The Troubleshooter: Norcross Series

by Hackett, Anna

  “You fuck with her…” Vander let that hang.

  He met his best friend’s gaze. “I’ll keep her safe, and make her happy.”

  “Man, you are brave.” Rhys grinned at him.

  Haven slapped her man’s chest.

  Vander shook his head. “All right, let’s talk work. Where are you at with Dennett and the diamond?”

  “I’m tracking down Willow. Gia wants her found.”

  Vander’s brows drew together. “Any luck?”

  “I’m closing in.”

  “Okay, keep me briefed.” With a nod, Vander strode out.

  Saxon released a breath, glad that he and Vander had cleared the air a bit.

  “Soooo,” Haven said, with a knowing smirk.

  “Mouth zipped, Haven. I haven’t discussed everything with Gia. Hell, I’ve barely convinced her to give me a chance.”

  Haven nodded. “My money’s on you, Saxon.”

  He smiled at her. “Thanks, Haven.”

  Rhys dragged his woman away. “Come on, angel.”

  At that moment, Saxon’s laptop beeped. There was a message from Ace. He read it and his muscles tensed. Shit. They’d found Willow. He scanned the info. That fucking bitch.

  He kept a stranglehold on his anger and called Ace. “I’m on my way. I’ll pick up Gia and take her with me.”

  “Got it,” Ace replied. “No rush. I like Gia’s offices, and there’s plenty of pretty scenery.”

  “As long as that scenery doesn’t include my woman.”

  Ace laughed. “She knows you’ve claimed her?”

  “Yeah. She’s not quite on board yet, but I’m working on it.”

  Saxon drove to the Firelight offices and parked, then jogged upstairs.

  He saw Ace sitting at a desk near Ashley’s, bent over his fancy, high-powered laptop. Several of Gia’s employees were watching him from under their eyelashes.

  “Hey, Ace.”

  The other man lifted his chin. “You going to talk to the friend?”

  “Yeah.”

  Ace closed his laptop. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks for watching Gia.”

  His friend winked. “No hardship.” With a wave, Ace headed out.

  “She free?” Saxon asked Ashley.

  The woman nodded.

  “Can you clear her schedule for the next hour?”

  “Sure. Luckily, I can perform miracles.”

  He walked into Gia’s office. She was at her desk, scribbling notes. The light from the windows behind her made her skin glow.

  Beautiful. And all his.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Saxon.” She smiled at him, but then it dissolved. “What’s wrong? Did Dennett hurt someone?”

  “I found Willow.”

  Gia gasped and rose. “So fast?”

  He nodded. “She’s holed up in a hotel in the city.”

  Gia walked to him. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me, yet. Let’s go and have a chat with her.”

  “I’m not getting good vibes from you.”

  “Get your bag, Contessa.”

  In the car, he drove them toward Nob Hill. When he pulled up in front of the historic façade of the Fairmont, the swankiest hotel in San Francisco, Gia frowned.

  Saxon grabbed her hand and walked straight into the old-world grandeur of the opulent lobby. It was all marble, elegant columns, and gilt touches. Near the elevators, a young man in a hotel uniform appeared, and nodded at Saxon.

  They circled a large, potted plant, and the man—who worked on the hotel maintenance team and was one of Saxon’s contacts—slid Saxon a key card.

  “She’s in a suite.” The young man rattled off the floor and room number.

  Saxon slipped him some money. “Thanks, Joe.”

  He took Gia’s hand and pulled her into the elevator, then used the card and stabbed a button for one of the top floors.

  “She has a suite?” Gia frowned. “How can she afford this? She doesn’t have any money.”

  Saxon didn’t answer her.

  The elevator slowed and they exited. He stopped in front of the door and knocked. “Housekeeping.”

  “No, thanks,” came the muffled reply.

  Gia stiffened. It was Willow’s voice.

  Saxon slid the card through the lock and they walked in. They rounded a corner into the large living area.

  An angry Willow stormed out of a bedroom. “I said—” She broke off, panic blossoming on her face.

