With Carter off the grid, there was a good chance someone was onto them. Carter was highly trained and didn’t crack under pressure. Like the brothers, he would sacrifice himself before giving up to an enemy. Even if that were the case, and someone got to Carter without a trace, the brothers were in the dark when it came to how far their enemy’s reach went. It was anyone’s guess what they knew, with or without Carter giving up information.
So, they searched. Despite the abundance of hotels and those being a likely target for anything malicious, they cleared all of the small shops and boutiques first, knocking out about eighty percent of their search. If she wasn’t there, the hotels were next. They would tag team each building, knocking out one room at a time.
Luke was marking off the final few establishments, hoping she was either in the boutique he was about to clear or the cigar shop next door…as odd as it would have been to find her there. He pulled the door open to the boutique and paused. That sound – he knew it. Turning his attention to the melodic joy flowing from the hotel bar across the way, he followed it as it danced through the air, leaving him entranced.
Like a siren’s call, he trailed the beautiful sound and knew exactly who it was before he even saw the karaoke sign posted out front. Daisy.
After messaging his brothers, Luke passed through the bar full of heavy nightlife and found Daisy seducing the crowd with her tantalizing harmonies. He made his way to the front, standing just offstage, arms crossed, and red-faced angry.
When Daisy finally noticed him, her demeanor changed. It was bold, like she was daring him – to do what, he didn’t know. The sway of her hips became hypnotic, tempting, and inviting. Luke was angry she was showing every man in that place what he wanted only for himself.
He was lost in her, his pants suddenly tighter, a bead of sweat collecting at his brow. Suddenly, images of them together danced in his head, like they could have something if they wanted it bad enough. She erased all that held him back from pursuing anything with anyone and made it all seem possible and real.
When the song ended, he pulled himself from her poetic foreplay and reminded himself she was indeed a job – one that got away – and how much that pissed him off. He stepped in front of the stage and held out a hand to help her down, though she was reluctant to take it at first.
He pulled her close, causing a sharp gasp to escape her when her soft small body landed against his large strong body. With her hand on his chest for balance, she slowly dragged it down, feeling every ripple of rock hard muscle just beneath the thin sheath of cotton. His stare was lethal and made her shiver despite the sweat rolling down her back from the heat he created.
Breaking the stare and moment of anger – or maybe it was intimacy, neither really knew – he weaved in and out of the crowd, trying to get her out of there. With his mouth to her ear, his voice slightly above a whisper, he said, “Why the hell are you here?”
Without hesitation, she looked him in the eye, and said, “Just making your job easier.”
Hearing his words fall from her mouth, Luke stalled, stunned. He’d indeed hurt her feelings, which meant he was the source of her sudden departure and imminent danger. He wasn’t sure what struck him more, that she cared what he thought about her, or that his words didn’t just make her mad, but had hurt her emotionally. His words held power over her, and he hadn’t a clue why. Pissed, sure, but hurt feelings? Unless…
“Hey, Luke, haven’t seen you in a while. You gonna…” the bartender was cut off before he could finish revealing Luke’s guilty pleasure.
“On my way out, man. Good to see you,” Luke said, headed for the exit again.
The crowd booed him as he passed. It seemed they liked Daisy. Apparently, they wanted more of her. He couldn’t blame them – he did too. Shaking those thoughts from his head, he pushed on. He didn’t have time to reconcile the random thoughts of his subconscious.
When a few servers and barmaids went out of their way to be noticed by him with a hello or a where’ve you been, Daisy became curious. “Pretty popular around here.”
Luke grunted in response – he wasn’t having that conversation, in that bar, with her.
“I can walk out of here on my own, you know.”
“Don’t care.”
“Can I at least go to the bathroom before we leave? Jesus.”
“Fine,” he said, turning to her. “Five minutes, then I’m coming in.”
Daisy sauntered down the long hall leading to the restrooms. She stopped at the door marked women and shifted her attention back to Luke. Just as she’d suspected, given the heated stare she felt following her, Luke was leaning against the wall at the end of the hall, arms crossed, eyes on her. When their eyes met and stares locked, she shot him a narrow glare, to which he grinned and raised a brow before turning his attention to the crowd.
That’s when she made her next move and bolted for the back door. With a quick look over her shoulder to confirm the coast was still clear and Luke’s sights were elsewhere, she pushed through the door – right into the arms of danger.
CHAPTER 8
It had been seven minutes and twenty-one seconds, and no sign of Daisy. Luke watched the door to the bathroom close with a thud, and no one had gone in or come out since. She was probably being an intentional pain in the ass, primping her wild hair or putting that shit on her lips that made his dick twitch as she stroked it on. Her mouth was going to get her in trouble with her sharp tongue and pouty lips. He was going to take it hard, hot, and unapologetically to shut her up if she didn’t quit tempting the shit out of him.
He went to the women’s room, knocked, then entered when there wasn’t a response. Christ, she was making this as hard as she could. Quick to search the small space, he looked under the stalls – no feet. Then looked around for a window or some other exit route, and there were none of either.
“Son of a bitch,” he hollered, pounding a fist to the wall. “She’s a real fucking Houdini.”
