘Maybe we should get the popcorn.’

  ‘What the hell are you guys perving on?’ Ruger asked, and she was nudged aside so that he could peer out of the window too. ‘Fuck.’

  ‘What?’ Colt asked.

  Lyssa didn’t like the tone of Ruger’s curse. ‘Do you know them?’

  ‘You two get into the bedroom,’ Ruger said, shoving both Suzette and Lyssa away from the window. ‘Do either of you know how to use a weapon?’

  ‘Why would we need a weapon?’ Suzette asked.

  ‘Ruge?’ Colt asked.

  ‘He’s a great guy, the best in the business,’ Ruger said. ‘Last time I saw him he took me for everything I had at the poker table.’

  ‘You’re afraid of a guy you were playing poker with?’ Suzette asked. ‘Do you still owe him money?’

  But it wasn’t fear Lyssa saw in Ruger, just a concerned wariness. ‘When he shows up on your doorstep, especially when you don’t know why, there’s a fifty percent chance you’re not going to see daylight, or breathe oxygen, again.’

  ‘He brought a woman,’ Lyssa said, moving toward the front door. ‘If he was going to hurt anyone, why would he bring a woman that he’s intimate with to—‘

  Ruger got hold of her arm to draw her back. ‘No, you don’t understand, she’s as bad. I mean, she’s a sweetheart, but she doesn’t need a reason, if she snaps her fingers he’ll pounce. I guarantee it.’

  ‘So it’s her you’re afraid of?’ Suzette asked. ‘And I thought you were a big, tough guy.’

  ‘She kidnapped a woman who upset her,’ Ruger said. ‘Got her trussed up in some abandoned warehouse, he came in and gutted her.’

  The eyes of the women flared. ‘That has to be exaggerated,’ Colt said. ‘She doesn’t look like the type to be so brutal.’

  With apathetic eyes, Ruger turned to his brother. ‘She cut off the dick of a guy who hit on her.’

  Colt’s throat bobbed, and he took Lyssa’s hand. ‘You two go to the bedroom and lock the door.’

  ‘It doesn’t lock,’ Lyssa said, withdrawing her hand from his. ‘And I like your dick so if there’s a chance anyone will try to hurt it—‘

  ‘I won’t be hitting on her,’ Colt said. ‘Please, just—‘

  The knock on the door interrupted them all. She and Colt were still in a state of semi-undress, but she wasn’t going to back down on this one. Going to the door, she opened it with both men hissing words of discouragement.

  There in the doorway was the couple from the parking lot; the man was in front with the woman at his back, partially in view around his bulging arm. From their position it looked like the female had her hand in the man’s back jeans pocket.

  The male examined them all, saying nothing, but from where his attention fixed Lyssa would say that he’d stopped on Ruger.

  ‘Ruger,’ the male growled in a tone so deep she shivered again, but she found herself frowning because it didn’t look like his lips moved at all although the word had been clear.

  ‘Rushe,’ Ruger said, coming in closer to Lyssa’s back. ‘Is this a friendly visit? Or should I start saying my prayers?’

  ‘You’re scaring them,’ the female said from behind Rushe.

  ‘What was the proviso for you coming up here?’ Rushe grumbled over his shoulder.

  The female drew her lips into her mouth then shifted in closer to press her mouth to the back of his arm. Rushe fixated on Lyssa and she didn’t want to shrink back, but her quivering muscles made her chill through to the muscle of her hammering heart.

  ‘If you’re here to cause trouble,’ Colt said and he joined her and Ruger at the door. ‘Let us excuse the women.’

  ‘Lyssa Cutler,’ Rushe said, much to their collective surprise.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Doctor Lyssa Cutler.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘What is this about?’

  ‘My woman has beef with you.’

  ‘Hey now,’ Colt said, his hand curled around her arm and he pulled her back with such force that she couldn’t resist it until her body was invisible behind him and Ruger. ‘If you have a problem with her then it’s me that you have to deal with.’

  ‘Wow,’ the voice of the female behind Rushe carried past all the men to Lyssa’s ears. ‘With all of this testosterone flying around it’s a wonder us women can keep our panties dry. Move.’

  A manicured hand came between Colt and Ruger, they both shifted, and the female came through the parted men
without fear for her own safety. Though with a man like Rushe watching her back it was unlikely this woman ever had to worry about her safety.

  ‘I’m Flick,’ the woman said. ‘You’re Lyssa. You and I have a mutual interest and concern.’

  ‘We do?’ Lyssa asked.

