TheFugitivesSexyBrother

by Annabeth Leong

  The gun dropped to Sergio’s waistband. He outright laughed. “You sound like such an authority. You speak for your brother now?”

  Javier ducked his head. “I speak for my brother.”

  In one feline movement, Sergio crossed the room, his fingers cold on Javier’s jaw. “I need to make sure you understand what you’re saying, little brother. If you tell me you speak for Fernando, then you become Fernando to me from now on. If what you say is wrong, you’re the one I hold responsible. Understand?”

  Javier squared his shoulders. He hoped to God that Fernando and Carolina had gotten away clean and that his brother planned a trip to a nice island in the Caribbean, never to return.

  “I understand. I give you the system I described. You let me and my brother go and you never hear from the Bonavitas again.”

  The mob boss spread his hands, his face relieved. “This is good, my friend. I’m happy to hear this. When Matthew Lodi called to say he had the key to Fernando Bonavita waiting in this apartment, I have to say I expected something a lot more stupid.”

  Javier cocked his head and kept his face placid. If Sergio didn’t know about Carolina, no way would he tip the man off.

  “This is good. This is family style. I like it.” Sergio clapped Javier on the back, embraced him and kissed his cheek. Javier forced himself to take it with a smile. He could bide his time. His way of fighting slipped between the cracks while no one was looking.

  Inch by agonizing inch, Emily eased her way toward a conclusion to the fight. She still didn’t dare to match him strength versus strength. Instead, she executed a series of strikes to his face that he couldn’t afford to ignore. When he moved to defend, she took any chance to wedge the blade of her forearm a little closer to the soft part of his throat.

  Even in her superior position, Emily struggled to hold him down. Bigger than her, stronger than her and just as trained in martial arts, he rocked his hips, constantly threatening to unseat her. A cramp formed in her left calf muscle. Her arms wobbled from the strain of holding him. Her swollen face throbbed in agony. Emily gave no quarter.

  Inch by inch. Her only hope. She focused so intensely on the challenge at hand that she did not hear boots crunching through the dead leaves as they approached.

  Javier followed a little distance behind Sergio, his mind racing. The other man had wanted to find Matthew to “seal the deal”. Bluffing had worked so far, but he had no way of knowing what kind of monkey wrench Matthew Lodi would represent.

  A few steps ahead, Sergio stopped short. Ragged breathing and the sound of a struggle pulled Javier’s attention to a patch of parking lot near an ostentatious orange sports car.

  All strategic thought fled Javier’s mind when he saw Emily’s face, purpling around her left eye. Everything in him wanted to run to her, but he could not without giving her away to Sergio.

  The mob boss seemed amused. “She’s good,” he said. “And so little. If I had a girl like that fighting for me, I could clean up with long odds.”

  Javier grunted noncommittally. Sergio approached with an unhurried gait. Javier’s heart pounded in his throat. After his attempt at boxing, he’d become convinced he couldn’t hit anyone. Looking at what Matthew had done to Emily’s face, Javier thought he might be able to change his mind.

  Emily gritted her teeth and counted, muscling just the last few millimeters to Matthew’s throat. She’d been patient with her position. He wouldn’t be able to turn his head to buy himself time or do anything else to ease her choke. Her forearm sank home and she leaned in for everything she was worth.

  Matthew’s eyes widened. For the first time, Emily saw fear in them rather than condescension. She could not afford to celebrate just then, but she would later. He struggled, but she already felt him giving in. She could choke him out, then find a way to restrain him. She added her last ounce of strength, then froze when cold metal contacted the back of her head.

  “Hands up,” a new voice said. “Get off him slowly.” The speaker’s foot nudged Matthew’s body with a light kick. “And don’t you try anything either. You stay right where you are until I say you can move.”

  Emily knew better than to argue with a gun to the back of the head. The few moves she knew for addressing that scenario were desperate measures, last-ditch attempts for times that death seemed certain anyway. She released Matthew with a twinge of regret and lifted her hands. Shifting her balance until she got her feet under her, she stood an inch at a time.

