Entwined

by Lacey Black

  “Whatever it is, I’m not interested,” I state pointedly before clicking the lock button on my key fob.

  “Listen, I understand why you wouldn’t be thrilled to see me here, but I have nowhere else to go.” It’s not her words that catch my attention so much as the way she says them. She’s afraid. Her eyes are full of sadness and uncertainty, and the combination makes me stop in my tracks.

  “What’s going on?”

  Her eyes dart around the street, which instantly has me on high alert. Why does it feel like I’m about to fight some unknown battle, without having a fucking clue as to who or what I’m facing? Uneasy spreads through my blood like wildfire.

  “I think someone’s after me,” her words barely above a whisper, but her eyes remain locked on mine. I watch for the telltale signs that she’s lying, but I don’t see it. At least, not right now.

  Against my better judgment, I say the next line, praying this isn’t some elaborate ruse and I’m not going to regret it. “Come inside.”

  Jess is quiet as I unlock my door and step aside, allowing her to enter my home. I drop my keys on the table and point to a chair. I’m not about to allow her to get comfortable in the living room. I need to be seated across from her where I can watch her eyes. Without asking, I grab two bottles of water from the fridge. Even though I’d much rather have a shot of tequila, I’m not about to alter my ability to think clearly and quickly when it comes to my ex.

  Sitting down across from her, I hand her a bottle. “Why do you think someone’s after you?” I ask, getting right to the heart of the concern.

  Her eyes drop as she opens her bottle and takes a sip of water. When her eyes return to me, they’re clear, if not a bit hesitant. “A few years ago, I met this guy at a club. I was there with friends and so was he. He was in the VIP area watching me dance. I knew he was watching me, so I gave him a little bit of a show, you know?” she asks, a humorless smile crossing her pink-painted lips.

  “Anyway, he invited me and my friends to join him in the VIP lounge. He had this aura of him that spoke of power, money, and influence, and if the way the guys around him were falling all over themselves to do whatever he said was any indication, he was a force to be reckoned with. He definitely had that bad boy persona down pat.”

  Her eyes drop back down to the bottle she’s holding, an array of emotions cross her face. “We started seeing each other. He was always tight-lipped about his business. All he would ever tell me was that he was in finance. I never questioned it though. I mean, he had money for gifts and stuff so I never really cared where it came from.”

  Typical Jessica.

  “Anyway, a few months ago, I showed up at his office to surprise him. He was in a meeting so his secretary let me into his office. I sat down at his desk and was going to…undress…when I saw his computer. It was a spreadsheet but my name caught my attention. It had all these weird accounts or companies listed under my name and dollar signs with more zeros than I’ve ever seen in my life. The accounts were at banks all over the world, countries I had never even heard of.”

  She clears her throat, glancing from her water bottle to staring straight into my eyes. “That’s when he walked in.”

  “What happened?” I ask, my interest piqued and my wheels already spinning.

  “He came around the desk and saw what I was looking at. I asked him why my name was on that sheet and he told me it was nothing. Tried to kiss me and play it off as nothing, but I got this weird vibe. Something wasn’t right.”

  “Let me make sure I understand so far. He had a spreadsheet on his computer that had your name with bank information for accounts you don’t have?”

  “Right. There’s no way I have that kinda money in my own account, let alone in an account offshore somewhere.”

  “What kind of money are we talking here?”

  She stares straight at me, her throat bobbing with each swallow. “Millions.”

  I exhale deeply. My time at the Bureau has me on high alert, and even though it was never my department, I’ve heard plenty of money laundering and trafficking stories around the water cooler.

  “So what changed? Why not just forget you saw it and reap the benefits of a loaded boyfriend?” I ask, because the picture fits.

  “He changed. Started to be real secretive. I felt like I was being followed all the time. He had eyes on me, I know it. One night, I met him for dinner and said he didn’t feel a connection to me anymore. He broke up with me.”

  “And?”

  “And what?” she asks, her eyes wide and full of surprise. “He broke up with me to save his ass!”