  “Willow.” Gia pushed forward. “What the hell? I’ve been so worried about you.”

  Gia’s gaze swept the room. The heavy drapes were drawn, and boutique shopping bags were strewn all over the floor. Her gaze fell on the glossy, round table. A half empty bottle of champagne sat in an ice bucket, a card and the remnants of white powder sat beside it, along with the remains of some chocolate-dipped strawberries.

  There was also a black, velvet bag resting on the surface, an emerald and a ruby spilling out of it.

  Saxon had guessed as much. Ace had tracked down that Willow had pawned a ruby to afford the hotel.

  Rage flared in Gia’s eyes. “You have the gems.”

  Willow held up a hand. “Gia—”

  Gia exploded. “You trashed my place! You took the gems!”

  Chapter Eleven

  Gia couldn’t believe this.

  “You did all of this.” Anger and hurt were a violent mix in Gia’s gut. “You came to me for help, you used me, you put me in danger. You wrecked my place.”

  “Gia, listen—”

  Gia actually saw Willow trying to look contrite, trying to find an angle to manipulate Gia. Sucking in a breath, Gia stepped forward, and Saxon shifted closer, protecting her.

  “I cared about you,” she said quietly.

  Willow flinched.

  “I tried to help you. Everyone told me you were poison, and I defended you. You were using me.” Gia shook her head.

  Saxon moved close enough for his chest to brush her back. He was right behind her. The silent support she needed.

  Willow’s gaze flicked to him and her face twisted. “Oh, so now you’re banging Saxon Buchanan, taking rich cock, you’re dumping me like I’m crap.”

  “This has nothing to do with Saxon.” Gia hardened her tone. “I can’t believe you!”

  Willow tried for wounded again. “My life’s been shit, my family’s shit, everyone’s been against me—”

  “You can’t keep using that excuse. You can’t keep playing the victim.”

  Willow’s expression turned poisonous. “Oh, it’s easy for you to say. Perfect Gia Norcross. Good family, hot brothers, a hot, rich guy looking out for you, your fancy PR firm.”

  Gia sucked in a breath. Her eyes were wide open right now. “I got lucky with my family, but everything else I worked hard for. I didn’t feel entitled, like the world owed me something. Like I should be given everything. I worked hard at college. I studied and earned my degree. I didn’t party constantly and then sleep with a married professor in the hope of getting a better mark.”

  Willow crossed her arms and glared.

  “I worked my butt off, saved, started Firelight all on my own. And I’m still working my butt off to make it successful.” Gia threw out an arm. “You look at the success, the good stuff, and you want it, but you fail to see the hard work behind it. The blood, the sweat, the tears, the sleepless nights. Just being given stuff is not how life works, Willow.”

  “Fuck you,” Willow said.

  Pain sliced through Gia. She realized her friend from high school, the girl who’d giggled with Gia over makeup and boys, who she’d whispered secrets to in the dark was gone. The goodness in Willow had dried out, or was buried deep under the waste, selfishness, and jealousy.

  “I loved you.” Gia’s voice was a whisper.

  Willow just glared.

  “You’re coming with us, Willow,” Saxon said. “Get your shit.”

  “Fuck you too, Saxon Buchanan,” Willow
spat.

  He made a scoffing noise. “I’d prefer not to be in the same room as you. You tried your hardest to fuck all of us, but we disabused you of that notion a hundred times.”

  What? Gia whipped her head around to look at him. What did that mean?

  Willow stomped across the room, and shoved her feet into some running shoes. New, shiny ones. Her clothes were new too. Gia’s mouth tightened. While Gia had been worried and dodging bad guys, Willow had been shopping, snorting shit up her nose, and living the high life.

  Suddenly, Willow darted to the wall and flicked the lights off.

  “Willow!” Gia cried.

  “Fuck,” Saxon bit out.

  With the blackout drapes pulled, the room was pitch black. There was the thud of falling furniture, and a second later, the fire alarm started blaring.

  Saxon’s curses got louder and more creative.

  Damn you, Willow. Gia’s nails bit into her palms.

