Renegade

by Jeanne McDonald

  Especially since, just beyond that pier was the bar where I nearly kissed Jude. This place was cursed for me

  “Are you okay?” he asked, concern coloring his tone.

  “Why are we here?” I managed.

  Ian pointed to a huge yacht docked at the pier. “I thought going out on the water would be lovely. I have a whole night planned. Dinner, dancing, stargazing. But if this doesn’t suit you, we can do something else.” He rushed his fingers through his hair, unhinged.

  I shifted in my seat, unable to hold back the guilt any longer. “I have to tell you something.”

  “Bollocks. I worried this would be too much.”

  I grabbed his face, forcing him to look at me. “It’s not about the boat.”

  Ian nodded; his brows pulled tight together. “All right.”

  I wet my lips with the tip of my tongue and released a heavy sigh. “You remember the night we met?”

  Ian pushed back in his seat, covering his eyes with his hand. “Oh, God. I’m such an idiot. I didn’t even think about what happened on this pier. I’m so sorry. Can you forgive me for being such a prat?”

  I pulled his hand away from his face. “This,” I pointed toward the yacht, “is sweet and wonderful and greatly appreciated. But I can’t continue until I tell you what happened.”

  Ian tilted his head to the side, pulling his hand away from me. “What do you mean?”

  Saddened by his reaction, but knowing it was what I deserved, I explained to Ian all about Jude. Several times throughout my explanation, my text alert sounded until I finally turned the phone to vibrate. I wouldn’t allow him to interfere with my life more than he’d already done. Once I’d finished telling Ian everything, from how I knew Jude to how we’d almost kissed the night before, he remained silent, seemingly contemplating everything.

  “He was your first.”

  “Yes.”

  “And you say that what happened last night meant nothing,” he restated, his tone constricted.

  “Yes,” I breathed.

  A variety of emotions flashed across Ian’s face. In his eyes, I witnessed a war raging inside of him. I wanted to comfort him, to take it all back, but there was nothing I could do. I’d been honest, and it eased my guilt but not my pain.

  Ian rubbed his jaw and let out a heavy sigh. “Then, I fail to see the problem.”

  “Come again?” That was not what I’d expected him to say.

  Ian took my hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. “It’s not like we promised exclusivity or anything. We’re just getting to know one another. You stated you stopped it, and since you’re being honest, I don’t believe we need to continue any further with this conversation.”

  “I know that, but…”

  Ian placed his fingers to my lips, stopping me mid-sentence. “No buts. I understand the situation. It’s not ideal by any means, but I understand. And as long as I have a chance, I want to fight for you.”

  My heart sank in my chest, as tears swelled in my eyes. “You want to fight for me? I don’t think you comprehend what I’m saying.”

  “Of course I do. You’re worth fighting for, and I will fight for you.”

  “There’s nothing to fight for. Jude and I aren’t…”

  “He’s your first, Lucy. There’s always a connection to your first, but I feel deeply connected to you.” Ian bit the corner of his bottom lip, his eyes dropping down to my purse that was once again vibrating. “Does he know where you are?”

  I shrugged. “I have no idea. I haven’t spoken to him since last night.”

  “But you’ve told him about me.”

  “Yes, I’ve told him about us.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s him, yes?” Ian motioned toward my purse.

  I nodded.

  “Right. Okay. Well…” Ian stalled, his chest rising and falling with each breath. He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the roots.

  A sick feeling washed over me as I watched Ian struggle to process everything. The light I bathed in when in his presence had dimmed. Ian deserved better than this. “Maybe I should go.”

  Ian jerked his head up, staring at me. “I thought you said I have a chance.”

  I flexed my hands, a new sort of guilt eating at me. “You deserve better than me.”

  “No. I want you. And I will win.”

  “That’s rather arrogant of you,” I noted with a hint of a grin.

  The light in his eyes gleamed. “No. That’s confidence.” Ian glanced out to the boat, then back to me. “Lucy Diamond, would you go on a date with me?”

