Honor

by Jay Crownover

  The big man scowled when she nudged him out of her way so she could come around the bar. I wondered what his story was as Reeve barreled into me for a hug. She’d changed a lot since hooking up with the hot cop. She wasn’t much of a hugger before, and as she pressed into me and I hugged her back I noticed what was probably the biggest change that had occurred since I had been gone. Her normally lithe and toned figure was a little bit softer and a whole lot fuller.

  I pulled back and looked at her with huge eyes. “The cop knocked you up!”

  She pulled back and gave me a little squeeze. Her eyes were an odd shade of dark blue that hovered on the edge of navy, and right now they were shiny with the kind of pure happiness I didn’t think existed in the Point.

  “He did.”

  I pointed at her barely-there belly and narrowed my eyes at her. “Why didn’t you mention something?”

  She put a protective hand over her stomach and shrugged. “I haven’t really said much to anyone.” She snorted and shoved some of her long, black hair behind her shoulder. “I see Nassir every single day and he hasn’t even noticed. Aside from Bax, Dovie, Race, and Brysen, no one really knows. It’s kind of just been in the family.” She hooked a thumb toward the big guy that was still watching us with narrowed eyes from the bar. “Killer over there was actually the first person to guess, but I think that’s because my hormones are all over the place and one minute I’m crying all over him and the next I’m threatening to cut his balls off if he doesn’t get out of my way.”

  My eyebrows shot up and I snickered. “I’m surprised Nassir let a stranger watch over his club for him.”

  Reeve shook her head and sighed. “Booker isn’t a stranger, and believe me, he’s paid his dues and then some. He deserves his place at the table with the rest of the shady and sinister.”

  It was my turn to sigh. I shifted on my tall shoes and looked toward the back of the club, where Nassir’s office, now Reeve’s office, was located. “Can we go back there and talk? I really don’t need the entire city to know how ridiculous I am.”

  She nodded and cupped her hands around her mouth to shout to the guy she called Booker that she would be back in a few. He just did that head-tilt thing guys did and turned his attention to his phone. I didn’t know who he was talking to, but I bet by the time I left the club, word of my sudden reappearance would be all over the city.

  Reeve took a seat behind the desk and groaned in obvious relief when she did so. She was barely showing, but growing another person was hard work, especially in a place like this.

  “I can’t believe you’re going to have a baby. Are you planning to leave the city once it’s here?”

  “No. Our life is here, and if that means making sure a baby is safe in that life, then that’s what we’ll do. Plus, you should see Bax.” She laughed. “No one believes me when I tell them that I think he’s more excited about this kid than Titus is. He calls me at least twice a day to check on me.”

  I blinked in shock. “I thought Bax hated you.” There was bad blood there because Reeve had been involved with something that threatened Bax’s girlfriend, Dovie. It hadn’t ended well, and Bax wasn’t the kind of guy to forgive and forget.

  She lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “He’s not my biggest fan, but he is infatuated with this little human inside of me. I think the idea of something new, the thought of a fresh start, appeals to him. This kid couldn’t have a better guardian angel looking out for him or her in this city.”

  I laughed. “No kidding.” Bax was a brick wall when it came to protecting those he cared about. It would take an army to get through him if he was keeping his new nephew or niece within his protective circle. Not to mention the baby’s dad was armed and dangerous in his own right. If any newborn had a fighting chance of having a normal life in this very abnormal place, it was this one.

  “I’m happy for you, Reeve.”

  “Thank you. Now tell me what’s up. I assume this look on your face is because you wasted no time in seeing the man behind the curtain when you got back to Oz.”

  I shoved my hands through the longer part of the front of my hair and tugged at the roots. “I’m losing it, you know? My mind that is.”

  She lifted a midnight-colored eyebrow at me and settled farther back into her chair. I tugged on my hair harder.

  “I can’t stop what I feel for him. I can’t stop playing his stupid games. When you mentioned the club, all I could hear was him whispering that he had a business proposition for me. I thought it would be ridiculous, that it was just one more way for him to keep me close so he could silently pull the strings in my life. And it is, but it isn’t. He really wants me to buy into the club, and the profit margin is huge.”

  “He’s a brilliant businessman. The things he does with money are fascinating to watch. He’s building his own infrastructure.”

  “He’s building an empire. He wants to control all the money and commerce that happens here. He’s going to be untouchable.” Except from me. I was determined to touch and to get him to touch in return. I needed his hand on me in order to have the upper hand in all our dealings with each other.

  Reeve rolled her eyes. “Look around, Key. He already is untouchable. Nothing that happens here doesn’t have his fingerprints on it somewhere. He’s been infecting the Point for years and now it’s spread so far and wide there’s no antidote.”

  “I know. That’s exactly why I wanted to tell him to shove it, but it’s too good of an opportunity to pass up. It’s legitimate money without having to shake my ass and show my tits.” I snorted. “Well, there will be some of that since he wants me to get people in the door.”

  “Like I said, he’s a smart businessman. People will show up because you’re there. Your sex appeal is enough to get the curious in the door, and once they’re in, Nassir will rob them blind.”

