by Imogen Wells
“What has you smirking? Are you playing nice, Jamie?” Subtly isn’t my strong point, and I’m not in the least surprised that Jasper caught me out.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m always nice,” I exclaim, looking up and batting my eyes at him. A picture of innocence.
“Now, why is it that I don’t believe you?”
It’s now that I take in our surroundings. And wow. This place is insane. The club is over two floors, and the top looks to be a VIP area. I don’t see any stairs or a way to get up there. Guess it’s ultra-exclusive.
The rest of the room is bathed in deep purple and blue lighting that brings out the slashes of silver coming from the furniture and bar. The back wall is a whole bank of mirrors, with the bar in front. Hanging from the ceiling are about twenty globe lights that look like 80’s disco balls, but these are less tacky and highly expensive from the looks of it. The affect is stunning! There are several podiums with female dancers and a few with couples. All are wearing next to nothing, and their bodies are swathed in sweat that glistens in the light.
We make our way through the throng of bodies, some just talking, while others are clearly high and dancing like their lives depend on it. Never really got into the whole drug scene, but I’ve dabbled a little. Not really my thing, besides, I find my buzz in other ways.
We reach the bar and are instantly greeted by a guy in black tailored trousers and a waistcoat with no shirt underneath. His muscles ripple with every movement, and if I weren’t here with Jasper, I’d be all over that. I mentally face palm at the thoughts running wild and free in my mind. Shoving them aside, I listen as Jasper orders drinks for us.
When the guy returns with our drinks, I offer him a thanks and catching his eye, he gives me a cheeky grin before walking away. At least the service is an improvement on the last place I went. And no Seb, so thank the lord for small mercies. The thought brings me right back to why I’m here in the first place.
“So, tell me, how does a detective get into a place like this?” I quirk a brow at Jasper as a frown crosses his face, but before he can answer, we are interrupted.
“Jasper, my man. So glad you made it.” The guy slaps Jasper on the back, and he almost chokes on his drink.
“Fuck! Noah, you’re an arsehole.” Jasper lets out a little cough before turning to his friend. “Good to see you. How’s it all going?”
“It’s good, Jasper. Real good.” His eyes fall on me, and I get my first proper look at his face. He’s cute, in a boy-next-door way, but you can tell he’s more than that. “Who is this delectable lady?” he asks Jasper, but his eyes don’t stray from me. I get the distinct impression, despite his pretence, he knows exactly who I am.
While Jasper introduces us, I watch Noah and the way he holds himself. He’s not a cop like Jasper that much is clear. He has an air of authority like Jasper, but it’s different, more fluid. Almost like it’s in his very blood and not just for show. Noah, commands respect and obedience. It reminds me of Blue and the guys—military—and from his size and clean crisp clothing, I’d be willing to bet I’m right. He’s also kind of familiar.
I’m brought out of my musings as Noah offers us a place up on the VIP floor. I sip my drink as Noah leads us off to a door on the right. A bouncer stands guard outside, nodding and permitting us before we even reach it.
Just as we pass through the door and I look back at Noah, he gives me a wink, and I’m suddenly reminded of a night a week ago. Me and two guys, waking up next to them and making my escape.
Shit! Noah was one of those guys.
Six
Seb
I drive through the back roads at a speed that’s likely to get me killed, but I need the adrenaline rush just now. My mind is in complete turmoil over my meeting earlier with that prick Lance, and then seeing Jamie at the bar today has put me in a complete spin. Why was she anywhere near there?
My phone rings, causing me to swerve on the road. Thank fuck there are no other cars coming.
“I’m on my way, Blue. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Can’t you just wait?”
“What the fuck is eating you?”
“Nothing. I’m sorry, just got a lot on my mind that’s all. What did you need?” I feel bad for biting at him.
“You’ve got a lot on your mind? I’m the one that’s going to be a dad any day now.” I don’t miss the sarcasm in his tone or the slight hitch in his voice that tells me how fucking terrified he is. “Anyway, I called because Cam wanted to know if you’d like dinner? Unless you’ve got a better offer?” He lets out a laugh, telling me that he’s spoken to Jay about last week.
