Chapter Seven
Eli —
The first rule Levi had taught us when we started this life was simple: Never harm the innocent. The guilty are fair game. From the looks of these guys, that choice was a no-brainer.
It was the second rule he taught us that was my problem here: Never do the job alone.
That rule hadn’t applied to him, but as his younger brothers, it had been a line in the sand we better not cross. We were older now, able to take care of ourselves, but I’d never broken the rule.
Until now.
Basically I’d fucked myself.
I kept my eyes off the beautiful woman to the redhead’s left. I had zero doubt she could be as lethal as the men in the room, but looking at her was too much of a distraction. I felt myself getting caught up, staring, just as I had when I’d spotted her crossing the dining room earlier after I’d been seated. Her long black hair fell around her like a cloak, her green eyes shining brilliantly in gorgeous contrast.
Yes, she was definitely a distraction, and ignoring her was the lesser of two evils.
The sequence played out clearly in my mind’s eye—slipping my hand from my pocket to the small of my back, where the knife I’d stashed was within easy reach. Or going for the gun tucked beneath my armpit. The suit was specially designed to conceal weapons, unlike my opponents’, and the knife and gun were just two of several I was carrying. I would use the threat of either one to move the trio away from the door, where I’d flick the lock and get ghost.
There was more than one problem with that sequence.
First, these guys had to be sufficiently motivated to move. And I wouldn’t delude myself—in this small area, with all of our sizes but Beautiful’s taking up too much space, it would be easy for them to disarm me. Or kill me and leave the mess for someone else to clean up.
Second, if I left, I wouldn’t find out who they were. Which meant possibly facing them again in even less favorable circumstances. Not that I’d mind seeing Beautiful again, but the circumstances...
Decisions, decisions. They’d agreed to talk, but no one was stepping up to the plate.
Fuck it.
“Just who the hell are you guys?”
Redhead ignored my question for one of his own. “I won’t ask you again, dude: where is X?”
I narrowed my eyes on the man while keeping my cocky grin firmly in place. They were underestimating me; they always did. “Wouldn’t we all like to know?” I jiggled the change in my pocket again, distracting anyone who might notice from the movement of my thumb against the remote in my left pocket. The tiny camera hidden in the folds of the hankie in my breast pocket was barely the size of the tip of a ball-point pen, but the images it captured would allow me to get a lead on these guys.
“So, who’s in charge here? You, big guy?” I jerked my chin at Redhead, then the dark-haired guy to his right. Equally tall, the man’s bearing said former military, just like Redhead’s. I’d known men like this; I’d killed men like this. I’d prefer to avoid that today if at all possible. “Or maybe you?”
Redhead laughed, shaking his head in a way that said I’d just stepped in a pile of shit. I knew he was right when the two men stepped back and Beautiful moved into the center of their little group. I couldn’t avoid looking at her now, distraction or not. She kept well out of arm’s reach, and if the three of them had been close before, now they tightened the space between them even more. Not enough to hamper them if it came to a fight, but enough to tell me the men were protective of their smaller companion.
I didn’t blame them. Just looking into those brilliant green eyes made my muscles swell, my body preparing to fight off any and all threats to the dark-haired beauty. She didn’t need a weapon to disarm me; her mere presence worked perfectly.
“I’m in charge,” Beautiful said, voice calm and crystal clear. She’d been in dangerous situations before, obviously. That green gaze swept my body. “You don’t look like a lackey, but then, it takes all kinds. Now, if you’re sincere about not wasting a great dick”—her dismissive gaze and doubtful tone told me exactly how much stock she put in that statement—“I’d suggest you comply. Where is X?”
I’d love to prove it to you, Beautiful. The authority in her voice, the lack of fear was giving me a semi. “And you are?”
Beautiful opened her full lips to respond—with a name or not, I’d never know. The words were cut off by a rattling of the door as someone tried to shove it open. When it stayed firmly closed, they knocked briskly—once, twice, a third time, each hard rap shooting the tension in the room up a notch. I could see it in Beautiful’s eyes, how they narrowed. How the fullness of her lips went tight. Soft pink lips shouldn’t be that tense. I wanted to reach for her, smooth them out, reassure her—
Enemy, remember, dickhead?
Possible enemy, at least. I snapped a pic while she stood in front of me. “You’ve got maybe two minutes before an attendant shows up to unlock that door.” I shrugged. “I’m all for a cozy foursome, but I always know my lover’s name beforehand. What’s your name, Beautiful?”
The green in her eyes darkened to forest, and it wasn’t with pleasure or amusement. “Let’s move this outside,” she told her men.
“Even kinkier.” I shot her a wink just like the one I’d given her earlier, across the dining room.
Redhead growled. Yeah, they were protective all right.
I kept my body relaxed as the second man moved to the door and flipped the lock. Redhead went first. Beautiful stepped to one side, her hand sweeping in front of me to indicate that I should move. I jingled the change in my pocket, snapping a pic of the dark-haired man as I passed him on my way out.
