Together. Was that what we really were? There hadn’t been much time to be together since I’d returned. Both of us pulled in our own directions. Doing our own things until we were brought back together to work. That wasn’t what I’d had in mind for a relationship with Riley.
I leaned over the pool table to line my shot up, taking a few extra seconds to watch Riley at the bar. She’d zeroed in on the bartender Oliver wanted her to chat it up with and in between drink orders, he stood in front of her, finding some reason to keep talking with her.
Jealousy raged inside of me. It wasn’t because Riley was talking to someone else. I trusted Riley and knew she was only doing what Oliver had asked her. No, I was jealous because I wanted to be sitting next to her. Wanted to enjoy her jokes and soak up her laughter.
Her head tipped back, exposing the petal-soft skin of her neck, distracting me from my shot. I scratched the cue ball.
Oliver slapped his hands down on the rail of the pool table beside me. “Get your head out of your ass. If we lose this game, we’re out of the competition.”
Wrapping my hands around the pool stick, I watched Matt and Jeff, the two guys we were playing against, bump fists. You’d think they thought they had the game won by the way they acted.
The one good thing Oliver and I had going for us was the fact that we’d cleared most of the solids from the table. And the pair we were playing against kept making stupid moves, trying to be cocky.
Jeff pointed at the table and called out his play before leaning back to line up his shot.
“Bet he doesn’t make it,” Oliver said loud enough for them to hear.
Matt flicked him off. “Easiest shot of the night. He never misses that pocket.”
Oliver barked out a deep laugh. “There’s always a first time for everything.”
Jeff, hearing the banter back and forth, smirked and made a bigger production of taking his shot.
The cue ball shot forward, heading towards the left corner pocket, and then smacked into the green-striped ball, sending it towards the pocket too fast. It bounced off the corner, crossed the table, and ended up bumping the eight ball right into the pocket in front of me. Game over.
Oliver grinned, dipping his head in their direction as he said, “Better luck next time, boys.”
Jeff threw his pool cue on the table with an explosive curse. “You did that shit on purpose.”
“Did what exactly?” Oliver asked, flagging down a waitress.
“Talking a bunch of shit. That’s what,” Matt butted in.
The waitress, overhearing the exchange, halted mid-step, probably worried a fight would break out.
“Four beers, sweetheart,” Oliver said, handing her his empty bottle, but not taking his eyes off the other guys.
When the waitress was far enough away, he said, “You got cocky and screwed up the shot. That’s not my fault. What can I say but shit happens.”
Matt walked around the table, chest bowed out, tattooed biceps flexed. “Keep running your mouth, old man, and I’ll permanently shut it for you.”
I stepped back, putting myself where I could watch both Jeff and Matt. With Oliver provoking them, I had no idea what in the hell would happen, but I wanted to be ready.
“What are you doing?” I hissed low enough for him to hear me.
Oliver reached back, handing me his pool cue and the car keys. “Plans changed. Get Riley out of here.”
Before I could blink, Oliver had Jeff’s shirt bunched up in his fist and was walking him backward. “I’ll show you ‘old man’.” He decked him. Laid him out cold. Matt came at him like an explosion, but Oliver swept out of the way and kicked his foot out, sending Matt crashing into a group of people. The bar broke out into pandemonium.
I pulled Riley right off her barstool, and we made a beeline for the front door with the sound of glass shattering.
“What the hell happened?” she asked, spinning around and putting her hand on my chest as we made it to the parking lot.
“I have no idea. Oliver instigated a fight, and then told me to get you the hell out of there,” I said, pulling her into my arms.
She pushed back, trying to look around me. “Should we go back and get Oliver?”
“In a bar fight? Are you crazy?” I asked, walking her backward toward the car.
“We can’t just leave him in there!” she shot back at me.
“Oh yes we can. Believe me when I tell you, he can take care of himself, and there’s no way in hell I’d go back in there with you,” I answered, opening the passenger door.
She screwed her face up at me. “I thought you were taught to never leave a man behind?”
I helped her in the car while saying, “I’m not leaving a man behind. I’m leaving Oliver behind like he told me to.” The words slipped out as I silently prayed she didn’t bail and run back towards the bar before I could get the car started.
When I pulled out of the parking lot, she turned to me. “I don’t like it. Maybe we should park close enough to see the bar in case he needs us.”
“I have a feeling Oliver doesn’t need anybody ever, but I think you’re right. We’ll turn around and park across the street,” I said, jumping when the phone rang through the speakers.
Riley pressed the button on the radio to connect the call.
Oliver’s voice crackled through the speakers. “Head back to headquarters. I’ll be there soon.”
The call disconnected before either of us could reply.
Riley sighed. “So much for having to hide out together.”
I reached across the seat and linked my fingers with hers. “At least we don’t have to go to Bare Assets.”
She laughed.
I gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “It’s been a helluva reunion, huh?”
Her head tipped back, and she closed her eyes. “I’m just happy to be here with you.”
I brought our hands up and kissed her knuckles. “As crazy as it sounds, I’m glad you’re here with me. Being away from you for so long was hard.”
