by A J Storm
“Mom, Dad, where are you?” she yelled out. The housekeeper peeked out of the formal dining room.
“They’re in the kitchen, Willow.”
“Thanks, Mary.” She took off down the hall into the kitchen. Her father was at the table with the financial section of the newspaper in front of his face. Even in the age of the internet, her father still liked the feel of newsprint between his fingers. Her mother was attached to her smartphone, browsing. Success had made them both distant and unaware of real life.
“Mom, Dad, I need to talk with both of you. It’s very important you put down your paper and phone. Listen to me, please.”
“Hello, Willow dear. What’s upset you now?” her father replied, laying down his paper.
“Willow, have you heard from Nova? I’m worried about her since she missed Sunday brunch. I can’t get her on the phone,” her mother stated.
“Mom, please listen to me. This is about Nova.”
“Okay, dear, you have our attention. What is it?” her father asked.
She told both about the visit with her sister last week. Willow told them everything.
“And I’ve hired an investigative service to help find her. I don’t know whether she’s hiding or someone’s kidnapped her, but these guys are good—I trust them.”
“What on earth, Willow? There’s no way Nova is stupid enough to get herself pregnant, let alone date someone named Viper. I’d expect that from you but not your sister,” her mother informed her.
Willow drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly and looked at her father’s pain-filled eyes. “Yes, Mother, I’m aware what you think of me, but I’m sharing exactly what she shared with me. I thought you two might want to know.” She turned on her heel, walking into the hall on her way to the front. Her father rose to follow her out and stopped her outside the door.
“You know your mother didn’t mean that. She’s just worried. I’ll get my own people on it, too.”
“You and I know better, Daddy. Mom said exactly what she felt. It’s always been that way. Nova excelled at everything, and I was proud of her too. I love her. Jealousy just isn’t a part of my make-up even though Mom tried to put me there. It was Mom who kept us separated in her heart. Hey, can we share information for our investigations?”
“Sure, baby. I love you, darling.”
“I love you, too, Daddy. Gotta get home. Talk to you later,” she responded and turned to walk to her car.
“How’s that Mustang?” he hollered.
“Runs like a thoroughbred, Dad. Bye.”
Willow slid behind the wheel, started the car, and roared off down the lane. At the gate she stopped, anger building and wishing Chaos was with her. His arms around her would be the perfect antidote to her mother. She found his presence brought her calm. That alone should scare her but not now. His heart was true, she knew it.
Neighborhoods she was accustomed to seeing flew by her window, and she never saw one of them. Frustration at her parents blinded her eyes—it was the number one reason she didn’t live there even though it would’ve been more convenient for her. The ranch was her number one client, and most things she needed were there.
She forced her mind to concentrate on her driving as she approached the street where her three-bedroom home sat. She lived in an upscale neighborhood but not too flashy. Her house was modern but just enough to meet her needs. One of the bedrooms she had converted into an office, so she could work from home. It made everything more convenient than battling traffic downtown.
As she turned into her drive, she automatically hit the garage door opener, then noticed her front door was ajar. Her foot stomped the brake when she noticed her back door into the garage was also open and broken off one hinge. Scared to go in any further, she reached for her phone and hit the speed dial number for Chaos, hoping he wasn’t in a meeting. She wanted him to answer.
On the first ring, he answered. “Willow, did you think of something else?”
“No, Chaos. I just pulled up to my house, and someone has broken into it.”
“You’re not in the house, are you? Don’t go inside—call the police. I’ve got you programmed into my phone’s maps. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Stay in your car until the police arrive, then let them check it out.”
Willow was startled when he hung up without another word. When the line disconnected, she punched 911 and made her report, then waited in her car for the police to arrive.
Chaos jumped up from behind his desk, running to the elevator while hollering at Maggie. “I’m out—Willow’s house was broken into—on my way there now. Will you shut my computers off and lock up my desk? See you tomorrow.”
The elevator doors closed as Maggie stood up, nodding. He rode it down to the parking garage where instead of his truck, he went to his Harley Davidson 2012 CVO Convertible Softail bike. It would get him in and out of traffic better and faster.
He had a special mount put on his dash for his phone where he had a view and could follow the maps program easily. Entering her address and hitting start, he took off, narrowly letting the gate to the street fully raise. He barely took the time to strap on his helmet—only because the way he intended to drive wouldn’t be healthy.
If a person were to watch him from above, it looked as if he were on a practice track, dodging obstacles in his way. He hugged the corners, almost scraping his dress shoes on the asphalt. He didn’t care—he needed to get to Willow as soon as possible. Of course, he wasn’t making friends in the traffic—several fingers were thrown, and hundreds of horns were blasted. He flew a couple of birds of his own to a select few assholes who thought they could outrun him—nope.
The police were there when he pulled right up into her yard. She was standing between two policemen, in front of the open garage. One was taking down her statement, and the other was staring a hole into Chaos. Willow was doing her own staring.
He took off the helmet, hanging it on the handlebar and swung his leg over the seat. His eyes were fixed on Willow as he rushed toward her.
“Are you alright?” he asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
5
Chaos drew Willow into his arms. He realized it probably wasn’t appropriate, but he didn’t care. He wanted to feel her body against him and know she was okay. She introduced him to the two officers as her good friend and explained she’d called him after she’d called the police which, in fact, was backward.
“Did you all do a walk through?”
“Yes, sir, we did,” the policeman in charge answered. “It appears they were looking for something although we’re not sure what. Nothing was taken as far as the victim could tell, but they tore the place apart. I would recommend you get your doors fixed before you stay here, Miss.”
Chaos turned to Willow. “I’ll have someone out here tonight to put in a temporary fix for the doors. We’ll talk about an alarm system later.”
He turned to the officers, telling them Willow could stay at his apartment tonight. He assured them she would be safe and well-guarded. The two policemen left as Willow and Chaos walked into the house, so he could look around for himself. He stood in her hall, inspecting the living room and kitchen areas. Her television and stereo systems were still in place—paintings were still on the walls.
I love the sunken living room concept.
“I like the layout of your house—the open concept of the kitchen and living room. It works great. So, nothing in these areas are missing?”
“No.”
“Show me the rest?”
He followed her down another hall, leading off to the left. They passed a guest bathroom, he briefly peeked into and stopped at the office conversion. Her built-in filing cabinets were unharmed, still locked, and her laptop was on her desk and appeared to be untouched.
“Everything in here is okay?”
“Yes.”
In the guest bedroom, the bed was stripped, all the drawers were hanging open, and what clothes had been hanging were d
umped in the floor. A half-bath off to the side was untouched.
“They were looking for something personal. Any ideas?”
“Not a clue.”
The much larger Master bedroom had been totally mauled. Nothing had been left untouched, including the master bath. The medicine cabinets had been dumped into the sink, clothes in the closet had been piled into the jacuzzi.
“It’s a complete mess in here. I imagine they piled the clothes in the tub to keep them off the floor, so they could still search. Willow, I’d bet my life this has something to do with Nova. Did you tell anyone you were coming to see me?”
“No, Chaos, not even my parents. In fact, I went to tell them about last Thursday’s conversation with her after I saw you. I didn’t talk to anyone about you, just what she told me.”
“Okay, you pack some clothes. I’m going to make a couple of calls about the doors. Do you have a problem being on the back of a bike?”
“No, it’s fine.” She grabbed a small duffel bag, stuffing it with the appropriate clothes.
Chaos punched several numbers into his cell phone, waiting for someone on the other end to answer. “Joey, Chaos. I need you to come to fifteen thirty-five West Alcove Place and be prepared to stay at least two nights. Bring your tools—you’re doing guard duty. I’ll call Stan and have him come by while you here to measure and order new doors and locks. I need you over here before we take off. I’m taking Willow to my place to stay. We’ll park her Shelby in the garage, but the backdoor is busted, and the lock on the front door is too. Yes, I said Shelby, and yes, it’s sweet. Get going.”
He stared and smiled at her as he talked. One more phone call to Stan and he was through. He squared instructions with Stan and tomorrow he’d be out to measure and order.
“We’ve got someone guarding your house until we can get it fixed. This guy, Joey, works for us, so he’s good. He’s also very jealous of you and your Mustang, by the way.”
Willow stood straight with her bag and purse in her hands. A look crossed her face resembling a lost child, and Chaos felt her pain.
“Here, let’s put your purse in the duffle—that way we only have one bag to store on the bike. You all set? Do you mind if I put the Mustang in the garage?”
“Yeah, I guess I’m ready, and yes, here’s the keys. I feel kind of lost right now, but you can lock her up.”
Back in the living room, he left her sitting on the couch as he stepped out to pull her car into the garage. Once he locked the door, he took the motor that connected the door to the power offline. It made the door more difficult to lift.
They both sat on the couch in silence, waiting for Joey. He guessed she needed space in her head. It wasn’t long before a tall, buff man walked through the front door, inspecting the handle and lock as he did. Chaos stood to make the introductions.
“Hey, Joey, thanks for coming, man. I know it’s short notice. Willow, this is Joey—one of our best right-hand men. He’ll be guarding your house and coordinating the installation of new doors and locks. Joey, this lovely lady is Willow. Take good care of her home and her car. We’ll be at the Penthouse if you need us, and you have my private number. Willow, you ready?”
His eyes caught the skepticism on her face as Joey held his hand out to her and wondered where his boy next door persona was hiding. Then Joey did what he always did best. He held her hand in both of his, promising her he’d take extra care of her house and car like they were his. His smile usually won people over or else it was his blonde curls and deep Texas drawl. Either way, he won Willow.
She followed Chaos to his bike and stood staring at it as if waiting for instructions.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this? You can follow me in your car. I’ll drive slow.”
“No, I’m fine—really.” She wasn’t about to tell him she was mush inside and didn’t want to drive anything.
He took her bag from her, securing it in front where it would fit between his legs. Before he positioned her behind him, he grabbed his helmet and offered it to her.
“That’s okay—I hate those things.”
