by Nana Malone
Keep telling yourself that.
In the driver’s seat, Bridge complained. "East, mate, I thought you were a hacker. Can I get some assistance with the goddamn traffic lights? Or even better, the fucking police?"
Next to Rian, East groused. "Would you fucking relax? The police have already been sent to Rian's place. They're looking through her flat now. I've sent police to your place too, Ollie.”
I stared at him. "Why would you send them to my place?"
"Because we want to give Rian's story credibility, otherwise, they're going to focus too much on her. Neither one of you wants that."
Rian's eyes went wide. "Why would they focus on me?"
"Well, when a hit squad breaks into your place and tries to off you so that you need to jump right out of the window, the police are going to ask all sorts of questions, like who you are, who did you shag, and what's your history here. I think you don't want anyone looking too closely, yes?" East asked with a questioning expression.
She flushed and ducked her head. "Yeah."
Okay, so that meant they knew about her past. And they’d still hired her?
Of course, they hired her, you knob. She didn't do anything wrong. Max did. And you helped clear her name.
The thing was, there were still people on the police force who had wanted to pin it on her. I'd made certain that they hadn't. My alibi for her had been airtight. And best of all, true. To protect her, I'd sold out Max.
You didn't sell him out, you just didn't corroborate that you were with him or that you'd even seen him. You just left him flapping in the wind.
Well, it was the right thing to do. Rian hadn't had anything to do with the robberies. Max had been willing to sell her out. But then, that was my brother for you.
We made another skidding turn, and this time, Rian held on to my arm. I could lie and say I didn't like it, but I wasn't going to. Her automatic reach for me was something I enjoyed too much. But that thought was far too complicated to get into now. I just needed to focus on what was in front of me.
"How did you lot know to come and get us?" I muttered, staring directly at East Hale.
He laughed. "Mate, you're not exactly hiding. Laying low, maybe, but you were hardly inconspicuous. So we asked some questions. You’ve really got to learn to look for a tail."
I frowned. "What are you on about? No one was tailing me."
"Would you know if somebody was?"
I smirked. "No more than you."
"All right then, the both of you were being tailed by Colton Cox's men. He clocked her after the little restaurant scuffle. Apparently, he claims he had a million quid stolen from him, and he suspects her."
“What the fuck are you on about? What restaurant scuffle?”
She stared at me. "You stole how much from him? And yeah, I haven’t seen you long enough to tell you about it yet."
I played it safe. "Also, I didn't steal anything from him. I won a bet."
She shook her head. "Oh my God. He's going to kill me. I’m going to die because I got involved with you."
From the front seat, Bridge sighed. "He's not going to kill you."
But Rian wasn't hearing any of it. "Jesus Christ, I knew you were trouble. I knew it. God, I never learn my lesson. First your brother, now you. I was just minding my own business, and the next thing I knew, you were kidnapping me. And now gangsters want to kill me."
Ben turned around. "Um, anyone want to explain the kidnapping thing?"
Rian started to explain. "Yes. Well, I overheard him and his friends—"
I put my hand on her wrist and sighed. "That's enough, Rian."
She glowered at me. "Well, I mean, it was a kidnapping."
"No, that was a misunderstanding. You climbed into my lorry, remember?"
She mumbled. "Well, that's because I was convinced that idiot friend of yours was going to kill me."
"No one was going to kill you until you turned up unannounced."
"That wasn't my fault."
From the front seat, Bridge's voice was low and full of command. "Shut it. Both of you."
Rian stopped talking. I followed suit.
She stared dead ahead, and I turned to look out the window.
I could feel the stares of East and Ben directly on me, and Bridge mimicked them in the rearview mirror. I hoped to God my mates we're well and clear of this mess. I had a feeling these three men were going to want a whole slew of answers. Answers I wasn't ready to give them yet.
Ollie
So this was Belgravia.
