“I assure you, Mr. Masterson, I’m not naive. I realize fully what my telling you all of this means, but I’m trusting my sister’s judgment regarding you and your club. As I’ve said before, this isn’t new information to me or her, nor is it something we would discuss with the general public or anyone else, for that matter. And let's be honest here, if I had, can you say you wouldn’t have already heard about it and corrected the problem?”
Tuck slightly nodded, acknowledging her statement, so she went on.
"As I said, your organization found Kayla, saved her, and got her the help she needed. Her father used the rescue to his advantage, announcing his daughter’s ordeal to the world and how very grateful he was to the men who saved her. He even went as far as going on talk shows to discuss how he was at Kayla’s side while she recovered. We all know that’s not true, but you have to wonder what the motivation behind that was, right?"
“I’ll bite what was it?” Crash said,
Crash’s comment and tone actually helped her to relax a little bit, not much, but it was something; she didn’t know how much more of this she could take.
“That is the tricky part. We both believe he used the public to protect himself, putting a spotlight on him. You guys did the dirty work with the other club taking them down, what did he have to fear?”
“Or” Crash countered, “he’s just another egomaniac who likes the spotlight, and Kayla’s ordeal provided him with a couple of minutes of fame.”
“He is that,” Braya had to acknowledge, “but prior to Kayla’s rescue, had you ever heard of Duncan Stewart?”
“No, but why would we?” Tuck answered this time. “Men like him are a dime a dozen. So,” he said shrugging his massive shoulder “he has money, a lot of fuckers do.”
“The money isn’t the issue. Hell, his status in the world isn’t. Duncan Stewart has been ordered to stay out of the limelight. That way, for all intents and purposes, his reputation stays clean. Him going public even about Kayla would have infuriated his brother-in-law, but it also tied his hands. He couldn’t use Kayla again as collateral for whoever was threatening him.”
Chapter Six
Crash felt a headache forming and knew it was quickly going to turn into a migraine. This woman, Braya Collins, had information and connections that baffled his mind, but she wasn’t wrong. One thing that had always bothered him about Kayla’s rescue was it was just as Braya had said, a coincidence. They hadn’t been sent in to find her and rescue her. Through the years, he had thought about that fact but had never put much weight into it after her father made a big deal, a big media deal about her rescue. The RBMC was never mentioned, but the man had changed the facts to portray himself in the best possible light—the concerned, distraught father. Crash had looked into the man, disliking him instantly, but like Braya had said, his connection was hidden deep. He and Tuck shared a look, and he knew Tuck was thinking the same thing.
“Listen, I have no reason to ever tell anyone what I know about your organization, hell I don’t even want to. You guys do good things for good people, Kayla is proof of that, and because of what you’ve done,” Braya said, looking right at him, “I’ll be eternally grateful for the rest of my life. Plus, bonus—who in their right mind is going to believe a preschool teacher knows anything about rogue government agencies and conspiracies, let alone mafias, cartels, or anything like that? You have my word I’ll never discuss it outside of this room or with my sister when and if we find her.”
“Listen I appreciate your willingness to keep this to yourself, but in our world, people can be made to talk if the person asking wants the information bad enough,” Tuck said. So, that’s not a promise you can actually make, well intentions aside.”
Tuck wasn’t joking, hell, Crash had endured an interrogation several times, and he too doubted she had the wherewithal to keep her knowledge of the RBMC to herself. He needed to think about that shit but was stuck on the way she choked a little when she said ‘when and if.' Crash felt the need to do something, hell, he felt like he wanted to pick her up sit her in his lap and wrap his arms around her, to keep the whole damn world away from her. That thought unsettled the shit out of him.
Crash fucked women, played with them for a little while, and threw them away. He didn’t comfort and coddle them, it wasn’t in his nature. Kayla, she had come the closest, but that was because she reminded him so much of…
Crash got up and started pacing, he needed to move. He sure as fuck didn’t want to go down that memory lane—not now, not ever. It sucked. He needed to stay in the here and now and figure out a way to help Kayla and her sister. Keep them safe even from the current situation and the shit that was bound to blowback, due to their knowledge of the RBMC. Then he needed to get the fuck away from both of them; obviously, they fucked with his head in a way that wasn’t good for anyone, especially him.