  “Maybe he broke up with you because you’re a lousy lay?” The words are out of my mouth before I can even reel them back in.

  “What!? Are you kidding me? He broke up with me because I found out about his illegal doings, not because I suck in the sack.” She’s pissed and frankly, it’s funny as hell.

  “I still don’t understand why you’re here,” I state. Sure, I’ll pass along the tip to my buddies still at the Bureau, but I don’t see anything that qualifies as a major situation.

  “Because someone is following me still. They were in my apartment and went through my things.”

  “Okay,” I say, rubbing my forehead where a headache is starting. “Have you called the police? Filed a report about the break in?”

  “No. I can’t. Your mom said you worked for the FBI before. I need your help,” she pleads.

  Exhaling again, I’m starting to wonder what in the hell I got myself into. Or more accurately, what my mom got me into. The dull start of a headache is quickly becoming a temple-pulsing, eye-twitching pain in the ass that makes me want to pound a fifth of cheap vodka.

  “Listen, Jess, if you think someone is after you, then you need to file a police report. You need everything you can get on record. I know you think -” I start, but am cut off by her hysterics.

  “You think the police can stop him!? The police in Seattle are all in his pocket. His reach is farther than the freaking president, for God’s sake.” Her eyes fill with tears, and while I want to believe it’s all for show, I can tell that she’s indeed, freaked out.

  Bowing my head, I know she’s got me by the balls. There’s no way I can just turn my back, but my hands are also tied on what I can and can’t do. I don’t wear a badge anymore so my capacity to dig around is limited. But I have friends–favors I can call in, if necessary. I just don’t know if she’s worth the hassle.

  “Maybe I can make a call and put some feelers out.” Her face lights up and she gives me one of her trademark supermodel smiles. I’ll admit, Jess is beautiful–always has been. But what lies underneath is nothing compared to the sweet, wholesomeness that is the heart of Sidney Rogen. In all respects, Jess doesn’t hold a fucking candle to the woman I love.

  “Thank you, Luke. I mean that. I knew if anyone could help me deal with Clinton it would be you,” she says, her tears all dried up.

  “Clinton?” I ask, pulling my phone out to make note.

  “Yeah.” She averts her eyes. “Clinton Charles.”

  That name jumps out at me, flashes before me like a bright neon sign that says trouble. My ears perk up, but my mind starts to process and sort, looking for the reason I know that name.

  Then it hits me, like a truckload of bricks driving way over the speed limit. Realization hits me hard and my body tenses. I try to school my reaction, like I’ve done my entire adult life since joining the Bureau, but, admittedly, it’s hard.

  “Clinton Charles?” I ask, even though I know exactly who in the fuck she’s talking about.

  “Yeah,” is the only response I get from the woman before me.

  Clinton Charles has been on the FBI’s radar since my tenure as a young, fresh from the farm kid. Money laundering, illegal gambling, racketeering, and the list goes on. The FBI has a file on the guy thicker than the manual for a space shuttle, yet they’ve never been able to nail h
im on charges. Somehow, he always escapes. Last I heard, his main operation was moved from Vegas to Seattle, but he still operates from here on a smaller scale.

  And now I find out Jessica is tangled up with this guy? And not just tangled, but I’m talking interwoven so fucking tight that you don’t know whose limbs are whose, nor where they start. If her name is on those accounts, there’s a good chance she could go down for this as quickly as he could. Shit, he might just have set it up so perfectly that he escapes charges altogether.

  Of course, that’s not something I’m ready to say to Jess. Right now, I need to make a call to Riggs at the LV office and see what he thinks. If she’s legit, we might very well have our first big lead in the case. We might be one step closer to putting one more criminal behind bars.

  And then I realize that there is no we. I haven’t been with the Bureau for over a year now. It’s not my job to dig until I strike gold. It’s not even my job to make sure this potential witness is safe. Yeah, that’s definitely not my fucking job.