  ‘Martin Schifford, he’s my brother in-law.’

  ‘Oh,’ Lyssa said, recognising the name of her patient, then the details of his case came flooding back and she blinked at Rushe over Flick’s head. ‘Oh.’

  ‘Yes,’ Flick said with a broad smile showing shiny white teeth. ‘We’re that couple.’

  ‘You know what he discussed with me?’ Lyssa asked, unable to take her bulging eyes from Rushe.

  ‘No,’ Flick said. ‘But it’s difficult to believe that anyone can have a conversation without mentioning that.’ Nodding backward she indicated Rushe, who was completely unmoved. ‘He came to me in confidence, he’s been visiting you while he travels for business. He didn’t want anyone in the family, or in his social circle, to know that he was seeing you.’

  ‘Given your specialty,’ Rushe muttered.

  Flick carried on without acknowledging him. ‘But it seems you’ve come into a bit of trouble… trouble that might visit my family, and that’s a problem for me.’

  ‘Which makes it a problem for him?’ Lyssa asked, still looking at Rushe.

  ‘Don’t worry about him. He’s happy on his leash for now and providing that you’re cooperative that situation shouldn’t change.’

  ‘And if we don’t cooperate?’ Colt asked.

  His question attracted the glittering yet determined eyes of the tiny female. ‘Then you better update your will, because we’re happy to sacrifice any, and every, person in this room to protect what’s ours.’

  ‘You’ve heard about my patients,’ Lyssa said. ‘About what’s happening to them?’

  ‘Yes,’ Flick said. ‘And if my brother is on your stalker’s list then we want to know about it, and it’s in our interest, as well as yours, that this man is stopped.’

  ‘We might have already seen to that,’ Colt said. ‘The police are on the case now and they’re closing in on a suspect as we speak.’

  ‘You have a suspect?’ Flick asked, her demeanour lighting with pleasure. ‘Give me his name and address.’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Ruger said.

  Rushe growled and stepped forward, his torso came up against Flick’s back, and it was only when Flick spread her arms to prevent him that he stopped. ‘You’re protecting him? The suspect?’ Her head tilted. ‘You are protecting the man who is hurting your brother’s woman? Why would you do that?’

  ‘If we tell you who he is then he’ll magically disappear,’ Ruger said. ‘I know what you two are capable of.’

  ‘Then you should know that upsetting us isn’t a smart move,’ Flick said.

  ‘Is it true that you cut off the dick of a guy who hit on you?’ Suzette asked.

  ‘Not exactly,’ Flick said. ‘He was my fiancé. Intimacy between us was forbidden, he knew that I belonged to Rushe.’

  ‘You were engaged to one man, but belonged to another?’ Suzette said. ‘I don’t understand that.’

  ‘And there’s no requirement for you to,’ Flick said. ‘Now, the suspect, how did you come to the conclusion that this was the man we’re looking for?’

  ‘You can come in and we’ll talk,’ Colt said. ‘Let Suzette get out of here and I’ll consult with my brother first.’

  ‘That’s acceptable,’ Flick said. ‘You have five minutes.’

  She retreated behind Rushe who came into the space with entitlement, Flick’s hand was already in the rear pocket of Rushe’s jeans again. He led her to the dining table where she sat, but he remained standing behind her chair, looming over her. Flick was unaffected by his intimidating form, all she did was rest her head back against the buckle of Rushe’s jeans, and when her head moved a little Lyssa wondered if there was something more intimate about that move.

  ‘Come on,’ Colt said, taking her hand, then she, he, Ruger, and Suzette all went back to his bedroom to come up with a plan of attack… or maybe it was one of defence that they needed now that Rushe and Flick were on the scene.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  No one got the chance to do much talking because by the time they convinced Suzette it was time for her to go to her sister’s, Lyssa felt that there was no time to ask too many questions of her own. The fact that Ruger had been silent was a red flag, and his scowl underlined it. Gone was the fun-loving, easy-going Ruger Warner and in his place was an edgy man on alert.

  Lyssa and Colt got dressed, which put them on a more even footing with the people in Colt’s kitchen. It wasn’t civilised to have a conversation of this magnitude while not wearing underwear. Ruger wasn’t keen to leave Rushe and his cohort alone for too long, though whether he was worried about appearing rude, or their guests gathering intelligence while no one was watching them, Ruger didn’t say.

  The three of them made their way back into the kitchen. Rushe was now in the seat that Flick had occupied. The little woman was in his lap with her arms looped around him, wearing something of a saucy smile. The smile was odd and out of place because Rushe appeared as severe as ever and unaffected by whatever amused the woman on his lap.

