Beyond Jealousy

by Kit Rocha

  Chapter Ten

  At some point, it had to get easier to face her father.

  At least that's what Rachel told herself as she made her way through the busy market and toward the coffee shop where they'd planned to meet. She rounded the last corner, hoping she'd somehow managed to beat him there, but the sight of three burly guards put that hope to rest. Her father sat at a corner table under the outside patio, his customary cup of coffee before him and a bland look on his face.

  If only she hadn't let Cruz and Ace lure her into spending that last lazy hour in bed. But she was helpless against their charms, not to mention the sheer warmth of affection in their kisses. She'd lain between them for far too long, her legs tangled with theirs, whispering secrets and encouragement between caresses. Relishing the soft glow of intimacy.

  And now she was late. She smiled at Lou, the man who ran the bakery and coffee shop, and dropped into the chair across from her father. "Hi, Dad. Have you been waiting long?"

  "No, we were a little late. Jerome's sector pass had been flagged." His gaze strayed unerringly to her throat, lingering for a moment on the beribboned chain before shifting to where the top edge of her latest tattoo was visible above her shirt. He pressed his lips together tightly but said nothing.

  Somehow, she resisted the urge to cover her ink. Or the collar. "Not too much trouble, I hope."

  Her father shrugged. "He stayed behind. It wasn't worth a bribe, not under the circumstances. Pete came with us instead."

  She hadn't noticed the man standing behind the guards, but she waved at him now. Skinny Pete was one of her father's longtime employees, and Rachel couldn't remember a time he hadn't been around. "How's Mom?" she asked her father.

  "Good. Sad you couldn't come into the city for a visit." He flicked up a finger, and Skinny Pete stepped forward to slip a paper-wrapped package from inside his coat. "She sent this for you."

  Rachel didn't even have to unwrap it to know what it was. The scent of yeast and beer permeated the paper, and she smiled. "Soda bread. Tell her I said thanks."

  "She misses you." Liam leaned back and studied her over the edge of his coffee. "It broke her heart that you chose not to come home, but she doesn't understand. You wouldn't be my girl if you picked the safe path."

  "No, I wouldn't be." She was her father's daughter, dedicated to following her conscience, even when it cost her. She stretched one hand across the table, and her jacket sleeve rode up to reveal the ink on her wrist. "When Dallas took me in, when he gave me these cuffs, I made a promise. That's what this is. If I forgot all about it just because I have the chance to come back to Eden... What kind of person would that make me?"

  "I know." He covered her hand with his own. "You've done more for the family than any of your cousins."

  Her uncles had raised their children differently, had taught them to aspire to climb Eden's social ranks until they, too, were stepping on the faces of those beneath them. They weren't soft, not yet, but they were oblivious. "You've heard about the trouble Dallas is having, right? The knockoff liquor making its way into the city?"

  "I've heard."

  He said it carefully, but the slight edge of warning wasn't lost on her. He was wondering if Dallas had set the whole thing up as a way to bypass paying the Rileys their cut for import. "It is fake, Dad. Someone's bootlegging the bootlegger."

  He studied her face for a moment before inclining his head. "One bottle came my way that didn't seem up to snuff...but that would just make it cost-effective as well as clever, wouldn't it?"

  "You know Dallas better than that. He feels the same way about his booze that you do about your beer. He wouldn't put out substandard product."

  "Then he has a problem. And so do we."

  "Yeah." Rachel offered her father a lopsided smile. "He could use your help. No one knows the trade routes better. If anyone can find out how they're getting this shit into the city, it's you."

  He inclined his head in acknowledgment. "I'll look into it, but I'd like you to do something for me in return."

  "Anything."

  "It's my understanding that Lorenzo Cruz is a full member of O'Kane's gang now. If things get dangerous, let him keep you safe."

  For a few frozen seconds, she couldn't decide if the statement was as innocent as it sounded, or if he was looking for information and couldn't quite figure out how to ask. "You know Cruz? How?"

  "I've encountered him," her father replied with frustrating vagueness. "And we have several mutual friends. I know his reputation is solid, and that he's a good man. A man I'd trust with your safety."

