by Ivy Riggs
"Bullshit," Jake hissed. "You only care because you're with Heather now."
"So?" Derick challenged, lifting his chin. "What does it matter why I did it?"
"I imagine it matters a lot to Jimmy. And to me," Jake replied, jabbing an accusing finger into Derick's arm. "You screwed us, man. We'd be rolling in dough if Jimmy had managed a sale for that car and you know it. Fucking Heather ain't gonna pay the bills."
"Don't talk about her like that," Derick growled in warning.
Jake rolled his eyes, but subsided, pulling his sunglasses back into place and slouching in his seat.
The receptionist reappeared through a frosted glass door and approached them, giving Derick an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Mr. Fischer, it looks like your cousin doesn't want to see you." Derick sighed but nodded in acceptance. "His court date has been moved up, however, to next week. I can give you the details if you'd like, so you can be there."
"Thank you," Derick said. She returned to her computer and printed out the address and time of Jimmy's hearing. Derick took the paper with another thankful nod and left the police station with Jake.
"You think they're gonna give him bail?" Jake asked.
"No idea," Derick replied. He had always tried to remain on the right side of the law – or at least, far enough from the line that he would never be caught and implicated. "He's a local, so he'll have that going for him, but a good lawyer might label him a flight risk. And with all his priors…" He shrugged.
"If they do, he knows we're not going to be able to pay it," Jake said, shaking his head. "Fuck."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Derick replied. It was nearing four in the afternoon, which meant he was officially late but not so late that Heather was going to have to deal with the dinner crowd without him, for which he was glad. He knew she could handle herself, but she'd hired him for a reason, and Derick liked working with her. They moved together seamlessly like they'd been doing it all their lives, and he enjoyed the crazy shifts, the whirlwind nights, and the times of quiet they caught together in the aftermath.
Jake said nothing as they drove back to the house. Derick only went inside long enough to change into one of his work shirts and left again, heading toward the Hummingbird.
Chapter Seven
T he Red Hummingbird was packed when he arrived. Derick quickly found a parking spot far away from the door and hurried in through the back, throwing Marcos a wave in greeting before he emerged into the poorly-lit main area. Heather was behind the bar, easily controlling the crowd as she served them drinks. Derick smiled and passed behind her with a gentle squeeze to her arm to tell her he was there. She grinned back at him, cheeks flushed from rushing around, hair pulled back into a ponytail.
"Get the group at the end," she commanded, gesturing to a few of the regulars Derick knew the orders of by heart. Derick nodded, doing as he was told, quickly serving the cluster of five their standard first round of Rum and Cokes before moving onto his next patron.
Tending bar was almost meditative, despite the loud pulsing music and shrieks of people trying to give him their orders. He caught sight of Chasity soon after his own arrival, lady of all she surveyed. He gave her a Cosmo before she asked and she grinned at him, tossing him a twenty with a wink as she took her drink and disappeared back into the crowd.
By the end of the night, Derick was sweaty and exhausted, his pockets full of bills and his feet aching in that now-familiar way they did when he'd had a good night. Heather closed up the front while he brought all the dishes to Marcos in the back and then started his rounds of clearing and wiping down all the tables.
When he was done, he sat with Heather at the bar while they split the tips. After a moment, Heather bit her lip and gave him the entire stack. Derick frowned at her, and she lifted her shoulders in a shrug.
"You need it more than I do," she said.
Derick's frown deepened, and he shook his head, pushing her stack back to her. "That's not how this works."
Heather cocked her head to one side, pressing her lips together. "Derick," she began, sighing. She pulled her ponytail free and swept her hair across one shoulder, fixing him with an earnest look as she petted out the crimps and tangles. "I know enough about how this place works. You don't make as much money as me, nor do you have as much money as me. You're down one part of your rent check, and you do a good job here." She smiled. "It's not charity. You've earned it. The Hummingbird makes plenty of money without tips to pay the bills and give me a nice chunk of change. I don't need the extra."