“Jay’s a bastard and dead when I see him next. Fucker needs to keep his mouth shut.”
“Ahhh, come on, Seb. I’m just messing with you. Where’s the cocky arsehole we know and love gone?” I hear Cam in the background shouting at him to knock it off. “Okay, fine,” he tells Cam, then to me he asks, “Is that a yes, then?” I hesitate, not sure if I do or not, but before I can answer Blue calls out to Cam that it’s a yes.
“Hey, I didn’t say that. I could have plans you know.”
“Do you? Other than watching porn and banging one out.” I don’t reply and that’s answer enough for him. “Didn’t think so. I’ll see you in a bit.” Then he ends the call. Arsehole! But he’s right, I have nothing better to do, and if I go out, then I’ll probably get wrecked and end up calling Vicki. I don’t want to do that.
When I arrive at Blue’s, he’s waiting for me in the lobby.
“Hey. What’s going on, why you down here?” He rubs his hand over his face, and the muscle in his jaw ticks, telling me he’s not happy about something.
“I need to speak to you, on your own. Come on, let’s get a drink.” He leads the way to the bar that makes up the lower floor, along with a restaurant on the other side.
Once we get our drinks and find a quiet table to sit at, he gives me the look. The look of someone that has something to say, something I’m not going to like much.
“What’s going on, Blue?”
He takes a swig of his beer, then picks up the beer mat, flicking it between his fingers. His head is low, and when he looks at me, I don’t like what I see.
“So, Rick called me with an update on Dom’s case.”
“Okay. Come on, man, spit it out. What the fuck is it?”
He doesn’t answer, just pulls his phone free from his pocket and hands it over to me. I arch a brow at him in confusion but take the phone. When I look at the screen, my eyes almost bug out of my head.
“Shit, Ry. These are some dirty pictures,” I say on a laugh. “Who is—” I don’t need to ask as a picture of a woman being taken from behind flicks up on the screen, and you can see her face as clear as day. “You’re fucking kidding me!” I bellow, then remember where we are. “So, who’s the guy?” The picture has been taken or cropped specifically to hide the guy’s identity, but showing the woman, who is clearly Jamie’s mum, although slightly younger looking, in all her glory.
“We don’t know yet. Rick is trying to find out more. The photos were posted to an online porn site and directly to Dominic. As you can imagine the guy is spitting fucking feathers not only that his wife had an affair, but now every man and his dog has the potential to see these. I mean, it’s not like Louise is your standard housewife that nobody knows. I’ve had Jay take them down, but I have a feeling they are going to be making another appearance soon. And not in a good way.”
“Fuck. I don’t like this.” And it’s the fucking truth. Whatever the fuck Dominic has got mixed up in is now becoming a threat to the rest of the family, and that means Jamie too. I throw the phone down on the table. “Are they recent? Louise looks younger in them?”
“Yeah, I thought the same, but I don’t know. I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear, but for now we just have to do what we can until we have more information and hope they leave Jamie out of it. It’s going to be bad enough if she sees these pictures of
her mum. The fact they aren’t talking might actually be a blessing at the moment. What happened with Lance?”
I run a hand over my face. “Lance reckons we won’t have a problem getting membership to the club, apparently Jay and I are exactly the type of clientele they aim for,” I say, rolling my eyes. “They have a member’s only event coming up and is perfect timing for us to see exactly what the fuck goes on at Tempest.”
“I know you’re worried about Jamie, but we’ll figure it out. In the meantime, we need to get to work on this job. Once you’re in, you need to get as much as you can on Mark Nash and get close to him if possible. Ideally, Rick wants you in his inner circle, but if not, we work with what we get. Just make sure it’s enough to bust the place and lock that fucker up. You’ve done this shit so many times, you could do it in your sleep. You’re the best we have.” He slaps a hand on my shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze.
