by J. Woods
The cold winter night air blew around the sheets of rain in the dark sky. Almost immediately the four men from inside surrounded them, the shadows producing two more. Max felt the vein of familiarity as he took in the tanned skin, the hard, dark eyes and the same tattoos they all seemed to wear. And instinctively he knew.
Locos.
They’d managed to find him. Nate turned to him with a look and with a nod, Max confirmed the suspicion in his brothers eyes. “Six on two? And I was really hoping for a good fight,” he drawled loud enough for the Locos to hear. He watched closely as they started moving in; he didn’t have any weapons on him but he was certain they did. Six on two, hell he’d been in worse situations. He and Nate moved into position and damn, if he wasn’t ready. He had so much anger and hurt burning inside of him he could feel it festering. He felt the slow, calculating smile spread across his face as he watched the three closing in on him, daring them to make the first move. Instinctively he reacted, throwing his fist into the jaw of the first one who took the dare. His eyes were nervous and glassy, his movements erratic and feeding off whatever was fueling his adrenaline.
He heard his grunts mixed with his enemy’s as the fight ensued, Nate throwing one of them to the grown with a deafening thud. Max had two on the ground unconscious as he faced off with the leader of the group. He saw stars as the other man’s lucky punch landed before shaking them off and returning with his own attack. Before the man could blink, Max had him on the ground with his two friends and not long after, he and Nate had a pile of bad guys and an angry looking detective walking toward them. Before he could open his mouth to explain, he felt the hot searing pain of a blade shoot through his side, threatening to bring him to his knees. He heard the thud and the final, fading moan of pain from the man before he fell into the darkness Nate’s fist always promised.
“Max!” He closed his eyes, feeling the warm sluggish stream running down his side.
Bastard!
He did not see that coming. “I’m alright,” he said through the pain. “I’m okay,” he repeated, seeing the concerned look in his brother’s eyes. Distantly he heard Detective Ashbrook’s orders and the familiar sound of locking handcuffs. His arm was slung around Nate’s shoulders as he guided him to his truck.
“A life for a life Savage!” Max turned to the deep, gravelly voice of the man now sitting in the back seat. “A life for a life,” the man repeated. His dark, amateur tattoos covering his arms and neck gave him away immediately. He knew exactly who he was. The brother of the kidnapper who eventually lost his life to Max’s rifle on his last mission. It wasn’t part of the job that he enjoyed, but he would have pulled the trigger on fifty men if it meant saving that little girl. Before climbing into the truck, Max pulled off his shirt and tore it into strips, fastening them so they were long enough to tie around his waist. Damn, he hurt. Ashbrook came up behind him, closing the door he stuck his head in, giving them both a hard look as Nate started the engine.
“I expect to speak to both of your asses after you get cleaned up.” Nate grunted his acknowledgement before peeling out of the parking lot, leaving the detective staring after them. Max knew his brother disagreed with most of the detective’s decisions and it was something he couldn’t argue with. Ashbrook’s main goal wavered between rules and quotas and that was something he and his brothers never concerned themselves with. They had started Savage Security to help people, to make a difference and it was the same reason they had all left their careers in the past. It was also the reason why Ashbrook remained both permanently pissed off with them and in their debt at the same time. Because they were an independent firm they didn’t have to follow the same rules law enforcement did. Hell, Max couldn’t remember the last time he saw black and white; every mission Savage Security took on was full of grey areas and blurred lines. But that was exactly why they did what they did. They had friends and resources on both sides of the law and sometimes that wrong side of the law came to bite them in the ass. Like tonight.
“Hospital?”
“No, call Stella. Tell her to meet us at the Barn and to bring her kit.” His little sister was quickly becoming their on-call medic. He hated being in the hospital and if Stella could stitch him up and send him on his way, that was good enough for him. He and his brothers seemed to always been in need of her skills either during a mission or after and while she kept it in the shadows, Stella was only months away from being able to sign M.D. after her name. He couldn’t be more proud of her. She worked her ass off with school and her job as an EMT and he knew they were hoping, as Savage Security continued to grow, that she would eventually take on the position of their own doctor.
His sister was already waiting with his other brother’s in the meeting room. They had cleared off the long table; they needed to expand again and add a medical room - he was getting tired of lying on the damn table. He didn’t even need her direction as he took his place, staring up at the wood beam ceiling. Slowly pulling off the makeshift bandage he winced as she poked and prodded at the wound.
“Well, thankfully it’s not too deep. You’ll need stitches and I’m going to give you a few shots to keep the risk of infection down. You need to keep an eye on it and I want to see it again in a few days.” He nodded, grinding his teeth against the sharp pinch of the needle before his side went blissfully numb.
“What the hell happened?” Aiden growled as he stood beside Logan, his arms folded across his chest and Max almost smiled at the reprimanding tone in his voice. Aiden was the oldest of all of them and ever since they were kids he had always been the most reserved, the most formidable.
