Only

by HelenKay Dimon

  “You got pissed and went on a rampage.”

  “Said the guy with the anger management problem.”

  “I’m working on that.” Watching Bast work every day helped with that. The man stayed steady while the world crumbled around him. Eli liked the style.

  “Now you do that? When it’s too late to help us?” Wade grabbed the counter behind him and held on until his knuckles turned white. “You’re lucky I’m working and can’t take you apart.”

  Eli held his arms out, taunting and ready to go. “If that’s what it takes for us to move past this, do it. I won’t even fight back.”

  “This conversation is over.”

  He’d already lost ground and pissed Wade off. Knowing he couldn’t lose any more, Elijah went for it. He snapped the top off of all those words bottled up inside him. At least Wade finally provided a reaction, which was more than he’d done so far.

  “Does the ongoing punishment make you feel better? That’s what this is, right?” Elijah did a quick glance around and saw Bast staring at him but ignored the boss’s interest. “You want me to pay for not saying the right words when I was pissed off at someone else—not you, but the woman who had pulled a gun on me and held a knife at my throat.”

  “Your fight with Becca had nothing to do with me but you pulled me in by mentioning our relationship.” Wade executed the perfect exaggerated pause and held up his hand. “Oh, that’s right. We weren’t in a relationship. That’s what you told her, right? We were just engaged in mindless forgettable fucking.”

  “I warned you before that day how she set me off.” Elijah inhaled, searching for a final hold on his temper and finding the tether frayed. “Or were you looking for a reason to move on? To get rid of me? Maybe you were the one who wasn’t into it but it’s easier to blame the end on me.”

  Wade’s jaw snapped closed with enough force for Eli to hear the click. But he didn’t back down. Not now. Not after he finally got Wade to at least say something.

  For a second, Wade stood there, staring as his chest rose and fell on heavy breaths. When he did speak, his voice carried a slap. “You are so far out of line.”

  “You going to kick me out again?”

  A red wash covered Wade’s face as he pointed at Eli. “You don’t belong to the club, so I can throw your ass on the street if I want to. It’s only out of respect for Bast—a loyal member—that you’re still standing here. Jarrett is willing to bend the rules to make Bast happy and I’ll go along with it for now, but do not push it.”

  As if saying his name conjured him up, Bast appeared at Wade’s side. “Is there a problem here? People are starting to stare.” He walked with his usual confidence and his voice sounded as calm and unruffled as ever.

  Whatever club policy might be about dealing with members, Wade didn’t back down. “Tell your guest we have rules here.”

  With his hands folded on the bar in front of him, Bast kept his attention centered on Wade. “I’m pretty sure Elijah knows that.”

  “He’s not acting like it.”

  For the first time, Bast glanced at Elijah. “What exactly happened?”

  But Wade jumped in, his anger still raging. “The same thing that always happens with Eli, he pushes the boundaries too far and things go to hell.”

  “Okay.” Bast cleared his throat. “Could you be more specific?”

  Eli had had enough of being ignored and of Wade’s wrath and of wanting something he clearly could no longer have. “Wade doesn’t want me on the property.”

  “That’s not his decision,” Bast said with the same steady calm exterior he used when negotiating with clients.

  “My fight isn’t with you, Bast.” Some of the tension spinning around Wade eased.

  “That’s pretty clear.”

  Wade took the towel off his shoulder and threw it on the bar. “I’m not dealing with this situation right now.”

  “Or ever, apparently,” Eli mumbled under his breath.

  “I have someone I want to talk with.” Wade pushed on the hip-height swinging door that protected his area from the rest of the room and stepped from behind the bar. He glanced at Shawn and then back to Eli again.

  The second kick, this one a gesture instead of words, hit Elijah’s gut just as hard. “And you say I’m the one who’s pushing.”

  “We’re done here.” Wade treated Elijah to an expression that matched his words then walked over to Shawn’s table.