The long hall containing the restrooms intersected a second hall that led toward the back of the restaurant and an alley, probably where they intended to take me. As if. I might be the youngest man in this group, but I wasn’t some wet-behind-the-ears recruit who followed blindly wherever they went—and I sure as hell wasn’t following them into an empty alley where anything could happen. Unfortunately for them, they were counting on me not causing a scene.
When we reached the second hall, Redhead turned right. I turned left, directly into the dining area.
A low, throaty curse behind me made my cock jerk, wondering if Beautiful would sound just like that when she was in bed with her lover, fighting for the orgasm she deserved. I wanted to hear her curse, hear her demand pleasure with a strength that broke through my concentration, it shook me so hard. I willed down the reaction and my dick and kept walking.
Our little procession wound through the tables as my mind raced with possibilities. No way were these three going to let me walk away without some answers. According to them, they were looking for X. So was I. Why? I’d assumed X might be watching me, and they seemed to assume the same. How many teams did the fucker actually need? Was this team working directly for him and snowing me, or were they in the same situation I was in?
The thought caused a hitch in my step. A subtle shove from behind from a broad hand—Redhead, probably, giving away his anger at being outsmarted—got my feet moving again. This time it was my turn to growl.
I knew the minute I saw the valet attendant open the door that he was with them. It was the way he glanced over my shoulder, the tightening of his mouth, the ready way he held his body, as if waiting for me to make a wrong move. “You know that man bun is a weakness in a fight, right? Perfect handle,” I whispered as I passed through the door.
The man didn’t startle, didn’t say, What the hell? No, he knew exactly what I was talking about, and the narrowing of his eyes proved it. I snapped his picture, snickering on my way across the valet area toward the sidewalk I’d come in from.
Beautiful, Redhead, and the other two followed me. By the time I’d reached the bench halfway down the sidewalk, far enough from the door of the restaurant to give us some half-assed privacy, the blond with the man bun had his valet jacket off and the rest were circling like sharks.
“I’m guessing you don’t want to tell me what you know about X,” I said, addressing Beautiful where she stood behind the bench. “My lips are equally sealed. Looks like we’re at an impasse, Beautiful.”
Man Bun snorted. “You like playing with fire, keep calling her that.”
I’d like playing with her, fire or not. Glancing around at the wide-open area filled with potential witnesses, I gave a snort of my own. “Make me.”
The man’s eyes went lethal. Before he could grab me by the lapels and pull me over his knees like the misbehaving kid he thought I was, Redhead stepped between us. “Tell us what you know, and we’ll let you go.”
“You’ll do that anyway, Red. Unless you’ve got a dart gun on you and another friend hiding around the corner with a van. But,” I said, forestalling the threats I could see stacking themselves up behind his tight lips, “I’d be happy to tell you what I know about X.”
The four of them waited, not relaxing an inch. If I’d had any doubt that they were professionals, they would be gone in that moment.
“I know exactly one thing besides what he calls himself.” My hand twitched in my pocket again, snapping pics. “He has a lot of knowledge he shouldn’t have for an average joe.”
The words left my mouth before I truly registered the meaning behind them. My gaze sharpened on the four people surrounding me. Was that our connection? Had they been blackmailed into something by X as well?
Which meant they had something to hide, something I needed to find.
None of their expressions showed surprise—they’d already known what I told them. Definitely hiding something.
“How do you know that?” Beautiful asked.
I shook my head. “I gave you my piece; now you give me yours. Your names.”
She squared her shoulders. “Not gonna happen.”
I shrugged. “Impasse.”
Man Bun reached for the small of his back. “Dart gun it is.”
The click-clack of high heels on the sidewalk registered in my ears. From the corner of my eye I saw a couple, the man stepping up to the window of their taxi to pay the driver. The woman, a blonde in a tight black dress, turned and smiled in my direction. I sent her a sexy smirk. A blush swept across her cheeks as her eyes dropped their focus to the concrete.
What can I say? A soldier used whatever weapons he had on hand, and sexuality was the best weapon I carried.
Beautiful sniffed, telling me she’d noticed the reaction too. Redhead moved a step closer to me, almost within grabbing distance. Man Bun’s hand gripped whatever was behind his back and began to pull it around.
I counted the clicking of steps as the couple approached. Four. Three. Two. One.
My eyes met the woman, discreetly raised. I winked. Her rough inhale was audible to every ear in our group.
And then she stumbled.
One heel dug into a crack in the sidewalk, and she pitched, arms out to break her fall, straight toward Redhead. Her date gasped and reached for her, only succeeding in pushing her into Red faster. I stepped in and pulled, sending him after her toward the group of mercenaries determined to take me with them.
It took a split second for Redhead to falter, then right himself, but the ripple effect shattered the group’s concentration. The woman clutched Red’s suit jacket in her fists, struggling to find her footing with one heel stuck between slabs of the sidewalk. It was all the distraction I needed.
Spinning around, I sprinted back in the direction we’d come. A quick streak through the valet area allowed me to grab a couple of hapless victims and throw them in my pursuers’ paths like balls aimed at bowling pins. The few seconds I gained got me around the corner and, thanks to hours of parkour with Remi and a strategically placed rope, up a straight wall to the second floor of the parking garage behind the restaurant. I was well away from the area by the time they realized I was gone.
