by Tiya Rayne
His deep chuckle in my ear is the only warning I get before he releases my arms, grips my thighs and hikes me up his body. I’m forced to wrap my legs around his waist before I fall.
I’m not a small woman, not by a long shot. To have this man pick me up with such little effort like I don’t weigh more than a bag of potatoes is sexy. Hell, he isn’t even breathing heavy.
“You’ve proved your point, now put me down.”
He grins, then slowly lowers me back to the floor. And yes, I rub against the bulge in his pants. And yes, he is well endowed. The moment my feet are planted on the floor, I shove him away from me. He stumbles back with a smirk.
“You’re an ass,” I seethe.
“And you have a nice one. Now that we are done stating facts, grab Tiny Rambo so I can lock up and take you guys home.”
This is where I put my foot down. First of all, this telling me what to do has to stop. Secondly, he will not be taking me home. I don’t even want him to know where I live.
“Our little outing is officially over. You can scurry back to the tunnel from hell you came from and I am taking my daughter and going home.” Pushing away from the wall, I go to walk past him, but before I know it, I’m back in the exact same position. Back pressed to the wall and him glaring down at me. What the hell?
“I’m usually all for you being independent and shit, but not tonight,” he says, folding his arms over his chest. “Lucien is out of town, working on a case and since you’re his girlfriend, it’s left up to me to make sure you get home safe.”
“Safe from what, a raccoon? The police already checked, there was no burglary.”
“You’re trusting those fucktards over me?”
“At this point I’d trust a rabid dog over you.”
He leans back as if he’s taken offense to my words, but I know he doesn’t. He would have to first give a damn about anything for my words to hurt him.
“227281,” he says, reciting my code.
I lift my brow. “How do you know that?”
He scoffs. “It’s the oldest trick in the book. Thieves have used it for years. The lock to your front door has smudges on it, probably from a dirty glove. The intruder was smart enough to not leave fingerprints, but not smart enough to change his dirty gloves.
“Plus, there was red dirt near your front door. Not something anyone would track from around here. That dirt is usually what they use at construction sites. Which means your intruder either works for or walked through a construction site. The closest one is about a thirty-minute walk that way.” He points north over his shoulder as he continues.
“Which means either they came a long way to rob a book and bakery store. As they bypassed the jewelry store right down the street and the other shops that bring in a much higher revenue than you on a daily basis. Or whoever it was targeted you specifically.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” I argue, trying to wrap my head around his extensive knowledge of burglary. “Why break in if they weren’t going to take anything?”
He blinks like I’ve asked the dumbest question. “You have an average forty-five second delay on your alarm before the security company takes notice. It keeps them from reacting every time grandma and grandpa accidently open their door without turning off the alarm. Your plan suggests they call you first and then the police.
“That gives a thief at least five minutes before the police are even notified, that number changes depending on how long you take to answer your call and respond to the operator. Which is enough time to install a wax imprint over your alarm system. The moment you put in your code, the thief had it.”
For a moment, I do nothing but look at him. How did he figure all that out? I didn’t notice dirt or a smudged doorknob.
The cops and I both assumed the entry came from the back door with all the raccoon traffic. We checked the front door, but they didn’t point any of that out. He takes my silence for disbelief.
“If you don’t believe me, go check the keypad on the alarm system one more time.”
It isn’t that I don’t believe him, I just need to see it for myself. I storm away, heading straight for my keypad. At first glance it looks absolutely the same.
A rectangular box with a flip down cover and underneath is a row of keys. I go to tell Seth he’s full of shit when something catches my eyes. I have to lean all the way in but sure enough, a very thin plastic strip is over my keypad and an almost invisible thin wire travels underneath it to the back of the machine. I attempt to pull it off, but Seth grabs my hand.
“If you pull it down, they will know we know it’s there.”
“Should I report it to the police?” I whisper as if the thing is a bomb that can be activated by loud noises.
“The police can’t find their own assholes in a mirror. Like I said, you have me and Lucien on your side.” He releases my hand and pulls out his phone. “I’ve already changed your passcode, I’ll give it to you before the end of the night. You will need to sign in using only the app on your phone. Tomorrow when my brother comes back, he’ll come over and get you set up with a new system. Like I said, your old one is shit.”
I never thought I’d say this, but I actually agree with him.
“Tiny Rambo,” he calls over his shoulder. “Get your candy haul. We’re heading to your house.” Emory leaps to her feet and signs her excitement.
I guess, he will be seeing where I live. Yet, that isn’t the most disturbing thing I have on my mind. Why would anyone want to break into my shop?
We make decent money. Nothing outrageous. Like Seth said, the jewelry store on the corner has millions of dollars of merchandise in there.
Not to mention the other stores on this street. Hell, even the little apothecary shop next door does a sizable amount. This is Manhattan, there are thousands of more successful businesses around here.
We don’t even keep that much money in the store. Something isn’t adding up.