  A girlish giggle fell from my lips. I shoved aside the guilt inside of me and reached for his hand. “I’d love to.”

  Ian pressed a kiss to the top of my hand before exiting the car.

  I sat in silence, stunned and aroused, as Ian made his way to the passenger side of the vehicle. He opened my door and offered me his hand. Cool smugness rolled off of him. He knew what he did to me, which was even more of a turn-on.

  As we walked over to the yacht and boarded, I had a strange feeling I was being watched. I perused the pier and caught sight of something in the shadows. Squinting, I focused my attention on the darkness as best as I could, but still couldn’t make out what it was hiding from my vision.

  “Everything okay?”

  I turned my head to Ian and grinned. “It’s perfect.” And by the sight of the boat, it really was. Never in my life had I stepped on anything such as this. It was gorgeous, all honey colored woods, luxurious furniture, and bright white lights. A table was already set, a spread of seafood atop, waiting for us to enjoy.

  Ian appeared proud of the arrangement. “Brilliant. Let me have a quick talk with the captain, and then we’ll be off.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “In the meantime, there’s champagne. Help yourself.” Ian placed a sweet kiss on my cheek and darted off to the wheelhouse.

  Alone on the deck, I peered back out toward the dock. Out of the shadows, a tall man emerged. His thick arms and broad body were silhouetted by the darkness. He was careful not to step into the light. Never moving, I stared at the figure, feeling my heart race in my chest. If I were a betting woman, I’d swear it was the same guy who’d beat Jude within an inch of his life.

  Maybe he lived on one of the boats. It was possible. I didn’t really investigate the dock after the man disappeared. But there was that gut feeling again. Something wasn’t right with him or the situation at hand. I tilted my head, hoping a different angle would shed some light on him. It didn’t.

  A hand touched my shoulder, and I nearly screamed. “Are you all right?” Ian asked, nuzzling his nose to my neck.

  I tried to collect myself, though the sound of blood rushing through my veins flooded my ears. Unable to take my eyes off the man, I felt the jerk of the boat as it pulled out into the harbor.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Good. I can’t wait to share this night with you.” Ian pulled me flush against his chest.

  I grinned, turning my eyes to meet Ian’s. His boyish grin widened, as he leaned in to kiss me. Heat rose between us. I slowly maneuvered around in Ian’s arms, my hands fisting his shirt as our kiss deepened. With a gasp, Ian pulled back, his eyes dark with lust. “Not yet. We have the whole night ahead of us.” I lightly traced the outline of his lips, chuckling when Ian nipped at my fingertips. “First, we eat,” he advised, releasing my grip on his shirt and directing me toward the table. I followed, but not before taking one last glimpse toward the dock.

  The man had stepped from the shadows and into the light, but from the distance, I couldn’t make out his face. He waved at me, and while I couldn’t really see him, I had an inkling this man was smiling at me. He pivoted around and marched off, leaving me alone with Ian on the water.

  Lucy.

  I stared at the phone, knowing what I was doing. This was the night. The night that fucking Prince Harry 2.0 was supposed to return. This was the night that Lucy would be with him and not
me.

  All day long, I’d granted her space. After what nearly happened between us, it was the least I could do. Especially given my unwillingness to spill any of my secrets.

  As night began to fall, I couldn’t take the silence any longer. A quick internet search and I easily found out where she lived. Yes, I realized stalking is illegal, but for all I cared, they could add it to my rap sheet. Fuck them. I needed to know what was happening.

  I arrived at her place to find several black sedans parked out front.

  Obviously her rich, hoity-toity family was there to see her off on her date.

  Fuck him for meeting the family.

  Fuck him for being able to give her what I can’t.

  Fuck him!

  Everything about her, from her smile to the way her eyes widen just before she’s kissed, resounded inside of me. I stared at that place, in my crappy Honda Civic that I used when I was getting ready to boost a car, hating all of them and their perfect little lives. I did what I had to do to survive, and it’s assholes like the royal fucker who get everything handed to them.

