by A. J. Macey
“No, is there a reason you’re asking?” he questioned suspiciously.
“Possibly,” I half revealed. “Can you pass on any information as soon as you know anything?”
“Can you ask nicely?” he muttered.
I rolled my eyes; Inspector Bradley Carter and I had been friends for many years and somehow, even with our moral division, we’d stayed in touch. He allowed me to handle matters when the law was too restrictive, especially when it came to family business, while in situations like this, I turned to him for information and handing over rivals when they got in the way.
“Do I ever?”
“Psh, no. I don’t know why I ever expect you to.” He laughed before the sound of typing filled the background. “Yeah, I’ll let you know.”
He didn’t give me a chance to say thanks before his chuckling was cut off by him hanging up. I shook my head and sent out a few texts to some of the members of the Auckland Kings below me to do a bit of scouting and report back. I’d questioned Harper about everything she saw, but unfortunately what she did wasn’t overly detailed, so this was all I could do at that point without leaving Harper here to investigate myself. And there was no way in hell I was doing that tonight.
Shifting my chair back out from the desk, I stood and headed out into the hall. When I reached the living room, I found Harper fast asleep on the couch, the light of the TV painting her delicate features in a soft glow. I wanted to stare at her for a while, knowing she was safe for at least the time being, but I knew that’d be creepy, so I walked over and scooped her up.
It wasn’t until I glanced at the wall clock on the way back to the bedrooms that I realized I’d been in there for a few hours. No wonder she fell asleep. She didn’t stir during the walk, but once I laid her on her bed and moved her bag, she started to mumble.
“Stay,” she whispered.
“What?” I asked softly, swearing I didn’t hear her ask that. Kneeling next to her bed, I gently moved the stray hair that had fallen into her face.
“Stay with me,” she mumbled, still half asleep. I wasn’t sure if I should, knowing she wasn’t truly awake, but I couldn’t stop myself from giving in to her soft pleading.
“All right, Harper, I’ll stay.” Not wanting to sleep in my jeans, I shucked my boots, pants, and shirt before sliding in next to where she was curled up. Once I was in the sheets, she snuggled into my side and fell back asleep.
I hadn’t expected to go to bed with a beautiful firecracker in my arms when I woke up that morning, but I realized it was exactly what I wanted as I pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.
8
Harper
What the… There was a weight over my waist and a solid body behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I found Liam fast asleep. He was curled into my back, our fingers intertwined in front of my chest where he held me. Holy… did we… I silently surveyed my body to see if we’d somehow ended up doing anything I didn't remember.
I felt fine, albeit a little worn down and tired, but I didn't feel like I’d been drugged or that we had done anything physical. Not that I didn't want to, but I'd only just met him yesterday, and after everything that I had been through, I was not in the mood to have a quick one-night stand with my life on the line. While he was mostly naked, I did feel the soft material of his boxers against me as I slipped out from under the blankets. Phew. Once I was standing, a snippet of memory came back to me from the night before. I groaned, remembering I hadn’t wanted to be alone.
Nothing like asking your kidnapper to stay in bed with you to set some clear boundaries.
“Morning,” I heard him say quietly after I had gotten up. My cheeks heated as I pulled out my clothes, the new pair of shorts and loose tee I’d just gotten. I’d hoped to grab my outfit and get into the bathroom before he woke up. No such luck.
“Good morning,” I greeted softly, looking over at him and fiddling with the new outfit. It took everything within me not to eye his sculpted chest and defined abs, and as much as I tried to keep my eyes on his face, I couldn't help but follow the dark trail of hair as it descended beneath the waistband of his boxers.
I finally forced my eyes up to his and found him grinning at me. The cocky expression made me feel even more awkward than before. He’d caught me blatantly staring and no doubt knew exactly where I was going with my train of thought. It was hard not to, I tried to reason with myself, the blanket tenting up as he slowly woke up.
Of course he’d be shameless about his morning wood.
“What's the plan for today?” I questioned, forcing myself to stay on task. Kneeling next to my bag again, I ignored his tanned body and pulled out a pair of underwear, a new bra, and some socks.
“I'm probably going to be out working for a majority of the day, trying to find out information on what happened,” he revealed, shoving up from the bed. I risked a peek over at him, noting the tiny dimples right above the waistline of his underwear and his sculpted back as he stretched.
Sweet baby Jesus. I practically drooled as he started moving away toward the door.
“I thought you said you didn't want me alone?”
“You won't be. You're going to be dropped off at the Auckland Kings compound.”
“But I thought—”
“You'll be in an area where you shouldn't have—hopefully—too much interaction with most of the members.” Stopping at the door frame, he turned back to look at me. Seeing him standing in only a pair of underwear made my body heat and my core pulse. I had to squeeze my thighs together, hoping he wouldn't notice the subtle movement. “I also put out notice to the rest of them that you’re mine and not to be touched, so I don't foresee there being any issues. And if you do, I know at least one of my brothers will be there.”
I grumbled under my breath as he walked out of the room.
“Fine,” I called out reluctantly, agreeing to his choice. I knew I didn't have much of an option, but I wanted to feel as if I was actually willing to go along with it.