“I looked into the bank, as I’m sure Braya did as well,” Tuck spoke up. “You can’t access the safe deposit box without each other. It requires both of your fingerprints. I’ve also put out some feelers , and Kayla is off the radar of just about everyone. We can’t find her, she’s well off the grid. That concerns me.”
Braya made a sound halfway between a gasp and choking hiccup. He knew how she felt; he didn’t like it any better, but hearing it made it a reality. Crash knew Tuck would have pulled strings and called in favors to get Kayla’s whereabouts, and if he couldn’t, that meant bad shit, shit he didn’t even want to think about.
“I suggest the two of you leave as soon as possible. I can have a plane chartered and ready for you within the hour.”
“Fuck no!” Crash said, turning from his pacing to his President. “I’m not flying and you,” he said, pointing at Tuck, “know that.”
“Dude, we don’t have time for this. Whatever Kayla put on that drive is the only way to find her. You know as well as I do, the longer we draw this out, the harder it will be to find her or more specifically, save her ass before more damage is done. You and I both know she has been through enough. Drink a bottle of Jack or get some Bud, I don’t care, you need to get yourself on that plane.”
Crash’s pained mind went haywire, and he could feel perspiration forming on his damn forehead. He didn’t do planes, not anymore, not ever again. Once upon a time, they were his life, but like his road name suggested, he crashed and burned one too many times, and people got hurt. He wasn’t one of the lucky ones. He didn’t have the luxury of coming out of the service unscathed. He had demons, big ones, and they all surrounded being in or around planes. Well, not all of them. Others were more personal in nature, but he wasn’t going to think about those issues. The fact was, he wasn’t going to fly in one ever again. It was a pact he’d made with himself, and if he had to break that pack, he sure as fuck wasn’t going to let someone else pilot the damn thing. Thinking fast, he realized something when he looked at the clock on Tuck’s office wall.
“It’s Saturday night; even if we got on a plane within the next hour, we wouldn’t be in El Paso until after the bank is closed. That gives me tonight, all of tomorrow, and the morning of the next day to get to El Paso without taking a damn plane. Unless you have a connection that can get us into the bank sooner, I’m not setting foot on a fucking plane.”
“Dude, that’s like a twenty-four-hour drive,” Tuck admonished.
“And your point?” Crash countered. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been on long drives before, hell, they’d done runs for the club that were longer. In his mind, it was a no brainer, he could do it with little to no problem. Then he looked at Braya—little to no problem flew out the window as fast as he thought it. She was a big ass problem.
Just then she cleared her throat and said, "I can take a plane, he can drive, and we can meet up at the bank." She said it like it was nothing as if the last half hour of conversation hadn’t happened. She smiled a little, but he was about to burst her bubble, big time.
“Are you stupid or just dense to what’s going on here
? We don’t have the first clue where your sister is. She could have been taken by any number of fucked-up organizations, and you want to what? Go to an airport, hop on a plane all by yourself? Thinking what, no one will notice me? Didn’t you read the letter Kayla sent you? She doesn’t know if you’re in danger. Hell, we don’t know if you're in danger of being watched, but if what you said before is true, I would have to say it’s common sense that when something horrible happens to her, it happens to you too. Or am I wrong?”
“Crash,” Tuck chided, but Crash had enough for one day.
“No, she doesn’t get any slack right now. She admitted she dabbles in playing spy girl, that she lived a life on the edge, but you and I both know she’s a fucking fairy princess and about as safe as a babe in the fucking woods. Whatever advantage she had from her upbringing is gone. Anyone of those organizations would be on her in a fucking second.”
“I managed to make it here all by myself,” Braya grumped.