“We got into a fight,” Max explained, purposefully being obtuse. Hell, the adrenaline of the fight was wearing off and the strange, familiar hollow feeling was starting to take its place. Along with the memories of the woman who had kicked him out of her house and out of her life just a few short hours ago. His face hurt and he could already imagine the bruise that was forming on his jaw. He distantly heard Nate telling them what happened as he closed his eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He loved a good fight, especially when he didn’t know what to do with the anger bubbling over inside of him. For the first time in his life, he felt lost. He had splayed his soul open to Brie earlier and she had quite literally stomped all over it until there was nothing but rubble. He had never been more honest, more open with a woman in his life and he was left standing out in the cold, shirtless. He had no idea what happened - replaying the night over in his head, he couldn’t figure out where he went wrong. They had laughed and played and had life altering sex but this time she didn’t get a chance to run out on him - she made sure it was his turn to leave first. His dick twitched at the memory of her sweet heat around him, her breathy whimpers right before she cried his name. He swore he could still feel the bite of her nails in his back and as empty as he was feeling now, as confused as she left him, he wanted more. She created a fire within him that he’d never experienced before. He was used to thriving on the rush, the adrenaline that a mission would give him but the tiny little woman who was fire and passion was a tornado to his life. She created an excitement he didn’t think he was capable of feeling. Max Savage was a playboy, he enjoyed women of all shapes, sizes and colours, hell he loved women. He loved their curves and their flirt, the batting of their eyelashes and the way moved. They were exotic, foreign and he loved to explore. But he had never had a problem walking away once they were both satisfactorily satiated. Until her, until Brie. Because he feared he would never be satisfied, it would never be enough. In that moment Max had never been more honest with anyone, including himself - she completely owned him.
Max lifted his head from the inside of his refrigerator at the sound of his front door opening. Raising an eyebrow at his too forward sister he received a knowing smirk in response. “I really need to change my locks,” he murmured.
“And why would that be?” Roxy asked innocently as she peeled off her jacket.
“So t
hat annoying little sisters can’t butt their way in.”
“Annoying? Really?” Max snorted at the perfected pout she gave him as he handed her a beer.
“No, not really,” he told her sighing as he handed her the bottle before pulling her close to him and kissing the top of her head. “What if I had a girl here?”
Roxy snorted as she moved to sit on the couch. “That would mean that you would actually have to bring a girl back here. No but really, has any women, besides the ones you’re related to ever seen the inside walls of Max Savage’s castle?”
“That’s a privilege only a select few have, Rox.”
“The select few that share the same bloodlines?”
“Exactly,” he told her as he sat down with a shit eating grin, swallowing the tug of pain in his side. Taking a long pull of his beer he stared at his sister knowing there was a reason behind her sudden appearance. “I thought you were supposed to be taking off for a week of training?”
“I am, but I needed to come by and see how you were doing? I heard about what happened last night.”
“Did you?”
“I did.”
“And what exactly did you hear?”
“I heard that you started a fight with some Locos and got yourself stabbed in the process.”
“I wouldn’t say I started the fight, and it was more of a light graze really.”
“You call seven stitches a light graze?”
“Anything under ten.”
“And the bruise you have going on there?” she asked pointing to his jaw.
“I think it adds to my suave and charm.” Max watched as she rolled her eyes, knowing, waiting for her to say exactly why she came here.
“So,” she started. “When was the last time you talked to Brie?” He choked on the sip of beer he had just attempted to swallow, coughing and sputtering like a damn fool.
Shit. This was trouble.
He didn’t know what she had shown up for but Brie was the last thing he’d expected his sister bring up right now. Brie was his sister’s best friend. His baby sister’s best friend. Hell, he’d gone almost a full five minutes since his sister arrived without thinking about Brie in the last twenty four hours and now he had a feeling that was all about to change.
“Um, what?” he asked once he was able to string words together.
“Don’t bother lying to me big brother. I saw how you looked at her at the party. And how she looked at you.” Max swallowed, Roxy had perfected her mask of indifference and he had no idea what emotions were brewing behind it. She had always had the ability to completely conceal her emotions, and it had always pissed him off. “When was the last time you saw her Max?”
“Last night,” he admitted. He didn’t want to lie to her and hell, she already knew more than he ever wanted her to know. She stared at him for a long moment, silently. He could count on one hand the amount of times where he felt uncomfortable in his life; this was one of those times. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt his sister.
“And the fight happened before or after you saw her?”
“After.” She nodded her head as if in understanding, her silence settling heavily between them.
“How long, Max?”
“Have you talked to Brie?” he asked in return, purposely ignoring her question.
“If I had, would I be here asking you these questions?”
“One night, months ago. And then I didn’t see her again until the party.” He didn’t think it was necessary to bring up their run in at the doctor’s office. “But I didn’t know she was your friend Rox, and she didn’t know I was your brother,” he implored.
“I know that,” she nodded slowly. He knew from a past of not only countless women but three feisty sisters and a strong, independent mother that he needed to keep his mouth shut and let her process what he was admitting. He would wait for her to make the next move. “So have you told her you’re in love with her yet?” Max felt his heart stutter.
