by Jami Denise
As we made our way toward Vince’s house, the atmosphere fell dramatically. We were quiet and introspective, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I don’t think either of us wanted to tarnish the beautiful evening we’d shared, but we both knew that we had to get it over with. Once and for all, if we were going to move on.
Vince’s car was missing from the drive, but the other car—that elusive vehicle—was still parked in the same spot. It was driving me insane not knowing who it belonged to, and I knew for a fact it didn’t belong to him, no matter what he said.
“Didn’t he know we were coming?” I asked.
“I told him I’d text him when we were on our way. I was distracted. I’ll text him now.”
He looked over at me and smirked before tapping on the screen of his phone.
I looked out the window at the house, noticing the light in the upstairs window was lit up. Seconds later, a figure appeared, and something inside of me snapped. I had to know who the hell was inside his house.
I didn’t say a word as I opened the door and dashed out of the car, bolting toward the house. I couldn’t guarantee they’d tell me who it was once we got inside, so I was going to find out myself, with or without their blessings. I had a feeling the girl had everything to do with what was going on, and I wanted to confront the bitch.
I heard Flynn call my name, but I kept on going. I knocked as hard as I could, frantic to get inside before he tried to stop me. No one answered, which I figured would be the case, so I decided to try another tactic. I just hoped that he’d mentioned me, and in a good way, so whoever it was would feel comfortable enough to answer the door and let me in.
“Please open the door! It’s Jayne King. I need Vince. It’s an emergency.”
I stood back and looked upstairs at the window. There was no movement, so I took that as a good sign that she was on her way down.
“What is your problem?” Flynn snapped, grabbing my arm and dragging me away from the door. “He’s on his way.”
I turned and glared. “Can you get inside? You have a key?”
He nodded, a perplexed look tainting his face. “If you’d wait a minute...”
He pulled his keys from his pocket and slid one in the door. My nerves popped when I heard it click, and as soon as it was open, I rushed past him. I made a break for the stairs and took two at a time.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I shouted over my shoulder. I just hoped he wouldn’t follow me.
I went straight toward Vince’s bedroom. It’d been a long time since I’d been in his house—he rarely spent time there himself—but I remembered well enough where it was.
The door was closed, and unfortunately locked. I wasn’t letting that stop me. I opened my bag, pulled out a little kit I’d been carrying around since I was a kid, and grabbed the instrument I was looking for. I could pick the lock.
It only took me a second, and when I heard the click, I used my shoulder to move inside. I slipped my hand back into my purse and grabbed the little 9mm I always carried. I wasn’t sure what I’d find behind that door, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
I aimed in front of me and took in the room. At first, I saw nothing, so I lowered the gun and turned to walk out. Then, a small whimper came from behind the bed. I turned around and stepped to the side of the bed where I heard the noise and found a young girl huddled against it.
I lifted my gun again and stepped closer. “Who the fuck are you?”
I was stunned. In my head, I was sure I was going to find Kristine hiding out in his house, especially since she had such a big part in the whole mess, but this girl was too young and was definitely not Kristine.
She squeaked and covered her head with her arms, cowering from me like I was a monster. At that moment, I felt like one. I was seconds away from blowing her away. She was a predator as far as I was concerned. Everyone was an enemy until they weren’t.
“I asked you a question, bitch. Who. Are. You?”
“Kelsey,” she cried quietly. “Kelsey.”
I walked closer and aimed the gun down at her. “What are you doing here?”
“Jayne!”
I didn’t turn to face him, even though the tone of his voice told me I should’ve. He had explaining to do. The little blonde morsel on the floor was a stranger, and she was obviously important. One of them needed to give me answers before I started getting trigger happy.
“Don’t come in here. I’m going to find out who she is, and what she has to do with this. If my life is in danger and she has something to do with it, I’m handling this now. You two morons are obviously too stupid to take care of business.”
She started crying harder and something in my gut twisted. “Give me a reason to put the gun down, girl.”
