Here, her brother was in grave danger, and she was thinking about a man. Shame washed through her. This was no time for this. But then the right time never seemed to come up, and she was so tired of waiting for everything. She shook her head. There was really nothing to do at this moment but see what Jess’s boss had to say. As for Reed, well, she had little control over what happened between them.
“Take it slow,” she whispered and couldn’t help the giggle that escaped.
“Liv?” Ben knocked on the door. “You all right in there?”
Another darker blush spread on her cheeks.
Olivia ran a little water and patted it on her neck. Once dry, she opened the door to her concerned brother.
“I’m fine.” She smiled at him. “Even better now that I’ve seen your safe.”
She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, surprising him.
“Stay that way,” she whispered in his ear.
His arms tighten around her. For the first time in ages, she realized that he was no longer the little boy she had raised. The strength of his embrace was a reminder of the man he turned into.
“I will,” he rumbled in her ear, the emotion from it bubbling just below the surface.
Ben pulled back and glanced over to Reed at the top of the stairs.
“Now you listen to me,” he spoke in a hurried hushed way that spiked her worry. “If shit starts to get real, you find Mom.”
“What?” Olivia would have jumped out of his arms if he hadn’t been holding her in place.
“I know you don’t like her, but her boyfriend, Charlie, he can help.”
“Husband,” she said quietly. “And help how.”
Ben gave her a pointed stare. “You know the kind of men Mom is with. He’s not a bad guy, but he knows how to take care of things.” Ben shook his head. “All sorts of things if the money is good enough. Just don’t argue, go to him if this shit hits the fan.”
Olivia nodded. She wouldn’t, but there was no point arguing with him.
“You trust him?” Ben nodded to the door.
“Yes,” she said quietly.
“You love him?” Olivia’s head shot up at the question.
“I…” She sighed. “I don’t know. We haven’t really known each other long enough to fall in love.”
Olivia frowned. Had it really only been a few days? Somehow it had felt like ages. Over the time she’d been forced to face so much, including her own inner demons. It was the most she had ever opened up to anyone. In fact, when she thought about it, it was surprising how much he knew about her and how little she knew about him. Despite all that, there was a feeling she couldn’t deny that went well past basic desire.
“I could,” she said after some time. She looked into his eyes that were so very similar to her own. “He’s worth trying to find out.”
The answer seemed to settle something in Ben. He hugged her again quickly and steered them toward the door. When they reached the top, she found Reed staring at her and the warmth spread through her again. The concern was evident on his face, and she found she liked him worrying about her.
Without overthinking things, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed. The gentle rubbing from his thumb was all the reassurance she needed.
Ryder reached over the side of the boat and took her other hand to help get her onto the dock. Reed let go only after her feet had reached the other side.
She waved warmly to her brother.
“Allen,” Ben called out. Reed stopped half-way off and looked over to him. “Take care of her.”
Reed gave a curt nod and stepped heavily to the dock. Ben untied the rope from the dock and started to drift out slightly.
“Good.” He grinned widely. “I’d really hate to have to throw your big ass over the side of my boat.”
“Ben!” Olivia itched to launch herself onto the boat and throttle his smart ass. Ben shrugged and blew her a kiss.
Ryder chuckled beside her. She and Reed turned to look at him in surprise.
“What?” he said. “You would be hard to toss over the side of a boat. And don’t think I haven’t thought about it.”
Olivia couldn’t stop the laugh that came up.
“Well glad to know it.” Reed chuckled.
Chapter Twelve
The club was hopping. The dance floor had become a sea of bodies, moving in time to the loud beat of the techno music. Olivia was glad to see that Jess had been so successful with the opening. Managing the club had been the dream job for her. Much like Olivia, Jess had been spent much of her life raising herself. With her father in and out of prison, it wasn’t hard to see why she tried so hard to get away from her background.
Olivia smiled when her friend’s jet black hair came into view.
“Oh I’m so glad to see you.” Jess smiled from ear to ear. Her smoky gray eyes twinkled from the excitement.
“Me too,” Olivia said, hugging the smaller woman.
“How did things go?” Jess said into her ear over the throng of the music.
Olivia shook her head. It was way too much to share at this moment.
She shivered when she stepped back and walked into a wall of man.
Jess smirked at her and stuck out her hand.
“Jess,” she said, shaking Reed’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Reed,” he replied.
Olivia flamed when her friends smile only got bigger. She winked at Olivia and waved them over to a table in the back room of the club. Surprisingly, once they passed through the opening, the music became a dull beat.
“So my boss was more than happy to meet with you. He’s been here for a bit with a few friends, but things don’t seem to be going very well for them.”
She turned back and wrinkled her nose at Olivia.
“Thanks again for doing this.”
“This is still a bad fucking idea,” Reed growled at her.
“You don’t know that.” She crossed her hands over her chest. If he wanted stubborn, then she could give as good as she got.
“I know we have no fucking idea who this person is and what we’re walking into.” He leaned in. His anger choked the air around them. “What if it’s the Russians?”
