Still Brazen

by M. Malone

  “Sure, we could be. Like a comfort thing. You know, I’ll just brush your nipples, screw you nice and slow. We’ll have Netflix on the background. That’s enough for some chilling, right?”

  I shook my head. “Oh my God, I can’t with you right now. Don’t you have a job to go do?”

  “Well, sorry sweetheart, but if you’re here I’m here, seeing as I’m on guard duty today. So take off all your clothes.”

  “Oh my God. I think I’m just going to get some rest, catch up on some meetings, relax. You, go. Didn’t I hear something about Rafe having a job?”

  He scowled then. “Yeah, I owe that motherfucker one.”

  “Play nice.”

  “What do you mean play nice? He let your father go so he could hit me.”

  I chuckled. “Are you sure he let him go? My father can be very wily.”

  “Rafe was a goddamn assa—" He cut himself off.

  “Rafe was a what?”

  He sighed. “An FBI agent. There’s no way he let him go by accident.”

  “Okay, but why don’t you still go do the job. I’m taking up enough of your time. Besides, this place is a fortress, and nothing bad can happen to me here.”

  “So now is not the time to tell you that we’ve had a couple of break-ins here?”

  My mouth fell open. “What?”

  He shook his head. “Never mind. We have adjusted the security parameters since then. It’s fine. Totally fine.”

  “No, who the hell broke in here?”

  He sighed. “One time, Rafe broke in here. But that was when he was convinced that Noah was a bad guy, and he was trying to save Lucia from Noah.”

  I frowned as I tried to piece those things together. “So, he broke in here?”

  Oskar nodded. “Yeah, long story. But we’re all good now. Well, obviously, Noah and Lucia are married and they have Izzy, so yeah. Oh, and I guess Gemma broke in here once before too.”

  I stared at him. “The gorgeous redhead? How did she break in here?”

  “Another long story. But we’re all brothers now.”

  “Why don’t you head out and go to work? I’m going to get some rest, okay? I want to try and forget everything that has happened and figure it out from here, okay?”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  “Okay, if you need anything, just text me. I’ll come right back.”

  I watched as he left. How is it that I’ve fallen in love with him in such a short span of time?

  Oskar

  “That our guy?”

  Rafe pulled off the binoculars. “No, our guy has got a tattoo right there on his neck.”

  I rolled my eyes and tried to adjust the seat further back. “Because nothing says classy like neck tattoo.”

  Rafe chuckled. “Hey, don’t yuck somebody else’s yum. Some women think neck tattoos are hot.”

  “Lots of guys in prison think neck tattoos are hot too.”

  Rafe snorted at that. “How’s your lip pretty boy?”

  I scowled at him. He honestly shouldn’t poke me, considering he was the reason I had a split lip in the first place.

  “You’re an ass.”

  “What? He got around me.” He shrugged. “Also, you are married to his daughter and didn’t think to mention it to him, so, there’s that.”

  “I didn’t know until we took the job, dumbass.”

  “Yeah, but he didn’t know that. And, let’s face it, after all the shit you’ve given me over the years, you had it coming.”

  “If you want to tussle with me, we can tussle anytime.”

  Rafe grinned. “Oh, you mean like the last time?”

  “You ambushed us! You want a fair fight?”

  I knew I was asking for it. I was good in a fight. I was. It was a by-product of being around unsavory people all my life. But Rafe was better. He had full-on killer instinct. As in, the motherfucker could kill easily kill you just as soon as you got near him.

  “All right. I’m sorry. The big bad German got his lip cut. Do you need a cuddle?”

  I grinned at him. “Oh, I already got one.”

  Rafe shuddered. “Gross.”

  I shifted my gaze through the windshield again. “I think that’s him.”

  Rafe peered through the binoculars. “Yeah, that’s him.”

  Rafe and I were out of the car in seconds. Elis Ramson, drug dealer and all-around douche, knocked his girlfriend around so bad that he put her in the hospital. She was too scared of him to report him to the police. But her mother wasn’t scared of him, and she’d called us. It was our job to scare some Jesus into him.