  I nodded in agreement. “I buy in and I have to stay. I can’t throw money at him and run. He won’t let me.”

  “Of course not. He wants you here. He wants you, period.”

  I gritted my teeth and my hands curled into fists where they were resting on my thighs. “He told me he wouldn’t touch me. He said it’ll be business only and he’ll keep his hands off. How in the hell am I supposed to work with him and be around him when I came back because I couldn’t stay away from him? He makes everything so fucking hard.”

  She bit down on her lower lip and twirled a piece of dark hair around a finger.

  “So what are you going to do about it?”

  Wasn’t that the million-dollar question? I threw my hands up in the air and let out another broken laugh. “I don’t know, and because I can’t stop myself from pushing back when he prods at me, I asked him to let me stay with him until I figure out where I want to live now that I’m back.”

  Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth then shut it, because really there were no words to describe how truly stupid that idea was. “Wow.”

  “I know. I’m an idiot.”

  I saw her blue eyes get darker and could almost see something working in her head. Reeve hadn’t lasted on the streets as long as she had by being stupid. She was a crafty young woman and had a hot cop and a baby on the way as proof. She tapped her fingers on the soft swell resting in front of her and considered me thoughtfully.

  “If you want an even playing field with him, you’re going to have to bring him to his knees.”

  “Can you picture Nassir on his knees for anyone?” The idea was laughable, but she nodded.

  “For the right person, even the most formidable man can bend. I’ve seen it happen with my own two eyes more than once.”

  I swore and looked down at the shiny toes of my stilettos. “What do I do if he does bend, Reeve? I end up fucked? Literally and figuratively? What happens if who I am disappears for real this time because Nassir is enough to suck even all of this into that vortex of menace and danger that swirls around him.” I gestured to my body and my painted face. Not easily missed but practically
invisible compared to the natural charisma and allure of my devil.

  “I guess that depends on what you do now that you’re back, Key. You wanted more before you left, you were working because you wanted to do something good. If you manage to do that, then you’ll never be overshadowed by any of the darkness that lives here, including Nassir.”

  I lifted my gaze back up at her and glared. “You are such a bitch.” It would take a pregnant former criminal and current strip-club manager to remind me that my ultimate goal had been to be my own woman, a woman of worth, a woman that would never let her light and brightness be eclipsed or undone by the man that moved between her and her world.

  She smiled at me and it lit her up from the inside out. She was a pretty woman normally, but now she was remarkable. She knew exactly what winning in this place looked like. “I missed you too.”

  I huffed out a sigh and fished my phone out of my bag as it pinged with a text message. I couldn’t stop the shiver and warm glide across my skin when I saw Nassir’s name in the box. I popped the message open.

  Chuck is coming to get you and bring you to my house.

  It was so like him. He didn’t ask if I had other plans, if I was busy, if I needed anything. He just issued commands and orders, expecting his edicts to be blindly followed. I wanted to defy him and I would have, but unfortunately all I had with me were the essentials in the bag at my feet and no other prospects for shelter for the night.

  Fine. I’m at the Empire.

  Not even two seconds passed before my phone dinged again.

  I know where you are. I always have.

  That shiver turned into a mini earthquake that raced across my soul. I wanted to feel invaded, violated, but I also didn’t. Even when they scared me, having those bronze eyes on me always made me feel safe and protected. I knew the Point was my playground because Nassir made it possible for me to play unfettered and unafraid. He was most definitely my devil, but he was also my guardian angel.

  I put the phone away and told Reeve that Chuck was on his way. She had me help her back to her feet and we went back into the club. The dancer that was on the stage was doing her routine to something bluesy and slow, which was a nice change of pace from the typical electronic beats that filled the space. She was also completely naked and contorted in a way that made me a little bit envious. There was a field of green bills on the stage, an obvious reward for her impressive performance.

  The big guy with the scar came over and tapped Reeve on the shoulder. He muttered something about a high roller getting too close to one of the girls in one of the private back rooms, so she squeezed me hard and told me to keep her updated. I nodded my agreement and kept my eyes locked on the girl onstage until a light touch landed on my shoulder. I would’ve jumped but I had spent so many years with Chuck watching my back that I would never miss his woodsy and fresh scent or his own special way of handling me. He was soft with me, gentle even. Maybe the only man that had offered me that in my entire life.

  “The boss sent me to snatch you up. You sure playing house with him is a good idea, little girl?”

  I hooked my arm through his and let him guide me out the door.

  “It’s the worst idea ever, but this has been a storm brewing for too long and the clouds can’t handle the weight anymore. It’s time for a downpour.”

  He huffed out a breath and took me to a huge black SUV that had windows tinted so dark they were almost impossible to see into or out of.

  “You think you can handle the flood?”

  “I can’t be away from him and I can’t live a life where I’m nothing more than his pretty bauble. Something has to give, Chuck. There has to be more than desire and denial between the two of us.”

  Chuck pulled open the door, but before I could climb up into the tall vehicle, he bent his head and brushed his lips across my forehead. I closed my eyes and let my forehead fall so that it rested in the center of his beefy chest.

