Reckless: Triple R Security, Book 2

by Imogen Wells

  “It’s a placental abruption,” Rick’s voice comes from the left of me, matter of fact and disassociated. Cam told me his wife died during childbirth, so this must be the worst case of deja vu for him.

  I move to sit next to him, laying my hand on his arm. He looks up at me, and it guts me to see the tears that have welled in his eyes, and the obvious pain he’s in. Before I can say anything to him, the door opens, and a midwife enters.

  “Are you all here with Mr Hawkins and Miss Moore?” A chorus of yeses echoes around the room, and the midwife beams brightly. “Okay. Mr Hawkins asked me to inform you it’s a boy, and Mother and baby are both fine.”

  Loud sighs of relief can be heard at her words before we all try to talk at once, demanding if we can see them. The midwife holds her hand up with a small smile on her face.

  “You will be able to see them shortly, just wait here for now, and I’ll come and get you once they are settled in their room.” This time she offers a bright, reassuring smile before leaving the room.

  An hour later, my emotions raw and having checked Cam and the baby over myself, I leave the hospital. Rick offered to give me a lift, but I told him to stay. Besides, I need the space, and the air. If I had stayed in that room a minute longer, feeling Seb’s eyes on me, his scent teasing my fragile emotions, I think I may have fallen down the rabbit hole of insanity. Although, to be fair, I’m not sure that I’m not already there.

  I lean against the wall, digging around for my phone so I can call another taxi, when a hand at my back startles the fuck out of me, and I spin, fist raised, ready to knock the fucker out.

  “Woah!”

  “Jasper. What the actual fuck?” I blow out a breath. “For a cop, you’re kind of a dick. Sneaking up on people might be a useful skill for your job, but unless you want to die, I would suggest you don’t sneak up on me again.” Jasper lets out a laugh, that only angers me more. “It’s not fucking funny, Jasper. And I meant what I said, no man is going to get the better of me again.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry. And what do you mean by that?” he asks, voice hard, and a scowl on his face.

  I frown, confused as to whether he’s messing with me or he really doesn’t know. “Nothing. I didn’t mean anything.” I go back to looking for my phone and expecting him to question me further, but he doesn’t. Quickly deflecting, I ask, “What are you doing here anyway?” Finally finding it, I pull it out.

  “I thought I’d come and check on you and your friend of course. How is she?”

  “She’s doing okay. Her and the baby are fine, but it was touch and go there for a while. Look, I’m sorry we had to cut our evening short, and whilst I’m grateful you came to check on me, I really need to get home. It’s been a long, emotional and stressful day, and I just really want to go to bed.” I offer him an apologetic smile.

  “Of course, I completely understand. Can I at least give you a lift home?” I narrow my eyes at him, waiting for the catch, but it doesn’t come. “It’s safer than a taxi, and I’m almost certain the company is better,” he says with a wink and a small smirk. He’s kind of cute right now, but it’s not enough for me to let him drive me home. I need to decompress. I need thinking space, to sort my head out, and that won’t be possible if I leave with Jasper. His smile drops when he realises that I’m going to turn him down.

  “I’m sorry, Jasper. I just really need some time to myself right now.” I watch as his eyes darken, and his jaw flexes. Hoping to avert an argument, because I really don’t have the energy right now, I add, “Thank you for coming to check on me, and the gentlemanly offer to take me home. I really do appreciate it.” I smile brightly.

  It takes a second, but then he smiles too. “You know, I’m not sure my offer was as gentlemanly as you think.”

  I let out a small laugh. “No, I’m sure it wasn’t. And if it were any other time, I’d have gladly accepted.” I step forward to kiss his cheek, but the sneaky bastard turns his head at the last second, catching my lips with his own. I don’t fight it, instead just allow myself this minute of pleasure before I pull back.

  “Goodnight, Jasper.”

  “Goodnight, Jamie.” He turns and walks back across the car park.

  Once Jasper is out of sight, I go back to my phone still needing to call a taxi. As I bring up the number for a cab, I feel eyes on me from behind. I know who it is.

