Keep It Sexy (KIS Series Book 3)

by Snow, Olivia

  “You didn’t like it?”

  “I’m curious to know why you picked it,” I replied, lifting her off of me so I could stand. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I pressed the shuffle button on my playlist before setting it against a corner of the wooden floor, so the sound of the music would be amplified.

  “Because,” she replied, standing in front of me and gripping my waist. “That’s how I feel sometimes.”

  “Like a criminal?”

  “Sort of. I miss the rush sometimes. Being with you makes me feel guilty about it because I know that’s something you’re against.”

  I nodded, taking her into my arms when the song started to pick up.

  “I get it, babe.”

  “You do?” she said, while swaying her hips like I taught her to. I grinned, and then pulled back.

  “This is Salsa. It’s danced differently than Bachata.”

  She nodded, eagerly waiting for her lesson.

  “Start with both feet together, then as I step forward with my left, you’ll step back with your right, as you lift the heel of your left foot. Pause,” I instructed. “Step backward on your right foot, bringing your feet back together, pausing again before repeating the steps with the opposite foot, matching it with the sway of your hips.”

  I stepped forward to see if she understood, and when she followed my instructions, I smiled with pride. She was a quick study. We practiced the steps until she wasn’t looking down at her feet anymore. When she was confident enough, I palmed her upper back while she gripped my arm, then held her other hand in mine. Billie laughed when I did a twirl move; she tripped a little over her steps before finding her center again.

  “Okay, try that again. I think I can bounce back quicker this time,” she said, determined. And when I did, she found her steps like a pro.

  “Want to try a different one?”

  She grinned, nodding.

  “This time I’m going to spin you while holding your neck, and you’ll circle around me once.” Billie bit her bottom lip with a curt nod in understanding. I spun her once, and then gently gripped her neck, easily maneuvering her around me. When she landed in front of me, she continued her steps without missing a beat. She stopped suddenly then squeaked, throwing herself in my arms.

  “That was so much fun!”

  I laughed, pulling her over my shoulder, and Billie squealed when I smacked her ass.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Time for some naked horizontal dancing.”

  Billie giggled.

  ***

  Work was dragging along tonight, with Jade and I training Talon. It should have kept my mind off Billie, but it didn’t. Luckily, Talon was keeping up and catching on pretty quickly. His leg didn’t seem to bother him and he wasn’t complaining about it, which made me respect him more.

  Claudia was on him like he was made out of honey and she was a bee. Although I felt bad for him, I was relieved her attention was no longer on me. Tonight, I’d received three texts from Roman and two from the detectives, both asking me if I’d gotten anything from Billie. Roman kept telling me he couldn’t go back to jail. Adding insult to injury, he sent me a picture of him and my mom making tamales. Fucking douchebag.

  “Hey, Chris, there’s a customer that just complained about a toilet in the men’s bathroom being clogged.”

  I was popping off three beer caps and handing them to regulars when Jade came to let me know.

  “All right, thanks. Cover for me, yeah?” I replied, waving goodbye to some customers who were leaving.

  “You got it, boss.”

  I headed to the employee locker room where we kept a lot of the cleaning supplies and plunger. Before I entered, I bullshitted with Jaime, and he threw up his dukes, playfully jabbing left to right while I weaved out of his way. We laughed it off like we always did. Then I grabbed the plunger kit, bleach, and some paper towels just in case I needed them. When I entered the men’s bathroom, a regular was washing his hands. He was here almost every day, but I hadn’t gotten a chance to serve him, so I didn’t know his name. I jerked my head at him.

  “How you doing, man?”

  He smiled almost like he was keeping a secret, then pointed at the end stall. I nodded in thanks, then grimaced when my back was to him. All right, then.

  I inspected the damage as I heard the bathroom door close. The creepy dude must have left. Inside the toilet bowl, a ball of paper towels looked like they had been forced down. I was working the plunger against the toilet, splashing around the water—good thing I’d brought cleaning supplies with me—when the fire alarm went off. What the hell?

