Take a Risk (Risk #1)

by Scarlett Finn

  On taking him into his office, she’d wriggled out of the slightly too small halter top that barely contained her breasts and let him fondle her as she unzipped him and shoved him onto the loveseat. Then she showed him just how that mouth of hers had been trained in more than words. He didn’t think that he’d done anything particularly spectacular in driving her to the dress fitting earlier, but he wasn’t going to turn down her gratitude.

  When he’d tried to take her onto his lap, after she swallowed down his own gratitude, she’d shooed him out of the office telling him that he could return the favour later. And because she had never steered him wrong when it came to their intimacy, he let her have her way and travelled back towards the front of house.

  Approaching the bar, he saw Blaser on one side with Ruger on the other flanked by Crystal and Destiny. They were all aimed towards a person he couldn’t see, sitting around the curve of the bar. He slowed his pace and listened in to get a measure of what was going on.

  ‘I want to see Trapper now,’ a female said. ‘You look like him, stand up.’

  ‘Strip naked,’ Ruger said in return.

  ‘What!’

  ‘If you don’t take my orders then I’m not taking yours,’ Ruger said.

  ‘I want to see Trapper. You must know him.’

  ‘Look, lady, every single one of us has told you that Trapper has no appointments booked tonight, which means you don’t get to see anyone,’ Blaser said.

  ‘I’ll wait here all night. I don’t care what any of you say. He’ll have to show up eventually.’

  ‘No, he won’t,’ Crystal said. ‘We can get security to throw you out.’

  ‘I’ll just come back tomorrow.’

  ‘And we’ll throw you out again,’ Destiny said. ‘There are more of us than there are of you, and you’re easy to spot in a room full of male patrons and half-naked female employees.’

  ‘You don’t understand how important this is. I need to see him. Please, I’ll pay anything, I’ll do whatever it takes.’

  ‘You weren’t interested when I hit on you,’ Ruger said. ‘And I could’ve got you in.’

  ‘I’m engaged,’ the indignant female said, and her identity clicked into place.

  Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw no sign of Lyssa yet, which meant that he had to get rid of this intruder and fast because she had no idea that Lyssa was even here.

  Colt came up behind Ruger and Destiny, showing himself above Destiny, who was only five and a quarter feet, even in heels.

  ‘Miss. Blossom,’ Colt said, dropping his already deep voice an octave. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Ah,’ she sighed and screeched in relief. ‘I need your help.’

  ‘My help,’ Colt said. ‘I spoke to your friend about this and we couldn’t reach an agreement.’

  ‘You don’t understand,’ Suzette said, she was clutching a velvet purse in both hands and leaning far over the bar in his direction. ‘Things have changed and my friend is all alone now. I can’t be there for her, and I won’t have that. I’ve been a terrible friend, really, really terrible. I can’t leave her out there alone. I have to be more active in helping her find a solution. We have to catch this guy. We have to get him off the streets. If we do that, then things can go back to normal.’

  So Suzette was feeling guilty about abandoning Lyssa even though it was at the urging of her fiancé. If they caught the person who was fixated on Lyssa then Pete would no longer have a problem and their friendship would not be in jeopardy. But coming here was a big risk and it could have a huge cost for her.

  ‘You shouldn’t have come here alone,’ Colt said. ‘This could be a dangerous place. You don’t know what you just walked into.’

  ‘The recommendation for your services came from a credible place and my friend walked out of here alive. When your security man got me a cab, nothing bad happened. I don’t care about taking risks, Lyssa has shown me that sometimes risks are worth it. We have to take a risk in life if we want to achieve our goals. The struggle makes the destination more valued.’

  ‘Those are admirable words, but they make no difference,’ Colt said. ‘I can’t help you. You should leave.’

  ‘I won’t,’ Suzette asserted, raising the purse to slam her knuckles on the bar. ‘I will stay here until you agree to help me. I don’t care what it costs. If you want me to sleep with your friend then I’ll sleep with your friend.’