I’d planned an early job in this neighborhood, one just off the square. Some ‘rich knobs,’ as Max had put it, owed him money. I didn't want to know what happened to those rich knobs, because knowing my brother now, I knew the answer wouldn't be something I'd like.
Olivia had taken Rian upstairs to finish her interrupted shower and grab some clothes. While she was out of earshot, I asked, “So, how bad is it?"
The three London Lords lounged easily around the room.
"Like I said, what am I dealing with here?"
Bridge sat forward. "You’ve got to recognize when you're being helped, mate."
"Help? How do you even know I need help?"
Drew Wilcox had been waiting for us when we arrived at Ben’s house, and he shrugged. "Well, considering you somehow got involved with a human trafficking situation, uh, been there. Done that. Let's not go there again, yeah?"
My eyes went wide. "What?"
East started howling with laughter.
"No, the human trafficking incident is far behind us, but your face... Oh my God.”
I started calling for Rian, and Ben quickly stood. "Don't listen to Drew. We don't participate in human trafficking, you knob."
Drew shrugged. "What? No. Of course we don't, but it wouldn't be the first time some secret society blokes did something like that."
“You’ve been observing me this whole time?”
Bridge sighed and pushed to his feet. "You were warned that you were being watched, but still, at every opportunity you had to ask for help, you chose the wrong option."
I swallowed hard. “I didn’t want to jeopardize my future.”
Ben shook his head. “No. You wanted to solve it on your own. You have to remember, you’re not on your own anymore. And now Colton Cox is after you.”
This wasn’t going well.
East pulled his laptop off the coffee table. With a few quick taps, he said, "All right, Oliver Wexler, age twenty-two, has a twenty-six year old brother named Maximillian and a younger sister named Tessa who is just seventeen. Your mum yanked you out of the village and promptly had you tested when you were eight. It turned out you were quite bright. You won a scholarship to the local private school. All fees paid. You excelled. Again, got offered a scholarship to Eton, where you boarded. Upon your father's death when you were twelve, you came home, and your brother, Maximillian, started getting up to no good.”
I swallowed hard. How did he know all this? Where was he getting his information? Had one of my mates talked?
East just continued on. "Max, your brother, lovely bloke, honestly." He gave me a look that clearly said he didn't buy that. "Your brother Max started using that big brain of yours, planning heists. Always careful, never getting caught.”
I swallowed hard. "You have the wrong bloke."
Ben and Bridge exchanged looks but said nothing.
East continued. "You went back to school, and then your mom got ill and died. You were thirteen. Max at that time was seventeen. He dropped out of school and started looking after Tessa. You tried to leave school, but he stopped you from doing that. He was the head of the family. But then that's when he started doing jobs in London, isn't it?"
I swallowed. "Wow, you've built yourself up a fantasy, haven't you? Are you in love with my brother?"
Ben snorted at that. "Oh, this is where it gets juicy."
East leaned forward. "When you were sixteen, you and your brother met a girl. And you both
fancied her. But she was with Max. It really got to you, didn't it?"
"That's enough." I swallowed hard. They knew. They knew every fucking thing about me.
East sighed. "When are you going to realize that I know everything. Your brother sold Rian out. Tried to pin the jobs on her, a young, defenseless sixteen-year-old girl here in England visiting her aunt. Do you know why he tried to pin it on her?"
The dark wash of shame cinched me still as it burned. "Stop."
"Because of you. He knew you fancied his girlfriend. He knew she fancied you back. You didn't know it, but he'd somehow figured it out, seen it, suspected it. And he threw her under the bus because of it. If it hadn't been for you vouching for her and giving her an alibi, she’d be spending time in jail.”
"Look, I got her out of the shit. I got her sent home. That's all that matters."
East nodded. "We know. Your brother is the problem. Through the years, he's been busy. Skipped town on a debt owed to Rome DuPont. No one skips out on Rome. A million pound debt. Just what kind of mess did he get himself into?"