Chapter 17
It Isn’t Fair
Lucien
* * *
I’m fuming. I’m so angry I can’t even see straight. When I called Malia for my nightly check in, she told me everything that happened. I can’t even breathe.
I swing the door to the basement glass room open. Seth isn’t here, but I know he will come running. Like the upstairs computer room is mine, this one is his. The moment I enter it, he’s alerted.
“Hey, what the fuck are you doing in my room?”
I don’t give him any explanation. The moment I see his face, I slam my fist into it. Sharp pain radiates up my arm and blood immediately begins to flow from my fist.
“Okay,” he says after a few moments in painful silence. “I guess you’re mad.”
I glare at him. “I asked you for one thing, Seth. One fucking thing. You can’t even do that?”
“No, I can’t, brother.”
I turn my back to him, needing to calm down. I understand him. This woman has had a draw on the both of us since the day we first saw her. My brother and I are identical, but far from the same. We can’t even agree on the same thing to watch, but that day we both fell for the same girl.
“It isn’t fair,” he says barely louder than a whisper.
“What isn’t fair?”
“That you get to keep her and I don’t.”
I turn back to face him and for the first time, I see emotion on my brother’s face.
I try to make my words gentle. “You know why that is.”
“No,” he screams and his face contorts, nearly turning his features to something unrecognizable. “Fuck your why.” He beats at his chest punctuating each word.
“Be reasonable.”
“I am reasonable.” He starts to pace and I know that I will soon lose him to his darkness. The thing inside of him that makes him sew a man’s anus shut and force feed him, or brutally beat and murder bullies with a steel garden hand he took from the greenhouse.
“In the end, Seth, they won’t let either of u
s keep her. I only want to spend time with her, to feel normal if only for a little while. Eventually, I’ll have to give her up. Will you be willing to do that?”
The glare he turns on me proves my point. I can’t keep Malia. The Church will never allow it. And I can’t leave.
Not only because I signed my life away in that hospital when Priest came for me, but because being in the Church is the only thing that helps me keep Seth sane. He needs the outlet they offer, and I need the control they provide. A way to feed the thing inside him, the thing I created the day I allowed him to save me from those bullies.
“You can’t see her again,” I say. It’s not a suggestion, it’s a fact.
“You need me.”
“I don’t. Not anymore.” I turn to leave, but his next words stop me cold.
“Someone is after her.”
I spin on my heels to face him. A smug smile is on his face. “You and I both know that wasn’t an everyday break-in. Whoever is after her wants something other than cash. You can’t protect her. This isn’t a job for the computer nerd. You can’t sit up in your computer lab monitoring her safety. You need someone willing to get their hands dirty, if need be. You need me.”
I hated to admit he was right. It’s a reminder I can’t get away from him. I feel weak to admit it.
She needs more than just me at the moment. I’m not the killer my brother is. I can’t save her if someone is after her the way he can. He knows he has me.
“It looks like you need me to hang around a little longer.” He smirks and though I want to plant my fist in his face to remove it, I refrain.
Folding my arms over my chest, I plant my feet shoulder length apart. “Fine, but we’ve got some rules to go over.”
Chapter 18
It’s On Me
Lucien
* * *
“Here you go, Lucien. Are you sure your hand is okay?”
I climb down off the ladder to take the muffin and the cup of coffee Malia hands me with my non-bandaged hand.
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
She looks absolutely gorgeous today. She isn’t dressed up, but has on black jeans with a gray long sleeve thermal and a jean jacket with the sleeves rolled up. Her face is without makeup.
Even her usual cat-eye is absent today. I can see the light dusting of freckles I remember from her youth. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail.
I can tell she didn’t get much rest last night. However, to me she’s always beautiful. There isn’t anything she can add or take away that would change that for me.
“Thank you so much, again.” Her arms close tightly over her chest, tucking her hands under her armpits. She looks at the toes of her ankle boots. “You have no idea how stressed I was last night. And I had to hide it from Grams and Emory.”
I can only imagine. I’ve been a mix between stressed and angry. Stressed, someone could even imagine hurting her and angry, someone thought they could.
I place the muffin and coffee down on the table and pull her into me for a hug. I’m overjoyed when she comes, allowing me to comfort her. She feels supple in my arms and smells like passionfruit and coconuts. I remind myself I’m here to comfort her as a friend and not a lover… yet.
“I’m sorry this happened to you,” I say sincerely. “Know Seth and I are here to help. We will find out who broke in.” I don’t have the time to focus on this, between keeping an eye on the whereabouts of Hawk’s lawyer, and trying to keep tabs on Rasheed, I’m stretched thin. However, nothing is going to keep me from keeping her safe.
She takes a step back a lot sooner than I want to let her go. “Well, how does all this work?” she says, looking up at the camera I just finished placing in the corner of her store.
I smile. It always makes me happy when someone asks about my work. “Unlike your old system, this one doesn’t have a delay. There are motion detectors at the front and back door. The moment they are triggered, a notice will come to my phone and yours with a video feed of who triggered it.”