  And if we were lucky, he’d fight back so we could beat him so bad he’d learn that lesson hard and never be tempted to repeat it, ever again. Maybe we’d call cops. Not likely, but, maybe. It was weird. I was kind of looking forward to it. After all, I’d been tense for a while. The whole thing with Hailey, not being able to catch who was going after her… I needed to work some of that tension out, and this asshole was as good a way as any.

  Rafe headed toward the alley in the back. I went to the front. I nodded my head at the bouncer, and he waived me through ahead of the line, much like he’d done for poor Elis. When we’d first arrived, we’d given him a C-note to not give us any bullshit at the door. Thanks to his girlfriend’s mother, we knew that this was Elis’s favorite watering hole and that he’d show up eventually. But given that he had a habit of hanging out with unsavory characters, there was a chance he’d cut and run. Hence, Rafe posted up at the back door in the alley.

  When I rolled up to the bar, I saw he’d gotten himself a beer and a shot, and he slid me a glance. “I know you?”

  I shook my head. “Nope.” I signaled the bartender for a beer, although, chances were Elis would bolt before I’d even get a chance to drink it. I paid and then leaned against the bar, glaring at him. I’d perfected my glare. It usually scared assholes, but this guy stared me down. “I don’t know you, but I know your girlfriend Maria. Got to tell you, she’s real upset with your tendancy to go all Rocky Balboa on her.”

  What he should have done was shit himself. Instead, what he did was chuckle. “I didn’t do anything to her that she didn’t deserve.”

  The searing heat of anger flashed through me, white and hot and completely unrelenting. I hated assholes. I really did. Bullying assholes were the worst. I pushed to my full height and got real close. “You know what? I don’t even get it. You’re as ugly as fuck, motherfucker. It must have been a pity fuck.”

  Oh yeah, that did it. He slammed his bottle down. “Motherfucker, I will fuck you up—"

  He didn’t get to finish his line. Yeah, I popped him in the face. “Yeah, all that talking coming out of your ugly pie hole is annoying, so there’s that.”

  He staggered back and pulled himself to standing. “I will fucking kill you.” He tried with a wild swing, which I deflected, and then I popped him in the face again.

  This time he came roaring at me, and I let him get just close enough. “Go on, I dare you. I can’t wait for this to get really ugly, for the cops to come and then put you in lock up. Word is Luis Montoya has been dying to talk to you.” That got him.

  Thanks to Maria, we learned that Elis was also a thief. He had stolen from a jailer six months ago and done Montoya a nice frame up. He’d gotten him popped and locked up for four years. Montoya, obviously, had a grudge to repay. So if we weren’t able to teach Elis a lesson, we’d let Montoya do it for us.

  Apparently that terrified him, because instead of coming back at me, he bolted for the back door. I touched my com. “Coming your way, dick-head.”

  Rafe just chuckled. “Oh, I’m ready. I’m just waiting on you. Are you going to finish your drink first? What did you get, an appletini?”

  “That shows what you know. I got a Bellini. I happen to like them. Peach is yummy.”

  I could hear Rafe chuckle and then the sound of the back door slamming open. I took my time. I had to let Rafe have h
is fun. I trusted that he knew not to kill the asshole. Although, sometimes those ORUS instincts kick in at the worst times.

  I shoved open the back door, and Rafe had the poor kid on his face, a knee in his back, and Elis was begging for his life, begging not to be sent to lock-up. Rafe leaned forward. Gone was his former cover, the FBI agent. This guy was a lot worse. He looked like he was enjoying himself.

  Rafe just grabbed his hair then slammed his face into the concrete.

  “All right, all right. You got to keep him pretty. I feel like Montoya is going to want him pretty for what he has planned for him.”

  Rafe laughed. “You know what? That’s a good point. We won’t call the cops for—"

  The hairs on my neck stood at attention right before I heard the crack of a gunshot, and then there was fire. Fire racing up my arm, bursting through my chest. I could feel it. Fuck, that burned. Why was I on fire?