"You seem to know everything about me. You tell me."
Bridge strutted over then. "Look kid, we're not judging you. We've all been put in a shitty place before."
I eyed him up and down in his sleek bespoke suit. "Yeah, I'm sure you have."
"What you see now is not the man that I used to be. We can make this go away."
"And what, make me indebted to your little club or whatever? No dice."
He sighed. "Look, the Elite changed my life. It gave me an opportunity. You got involved in some shit you wanted no part of, all because of your brother, and you’ve been trying to make up for him ever since. You felt you owed him. He made it seem like you did. But you don't owe him anything. He skipped out on you and your sister, leaving you to hold the bag. Now, what bothers us is this; what did he have to do to get that kind of money?"
"Like I said, you tell me. You already know everything."
Ben sat forward. "We chose you for the Elite because it needs an overhaul. Not these posh boys with silver spoons, but real men that can make changes. We're trying to reform it."
"Ha-ha, with criminals?"
Bridge shrugged. "With men who are good at the core and will do what it takes to protect their friends and family. We need more of you."
Drew, came forward, serious for a change. "What they're trying to tell you is that they can save your life. And in a way, you can save ours. We need more lads like you. Smart lads who can see the world for what it is, who are willing to do what it takes, and at the core of it, who will make the right choices. We do, however, need you alive.”
"What do you want me to do?"
“Right now go talk to Rian. We’ll figure out how to get you out of this.”
Twenty-Four
Rian
"I'm sorry. But would somebody please tell me what the fuck is going on around here?"
It was Olivia who met my gaze. "It’s a long story. I’m not sure where to even start."
The pretty brunette called Nyla told her to start with Toby. And in the next thirty minutes I got a crash course in the Elite, Ben, Bridge, East, and Drew. By the end of it my head hurt.
“Wow for that kind of a story, I'm glad to have underwear on. I don’t even know how to process all that."
Nyla spoke up then. "Yeah, welcome to the team."
“Do I have a choice? What if I really want to go back to my life and go back to my flat?"
Olivia winced. "You know, I don’t think it’s safe to go back to your apartment right now. You will, eventually. That’s for sure. But for now, you'll need to stay here for a couple of days. Lay low."
“Why was Ollie in my flat?"
It was Nyla's turn to explain. "We don't know. All we know is that Bridge realized something was going on with you two in Monaco. He had you tailed.”
Telly laughed and waved a hand. "That was me."
"So you’ve known about Colton Cox this whole time and you said nothing?"
"The lads wanted Oliver to come and ask for help.” The woman with the dark curly locks laughed. “Also, my love, next time, if you have an adventure in fucking Monaco, tell a bitch, would you? I would have put some money on the roulette tables."
Heat effused my body. "Shit, you know about that?"
Olivia laughed. "Yeah, we do. We pieced the story together from hotel cameras. Ollie and his lads were very clever. They missed one camera though. The one outside the parking area at the marina. There's a check cashing place in the corner. It caught you tumbling out of the back of the van.”
I sighed. Jesus. "I didn’t know what was going on then. I overheard some people planning to rob some place, so I ran. I was hiding behind the back of a car. When the guy chasing me still didn’t get off my tail, I climbed in the back of a van. And then that van started to move, and I realized I was in real trouble."
Telly just started to laugh. "Oh my God, Liv, she sounds just like you."
"Honestly, it wasn't my fault," I finished feebly.
Nyla shook her head. "Oh my God, Telly’s right. She sounds like you, Liv."
These women, Livy and Jessa's friends, they'd immediately surrounded me with love, affection, and help when I'd been dragged down to the street with my tits flapping and no underwear on. I didn't know how to say thank you.
"I'll pay you back for all these clothes."
Olivia laughed. "Honey, I hadn't even opened some of those. They're yours. I've got a drawer full of clothes for you. While you stay here, you're fine. And the boys will send someone over to collect some stuff if you want your things specifically."