Well, no, I didn't really appreciate him making the decisions. I huffed, standing up and undressing from the night before, but there wasn’t much I could do about it then.
Let's just hope this goes well.
Liam had just left with the promise that he would be back within a few hours at most and to stay out of trouble. I had scoffed at that, knowing I was already neck deep in trouble. So now that I was at the compound of my own free will… well, free will might be a bit extreme, but now that I was here after not having been drugged and dragged in, I was able to look around.
It was luxurious with high end finishes, decor, and ornate ceiling at least twenty feet up above. Jesus, how much do these people make? I stared in awe as I stood there awkwardly. Not wanting to stay in the hall, I headed to the dining hall, and once again felt shocked by the amount of expensive looking touches in the room.
Unsure of what else I could do at that point aside from stand there like an idiot, I sank down at a table in the corner and eyed the rest of the space discreetly. It was huge with several round tables, a few square ones, and one long rectangular table cutting down the middle of the massive space. If I had to guess, there were seats for upwards of fifty people, but there were only one or two others in the room on the completely opposite side from where I sat.
Settling into the corner I’d chosen to occupy, the tension leaked from my body. Somehow knowing I could see the entire room and not have to worry about what was behind me made me feel better about being in a mansion full of strangers who were criminals and no doubt dangerous.
What I planned on doing for the rest of the day, I had no idea, so instead of twiddling my thumbs for hours on end, I dug out my textbooks and pulled up the syllabus for the next semester. We weren't starting for another little while, but I figured at that point I had nothing better to do than to get a head start. I had only been reading for a few minutes when two familiar faces strolled up to the table.
“If it isn't Miss Davis.”
&
nbsp; “Hello,” I murmured softly when I looked up and found Liam’s oldest brother and their father standing before me, both of whom were eyeing me with curiosity. At least our greeting went a little bit better than yesterday.
“What are you reading?” Theo tilted his head to my open textbook as he sat down at the table, a can of soda in his hand.
“Just some chapters for school,” I explained, feeling my cheeks heat at admitting I was still a student to them. Why? I had no idea, but I was embarrassed.
“Would you leave your schooling if it came down to that?” Oscar questioned, cutting right to the chase of why they’d come over.
“You mean if the Phantoms come after me?”
He nodded sharply and I settled back into the chair, refusing to look away from either of them.
“Well if I’m dead I can’t study anyway, so yes.”
“And Liam?” he continued, Theo choosing to watch silently. My brows drew down, confused as to what he meant.
“What about him?”
“Are you willing to leave him behind?”
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut at the thought and I immediately shook my head. I wasn’t really sure why I felt so strongly about it knowing I’d only met him yesterday, but my answer was the truth.
With a ‘hmm’ under his breath, Liam's dad turned and strode away, leaving Theo and me alone. Theo took a sip of his drink, leaning back against the chair and eyeing me like I was a new play toy. I stared back shamelessly, thinning my lips so I could try and establish some sense of control over the situation. He might have had the upper hand, but I wasn't just going to roll over and take anything that he wanted to try and do. As much as I would have loved to trust Liam, I didn't put much stock into him saying that no one would mess with me just because he had said so.
“Do you want to learn how to shoot?” Theo asked, the question seemingly coming out of nowhere. I cocked an eyebrow.
“I'm from America. I know how to shoot.” There were plenty of occasions where I learned to use different fire power while being raised in the Midwest and during my travels through the southern states.
“Is that so?” he murmured, before leaning forward and bracing his elbows on the table, his eyes glimmering. “Why don't you prove it?”
Liam
I hit the steering wheel, rage flowing through me bright and hot. No information. No lead. No fucking anything. It had only been a day and I knew my men hadn't had a chance to be able to do much, but part of me was still hoping for something, anything at this point. After taking my aggression out on my car, I started it up and headed back to the compound.
Thankfully, traffic wasn't heavy, most of the population flocking to the beaches for the nice weather, so I was able to weave through the city with less trouble than I had dealt with that morning. Once I arrived, it didn’t take long to walk around the main areas I’d told Harper to stay in. Except she’s not there, I noted, my lips curling into a harsh scowl.
“Where the hell is she?” I muttered.
“Oh, the woman that you were with earlier?” Katie, one of newest additions to the Auckland Kings crime family, questioned. Her southern accent was thick but understandable as she hitched her thumb toward the stairs. “They're down at the range in the basement.”
“They?” I questioned sharply.
She gave me a smirk and nodded, not giving away who Harper was with. I ground my teeth and practically ran down the stairs. The sounds of guns firing off was loud, echoing around the space. Pressing my hands over my ears, it muffled the deafening sound until I could reach the ear protection where they hung on the walls. As soon as I pulled a pair on and looked over, I saw red. Harper was laughing and smiling happily up at Theo from where he was braced against the divider between the shooting stalls, his attention solely focused on her. I strode over not giving a shit that they were no doubt in the middle of something.
“What's going on here?” I had to shout until they realized I was there, both of them pulling their ear protection off.