  • • •

  Bast wasn’t clear about what just happened, but he sure as hell knew it wasn’t good. The raised voices and pointing and general feeling the club was one second away from breaking into violence gave that away. Wade kept his cool on the job. Eli had perfected an icy exterior. Seeing them both go off proved to be quite a show.

  Not sure if he should defuse or investigate, Bast turned to Elijah, who had not moved from his spot in front of the bar. “Want to tell me what’s going on with you two?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Give me a break.” For a trained killer Elijah looked like he was on the verge of shutting down and Bast didn’t like it at all. He’d take Elijah’s smart mouth and poor timing over the quiet seething any day. “Adults don’t stomp off like that and Wade is not one to stage a public screaming match. And you look like hell.”

  “I’ve about had it with being told what’s wrong with me.”

  “Then tell me what happened and I’ll shut up.” Bast looked over Elijah’s shoulder and saw Jarrett standing in the doorway to the dining room with Becca. With a shake of his head, Bast telegraphed for Jarrett to stay back a second. “It’s either tell me or tell Jarrett, and I know how you two get along.”

  “See that guy?” Elijah didn’t turn. He nodded in the direction Wade traveled.

  “The blond Wade’s talking to? Yeah.” Bast had seen the guy before. Used to see him a lot and always with Wade but usually after club hours. He worked at some big-time security firm. The type Bast pegged as a private military firm, sending people to war-torn areas to do no one wanted to know what. The guy wasn’t a club member, as far as Bast knew.

  Elijah downed his beer in two gulps. “It’s Shawn.”

  “Is that name supposed to mean something to me?” But Bast was starting to suspect he knew where this was going.

  “The guy Wade slept with before me.”

  “Wade sure does have a type.”

  That got Eli’s attention. His head snapped around until he faced Bast. “What does that mean?”

  “Look at him. You two have the same build.” And theoretically they both could kill on command. Wade clearly liked his bedmates deadly.

  “I’m Japanese and he looks like he walked out of a Viking poster.” Eli spun his glass around on the bar, making it clank as the heavy bottom hit the wood. “I want to fucking punch the guy in the mouth, then we’ll see if he smiles at Wade.”

  “That would definitely be a violation of club rules.”

  Bast watched as this Shawn guy took Wade’s phone and typed, probably his number. When Bast looked back at Eli, thinking to distract him, he realized it was too late. The scene had Eli’s attention.

  Steadying the glass, Eli stood up and straightened his jacket. “I think I’ll save us both the worry of being disciplined by Jarrett and skip dinner.”

  “Don’t let Wade run you off. It’s what he wants.”

  “He’s made that clear.”

  Bast usually liked Wade. They’d worked together to watch over Jarrett—a man not really in need of babysitting—when Becca ran back into town and to his side. But this felt like a game targeting Eli, and Bast didn’t play games.

  Hoping to put a halt to wherever Eli’s dark mood might take him, Bast tried reason. “Wade is looking to inflict some pain.”

  “I’m done with that.” Elijah pushed off and was gone.

  H
e walked through the crowded room, around the tables to the far side and away from Wade. His laser focus stayed locked on the door. Bast realized Elijah missed Wade watching the exit.

  SEVEN

  Elijah’s big exit left Bast standing alone at the bar. He glanced over at Jarrett, who stared right back as he shook his head, likely at the testosterone display they’d just witnessed. For a second Bast saw the intimidating man others feared. From the black hair to the black suit, Jarrett could best be described as six feet of dark, commanding presence. He radiated confidence and operated with a practiced charm Bast knew Jarrett saw as an annoying business necessity.

  Bast also knew he could be anywhere and need anything and Jarrett would drop whatever he was doing, shift all, to make it happen. They’d been friends for years. Through the Becca betrayal and Bast’s marriage implosion, they commiserated together. Bast didn’t have a brother, or even a sister, but he couldn’t imagine the loyalty felt any different than his to Jarrett.