  ‘Wow,’ Ruger said, smacking his shoulder. ‘Thanks, friend.’

  ‘I thought you were engaged,’ Crystal said.

  ‘She’s desperate,’ Destiny said. ‘Maybe you should help her.’

  ‘Maybe you should butt out,’ Blaser said. ‘If he says no then he means it.’

  ‘And he doesn’t have to give a good reason?’ Crystal asked. ‘He can’t just send a desperate woman away without telling her why he’s doing it.’

  ‘He doesn’t have to give any damn reason,’ Blaser said, in a show of solidarity that epitomised their relationship. Blaser would fight with him hammer and tong, but he’d defend him just as vehemently to outside parties.

  ‘The reason is Cherry,’ Ruger said. ‘We’re defending her.’

  The girls, and Blaser, heard this and all of them grew an inch. ‘Then you have to leave,’ Crystal said.

  ‘I’m sorry, but she’s right,’ Destiny agreed. ‘We protect our own before anyone else, and you’re not one of us, sister.’

  ‘Who is Cherry?’ Suzette asked. ‘I don’t even know Cherry. How can you be protecting—‘

  ‘How does everyone feel about cunnilingus?’ Lyssa’s voice betrayed that her form hadn’t reached him yet, but she was nearly here. He, Ruger, and the two women turned around to see her a few feet away.

  ‘I’m in favour,’ Destiny said.

  ‘Is someone offering?’ Crystal asked. ‘If it’s the cute guy at table three tell him I’m ready, willing, and able.’

  ‘I’m talking in abstract terms,’ Lyssa said, reaching toward him before she arrived at his position. When she did, she immediately touched his abdomen and slid her hands around his body to curl her thumbs into the back of his jeans waistband under his tee-shirt at the small of his back.

  ‘I thought you went up there for fellatio,’ Ruger said. ‘Problems with your Latin, friend?’

  ‘I was never good with foreign languages,’ Colt said, hoping that Suzette would stay on her side of the bar, which was shielded by the bodies of his group.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Lyssa said. ‘You’re pretty good at French.’

  The girls said, ‘ooh’ while Ruger laughed and Lyssa pushed up as though to kiss him. He’d accept the kiss then send her on her way. Except his plan was thwarted when Suzette came into his peripheral vision, thus into Lyssa’s as well. She stopped and did a double-take, then her throat bobbed.

  ‘Suzie,’ she said and backed away from him. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Me?’ Suzette said. ‘What are you doing here? And why are you plastered all over that guy? Is he making you do this? Is it some kind of sex for protection deal?’

  ‘No, no, it’s nothing like that,’ Lyssa asserted.

  Colt liked that she came to his defence on impulse, but he didn’t like the pallor of her face. ‘We don’t want drama in here,’ Blaser said.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me about this?’ Suzette asked, examining those in the impact zone of this catastrophe.

  ‘I… I don’t—‘

  ‘Because I told her not to,’ Colt said, stepping up to his responsibility for this situation. ‘I told her I wouldn’t help if you knew about me, about us.’

  ‘Babe,’ Lyssa said, but he wouldn’t be prevented. He stuck out an arm and pushed Lyssa back behind him so that he could approach Suzette.

  ‘Sex for protection isn’t something a guy advertises,’ he said, dragging his focus over Suzette’s figure, seeing her shrink during the action. ‘She’s safe here, safe doing what I tell her when I tell her… I see you trembling, are you
feeling unsafe too, sweetheart? I can do something about that for you.’

  The thwack of her hand on his cheek was sort of expected, if Suzette’s wrath was on him, and not on Lyssa then it was possible the friendship would survive this betrayal. Suzette whipped around and marched off toward the door, and Lyssa wasn’t far behind.

  ‘What did you do that for?’ she hissed as she passed him to chase her friend.

  ‘Ouch,’ Crystal said, coming over to inspect his cheek with Destiny not too far behind, though the smaller of the women had to cling onto him to haul herself up and poke at him.