  Dropping my tools, I rushed to the door to see what was going on, but when I went to push the door open it wouldn’t budge. I chuckled, thinking Jade or Jaime was playing around.

  “All right, guys, not funny,” I called out.

  Silence. The alarm continued to sound, and when I pressed my ear to the door I heard screaming and shouting. My heart picked up, and my stomach turned. I pushed against the door harder, slamming into it with my shoulders, but it wasn’t moving. I panicked as smoke started seeping into the crack under the door. Instinct kicking in, I banged over and over against the door, but I was trapped. I didn’t know what was going on, who was screaming, and why.

  The smoke quickly filled the room. I gasped for a breath, choking on the blackening air. My eyes burned from the ash. Dropping to my knees, I doubled over while my throat felt like it was on fire. Suddenly, there was a crash, and glass scattered along the side of the bathroom where a small window had been broken. The glow of the streetlights were spilling in.

  “Christian!” It was Talon. I crawled toward the sound of his voice. “Grab on to my hand!”

  I swung my arm around until I felt contact. The smoke was so thick by now I couldn’t breathe or see. I felt the squeeze of his fingers around my wrist, then the tightness of his other hand around my arm. Talon hauled me through the small window, and I felt the sharp, broken glass cut my stomach and my back. But I was alive. When Talon let go of me, my hands landed on the asphalt of the street. I coughed out the smoke, trying to inhale clean air. I rose to my feet, trying to see if everyone was all right, but when I stood, I fell, feeling lightheaded.

  “Whoa, man, take it easy,” Talon urged. I wheezed, coughing as I opened my burning eyes and only saw a sea of blurriness before me.

  “Jade?” I gasped. Talon guided me to sit against the brick wall and patted me on my shoulder while he yelled for help.

  “She’s fine. Everyone’s fine, man.” He kneaded my shoulder once again before speaking to someone. “He’s suffered major smoke inhalation. His name is Christian Rodriguez, he’s twenty-two with no known health related issues,” Talon explained.

  The paramedics hastily got me onto the stretcher and to the hospital. The entire way there, they tried forcing an oxygen mask on my face, but I kept pulling it down. I needed to call Billie. The paramedics assured me she would be notified, but I didn’t believe them. I fought them until I couldn’t anymore. My throat, chest, and eyes were killing me. The paramedic told me to give into the sleep and that I would be all right. I tried to fight it, but in the end, I couldn’t.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Billie

  I was lying on my bed finishing up The Wealth of Nations when my phone pinged, alerting me of a message. The number was unknown, like always, so I knew it was either my father or Connor. When I swiped, the message opened to reveal a video clip. “Eternal Flame” from the Bangles began to play while the camera zoomed in to the window of a building. Slowly, as the camera panned out, the building became visible. It was Blush.

  People were screaming, frantically running out the doors, and there were loud popping noises and glass breaking. That’s when I saw the fire and smoke. I felt as if I’d been immersed in an ice bath. I watched as screams became cries and people shouted to call 911. My lungs weren’t filling with air; I’d forgotten how to breathe out of utter fear.

  T
his couldn’t be happening right now. This wasn’t live. Neither Jade nor Christian had called, and my fear turned into the deepest dread I’ve ever felt. The thought that something could’ve happened to either of them made me throw up on my bedroom floor. I broke out into a sob while trembling, slipping off the bed. My phone rang in my clutched hand, and when I looked to see who it was, my heart nearly combusted with joy.

  “Jade!” I sobbed.

  “Billie, oh my God, Bil!” She cried, gasping for air while I matched her reaction. “Billie, Christian, he’s in the hospital!”

  Now that I knew Jade was fine, my main priority was to get to Christian.

  “Billie, Talon, he’s going for you, he should be there soon. He’s taking you to the hospital. I’m still at the bar, getting seen by the paramedics. Pete’s on his way to get me.” Jade managed to explain it all, knowing I would ask those questions.

  “Jade…” My voice cracked.