  Before Bast could walk over and engage in a play-by-play over Wade’s messed-up love life, Bast noticed Kyra slip out of the kitchen. She appeared by his side a few seconds later. Like some other people in the room, she’d watched Elijah stalk toward the far door. With his height and stern expression, he always attracted attention. He also had a look his former CIA boss Natalie described as irresistible to both men and women. Bast thought that went a bit far, but she insisted it was both a benefit and a deterrent for Elijah in his job because he couldn’t blend into the crowd the way others could.

  Kyra leaned against the bar in the same spot Eli just had abandoned. “Is your friend okay?”

  “Not really.” But Bast suddenly had something else on his mind. “How are you feeling?”

  She frowned at him. “Fine, why?”

  “Not too exposed?” He let his gaze travel over every curve. “What with the skirt right against your—”

  “Keep your voice down.”

  “Be happy I’m not asking for you to prove you’re still naked under that sexy skirt.” Though it was damn tempting to drag her back in the locker room and have her show him.

  “Don’t try to derail me.” Her voice stayed firm but her cheeks turned pink. “That guy who just walked out works for you, right?”

  Bast just assumed she knew Elijah, but . . . “That’s Elijah Sterling.”

  “Did you fire him or something?’

  Bast didn’t understand how she couldn’t know the identity of the other guy in her brother’s recent nasty breakup. The fight between the men wasn’t exactly a secret among their small circle of friends. The specifics, maybe, but Wade had stumbled around for weeks after Eli left. Even if he wanted to say his time with Elijah meant nothing, there was no way Wade could sell that. The breakup had him reeling and he still hadn’t recovered, as evidenced by the yelling tonight.

  The whole mess and Wade’s mood in the weeks since had been hard to ignore, or so Bast thought. “You don’t know who Eli is?”

  “Didn’t I establish that when I asked who he was?”

  “I thought maybe you’d heard his name before.”

  She turned to Bast. “In passing, maybe from Jarrett or Becca, but I’m thinking you believe I should know him. Feel free to fill me in.”

  The full force of her attention and knowing what she hid under that skirt made it hard for Bast to concentrate on anything but getting his hands on her again. “He knows Wade.”

  “Everyone who comes in here knows Wade. He’s the unofficial bouncer.”

  Her brother and his messed-up love life qualified as the last thing Bast wanted to discuss with her. How to get her back to his place and what time she got off tomorrow, yes. “Elijah had some words with Wade. They’ve been fighting.”

  “That sounds odd.”

  Looking at her hair and the way it fell over her full breasts had Bast struggling to keep up with the conversation. “I’m not sure how else to say it.”

  “You’re being weirdly cryptic.”

  “I missed whatever happened between them tonight. You’ll have to ask Wade for details.” Because Bast was ready to move on to a new topic. Preferably one that involved getting her out of that bra.

  “I don’t get it. . . .unless, are you saying—”

  “Why is Elijah pacing my sidewalk out front and mumbling to himself?” Jarrett cut in with his voice booming from behind Kyra.

  Bast had no idea how long his friend stood there. Kyra had him walking around dazed like some lovesick little boy.

  Bast decided not to share that fact. “Eli had a rough night.”

  “Ah, I see.” Jarrett’s gaze went to Wade then back to Kyra again. “You should get to work before we have a backup and the members start complaining. I’ve had enough of that this week.”

  “Because of me?” Kyra asked.

  Jarrett shook his head. “Of course not.”

  “Then I’ll keep that streak alive and go.”

  “Wait.” Lost in watching her, Bast almost forgot one of his supposed reasons for heading over here so early tonight. He turned her hand over and dropped the keychain in them. “These are yours.”

  “Uh, right.” Kyra didn’t give either male eye contact.

  Bast thought her subterfuge needed work. He turned to explain to Jarrett. “She dropped her keys.”

  Jarrett’s eyes narrowed. “Where?”

  “By the door,” Kyra said as the haze around her seemed to clear.

  “Be more careful, Kyra. I don’t exactly trust some of the guys in my club.”

  “Just some?” Becca slid her hand through Jarrett’s arm when she joined the group and leveled her stare at Kyra. “And your shift has started.”