  “Listen, Jess, I’ll make a call and get someone in touch with you. I think the best thing for you to do right now is to lay low. Maybe take a trip or something. Do you have someone you can stay with for a little while? Someone this Clinton guy won’t think to check out?”

  “You know I have no one. My mom is here so that’s why I came back after Clinton and I broke up, but she’s all I have.”

  “Well, then you need to lock your doors and stay out of sight. I’ll make some calls and see what I can find out for you,” I tell her, even though getting involved at this point is the last thing I want to do. Hell, I’ve been involved since the moment I found my ex on my front porch.

  “Thank you so much, Luke,” she coos, batting those overdone eyelashes at me.

  I stand up before she can say anything further. I’m not one for small talk and I’m ready to get her out of my house. I had only stopped in to grab another change of clothes before heading back to Sid’s place for dinner with her and Jacobi.

  Walking towards the door, I grab the nob and pull the door open. My message is clear, even to her. Of course, that doesn’t stop her from placing her hand on my forearm and leaning up on her toes, kissing me on the cheek.

  “Thanks, Lukey. I knew I came to the right person for help.”

  “Let’s get one thing straight, Jess. I am helping you out because it’s the right thing to do. Not for any other reason. I have a girlfriend that I am committed to.” My voice is firm, resolute.

  “Oh, yes, Sidney. I forgot about her,” she coos before smiling widely and walking out the door, trailing her fingers across my arm and chest as she goes.

  I take my first real breath as I watch her climb into her car and drive away. Helping her is the last thing I want to do, but I have no other choice. I’ll make a few calls to some old buddies at the Bureau, and let them take it from there. There’s no reason for me to get involved any further than I am right now. And that also means there’s no reason for Sidney to know about any of this bullshit.

  Can you imagine that conversation? Hell, angel, Jessica showed up on my porch claiming to be the former girlfriend of one of the FBI’s top players on the watch list. He might be after her so she came to me for help. I swear she wants nothing from me other than my assistance with her personal matter.

  Sure. Sounds legit. But it also sounds like a lie. I know Jess’s intentions aren’t pure. They were written on her face plain as day today, and have been every time I’ve seen her since her return. I’m sure she has plenty of things she’d like to do to pay me for my troubles, and none of them have anything to do with money. I don’t trust her, therefore I won’t subject Sidney to any of her drama. The best thing I can do is help her out and get her away from me. Easy enough, right?

  One thing’s for sure: there’s no way in hell I can tell Sid about all of this.

  Chapter Twenty-Five – Sweet Dreams

  Sidney

  A weird tightness in my abdomen pulls me from a dead sleep. For a moment, it steals my breath. I sit up and reach for Luke, but his side of my bed is empty. Cold sheets tell me he’s been gone for a while.

  He’s been off tonight, distant in a way I haven’t seen before. When Jacobi would ask him something, Luke would be lost in his own world, a thousand miles away. You could practically see the wheels in his head spinning, but every time I asked if everything was okay, he gave me the same, noncommittal answer. Nothing. Everything’s fine.

  The tightness gives me pause before I slip out of bed. Stepping into the bathroom, I use the facility before splashing a little cool water on my face and taking a long drink of water. I find myself gulping the liquid as if I haven’t drunk in days. The dull ache subsides almost instantly, which makes me wonder when the last time I drank water was.

  Mental note to start drinking more fluids.

  When my thirst is quenched, I head down the stairs, careful not to make any noise and wake Jacobi. The living room is empty when I reach the base of the stairs, but light filters brightly from the kitchen. As I approach the entryway, I hear Luke’s voice, though I can’t make out what he’s saying yet.

  Breaching the doorway, I find Luke sitting at the table with his laptop in front of him, his back to me. He also has his cell phone to his ear. He’s quiet as he listens to whoever he’s talking to at three in the morning. Not wanting to interrupt him, I step inside just as he speaks into his cell phone.

