by Becca Steele
Listening to their conversation, a combination of bitterness and sadness filled me. My dad was so proud of Caiden. I knew he saw him as a leader. And I didn’t begrudge him that, at all—my brother was a born leader. Me, though? I knew my dad still saw me as the happy-go-lucky kid who needed protecting. Maybe it was the curse of being the younger sibling, but I’d never felt more redundant than I did right then. I wanted my dad to be proud of me. Maybe, if I could crack this thing with Martin Smith, I could prove myself to him.
My dad looked up, noticing me, and a wide, genuine smile spread across his face. “Both my sons? This is a pleasant surprise.”
I returned his smile, the bitterness dissipating as I took in his face. We fell into an easy conversation about university, and by the time the workday had ended, I was much more positive. My dad was working late, no surprise there, so Caiden and I said our goodbyes and stepped outside. Perfect fucking timing, since Martin Smith was exiting the building right then.
“That’s him,” I murmured to my brother, and he gave a sharp nod before we trailed him at a distance, all the way into the car park where I pulled out my phone and set the camera to snap a few discreet photos as we walked past. He got into a silver Mercedes saloon car, slinging his briefcase into the seat next to him before starting up the engine.
“Do you have the number plate?”
“Yep.”
“Let’s bring this guy down.”
EIGHTEEN
“These tips are ridiculous. We’re not getting anywhere.” I blew out a frustrated breath as James kicked at the ground next to me.
“I know,” he muttered, his gaze constantly shifting around us as we stood in the grimy alley behind a warehouse that lay to the east of Alstone. I knew he was uncomfortable, and to be honest, I’d rather he wasn’t involved, but he’d ended up being tangled up in all this when he’d stumbled on his uncle, Roland Hyde, placing bets on one of the fights. The same uncle that was currently waiting on his trial for fraud and embezzlement, among other things.
The fights in question? Dog fights. Underneath Alstone’s pristine surface was a seedy underbelly, and illegal dog fighting was something that I’d never, ever be okay with. I’d made it my mission to uncover the organisers of this and bring them down, and I wouldn’t allow myself to fail. James had been with me on a few of my recon missions—there as my backup-slash-getaway driver, although I preferred to work alone. It was easier to remain undetected when there was only one of you.
I think James still felt a sense of responsibility towards me in a way, though. We hadn’t really interacted much since he’d come to my rescue, not until I’d started investigating the dog fighting. I’d always be grateful to him, but I think we both wanted to put that situation behind us. But after he’d found out that his uncle was interested in the fights, we had a common cause, and over the past year we’d become…not friends, exactly, but friendly, I guess you could say.
I appreciated his backup, but last Halloween, we’d received a tip-off that a dog fight was taking place on an industrial ground over in Highnam, and let’s just say, I had first-hand experience of being inside a huge rubbish bin, when James had accidentally made our presence known by managing to fall over a bike. I mean, who the fuck trips over a bike? It wasn’t even lying down—it had been standing up, chained to a lamppost. Anyway, needless to say, we’d missed that opportunity and hadn’t managed to come close again since.
“That’s all of it.”
We both stiffened at the voice coming from the end of the alley, and I ducked down, hopefully undetected with the large recycling bins that blocked us from view. I angled my phone around the edge of the bin, my camera already recording, just in case we managed to pick up anything useful. Watching the view through my phone screen, I made out two figures silhouetted against the streetlamp. One handed something to the other. Cash, possibly? It was hard to tell from a distance.
“I trust you. You know what’ll happen, though, if you’ve short-changed me.”
“It’s all there,” the first voice insisted. “Martin—uh, Mr. Smith, counted it personally.”
“Good. In that case, you can expect the delivery on Thursday. I think you’ll be pleased. This batch is from Romania. Same family as the last. Highly trained, vicious little bastards.”
My heart sped up at the words. They had to be talking about the dogs. Had to be. So far, these people had been like ghosts—moving from location to location, leaving no traces behind. I knew some of the Alstone elite actually enjoyed the dog fights, much to my disgust. The fights were normally filmed, and bets were placed on the dogs—I’d seen it with my own eyes. No one seemed to be bothered about stopping it, so I had to take a stand.
The voices grew fainter, and a moment later, I heard the sound of an engine starting up.
Once the guys were gone and I was back in my car, having parted ways with James, I googled the name of the guy they’d mentioned. After narrowing down my search to the local area, I had it.
He worked at Alstone Holdings.
A slow smile spread across my face. Weston had been giving me the silent treatment, but now I had an excuse to contact him. He may have written us off, but I wasn’t going to give him up without a fight. Not now I’d had a taste of him. I knew we could get past the mess we’d made of things.
I just had to convince him to try.
Opening up my Kryptos app, I sent a code yellow alert to Weston. I shouldn’t abuse our alert system, but I was fairly sure he wouldn’t talk to me otherwise. In under five minutes, I got a response.
Nitro: ???
Me: Hi, I’m Mercury.
There was a long pause, during which I held my breath, and finally, a reply appeared on my screen.
Nitro: Hi. I’m Nitro.