  Suddenly, everything felt heavy, so goddamn heavy.

  I could hear Rafe shouting at me. “Fuck. Motherfucker, wake up.”

  But the more he shouted, the more distant his voice was. Holy shit. I’d been shot.

  I didn’t know how much longer it was after that, but I was being lifted. God, I was really fucking on fire. Why did it burn so much? Rafe, the asshole, wouldn’t leave my side. He applied pressure like a goddamn tourniquet. He took off his own belt. How bad was it? Shit, maybe I didn’t want to know. I lifted my head. “If you’re going to get naked, no thanks. I’d rather die.”

  “Shut up. I’m not letting you bleed out. I mean, you’re annoying as fuck, but you’re still my brother.”

  “Aww! I didn’t know you loved me.” I could have sworn I heard him mutter asshole, but that’s all I remembered until we were back at the penthouse. I didn’t remember much of the drive. I remembered nothing of what was said, and I had zero idea how the hell I got shot. But that was another problem for another day, I thought. The last thing I remembered before blacking the hell out, was Doc Breckner asking if there was anyone they should call for me. Rafe said something about someone getting Hailey the hell in there, but I grabbed his hand with my good arm. “No, not letting her… not… seeing… like this.”

  “You’re an idiot, you know that?”

  Yeah, I did know that. Everything went black.

  8

  Hailey

  Work had always been my escape. From a young age, my parents knew that I had an unusually sensitive nose, but that wasn’t the only part of the business that I loved.

  Losing myself in scents, testing them, trying new combinations and then deciding how to market them was really fun, that’s true. But the marketing was almost as much fun. Taking an idea from the beginning stages all the way to launch filled me with pride every time. I think for years my father thought I was just humoring him when he taught me about the business side of the company, but I was always paying attention. Every new product was like a child that had to be nurtured and encouraged. After the gala for the launch of Miriam, it was time for me to see my child’s report card.

  Hours went by as I reviewed the feedback our contacts submitted about the new perfume. Miriam was created with my mother’s particular tastes in mind, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want it to be a commercial success also. Nothing would make me happier than my mom’s namesake perfume becoming as iconic as Chanel No. 5.

  I was so engrossed in the reports that hours went by before I looked up again. When I did, my neck creaked in protest. I rolled my shoulders, trying to get the kinks out after being propped in bed so long. How long had I been working? I glanced at my watch and then blinked, shocked at how much time had flown by. Oskar should have been back already. It was almost the end of the day.

  I leaned over to get my phone out of my handbag. Nothing. No calls or messages. A sudden sense of unease tightened like a knot in my stomach. Then I laughed. How spoiled I’d become by Oskar’s attention if one afternoon without him made me feel like this. He’d probably just gotten caught up working with Rafe. He hadn’t mentioned what type of job it was, but it was highly likely they had run into some sort of complication and he just hadn’t been able to call.

  Just then there was a quick knock at the door. Startled, I sat up pulling the covers over me protectively. “Yes?”

  The door opened. As soon as I saw Rafe standing there, I knew.

  “Tell me he’s okay.”

  Rafe sighed. “He’s okay. But I need you to come with me.”

  Despite his words, the knot in my throat didn’t subside. Rafe’s presence meant that Oskar wasn’t well enough to come fetch me himself, which was saying something right there. I stuck my feet into the slippers next to the bed, my mind racing the whole time. Was Oskar really okay, or was that just Rafe’s way of keeping me calm for now? I followed Rafe quietly down the hallway and into a back section of the penthouse I’d never seen before. We turned into a room that was set up like a hospital with several beds and fluorescent lighting. Oskar was on one of the beds, his eyes closed and his face pale.

  “Oh no! Oskar!” I rushed to his side, hesitating before putting my hand gently on his arm. At my touch, his eyes fluttered and then opened.

  “Hey, butterfly.”

  A million emotions crashed over me at the same time. Relief, joy, then confusion and anger. I wanted to hug him and also rail at him for having the nerve to get hurt. But instead, I leaned down and kissed his forehead.