  Her hand twitched toward the beribboned chain dangling from her collar, and she stretched her fingers flat on the table to still them. "He is a good man, and he'll watch out for me. We're together."

  A pause. "I see."

  "He's my--" Her what? Boyfriend? Lover? She reached up, after all, to toy with the ribbon and chain trailing between the open flaps of her jacket. "He and Ace gave me this."

  Her father's eyes froze. "Ace. You mean Alexander Santana?"

  Being ashamed wasn't the same thing as knowing someone wouldn't understand and dreading the inevitable confrontation. Rachel knew it, but her cheeks still heated. "Yeah, that's who I mean."

  "Do you know what he was? What he is?"

  "Don't, Dad."

  "He slept with women for money and left their marriages in ruin." Her father's lip curled. "And you think I don't know the brothel owners in this sector take orders from him?"

  Her discomfort melted in a flash of protective anger. "And I'm a criminal in exile. What's your point?"

  "How did you expect me to react? Cruz is a decent man, but Santana..." His eyes--the eyes she'd inherited from him--went hard. "Don't ask me to think he's good enough for you. Or to understand why Cruz isn't enough."

  The irony of it almost choked her. But trying to explain that Ace and Cruz had practically been together, even without her, would be useless. Her father would never understand because he lived outside of the law in Eden, but he was still mired in its hypocritical moral system.

  Sex was bad, wrong. And so was anyone who loved it as much as Ace did.

  Rachel's chair scraped over concrete as she pushed it back and rose. "I have to go."

  Her father sighed. Heavy, disappointed. "Don't be childish. I raised you to appreciate truth. Would you prefer I give you pretty lies?"

  "No," she admitted, "but I don't think you want to hear the truth, either. Not really."

  "Of course I do."

  For one glorious, insane moment, she considered telling him everything. Ace has fallen for him, too, and I think Cruz is headed the same way. I'm not the only one who wants Cruz, not the only one who wants Ace. We're all in, all together. Does that terrify you?

  Instead, she shrugged. "It's an O'Kane thing. You wouldn't understand."

  A muscle jumped in his jaw, but her father was too rigidly controlled to lose his temper in public. "I'll look for the source of liquor within the city. You know I only have your best interests at heart."

  And his own. "I know."

  He rose, abandoning his expensive cup of coffee. "Be safe, Rachel."

  "I will." It was stupid to keep trying, but she couldn't help it. "I'll be fine, Dad. I promise. I know you're worried, but Ace wouldn't hurt me."

  The stern edges of his smile softened a little. "He'd better not. You're a Riley."

  It was true, but not the whole truth. She was a Riley, all right, born and raised. But she was also an O'Kane now, a fact that felt just as vital, if not more so, because she had chosen it.

  Hadn't she?

  "Admit it," Ace drawled as they rounded the corner into the brothel district. "You've missed me, brother."

  Jasper grinned and clapped him on the back. "Of course I did. Without you around, there's been no one to give me shit."

  "It shows. Your head's three times its normal size. It's dangerous to let Noelle blow you so much when no one's around to deflate you."

 
; "Smartass."

  "Every day of my life," Ace agreed easily. Not hard to be generous when the world was such a fucking beautiful place. "Seriously, man, I know you're busy with all the lofty heir-to-the-throne shit, but I do miss you. Hell, both of you."

  Jas nodded. "Noelle and I feel the same way. But you had things going on. It happens."

  Ace's first clear memory of Noelle was watching her trail into his studio, all big eyes and wobbly legs, following Rachel around like a duckling who'd lost her mama. He'd had more than one sweaty fantasy about the two of them touching him or touching each other--and Christ, he didn't even know if the latter had happened.

  Probably. Jas would tell him, if he asked. Or he might just smirk, and then Ace would have to punch his friend right in his manfully bearded jaw. "You didn't have to come with me today, but I'm glad you did. Gia's always more pleasant when I bring her hot cage-fighting studs to drool over."

  "You mean you brought me along to distract everyone from wondering why you'll be keeping your pants on."

  "Now who's a smartass?"

  Jasper's huge shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "It's good to see. You haven't been happy for too long."