  I beat the living hell out of the steering wheel, screaming, as that prick showed up driving the fucking car I needed. It was the last goddamn car on my list.

  My tirade stopped when he got out of the car and walked toward her place. Could it be possible? Were the car gods actually smiling on me?

  My cherry. The queen I needed to finish my job for Sutcliffe was shining so pretty and bright in front of Lucy’s house. I could boost that asshole’s car and get sweet revenge at the same time.

  Kismet.

  Unable to drag my eyes from the car, another thought began to swirl around in my head. Once this job was over, there was nothing holding me back from telling Lucy why I left her. I could do as Klaus suggested and explain everything. I could tell her how Reed nearly killed me because I threatened to kill him if he touched Lucy. I could tell her how I’d survived all these years, stealing and chopping just to get by. Yes, I could and would do it.

  She’d be mad at me. She might cuff me and haul my ass off to jail, or even worse, she might refuse to speak to me again. But telling her the truth, facing the possibility of incarceration, was worth it. She was worth it.

  Lucy and fuckface walked out of her house, grinning and waving to the happy little family standing in the open doorway.

  Fucking Partridge family.

  Asswipe did all the gentlemanly things for her, opening her door, helping her into the vehicle, blah, blah, blah, blah. I’d done all of that, too, but she didn’t give me those googly eyes.

  When they pulled away from the drive, I started my engine and followed them.

  They pulled into a parking lot about a mile or so away and I drifted by just enough to not seem suspicious. From my vantage point, I couldn’t see what was happening between the two of them, but when they returned to the road Lucy had a blindfold around her eyes.

  Odd.

  I pulled out again and followed them.

  Strange. This asshole seemed to realize he was being tailed and he dodged me like a pro.

  That made me even more suspicious of the dude. There were only two types of people who could recognize a tail – cops and criminals.

  But which one was he?

  When they pulled up to the pier, I damn near choked on my own saliva.

  Fate.

  What a bitch.

  I sat back and watched as the two of them exited the car and boarded a yacht.

  What a smarmy douche!

  I dared to get out of my car and slinked through the shadows to watch as they drifted off into the still of the night. Lucy was gorgeous standing on the deck of that boat. Her hair hung down over her shoulder, and that little black dress fit her in all the right places. But even from where I stood, I could tell she was distracted. She seemed to be staring at something with such intensity it forced me to take my eyes off of her.

  I scanned the pier and found what she was looking at. In the distance, standing just out of the direct light was Ringo. He was watching her more intently than I was. Old feelings swelled up inside of me. Those same feelings that made me stand up to Reed all those years ago.

  I curled my hands into fists, sickened by the little wave he gave her before he returned to the shadows.

  When I turned my attention back to the boat, she was gone.

  Ringo was far gone by now, so it was pointless for me to attempt to follow him, but I’d deal with his sick ass. I still needed to go see Sutcliffe. It probably wasn’t wise for me to make him wait, but I wasn’t one of his little lackies that he collected off the streets. He came to me because his other guy dropped the ball, not the other way around. So if he wanted me, he had to wait for me to appear when I was ready.

  And I wasn’t ready…yet.

  With Lucy gone, I needed something to take the edge off. Since I was already here, I might as well have a drink. I headed in the direction of The Yellow Submarine to drown away the thoughts of that fucking prick touching my Lucy. This was going to be a long night.

  Hungover and not in the mood for anyone or anything, I stumbled out of bed by midafternoon and managed to finally go to Sutcliffe’s pseudo office. No way in hell would he allow miscreants like me to meet him at one of his legit businesses. He reserved this place for us. The normality of it gave me the creeps. It was built like a fortress yet accessible. By the naked eye, it appeared as any typical business should, but those who knew Sutcliffe and his syndicate understood that looks could be deceiving.

  I parked my car in the parking garage and grabbed a ticket for validation. From the corner of my eye, the gleam of lime green caught my attention.

