Claiming My Vengeance

by Jessica Blake

  “Rosalie’s momma will get used to you,” I teased. “Just give her another five or ten years. How’s baby bruiser doing?”

  “I swear, the kid smiled at me yesterday. He’s gotta be the smartest baby I’ve ever seen.”

  I lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t they say it’s gas at this age?”

  His broad face collapsed into a scowl, but it didn’t last long. “Whoever ‘they’ are, ‘they’ don’t know shit. My little guy fucking smiled,” Freddie replied stoutly. “So, spit it out. What happened while I was gone?”

  Yeah, I might’ve had sex with a stranger in that chair you’re sitting in.

  “Couple things,” I said instead and updated him on Bitchass Billy and the attempted robbery. “Everything’s fine. It was handled.”

  Freddie narrowed his eyes. “When are you going to sell me this place, Liv? You’ve never talked about why you bought it to begin with, but I don’t have to be an idiot to know you were meant for better things than breaking up bar fights for the rest of your life. Detroit has roughed up your edges a bit, but you still have that sheen of polish on you.”

  Freddie was my best friend. He was entitled to mother hen me if he felt like he needed to. Still, I couldn’t help but slap back at him. “Detroit hasn’t made a thing out of me that I wasn’t already. I was born in a neighborhood five minutes away from here.” I jammed my fists on my hips. “And you didn’t seem to think I was too good to be your boss when I hired you.”

  He rolled his eyes and scratched at the light beard on his chin. “Yeah, yeah, don’t give me the boss’s version of ‘I brought you into this world, I can take you out of it.’ You wouldn’t fire me because then you’d have to pay some asshole to work on your motorcycle.”

  “Some other asshole, you mean?” I arched a brow at him, but he didn’t fall for the bait.

  “Seriously, Liv. Think about it. That’s all I’m asking.”

  “Freddie, I’m not selling the bar. But if I was, I wouldn’t sell it to anyone but you. Now, do me a favor and go wash up the dishes while I try and figure out how to get blood off money.”

  “Dish duty? Ugh.” He lumbered to his feet and shot me a look of disgust. “I’ll remember that next time you ask me to tune up the Ducati.” Although he was grousing, he whistled as he headed back to the kitchen and I soon heard him turn on the little TV that Roger, a die-hard Lions fan, kept back there for football season.

  I had the money soaking in soapy water in the sink behind the bar when I heard a name I detested… Joel Cunningham. Glancing up through the passthrough, there was no mistaking the face on the screen. The smarmy grin. The bleached teeth and fake tan. The dead eyes. But it was the face that popped up next that made my palms go clammy, and my head go light.

  It was Gabe.

  By the time I got to the kitchen, they had cut to another story. “What was that?” I asked, afraid I was going to throw up. “Freddie, what news story was just on?”

  He turned to look at me, saw my face, and pulled out a stool. “Sit,” he commanded. “What’s wrong, Liv? You look like shit all a sudden.”

  I tried to take a deep breath, but the air felt like it was getting caught in my throat. Panic attack. I hadn’t had one in so long. Freddie hesitated, like he was afraid to leave me unattended, but finally ran off. He came back with a small bottle of orange juice and a clean, wet rag.

  “Small sips,” he ordered, his hand on my shoulder for support. He lifted my braid and draped the towel around my neck. After a moment, the coldness helped center me, and I could breathe a little easier.

  “I’m okay. What was that news story that was on? The one about Joel Cunningham?”

  He looked surprised. “You hadn’t heard about that? A huge corporate fraud case. The guy had been bilking his company for years. He went to prison last week. It just came out that the whole thing started with a tip from an anonymous source.”

  Relief speared through me for a moment, leaving me feeling lightheaded all over again. Thank god, Joel was in prison. Then a dark chill followed. The newscaster said it was thanks to an anonymous source.

  “What about his son? Devlin?”

  Freddie gave me a strange look. “They’re still looking for the son. How do you know his name if you didn’t know about the news story?”

  I waved a hand impatiently. “Who was the other guy on TV? The one with the dark hair?”