  With the bosses on the floor, the staff seemed to pick up speed. Bast noticed the scurrying, including Kyra. She left the group without a word and headed for a table in the middle of the room. Her smile in place, Kyra rounded the diners Bast knew to be commercial developers. Three focused on a file in front of them. One zeroed in on Kyra.

  Jarrett put a hand on top of Becca’s. “I love when you get bossy.”

  Bast had to pull his attention away from Kyra, and it took more control than he expected. “Okay you two. Let’s keep that stuff for the upper floors.”

  “I find it hard to believe anything we do could shock you.” Becca’s head dropped to the side and her hair fell off her shoulder and across her chest. “But I’m willing to try.”

  “You’ll scare him.” Jarrett laughed, something he did more often now that Becca had come back and their relationship shifted to fast-forward.

  Becca snorted. “I doubt that.”

  The light mood appealed to Bast and he tried to stay involved in the conversation. Tried and failed. The young developer shifted his hand and it would have landed on Kyra’s ass if she hadn’t done an impressive pivot and shuffle around the table. It looked natural and not like a defensive move, but Bast knew better.

  Jarrett cleared his throat. “Are you staring?”

  Fighting off a flinch, Bast turned back to his friends. His gaze clashed with his best friend’s. Jarrett looked amused. Becca wore a “you blew it” expression.

  Bast ignored both. “At what?”

  Shifting, Jarrett leaned against the bar and looked in Kyra’s direction. “Well, if I had to define it, I’d say at a woman who is far too young for you.”

  No way Bast could argue with that point. But he could preserve his privacy. If whatever he had with Kyra lasted more than a night or two, the time would come to tell Jarrett. Not today.

  Keeping his cool, Bast called on his considerable skills at staying unruffled under pressure. “I’m just standing here.”

  “Uh-huh.” Becca’s voice managed to go flat and drip with sarcasm at the same time.

  When in doubt, go with a half-truth. That had never been Bast’s mantra, but he adopted
it for this situation. “I thought the guy over there was making a move on Kyra. Last thing you all need tonight is Wade going ballistic.”

  Becca’s smile was of the so-sweet-a-person-could-get-sick variety. “It’s nice of you to want to protect her, but that’s my job. That guy lifts a hand and I’ll shoot it off.”

  The lawyer side of Bast rose up. “You mean theoretically.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Which is why she’s in charge of the staff and working with Wade on security.” Jarrett leaned over and placed a kiss on Becca’s forehead. When he turned to Bast again, the stupid grin still hadn’t faded. “Speaking of Wade, want to give me a hint about the fight. I only caught the end.”

  They’d circled around to a topic Bast could handle without waiting for Becca to launch into a verbal strike. The fact that Kyra left the table with the handsy guy and now talked with a member old enough to be her grandfather also helped Bast concentrate. “I brought Elijah. He talked to Wade. They fought rather than doing what they both clearly want to do.”

  “Punch?” Jarrett sounded as if he liked the idea.

  As far as Bast was concerned, Jarrett was off by several body parts. “That’s not even close to what I was thinking.”

  Jarrett nodded. “Ah, yes. That.”

  “I agree with Bast,” Becca said. “I wish those two would just go upstairs and get all naked and nasty and be done with this skulking.”

  Jarrett’s eyebrow lifted. “Wow.”

  She scoffed. “Oh please. I can’t be the only one who believes those two are volcanic together in bed.”

  Bast suspected Elijah wanted to get back to that time. But this Shawn guy sat over there working it hard. From this vantage point it looked like Wade tried to move away and the blond said something to bring him back.

  “Could be Wade moved on,” Bast pointed out.

  Jarrett’s gaze followed Bast’s. “So, that’s what caused this.”

  Shifting, Becca moved into the line of sight, bringing both men’s attention back to her and breaking their view of Wade’s flirting. “I don’t buy it. Wade is into Elijah. Wades hates it, but he is.”