“Jess doesn’t work for the Russians.” She leaned in, her own anger matching his. “I put my trust in you.”
She watched as Reed leaned back, viewing the win as his.
“Maybe you should put some trust in me.” Olivia turned to see where Jess had gone and nearly crashed into a man standing behind her.
“Careful there,” the man said and reached out to steady her. He was shockingly good looking with a strong jaw and prominent brow to match the dark brown hair on his head. A shiver crept through her when she looked in his eyes. Although a bright shade of green, the smile never seemed to reach them. Cold and closed off was the only thing she could think.
“Thank you,” she said finally. Reed came to stand behind her, and she was thankful for the warmth.
“Finn,” Reed rumbled.
“Ah, Reed. I’ve been expecting you.” Finn smiled and waved to the table in the corner where two other men were sitting. One looked oddly familiar. Her friend Jess stood anxiously to the side.
As they made their way over, she laced her fingers with Reed. She’d take his strength however she could get it. His thumb swept the back of her hand in a soothing motion.
Finn took his seat next to the two men, his back facing the corner. Olivia wondered if he did this on purpose. He seemed like the kind of man that would have to sleep with one eye open.
Olivia took the seat next to Finn and let go of Reed’s hand. She nearly yelped when Reed slid her chair closer to his own. Arm draped around the back of her chair, he was clearly making a claim on her. Under normal circumstances, she would have rolled her eyes, but the way Finn was looking at her, she was glad for the possessive move.
“Oh, Meg and Ryder.” She turned to Reed.
The man next to Finn jumped up and i
t clicked. Liam was here with Finn. “You brought Meg here?”
“Liam, she’s with Ryder,” Reed said, irritation lacing his voice.
Liam glared at Reed. “She shouldn’t be here.”
“She’s an adult.” Reed shrugged.
“Liam,” Olivia said sweetly. “Can you go tell them where we are?”
His eyes shot to her. The resemblance to Finn was uncanny. Liam nodded and left the table.
Jess leaned over to her. “I hate to do this, but I have to circulate for a bit more. Besides, Irene should be here soon.” She scanned the table. Uncertainty played on her face. “I’ll be back soon,” she whispered.
“I see my cousin is still denying his infatuation with your sister,” Finn said to Reed.
The other man at the table laughed. It made sense now. They must all be related.
“That’s up to them,” Reed replied with a shrug.
“So,” Finn said, turning to look at her. His eyes bored into her. “I hear your brother got himself into a bit of trouble.”
“It’s bigger than that now,” Reed cut in.
“Oh?” Olivia suspected that Finn already knew the answer to this but was feeling them out for information.
“Carson has been working with the Russians, signing over for them to bring in weapons and I suspect human trafficking.”
A pretty waitress came over and passed out drinks for the table. Olivia stared skeptically at the pink drink on the tray.
“It’s just a weak vodka and pink lemonade,” the waitress said in her ear when she sat the drink in front of her.
Olivia smiled at her, grateful for the consideration.
“Jess said nothing too strong, and it was all I could think of,” she said. The woman was so short a cute pixie cut for her blonde hair. Olivia had a hard time not liking her instantly.
“That will be all,” Finn said coldly.
The woman’s face fell as she gathered her tray and scurried away. Olivia watched her go and turned back to glare at Finn.
She had met men like him. The ones that felt anyone serving them must be lower, that the only people worth looking at were the ones who had model good looks and legs that went on forever.
“Something bothering you?” Finn leaned back. The smirk on his face made her want to lean forward and smack it off him.
“She’s a person.”
The surprise on his face was almost worth it. It was clear he wasn’t a man who was spoken to like that often.
“Who’s a person?” he said leaning forward. The expensive suit he wore wrinkled at the waist.
“Liv,” Reed spoke behind her ear. The warning was there, but she had never been one to back down.
“The waitress,” Olivia said.
“Was I rude to her?” The cat and mouse game was back.
“You were dismissive,” she shot back.
“Liv, let it go,” Reed rumbled in her ear again.
“No.” Olivia turned to him, anger burning in her veins. “She didn’t deserve that. He’s an intimidating person, and it was likely very hard for her to serve our table.”
She turned back to look at Finn. “Being in charge isn’t a license to act how you want.”
“So I’m finding out,” Finn said, the smirk from before back in place.
“Forget it,” Olivia said. She stood and gathered her purse. She turned sharply to Reed. “He isn’t going to help. This is all just a power trip for him, and I’m not playing.”
She jumped when a hand grabbed ahold of her arm. “Please, Ms. Cross, don’t go. I would actually like to help you out.”
Olivia turned back to Reed for help and was surprised to find him standing. Anger raged through his face as he stared at Finn’s hand on her arm.
Taking a breath, she placed a hand on Reed and forced them both to sit. Finn returned to his seat, the smirk long gone.
“I’m actually quite aware of what has been going on,” Finn said and took a large drink of the amber liquid in front of him. “Carson came to me first because of my family’s connections to some of the public officials.”
“What’s his angle with all this?” Reed asked.