My heart leapt, and a smile spread across my face. He was playing along. Maybe there was still hope for us. I was done with keeping my distance, done with being scared. I’d dealt with what had happened with him, and if it happened again, I’d deal with it again. I was strong. I’d made it through the fire and survived the burns.
And the way he’d kissed me…there had to be hope.
Me: Nice to meet you. Virtually
This time, the pause stretched out, so I quickly added another message.
Me: WYR meet someone who had something important to show you, or stay at home?
Nitro: WYR be betrayed by your family or your friends?
Me: WYR forgive people or continue to act like a stubborn bastard?
Nitro: Too soon to joke about that
I sighed. We weren’t getting anywhere with this conversation.
Me: I have something important to show you. Can you meet me?
Another long pause. Tapping out a rhythm with my fingers on my steering wheel, I forced myself not to push. Finally, my patience was rewarded with another message.
Nitro: Where?
Me: Anywhere you want.
Nitro: Castle.
Me: I’ll be there in 10.
He signed out of the chat, and I started up my car.
NINETEEN
Pulling up at the Alstone Castle ruins, I saw that Weston’s car was already parked. Nervous excitement thrummed through me, and I relished the feeling. As I headed over to the ruined castle, picking my way between the boulders that lay scattered in the grass, he appeared on the clifftop. Standing there in dark sweatpants and a royal blue hoodie, his hair ruffled by the breeze, he looked so gorgeous that my breath caught in my throat and my heart beat faster. But it wasn’t just the way he looked. I loved his upbeat personality, his kindness and generosity, his charm, and his smile…fuck, that smile was lethal.
In short, for me, he was all I’d ever wanted.
He was everything.
“Hi,” I said when I reached him, and when his gorgeous mouth curved into that smile I loved, I couldn’t help myself. Closing the final bit of distance between us, I stood as close as I dared, not quite touching him, but I could feel the heat from his body against
mine.
Deep blue pools swirled through with green and grey met my gaze. There was no longer any anger in them.
Maybe…was there a tentative hope?
My breath stuttered, and my heart pounded out of my throat.
Taking what felt like the biggest risk of my life, I reached up and hesitantly pressed a soft kiss to his lips.
He froze, and I pulled back, my cheeks flaming. What the fuck had I been thinking? We hadn’t even spoken for two weeks, and how did—
My racing thoughts were interrupted by his hand reaching around the back of my neck, holding me still, and then his lips were on mine again.
The slide of his mouth against mine and his hand gripping me, holding me in place with such strength but so carefully…it was like a puzzle piece clicked into place deep inside me, and I knew with complete certainty that this man would never do anything to physically hurt me.
A shiver ran through my body, and he pulled me closer, trailing kisses across my jaw and down my neck. “Is this okay for you?” he murmured against my skin, his voice a husky rasp, and the fact that he was taking so much care brought a lump to my throat.
“More than okay,” I assured him, pressing closer, and in reply, he brought his other hand up to span my waist while he lightly scraped his teeth along my earlobe. A soft moan escaped my throat, and he nipped me harder, his grip on me tightening.
Bolts of sensation peppered my skin, like nothing I’d ever felt before. There was a kind of euphoric high that I got when I outsmarted an opponent in martial arts training, or when I managed to crack a high-level security or software code. But this…this was pure, addictive pleasure. A high that I never wanted to come down from.
All too soon, though, it ended. Weston drew back from me, releasing his grip. Staring at me through heavy-lidded eyes, he licked his lips. We were both silent for a moment, unsure how to navigate this situation between us.
Running a hand through his hair, he blew out a heavy breath. “We need to talk.”
Emboldened by his kiss, the words tumbled from my mouth before I could think them through. “Can’t we kiss some more?”
My hopeful suggestion was met with a firm head shake. “Nope. You need to tell me what was so important that you sent me a code yellow alert. Then, maybe, we’ll kiss after.” A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth, and I rolled my eyes.
“Fine. I guess.”
He headed over to a large flat rock that was situated in the courtyard area of the castle, with a makeshift firepit in front of it. He dropped onto the rock, stretching out his legs in front of him, so I went and straddled him, threading my arms around his neck. Fuck it. If he didn’t want me near him, he could tell me.
“Lena…” His tone was filled with warning, and I gave him an innocent smile.
“Let’s talk.”
He sighed heavily, but his arms came around my waist, and I bit my lip to hide my smile.
“Okay,” I started. “Does the name Martin Smith mean anything to you?”
“What?” His whole body stiffened beneath me.
Jackpot.
“You know him?”
“What does he mean to you?” Weston countered.
Leaning forwards, I placed a kiss to the side of his mouth before leaning back. I’d always held myself back, but now? Now this missing piece had clicked into place, I wanted him, and I didn’t want there to be any doubt about my intentions. His lips curved up again, and I drank in the sight before I turned serious.
“Do you remember that I was looking into dog fighting?”
He nodded.
“Okay, well…just watch the video.” Pulling my phone out, I held it between us, angling the screen towards him.