“It was no picnic for me either. When everyone left, it was so quiet… so lonely. I mean, I had Paige, so it wasn’t like I was completely on my own, but without you guys around, it just felt… I don’t even know how to explain it.”
I knew what she meant. After all the years we’d spent together, not having them around had felt like there was always something missing.
“It doesn’t feel the same though. Even now with Aiden, Jared, and Eli around, it still feels wrong… off,” she added.
“I don’t think it’ll ever really feel the same. Not with all the changes that have happened since we left home,” I said, catching a sigh before it slipped out.
She shook her head, murmuring, “Most kids right out of high school are in college and testing their alcohol limits. And here we are, mixing it up with secret government agencies and trying to catch the bad guys. It doesn’t even feel real to me. The only thing that feels right—that feels real—is being with you.”
But for how long? I thought. How long would it be before it wasn’t enough? It wasn’t like we could come and go as we pleased. Like we could make our own rules. Our own decisions. How long would Riley be happy living in a remote underground location doing who knew what? She wasn’t an indoor type of person. Riley was happiest with the sun shining on her face and working alongside the local vet, Dr. Anderson.
“Promise me something, Riley,” I said, flicking a quick glance over at her.
She let go of my hand and clasped hers together in her lap. “If you’re about to ask me to promise you that I’ll go home if I’m unhappy, save your breath.”
“But…”
“No. No buts. I have nothing left to go home to. My dad is… my dad is gone. Your mom left, and I refuse to go back to a house that’s filled with the memories of everyone I love and not be able to see them.”
I clutched the steering wheel so tight my knuckles ached. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you found out about
your dad.”
She made a soft keening noise, barely audible over the sound of the car.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” I told her, wishing I had waited until we weren’t in a moving vehicle so that I could hold her.
She twisted her hands in her lap and straightened her shoulders. “That’s the thing, Jake. We don’t know how much time we’ll get with the people we love. I don’t care what we do, or how we do it. If it means I get to spend time with you instead of sit home wondering where you are, or what you’re doing, then that’s what I want to do. Everyone’s dreams change, Jake. Not everyone ends up where they first started out. That’s a part of growing up. You learn to deal and then you adjust yourself.”
“It doesn’t bother you that you’re not going to be a vet?” I asked.
“It’s a little disappointing, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Besides, there’s so many things that Cole Enterprise can offer. Who’s to say I won’t be happier working there?”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “I have a hard time believing you’d trade sunshine and freedom over fluorescent lighting and the underground.”
She huffed. “It’s not always going to be like this. Besides, I’m not the only one who gave up their dream job. Look at Jared. He was touring with his band, something he’d wanted to do for as long as I wanted to be a vet. He’s dealing with the changes and not having a complete meltdown. If he can do it, so can I.”
“It’s not a matter of doing it. It’s a matter of being happy. I don’t want you to look back in five years and feel nothing but disappointment and anger over everything that was taken away from you,” I said, turning into the parking lot of Cole Enterprise.
The massive building loomed in the darkness, blotting out the bright lights of the city as I drove around the back and pushed the button that would open the underground parking garage.
“Do you want me to go home? Is that what this is really about?” Riley asked, unbuckling her seat belt as I turned the car off.
Before she could open the door and escape, I hauled her over into my seat, wedging her between the steering wheel and my chest.
She squeaked in protest. “What are you doing?”
I wrapped my arms around her. She moved closer, putting her head on my shoulder. “Holding you. I just need to hold you for a minute.”
A soft sigh escaped her lips and trailed over my neck as she brought her hand up to rest over my heart. “I know you’re worried about me, but don’t be. I’m happy where I am, and I’m not going home. Okay?”
I gathered her closer. “I love you, Riley.”
“I love you more, Jake,” she answered, pushing back to look at me. She leaned down to kiss me as someone knocked on the driver’s side window.
She jerked back, cussing when her elbow hit the horn and it blared sharply.
Oliver opened the door with a scowl. “What the hell are you two doing?”
“Baking cookies. What do you want?” I answered as Riley scooted off my lap back into her seat with as much dignity as she could. We both got out.
Oliver shook his head. “What the hell did you do—take the long way back?”
“No, we came right back here. How the hell did you get here so fast?” I asked.
“Took the tunnels. Come on. I have someone in custody who needs to be questioned,” Oliver said as he walked away, leaving us to follow.
Chapter 8
“You kidnapped the bartender?" Riley’s voice climbed up a notch as she turned away from the two-way mirror.
Oliver grinned as he walked to where we stood, watching the bartender Riley had chatted up hours before. His hair stood on end as he looked frantically around the room. Confusion marred his face. He seemed to be struggling to understand what the hell was going on.
“I didn’t kidnap him. I brought him in for questioning,” Oliver replied as if we should have already known that.
“But isn’t that why you brought me to the bar? To get him to talk? You didn’t even wait to see what he said to me,” Riley said, turning away from the mirror.
“The plan changed after you left and one of Nicco’s guys tried to stab him,” Oliver answered.
Riley gasped. “Stab him? Why?”
“What happened after we left?” I asked.
“Not much. The fight broke out, and I cleared a path for myself to the back of the bar. That’s when I saw Nicco’s guy grab him.” He jerked his finger towards the glass. “So I followed them. I’d planned to hide in the shadows to listen, but the other guy pulled a knife. I knocked him out and grabbed the drink slinger. Figured there had to be a solid reason why Nicco’s guy wanted him dead.”
“Is he hurt?” Riley asked, looking over at him in concern.
“Nah, he’s just scared,” Oliver answered. “I’m gonna go talk to him and see what I can find out.”
“Won’t that blow your cover?” I asked.
Oliver smirked. “I’ve been a pain in Nicco’s ass for a very long time. He knows who I am, but he hasn’t made the connection to who I work for.”
“Won’t that guy be able to go back and tell him?” I asked, tipping my head to the mirror.
“If someone tried to have you killed, would you go anywhere near them again?” he asked.
“No. That would be crazy,” Riley answered.
“Exactly,” Oliver answered before yanking open the door and stepping inside the room.
The bartender shot to his feet and stumbled back a step.
I really couldn’t blame him. Oliver usually sported a scowl that made him look like he was about to chew the ass end off the world.
“Take a seat,” Oliver said, pulling out a chair and gesturing to it.
The bartender shook his head. “I’d like to call my lawyer.”
“Your lawyer? Do you think your lawyer can help you against Nicco and his guys?”
The bartender blanched. “How do…?”
“Have a seat, son. You’re in too deep for something as trivial as a lawyer,” Oliver answered, rounding the table and sitting down. When he crossed his arms and settled back into the chair, the bartender followed suit.
“Why am I here?” he asked.
“Would you have rather gone to the morgue? Because had I not stepped in and intervened, that’s where you’d be headed. Although you wouldn’t have known it.”
His shoulders hunched forward as he clasped his knees. “The guy with the knife… who was he?”
Oliver’s eyebrow hiked up his forehead. “You don’t know him?”
He shook his head. “I’ve never seen him before, not until tonight anyway.”
“Let’s back up a little. How is it you still work at the bar, but all the other employees were let go?” Oliver asked.
The bartender sat back with a shrug. “I don’t know. My stepdad told me he was selling the bar, but the owner gave his word that I’d still have my job.”
Oliver sat forward. “Your stepdad was the original owner of the bar?”
He nodded. “It’s been in his family for generations. One day, he came home and announced he was selling, and that he and my mom were moving to Florida.”
Oliver’s fingers tapped against the metal desk. “Seems odd to sell out after being in the family for so long.”
“That’s what I said too, but he just gave the same answer over and over.”
“And what was that?” Oliver fished.
“That he was getting too old for it. That spending time with my mom was more important,” he answered, snorting.
“You didn’t believe him?”
“No. At least the part about spending time with my mom. They fight. All the time,” he answered, getting up from his seat. “What exactly am I being detained for? Because I haven’t done anything wrong, and if it’s just the same to you, I’d like to go home, get a shower, and crash. It’s been a long night.”
Oliver chuckled. “Did it ever cross your mind that this might be the safest place for you right now?”<
br />
“Yeah, well, I can’t stay.” The bartender shoved his hands deep into his pockets with a scowl.
“What’s more important than staying alive?” Oliver asked, watching the kid pace the room.
“My cat…”
Oliver’s lips curled, but, to his credit, he didn’t laugh. “A cat? You’d risk your own life for a cat?”
“You make it sound like someone’s going to kill me the minute I step out of this room,” he answered, freeing his hands from his pockets. He waved one in a wide arc at the white walls surrounding him. “And who’s behind there? Because I’ve watched enough TV to know that’s not just a mirror.”
Oliver chuckled. “Look, kid, if you give me your address, I’ll go take care of your cat, but I think it would be in your best interest to wait before you go home. While someone might not be right outside that door to kill you, it doesn’t mean someone won’t try again. And when you least expect it.”
“And I’m supposed to take your word that you’ll go to my house and feed my cat? Sorry, but no thanks. I’d like to leave now,” he said, moving closer to the door.
Oliver got out of his seat and pushed his chair in. “Wanting and getting are two different things. You can give me your address, or I find it out on my own. Either way, you’re not leaving until we know why Nicco tried to have you killed.”
The bartender stiffened. “I know my rights. You can’t hold me if I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Can we keep him?” Riley asked, not taking her eyes off the scene unfolding in the other room.
“I have no idea,” I answered.
We stayed quiet, waiting to hear what Oliver would say.
He crossed his arms and planted his feet. “That might be true of the police, but I’m not the police, so you’re just gonna have to get comfortable because while you have your rights, I have a job to do. After what happened at the bar, you’ve become part of my job. I like it just about as much as you do. Now, how about that address…?”
“Are you really going to go take care of his cat?” Riley asked after Oliver escorted the bartender from the holding room and handed him over to Flint.
Relevance (The Six Series, book 2.5) Page 9