If the cops were smart - and she hated to admit it, but the majority of them were - they would be parked right out front of Jericho's businesses waiting for him to return, under the assumption that he really was as arrogant as he looked. Worse, they could send in people undercover and he would never know. They would look like ordinary club-going citizens who talked in their purse or cufflinks a lot and didn't like to dance.
Annie placed her hands by her thighs and sat on them as a way to keep from toying with her seatbelt or tugging at her shirt. She needed to calm down but it was difficult to do.
Traffic was just as bad going in as it was going out, so they didn't reach The Red Door until an hour later. Instead of turning into the parking structure or driving up right to the front on the street, Jericho made a right just before the club and pulled into a narrow alleyway.
"This is where the cooks take their cigarette breaks and where we get our food deliveries," Jericho explained in a low voice. "No one knows about it because the general public doesn't even know we have a kitchen. They're not aware we serve food."
Annie's brow pushed up and she leaned forward in her seat, trying to look around in the dark. It was just starting to sprinkle. Hard rain was promised for the night and through the weekend. She wanted to be in the cabin by the time that happened.
Jericho turned off the headlights of the Jeep but kept it running. He wanted to hide in plain sight but be ready to run when the time called for it. At that moment, a figure emerged from the back entrance of the club. Annie hadn't noticed before that the door had been propped open slightly nor did she notice someone waiting for them to pull up.
I would make a terrible lookout, she thought to herself.
Bruce came up to the passenger side window Jericho had rolled down and threw his arms around Annie.
"Jesus, Annie," he murmured in a low whisper. As he hugged his sister, Bruce handed Jericho a small keychain. "Be careful, okay? I'll take care of the house while you're gone."
"You know what's going on?" Annie asked in a soft voice, slightly confused.
"Jericho came to see me," Bruce said. "To make a long story short, yeah, I have an idea of what's going on and I know that you'll be gone for however long you'll be gone for and I don't know when I'll see you again." He glanced over at Jericho and for the first time, Bruce had a serious look on his face rather than ignorant admiration. "I know you're my boss but I'm counting on you to take care of my sister. She's the most important person in my life right now and the only family I have." He pressed his lips together. "If anything happens to her, I will kill you. I don't care who you are."
Annie's mouth dropped open at the fact that Bruce had just threatened Jericho without so much as blinking. Jericho was Bruce's idol. When he first started working for him, Bruce couldn't shut up about him. He had borrowed money from Jericho and didn't flinch when he found out Jericho had corrupted his straight-laced little sister and got her to marry him. He constantly supported Jericho through anything. Loyalty was one of Bruce's strengths and Annie knew Jericho knew how lucky he was that Bruce liked him so much.
Even Jericho seemed surprised by Bruce's outburst but he didn't say anything on the subject. It was like he understood. Marriage was one thing but now, Jericho's past had caught up to his present and it involved Annie's welfare as well. Of course, Annie didn't have to agree to run away with him. She could have turned him in, could have told the cops everything she knew, but she didn't. Did that make her crazy? Probably. But she didn't mind as long as it meant that she got to be with Jericho.
Jericho nodded his head. His eyes were steel - not because he was upset with what Bruce told him but because he was determined to do just that.
"I would do anything for Annie," he told Bruce.
Now, Bruce nodded. Annie could clearly read his eyes that he believed Jericho.
At that moment, Bruce pulled out a key and handed it to Annie. "Here's the key," he said. "I already wrote Jericho instructions on how to get there when he stopped by an hour ago. There's freshly chopped wood outside so you can make a fire. There are electricity and hot water and a fridge and a freezer. If you guys hunt, there are two rifles in the second bedroom, hanging on the wall. They’re meant to be decoration but they work. Ammo is in the desk in the bottom right drawer. You guys can stay there for as long as you need."
"Thank you, Bruce," Annie said, throwing her arms around her brother. "I'm so sorry for all the things I said and did to you. I didn't mean them. You know I didn't mean them."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Bruce says, gently easing Annie's arms off of his neck. "You're talking like you're never going to see me again. I have an idea that maybe you're gone for a month, two, tops. Things are going to blow over. The cops are going to realize they don't have anything on Jericho, you guys will come back, and that will be the end of it."