  ‘You know how to make an impression on a lady, don’t you?’ Ruger said.

  ‘Do you want to stop bringing your shit to my club?’ Blaser said. ‘Please. What the fuck was that?’

  ‘You almost caused two brawls last week, and you had my girl and Destiny endangered by the schmucks related to the woman you’re schtupping,’ Colt said.

  ‘Who’d have thought that I’d turn out to be the most respectable one in the family?’ Ruger said.

  ‘Aww,’ Destiny said, switching her fawning onto Ruger. ‘Do you want me to corrupt you, big boy?’

  ‘Maybe another time,’ Ruger said, patting Destiny’s hip. ‘But you’re a sweetheart for offering.’

  ‘I’m going out there,’ Colt said, he couldn’t leave Lyssa on the street in her Risqué garb, and if Suzette caused a scene then there were plenty of folks out there who might take advantage of two women who didn’t have their wits about them.

  ‘Is that a good idea?’ Ruger said. ‘Maybe I should—‘

  A loud pop interrupted and shrieking from outside carried down the corridor that led to the exit, which was just at the side of the bar.

  ‘Holy fuck,’ Blaser said.

  ‘Gunshot,’ Ruger said and Blaser vaulted the bar, but Colt was already heading out.

  Pandemonium at the entrance delayed his exit, people were trying to get into the club and the security men were trying to keep them out. To his relief, he saw that two of the women were Lyssa and Suzette. Snatching Lyssa, he shoved aside the guy in his way, who glanced at him ready to fight. When they made eye contact and identified each other the security guard backed off and he got Lyssa inside, still holding onto Suzette.

  ‘What happened?’ Ruger asked, meeting them in the corridor, he had to be on his way out too. Blaser was further down.

  ‘Someone… someone fired a gun,’ Suzette said.

  Colt was only interested in making sure that Lyssa was safe, he didn’t stop for his brothers, and he didn’t care that Suzette was shook up. The customers in the club were scattered, some tried to leave, some were looking for a rear exit, and others were hiding under tables. Those who knew the area better remained in their seats, craning their necks, but otherwise unmoved by the events.

  Dragging Lyssa through the club, he eventually got her to his office and sat her on the couch, where he crouched in front of her. Vaguely aware of a host of bodies crowding in behind him, he paid them no heed and instead focused on her.

  ‘Are you hurt?’ he asked her, resting his hands on the back of her hips.

  ‘No,’ she said, stroking his forehead. ‘I’m fine. Are you hurt?’

  ‘I wasn’t outside.’

  ‘You’re white as a sheet,’ she said. ‘Maybe you should sit down too, you might be going into shock.’

  ‘I’ve been around gunfire.’

  ‘And I’ve seen blood before.’

  ‘Were you hit?’ he asked, running his hands over her body to search for injuries.

  ‘No one was hit,’ she said. ‘There was only one bullet and it hit the concrete wall about six feet from us.’

  ‘Do you think they were aiming for you?’ Ruger asked, seating himself on the coffee table, just next to where Colt was still crouched.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Lyssa said. ‘I wouldn’t think so.’

  ‘Where did the shot originate?’

  ‘I was facing the road. I wasn’t paying attention, but I’d say it was a dark sedan, the window wasn’t even halfway down.’

  The road was a good twenty feet from the Risqué doorway, it would depend how close to the door they were, but at that distance she’d have been unlikely to see the features of the shooter.

  ‘Was he driving?’ Colt asked. ‘Which direction was the car headed?’

  ‘He was in the driver’s seat, but I didn’t see him.’

  ‘Did you?’ Ruger asked.

  Colt glanced around to see he was talking to Suzette, he’d forgotten that anyone else was here. But there she stood, surrounded by Blaser, Destiny, and Crystal. Suzette shook her head. ‘I just saw the wall explode.’

  Blaser went to work in seating Suzette and calming her down then retrieving her water. Ruger carried on questioning her, but Colt turned back to his priority.

  ‘There have been shootings around here before,’ he said. ