Beautiful Dangerous

by Michelle Betham

  I smile at him, I’ve always felt comfortable in his company. “We’ll see.”

  He leans back against the bike and crosses his arms. “You should ride with me. It might be less daunting with someone else there.”

  “You think I’m daunted by the prospect of getting on a bike?”

  “You just said you weren’t brave enough to ride solo.” He shrugs. “What else am I supposed to take from that?”

  “I think you might be challenging me.”

  He grins and lights up a cigarette. “Maybe I am.” He takes a draw on his cigarette. “And you look like a risk taker to me.”

  “You’d be surprised at the kind of risks I choose to take.” I glance behind me, back at the clubhouse, just as Lucca emerges and begins striding toward us. “And the ones I choose not to.”

  “Everything okay here?” Lucca asks, his gaze flitting between me and Angel.

  “Everything’s fine. Angel and I were just talking.”

  Angel pulls himself away from the bike and flashes me a wink and a smile. “You just let me know if you want to take me up on that challenge.” He heads back toward the clubhouse, and I walk over to his bike, running my fingers over the black leather seat.

  “I think he might be right.”

  “About what?” Lucca asks, his tone slightly barbed as he glances back over his shoulder at Angel, who’s sitting on one of the wooden trestle tables outside the clubhouse talking to Carlos.

  “About the feeling of freedom being out on the road gives you. Maybe I should get Javier’s old bike out…”

  “Bad idea,” Lucca interrupts, and I frown.

  “Why?”

  “Are you serious? Out on your own, with no protection…”

  “I wouldn’t be on my own.” I lean back against Angel’s bike, crossing my arms. “Angel’s offered to ride with me, and I’m seriously thinking about taking him up on that offer. It’s about time I experienced a little freedom.”

  “Jesus, Olivia…” Lucca sighs, probably a little too heavily, I’m not some errant child who needs to be pulled back into line. I know what I’m doing. I know who I am, he doesn’t need to keep reminding me. “Why the sudden need to break free, huh?” He throws Angel another look, but he’s got his back to us now. “You have a place in this world, Olivia.”

  “And maybe I’m tired of always playing by the rules.”

  “Hang on. I leave you for five minutes and suddenly you’re talking bikes and riding and spending time with a man like Angel Ruiz? What the fuck’s happening here, Liv?”

  I glare at him, because I don’t take kindly to being pulled up on the choices I make. “Angel’s a good man.”

  “He’s a killer.”

  “And what am I, Lucca? What am I? What are you? What makes us so different from any of these men?”

  “I don’t believe we’re having this conversation… Olivia, these men are dangerous…”

  I throw my head back and laugh out loud, he’s seriously telling me these men are dangerous? I’ve spent years mixing with men – and women – far more threatening than any Devil’s Creed brother. I was married to a dangerous man, someone who taught me how to deal with these people, and Lucca knows that. So I’m not really sure what he’s doing here.

  “It’s not your job to tell me who I can and can’t spend time with.”

  “Sometimes that’s exactly my job, especially if the choices you’re making are reckless.”

  What the fuck’s crawled up his ass?

  “I’ve known Angel a long time. I trust him.”

  Lucca shakes his head. “No, you don’t trust anyone, Olivia.”

  “I trust you.”

  He lets a couple of beats pass, his eyes boring into mine. “But there’s always going to be this tiny part of you that still keeps a wary eye open, I know you, Liv. And I know what Javier taught you.”

  “I trusted Javier.”

  “We all trusted Javier.”

  It’s my turn to glance over at Angel, and he must’ve felt my eyes on him because he turns around and throws me a smile, which visibly irritates Lucca. He doesn’t even try to hide it.

  “I think we should have a member of the club on our security team, especially as we’re now bringing them into the cartel. It sends out a message that we’re keeping our allies close. And it provides extra protection for me.”

  “You don’t need extra protection.”

  My eyes lock on his again, and I narrow mine slightly. “That’s strange, seeing as you’re always telling me I need as much protection as possible.”

  He holds my gaze, because that’s what Lucca does. What we both do. We challenge each other, all the time. I’d never call it fighting.

  “I can look after you, Olivia.”

  “I know you can. That isn’t in question. And, apart from the fact that I don’t need looking after, that isn’t what they’d be doing. Is it? But what it would mean is that some of the load is taken off you.”

  “I don’t need any help.”

  “If I think you need it, you’ll get it. I’ll talk to Eddie.” He wants to carry this on, but I’m finished. I’ve made my decision. “Are we done here?” I sigh, raking a hand through my hair. “We’ve got work to do back at home. We need to make sure we’re ready, for when the time comes to finally end the Pino cartel, for good.”

  He comes over to me, and he seems calmer now. Maybe I pushed him a little too far just then, but I’m right. Bringing the Devil’s Creed into our security team, it can’t hurt. We’ll need to expand it soon enough anyhow, so why not start now?

  “This will be finished, Olivia. Soon. I promise.”

  I look at him, right into those ice-cold eyes of his. “I hope you’re right.”

  His face breaks into a slow smile as he starts backing away, toward the car. “When have I ever been wrong?”

  Four

  Lucca

  “Has anyone seen Olivia?” She wasn’t in her room, she isn’t outside, and I’ve had no messages from her this morning. “Celine? Have you seen her?”

  Celine turns around, wooden spoon in hand, and smiles at me. “She went out with Señor Ruiz, about an hour ago.”

  “Angel Ruiz?”

  “Si. They took Señor Delgado’s motorbike from the garage. They told me they were going to fetch some pastries for breakfast.”

  “Jesus… She’s supposed to tell me where she’s going. She’s not supposed to just take off like that.”

  “She’ll be fine.” Celine dismisses my concern with the wave of her spoon. “She’s not alone. Help yourself to coffee. Do you want me to make you some eggs?”

  “No, thank you, I’m good.”

  I head outside, onto the terrace, and stare out at the ocean. I have no idea why Olivia’s acting like this, it’s out of character for her to do something so reckless, she has no idea of the danger she’s in. And then I sigh, dropping my gaze, of course she knows. She isn’t stupid. But what she’s doing here, taking off with Angel like that, I’m worried. For so many fucking reasons.

  Voices coming from inside tell me they’re back, from wherever the hell they’d decided to go, so I turn around and make my way back into the kitchen. And there he is, talking to Celine. Angel Ruiz. I watch as they exchange a few words before she switches off the stove, pulls the pan off the heat, and leaves the room.

  “What did you think you were doing?”

  Angel turns around and looks at me, a slight smirk playing at the corner of his mouth, which irritates the fucking hell out of me. “Olivia wanted some company, that’s all.”

  “She doesn’t go anywhere without me knowing first.”

  He holds up his hands and backs up against the counter, but he’s still smirking. “Hey, brother, this is what she wanted, okay? This wasn’t my idea. She called Eddie, she asked for me, I’m only doing what I’m told. But, you know, this is no chore. I’m all ready to do whatever she wants me to do.”

  �
�She doesn’t need any extra protection. She has me.”

  Angel laughs, his hands now in his pockets. “What’s with you, man? All this over-protective bullshit, I mean, what’s going on with you, Luc? You feeling a bit more than just loyalty for your queen, huh? Your dick itching for some action now her old man’s out of the way…?”

  I’ve got him against the wall before he can get another word out, his hands up in a heartbeat, he knows he’s crossed a line.

  “Hey, hey, I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry.”

  “You disrespect her – or me – like that again and I’ll make sure you lose the ability to even swallow properly. You understand me, cabron?”

  “I’ve said I’m sorry, Lucca, come on, man!”

  I let go of him, throwing him back against the wall just as Olivia walks into the kitchen.

  “What’s going on?” she asks, placing a bag of what I’m assuming are those pastries she was so desperate for down on the counter. “Well?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “Didn’t look like nothing to me.” She glances from me to Angel, and then back at me, raising an eyebrow in question, she wants answers.

  “It was just a misunderstanding, that’s all,” Angel says. “Wasn’t it?” He throws me a look and I nod. And Olivia, well, she appears less than convinced.

  “The last thing I need is people on the same side fighting, so whatever shit was going down when I walked in here, sort it out. Fast.” She turns her attention to me. “There’s a parcel outside on the table. Take it to the Blue Bay casino; make sure Carly gets it. She knows what to do with it.”

  “Can’t he do that?” I jerk my head toward Angel, who just shrugs.

  “I asked you. Can I see you outside for a second?”

  We step out onto the terrace, and she slides the open glass door panel shut behind her.

  “What the fuck are you playing at, Liv? Going off like that, without telling me?”

  “You mean to say you’re not tracking my phone?”

  I frown. “Of course I’m not tracking your fucking phone. But I need to know where you are, okay?”

  “Okay,” she sighs, raking a hand through her hair, which I’m guessing is messed up the way it is due to the helmet she’s worn over it, a mass of unkempt, loose dark curls cascading over her shoulders.

  “Look, Olivia, I don’t want to come across like I’m…”

  “It’s fine,” she cuts in, and when she looks at me this time her eyes have lost that edge, and when she smiles it emits a genuine warmth. And I feel all kinds of crap kicking off in my head; the pit of my stomach, my fucking heart is breaking. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. The thought of just getting away from all of this, even if it was just for an hour or so, it was too good a chance to turn down.” She shrugs and leans back against the glass, sliding her hands into the pockets of her black jeans. “I should’ve told you.”

  “Yeah. You should’ve.”

  Our eyes lock, and she cocks her head. “What’s up, Lucca? What’s really going on?”

  “There’s nothing going on.”

  Yeah.

  There is.

  “Really?” She lifts a brow, suspicion etched all over her dangerously beautiful face.

  Alright. She wants to do this? Let’s do this. “He’s a fucking biker, Liv.”

  “And what were you, huh? Before Javier brought you into the fold? He’s one of us, they all are now. Or they will be, soon.”

  I narrow my eyes as I look at her, because I don’t think she’s being completely straight with me. I think there’s something else going on that she isn’t telling me about, and that’s making me fucking uneasy.

  “Isn’t he needed at the clubhouse?”

  “I’ve asked Eddie if he can stay with me today.”

  I’m sorry, what…? “And what the hell am I supposed to do? Play fucking gooseberry?”

  “Grow up, Lucca.”

  She’s seriously pissing me off now. They both are, I have no clue what game they’re playing here, but it shouldn’t be happening.

  “Angel’s coming with me to the breaking the ground ceremony, for the new hotel.”

  “Seriously? You want your name to be associated with the Devil’s Creed in such a public manner? You realize the questions that’s gonna throw up?”

  “I know what I’m doing.”

  “Do you?”

  She glares at me, her dark eyes burning into mine. “Do not question me, Lucca.”

  “What’s happening here, Olivia?”

  “Take the parcel to the casino, and then go to the port. See Harry. I want to make sure everything’s okay down there with regard to the weapons shipment.”

  She’s shutting me down as far as all this Angel shit is concerned, and right now there isn’t much I can do about it. But I don’t have to like it, and I don’t. Not one fucking bit. “I thought the bikers were overseeing all of that?”

  “They are. But I want one of my best men on the case too. The very best. We might be bringing the Devil’s Creed closer inside the circle, but we still need to make sure we’re privy to everything that’s going on down there. So, have a word with Harry, and make sure it’s all still on track. And when you’ve done that, drive up to the bikers’ warehouse. Take a look around.”

  “Won’t that piss them off? It’s like we’re checking up on them.”

  “We are. Be discreet. Do a recce of the surrounding area, look for anything out of the ordinary, then give Jimmy Golden a call and arrange a meet. If the police have even a whiff of something going down between us and the Pino brothers then we need to be prepared for it.”