Annie looked at his brother with a placating smile. "You always were the optimist," she murmured.
"I like to think I'm a realist, thank you very much," he told her with a grin. "You always believed me when I told you everything was going to be all right. Do you think you can do that again? For your big brother whom you aren't going to see for a couple of months?"
Annie rolled her eyes but she felt a gentle smile tug at the corner of her lips. How was it that Bruce could make her smile, even under these circumstances?
"Okay," she told him with a nod.
"Okay," he replied.
He reached in and hugged her once again before stepping out of the car window. He locked eyes with Jericho, his face suddenly solemn, and they exchanged another cryptic nod.
Jericho shifted the car out of park and slowly turned out of the alleyway. He laced his fingers through Annie's and brought her hand up to his lips so he could brush his lips across her knuckles. A shiver slid down her back and she felt her eyes darken.
"You're crazy," he murmured as his eyes shifted over to the road. "Leaving with me."
"Yes," she agreed with a single nod he did not see. She could feel him smile against her skin.
"Good," he said. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
--
The cabin was perfect. Annie was surprised at how nice it was. It was quaint and warm, with double-panes windows, one-bedroom, and a small kitchen. There was no television but there was a nice radio that picked up a bunch of channels where they could listen to the news or put on music. The bathtub was wonderful and Annie and Jericho took care to break that in more than once. Whenever they needed food, Bruce would swing by Costco and pick everything up. No one suspected he had a cabin in the middle of nowhere, literally. It was surprisingly easy to get used to this, a life where only she and Jericho existed, where television wasn't around to show them what was happening in the world because who cared, really.
One day, Annie and Jericho were laying tangled up with each other after a moment of passion when he reached across her to the nightstand and flipped on the radio. He kissed her shoulder before he resumed his position on her shoulder, his arm tossed around her waist, holding her hip possessively.
"...storm coming in for the next few days," the radio deejay announced. "It's a big one. Expect lots of thunder and lightning for at least seventy-two hours. So grab a partner, make a fire, and get close because it's going to be a long weekend."
Annie smiled to herself. He didn't have to tell her twice. She loved the rain, the storms, everything that had to do with the danger and the romance combined.
"In other news, the body of notorious organized crime villain, Brody Bennett washed up on the shore of Union early this morning," he continued. "Not much is known about when Bennett was actually murdered but we're hearing the coroner is dating the murder roughly two months ago - the same time Jericho and his new wife left for a European holiday. Bennett was the only person in recent years who came forward against his former employer, but now that he's gone, it doesn't appear as though the police have much of a case against Jericho Steel."
Annie flipped the radio off,
her eyes going wide as she stared at Jericho. She didn't even have to say anything. Instead, he took her in and gave her one nod.
Annie pressed her lips together. She didn't know what to think about the admission. He probably killed Bennett while she was waiting for him to get home the day he left, not because he was going to see her brother.
"Now what?" Annie said, her voice raw.
Jericho smiled. "Now," he said, "we get to go home."
Acknowledgments
This book was harder to write than the first two, I’m not going to lie. I could see Jericho and Annie in my head like a movie but finding the write words to describe their emotions was tougher than it usually was for me. However, I think - I hope - I created a decently dark romance that was both enjoyable and sexy. I suppose you’ll let me know if I didn’t.
Thank you to my family, especially my mom, for your support and your faith in my ability.
Thank you to my readers for your amazing encouragement. I’m astounded each and every time I talk to you! (You guys are dark and deadly, just like me and I love you for it! #badboysarethebest)
Thank you to my beta readers – Cindy F., Karina M., and Amanda W. Honestly, this manuscript was WRECKED when I sent it to you and you polished it up. You are all amazing and I’m so grateful for your input!
Thank you to my kickass launch team and everyone who wanted an ARC. Your feedback is so helpful and instrumental to my career.
Thank you to Suzanna Lynn of Funky Book Designs for my wonderful beautiful wickedly dark cover! (So seductive!)
Thank you to Josh, Jacob, and Kylee for pushing me to be a better parent and motivating myself to take myself seriously as an author.
Finally, to Frank, as always you’re my reason for everything. Thank you for inspiring me and being every hero I’ve ever written.
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A Corruption Dark & Deadly (A Dark & Deadly Series Book 3) Page 19