“Jayne, she is harmless. You’re scaring her. Put the damn gun down. Jesus, you’re crazy.”
I turned and narrowed my eyes. “Shut the fuck up.”
I crouched down so I could get a better look at her, never dropping my aim. “Why are you here, Kelsey?”
She looked up at me, and the pale grey eyes of hers pinned me with regret. She was scared to death. The girl was no more a danger to me than a butterfly. I lowered my gun and sat down on my knees, scooting closer to her.
“He’s keeping me here.”
I blinked rapidly, trying to put the pieces in place. “Who is? Vince?”
She nodded, and a door slamming downstairs caused her body to jolt with fear. I was suddenly enraged.
“Put the fucking gun down, Jayne!” Vince roared as he stormed into the room. “Why the hell did you let her in?”
He directed the question to Flynn, but pushed past him to come at me. I looked over my shoulder at him, raised the gun, and snapped, “Stay right there, asshole.”
He stopped, giving me the most evil death glare I’d ever seen. Vince was a scary fuck, but I was ready to put him down. I felt like I didn’t even know who he was.
“Why are you keeping her here?”
I felt a hand on my arm and turned to see Kelsey trying to lower the gun. Her eyes were trained on Vince, and a look of desperation lined her face. “He’s trying to keep me safe.”
Slowly, I dropped my arm and sat the gun on the bed next to me. Flynn flew across the room and snatched it away, relieved and a little freaked out. He’d been on the other side of the barrel from me. He knew I’d use it.
I shrugged at him. “It’s not even loaded. I wasn’t really going to shoot her.”
She fell against me, tugging at my dress. She was all-out sobbing, and I felt compelled to comfort her. She was a little thing, dainty and smelled sweet. What in the hell had this girl done to get involved with such a tribe of mayhem?
“Shh,” I soothed her. “I’m sorry, but I had to be sure you weren’t a danger. Are you okay?”
She nodded against my shoulder, and I tensed when I felt tears coat my dress. In the grand scheme of things, it was only a dress, but I wasn’t one to deal with slobber.
I pulled her away, holding her at arm’s length so I could get a good look at her. She wasn’t familiar to me at all, so I knew she wasn’t one of Vince’s girls, unless she was new. If she was new, she was very new, and that made me want to throttle him.
“Let me take her, Jayne. You’re freaking her out.”
I held up a finger to shut him up and grabbed her chin with my other hand, forcing her to look at me. “Are you here of your own free will, Kelsey?”
She nodded, and I nodded back. “Do you feel safe here? Has Vince done anything to you?”
“What the fuck?” he roared. “Flynn, get her the hell out of here before I lose my shit.”
I heard Flynn chuckle. “No thanks. Handle your own mess.”
That was my man. He knew better, especially when I was mid-rage.
“Vince takes good care of me. I’m not afraid of him. I love him.”
I blinked rapidly and gave my head a small shake. “Vince...”
He kneeled down next to me and g
rabbed for her. She moved out of my grasp and clung to him like he was fresh air. Sitting back on my heels, I watched the exchange, stunned and confused.
“Can we get to the part where someone tells me what the hell is going on?”
“Downstairs. I’ll meet you down there in ten.”
His eyes met mine, and they left no room for debate. He was furious with me, and I felt awful for frightening her. How was I supposed to know he was hiding a little piece? I didn’t get what the big deal was.
I wasn’t going to argue with him. Instead, I walked past him, took Flynn’s hand, and followed him downstairs. It was dark, so he switched on a lamp and sat on the couch, pulling me into his lap.
“You really have to warn me when you’re carrying a gun, sweetheart.”
I was so hurt, and mad at everyone. There was no reason why they couldn’t have confided in me about the girl. Everything was a big old mess.
“Where did he find her, and what does she have to do with this?”
Running his fingers down my arm, he sighed. “She’s Kristine’s little sister.”