  “Beautiful,” the voice said. “You are a work of art. Now turn around and face me.”

  Emily did as she was told and found herself face-to-face with Sergio Aristone, Javier lingering behind him. Her lover looked ready to burst, but Emily carefully avoided showing recognition on her face. Sergio clucked with false concern.

  “What’s the problem here, sweetheart? Did he do that to your face?”

  Emily shrugged. “Obviously I respect the man holding a gun, but this is a personal matter. I wasn’t really planning to discuss it with anyone else.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “He’s my ex-boyfriend. I knew he stayed out here sometimes with a friend, so I came looking for him. We got in a fight.”

  “Bad timing.”

  “I guess.” Emily blinked, slipping into her best innocent persona. “He grabbed me and started talking all intense. I didn’t understand half of what he was saying.”

  Javier stepped out from behind Sergio. “Sir? With your permission, I can take care of her. Get her out of here. You and Matthew have plenty to talk about now that we have a deal.”

  Emily thought a significant look passed between Javier and Matthew, but she couldn’t watch closely enough to be sure. She stood tall and kept up her act. “Excuse me? Take care of me? Who are you people?”

  “Miss,” Sergio said. “It’s better if you don’t ask too many questions about that.” He nodded at Javier. “Go on, son. Take care of her. You know how to get in touch with me to deliver your part of the bargain. I think you know better than to try to screw me on that.”

  Emily’s eyes opened wide. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Javier gave her no sign of reassurance, simply avoiding her eyes and taking her by the elbow. Together, they walked toward the rental, leaving Matthew lying on his back at Sergio’s feet.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Neva flipped through paperwork at her desk. Her desk—more her property than it had ever been before. After making love and setting their plans in motion, Guy and Neva had a long conversation about the future.

  She’d had to bring up the matter of her job. She didn’t want to take advantage of him, but she also knew how hard it would be to find a replacement who knew the business the way she did. Guy had refused to restore her to her previous position, saying he didn’t want to put Neva in a situation where her lover was also her boss.

  Before she had a chance to argue, he made a counteroffer that dropped her jaw. Partnership, both sexual and professional.

  Neva wanted to concentrate on the paperwork at hand, to savor the feeling of being employed once again and working closely with the love of her life. Her mind kept pulling away to go over and over the things Guy had said to her. “How can you offer me partnership when just recently you were saying you couldn’t trust me?” No matter how many of her insecurities he’d alleviated, Neva needed to hear this one explained to her.

  “You can’t do this job with heart unless you believe in second chances,” Guy said. “I’m not preying off my clients. I’m giving them a shot, and I know how to do that because I’ve had times when someone gave me a chance they shouldn’t have. You deserve a second chance, Neva. I’m going to choose to trust you. Because I don’t think you’d betray me twice. Not after what we’ve shared.”

  Neva had been too overcome for words. The memory still brought tears to her eyes even as she sat at her desk.

  The door banged open, shattering her reverie. Neva looked up to see Matthew Lodi strutting into the of
fice, no doubt on the way to his appointment with Guy. Surreptitiously, Neva checked to make sure she had Cliff James’ business card in place in her drawer. Then she presented him with the coldest and most professional veneer she could muster. This was her moment of truth. She’d promised Guy he could trust her. She needed to hold out against Matthew, so she could keep her word, and for her own self-respect.

  “Hey, Neva,” Matthew said, pausing at her desk. “It looks like you and Guy worked things out from the other day?”

  She blinked. Was he really asking this?

  “I mean, you’re at your desk.” He wore his usual expression of insincere concern. Neva stared at him. She’d expected to feel angry but instead she just felt strange. How long had she let this man use her? Why had she been willing to put up with him for even a second, when he cared so little for the job she had poured heart and soul into for years?

  She nodded distantly. “Yeah, we worked it out.”