  She saw a flash of light round the corner in the entry and then a door slammed. Gia took a step and almost tripped over a chair.

  The lights came back on, and she spotted Saxon by the switch, scowling. Several chairs were overturned.

  Willow was gone.

  So were the gems.

  Gia’s stomach dropped.

  “Come on.” He took her hand. “We don’t want to get stuck here answering questions with security.”

  He tugged her out of the suite and into the stairwell. Voices echoed louder as other people evacuated.

  Gia stewed all the way down. Saxon’s jaw was tight, and he kept glancing at her.

  They finally made their way out of the hotel, and to his Bentley.

  “You all right?” he asked, as they got inside.

  “No.” She clicked her seatbelt into place.

  He pulled the car out onto the street just as a fire engine roared past, lights and sirens blaring.

  “What did you mean, Willow tried her hardest to fuck all of you?”

  Saxon’s hands tightened on the wheel.

  A horrible sensation filled her belly. “Saxon, the one thing you’ve always been with me is brutally honest.”

  “She came on to all of us back in school. Me, your brothers. Anytime you weren’t around, she was rubbing up against us, making offers, trying to sneak into your brothers’ beds when she stayed at your place.”

  Gia gasped, an ugly sensation moving inside her. “You can’t be serious?”

  “None of us liked her, Gia. Not one of us took her up on any of that shit.”

  “No one told me,” she whispered.

  “We tried, gently, but she was your friend, and you’re loyal as hell.”

  God. She couldn’t believe this. “She knew I had a crush on you.”

  His head whipped around. “You had a crush on me?”

  “From the first moment I saw you.”

  Flames ignited in his eyes. “Gia.”

  “She knew. And she still tried to sleep with you.”

  Saxon eyed Gia carefully.

  Pressure was building inside her. God, she’d been such a fool. Willow had played her. For years. “I need a drink.”

  “It’s lunchtime.”

  “I don’t care.” She fished her phone out of her bag and stabbed the screen. “Ashley, I’m not coming back to the office.”

  “What?” Her assistant squawked. “You have meetings?”

  “I know. I’m sorry. Cancel the Diaz call. Reschedule it for another time. Have Evan take my other meetings.”

  “His head will explode.”

  “Help him out.”

  Ashley let out a gusty sigh. “Will do. We’ll handle it.” She paused. “Are you okay?”

  “No, but nothing a stiff drink won’t fix.” Or at least take the edge off.

  “All right, Gia. See you later.”

  Gia looked up and realized Saxon was pulling into his garage.

  “This isn’t a bar.”

  “I have booze, and I figure a less public place will be better for you to lose that temper of yours.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I’ve known you a long time, Contessa. I know when the pressure’s brewing and you’re about to explode.”

  Her gaze narrowed.

  “I’m just glad that, for once, you aren’t pissed at me.”

  “I need tequila, Buchanan.” She shoved open the door of the Bentley. “Now.”

  They headed upstairs, and he led her into his wine cellar room.

  The wall of wine glowed gently with backlights. There was a table and four chairs in a gorgeous, glossy wood, sitting in the center of the space, and a built-in bar off to one side.

  He pulled out a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses.

  She eyed the expensive Gran Patrón, then the glasses.

  “Those are crystal.”

  “Alcohol tastes better from crystal.”

  “Snob.” It was such a Saxon thing to say.

  He poured the tequila. Instantly, Gia threw back the shot. Oh, that burned. It complemented her smoldering fury.

  “She played me. The entire time I was just a gullible fool.”

  Saxon did his shot. “She feels something for you, but she is…selfish and messed up. I don’t think everything was a lie.”

  “But a lot of it was.” Gia grabbed the bottle and took a swig directly from it. “Let’s go upstairs. I want to sit on your couch and look at your kick-ass view while I down more tequila.”

  He lifted his chin and they went upstairs. At the top level, she kicked her heels off and took another swig from the bottle.

  She set the bottle down on the kitchen island with a loud click.

  Then the dam inside her burst. “I’m so fucking pissed!”

  She strode across the space to his couch, then grabbed some of the cushions and threw them.