“Yeah, I’ve got this. Pretending to be someone I’m not, is a piece of piss, right?”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Blue scowls at me, even though he knows I’m right. I’m the happy-go-lucky guy that doesn’t let anything get to me, always wears a smile, always has a joke at the ready. But we both know I’m the guy that hides behind all that shit; hides the fact I wear my heart on my sleeve, feels everything much too much and never lets anyone see it. That’s how you get hurt. That’s how you end up dead.
“It’s cool. Don’t worry about it, you know I’m good for it. Now, you promised me food, and you know how much I love Cam’s cooking. Plus, I’m fucking starving.” He looks at me for a minute, like he’s hunting for the lie. Deciding now’s not the time, he rises from his chair and leads the way to his apartment.
The smells permeating from Blue’s kitchen have my mouth watering before I even get off the lift. Cam is just dishing up as we arrive, and when she sees me, she waddles over. I take her in my arms, giving her a kiss on the top of her head. She looks beautiful, tired, but beautiful. Pregnancy certainly agrees with her.
“You sure you don’t have a whole football team in there, Cam? Shit, girl, you look fit to burst.” She tries to punch me on the arm, but I dodge it with a smirk of triumph. “Not this time, mama bear.”
“Careful, Seb, I won’t be pregnant forever, and then I’m going to kick your arse. Come on, let’s eat.” She walks back towards the kitchen as I pull a chair out at the dining table, but before my arse meets it, Cam lets out a pained cry, doubling over and gripping the back of one of the chairs. I shove the chair back and reach for her just as Blue does. She reaches her hand out as another pained cry leaves her, and I grasp it, her grip tightening like a vice.
“Aaargh! Ryder…” she pauses, blowing out a breath. “I think we need to go…to the…hospital,” she pants out. “Argh, fuck!”
“Okay, baby. I’ve got you.” I watch as the colour drains from Blue’s face. Then a split second later as his military training kicks in, detaching himself from the emotional link to the situation, calm washes over him. He turns to me. “Seb, go to the bedroom, there’s a bag next to the wardrobe.” I’m moving before he’s even finished. I race to the bedroom, grabbing what Blue asked for, all the while I can hear Cam’s pained shouts, and then silence before Blue’s booming voice breaks through the apartment like a clap of thunder. “Hurry the fuck up, Seb. We need to go. Now!”
Coming back out to were Blue is holding Cam, I see blood on the floor. Lots of blood. Shaking off the fear, I head for the lift just as Blue picks Cam up and follows after me.
I called Rick and Jamie on the way to the hospital. I wasn’t sure she’d answer, so Blue gave me his phone to call her. To say she was fucked off when she realised it was me not Blue is putting it mildly. When she shut up long enough for me to tell her why I was calling, she hung up on me. I’m guessing she’s on her way here, or she’s pissed that her night got interrupted. It sounded like she was out. With a guy. I shut the thought off. I have more important things to worry about than who she’s taking to her bed. And I shouldn’t care either.
Blue went in with Cam, and I’ve not heard from him since. It feels like it’s been hours. God, I hope everything is okay. Cam’s fucking strong, so to see her in so much pain is a real worry. And the blood? So much blood. The door to the waiting room the nurse showed me to opens and in walks Rick with Jay hot on his heels.
“Just fucking do something!” rings out in the hall. Rick, Jay and I all look at each other knowing it was Blue. Rick is still holding the door open, and we watch as Cam is wheeled out. She’s unconscious and Blue is…freaked out, scared, angry. It’s hard to tell exactly which emotion is winning right now. Every single one is etched on his face and visible in his body language. Whatever is happening has broken the cool and calm facade he had before we arrived. This Blue is one I’ve rarely seen in all the years I’ve known him.
“Ry, what the hell is happening?” Rick asks as they pass the room. He looks kind of green himself, and it’s not really a surprise given how he lost Sam.
“I don’t know. Fuck. I don’t know. She’s got to have a caesarean, something about a placental abruption.” The words rush out of him before he chases after the nurses wheeling Cam down the corridor.