Derick sighed through his nose. He liked to think that he hadn't inherited his mother's stubborn pride, but it hit a little close to home to have Heather just lay it all out in the open like that. Yes, Derick didn't have a lot of money; he couldn't afford to take Heather out to nice dinners or trips to other exotic places.
He wanted to argue, but one thing to know about Heather was she was a hard woman to dissuade when she set her mind to something. He felt raw with the reality, though, having spent the night in Heather's ridiculously huge and nice house, driving in her clean modern car, working in a place she owned.
Heather eyed him and shook her head again. "I have the privilege of not having to worry about money," she continued gently, touching his arm. "But I'm not blind."
Derick sighed but relented, taking the entire stack of bills and rolling them up tight so they could fit in his pocket. Tonight had been a good night – in total, he had more than five hundred in his pocket from tips alone. That paid for Jimmy's portion of the rent entirely, and with everything he'd earned this week, he could afford the rest of the bills.
"Thank you," he said, and he meant it, even though it left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth.
She grinned brightly at him and stood, kissing him chastely. "Do you want to come over again tonight?" she asked and gave him a wide, flirtatious grin, sing-songing, "My dad's not home."
Derick laughed and stood, kissing her cheek. "Sure. I'll go home and pack a bag and let Jake know. Meet you there?"
Heather nodded, and Derick followed her to the backroom, then continued through it, into the alleyway behind the Hummingbird. He checked that he had his keys, wallet, and phone and circled the building through the darkness toward his car.
He was just out of sight of the back door when that same trio, led by Mike, came into view. Mike grinned widely at him, showing his golden-capped teeth. "Hey, Derick!" he greeted, amiably enough. Derick tensed, his eyes narrowing as the other two men spread out, blocking his way. "You got a second? One of my buddies here could use a light."
"I don't smoke," Derick replied. He ducked his head and tried to shoulder his way past them but was caught and pushed back, unable to pass by. He stifled a growl. "Look, guys, I don't want any trouble."
"Oh, that's good," Mike said, grinning. "We don't, either. Isn't it nice how that works out?"
"What do you want?"
"A little birdie told us that Jimmy was arrested because someone blabbed," Mike said. His eyes were black in the darkness, narrowed, as he looked Derick up and down. "Now, pretty certain it wasn't your brother. He's a good kid, knows his place. And we can't imagine you would turn your back on your family."
Derick glared at them, resisting the urge to show his teeth and throw a punch. They were just talking, for now – three against one was even worse odds than before, and he wasn't sure Marcos was going to be coming out any time soon. Or, God forbid, Heather.
"Which leads us to believe that maybe it was good ol' Rod's baby girl." Mike grinned widely. "Is she inside? We'd like to have a word with her."
"No," Derick snapped. "She's not inside."
"But her car's out front," Mike replied, blinking innocently. "Hmm. That is strange. Maybe she's at home. We should pay her a visit."
"Don't you fucking touch her."
"Whoa, hey now," Mike said, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Who said anythin' about touching her? I know, she's a stone-cold fox, and I don't
even like blondes." He turned to one of his friends and they shared a smile that made Derick's stomach turn. "We just wanna talk to her."
"If you want to talk to someone, you can talk to the cops," Derick snapped. Mike merely grinned at him. "Now, are we done here?"
Mike tilted his head to one side. "Sure," he said and stepped up close to Derick, reaching into the pocket of his jacket. Derick tensed, but he didn't pull a weapon, just a small white card. "You let me know if you think of anything that might help us out. You might be Jimmy's blood, but he's our family." He shoved the card into Derick's front pocket and gave him a wide smile. "We protect our family."
Derick shuddered, holding still as Mike withdrew his hand and gestured for his friends to follow him. Out, through the parking lot, toward a sleek Jaguar that was parked right next to Heather's Audi. Derick's mouth twisted in a snarl as he watched them get in, Mike in the passenger seat, one of his lackeys driving for him like he was a goddamn mob boss. They peeled away, and Mike rolled his window down and waved at Derick as they left the parking lot.