“Liam, you were right, she’s gone. Ran again,” Luke said into his phone. “I dropped that thing in her purse when I pulled her off stage. Where is she?”
“Ah, that’s why she was on the move.” Liam chuckled. “I thought you had her.”
“I did have her, then she gave me the slip,” Luke said, already formulating a plan to prevent that from happening again.
“Well, she isn’t far. I still show her right there. Alleyway, but, bro, she’s not moving anymore,” Liam confirmed. “There’s gotta be a door right there. She’s only thirty feet away, roughly.”
“Get here. Now.”
Daisy froze in fear. Running out that door landed her in the clutches of a man three times her size who wreaked of booze and cheap cigars. Something about his thick seething accent made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. It was familiar, forever etched in her mind, along with blood and murder.
The man’s face wasn’t familiar, but that accent. Could this be one of the men from the Senator’s mansion? If he was, how did he know who she was? Better yet, how had he found her? Carter said it was a clean run – nobody followed them. All she knew in that moment was she needed Luke.
“Whoa,” he said, “where you going in such a hurry, pretty lady?”
“Uh…just waiting for my boyfriend. He’s coming.” Daisy hated herself for sounding so meek and scared.
The man looked over his shoulder at the door she came out of. “Really? He still in that bar?”
“Um…yes.”
He dragged the back of his finger down her arm. “I don’t know if I’d let a woman like you out of my bed, much less my sight at a bar. Never know what you’re going to run into.”
Daisy continued to step backward, until the cold brick wall abruptly stopped her. The man stepped closer, trapping her with an arm propped on either side of her as he leaned into her.
“M-My boyfriend…”
“Is coming out that door,” he taunted. “Right. Seems like he’s in a real hurry to get to you.�
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“He h-had to pay the tab.”
“Uh huh. So, are you looking for work, or just a good time? You have that sexy good girl look – I can make either happen if you want it.”
“My…”
“We both know there’s no one coming through that door,” he said, nodding his head, trying to get her to agree. “So, let’s stop playing that game. It’s old already.”
Trying to fight back, she stomped on his foot, but all it did was piss him off. In one swift move, the man backhanded her before slamming his body against hers, his groin at her hip, his arousal evident. When he licked her face, a sob escaped.
“A fighter. We’re going to have fun, pretty lady.”
She spit in his face – anything to buy time. She knew the five minutes Luke gave her had to have expired by now, and he would be looking for her.
“You bitch.” He hit her again. “We can play dirty, if that’s how you like it.”
When she tried to scream, she couldn’t. His arm was resting against her throat, making it hard to breathe, much less anything else, while he squeezed her jaw. His other hand began to drift up her shirt, his dirty nails scratching her skin while the heavy weight of his body kept her pinned. Survive. That was all she could do. He would come for her. She just hoped it wouldn’t be too late.
Desperate, she tried to move beneath him. With part of her arm coming free, she started swinging as hard as she could. It didn’t matter that it was awkward, or had little impact, leaving him in laughter – it was a stall tactic.
The taste of blood in her mouth from his blows and the feel of his rough, calloused hands cupping her breast left her sobbing. Just as she cried out Luke’s name, hoping it was loud enough to draw attention, the weight of the man was lifted from her body and she fell to the ground.
Screeching tires and car doors at the end of the alley caught her attention. It was dusk, and the alley was dimly lit, but the sheer size and stature of the men headed her way brought relief. Wylie stopped, taking to one knee, and brushed the hair from her face before grabbing her shoulders, pulling her close so he could look her over.
“Are you okay?” he asked. She nodded, but he grabbed his light from his utility belt and flashed it her way, revealing the extent of the blows she took. “Son of a bitch. Wait right here. Don’t move.”
Wylie joined his brothers as they pulled her hero from the now bloodied man who tried to assault her. In a whirlwind of motion, she was swept off the ground in strong, familiar arms and rushed the waiting vehicle, which sped off the minute the door closed behind them. The scent of unmistakable perfume had her attention, and the long blonde locks confirmed her suspicion – City.
It was the rumble from the chest her head was resting on that brought her back to the strong embrace holding her.
“Are you okay?” Luke asked, brushing her hair back so he could see her face. What he saw had him nearly choking on his words. “Did he…”
“No,” Daisy said, shaking her head, the distraught look on Luke’s face overwhelming her already emotional state. “No. He just…scared…”
Painful cries drowned out her thoughts. She couldn’t even speak to finish her sentence because the injured sounds of despair were coming from her. Luke held her tighter, cradling her head against his chest, and let her cry. Cry for the assault she just endured. Cry for what she narrowly avoided. Cry for the man she watched die in Nashville. And cry for the life she once knew and would never live again – not the way she had before.
She had been breaking for weeks, and she finally broke, falling to a million pieces that Luke would help her collect and put together again – but not until she had her moment. He held her, comforted her, kissed the top of her head, and consoled her so she knew she wasn’t alone. But he let her have her cry. Daisy finally broke down for the first time since her world was turned upside down.