I turned so that I could straddle his lap and placed both hands on his shoulders. I wanted constant eye contact with him. I didn’t need any more lies floating around between us.
“How does she play into this? Where did he find her? Is he holding her here against her will? Is she a pawn in all this?”
He shook his head and wrapped his hand around the back of my head, pulling me forward. “I like this look on you. You want to protect her.”
“Of course I do! She’s a child! What is he doing with her?” I lowered my voice and leaned forward. “She said she loves him, Flynn. This could be very bad.”
His finger caressed my ear, and then he pressed his lips against mine. Once, twice, and then brushed them with his tongue. “She’s fine, Jayne. She’s a big girl. She understands why he’s keeping her here. It’s for her own good.”
He continued kissing my face, but his words were like bullets to my soul. How many times had I heard the same phrase in regard to me—from the same stupid men? I pushed him away and fell down on the cushions next to him. Adjusting my skirt, I shook my head.
Vince walked through the doorway and slammed his fist into the wall next to him before pointing at me. “You,” he snapped. “You’re a hot-headed little shit. How many times... how many times have I asked you to trust me? Huh?”
I shrugged. “I could ask the same question—and yet, lies, lies, and more lies. Do you have a ticket on your head waiting to get cashed in, Vince? I’m a little paranoid nowadays. Excuse the fuck out of me!”
He pointed up the stairs and started toward us, sitting on the edge of the table in front of me and leaned forward. “That girl up there is panicked. You held a gun to her head, Jayne!”
I assumed his position and scowled. “Why is she here? Why didn’t you tell me?”
He tapped his fingers against his leg and stared me down. His eyes flickered, and I could tell he was fighting a major war in his head. He was battling the urge to hug me or smack me around. We’d been in that standstill many times.
“I didn’t tell you because I was trying to keep her safe. She’s here for the same reason. I can keep an eye on her here. No one would come looking for her with me. No one knows there is any connection.”
“How did you find her? She looks like a baby, Vince. She has to be scared to death.”
He pushed to stand and went over to the other side of the room, grabbing a bottle of Jack Daniels from a side table and taking a long swig. I could see the tension in his shoulders and the lack of sleep on his face. He was in deep shit, and for the first time in my life, Vince appeared to be unsure.
“She was dancing at one of the clubs on Industrial. I had a girl tip me off that she was Kristine’s sister. I have all my girls watching out for Kristine. They know to call me if they see her. They don’t need to know why.”
“Okay, so what does Kelsey have to do with it? Why not leave her alone?”
He took another gulp of the whiskey and turned to face us. “I wasn’t the only one watching her. One of Doyle’s guys was paying a lot of attention to her. That Dwight guy...”
I nodded. I remembered him. An old, fat asshole. “So you what? Kidnapped her? I don’t get it.”
He gave me a disgusted look. “Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to? You ask that girl up there if I was inappropriate? Have you ever known me to put hands on a woman in my protection?”
I shook my head, ashamed. “No. I’m sorry, but this is insane, Vince. She said she loves you. What the hell!”
He groaned and sat lazily on the chair, teetering the bottle on his knee. “We’ve been messing around. She’s confused. She’ll get over it once she’s able to leave.”
I barked out a laugh. “Oh my God, you’re such an idiot. The words... maybe. The look in her eyes? Hell no. She is undeniably in love with you. You can’t keep her here anymore. Not when you’re ‘messing around’ and she’s emotionally attached. However this thing turns out, she’s going to end up hurt.”
He looked over and glared at me. “What are you—a psychologist now? Fuck off, Jayne. She’s not going anywhere. This is where she belongs for now. It’s too dangerous.”
“He’s right, Janie. She needs to stay out of sight. As long as my dad has his cronies looking for her, she’s not safe.”
An idea began to brew in my head as I listened to them. If Kelsey was in danger because of her sister, then I felt obligated to help her. There was always a chance she was carved from the same bark as her sister and could end up putting us all in a heap of shit. I decided to find out.