Derick stood, glaring after them and making sure they were well out of sight before he went to his own car. He knew Heather would be okay as long as she was with Marcos, so he resolved to drive home as quickly as possible and warn Jake about any possible strangers coming to the door before he would go meet her at her place.
Chapter Eight
"O h, fuck, baby, yeah, right there…"
Chasity moaned, reaching between her legs to grab a tight hold of Jake's hair with both hands, grinding up against his mouth and fingers as he curled them, sucking hard at her clit. Her thighs tightened around his head as she came, head thrown back and chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
Jake pulled his fingers out and gave her one last, long lick, lifting his head with slick smeared all down his chin and across his mouth. He grinned at her and lunged, curling a hand behind her neck and kissing her as she moaned and grabbed at his back.
She tightened her thighs around him, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Come here," she ordered, reaching down to wrap her fingers around his cock and guide him to where she was slick and open. He tilted his head back, eyes closing and face going lax as he pushed into her, and she groaned softly as another shiver went up her spine. Stoned sex was entirely hit or miss, but Jake had good shit that made her muscles lax and warm, her teeth numb and her head swimming with pleasure as he thrust into her, hard and fast.
She clawed her way up his spine, fisting his sweaty hair as he shoved their foreheads together, panting, the mattress creaking loudly beneath them from the force of his thrusts. She giggled at the sound. "Good thing your brother's not home."
Jake laughed, the sound choked off as she lifted her hips, letting him fuck deeper with every thrust. He stuttered and gripped her hips tightly, pulling out with a ragged growl and stroking himself until he came all over her stomach. His hand tightened on her hip, sure to leave little butterfly-kiss bruises, and Chasity sighed, absently pushing her hair back from her face as he finished.
Short, but satisfying, and definitely worth the booty call.
Jake gave her a sheepish, shy smile and reached over to the box of tissues on his nightstand, pulling several free and wiping her stomach gingerly. Chasity grinned up at him and flicked his shoulder before pushing herself upright.
"That was fun," she sighed, throwing her legs over the edge of the bed as she sought out her clothes. She stood, pulling her shorts up her legs and fastening them in place, and threw her shirt over her head, tugging her hair free.
"Yeah," Jake said with a winning smile, putting on a pair of boxers before he walked with her to the door. She didn't believe in wasting time after she'd gotten hers but indulged his puppy eyes and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'll, ah…. See you around?"
"Sure," Chasity said with a grin and a wave. Jake watched her saunter to her car and get in, driving away.
Not two minutes later, Derick pulled up, and Jake frowned and checked the clock that hung above the mantle. It was the end of the Hummingbird shift, the time Derick normally came home, but Jake hadn't expected him to actually come home. These days, he usually ended up going out with Heather after.
Derick hurried from the car, coming inside and closing the door behind him. He looked Jake up and down, frowning. "A little casual, even for you."
Jake shrugged and blinked as Derick reached into his pocket and handed him a wad of cash.
"Stash this somewhere safe," Derick told him, walking into the house and pulling his uniform shirt over his head. "I'm going to Heather's, just packing a bag."
Jake nodded in understanding. That made more sense.
"Hey, Jake?" Derick asked, once he had come back down the stairs, an overnight bag slung over his shoulder. He gripped Jake's shoulder and Jake frowned at him, Derick meeting his eyes with the dire seriousness only big brothers could have. Normally, he looked at Jake like that when they'd been kids and done something bad, vowing to unite against their mother's wrath and not rat each other out. "You haven't been noticing anyone new hanging around, have you?"
Jake tilted his head, then shook it.
Derick nodded, lips pressed together, eyes dark with concern.
"What is it?" Jake asked.
"There's this guy, one of Jimmy's old crew, I think. He's been hanging around, asking questions." He sighed, shaking his head. "Tryin' to figure out who rolled over on Jimmy."
Jake's eyes widened. "You think he's going to do something?"