  “I know, honey. Go to your man, I’m fine.”

  I hung up, then raced down the stairs with shaky legs when the doorbell rang. I drew the door open, rushing out. Talon stood aside, giving me space, and we both ran to his car without speaking a word. When I had composed myself enough to breathe at a steady rate, I spoke.

  “Thank you.”

  Talon nodded, not breaking his concentration on the road. “You’re welcome.”

  I took in a deep breath before asking the next question.

  “What happened?”

  Talon did the same, inhaling then releasing a breath slowly.

  “I’m not sure, it all happened so fast. There was a crash and then we smelled smoke. First, we all thought it was Jaime burning something, but then when the flames rose on the opposite side we knew it wasn’t the kitchen.”

  Talon rubbed his face with his hand, and that’s when I noticed the blackness on his fingers and suddenly the smell of the smoke filled my nose. “Jaime and I managed to get everyone out. Once we were all outside, Jade started shouting for Christian. That’s when we noticed he wasn’t outside. He’d gone into the bathroom to fix a clogged toilet before the fire started and never got out. Jaime said there was a window to the bathroom. We smashed it open, but by then the smoke was so thick we couldn’t see if he was in there or not. When I called his name, he responded, and I managed to drag him out the window. Someone was looking out for him tonight, Billie, because a few minutes more and he wouldn’t have made it.”

  I bit down on my trembling lips, holding back a sob while tears rolled down my cheeks. Two things I realized right then and there. One, I would always be grateful to Jaime and Talon, and two—Connor was done for.

  ***

  I wasn’t allowed to see Christian because I wasn’t family. Luckily, I had called Angel on the way to the hospital to let Christian’s mom know what happened. So, when we arrived, it wasn’t long before Juanita and Roman showed up. Juanita was led inside first. Minutes later, I was summoned to his room.

  I entered, fearful of what I might encounter. He was hooked up to machines with an oxygen mask on his handsome face. As soon as he saw me, his eyes lit up. His let go of his mother’s hand and reached for me. I rushed to him, gripping his hands while tears streamed down my face. I kissed his ashy, blackened hand, then his face. He laughed and coughed and I stopped instantly.

  “I’m fine.” His voice was fragile and raspy. I hated it. I hated myself for it. He was here because of me. “Hey,” he said, lifting my chin. “Don’t.” He knew exactly what I was thinking. I wiped my tears away and gripped his hand again, kissing it.

  “You love my son,” Juanita said, seeming in shock. I looked at her with all the sincerity I could muster.

  “Very much.” I hiccupped. She nodded, then kissed her son’s forehead.

  “Bueno.”

  That was enough for me. I stayed as long as I was able to before the hospital staff kicked me out. Talon had come in before that to see Christian. I took the opportunity to go to the bathroom. At least, that’s what I told Christian. Instead, I walked to the end of the hospital hallway and into an empty flight of stairs. Pressing the call button on my phone, I waited until he picked up.

  “Everything going accordingly?” he asked.

  “No. I want a meeting with them,” I countered.

  Don huffed, then grunted. “Absolutely not. We have a plan, Billie. Stick to it.”

  “Da, he burned down his bar. He almost die—” I had to stop for a minute to compose my cracking voice. “I’m taking him down. I’m not waiting anymore. Christian’s life is in danger. He thinks he’s able to get information on his own without involving me. That’s never going to happen and you know that.”

  “Yeah, I know, wee girl. He’s a good man, after all.” Don sighed. “All right, I’ll pass on the message to the agents, and they’ll call you with a time and place.”

  “Better make it sooner rather than later, Da.” My voice was harsh, but I didn’t care. It was time to lay all this to rest and put that son of a bitch away, the right way. I waited long enough, I thought, as I hung up the phone.

  We should have done something the same night Christian confessed what he’d agreed to do in his drunken state. I sat on the marble step and leaned my head against the pale green color of the hospital wall, remembering his confession clearly. Christian had rambled on about something, still holding me against his chest.