  “Gabriel Ainsley. He owned the company the other guy was screwing.”

  To say I was stunned was an understatement. My brain just couldn’t function enough to connect the dots. I remembered the name Gabriel Ainsley. I’d even seen the guy once in passing when I was a teenager. Later, I came to know Gabe Ainsley’s name, along with Ainsley Holdings, very well.

  But my Gabe? The one I’d fucked last night? The same guy?

  “Liv, come on. I don’t want to smack you, but you’re looking pale again, and I don’t know what the fuck else to do when someone passes out. I just remember seeing a guy smack a chick once in a movie, and she woke up.” Freddie’s face was drawn up in a fierce scowl, and he was starting to babble — a sure sign I was freaking him out.

  I forced a smile. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure why I reacted like that. Probably because I forgot to eat breakfast. Sorry.”

  “Bullshit. You’re not acting like this just because you didn’t eat your Wheaties.”

  “Seriously—”

  “Don’t lie to me. Tell me it’s none of my business, but don’t lie.” He was hurt. Freddie had been nothing but the best of friends to me for almost eight years now, and I was hurting him. I didn’t have a choice. Damn Gabriel Ainsley for dredging up every slimy memory I’d fought to leave behind.

  I swallowed hard. “I lived in Chicago before I moved here. Joel Cunningham was my stepfather. I left home when I was seventeen because he and my stepbrother threatened to kill me. That’s it.”

  “Why’d they want to kill you?”

  I took another drink of my juice, giving my mind time to arrange the story in a way that didn’t freak Freddie out. “Because I was making problems for them. I knew about some of their shady business dealings. I was the anonymous source they’re talking about now.”

  I couldn’t bring myself to tell Freddie about Devlin’s attempted rape, sanctioned by the stepfather that for years I thought had loved me.

  Freddie, a bemused expression on his face, studied me for a moment. “That’s it?”

  I thought at first that he had read my mind. “What do you mean ‘that’s it?’ That’s not enough?”

  “I feel like there’s more.” He crossed his arms and stared me down, looking about as maneuverable as a tree. “What about the other guy on the news?”

  “God, you’re pushy.” Temper sparked, finally, giving me the energy to jump up and pace the length of the small kitchen. “Fine. Gabe — Gabriel? The business partner Joel screwed? He was here this past week. Small world, huh? Of all the bars to frequent in Detroit and all that shit. He was the one that roughed up Billy. He was also the one that took down the guy last night that would have shot up the place.” I scrubbed my hands down my face. “He’s also the one I had crazy good sex with on that bar out there at about two o’clock this morning.”

  “Jeezus, Liv.” Freddie recoiled for a second, his cheeks going red as he dodged my eyes. “Give a guy some warning before you drop a bomb like that.”

  I pointed a finger at him. “You’re the one who just had to know.”

  He flipped me off. “Are you sure it was him?”

  I gave him a blank look. “Uh, yeah.”

  “So… why? Why any of it?”

  “No clue.” I quit pacing long enough to kick a mop hard, sending it clattering across the dingy tile floor. “There’s no way this is a coincidence. But I’m going to find out what in the actual fuck is going on.”

  ***

  I texted Latrisha, one of my neighbors, and called in a favor. She was a single mom, and I watched her three kids every couple of weeks so she
could get out for some girl time, and I figured she owed me one. I left Freddie washing dishes, making him promise to put in the beer orders for me that afternoon. He was muttering to himself and shaking his head when I left.

  Twenty minutes later, I was at the MGM Grand.

  Latrisha smiled and gave me a sly wink from the front desk when I walked into the lobby, apparently not noticing that my jeans, Doc Martens, and short-sleeved gray t-shirt weren’t exactly an outfit anyone would choose for a surprise seduction. She just slid a room key across the counter without a word, and I palmed it, mouthing “thank you” before I headed for the elevator. I felt a little bit guilty. I had only told Latrisha that I’d met Gabe the night before, and I’d declined when he’d invited me back to his room, but that I’d changed my mind this morning and wanted to surprise him.