  No way!

  What the hell was that car doing here?

  On high alert, I surveyed my surroundings as I approached the vehicle. The same adrenaline that pumped through my veins when I was about to boost a ride coursed through me.

  My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to play out any and all scenarios in my mind as to why this car could be parked here.

  It was the same car I’d been scouting for over a month. The same car that picked up Lucy the night before. It was my queen.

  What the holy fuck!

  I knew I didn’t trust that goody-goody fucker, but this, this made no sense whatsoever.

  Determined to get to the bottom of this, I marched to the elevator, pressed the button, and entered the cart as soon as the doors opened. I leaned back against the wall, closed my eyes, and allowed thoughts of Lucy to consume me.

  When the chime sounded and the doors to the elevator slid open, I stepped out and followed the usual path to Sutcliffe’s office through a maze of cubicles. It was a brilliant set up. If the cops ever tried to infiltrate it, they’d find nothing but a bunch of insurance salespeople working hard to make ends meet.

  At the back of the building, a woman who looked more like a 1950s pin-up rather than a respectable secretary, smacked her gum and lit up at the sight of me. Yeah, I tapped that, once, but the thought of touching another woman made my skin crawl now. I was off the market, even if Lucy was with that prick.

  “Hey, Honey,” I greeted her. “Is he in?” I nodded toward Sutcliffe’s closed door.

  Honey tsked. “The boss was just askin’ about you. Have you been a naughty boy? I could give ya a spankin’.” She tugged on the pink gum in her mouth, twisting it around her fingertip before shoving it back inside.

  I watched, almost appalled that I’d had sex with this woman. The poor girl was beyond clueless regarding her surroundings. I was pretty sure she thought she actually worked for an insurance company. But I couldn’t blame her. She was another orphan, just like me. One of Sutcliffe’s many collectables. Something I would never be.

  “No thanks. I think I’m good.”

  “Damn right you are. I’m free in a few hours if you wanna–”

  I raised his hand. “It’s not gonna happen, Honey. So, just let Mr. Sutcliffe know I’m here.”

  Her overly red lips
pulled into a pout. “Fine,” she huffed. Right as she was about to press the intercom, the office door flew open. All at once the room began to spin. There, inside Sutcliffe’s office, stood fuckface, smiling and laughing. But he wasn’t alone. Beside him was Ringo, his arms crossed over his broad chest, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

  Ian cut his eyes to me, seemingly unfazed by my standing there. Sutcliffe patted Ian on the back, still laughing. I couldn’t breathe. My chest felt as though it were on fire. This couldn’t be happening.

  Lucy trusted this prick and he was lying to her!

  Ian, followed by Ringo, stepped out of the office and passed me, bumping my shoulder in the process. I balled my fists and twisted around to follow the two. All I could think was I needed to stop that asshat from hurting my Lucy. But Honey’s nasally voice stopped me dead in my tracks.

  “Mr. Sutcliffe’ll see ya now.”

  I tried to inhale, but I could only see red. I glared at the fucker and Ringo as they disappeared around the corner, acting as though they hadn’t even seen me.

  A harsh shiver stalked down my spine at the towering beast of a man following that fucking weasel. It explained why Ringo was on the dock last night. He was protecting that douche!

  I touched my fingers to my eyebrow. The wound had healed nicely, but I could still feel where Ringo had made bone strike bone. I wanted another crack at him, and while I’d never killed anyone, I could easily do it to protect Lucy.

  But first, I had to deal with Sutcliffe. I swallowed down my rage, and entered the office of my current employer.

  Stuart Sutcliffe stepped out from behind his desk, wearing the ugliest pair of brown slacks I’d ever seen. His tan, plaid button-down shirt was adorned with a skinny wool tie. To finish things off, he wore white sneakers. I couldn’t begin to fathom why the man insisted on dressing like every nerd I ever encountered in high school. With all his money, he should be able to afford a proper tailor and fashion consultant.