  “Hello, Seb.” I turn around slowly just as he steps out of the shadows. Our eyes lock, and I take in the fierce expression on his face. “I’m really not in the mood. Can I get a rain-check on the sparring match?” There’s no heat in the comment, just dejection.

  “I think you made that abundantly clear,” he says with a raise of his brow.

  “Did you want something?” I ask, ignoring his jibe at my conversation with Jasper. I wasn’t lying when I said I’m not in the mood.

  “Not really. I just came out for some air, but—”

  “Don’t say it. I’m going, so I’ll see you later. Or never.” I turn to walk away.

  “Who is he?” This time he doesn’t hide his animosity.

  I turn back, stalking towards him. “That is none of your damn business. You have no right to ask that of me.”

  “Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong, Firefly.” He reaches out a hand, running his finger down my cheek, and the touch sets off a chain of sparks that run the length of my body. The reaction pisses me off as much as its lights me up, but I’m helpless. Helpless to stop him as his finger reaches my throat, skimming over my pulse as it beats like the wings of a hummingbird. Helpless to stop the lust filled whimper that slips free from my mouth. “Even your body knows who it’s meant to belong to.” I let my eyes fall closed, lost to his touch, so much so that I don’t fully register what he said. Seb’s breath ghosts over my lips. The barest of touches that threatens to undo all the work I put in blocking the memory of his touch, his lips, from my mind. Then his lips slam down on mine and all rational thought leaves me. Spinning me round, he keeps his lips on mine as his hands find my hips, pushing me back towards the shadows he emerged from.

  I go willingly. Gripping his t-shirt in my clenched fist, pushing my tongue into his mouth, letting our tongues battle without words. Giving myself over to the man who has forced me to question who I am. What I am. A man who has made me reckless. Twisted me up inside until I’m nothing more than a tangled web of emotions. He makes me feel. And that is something I don’t know how to deal with. Not anymore.

  The feel of Seb’s hands running up my ribs has me back in the moment. God, his hands feel so damn good that I don’t want him to ever stop.

  When his hand reaches my breast, he yanks the top of my dress down and brushes his finger over my nipple through the thin fabric of my lace bra and it peaks instantly. Seb hums in appreciation at my body’s reaction to him, tweaking and pulling my nipple until he draws a moan from me. His lips trail down my neck, setting a fire beneath my skin, and I grip his head, pulling his hair as his teeth latch onto my pebbled nipple. His other hand hitches my leg up as he grinds his hips against my core, and my back arches, seeking more. I reach between us, popping the button on his trousers, and as I reach my hand inside, wrapping it round his hard cock, someone calls his name.

  “Hey, Seb. You out here, man?”

  It’s Jay. Like a cold bucket of icy water, the lust filled haze fractures, and I pull back. Removing my hand, I press on Seb’s chest, pushing him away. I don’t look at him. I can’t look at him. Instead, I fix my clothes and move further back into the shadows. Willing him to just walk away.

  “Jamie,” he whispers.

  “Just go.” He tries to speak again, but I cut him off. “Just fucking go. Please.” I whisper-shout. My voice breaks a little on the last word, and I wince at my pleading tone. Angry at myself for letting my emotions show and for letting Seb slip past my defences again. Angry at Seb for— well, just being Seb. The guy that flipped the switch on my feelings.

  “Seb,” Jay calls out again. Seb looks over
his shoulder, seeing a shadow as Jay draws nearer to where we are. He looks back to me, then turns and walks away.

  Again.

  I drop back against the wall as I hear Seb and Jay talking. Once their voices have faded, I step out from my hiding spot. I don’t bother wasting time calling for a taxi, instead I walk to the nearest bar.

  I don’t remember how I got home last night, but I do know that my fucking head hurts. It feels like someone took an axe to it, cracking it open right down the middle.

  I shower. I dress. And then as I walk down the hall to the kitchen, the damn answer machine light flashes, taunting me. The flashing is damn near in time with my pounding head. I walk past, grabbing a glass from the cupboard and filling it with water before taking a couple of ibuprofens. I can still see the answer machine light flashing. Thinking that I should at least listen to her stupid excuses, because I’m almost certain it’s my mum, I head back to the hall and press play.