“Where is she? She should be here to talk. This involves her, and I’ll be damned if she is left in the dark. I know how it feels, and she shouldn’t be treated like some damsel in distress.”
“Jayne, she knows why she’s here. I didn’t keep that from her.”
I gave him a bitter smile. “Well, at least you offered her that courtesy.”
“She doesn’t think she’s invincible and smarter than everyone else. She knows her place.”
“Hey,” Flynn countered, pushing his hand against my stomach to hold me back. I was ready to go for blood. “You of all people know that Jayne just acts on instinct. Maybe you should look at yourself and take some responsibility for that. Between you and her father, she’s been in plenty of positions she shouldn’t have been. Being with me included.”
I watched the muscles in Vince’s jaw tick and the vein in his neck bulge. They were only seconds away from duking it out, and I for one was already sick of the back and forth crap.
“Kelsey!” I called out. “Can you come join us, please?”
“What are you doing?” Vince hissed.
“I may not be the smartest person in the world, but I am no doubt the smartest one in the room.”
She climbed down the stairs, her footsteps hardly as heavy as a feather, and made her way into the room with her head down and her arms wrapped around herself. She looked like a wounded puppy.
“I’m taking you with me, sweetheart. There’s no reason for you to be here all alone when you can stay in the suite with me.”
She looked over at Vince, obviously waiting for his acceptance. I held up my hand to shut him up and went on to explain my reasons.
“Vince, she’s not like us. She doesn’t know how to deal with this crap.” I looked back at her. “Are you scared, Kelsey?” She nodded. “That’s what I thought. Do you like being here alone all the time?” She shook her head.
“She’s not alone all the time. I’m here as often as I can. I have this place monitored and locked up tight. No one is getting in, and no one has any reason to check here. No one knows she’s here.”
I turned to him. “No one will look for her at the Maguire, either. Why would they?”
He gritted his teeth as he stared at her, and the tender look in his eyes took me off guard. Maybe he wasn’t the cold bastard I’d thought he was. But
still—she was young, impressionable, and in a very bad situation. When all was said and done, she would have enough to worry about. A broken heart was no joke. I should know.
He got up and walked over to her, and you could see every ounce of stress just fade away. She did feel safe with him, and he’d clearly treated her well. Vince did have a way with broken people, and she was positively broken.
“You can stay here as long as you want, Kels. You know that I want you here. Jayne’s right, though. It might be good for you to be with her for a while. She’ll help you. She’ll protect you. She’s family. You understand?”
She nodded as fat tears fell from her eyes. She was torn. I really wanted her to say yes.
“Are you sure about this?” Flynn whispered in my ear.
“Absolutely,” I said with a nod.
TWENTY-TWO
I woke up groggy and tangled up in Flynn. It had been a long night, and even though the evening started out romantic and idealistic, it ended up much the same as everything else we tried to do. It was a complete mess.
We got Kelsey situated in my suite, and Vince stayed with her. He refused to leave her side, and in some ways, I understood. They clearly had a bond, but I was definitely going to have a conversation with him about the relationship they’d developed.
I felt Flynn’s hand snaking up my leg and smiled. “You’re awake early. I thought you’d sleep in after last night.”
He chuckled. “You fell asleep on me, woman. I wasn’t done, so I’m picking up where I left off.”
I rolled over so that I was on top of him and grabbed his face, kissing him solid on the lips. “I didn’t fall asleep. You knocked me out.”
Reaching around, he grabbed my cheeks and pulled me against him. “What you did last night was good, baby. It’s better that she’s here.”
I nodded, and my eyes fell closed as he pushed my hair away from my face. “I saw myself in that girl. A part of me from a long, long time ago. She can still get away from this. I don’t know what brought her here, what her life was like before she got here, but it wasn’t like this. It was written all over her face, Flynn. I want to save her from becoming me.”