“Did you? Or maybe, Tuck made sure of it. Tank and Creed looked a little worse for wear when I pulled up outside. I wonder where they have been for the last couple of days. Haven’t seen them around. I have a feeling once she made that call, you put them on her ass. Am I right?”
Tuck didn’t even look a little sheepish when he said, “You would be.” Braya, on the other hand, looked pale and shocked.
“You had me followed?”
“Yes. It was in both our best interests to do so, and Crash isn’t wrong. We weren’t the only ones who were on your tail. My guys were able to turn your tail in another direction, so to speak, but that doesn’t mean it would last.”
“But you said you would charter a plane. That’s private, so I wouldn’t be in harm's way like you said. Now, all of sudden it a worst case scenario thing. What the hell?”
Crash had enough.
“That’s for the plane ride, sweetheart, not for the time you would spend in the airport or out of it. You're riding with me, and that’s final. We get to El Paso, pull the drive out of the bank, and I get your ass back here. Then I go and find your sister. That’s the only way your cute ass will be kept safe and sound.”
Braya looked at him, crinkling her nose up in disgust at his words but didn’t address him. Nope, not this woman, she went right for Tuck.
“Isn’t there another way? Can’t one of the other guys follow me like before? I’m ashamed to admit it, but I didn’t even notice them. They have to be good at their jobs. I could, say, pay for a bodyguard or something if time and money isn’t an issue.”
“Sorry, honey, but Crash here is your best option, Tuck smiled. “Think of it like going to the doctor or something. It will only hurt for a little while, then it will all be good.”
Crash let that insult go; he knew Tuck was just being Tuck. Braya looked like she wanted to say something but kept her mouth shut. Crash was pretty sure she was trying to come up with a plan that didn’t involve the two of them driving together for an entire day, but he would make damn well sure those plans, as well as any other she could come up with, would be shot down as well.
Tuck addressed him like his CO. With all the other stuff out of the way, the operation took precedence.
“I want you to take one of the SUVs. I also want Jinx to set up hotel stops along the way and alternative routes. If you leave in a couple of hours, you should have time enough to get to El Paso, bunk down for a few hours, and beat the bank's doors when they open in the morning on Monday. I also want to contact a couple of people to watch out for the two of you on the way, the Fallen Soldiers and Valkyrie to be exact. They run along those lines, and I trust both groups. I also think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put a couple of the Renegades on your tail, close enough for comfort, but not close enough to be seen. I can set that up with Caine. Any objections?”
The Soldiers and Renegades, he was fine with. Those men knew what they were doing and would technically, watchdog for the trip. The Valkyrie, that was a big problem for him. The VP of that club, Jewell, and he had a past and not a good one. And with the Valkyrie, if one hated you, the others did as well, so he had to wonder if they would actually have his and Braya’s backs or put a target on them.
“I’ll contact Calypso myself and make sure all the ladies behave,” Tuck said picking up on his train of thought. Braya caught on to what he and Tuck were saying but not saying.
“Another group of women who aren’t really enamored with you? Surprise, surprise.”
Crash was going to let it go, he really was, but Tuck got up and said he had shit to do, walking out of the office, leaving them alone. Braya took that as her cue and stood up as well, but before she could take a step, Crash herded her toward the wall, totally invading her personal space but not touching her, using his body to guide her. She looked a little freaked, but he also noticed she wasn’t the least bit scared—big mistake on her part, but he would take it.
When he stepped just a fraction closer, her hands came up, touching his chest. He could swear the heat in them scalded his skin and sent a sharp spike of arousal up his dick. He hadn’t popped a boner that quickly since he was a kid, but he wasn’t going to think about it; it felt good. This woman made him feel all sorts of fucked-up shit. Good or bad, he was going to go with it, at least for this moment. She made a little squeaking noise when he leaned his head toward her ear, making sure to brush his nose along her cheek first.
“Babe, all women want what I have to offer. It’s not about being enamored because of my charms or the way I talk, it’s about what a bad guy can give them.” Brushing his knuckles over her distended nipple, he said, “They crave it, hell, you crave it. I bet your panties are soaking wet, just thinking about shedding that good girl exterior and playing around with a truly bad man for a night.”
