Still Brazen

by M. Malone

  His eyes softened. “I get it. But I am supposed to be the voice of reason and remind you that life has to go on. We can’t just hide out here forever. But if it helps any, I’m not thrilled about letting you out of my sight either. Maybe I should just keep you here forever.”

  The dirty look in his eyes almost made me want to agree. But he had a point. If I start avoiding work for various reasons, then whoever shot at me had gotten the upper hand. I wouldn’t be made a prisoner by fear.

  “You’re right,” I said finally.

  “As usual,” Oskar finished.

  I glared at him before my eyes landed on the white bandage around his arm. “How are you feeling? Any pain?”

  He shrugged. “It sucks. I’ll get over it. Noah will put me on light duty today.”

  “What? You shouldn’t be working. You got shot!”

  “It probably won’t be the last time, butterfly.” He kissed me square on the mouth before getting out of bed, leaving me staring at his back.

  I was still wearing the oversized shirt I always slept in, so I quickly pulled on a pair of yoga pants. Oskar pulled on a pair of jeans and managed to get a big sweatshirt over his head with only one arm pulled through.

  When he saw me looking, his lips quirked. “It’ll do long enough for us to have coffee. I just want to spend a little time with you before you have to leave. Plus, I want to find out who’ll be assigned to you this morning so I can put the fear of God into them. They’d better be on their A-game if they’re going to protect my wife.”

  I was hit with an overwhelming rush of affection. Obviously, we hadn’t been back together long, but there was a tiny part of me that was starting to believe this might actually work out. We just worked together. Oskar’s devil-may-care personality was the perfect counterbalance to my slightly uptight, control-freak side. He was ridiculous sometimes, sure, but he always made me laugh and didn’t seem to mind my quirks at all. He was so easygoing that he just took everything I did in stride.

  And he hadn’t mentioned anything about getting a divorce again.

  Coffee was followed by an awkward shower where I tried to wash him without getting the bandage wet and Oskar spent the entire time trying to grab my ass. By the time we were done, half my hair was wet, which meant it was about to frizz up big time and I would definitely be late.

  Totally worth it by the way.

  Oskar left me to get dressed alone, and by the time I made it downstairs, I was wearing a pinstriped black skirt paired with a festive pink blouse. My hair was slicked up into a massive bun, and I’d gone with more dramatic makeup than usual. When you don’t feel your best, a cute outfit and makeup always helped.

  Oskar raised his eyebrows and I could tell he wanted to make a sexy comment and was only holding back because of the woman standing next him.

  “Hailey, this is Gemma. She’s going to escort you to work today.”

  My face must have shown my surprise because Oskar raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t expecting a female bodyguard, huh? I’ll have you know that we have two on staff. The other one, Diana, is just on pre-maternity leave.”

  “What’s pre-maternity leave?” I asked.

  Gemma rolled her eyes. “It’s when your extremely overprotective husband interferes with you doing your job or pretty much anything just because you’re pregnant. We’re lucky Rafe doesn’t carry her everywhere, too.”

  Oskar chuckled. “Anyway, Gemma is a total badass and can even knock me on my ass. Even more impressive, she’s married to Matthias and that’s about as scary as it gets.”

  She shoved him aside. “I’m going to tell him you said that.”

  “You don’t need to do that,” Oskar added quickly.

  I stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss against his cheek. “Be careful today.”

  He cupped my chin. “Always. I’ll see you tonight.”

  We both watched as he walked out. Then Gemma turned to me. “Is there anything you need before we leave?”

  “A time machine. So I can go back to this morning. Oskar makes it really hard to get out of bed.” Once I realized what I’d just muttered I blushed, but luckily Gemma didn’t seem to mind.

  “I hear that. I could have used more cuddle time myself this morning, but Matthias had to go.”

  She looked so bummed that I was intrigued. Matthias was perfectly polite every time I’d interacted with him but honestly… the guy was pretty scary. He was leaner than all the other guys, but there was just something in his eyes that made me think he’d seen some bad stuff. Probably done even worse stuff.

  But here was Gemma looking dreamy-eyed about the guy, so maybe she could help me out. Who better to ask for advice than someone who was married and was clearly happy?

  “This is a nosy question.”

  Gemma smiled knowingly. “My favorite kind.”

  “How do you make it work with one of these guys? They’re so intense and they do scary stuff all day. I mean, Oskar got shot and acted like it was just another day at the office. I have no idea what I’m doing. Is it stupid to think we could have something here? Something real?”

  “It’s not stupid at all. The man is clearly head over heels about you. It’s a little weird actually. He’s never serious about anything, and then he looks at you and it’s like, BAM.”

  Her description made me laugh. “That’s how I feel too. But how do we make things work after all the danger and excitement is over. What’s the secret?”

  Gemma started walking and I fell in step next to her as we headed to the elevator. “The secret is the same as how to do well with anything in life. Practice. You’ll fight. Then you’ll make up. Then you’ll fight again. But every time, you’ll learn how to exist better together.”

  Exist better together? I guessed we’d have to see about that.