Chapter Eight
Abby—
I stumbled down the stairs, rubbing bleary eyes. It didn’t seem to matter how much sleep I got, I was still exhausted. I hadn’t woken last night when Levi came home—whenever that was—slept straight through my alarm this morning, and this afternoon’s nap had gone from half an hour to two. Thank goodness I was between classes right now.
As I walked through the doorway into the kitchen, the smell of raw meat hit me like a slap in the face. I could literally feel the blood drain from my cheeks, it happened so fast.
“I know that look,” Leah said where she stood at the island, cutting chicken into slices for stir-fry, it looked like. “Go sit over at the table and let me get you something for your stomach.”
Relief eased the weight on my chest as I crossed the room, partly because the smell of the meat receded, partly because Leah was here. The only person who knew my secret. At least she had experience with this stuff; otherwise I’d be completely in the dark.
“Here.” A glass of light amber liquid, tiny bubbles lining the sides, appeared in front of me. I took a small sip. Ginger ale. “It’ll settle your stomach some.”
I watched as she went back to the island, but she didn’t stop this time. She moved to the bread near the toaster, pulled a couple of slices, and popped them inside. Taking care of me.
The way Levi should be doing.
Don’t. I couldn’t expect him to be worried about me when he had no idea what was going on.
And whose fault is that?
Leah brought over the toast. “Eat that slow,” she warned.
I gave her a weak smile. “So this is normal, then?”
“This early, yeah.” She braced her hands on the back of a chair, her eyes intent on me. “Lots of sleep and lots of tiny meals helps, but nothing will take it away but time. The hormone surge in early pregnancy is a bitch. It takes a while for your body to get used to it.”
I nodded absently, my brain stuck back on that word: pregnancy. I was pregnant. Just a handful of weeks, but...pregnant.
“Have you told Levi yet?” Leah asked, switching from nurse mode to friend mode in an instant. Had she seen the lost look in my eyes? Had Remi said something to her about Levi’s nightly absences? If anyone could recognize his old patterns resurging, it would be his middle brother, but there was a lot going on in Remi’s and Leah’s lives right now too.
Trying, and probably failing, to appear as if the question didn’t bother me, I shrugged. “It’s only been three weeks.”
Leah rolled her eyes, turning to hide the response but not quite succeeding. “A lot has changed in three weeks.”
Wasn’t that the truth? And yet not quite as much as I’d hoped. I mean, I got it. I’d committed myself to a man who was anything but normal. I wasn’t sure normal might have been a possibility even if he’d grown up like other kids. Had his family not been decimated. But he hadn’t had a chance to find out. His entire life from the time his parents were murdered had been a marathon of ruthless survival.
Yes, I understood that he wasn’t normal. That didn’t mean the way he dealt with issues tore my heart out any less.
At least I had Leah, or it might have been a lot longer before I figured out why I was feeling sick and tired, literally, all the time. You never think one broken condom is a big deal, right? But one broken condom had changed my life, big time. I eyed the ever-so-slight roundness of Leah’s belly as she crossed to the fridge to retrieve vegetables to cut up. Remi and Leah’s baby rested there, just a couple of months older than mine and Levi’s would be. If only I could be as carefree as Leah seemed right now, with her fiancé and her sweet six-year-old daughter, Brooke, and her nausea-free days and nights.
That’s definitely not me.
“Mommy!”
Speaking of Brooke, the little bundle of energy shot into the room, leaving giggles in her wake. Hot on her heels came Remi, grabby hands out as if he’d snatch her up at any second. The soft smile that lit Leah’s face as she watched the two chase each other around the kitchen sent envy shafting through me. I took a sip of th
e ginger ale and reminded myself that every couple had struggles. Remi and Leah’s road to this moment hadn’t been without its bumps either.
Remi settled at the island next to Leah, his big frame dwarfing her despite her average height. “You sit. I’ll take over.”
Leah claimed a stool on the other side of the island, and I watched as Brooke climbed up next to her and began a rapid-fire discussion, but my attention wasn’t focused enough to catch what. Instead I found myself listening hard for a door closing, the elevator dinging, footsteps. Anything to indicate the one presence I desperately needed at the moment. When they came, my stomach knotted, waiting for that first glimpse.
Would my first look at Levi ever not fill my throat with anticipation? I wasn’t sure; I only knew in the almost two years we’d known each other, the reaction had never lessened.
But it wasn’t Levi who walked through the door—it was Eli. And...was that a dog?
Brooke glanced at the door at the same time, and her squeal almost shattered my eardrums. Eli’s eyes went wide before he dropped to his knees, preventing the big black dog from taking more than a couple of scrambling steps backward to escape the noise. Leah scooped her daughter to her, preventing Brooke from sliding off her stool to run toward the obviously nervous animal.
I caught the sound of calm words spoken directly into Brooke’s ear as I rounded the table, moving slow, my gaze stuck on the trembling bundle of fur pinned in Eli’s arms. “Hey,” I murmured. Getting to my knees, I tilted my head, trying to make eye contact with the dog. “Who is this?”
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