  “I would never bet against, Nassir. I’ve seen what the man can do and have watched him systematically rebuild this city on the bones of what Novak left behind. In this case, all my money is on you, little girl. You have always been scrappy and determined. You have bested him like no one else ever has. You keep him in check.”

  I pulled back with a laugh and lifted up on my toes so that I could kiss him on his cheek. “Your faith in me is greatly appreciated and grossly inflated, old man.”

  I hopped up into the seat as he swung the door closed and walked around to the driver’s side of the vehicle. He got in with much less effort and wheeled us out of the parking lot. We made small talk on the way out of the city. Leave it to Nassir to build a kingdom in the gutter and not want to lay his head there. At first I thought we were headed to the affluent part of the city, simply called the Hill, but Chuck kept going past the burbs and past the Hill right out of town, toward the foothills that rested on the outskirts of the city. I asked him a few times where exactly we were headed but he just kept rambling about the new club, about what an amazing job Reeve had done with the place, and he even had heaps of praise to lay on Booker. I was shocked he wasn’t sad to see his old position turned over to someone so much younger and someone obviously so much rougher than he had ever been. He kept up a steady stream of conversation until we suddenly stopped at a massive wrought-iron gate that looked like it had been carved into the side of the mountain.

  I was struck speechless as a man in an all-black uniform armed with an assault rifle stepped out of someplace I didn’t see and waited while Chuck rolled down the window. The guard and Chuck knocked fists like guys did and the other man’s gaze flicked to me.

  “Go ahead and head up. The boss just showed up a few minutes ago.”

  “Thanks.”

  The window rolled back up and Chuck looked at me out of the corner of his eye as I sputtered, “He has armed guards watching his house?” Jesus, he really was like a Bond villain or something.

  “You’re surprised? Nassir has made a lot of enemies over the years and you would be shocked how many have nothing to do with his business in the city. He’s earned a lot but he’s taken even more. Armed guards at the gate are the least of the security measures he has around this place.”

  Another one that was obvious was the long, winding drive that led up to the house. It had to be at least a couple miles long, and even out of the darkened windows all I could see was a dense grouping of trees and foliage. It looked imposing and impenetrable. Nassir had gone and built himself a castle deep within the goddamn woods. It was unbelievable.

  Once we rolled to a stop in front of the house, I was again surprised at what waited for me. I was expecting something modern, some kind of fortress of glass and steel hewn into the mountainside. I was expecting a monolith that proclaimed expense and extravagance . . . instead, what was waiting for me was a log cabin. Well, not a cabin exactly, but if there was such a thing as a log mansion, then that’s what greeted me as I swung my legs out of the car.

  It was sprawling, rustic, and blended into the forested setting perfectly. “Nassir does not live in a log house, Chuck.” Disbelief was thick in my voice.

  He chuckled and started up the front steps.

  “Seriously, a guy that only wears Armani and Prada does not live in the middle of the forest like a lumberjack. What is going on here?”

  “Sanctuary can look different for everyone, hon. It can look like a seedy strip club or a cabin in the woods. As long as that place feels safe to the people inside that’s all that matters.”

  I followed him to the front door and waited while he rang the bell. I felt like someone had dropped me in the middle of a horror movie and any second now a psycho killer was going to jump out of the woods and hack me to bits. This couldn’t be real life. My incredulity grew even larger when a woman that looked to be in her early twenties opened the door and smiled at Chuck.

  She was dressed in all black and her gaze sharpened when it landed on me. She was really pretty, very petite, with long
chocolate-colored hair and eyes. Her figure was killer and I knew from experience the shoes she had on her dainty little feet cost well over a grand. I couldn’t help but stare at them as she ushered us into the house. I didn’t know who she was but she seemed friendly enough toward Chuck even if she dismissed me as soon as I stepped over the threshold.

  “Nassir is in the kitchen. He told me to expect a guest. I have a room made up for you in the guest wing of the house.”

  She didn’t introduce herself, didn’t spare me another look, just turned on those spectacular heels and disappeared somewhere into the belly of the house.

  I looked at Chuck out of the corner of my eye. “She seems nice.”

  He grinned at me and guided me toward where I assumed the kitchen was. “Bayla used to work for the boss in a different capacity.” He lifted his eyebrows up and I nodded that I understood. She was one of his escorts. Figured. Girls that looked like that really only had a few options when it came to making a living in the Point and most of them involved selling themselves in one way or another.

  “When the house was completed he offered her a job looking after it. I think they come from similar backgrounds, and contrary to popular belief, the boss can be empathetic.”

  I wanted to ask exactly where it was they had come from. I really knew so little about the man that been such a huge factor in my life for so long. The words never made it out, though, because we rounded the corner and I suddenly found myself in a sprawling, totally modern kitchen that had all the glass and stainless steel the outside of the house was missing. I was impressed, but it was the sight of Nassir, shirtless, with his back to me as he scrubbed his hands in the massive farm sink, that made me go numb.