We both watched in silence until the video was finished, and then his eyes met mine, his gaze troubled. “I’ve been investigating Martin Smith for my dad, although my dad only knows he’s hired Kryptos, not that I’m involved. This Smith guy works at Alstone Holdings, and while I don’t have anything on him yet, I will.” He finished speaking with a confident tone, and I didn’t doubt his words.
“It seems like we’re after the same guy. Want to work together to bring him down?”
It felt like I held my breath forever, waiting for his reply. But when it came, it was worth the wait.
“Yeah.”
“Thank you.” My words were breathed into the air between us, and he inclined his head forwards, just enough that it rested against mine.
Wanting to explain further, I began, “I’ve been investigating the dog fighting with James—”
“No,” he growled, his tone hard and possessive.
“Sorry, what?” I’d never heard him speak like that before, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“Fuck. Is this how Cade felt?” he muttered to himself, before directing his gaze at mine. “I don’t…whatever this thing is between us, we need to allow it time to…uh, develop.” His adamant tone was gone, replaced by uncertainty, and honestly? It made me melt. “I don’t want you hanging out with other guys. Alone.” His eyes narrowed, daring me to disagree, and my stomach flipped. “I…it’s not safe.”
“Okay,” I agreed easily, and he relaxed against me.
“Okay. Good.”
We stared at each other for a moment before I dropped my head to his shoulder. “This is so awkward,” I mumbled into his neck, feeling him laugh against me.
“Yeah. Let’s just take it one day at a time, okay?” His confidence had returned, and he stroked his hand up my back, making me shiver under his touch.
“That sounds good to me.” Suddenly shy, I directed my words at his jaw, unable to meet his gaze.
“Lena.” The seriousness of his tone had my eyes snapping to his. “I don’t know what I’m doing here.”
“That makes two of us.”
His hand came up to stroke my hair back from my face, and he cupped my chin. “Yeah. But I mean, I don’t want to hurt you, okay? You need to tell me if I do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”
Oh, fuck. Stupid tears filled my eyes.
“I don’t want to be broken anymore,” I choked out. “Please, West.” I couldn’t even articulate my feelings in my own head, let alone speak them out loud.
His eyes widened, filled with so much compassion that I couldn’t bear it.
“Fuck,” he breathed. “Is that really how you see yourself?” His arms tightened around me, and he pulled me into him. I let my head rest against his shoulder as he continued speaking. “You know what I see when I look at you? I see someone who’s been through unimaginable shit, come through the other side, and given it a giant fuck-you. You’re strong, Lena. So strong. Not only that, you’re a bloody genius. The shit you do as Mercury? Honestly, it leaves me in awe.” Gripping my chin again, he gently tilted my head up so I had no choice but to meet his eyes. “And on top of all that?” His gaze went soft, so soft that I melted against him as his voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re beautiful. Inside and out. So wild and untamed, so fucking far out of my league that I’m just waiting for you to come to your senses.”
My. Jaw. Dropped.
What was I supposed to say to that?
TWENTY
Her mouth opened and closed, and I barely stifled my grin. I’d made Lena Drummond speechless. I meant what I’d said, though. And I had to tread carefully. Not only had she been through shit that had clearly had a major effect on her, but she was my best mate’s sister, and I doubted he’d be very understanding if I fucked around with her. Not that I wanted to fuck around with her. No, I needed to get things straight in my head.
I knew two things, right at that moment, holding her against me. One, I didn’t care anymore about the fact that she’d hidden her identity as Mercury from me. And two? Yeah, I could admit it now—I was really attracted to her. My dick was in total agreement with my head, and it took all of my control to stay calm, to not treat her like one of my conquests. Lena was fucking special, and I wasn’t about to mess up any potential�
��whatever…between us.
With that in mind, I lifted her off me, setting her down next to me on the rock. She gave me a bit of a confused look but didn’t say anything.
“Tell me everything you know about the dog fighting.”
Her face cleared, and she began to speak.
As she recounted the details that had led us to this point, I began to build up a picture in my head. I wasn’t stupid—I’d heard the rumours of dog fighting being used as entertainment, and I knew that when Christine had been alive, she’d allowed the live fights to be streamed at her parties. Not out in the open of course, but there were always the discreet rooms away from the main party, packed with those of the Alstone elite who wanted a more sordid kind of entertainment. It wasn’t right, but I guess I’d buried my head in the sand about it, especially since at the time, both my brother and I had wanted as little as possible to do with my dad and his relationship with Christine.
Lena had been attempting to track down the local organisers of these fights, as and when she had a chance, in between school and home life and whatever other shit she had going on. Her intel had led her to what was supposed to be an exchange of actual animals but had turned out to be an exchange of money, and now she had this name. The name of the man I was investigating for potential financial discrepancies. With my dad’s suspicions, the red flags that had been raised the minute I’d seen Martin Smith in person, and now this? I didn’t have any proof, but my instincts were telling me that there was a link here.
With that in mind, I ran my hands through her hair and placed a soft kiss on Lena’s mouth. My head was telling me that getting involved with her while all this shit was going on, not to mention everything she’d been through, was a bad idea. But I guess I was a selfish bastard.