  ‘You have six new messages.’

  The first one clicks off without leaving a message, the next one does the same. The next three are from my mum as I suspected. I go to press delete before the last message can begin, certain it’s my mum again, but I’m not quick enough, and her voice fills the hallway.

  “Jamie, please, hunny.” She sniffs down the line. “I just want to talk. To explain. I know you’re angry and upset, but I’m still your mum. I love you.” Her voice breaks on the last words.

  I stand there for several minutes as I attempt to sort through my emotions. I’m angry at her for what she’s done to our family. To my dad. I’m equally upset at the loss of our mother-daughter relationship. We’ve always been close, and it hurts, so deep, that it’s now gone. Then more anger at the man who had the audacity to swoop in and steal my mum away from us. Who the fuck is this guy? How has my mum turned her back on my dad for another man? I guess if I want answers to those questions then I’m going to have to go ask her myself.

  That’s exactly what I plan to do but not today. I need time to calm down and get my emotions under control. Mum hasn’t told me who this guy she had an affair with is, and I don’t know if Dad knows either. Dad told me it’s over, and they aren’t seeing each other anymore, but it doesn’t change the fact she did it in the first place. That, for me, is so hard to get my head around. After everything that happened with me and Josh, what he and Amber did to me, I just don’t understand how she could do it.

  I focus on housework in bid to stop the constant thoughts running rampant in my head. I do the washing, hoovering and dusting, and it works to take my mind of my mum.

  I take another shower hoping to clear my mind before making myself dinner and forcing it down. Well, half of it, and every bite sticks in my throat.

  When I finally leave the house for work, my thoughts are still a jumbled mess. And I’m angry. At just about everything. I put a lid on it as I near work, tempering it and letting it silently simmer away below.

  It begins to boil over again when I get there and discover my locker has been broken into. Luckily, I don’t keep anything of value in there, just spare clothes, shoes and a little extra cash for emergencies. But it’s all still there, so the reason why they broke in, remains a mystery. Maintenance come by to fix the lock, and at the end of my shift, I collect my new key before going home to sleep.

  Eight

  Seb

  The phone rings twice before Rick picks up. “We’re in and going to check it out tonight.”

  “Good. Let’s hope you can get some good intel and it moves quickly. We can’t afford for this to take too long.”

  “Yeah, let’s hope so.” My smile drops a little as I ask my next question. “How’s Cam and the baby doing?” Rick put a ban on me visiting temporarily, feeling it was best to distance myself as much as possible. I’m pissed about it, but I understand his reasons.

  “They’re good, man. Doing real good. They should be allowed home in the next couple of days. You should see Blue, Seb. He’s gone into full dad mode; the house is baby proofed to the hilt. I doubt even an adult could injure themselves in there,” he chuckles. “I know you wanted to see them, but this is for their safety.”

  I sigh. “Yeah, and I get it. I’d do the same.” I pull into the car park of the apartment we’ll be using for my cover. “Look, I’ve got to go, there’s some things I need to do before we head out later. Is there anything else I need to know?” I ask, turning the engine off and picking up my phone as the call switches from handsfree.

  “No, just remember to keep your head if you see Jamie. It’s not likely because she prefers Rosco’s, but that’s not to say she won’t come to Tempest again,” Rick states, as I enter the lift. With him. He doesn’t say it, but I know he was thinking it. The fact she was there at all, regardless of who with, worries me given what we know about the place.

  My grip on the phone tightens as I think of last night. Images of her flash through my mind, and I shake them free before replying.

  “You and I both know that while she’s seeing that prick Jasper there’s every possibility she’ll turn up. But I will play my part, don’t worry.”

  Stepping out of the lift, I push the key into the lock, opening the door and stepping inside. It’s fucking freezing in here, and the smell of fresh paint assaults my nose.

  “I’ll call you later and let you know how it went. Give my love to Cam, catch you later.” Rick tells me he will before ending the call as I walk into the open plan lounge-kitchen.