  ‘You’ve got some nerve showing up here,’ Colt said when his trio entered the kitchen. She had no idea that he was going to take such a hard line with this couple, and Flick appeared as dumbfounded as she felt. ‘That’s your woman, right?’ Rushe nodded once. ‘And if you were trying to keep her protected from a manic, how happy would you be that a random couple showed up demanding answers because some guy you don’t give a fuck about might be in danger.’

  ‘I give a fuck about him,’ Lyssa said, facing her lover. ‘You know how I feel about my patients and any of them being hurt. I’m pleased that these people care about Martin enough to—‘

  ‘Actually,’ Flick said, drawing the spotlight. ‘Rushe couldn’t care less about Martin. He actually thinks that leaving the guy to sort out this mess on his own might toughen him up a bit. He doesn’t know him as well as I do because I can tell you that’s never going to happen.’

  ‘You and your brother in-law were never particularly close,’ Lyssa said, pulling up a chair next to the couple. ‘And yet you’re here in support of him, bringing with you a lover who has cleaned up your family messes before.’

  ‘He told you about that?’ Flick asked, glancing at Rushe who fixed narrow eyes on her.

  ‘No specifics,’ Lyssa said, ‘and you’re covered by doctor-patient confidentiality because he didn’t talk in explicit terms about any criminal acts that may, or may not, have taken place. So I’m certainly not compelled to report anything that he might have mentioned.’

  ‘He got one thing right then,’ Ruger muttered and Rushe’s focus moved to him.

  ‘Silver was looking for you,’ Rushe said, which somehow came across as a veiled threat.

  Ruger lifted a hand. ‘I don’t want to talk about that in current company.’

  ‘Ah,’ Flick said. With a burst of elation, she tightened her grip around Rushe. ‘Did you hear that, lover? The brother and the good doctor don’t know Ruger’s dirty little secret.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Ruger said, propping a hand on the fridge to relax his weight on it. Others may be intimidated by the thought of having their secrets spilled, apparently Ruger wasn’t one of those people. ‘Who helped you to clean up your little mess with the King Club? And hooked Eric up with the pharmacist? If you want to find yourself another supplier…? I heard a whisper that Scott was back in the country, either of you want to comment on that?’

  ‘Are you threatening us?’ Flick demanded and moved as though to get up from Rushe’s lap, but the brute took hold of her hips.

  ‘Kitten,’ he growled with a sort of implied warning that didn’t require him to move his lips.

  The woman went limp, dropping her arms from his neck to fold them under
her generous breasts. ‘We came here to help because we have a shared interest and I thought they’d be receptive,’ Flick said to Rushe. ‘I should’ve let you do it your way.’

  ‘Which was what?’ Ruger asked. ‘To come in all guns blazing?’

  Lyssa had no idea at the complexity of the relationship between these three but she was seeing even more layers to Ruger than she ever could have imagined and she reconsidered her assessment of his need to wear women’s clothing. Ruger was a guy in charge and he seemed to have sway in circles that she didn’t know existed.

  ‘He was going to swipe the doc,’ Flick said, her demeanour becoming more satisfied. ‘Draw out the crazy fucker.’

  Colt approached and Lyssa could feel the tension radiate from him. Reaching out for him, she clasped the buckle of his belt and looked up at him, silently pleading with him to calm down.

  ‘They can swipe all they want,’ Ruger said from behind her, but Lyssa knew that he wasn’t talking to her. He was more likely focused on the couple sharing the kitchen table with her. ‘Is Tawny still living with that computer geek?’

  Rushe was out of his seat, which forced Flick up, so Lyssa felt compelled to stand too. The burst of testosterone fired her adrenaline and she began to worry that they’d never resolve anything while these three men circled each other trying to establish who had the dominant position.

  ‘They didn’t do that, did they? No one touched me,’ Lyssa soothed, holding up restraining hands to the Warners, who were the only two she could hope to have any influence on. ‘And their intention was never to hurt me.’

  ‘Lover,’ Flick whispered in her own attempt at placation. While the chest of the man who stood at her back swelled with silent panting breaths, he did eventually sit again, snatching Flick’s hips and yanking her down onto him.

  ‘He doesn’t watch her directly,’ Colt said to Rushe, ready to be the bigger man, which Lyssa greatly appreciated. ‘You wouldn’t have caught him by snatching Lys and hoping to lure him out. He taps into the city video surveillance network and picks up her image and follows her through the system.’