  “Gurrl, that man is fine,” she’d texted back. “Get on it.”

  I hadn’t lied to Latrisha, except by omission.

  And Gabe was going to be surprised. That much was for damned sure.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Gabe

  I was in the shower when I heard a thump come from the main part of my hotel room. It sounded like a door closing, but the “do not disturb” sign was up, so there was no reason the door should be closing. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my hips before throwing open the bathroom door.

  “Why didn’t you tell me who you were?”

  Despite her tone, I couldn’t control my instinctive reaction when I saw Olivia standing in my hotel room, exactly where I’d wanted her not too many hours before. The bed behind her loomed large, but she had murder in her eyes, her helmet under one arm, and my room key in her hand.

  “How did you get that?”

  She paused for a second, long enough for me to know that she was lying. “I bribed one of the baggage guys. I’m not telling you which one.”

  Forget it. I’d take it up with management if she wouldn’t tell me. Somebody’s head was going to roll. “Don’t worry about it,” I said, adjusting the towel which was about to slip. “It won’t take much to find out. You mind if I put some pants on before we have this conversation?”

  I didn’t miss the flash of fear in her eyes at the thought that whoever gave her the key was going to get in trouble, and I filed that piece of information away for later leverage. I also didn’t miss the way her eyes slipped down to my towel and the way my hardening dick was clearly outlined under the terrycloth.

  But I wasn’t the only one who could play it cool. She tossed her head dismissively, letting her braid swing over one shoulder to trail down her breast. “It makes no difference to me, but since I have no intention of ever laying eyes on your junk again, you might as well.” She tossed her helmet on a chair, her back to me, and casually took off her jacket.

  I wanted to show her exactly how much she did care, so I dropped the towel and stepped around her to get to where my suitcase was laying open on the rack near the end of the bed. I wasn’t being cocky, but I knew for a fact she’d enjoyed herself just as much as I had last night. I wanted her to remember, so she didn’t try pulling any bullshit that I was trying to manipulate her with sex. I could feel her eyes on my back as I pulled out a pair of jeans. I turned around deliberately before putting them on.

  “You want something to drink? There’s juice or water in the mini bar and some fruit leftover from breakfast.”

  “Just put your damned clothes on, Mr. Ainsley.” She threw herself into a chair and faced me, arms crossed over her breasts, refusing to be cowed. In spite of how pissed I was at her sudden appearance, I felt an unwelcome lick of admiration. This would be easier if she were some pliable, easily led female. But she was a woman who could give as good as she took. My cock pulsed at the thought, and I was rewarded by the sight of a slight tinge of pink high on her cheekbones. She’d seen it.

  I gave her a cold smile, pulling the jeans on and buttoning them. “Not sorry. You come into my room, you need to be prepared to deal with whatever you might find.”

  “I wouldn’t be in your room if I hadn’t seen your face on the news this morning.”

  “Courtesy of your stepfather, of course.”

  Her nostrils flared. “Apparently. But that doesn’t explain why you’re here, in Detroit instead of Chicago, putting your business back together. And that doesn’t explain why you felt the urge to fuck me and not mention who you were even though you knew damned well who I was.”

  I turned to face her more fully. “Your lips have the sweetest curve to them, especially when you say the word ‘fuck.’ You know, like, ‘Fuck me now, Gabe.’” I let my gaze fall to her mouth and lowered my voice into a seduction. “Say it again, like you did last night.”

  Direct hit. She jumped to her feet and stalked the short distance to where I stood, jabbing her finger at my chest.

  “You are absolutely despicable, twisted, perverted—”

  I grabbed her whole hand and pulled her up against me so that her luscious breasts pressed against my chest. “Don’t pretend, Liv, that you didn’t enjoy it just as much as I did. And we didn’t even touch on my twisted perversions.” I shifted my hips so that she could feel my now rock-hard erection.

  She narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth, but whatever she was about to say was drowned out by the ring of my cell phone on the bed. It was Hunter’s ringtone.