  Even a week ago, Ace would have argued with the words. He'd spent months brushing off brooding moments with a laugh and a wink. He'd done it to Emma enough times, tugging her hair or poking her in the ribs. Artists have moods.

  True enough, but most of his had been dark since the day he'd watched Rachel slip through his fingers and into Cruz's lap.

  He stopped on the street in front of Gia's sprawling, three-story building and studied Jas's expression. The man saw more than anyone realized, maybe because they didn't expect a hulking, bearded fighter to have a sharp mind. And more--Jas didn't just care about other people. He understood them, sometimes better than they understood themselves.

  God, maybe everyone understood Ace better than he understood himself. Everyone except Rachel. "You don't think I'm making a mistake?"

  "A mistake? Hell, no." Jas wrinkled his nose. "Safe is safe, maybe, but it doesn't feel the same. Sometimes you have to take risks."

  Jas had certainly taken them with Noelle. She'd tumbled out of Eden so untouched she'd nearly blushed herself unconscious at hearing the word cock, but she'd been as hungry for experiences as Rachel was--and as mired in shame and confusion as Cruz.

  "They get past it, right?" he asked as he stepped up onto the curb. "All that bullshit Eden stuffed into their heads. It doesn't last forever?"

  "Well, it doesn't just happen. And sometimes it shows up again when you least expect it. But it fades, yeah."

  Well, thank Christ for that.

  Ace turned as the front door swung open, revealing a stone-faced mountain of testosterone almost as huge as Jas. Every member of Gia's security team was hard as a rock with a face to rival Jared's--and had a brain just big enough to manage blind loyalty and the occasional dick stomping when a customer got out of line.

  The man candy of the day ignored Ace and nodded at Jas, which said plenty about Jasper's growing reputation as Dallas's right-hand man. "The mistress is in the sitting room."

  Ace could all but hear the capital M. This one probably knelt in front of Gia's chair to play human footstool in the evenings--a privilege for which more than one fancy man from Eden had paid handsomely. Ace breezed past him with another grin. "Come on, Jas. We don't want to keep her majesty waiting."

  "So then I said--" Jeni cut off abruptly as they walked in, then belatedly swept her open robe shut, covering her bare breasts as if Ace hadn't seen them a dozen times before.

  Unlike Jeni, Gia was fully clothed, though her silk gown was slit so high she was flashing her crossed legs to the top of her thigh. She quirked one perfectly shaped brow at Ace. "Alejandro, darling, your manners are as abhorrent as ever."

  Only one other person had ever called him Alejandro--Eladio, the man who'd trained them. Hearing the name roll off Gia's tongue stirred the usual nostalgia, but Ace was in too good a mood to let it get to him. He crossed the room and swooped down to drop a kiss on Jeni's cheek before doing the same to Gia. "You'd be disappointed if you couldn't scold me. You remember Jas?"

  Gia smiled, deploying the full-wattage charm that always meant she wanted something. "It's been too long, Jasper. Everyone's wild for me to lure you and Miss Cunningham to one of our parties, but Ace said it would be a waste of time to ask."

  Jas acknowledged her words with a slight nod. "I'm not big on social events. But I appreciate the invitation."

  "Your manners are delightful." She rose and gave Ace's cheek a fond pat. "If you'd come to my office with me, Jas, I can collect your money and write a personal invitation to your lady, just in case she'd appreciate one as well."

  It was Jasper's turn to lift an eyebrow--at Ace. "You good?"

  Gia's gaze sharpened, so Ace threw himself into her chair and waved a hand before she could get any funny ideas--or start asking questions. "Jeni will keep me company. We'll get through the long, dreary minutes, won't we, pet?"

  "Sure, we will." Jeni let her robe fall open again and propped her hands on her hips. "It's been a while, after all."

  Aw, shit.

  Jas tensed like he was getting ready to seize Ace by the back of the neck and fling him off the path to certain self-destruction, and Ace couldn't even blame him. Jeni was gorgeous, and she knew it. Sleek curves, perfect tits, a pair of hips that could give Trix a run for her money.

  Ace wouldn't even have to do anything to encourage her. In a few more seconds, she'd crawl into his lap and take him for a ride. A simple, friendly fuck, something they'd done a hundred times before, because he liked throwing cash at her and she liked how he hurt her just right.