  Oskar

  After I knew Hailey was taken care of, I went to see Noah for my assignment. I’d already taken some painkillers to take the edge off my throbbing arm so I knew light duty was a good idea, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be stuck in the office doing paperwork. Noah knew how I felt about being sidelined. I had way too much energy to be caged.

  “There you are. I was about to come find you.”

  “Why?” I looked between Noah and Jonas who was sitting in the chair in front of his desk.

  “Because, Jonas is going to question some of Evan’s gambling buddies. I figured you might want to ride along.”

  “Oh, thank god. I figured you’d come up with some bullshit assignment to give me something to do.”

  Jonas got up and clapped me on the back. “Everything you do is bullshit.”

  “Whatever, man. As long as I’m not filling out paperwork, I don’t care what you say.”

  I followed Jonas down to the garage level. Gemma’s car was gone, and I wondered how things had gone with Hailey’s drop-off. Calling and asking would probably be a little much, but I couldn’t deny that I was worried. Not being fit to protect her made me twitchy.

  “Your girl is fine,” Jonas drawled once we were in the car and pulling out into traffic.

  “How did—"

  “You've got the look. All of us have worn it at some point or another. When JJ had her stalker, you don’t think I was tempted to follow her ass every minute of every day?”

  It shouldn’t have made me feel better, but it did. Caring this much for one person was unfamiliar territory, and I couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that we were all missing something important. Maybe it was just because I was cranky and in pain, but I wanted to figure out what the hell was going on. Then I could finally believe that Hailey and I would be okay.

  “So, tell me about these guys.”

  Jonas shrugged. “Typical bookies from my research. I’m not expecting much, but maybe they can at least tell us how long this has been going on. If some of his debt has come due recently, or if they put pressure on him, it could be motive. He needs cash quick, so he comes up with this kidnapping scheme.”

  “For Ha
iley’s sake, I hope he’s not the guy. She’s had enough family drama already.”

  It took a minute to find parking, but when we walked into the apartment building, I had to do a double take. The kind of gambling that a man like Evan Livingston would be doing didn’t take place in a low-income building. Jonas saw my expression and shrugged. There was no elevator, so we walked up three flights.

  “It’s this one,” Jonas said, tilting his head toward unit 3A.

  He knocked, and a few seconds later the door was opened by a guy who was even bigger than me. Light reflected off his bald head and highlighted the scowl on his face.

  “Mr. Hoss is expecting you.“ He moved aside so we could enter.

  As we passed, his eyes scanned over us both as if assessing our weaknesses. I was glad I hadn’t worn the sling and instead just opted for a button up shirt and jacket to conceal the bulky bandage on my arm. This guy looked like the type to go right for the wound if we ended up in a fight.

  “Gentlemen, what can I do for you?” A middle-aged man with thinning brown hair and a belly hanging over his belt got up from the leather couch in the middle of the room.

  The apartment was small but now that we were inside, I could see signs of wealth. The furniture was all leather and looked to be good quality. A massive flat screen hung on the wall, and there was artwork everywhere you looked. He followed my gaze and smirked.

  “The neighborhood might not be the best, but people here know how to mind their own fucking business.”

  “Right. We’re here to talk about Evan Livingston. He owes you, right?”

  Hoss chuckled and then dissolved into a wet, hacking cough. “That little shit? Yeah, he owes me. Big time. You here to pay his debt or something?”

  I glanced over at Jonas before interjecting. “Wait, why would he need someone else to pay his debt? The guy is rich enough.”

  We had our own theories about why Evan couldn’t get the money from his father, but I doubted he’d tell his bookie that he wasn’t good for it.

  “He’s not that rich anymore. At least that’s what I heard. But I’m not one to gossip.”

  Jonas rolled his eyes. “How much does he owe you?”

  “Millions. But that’s not anything new. He does this every few years, gets on the hook for millions and then finds some way to squeeze the money out of his old man.” He let out another hacking cough. “That dude does some wild shit when he gets desperate. Maybe he’ll kidnap a family member again and get the money that way.”

  Next to me, Jonas stiffened. Suddenly it felt like all the air in the room was gone, and I couldn’t breathe. A hot bloom of rage started rising from my gut.

  “What does that mean? Again?” I asked, trying and failing to keep from shouting.

  Hoss smirked. “So that’s what it is? I figured you two were cops or something. But you must be here about the girl.”

  Jonas pulled out his wallet and threw a wad of cash on the table between us. “Tell us what you know.”

  “I don’t know much. But people talk, you know? Evan got in trouble a few years back. Owed the wrong people, if you know what I mean. So he arranged for someone to kidnap his sister, thinking that he could ransom her back and their father would pay without knowing that she was never really in any danger. Only it didn’t go down quite like that, and the kidnappers wanted more.”

  “They tried to hurt her?” Jonas asked.

  “Livingston security at the time caught the guys before they could get their hands on her. Once the truth came out, Elijah Livingston paid off the debt and hushed the whole thing up. But people around here have long memories.”

  “So do I,” I muttered before glancing over at Jonas. He needed to wrap this interview up so we could go have a little chat with Evan.

  And by chat, I meant my fist in his face.

  11

  Oskar

  By the time we reached the Livingston building, my rage had multiplied exponentially. All I could think of was what Hailey was going to feel when she found out her whole damn family was lying to her. Again.