  “Excuse me a second.”

  I stepped away from Liv abruptly, leaving her openmouthed in absolute fury.

  “What’s up, Hunter?”

  “Gabe, you need to get back to town. Now.”

  Olivia started to say something, but I held up a hand and turned my back on her. “What is it? Is it Chester?”

  Hunter usually sounded like he was about to make or had just heard a joke, but now, he was as serious as I’d ever heard him before.

  “No. As far as I know, Chester’s fine. It’s one of your apartment buildings on the South Side. There was a fire last night. A bad one. The Chicago news crews are just now picking up the story, but I figured you hadn’t seen it yet. It’s probably not airing in Detroit. Not that it won’t, once the media puts it together that this was an Ainsley property.”

  “Was anybody hurt?”

  “Yeah. No fatalities, but two people were burned pretty badly. They’re in serious condition at South Shore Hospital. A kid too. Six years old. She had some smoke inhalation, and they sent her over to La Rabida.”

  I rubbed my hands over my eyes. Two adults were bad enough, but a kid?

  “Do they know what happened?”

  “I don’t know if there’s any truth to it, but the rumors are already starting to circulate,” Hunter answered grimly. “One of the reporters is saying that they heard from a reputable source that the fire investigator is leaning toward faulty wiring.”

  Impossible. This could be my fault. Instantly, my brain started scrambling to figure out what could have gone wrong. “All right. I’ll get back as soon as I can. Thanks for letting me know.”

  “No problem. Call me if I can do anything.”

  I hung up and immediately dialed my assistant, Brian. He answered on the first ring. “You heard? I was just getting ready to call you.”

  “I heard. I need you to do a few things.”

  “I’ve got a paper and pen right here and had started my own list. Fire away.”

  “Call La Rabida’s Children’s Hospital first and find out how the kid is doing. Talk to the parents if you can and find out if they need anything. I’m guessing the child will be in the hospital at least overnight, and longer if her injuries are more severe than we heard, so make sure they have a hotel nearby. Text me an update on that. Then, check on the other victims at South Shore. Find out how many people are displaced and see what we can do to immediately find them housing. We’ll need to know if they have medical insurance, and if not, you’ll have to talk to our lawyers to see how we can go about paying for their medical bills.”

  Olivia had moved to stand in front of me, concer
n on her face. I turned away from the sympathy as Brian said, “Got it. What else?”

  “You can use the unrented luxury units over in Lake View if you need to. I also want to know how many of these people had renter’s insurance and see what we can do about replacing their belongings. Then, I want someone to go through the records for this job and find out who the supplier was. I know the contractors were James and Sons, and I’ll call them myself to find out if they have any idea what happened. This won’t be easy. The last person these people will want to talk to is an employee of Ainsley. You get all that?”

  I’d given the directions at rapid-fire speed, but Brian calmly read them back to me so I could double-check the accuracy. I could hear no hint of intimidation or resentment in his voice at the difficulty of the tasks I’d set for him, and I realized suddenly that in the year he’d worked for me, he’d been nothing but competent, efficient, and professional. I had no idea what I was paying him, but I was pretty sure it probably wasn’t enough.

  “Before I let you go, there’s one more thing,” I added. “You’re being promoted. I don’t know what your new title is yet, but I’ll send an email to get it in writing. I’ll copy human resources on that email, so you’ll have the authority to delegate what you need to for all of this. We’ll hash out all the details next week, but I want you to know that I appreciate your work.”

  Brian cleared his throat and the pause grew awkwardly long before he said, “Thanks, Mr. Ainsley. I’m not just saying this because you just gave me a raise. It truly is an honor to work with you. Let me know if you need anything else, and I’ll send you updates as I get them.”

  I didn’t know how much of an honor it was these days. I wasn’t feeling very honorable at the moment, and the next call didn’t help. James and Sons Electrical Services was listed in my contacts, but as I started to hit their number, I realized that Liv had gone back to sitting in the chair, legs crossed casually, just watching me. I’d almost forgotten about her.