  “You scared me.”

  He chuckled, pausing to cough so violently that it hurt me to hear it. I looked behind me frantically. There was a small cup of water with a straw on the table next to him, so I picked it up and brought it carefully to his lips. He took a few sips before collapsing back against the pillows. I could see how much that small effort had taken out of him.

  “What happened?”

  He shrugged. “I got the bad guy. Just happened to get in the way of a bullet while doing it.”

  I swayed slightly. “You got shot?”

  His trademark smirk appeared. “It’s just a scratch.”

  It should have been out of place on his face while he was so pale and tired, but ironically it calmed me down. This was the Oskar I knew, always a smartass.

  “I think you and I have different ideas about what a scratch is, but that’s another story.”

  “It’s not so bad if it’s got you by my side smiling at me. My butterfly.”

  That was when I noticed the slight slur to his words and the loopy way he was smiling. I laughed and brushed his hair back from his face.

  “Oh, they’ve got you on the good stuff, huh? I bet I could ask you anything right about now and you’d tell me.”

  He let out a long sigh. “Don’t be mad at me. I never want you to be mad at me.”

  I squeezed his hand and withdrew, thinking that it was time to track down Rafe or someone who knew what to do with all this medical stuff. If Oskar was high as a kite right now, he certainly couldn’t tell me what had happened to him or what should be done for his care. But before I could move away, Oskar grabbed my hand again.

  “Don’t go. I don’t want you to go.”

  Alarmed at the desperation in his voice, I moved back to his side, as close as I could get with the handles up on the medical bed.

  “I’m not going anywhere. Sshh.”

  But nothing I said seemed to penetrate. Oskar brought my hand to his mouth and then pressed it to his cheek.

  “I didn’t want to leave you the first time. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

  I considered myself an ethical person. The man was drugged up and vulnerable, so it was completely wrong to let him spill his guts in this state. And under any other circumstances, I would never have allowed it. But then he said something that made it impossible for me to ignore.

  “It was for your own good, you know. I had to leave for your safety.”

  When he looked up at me blearily, I decided that I wasn’t as good of a person as I’d always hoped.

  Osk
ar

  She was so beautiful. Hailey had come into the room with a contrite Rafe right behind her, and I immediately had forgotten about the pain in my arm and my annoyance at being laid up.

  Then I shifted on the uncomfortable hospital bed and lightning lanced through my arm.

  “Fuck, this hurts.”

  Hailey made a little cooing sound and stroked my hair gently. It probably wasn’t my manliest moment, but I’m pretty sure I whimpered. If I could have, I would have dragged her over the edge of the bed right then and put her right on top of me. But I couldn’t.

  Sine my arm was throbbing like a rotten tooth.

  “I’m so glad you’re here.” I closed my eyes and had the uncomfortable sensation of floating away. Whatever Dr. Breckner had injected into my IV was fucking with my mind for sure, but I didn’t even care. Hailey was here, which meant that all was finally right with the world.

  “I never wanted to leave you.”

  “Then why did you?”

  Her soft voice seemed to come from far away and I started to panic. Was she leaving me? Where was she going? I needed to keep her close. Keep her safe. I think I told her that but wasn’t sure because the next thing I knew it was darker in the room and I was waking up.

  “Hailey!”

  She appeared at my side immediately. Her hair was standing up wildly on one side, and she blinked several times like she was just waking up.

  “I’m here. Hey, I’m right here.”

  When her hand landed on my arm, I suddenly needed her to know. To understand.

  “I had to keep you safe. I’m not a good man. Neither is my father. I would never want the sins of my past to touch you. You’re so much better than that. So much better than me.”

  Hailey sniffled softly. “I wish you would have told me. Waking up alone hurt so much.”

  “Hurt is better than dead,” I mumbled. Something in the back of my mind was shouting at me to shut the hell up, but I was in too much pain to listen. What had that voice ever done for me? Other than make me leave my butterfly behind and make us both unhappy.