Wait. What?
“I think love is a pretty strong word for it. Considerable like, maybe.” But it didn’t matter how he felt, Brie had made it abundantly clear what her feelings were about him. He pushed down the hurt that had nothing to do with the stitches in his side or the bruise on his jaw.
“Is that why you haven’t been with someone else for seven months then? Because you don’t love her?”
“Keeping tabs on me?” He was stunned at his sister’s spot on, disturbing accuracy.
“Always.” He needed to steer this conversation away from the complete heart stopping fear it was taking him in. And if anyone was honest with him, it would be Roxy.
“Can I ask you something? About Brie?”
“Sure. I can’t promise you I can answer it though.”
“Yeah yeah, girl code.” He rolled his eyes and she laughed as she stood up, placing her empty beer bottle on the counter and pulling on her jacket. “Leaving?” he asked, frowning.
“Yep, I have a helicopter waiting for me with my name on it,” she told him with a wink. He couldn’t help but smile as he stood up to walk his sister out, how she loved her toys. And he was proud to say she was one of the best pilots he’d ever flown with. “Brie?” she prompted.
“Right. About the father of her baby...” They stepped into the elevator and as the doors closed she turned to him with a sympathetic smile.
“I don’t know who he is, Max. I really don’t.” The elevator opened to the underground parking, her cherry red convertible standing out among the neutral coloured sedans and SUV’s. Walking her to her car he felt like every time he took a step forward with Brie he was constantly shoved two steps back. “All I can tell you is that he was a one night stand.”
“A one night stand?”
But she said...
“Yep.” She pulled him into a fierce hug and he wrapped his arms around her.
“Be careful, little one.”
“Always am. I’ll see you in a week at Mom and Dad’s?”
“I’ll be there.” She kissed his cheek and before he knew it she was peeling out of the garage and off into the night. Stepping back into the elevator he scrubbed a hand over his face. He was more confused now than he was last night when Brie had kicked him out of her apartment. They had just had unbelievable sex and the next minute he was standing on the other side of her closed door, fuming in confused anger. Maybe he just needed to go to bed. He could overanalyze everything in the morning.
Climbing under the covers of his king sized mattress, he felt the weight of his eyelids and gave into the exhaustion that was pulling him under. Not five minutes into his subconscious, Max instantly sat up eliciting a pain filled groan as he clutched his side. He felt his breath quicken as his brain continued to put two and two together. Roxy said the father of Brie’s baby was a one night stand. Brie was seven months pregnant. He was Brie’s one night stand. Seven months ago. But it couldn’t be... she wouldn’t do that.
Would she?
Was he the father of Brie’s baby? His stomach churned and his breathing increased at the idea. Damn, he felt dizzy as his mind spun in a thousand different directions. Seven months. Seven damn months he had missed out on. Rage. Furious, black rage was all he saw as he stood and started pacing his bedroom like a caged animal. Running his fingers through his hair his eyes darted around his room searching, looking, until they landed on his phone. He needed to talk to her, to make sure that he was crazy, that she wouldn’t have held this from him, lied to his face and continued to lie to him. What was her plan - was she just going to have the baby and keep him in the dark? At the thought, Max threw his fist into the wall.
At the same time Roxy slammed down on the brakes almost causing an accident.
Oh God. Max was the father of Brie’s baby.
Chapter Nine
Max picked up his phone, ignoring the blood dripping from his knuckles and the gaping hole in the drywall. Dialing Brie’s number with shaky fingers he listened as her voicemail click in right a
way.
“Brie, its Max. Listen, I think we need to talk. Call me back. Please.” He knew the message was said through clenched teeth but he didn’t care. He needed to cool off. Pulling on a pair of sweatpants, a hoodie and his running shoes he locked the door behind him and stepped out into the frigid winter night. Snow was starting to fall softly to the ground and the city was quietly sleeping. Fifteen minutes later, he barely felt the cold as he found himself standing in front of Brie’s apartment building. Looking up he saw that her lights were off. He knew that he could easily get not only into her building but her apartment as well which only ignited the fuel to his rage. He could see the cloud of white that followed the slow breath he let out. Walking away from her building was one of the hardest things he had ever done. But he couldn’t talk to her now. She was sleeping and he needed to calm down. He would talk to her tomorrow and she would laugh and call him nuts for even thinking the baby was his. He turned away and followed his footprints home.
Brie lay staring at her ceiling, listening to Max’s voicemail for the third time. He sounded upset, or maybe mad. He deserved to be both. She had led him on last night and then kicked him out. Hell, she would be furious. And hurt. But he was Max Savage, so any emotion she thought she was hearing was probably her own imagination and his bed was probably occupied by another woman who would be completely satiated forgotten by tomorrow night. Her chest clenched at the thought. Shaking her head she rolled over. She needed to get some sleep. She had accomplished none last night and she had one of the biggest meetings of her life tomorrow. Closing her eyes she shoved all thoughts of Max out of her mind and away from her fantasies. At least for tonight.