  Detective Jimmy Golden has been on the cartel’s payroll for a number of years now, so we can trust him – as far as we can trust anybody – to keep us informed of anything we need to know. But it never hurts to have a catch-up.

  “Ask him about Colton. What was he doing at the bikers’ compound the other day. Just make sure everything’s alright.”

  “Look, Olivia, I know it’s almost…”

  She shakes her head and starts backing away. “No, Lucca, we don’t go there. We don’t do that. We don’t bring emotion into this, it’s too dangerous. Emotion drains us, remember? Leaves us feeling nothing but weak, and we can’t afford for that to happen. Especially now.”

  This is why she’s so uneasy all of a sudden. This is why she’s acting like she is, it’s because we’re so close to the anniversary of Javier’s death. But she won’t talk to me about how she’s really feeling, she never has. I don’t know if she ever will. Two years on and I know she still misses him, we all do. But I can’t make her talk. In a way, I think she feels that keeping her emotions hidden away fuels the anger she needs to feel in order to deal with the Pino cartel, and she might be right. I don’t know. I’d love to know what’s going on inside her head, but I doubt I ever will. Even someone as close to her as I am doesn’t really get close enough to know the real Olivia Delgado. The woman behind the name.

  “We’re going to settle this, once and for all, Olivia, I promise you.”

  “I know.”

  Her voice is quiet now. The edge has gone.

  “And if you want to pull the trigger yourself…”

  She shakes her head and looks past me, out at the ocean. “No. I don’t want to do that. I’d much rather they suffer, if I’m being honest, I think shooting them is too quick. Too kind.” She drops her gaze and closes her eyes, and I’m seeing real emotion coming from her here, a moment where she’s not even trying to hide it. Those moments are rare. And then she looks up, her eyes locking on mine, and there are tears in hers, which hits me like a punch to the gut. “I’m so glad you were with him – Javier – when he passed.”

  “I was right by his side. He wasn’t alone.”

  “You felt his pain, too. You should be the one to take them out. You should have that privilege but, in reality, as long as their very existence is snuffed out I don’t give a shi
t who kills them. I just want them dead.”

  “It’ll happen.”

  She smiles a weak smile, and quickly wipes her eyes with the back of her hand, and as soon as that’s done she’s back, the Olivia she’s become – cold. Hard. All emotion pushed aside. Locked away. What’s happened just now, that was nothing more than the briefest of blips, and she doesn’t have those often.

  “It doesn’t feel right, Liv. Leaving you like this, I don’t trust…”

  “I trust him, Lucca. And so do you, and you know that we have to extend the circle, if we’re going to take over the Pino cartel’s territory. Their clients. Their business. We can’t do that if we don’t have people.”

  I drag a hand through my hair and sigh, because she’s right. She’s fucking right.

  “And I’m sorry, if you feel like I’m pushing you aside, I’m not. I’m not doing that.” She comes over to me, gently rests her palm against my cheek and I cover her hand with mine as she smiles up at me. “I won’t ever push you away, okay? I promise you that.”

  “I care about you, Olivia.” More than she’ll ever fucking know. “And all of this – the way I react, I’m not doing it to piss you off, I’m doing it because I’m just trying to keep you fucking safe. It’s what Javier wanted me to do.”

  She pulls her hand away from me, steps back, and crosses her arms against herself, it’s a defensive stance. She’s putting the barriers back up. “I understand that. But Javier isn’t here anymore. And I think, maybe, it’s time we moved on. Properly. And once I’ve seen the end of the bastards who took my husband’s life, it’s going to be much easier to do that.” She looks right at me, and I can’t tell what she’s feeling now, her eyes are pure ice. “I think we all need to move on, Lucca. Don’t you?”

  She turns around and starts to walk away before I can even consider a reply to that. But she doesn’t need to hear an answer, she already knows it.

  She’s right.

  We all need to move on.

  Properly…

  Olivia

  “Everything okay?” Angel asks as I come back into the kitchen.