  It would feel nice. It would pass the time.

  It would break Rachel and Cruz.

  And yet, for one stupid second, he was tempted, because fucking up already felt inevitable. The longer he held out without disappointing them, the worse it would be when all those sweet, naïve illusions came crashing down.

  Or maybe it was just the opposite. They'd grow bored of their crazy sex adventure, and whatever dumbass stunt Ace eventually pulled would be a relief. An excuse to get out, guilt-free.

  Yeah, that seemed a hell of a lot more likely.

  Jas took a step forward, and Christ, Ace was still staring at Jeni's tits like he had every intention of getting lost between them. So he shook his head, and he could feel the assessing weight of Gia's gaze burning into his back as he reached across to catch the edges of Jeni's robe.

  "Just talking," he said, choosing his words carefully. The only people who gossiped more than O'Kanes were the people talking about them, and whatever he said now would be all over the sector by tomorrow. "Cruz and I have a thing with Rachel now."

  "No shit?" Jeni absently tied off her robe this time, then dropped back to the arm of the chair she'd been occupying. "Huh."

  Ace braced himself for teasing before glancing at Gia, but it was so much worse. Her brown eyes had softened, and she returned to her chair and bent to brush her lips across his cheek to hide her whispered promise. "Hablamos más tarde."

  We'll talk later.

  A promise, or a threat--one Ace had every intention of avoiding, even if it meant avoiding her. The last thing he needed was Gia poking her too-perceptive nose into all his rationalizations.

  Then she was gone, tucking her arm through Jasper's to steer him toward the door, her public persona so firmly in place Ace couldn't spot the edges. No one who looked at Gia would believe she'd once been as feral and snarling as Six, just like no one who'd met their mentor had believed he'd come from poverty and desperation.

  Ace had never understood the fucking point. What was the benefit of climbing to the top of the damn pile only to pretend you'd always been there? No one who cared would ever believe you belonged, and no one who mattered would care.

  Jeni eyed him curiously, then tilted her head with a squint. "It was Cruz, wasn't it? I should have known that
crazy bastard wouldn't listen to me."

  The words didn't make any sense until Ace remembered Cruz had spent the night of the party with Jeni--and that had been the night everything changed. "Lord, girl, what did you say to him?"

  She had the grace to flush. "I told him if it was me? I'd steer clear of you two and your...thing. Sorry, but you know it's true. I mean, come on."

  He scowled at her, but it was hard to put much force behind it when the outcome had been so spectacular. "I don't know if I should thank you or smack your damn ass."

  She cracked a smile. "Careful. You're a taken man now."

  Taken. That word felt far less awkward than exclusive, because at least it carried some deliciously filthy undertones. "Oh yeah, there's been some taking going on."

  "Mm-hmm. Rachel's a lucky girl."

  "I'm just as lucky." Ace summoned up a wicked leer for old time's sake. "I know who you're going to miss, pet, and it isn't me."

  "Shows what you know," she sniffed. "That's exactly what I meant. Stuck between you and Cruz--there are worse places to be, that's for damn sure."

  Jeni would know. She'd been his accomplice in luring Cruz to give in, after all, which meant Ace owed her for any happiness he managed to find. He rolled to his feet, leaned over, and kissed the top of her head. "You know you're always my girl. Anything you need, ever, you snap your fingers and I'll come running."

  "Christ, don't get maudlin on me. It doesn't suit you." But she blinked anyway, her eyes suspiciously bright.

  That was Jeni. Ruthlessly practical through and through, but she'd never let all that practicality kill her heart. He bumped her on the chin with his knuckle. "Hey, don't cry, pretty girl. I know it's hard not to, seeing as my dick's fucking amazing..."

  She rolled her eyes and swatted his shoulder with a laugh that dissipated far too soon. "Is it good?" she asked finally, her voice small and low. "A different kind of good, I mean?"

  "With them, you mean?"

  "With someone you care about. Someone you love."

  Jeni wouldn't appreciate his sympathy, so Ace smothered it beneath an easy smile. "It's always better with someone you care about. Maybe the more you care, the better it gets."