  He leaned in closer, seeming encouraged by her positive response. “Any word on what Guy wants with this conversation? He has work for me, right? He’s not just trying to set up some kind of fight?”

  Neva smiled. “Guy’s not going to punch you.”

  “Okay.” Matthew gave a wink that he must have intended to be charming. Neva restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Emily’s attitude toward him over the last few months made a lot more sense to her now. Matthew seated himself on the desk, stretching in a way that displayed his sculpted torso. “Neva, I owe you an apology,” he said. “What about dinner?”

  Neva narrowed her eyes. “You’d just abandon me there as soon as you got worried about your precious car. Where’d you park the Lotus, anyway?”

  He gave her the cross streets. “It’s fine. As long as you stay off the beaten path, it’s no problem. I can take you to Federal Hill. A friend recommended a great Italian restaurant where we’ll get the VIP treatment.”

  “Thanks, Matthew.” She smiled to show all her teeth. “I’m not interested.”

  He seemed surprised. The anger in her blood chilled and settled. He really did think he had infinite access to her, that he could hurt her over and over again and expect his hot body to win her forgiveness every time. Taking cocky that far made it pathetic.

  She nodded toward the back room. “Guy’s waiting for you.”

  She watched him go, her confidence surging. Matthew Lodi had truly lost his power over her. Neva had been set free.

  She smiled warmly in Guy’s general direction, closing her eyes to remember the sensation of his rough thumb tracing her cheekbone. He made her feel special and valuable. He never took her for granted even though he could have.

  Neva allowed herself to bask for a few breaths, then she took her cell outside to give Cliff James a call, including a tip as to the location of a certain Lotus Elise, California edition.

  Just as she hung up the phone, a taxi pulled up outside Guy’s Bail Bonds. The woman who got out would have been stunningly beautiful if not for the faint bruises on her face and a set of abrasions on her lips. She stumbled a little getting out of the car. Tears streaked her cheeks and she turned to Neva with a desperate expression.

  “Help me,” she said.

  Neva dropped her cell phone to the pavement beside her and ran to the woman. “What’s going on? What’s your name?”

  “I’m Carolina Mendes,” the woman said. “I’m here to make a complaint about one of your bounty hunters. Matthew Lodi. He broke into my house and kidnapped me. I just escaped.”

  Neva froze, gaping. “Carolina Mendes?” Guilt stabbed her. She’d known Matthew was trouble but had never imagined he’d be capable of something like this. She fisted her hands at her sides. “I have to warn you that he’s here right now. But don’t worry. I’ll call the police as soon as we get you settled, and in the meantime I know my boss will protect you.”

  Emily waited to question Javier until they’d returned to her place. She heated up microwave meals for them both, then insisted on taking a shower to rid herself of leaf particles and the smell of Matthew’s sweat. She knew she couldn’t stall forever, so eventually she returned to the living room where he was waiting and sat beside him on the couch.

  “Hey,” Emily said.

  “Hey.”

  “I feel a little like I’m talking to a stranger right now. I don’t know who you are.” She smiled ironically. “I guess that’s what I should expect. I barely know you.”

  He reached for her hand, his dark eyes gentle. She let him have it. “You know more about me than anyone. It may have been a short time, but it’s been intense. I meant what I said, Emily. I love you.”

  She shook her head and pulled away. “No. Don’t say that yet. I can’t hear that until you explain a few things to me.” She breathed slowly to calm herself down. She wanted to present herself to him as mature and in control, not tear-soaked and vulnerable. “You’ve got a lot going on below the surface, Javier. You sent a secret message to Fernando after leading me to believe you weren’t communicating with him. I heard a gunshot in that apartment building and then five minutes later, you come out with Sergio Aristone like you’re his best friend and he’s talking about a deal you’ve made.” Ice spread down her veins. “It took a lot for me to let your brother get away. I believe in the law. I did that for you. I need you to meet me halfway. I can’t be with someone who’s got a bunch of sketchy secrets. It would be too much like Matthew Lodi all over again.”