"I don't know, but you have to keep a lookout, alright? Keep the doors locked and make sure no one's hanging around here that shouldn't be."
Jake nodded. "Sure, I can do that," he promised. Derick grinned and gave him a light punch in the arm. "I'm sure it'll be alright, though. No one knows what you did, there's no reason to think you turned him in."
Except both Jake and Derick knew about the plans for the car. They were the only ones outside of Jimmy's inner circle who knew the plan, as far as they were aware. He could see Derick thinking the same thing.
"Just until this all blows over," Derick promised and gave him another thin smile. "Stay safe, and don't get into too much trouble."
Jake nodded, laughing, and locked the door behind Derick as he left.
Chapter Nine
H eather beat Derick home and greeted him with a soft kiss and an open beer. He took it with a grateful smile, pulling her into another kiss as she laughed, taking his free hand and leading him down the hall to the living room.
Heather's place was almost obnoxiously lavish. Everything was either silk or marble. Her living room had large French doors that opened up onto the back patio that led to the dock, a gigantic flat screen mounted on the wall, and quite possibly the most comfortable couch Derick had ever sat on. It was like sitting on a cloud, complete with thick white cushions that he sank deeply into with a sigh.
Heather perched next to him, throwing her legs over his lap as she settled against the armrest. He bent over her legs to set his beer down on the marble coffee table and sat back again, absently rubbing her feet as she tilted her head back and wriggled deeper into the couch.
She'd changed from her work clothes into a bikini top and wrap, both purple with swirls of white and gold shining on it. The bikini top looked older, thin straps and small cups barely covering her body enough to be called decent. Her hair spread out along the armrest like a golden halo, waterfalling off the edge in soft waves.
She smiled at him and nudged his inner elbow with her toe. "How was Jimmy?"
Derick shook his head. "He didn't want to see me," he replied. She frowned and gave a sympathetic smile. "His hearing's on Wednesday, though."
She hummed again. "Dad told me. He's going to be called in for a witness, I think."
Derick nodded.
"Do you think they're going to call you?" she asked.
Derick winced. "Probably," he said, dragging his thumb along the arch of her left foot, fingers curled around her heel to g
et the best pressure. She sighed in pleasure, stretching out. "I'm the one who turned him in, after all."
She nodded. "I know that's hard," she replied sympathetically. She reached out, hand flattening on his shoulder, barely within reach. "You did a good thing, though. I'm grateful."
He smiled.
For a while, they were quiet as Derick rubbed Heather's feet until his fingers cramped. He didn't stop, merely started working his way up her left leg, massaging her calf muscle until it melted into his touch. She heaved another soft, pleased sigh, lashes low over her dark eyes.
Finally, she said, "Derick." He hummed, his eyes meeting hers. "If Jimmy does go to jail…. Will you be okay?"
He tilted his head at her.
"Like. Money-wise." She sat up, forcing him to stop his massage, and took his hands in hers. "I know money is kind of a tense subject, and I get it, really, but if you need any help, I…" She paused, sighing through her nose. "I want you to know that it's okay to ask for help. And that I'll be more than happy to give it."
Derick shook his head and smiled at her, hoping it came across as easy enough. "We'll be alright," he assured her, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Summer's a good time for me and Jake, and we'll just have to tighten up on a few things, but we'll be okay."
She nodded, smile faint. "Alright. If that changes…"
"You'll be the first to know. I promise," he said.
Her smile widened at that, appeased, and she crawled forward on the couch, cupping his face in both hands and kissing him deeply. Derick shivered, pulling her close to him and rolling until she was pinned beneath him on the couch. She grinned, legs spreading, and Derick kissed her again, one hand fisted in her wild, thick hair, the other pushing her wrap up until it bunched around her thighs.
He groaned as his fingers slid in, to find that she wasn't wearing anything beneath it. Warm, wet heat greeted his touch, and she shivered, biting her lower lip, lashes fluttering as he slowly sank one finger inside her, curling it up in a way that made her spasm around him.