“Greed. Pure and simple greed.” Finn took another smaller drink. “He thinks that if he has the right amount of money, then that will open the doors to other offices. Quite frankly the man is a tool and not a very good one. The only reason he ever got a shot is because his uncle had a few connections.”
Reed shifted and placed a hand on her hip, pulling her back slightly. “So you turned him down?”
Finn leveled his gaze just over her shoulder to Reed. “We don’t work in the slave business.” Finn leaned back and stretched his long legs out. “Actually we’re trying more legit business. My father’s generation still tries to fight from time to time, but there are just so many expenses and headaches with guns and drugs.”
“Our father’s generation is full of dumbasses,” Finn’s associate piped up.
Through the whole exchange, she had nearly forgotten he was there.
“That they are,” Finn said and drained the rest of his drink.
Olivia was a little surprised when the two men stood. “I’ll help you if I can. Let me see what I can find, and I’ll get back with you,” he said to Reed. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Cross.”
She nodded, not really certain what else there was to do.
“Oh, are you leaving already?” Olivia turned to see Jess flash her best professional smile. Mild Irene skirted around her to sink into the chair just vacated by Finn.
“You’ve done a lovely job, Jessica,” he said warmly.
“Thank you, Mr. Kelly. Have a great night.” Jess beamed at the men.
Olivia paled. Bile rose in her throat.
“Mr. Kelly,” she said, turning to Reed. “As in THE Kelly family?”
Reed stared back like she’d lost her mind. And maybe she had to talk to a crime boss like she had. She swallowed and watched the two men cross the room. As they came to the door, Finn stopped and motioned for the pixie waitress to come over.
Her stomach turned as she imagined what he would say to her after Olivia had made such a big deal. To her surprise the woman smiled, a blush crept across her pretty face. To top it off, he reached in his wallet and dropped a few bills onto the tray pointing to the table.
Olivia locked eyes with the crime boss and couldn’t seem to look away. Irritation rose up as he smirked and winked at her. Not even trying to hide it, Olivia rolled her eyes and turned away. A smile crept on her face when she heard him laugh loudly across the room.
“I think you made an impression on him,” Reed said in her ear. His hot breath stirred the hair around her neck causing the skin to prickle.
“Well it’s a good thing I didn’t know who he was. Otherwise I would have likely thrown up on him.”
Reed threw his head back and laughed hard. “I would have liked to see that.”
Olivia wrinkled her nose at the thought.
“Jess,” Irene said, finally seeming to find her voice. “You sure you should be working for a man like that?”
Jess shrugged. “Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. At least he isn’t trying to play grab ass with me.”
“Is he going to help?” Ryder’s deep voice from the corner startled the woman.
Reed nodded as Ryder took the chair farthest from the rest of the group. Even when he didn’t need to be, he was always the outsider.
“Where are Liam and Meg?” Olivia asked.
Ryder turned with a funny look and shrugged his shoulders noncommittally.
“Irene and Jess, this is Ryder. He’s Reed’s brother and also works for him.”
Both women mumbled quiet hellos to the dark surly man. Olivia watched in fascination as his gaze lingered on Irene. Short, shy and curvy, it was not the match she would have expected. Apparently it wasn’t for Irene as well. She did her best not to look at him, and the unwavering attention caused her whole body to go red. Her long, sandy b
londe hair hung over her eyes, offering shelter from his intense gaze.
“You did really well today,” Reed said quietly to her.
She blew out a breath and turned to him. “Not really how I expected it to go, but it seems like things might be working out.”
Olivia smiled and picked up her forgotten lemonade. Still cold, she chugged it down and enjoyed the warm feeling it created in her.
The steady strum of the dance floor made her toes tap a beat in her shoes.
“Uh oh,” Irene said. “Looks like dancing Liv is back.”
Olivia narrowed her eyes at her friend and stuck out her tongue.
“I’m not wasted. I’ve just found my happy place.” She turned to a surprised Reed and slipped her hand in his as she stood. “Dance with me.”
She tugged gently on his hand.
“I don’t really know,” Reed said, color on his cheeks.
She gripped his shoulders. “It’s easy,” she said as seductively as she could. “You just sway your hips.”
Keeping eyes on his, she shimmied her hips. Reed licked his lips, his eyes dark with desire. Olivia stood back and held out her hand. Without another word, he stood and pulled her toward the pulse of the music.
As they walked through the door, she caught sight of Liam and Meg dancing closely together. She smiled widely when Meg looked her way, which was quickly returned.
Reed wasted no time pulling her to a more secluded corner to dance. Despite his previous protests, he seemed to have no problem pulling her close to him and swaying to the beat of the music.
Olivia closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his powerful arms around her. It was amazing how wonderful one person could make another feel just by being held tight. His warm wandering hand lightly skimmed the bare skin at her back, dipping lower and lower until his hand was splayed across the upper part of her ass.
She gasped and slid her hand from around his neck, down his t-shirt-clad chest. The hard muscles flexed under her fingers. She reveled in the feeling. When he pulled her hips closer, she could feel the hard ridge of his cock and had to bite her lip to keep from moaning.
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