  “I’m sorry,” he’d said. “I did it for my mom, Billie.” He’d tossed back and forth in his sleep while his arms tightened around me. “But I can’t do it, chiquita. I love you. I can’t put your dad in jail.”

  My body had gone still. I pieced together the small amount of knowledge I had. He was being forced to get information from me in order to give the police evidence to put my family in jail. I waited until Christian stilled before calling Don, because my gut feeling told me he needed to know, and until this day, my gut had never been wrong, except with Connor and what a psychopath he’d turn into.

  Don’s words were a surprise to me. “I need to tell you something, and you’re not going to like it,” he said. “Actually, you’re going to hate it.” He’d paused before continuing. “John told me that he explained to you why Connor was shipped here years ago.”

  I cleared my throat. “Yeah, he did.”

  “Billie, you have to understand, after your mom died, I went a little crazy. I had two wee boys and a baby girl to take care of. I stopped my criminal ways for your mom, until she passed, and then I resorted back to what I knew. My intentions were never to involve you three, but when an opportunity opened up for the McAllisters and the Cassidys, I thought it was a win-win for everyone,” he explained. “You would never have to work or be afraid of getting caught. But I never foresaw what kind of a man Connor would turn out to be.

  “When you expressed that you wanted to go to college, I thought that was a great idea. I thought maybe Connor would find someone else and this would all get cleared up, but he became obsessed with you. At times, I’d convince you to come home so I could make sure you didn’t want to come back, so you would be reminded why you left in the first place. Then Connor and Donnie started making deals behind my back and stealing my contacts. They thought they were smart enough that I wouldn’t find out. Fucking idiots.

  “I got a whiff of some detectives looking into taking me down because of some dirt I had on them, but like you know, your da never leaves a trail. Those two knuckleheads found out you worked for Christian. Christian, as you know, has a brother in jail. Well, they managed to get him out on good behavior a year early, and how they managed it, I’m not sure. My insider says they used that as leverage for Christian. Help them take me down through you, or his brother goes back to jail. Thing is, them fucks don’t know they’re getting looked into by the Feds, the same Feds I worked out a deal with.

  “I know I’ve always said we never rat, but…Billie, the one they want is Connor. He’s tangled himself in some very dangerous shit and involved Donnie in it too. Lincoln has nothing to do
with it, but he still tags along to get me more info. I made a deal with the Feds. I’d help them out as long as you and Lincoln are protected. I can’t do anything about Donnie. It’s too late to save him.”

  My mind was reeling. Christian was working with a couple of crooked cops who didn’t have a real case against my father. And Don had known this all along, because he’d made a deal with the FBI to take down Connor and those same corrupt detectives. Talk about the luck of the Irish.

  I jerked up, snapping out of the memory as my phone buzzed inside my back pocket. My lips tugged upward as her name flashed on my screen.

  “Hey, hon, how are you?” I said in lieu of a greeting. Jade let out a shaky breath.

  “I’m glad to be alive.” Her voice was small, and it pained me. “How’s our boy?”

  “They ran some tests. He’s going to be okay. They’re keeping him overnight just to be one hundred percent sure. How are you, really?”

  “I’m better now that I’m home. Do you need me to come over there?” I opened the door to the inside of the hallway, walking back to Christian’s room.

  “No, sweetheart, you get some rest. I’ll stop by tomorrow to check up on you, okay?”

  Talon emerged, waiting for me to finish my conversation.

  “Come here, now,” Jade was saying. “I don’t want you alone in your apartment.”

  “You think I’m leaving here without Christian? Not a chance.”

  Jade chuckled, and that made me feel a little better. “All right. See you tomorrow?”

  “Without a doubt.”

  “Okay, I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Christian

  I’d been awake since the early morning nurse came in to check on me. My mom and Roman had gone home hours ago, but Billie stayed. She was asleep in an awkward position on a blue leather chair across from me, one leg over the armrest while the other stretched across the floor. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her head rested against an uncomfortable looking hospital pillow.