The three of us stand there for several minutes, unable to say or do anything. There is nothing any of us can do. And that is the hardest thing about this. I turn to Rick, knowing this must be bringing back a fuck load of bad memories for him.
“Rick. You okay, man?” I ask. It sounds like the lamest question because I can see the answer written on his face. He’s not okay, and he won’t be until Blue comes back out here with good news.
Now, we play the waiting game, and we pray to god Cam and the baby make it.
A commotion out in the hall as me lifting my head. It’s been thirty minutes since they took Cam down to surgery, and it’s as though the whole hospital has been holding its breath with us.
Now though, that silence has been broken by a female voice I’d know anywhere. Not two seconds later, Jamie bursts through the door.
Seven
Jamie
Jasper appeared to be fine when I told him I had to leave, but I’m a good judge of character and got the impression he was less than happy. Tough shit.
If I’m totally honest, I was glad to get away. Sitting there with the guy who you’re currently sleeping with and the guy whose bed you snuck out of after fucking him and his friend is not an experience I wish to repeat in a hurry. I was on edge waiting to see if Noah was going to out us.
Then to receive a call from the last person I want to talk to, correction second to last, my mother currently holds the number one spot, telling me my best friend is at the hospital, it’s safe to say my mood is less than cheery.
Yeah, I might have been avoiding Cam lately, but she’s my best friend, and I’ll be there for her no matter what. Even if that includes walking into a room where one of the people on my shit list is currently sitting.
My breath catches in my chest when I see him sat there, head in hands, and when he looks up at me, I quickly look away afraid he’ll see too much. He always sees too much. It’s one of the reasons I don’t like him. It’s also the reason I need to stay away from him.
I turn my attention to Rick, and if I thought Seb looked bad, then he’s got nothing on Rick. He’s sitting with his head back against the wall and eyes closed and concern etched onto every inch of his face.
“How is she? What’s happening?” I ask. Nobody speaks and the silence has my heart thrashing inside my chest.
“They’ve taken her to theatre for a caesarean.” I’m confused at first as to who spoke, but then I remember the other guy that is here. When I turn to him, a flash of recognition hits. He’s the guy who was with Seb at the bar the other week.
“And who the hell are you?” My inner bitch is poking her head out, and I take a deep breath, trying to rein her in. I refuse to look at Seb, although I can feel his eyes on me. They’re like lasers burning a path acros
s my face, over my body. One he knows well. Intimately.
The guy doesn’t look offended by my rude as hell attitude, if anything, he looks mildly amused.
“I’m Jay. A friend of Seb’s and occasional colleague. I take it from that toasty reception, you must be Jamie?” I watch as a small smirk kicks up one side of his mouth.
“Nice to know I’m talked about. Whilst the small talk is great, does someone want to tell me what the fuck happened?” I turn my focus to Seb finally. Pinning my gaze on him, almost daring him to say something, but he just stares right back at me. My face heats, and it feels like the temperature in this room has risen to beyond comfortable. I ignore the butterflies in my belly, pushing them way down and putting a lid on them. This guy infuriates me as much as he turns me on, and that just makes me crazy.
“Oh, Firefly, have you missed me?” he says with a wink.
“Not one fucking bit. Stop with the shit, Seb, and just tell me what’s happened.” I cross my arms over my chest, feeling a little self-conscious. Total first for me since high school. I want to pull at the hem of my skirt, pull my top up and cover every inch of flesh on display. No guy has ever made me feel so…out of sorts. And this is exactly why I need to steer clear of him.
A spark of anger flashes in Seb’s eyes before it’s gone again.
“I don’t know. I was at theirs for dinner and had only just arrived. Cam was fine, and then she was in pain and bleeding—"
“Bleeding? Why the hell didn’t you say that on the phone?” I begin to pace as the nurse in me takes over, and I think of all the possible reasons. None of them are good. “What have the midwives said? Blue? Have they told you anything at all?”