  Javier winced. “I hope I never again give you reason to compare me to your ex, Emily. Please hear me out.” She noticed his hands trembling in his lap. She wanted to take that as a sign he really cared. “I’m going to take your advice and use my computer skills to make a living aboveboard. I told Sergio I’d give him access to my cell phone tracker app, but I’m going to give him a special version—one that logs his queries in a special file I can give to the FBI. It’ll be good evidence of his activities. I think they still pay for tips about criminals of his caliber.”

  Emily raised both eyebrows. “That sounds like a risky path, Javier. What if he figures out what you’re up to and comes after you?”

  “I’m good.” Her lover lifted his chin with a stubborn pride that Emily had to respect. “He won’t have a clue what I’m up to.” He reached for her again, and this time she let him hold her. His arms slipping around her shoulders felt absolutely natural. The comfort she felt in his embrace could lull her away from her concerns if she let it. She settled her face against the side of his neck. Desire flared.

  Emily retreated. He’d already won her heart, but she couldn’t give in until he assured her of his intentions. “What am I supposed to think of all this, Javier?”

  “After everything Sergio’s done to my family, I need to see him punished, the legal way. I’m asking for your help, Emily. In return, I’ll be your skiptracer. It seems like Neva’s been…unreliable lately.”

  Emily shrugged. “Matthew’s got her all messed up too. She’s my friend. We’ll work it out.”

  Javier stiffened, sitting up straighter. Emily couldn’t look at the disappointment on his face. She stared over his shoulder at a splotch on the dingy wall. “I mean, you don’t have to make a business deal to appease me, Javier. I’ll help you figure out what you need to do to catch Sergio. I’m not going after Fernando anymore. You’re free.”

  He startled her with a half-laugh. “Emily, do you still think I have some ulterior motive for seducing you? I want you. I love you. I want to be with you. That part has nothing to do with my brother or Sergio or any other person.”

  Emily blinked at him. She felt more vulnerable than she ever had in her life. Tears threatened.

  “What scares you so much about the idea that I might really want you? That everything that’s happened between us might really be about you and me?”

  Emily swallowed hard. She searched herself for an honest answer. “You don’t seem to be trying to change anything about me. You’re not telling me I should act more ladylike. Y
ou’re not trying to change the way I dress. You’re not warning me that I won’t be able to make a living. It seems too good to be true.”

  “That someone might see you for who you are and decide that’s really okay?”

  “No one ever has.”

  “I know,” Javier said. “Believe me, I know.” She met his eyes and saw the same vulnerability in them that she felt herself. Emily’s resistance melted away. She could believe in what she had with Javier, no matter how much it scared her.

  “I love you too,” Emily said. She took a deep breath. “Wait here.”

  At the bottom of her closet, she found fifty feet of rope. She’d never used it with Matthew—she’d bought it foolishly in her early days of bounty hunting, thinking she’d be climbing into windows in pursuit of villains. Emily brought the rope out to Javier and set it on the couch.

  “I trust you,” she told him. “In every way. About the hacking. About how you feel about me. About what you would do to me.” She paused, still barely able to believe herself. She had never asked to be tied up. She had never felt so relaxed by the idea of it. “Please,” she said. “Put the rope on me. I surrender.”

  Javier looked from her to the rope and back. His lips parted. He cleared his throat. “I’d love to, Emily.” He stood and came to her. He picked up the rope slowly and deliberately, hauling it up hand over hand from the couch cushion. He stepped closer, kissing the top of her ear. He nibbled it lightly and whispered her name.

  Taking the rope, Javier tucked one end into her waistband and wound it around her stomach, coil after coil, length after length. He gave her plenty of room to breathe, but kept the tension firm. He pulled her shirt up so the rope lay against her skin. Since she wasn’t struggling this time, the rope fibers felt soft against her skin, almost silky. She watched the rope build up around her middle and realized that her clit pulsed with anticipation. She didn’t feel fear—only excitement at the idea of being truly at his mercy in the way that only rope could symbolize.