  Jonas clapped me on the back. “Are you okay to do this?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just, she deserves better than this, you know?”

  He nodded solemnly. When we entered the office, the security guy waved us through. They were so used to us being here for Hailey that they didn’t even question our presence anymore.

  We took the elevator to the top floor and then took a left and marched down to Elijah’s office. His assistant tried to stop us, but I barged right in, shoving the door open so hard it crashed against the wall.

  Elijah was on the phone, and he whipped around when the door opened. “What the hell is going on?”

  Jonas stood in front of the door and crossed his arms. He looked dapper as always in his perfectly tailored slacks and a silk shirt that fit like a second skin. That guy loved clothes more than I did, but somehow, he still looked completely badass.

  “Elijah, we need to talk.”

  “You need to get the hell out of my office.”

  “I would be happy to, except we have a little problem. You neglected to mention the extent of Evan’s gambling debts. We thought it was a recent problem. Only for the last six months to a year. But apparently, it’s been a problem much longer than that and has been going on for years. Something you neglected to tell us.”

  Elijah inhaled deeply, popping out his chest. “My family business is none of yours.”

  “Except it is. Hailey believed in her brother because well, she loves him. God knows why. But you neglected to mention he owes that kind of money, and he’d do just about anything to get it, wouldn’t he?”

  “I’m calling Blake. You’re off the case.”

  “Try it. Hailey wants me on the case. And let’s be real, I’d do this for free.” I rolled my shoulders and made an effort not to wince. Stupid arm still hurt.

  That’s because you were shot less than a week ago.

  Yeah, whatever.

  “Were you planning to mention at any point that Evan tried to organize the kidnapping of his own sister for ransom money once before?” Jonas’s question carried even more intensity because of the quiet way he delivered it.

  Elijah blanched. His dark skin went slightly ashen before he swallowed roughly. “I’m calling security.”

  “Do what you want, but we’re getting some goddamn answers today.”

  “You have no right. This is a family matter.”

  “Maybe it was a family matter, but that was before someone started taking shots at my wife.”

  Elijah slammed his hand on the table. “She is not your wife.”

  “Well, funny thing is there’s this little piece of paper, you know, all legal-like that says she is, so you just have to get used to it. In the meantime, I’m trying to figure out who’s trying to kill her, and you keep threatening me at every chance you get.”

  “This is my family I am trying to protect.”

  I shook my head. “We’re not getting anything out of him, Jonas.”

  Jonas was studying Elijah. “I have to tell you Mr. Livingston, that is an excellent blazer. But honestly, with those pants, don’t you think the shirt clashes a little bit with the charcoal? It’s doing too much.”

  Oh my God. “Do we have time for this?”

  Jonas shrugged. “I’m just trying to help the man out. You would think since he’s your father in law you’d want to help him too.”

  “Shut up. Let’s go. If he’s not going to tell us the truth, we have no choice but to go to Evan.” And that guy was a slippery fuck. But I honestly did believe he wanted to help his sister. We’d just have to figure out what the hell was going on.

  Hailey

  I could practically feel the whispers all around me. Everyone had heard about my little tiff with Dad, which was fine. They could say whatever the hell they wanted. I didn’t care. Except, you do care.

  Okay fine, I do care. But there was nothing I could do about it, and I still h
ad a job to do. Jasmine still needed a full marketing roll out plan. I had Miles Everson, Head of the Marketing Department in my office when my mother showed up.

  Miles slid a furtive glance between us. “Listen Miles, why don’t you give us a few. I’ll come down to you when I’m done.”

  He looked more than thrilled to have made his escape.

  “Mom! Hi. I didn’t know you were in the office today. Did we have plans for lunch and I forgot?”

  My mother shook her head. “No. I actually came to see your father.” The casual way that she said that told me she still didn’t know that I knew the truth about her adopting me. And as I watched her, I realized I’d felt it my whole life, the distance she put between us. Maybe it was a distance that she felt. She must have tried, after all, she took in someone else’s daughter. But that certainly couldn’t have helped with her drinking problem.

  “I haven’t talked to Dad all day, so I don’t know what he has planned.”

  My mother slid into the chair opposite me. “Uh, that man. Well, I guess I will just have to go to the restaurant and have a drink while I wait.”

  Just that statement alone made me gnash my teeth together, and before I could recall the words, they were tumbling out. “Seriously? Why do you do this?”

  “I don’t know what you mean, love.”

  “This, the happy lush. You’ve been to rehab, Mom. You would think that you would take that recovery seriously.”

  “Well, I tried to tell you at the time I didn’t need rehab.”

  “I beg to differ, Mom. When you’re incapable of performing your daily tasks, and showing up for your appointments, yeah, you have a drinking problem. Remember, we went to therapy. Was I the only one there?”

  “You make too much of this.”

  The frustration was almost too much to bear. “Mom, do you realize that I am killing myself with this perfume because of you? I just want you – well, I want you to see that I’m trying.”

  “Yes, the perfume is fine. It’s nice, okay? I swear, you’re the one who needs therapy with all this ‘Mom, just love me’ business.”