"I can't stay here."
Telly snorted. "Do you know that she has a sauna downstairs? And a lap pool. A lap pool in the middle of London. Belgravia no less!"
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Welcome to Covington house. Telly is very impressed by Ben's sauna and pool."
Nyla laughed. "Hell, I'm impressed by your salon downstairs."
Livy shrugged. "I never use it, actually. Ugh, you know Ben. He prefers the hair with that freshly fucked looked, and it's very annoying."
Telly rolled her eyes. "Don't brag. It's unbecoming."
I felt like I was in the twilight zone. Who were these women? What the fuck was going on with my life?
Returning to London had been a way for me to reclaim my life. Patch the old wounds. A fresh start. But this… This was far beyond anything I could have imagined. "So what's going to happen now? What happens to Ollie?"
They all exchanged glances. "Not sure yet."
"Right now, all you have to worry about is that you're protected. We’ll move on from there."
I looked at Olivia with wonder. "Wow, so you got accidentally kidnapped too?"
"Yes, it can happen."
Nyla laughed. "Oh my God, you fit right in."
I chewed my bottom lip. "Is Ollie going to be okay?"
Telly laughed. "Ollie, huh? He's sexy, I’ve got to tell you. That brooding, intense thing, it's hot. And the way he watches you…"
My insides did a flip flop as I thought of Ollie’s intense gaze. "He does have a laser focus."
All three of them laughed. "Intense," said Telly. "I love Carmen and I really don’t miss dick. But lord, those intense looks. I am so here for.”
My cheeks flushed. "It's complicated. If you knew our history, you would know why."
Telly jumped in. "My money is on love, gorgeous."
Nyla studied me closely. "Mine too."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "I don’t bet against these two."
I lifted my brow. "You know you guys are all giving me incentives to hold out, right?"
Telly grinned. "If you think you can."
I shook my head. "No, it's not going to happen, okay? We’re just no good for each other. I just want to know when I can go back home. There are things I need to do."
Telly lifted a brow. "Things we can help with?"
I wasn't used to having people around wanting
to help me with things. "No, I can handle it on my own."
Nyla patted my knee. "Look, we get it. It's weird. It is very odd to have people on your side. And trust me, you’re a lot like me. You’re not used to a large family. But like it or not, you’ve been inducted. Why don’t you just get your bearings for now. When you’re ready, we’ll all talk. But just so you know, you’re not alone. Whatever is coming at you right now, it’s coming for all of us. You're not on your own anymore."
Her words had me blinking rapidly with tears threatening to spill over. When was the last time I’d felt like I'd had real family? And in a span of eighteen hours, I suddenly had a whole set of strangers willing to welcome me with open arms.
Rian
The knock on my door was soft. At first I thought it was Olivia coming back to check on me before she went to bed, but when I said come in, it was Ollie who poked his head in.
"All right, Rian? I wanted to talk to you."
I pushed up from the couch. "Sure, what about?” I’d been too keyed up to sleep so I’d curled up on the massive couch in the room and pulled a book off the shelf to read. Not that I could concentrate even a little.
“Besides the men chasing us from your flat, trying to shoot at us?"
I had to chuckle at that. Because men had chased us from my flat. My flat that work paid for. And then my bosses had turned up and rescued us.
I felt so discombobulated, so separated, so distant from everything else. I didn't know what to do or what to say. Just how was this suddenly my life? I gestured to the other side of the couch. It was probably safer he join me on the couch than on the bed.
"Yeah. Well, I think maybe we should talk about, you know… everything."
Ollie swallowed hard. "I'm so sorry, Rian. This is my fault. I did this. I should have backed away from you the moment I saw you fall out of the van, but I was desperate, and I just—" He shook his head. "I don't know what else I could've done, you know. Involving you was a bad call. Because now you're in danger, and I don't know how to protect you or save you."
“You pulled the full knight-in-shining-armor duties, and it’s appreciated.”