He felt her hands shake a little, her breathing picked up slightly, and a flush covered her cheeks and neck. Yeah, he pegged her right. She might not like him, but she wanted him, at least on some level. Too bad he wasn’t ever going to give it to her. Braya Collins wasn’t the type of woman he played around with. She stood for white picket fences, two point five kids, and happily ever after. Crash stood for chaos, destruction, and an early grave. The two didn’t mesh. He had considered giving that type of life a try for Kayla, but only because he knew, deep down, she would never be attached to him, Would never require anything from him beyond friendship. It would have gotten the Ol’ Ladies off his back, but that fantasy was short-lived on both their parts.
Braya, she was just different. He knew she would expect and want strings from a man, and Crash didn’t believe in them. That didn’t mean he didn’t love riling her up a bit because fuck, looking at her now, she hit him in all the right spots. She surprised him when she pushed him back with force, then looked him up and down, examining him.
“My panties, not that they are any of your business, are dry as a bone, Mr. St. John. You should never make assumptions when it comes to a woman. That’s the first and only advice I’ll ever give you, so take it to heart. I’ve played with a truly bad man before, and you’re right, it was fun,” the minx said, biting her bottom lip, her eyes unfocused as if she was remembering something.
Crash didn’t like it one bit, he wanted her thinking about him. It didn’t make sense, and he didn’t need the hassle of figuring it out at the moment. What she had done though, was distract him enough to get out from in front of him. By the time he caught on, she was already at the door but didn’t remain quiet. Nope, he was finding out quickly that wasn’t Braya’s way.
“You know what I found out about being with that truly bad man?” She waited a couple of seconds. Crash didn’t say a word, still kind of stunned she had maneuvered him so well.
“After all the bells and whistles, the phenomenal sex, and outstanding orgasms. After all the sparks diminish, you’re just left with a bad man. It isn’t worth the effort,” she shrugged her shoulders and walked out of the room. Crash just stood there stunned for a second.
Chapter Seven
Braya walked out of Tuck's office at a fast clip, no idea where she was going or what she was going to do when she got there. All she knew was she needed to get away from Crash. He was an ass, rude, obnoxious and a shit ton of other things she could name right at the moment, but he also hit all her hot buttons. The asshole was sexy as fuck, and if Braya could create a dream man, he would resemble Ryker St. John, minus the attitude. It had to be because of adrenaline or something. She read somewhere it did weird things to a person, or hell it had been so long since she actually fucked a man, it could be she was just freaking horny. Then she chided herself, why the hell would she be horny in this situation? It was the least sexy thing in the world. Her sister was missing, people were following her, and she had to deal with assholes. Not exactly bowchickawowwow territory.
Then again, she had been witness to several live sex acts earlier, maybe that was it. Her mind saw it, and her body wanted it, regardless of who the hell it was. Before that thought even finished, she knew it wasn’t true. Tucker Masterson was one fine specimen of a man and not once had she thought 'yum, I want some of that.' Nope, Braya's mind and body chose the asshole—go figure. What was it about that man that made her want to drop her pants and panties and say, 'Take me, daddy?' It just didn’t make any sense.
She couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. Why the hell was she even attracted to the man? Yes, he was gorgeous, but she had never been a woman who only looked at the packaging. She had always required just a little more. Like a sense of humor or hell, simple curiosity, and Ryker “Crash” St. John had shown her none of that.
Not good, not good at all. Nope, she wasn’t even going to let her mind go to where he tried to steer it. One night with him might be worth the heartache... well, maybe—she shook her head for like the fiftieth time since she met the man—maybe not. Nothing good could come from the two of them together, Braya knew that. She also knew Kayla wouldn’t like it, and that stopped her train of thoughts altogether. Kayla had issues, understandable issues when it came to men, but for some reason, she cared about Crash. That meant there had to be feelings of some kind there. Braya would never do anything to hurt Kayla, she had already been through enough.
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