“It wasn’t a polite offer—it’s an order. You will wear it. Put it on your head, situate your hair, then I’ll adjust the straps. You don’t get to refuse.”
“What will you wear?”
“I’ll be fine—pro here.” Dusk was creeping up on them, and soon it would be dark. He needed to get in gear. She huffed, making Chaos chuckle inside, but he kept his tough guy face on. “Take this—now.”
If looks could kill, his body would be riddled with bullet holes. God, he loved her spunk—even in shock, she fought back. He watched her twist her long dark hair at the back of her neck before she shoved the heavy helmet on her head. Chaos couldn’t help but laugh when her eyes disappeared, and her nose poked out under the rim at the top. His fingers went to work on the strap until her entire face was right where he wanted it.
“You sure are cute under there.” He flipped the protective shield down over her face. “Here we go, darlin’. I’ll get on first, then put your foot on the step and throw your right leg over the back of the bike. I’ll help lift you by the arm. Scoot your thighs up against me and hug my butt—that’s it. Now, wrap your arms around my waist. Basically, mold to me.”
Starting the engine, he took off from her front yard into the street. Once on the highway, he headed straight for downtown Austin. This time, however, he didn’t drive like a crazy erratic driver as he did on the way to her house. Something about this woman encouraged him to put aside his daredevil personality. That thought made him smile because God knew something needed to make him fall into normal behavior if only for a little while.
The tall building appeared ahead of him, and Chaos sped up, taking the drive going into the underground parking garage. He pulled his bike beside his truck and cut the engine while putting the kickstand down. Willow prepared to slide off the back and Chaos grabbed her arm, helping her to keep her balance as she did.
She couldn’t help but laugh at him since what hair he had spiked on top had been whipped around mercilessly by the wind. When he unstrapped the helmet and slipped it off her head, she snickered out loud, running her fingers through his hair.
“There—that’s much better—almost where you originally had it,” she teased him.
His eyes bored into hers as he softly gripped her shoulders, pulling her body into his. His head tilted and leaned over, approaching her lips with his. Her tongue swiped her bottom lip as if anticipating his kiss. Just before his lips pressed against hers, he whispered softly.
“I’ve wanted to do this from the first moment I saw you at the club.”
Then like the gentleman he could be on occasion, he took her lips, pressing softly, tasting her and coaxing her to enjoy him. He flicked his tongue against the seam of her lips, asking permission to enter and explore further.
She answered by opening her lips ever so slowly, allowing him entrance. He wrapped his firm arms around her upper body, smashing her body against his as his kiss deepened. His hands trailed down her back, exploring their way past her waist to her ass. Before he allowed his fingers to grasp and knead, he pulled his lips back, resting his forehead against hers. Willow was speechless, breathing heavily into his face.
“That was unprofessional of me. I’m so sorry, Willow,” he apologized, stepping back with his hands on her shoulders, steadying her.
“No, it’s all right. I’m fine—it was nice, and I needed to be held. It’s okay, really.” She stepped further back from him, straightening her clothes, then her hair.
Chaos unloaded her bag and escorted her to the elevator which bypassed all other floors, stopping at the office or the penthouse, whichever button was chosen. Inside his head, he was doubting his move to kiss Willow. Even though her body responded to his, it was at a bad time for her. He should’ve held off until a better time. Sometimes, he could kick himself.
When the doors opened into the penthouse, she took an abrupt inhalation of
air.
“Wow. This whole floor is yours?”
“Well, it’s ours—the co-owners of the company. We share it. It’s rare we’re here at the same time—insane, too. When we’re all together, we turn into little boys. At least, that’s what my mom says at Christmas. Let me show you where you’ll sleep.”
Mac’s room was directly across from Chaos’. He put her there so if she needed anything, she’d know to go straight across the living room. Then he took her on a mini-tour of the penthouse—kitchen and dining room, each bedroom and who it belonged to, a gym, an office, and the television/movie/music room. Each bedroom had its own bathroom, fashioned however the family member wanted it. They all tended to be particular in whether they wanted to bathe or just shower.
“You must be hungry. Can I fix you something or order delivery? Would you like a drink? We have wine, beer, sparkling water, or pop.” He realized he was rambling and finally shut his mouth with a smile.
Willow giggled at him. “Chaos, you’re fine. If you don’t mind, I think I want to soak in a tub, then try to sleep. It’s been a horrible day, and I’m tired. Um, Mac’s room does have a tub?”
He smiled back at her. “Yes, he’s one who likes to soak under the jets. Now, if I’d given you Howler’s room, he likes a very large shower with benches as long as a couch and sprays from the sides and ceiling.”
“Oh my, well, I won’t need that. Thank you for rescuing me, Chaos. Good night.” She turned, walking into her room and closing the door.
6
Chaos stared at the closed door of her bedroom. Then he grabbed a beer from his refrigerator and headed for his room.
Chaos, you’re such a shit.
He stripped out of his business suit, leaving it in a pile on the floor, picked up the bottle of beer off the chest of drawers, and walked into the shower. It was large but nothing like Howler’s. Before Sadie, Howler had parties in his shower. Chaos was glad those days were gone.