  It’s a new apartment in the Castlefield quarter, overlooking the canal. Clean lines and minimalistic design, a little different to what I’m used to, but needs must. It’s a total bachelor pad, down to the modern furniture and terrace bar.

  I’m not in the least bit surprised that Jay was so quick to agree to signing up to this job. I said yes, of course. Rick agreed it would be better for our cover and good to have a second set of eyes too.

  I throw my keys and phone down on the breakfast bar and head off down the hall to the master bedroom. It’s plush, and with my own stamp on it, I’ll feel right at home.

  My phone rings from the kitchen, but I ignore it. I have a feeling it’s not someone I want to talk to right now.

  I make a start on unpacking the boxes stacked in the corner of the room. An hour later as I’m emptying the last box, I hear the front door.

  “Seb? Where you at, man?” I can hear him dragging something behind him through the apartment.

  “Back here, mate.” Jay lets out a low whistle as he walks towards my room.

  “This place is going to have the girls dropping at my feet. Or my cock. Either way I’ll be getting some serious action.”

  I turn around just as he enters the room and leans against the door frame. I give him a serious look. “You know this is for the job, right? You can’t go bringing all and sundry here. It’s not your personal pussy pad.”

  “Way to spoil my fun before I’ve even settled in, man.” He huffs, and I arch a brow at him. “Fine. But you owe me for this.”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Come on, help me with this last box, and then I’ll give you a hand bringing your stuff up.”

  Jay moves into the room and begins to demolish the boxes. Once we have them all flattened, we carry them down to the bin on our way to Jay’s truck.

  Around 6pm Jay orders pizza, neither of us in the mood to cook, and I crack open a couple of beers for us. Flopping down onto the sofa, swigging my beer, Jay joins me.

  “So, how you feeling about tonight?”

  I think on it for a minute, picking at the label on my bottle. “I’m good. I’ve done this a shit load of times before, and this is no different.” Jay’s eyes widen, questioning the conviction of that statement. I know why he’s asking, Jamie. More precisely, Jamie’s mum. Her being involved complicates things. And last night, what happened between us and the fact Jamie was at Tempest, could potentially be an issue too, but I push it from my mind.

  “What’s this Jasper dudes deal? Do you know any
more about him?”

  “Not really. Everything points to him being a good detective, although it depends on who you talk to. Alex, from Rosco’s, has a rather different opinion of him. My guess is it’s got more to do with the fact he’s into Jamie.” I can’t hide the bitterness in my tone, and I know Jay doesn’t miss it either. “And no doubt, Jasper has turned the bar over more than once.” I add nonchalantly.

  “Yeah, well it ain’t hard to see why Alex likes her. She’s fucking hot!” My gaze snaps to him, eyes narrowed, but the bastard just laughs. “Woah, chill. I’m just yanking your chain.”

  The intercom buzzes, and I get up to let the pizza guy in, heading to the front door. On my way back with the pizza, I grab two more beers. For the next hour, I forget about tonight, and just relax. I don’t think about Jamie, or the job I’ve got to do. I try even harder not to think about all the ways this could go to shit.

  It’s an epic fail.

  We arrive at Tempest around ten, and we collect our membership cards from a more than eager to please blond with bright red lips and a rack that makes it impossible for Jay to keep his eyes on her face. She’s not in the slightest bit subtle with her flirtations, and I wonder if it’s all part of the service or if she’s touting for services of her own.

  It’s Monday, and whilst it’s busier than I expected, it’s nowhere near capacity. We move slowly to the bar, skirting the writhing bodies of those on the dance floor, and Jay orders us a couple of beers as we take in the scene.

  As it stands, this place looks just like any other club in the city, but it hides a dark underbelly. Hidden beneath all those pretty embellishments lies a serpent, lying in wait and ready to strike as soon as you’re successfully drawn in.

  I’ve discovered most things that look too good to be true are. There isn’t a person in this world that doesn’t have a darker side. One that when pushed enough, breaks free from its chains and swallows all the good in one bite.