  They hit the floor, but it wasn’t very satisfying. She stomped on them, then let out a little scream of frustration. As she stomped around, her hair fell out of its bun, falling around her shoulders.

  “She used me. Put me in danger without a single thought. I cared about her.”

  Saxon grabbed Gia’s arms. “She hurt you.”

  Gia lifted her chin. “I’m not thinking about that. How could I have been so stupid?”

  Saxon cupped her jaw. “You’re not stupid. You’re the smartest, wittiest, sexiest woman I’ve ever known.”

  She blinked, staring at his handsome face. Her anger morphed into pure need and her body flared to life.

  All these years, she’d seen Saxon as an enemy, an annoyance, but she realized that he’d been there for her, just like her brothers.

  She shoved him back several steps until he dropped to sit on the couch.

  Then she hiked up the hem of her dress and straddled him.

  * * *

  Gia straddling him, fire in her eyes, made Saxon’s cock hard in an instant.

  He gripped her chin. “You want to use me, baby? You want to fuck out all that anger?”

  She undulated against him, shooting him a defiant look. There she was. His Gia wasn’t broken. You couldn’t keep her down for long.

  “Maybe,” she said finally.

  “I’m not going to say no.” He gripped her curvy hip and ground her down on his cock.

  Her lips parted and she moaned his name.

  “But it’s not just that,” she said. “I want you. I feel like I’ve wanted you forever.”

  With a groan, he kissed her, savoring the taste of her and tequila. “Same, Contessa. Forever.”

  Need gripped him. The kiss turned rough, and he thrust his tongue inside her mouth. She kissed him back, giving him everything. That curvy, little body moved on him like she couldn’t stay still.

  She sank her teeth into his bottom lip.

  “Christ,” he muttered.

  She laughed and the sound hit him in his gut.

  He slid his hand under her dress and between her legs. She bucked, and desire roared in his head.
Clinging to the edge of his control, Saxon gripped her panties and tore them off. She gasped into his mouth.

  “This pretty pussy is all mine.” He stroked her, feeling how wet she was growing. Then he slid a finger inside her tight, wet warmth.

  With his other hand, he slid it up into the thick mass of her hair. He pulled, tugging her head, arching her back.

  Then he set his mouth on her throat, feasting. The sounds she made drove him wild.

  “All this heat under your beauty.” He pressed his thumb to her clit.

  She rocked, riding his hand. He slid his other hand along her back and found the zipper of her dress. He lowered it, then pushed the fabric down to her waist.

  The cobweb-like black lace bra made him growl. It showed off more than it covered.

  “Take the bra off,” he ordered.

  Her eyes were heavy, her cheeks flushed. Her lips were swollen from his kisses. She’d never looked more beautiful.

  She reached behind her and a second later, her bra fell away. It left those rosy-peaked breasts bared to him.

  “Gorgeous.” He cupped one, then leaned forward. He pulled one nipple to his mouth.

  “Yes, oh, Saxon.”

  She moved on him, her hands sinking into his hair. He licked, sucked, made her squirm and pant.

  “Other one, Gia,” he growled.

  She arched back, offering her breasts to him.

  He sucked the other nipple into his mouth, making it a hard bead. With his other hand, he sank another finger inside her. She was so wet.

  “Saxon.” A plea.

  He kissed her again. “You can’t know how beautiful you are.” His voice was guttural. “So fucking gorgeous. So fucking mine.”

  She undulated. “Less talking, more fucking.”

  God, she was something. It took some control not to throw her down and hammer inside her. He wanted to take and possess. He had a near-naked Gia on him, while he was still fully clothed. Hot as fuck.

  “You want my cock inside you, Contessa?”

  Her brown gaze met his. Direct and not hiding a thing. “Yes.”

  “Unbuckle me, baby.”

  Her hands attacked his belt. She got it open, then his pants, then she shoved his boxers down. His cock was finally free.

  “Saxon,” she breathed.

  He couldn’t wait any damn longer to get inside her. He reached back and pulled out his wallet from his pocket, and found the condom inside.