When they arrived at Watermark, Felicity pulled into the underground garage once the steel security gate lifted, and drove them to the elevator. She offered a sweet, tear-filled smile full of sympathy as they got out before driving right back out the way she came in. Daisy assumed it was to pick up the rest of the O’Reillys and deal with whatever mess Daisy had left.
They took the elevator beyond their floor, and it opened to a living space rather than a residential hallway. Luke held her hand and led her to a bathroom attached to a large master-like bedroom. He grabbed a first aid kit and a few clean washcloths, then lifted her to sit on the counter while he cleaned her wounds and decided whether she needed more care than they could handle in that bathroom.
“Where are we?” She winced at his touch, though she couldn’t bear to look in the mirror and see why.
“The vault.”
“The vault? Who lives here?”
“You do now,” he answered. “We’re at the top of Watermark on a hidden floor. The only way to get up here is a hidden button on the outside of the elevator. The only way down is if I let you down because the elevator is disabled once someone gets up here.”
“You’re locking me up? Like really locking me up this time?”
He started to toss used supplies in the trash and abruptly closed the first aid kit before tossing it in the cabinet under the sink. Luke turned his back to her. His hands on his hips, he dropped his head and shook it, letting out a deep breath. “I have to.”
“No. No, you don’t.” She shook her head vigorously. The idea of truly being trapped devastated her.
Turning to her, his arms out to his side in frustration, he replied, “I can’t trust you, Daisy. I can’t trust you to stay put. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?”
Luke’s voice cracked, revealing an emotional state she’d never witnessed. It crushed her. As much as she was angry that he was locking her in his special tower, she was angry that she triggered such a response from him.
“That man could have been exactly who we’ve been hiding you from. You may have been made. Whoever is behind all of this might be right here in Portland now. Do you get that? What happened tonight is exactly what I’ve been trying to keep you safe from! I failed, Daisy. He got to you – he hurt you!”
“Luke…”
“You scared the shit out of me, Daisy. I am sorry you heard what you heard, but it wasn’t meant for you to hear. I said what I did to shut up my brothers because they figured it out. They figured out that you are more than a job to me, and I didn’t want to talk about it with them because I can’t even wrap my own mind around this – you. I shouldn’t have said it, but you shouldn’t have run.”
He walked into the living room, and she followed. “Luke, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run but…but…when I heard you? I didn’t want to be a job. I don’t know what I want to be, but I know it’s not just a job.”
“There’s food in the kitchen and clothes that should work for you until I get back and move yours up here.” He punched a code into a keypad behind a framed picture across from the elevator before stepping into it. “I’ll be back.”
The elevator doors closed, and he was gone. There was no button to push to call the elevator back up. She was trapped. He’d made good on his word and left her there. She understood why, and if there was a threat nearby, it was wise to be in the vault. What upset her was she was alone.
Daisy wandered around the space, taking it in. It was not nearly as big as Luke’s or everyone else’s apartments, but it served its purpose, she supposed. Sitting on the couch, she gave into everything she was feeling. So much had happened. When had her life become so complicated and emotional? It was so foreign and hard to wrap her mind around.
Luke was right, though. Despite his sharp words, she had reacted carelessly, and she wasn’t weak or careless – never had been. If anything good could have come from the night, though, it was that Luke said more in a handful of minutes than he had in a handful of weeks. She learned why he said what he did, and it wasn’t because he didn’t care, nor was her reaction for that reason. There was some
thing there, though neither of them knew what.
The sound of the elevator grabbed her attention. The doors opened, and Gibson ran out. Luke had sent her up.
After a few moments of reconnecting with Gibson, Daisy retired to the bedroom where she found something somewhat suitable to wear, and showered, washing the touch of that man from her body. The sight of his marks left on her face startled her at first glance. She was swollen, bruised, and had a split lip. She reminded herself it could have been so much worse – these wounds would heal, even if the memory wouldn’t fade.
It was quiet and lonely. Unfamiliar. When she had completed her shower and dressed, she found herself back in the living room where she laid on the couch and cried. Again.
She missed Luke. She didn’t like that she did, but what was she to do about it? He was gritty, grunted a lot, rarely smiled, but he’d gotten to her. He was a mystery she wanted to solve. She wanted to save him from whatever had a hold on him. And if she were being honest, that’s why his words stung.
She knew he would have came for her in that alley eventually, it was his job, but she didn’t anticipate his reaction. He didn’t just rescue her from an assailant, he took him to task like he had a score to settle. It took all four of his brothers to pull him from the guy. She caught a glance of the man rumpled on the ground, battered, bloodied, and unconscious. That wasn’t a simple rescue – that was personal. Sure, the guy had been manhandling her, and would have continued to had Luke not intervened when he had. But Luke went crazy, lost his mind.
Then there was the way he cradled and cared for her all the way back to Watermark. He was quiet by nature, but this had been different. He caressed her head, laid a kiss on it. It was personal.
Daisy woke to Luke carrying her to a room after falling asleep at some point. He came back. It was dark and she couldn’t see anything but a shadow, but the feel of his thick, strong arms and the beat in his chest was unmistakable. She smelled him, his essence arousing her senses — musk, sandalwood, and man that was purely Luke. His caring nature aroused her in other ways.
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