  “You’re telling me he’s in Vegas somewhere? You’ve tracked his whereabouts from Seattle to Vegas, but he’s managed to slip under the radar and he’s back in his old stomping grounds now? How is that fucking possible, Riggs?” He sounds irritated, and I instantly stop my progress into the room.

  I start to take a retreating step when his next words cause me to falter once more. “Yeah, she was with me today.” At first I think he’s talking about me, until I hear his next statement. “She showed up at my house this afternoon.” He listens for a few moments while I hold my breath. “Yeah, yeah, she’s hot with a great ass.”

  My heart stops beating, my need to flee great. I spin around, a mixture of embarrassment for eavesdropping battling with anger at what I heard. I barely make it out of the kitchen when the floorboard creaks beneath my bare foot. I can’t decide if I should run away or stop all together, but it doesn’t matter. The decision is made for me.

  “Sid?” Luke asks behind me.

  Spinning around, my face most likely showing the shock I feel, I offer him a tight smile. He looks at me for several seconds before standing up and walking towards me. “Gotta go. Call me when you have something,” he says into the phone for disconnecting.

  I’m rooted to the floor as he stands in front of me, so close that I can smell his soap and feel the body heat radiating from his pores. He’s wearing an old t-shirt with the Bureau’s logo on the front and basketball shorts, and my body reflexively sways towards him and the comfort he possesses.

  “Did I wake you?” he asks, moving a piece of hair from my cheek to behind my ear.

  “No. I woke up and you were gone. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.” I opt not to tell him about the weird twinge in my stomach. I’m sure it was nothing and don’t want to worry him.

  “Everything’s fine,” he says as he tosses his cell phone on the counter. “Something came up at work,” he adds without making eye contact. A weird tingle slides up my spine, but it ebbs when he wraps his arms around me and pulls me close.

  He doesn’t comment about what I overheard so I decide not to make an issue about it. At least for right now. I know Luke will find other women attractive; hell, it’s human nature. The fact that someone was at his house today causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand, but I won’t make an issue about it until I know more about the situation. It could have been a coworker or a friend. Half the female population has always flocked towards him and has ever since we were in grade school.

  “Why don’t we head upsta
irs,” he suggests, running his thumb across my bottom lip.

  “Do you have more work to do?” I ask, breathlessly. It still amazes me the impact he has on my body with just the slightest touch.

  “Nope. It’s the middle of the night and I should be in bed with you.”

  “I like that idea,” I whisper, all but ready to slide myself up and down his leg.

  Without saying another word, he walks me towards the stairs. We’re both quiet as we make our way past Jacobi’s room and back into mine. The light is still on in the bathroom, but we ignore it. The extra light in the room allows me to see everything from his chiseled abs to the haziness in his green eyes.

  With both hands holding firmly to my jaw, he kisses me deep and thoroughly as he leads me to the bed. I push his shorts off his hips before grabbing on to his wrists and holding on for dear life. This man’s mouth is magical. He could lead me anywhere with a mere kiss.

  Finally, he pulls back enough to remove his shirt in one swift, fluid motion before grabbing the hem of the t-shirt I’m wearing and pulling it over my head. I’m not wearing panties, which seems to be somewhat common nowadays. Anytime I wear them to bed, he removes them at some point in the night. Not that I mind, of course.

  When we’re both naked, he gently lays me back on the pillow he uses. He trails open-mouthed kisses down my neck and chest until he reaches my hard nipples. Flicking one, then the second with his tongue, I practically levitate off the bed. My moan is loud and all consuming. A fire ignites and burns red-hot between my thighs, the ache of my core intensifying until it’s all I can think about, picture. How will Luke abate my need for him? Will it ever really go away?

  I’m afraid the answer will always be no.

  He trails kisses downward until he reaches my stomach. I’m stunned as he kisses the place just below my belly button; the place where I picture the babies to be nestled. He turns his head and nuzzles my skin with his cheek and lips. It’s a tender moment that causes tears to fill my eyes. The sight of this powerful man worshipping my belly and the babies we created together is enough to bring even the toughest to their knees.