“Oh, Liam,” Harper exclaimed. Her eyes lit up in surprise and her lips curled. She seemed happy to see me, but I was too irritated with my brother to truly appreciate it.
“What's the matter, sourpuss?” Theo teased, punching me in the arm. I didn't give him the time of day as I grabbed Harper's free hand, pulling the gun from the other before setting it down.
“Time to go,” I told her under my breath, practically yanking her along. She scoffed, whipping her head around to look at my brother, confusion written on her face. I heard Theo laughing, and I saw him waving out of the corner of my eye as I dragged Harper away.
“I'll see you around tomorrow, Harper. You know, when your boyfriend finally decides to let you out of his sight again!” Theo called out, continuing to goad me.
“Boyfriend?” she echoed. I didn't know if she even realized she’d said it out loud with how quiet it was. We had gotten halfway up the stairs when she pulled me to a stop.
“What the hell is your problem, Liam?” she snapped, trying to get her hand out of mine, but I refused to let go.
“The hell is my problem?” I repeated, stepping back down the two steps to reach her where she’d stopped. I towered over her, capturing her jaw between my thumb and forefinger. “Do you really want to do this now?” I challenged quietly.
Her angry expression shifted once again to confusion, her brows furrowing as she angled her head slightly.
“I asked the question, did I not?” she countered, though this time, instead of being angry, it was more curious and prodding.
“Fine. My problem is seeing you all cozied up with my brother,” I bit out, stopping myself before I could admit more. Her knitted eyebrows shot up in surprise and a soft gasp escaped her kissable lips.
“Are you jealous?” she whispered, her free hand coming up and brushing against the front of my chest.
I ground my teeth and looked down at the floor between us before stepping away. I couldn't bring myself to admit that, yes, in fact, I was. It was irrational, it was stupid. And yet every fiber of my being was red hot and angry, seething with the little green monster from seeing her so happy with my brother. After a long silence where I wouldn't answer, she muttered something under her breath that I couldn't hear and stormed around me toward the top of the stairs.
“Are you coming or not?” she said, looking back at me when I didn’t move. Somehow, in the midst of our most recent bout of arguing, her hand was still clutched in mine and she didn't make a move to dislodge it as we made our way out to the car. It was odd feeling her delicate little fingers and soft hand within my larger, rougher one.
I had been with women, but this… this felt different. Softer, sweeter. Oh, there was definitely the urge to strip her down and fuck her on the hood of my car so Theo would know exactly who she belonged to, and yet a part of me craved this softness with her. I tucked it away as she climbed into the car and pulled the door shut without further word.
“What are we doing for dinner?” she asked as I settled in the driver seat. Her gaze was focused out the window and not on me.
“I figured we could pick something up if that's all right with you?” I’d banked my temper and tried hard not to sound irritated or rude. She nodded, slumping down as I backed out.
Somehow we've made it through the day without either of us trying to ditch the other, I thought pleasantly as I drove through the city, now let's just hope we can get through the rest of the day without any problems.
9
Harper
After I had rattled off what I wanted, Liam ordered me once more to stay in the car as he got out to run in and grab the food. I glared at him as he walked away, frustrated at how surprisingly good the day had gone with Theo and the rest of the Auckland Kings only to be stifled with his jealousy. While it was frustrating and annoying, I knew there was a good portion of me that actually liked how jealous he was, enjoying that his focus was on me and not anyone else.
“Jesus,
Harper,” I muttered to myself. “Stop it.” I shoved the thought away at my command and dug out my phone. Tinkering around on different apps and checking my notifications, I scanned for any messages from Kara or the school and the office that I had applied for.
I started typing back to Kara’s long string of texts when the door next to me was yanked open and a rough hand tugged me out. Fear flooded my system when I saw a man in a ski mask, my body reacting instinctively as I screamed and kicked. While I knew how to use a gun, I hadn't really trained in fighting, outside of knowing how to throw a punch or aim for the squishy bits.
So that’s exactly what I did, fighting as hard as possible to get the man to let go of me. He could have been an Auckland King, a Phantom, or just some random asshole who had targeted me, a woman alone in the parking lot, but it didn’t matter who he was. All I gave a shit about was the fact that there was no way in hell I was getting kidnapped two days in a row. Swinging out wide, I loosened his grip, using the momentum of my body to fuel my punch.
“Fucking bitch,” the man hissed when I clipped him in the jaw. His hand whipped back before slamming into my head. Pain exploded through the left side of my face. Warm, sticky liquid started to trail down in my eye and my cheek, obscuring my vision further. Despite the pain, I continued to scream. I had no idea what was falling from my lips, all I knew was I was terrified and I wasn't going to go quietly to wherever he was trying to drag me off to.
Everything tunneled, my ears slowly feeling like they were being filled with cotton as adrenaline overpowered my system. One moment the man was holding me, roughly yanking me across one of the parking stalls, and the next he was gone.
Stumbling, I tried to keep upright in his absence, not having expected him to be ripped away from me. I glanced around only to find Liam chasing after him and tackling him. I stood there in shock as Liam punched the guy over and over without remorse. The man was able to dislodge him, though, long enough to sprint away before Liam could catch him.