“Now I’ll be able to see the raccoons eating out of my trash,” she jokes. I’m happy to see her attempting to find humor in the situation.
“You will have a clear view of it. If they get past the new lock system, I put in,” I tease before growing serious again. “Which would be an incredible feat. The new locking system requires a computerized chip. I’ll get you those other copies of the key as soon as I can.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a key that looks like this.” She holds up the black key fob that now opens her doors.
“It’s special made,” I brag. She smiles at me. “Like I was saying, if they get past all that, then the new silent alarm system will immediately trigger, you, me, and the police.”
I lie a little. It will trigger me first. Then I can see if I need to notify the police and her. That was Seth’s idea.
“Wow, Lucien. You did all this in less than twenty-four hours. You’re amazing.”
I duck my head, trying to hide my heated face. People don’t usually give me compliments like that. Even the Church who benefit the most from my computer skills, doesn’t really acknowledge the things I can do. More often than not, they need Seth’s skills. Only Priest and my brothers have ever respected my talents.
“It wasn’t that hard. I just had to reroute your old system and plug it into my network. Change a few wires, build and program the key fob.
“That wasn’t too hard, if you know the right coding for it. And there are really only like seven thousand different codes that could work, but once you narrow it down to the last few thousand, it isn’t that hard.”
I can imagine what my brother would say if he were standing here now. He would be yelling at me to shut the hell up with all that nerdy shit. Immediately, I stop talking.
I’ve done this before, allowed the geek side of me to come pouring out and the one listening has that glossy eyed look of disinterest. Especially females, they don’t want to hear me talk about things like computer programming and binary codes. Angel listened, but that was part of her role.
When I look up into Malia’s eyes, the glazed look I am expecting isn’t there. She seems to be waiting for more. A fact that’s proven when she speaks.
“Are the locks specially made too or are they standard and only the key fob is a special design.”
I don’t answer at first. I’m too busy in shock. “The locks are special made as well.”
“That’s awesome, and I bet expensive. How much do I owe you for all this?”
“It’s on me.”
“Luc, you can’t be serious.”
I don’t respond, not because I’m not going to change my mind, but because of the name she called me. The only person who has ever called me Luc, is my brother. I hate that damn name, but hearing it come from her, I can’t say I dislike it anymore.
“Don’t worry about it. Think of it as a gift, you did tolerate my brother yesterday.”
Her entire body language changes. Moments ago, she had started to relax. Her arms were down at her sides and not across her chest like they were earlier. Now her shoulders have tightened, and a fire rises in her eyes.
“Yeah, about that.”
“I’m sorry,” I say quickly, rubbing my hands through my hair. “I know he can be a lot.”
“He’s an asshole and has no idea what the word boundary is. He can’t for the life of him fathom what the hell a rhetorical question means, and he has no filter.”
I flinch as she states a few of my brother’s issues. I knew this would be too much, that’s why I can’t have a happy ever after. The Church won’t let Seth go, and he will never let me go.
“However,” she says, getting my attention. “He’s not all bad. He did make Emory laugh and made sure we got home safe.”
I find myself speechless. I knew for sure he would run her off after she met him.
“Seth didn’t tell me you guys were twins.”
I laugh. “Yeah, it used to be hard to tell us apart.�
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“Oh, I can definitely tell you apart. I knew it the moment I saw him.”
“Really?” I ask skeptical. “Because of the tattoos?”
She grins, then turns on her heels, headed back to the front counter. I grab my muffin and coffee and follow her.
“Nope. Even without the tattoos I would have been able to tell. You guys are way different.” She goes behind the counter, washing her hands at the small sink there.
“Only my boss and my other brothers could tell us apart when we were kids. Before Seth started getting the tattoos.” Seth and I both love tattoos, and when we first started getting them, we picked the same ones. Then he started to go crazy and I couldn’t keep up with him. The more I would fuss about him getting them, the more new ones would show up. Once I stopped acknowledging them, he eventually stopped.
“You have more brothers?”
I realize my slip-up too late. That’s the problem being around, Malia. She has the tendency to make me forget I’m supposed to be keeping secrets from her.
“Remember those friends I told you about?”
“The ones that helped you break in the planetarium?” She chuckles.
“Yes, those guys,” I reply. “After the orphanage, I grew up in a sort of group home. I became close to the guys I roomed with. We’re basically a family of misfits.”
No truer words have ever been spoken. All of us come from different walks of life, some harder than others, but we are a family.
My phone goes off in my pocket, it’s my ringtone for work. Not the tone when I have a new menu, but someone from the office is calling me.
“I have to take this,” I say to Malia before answering. “This is Lucien.”
“Hiya, Lucien, this is Ari.” I smile at her chipper greeting.
“How’s it going, Ari?”
“Pretty good. Jace and Clary got into a fight last night. I think Clary is cheating on Jace with Simon. Which is pretty crappy because Simon has had a thing for the neighbor’s tabby for a while.”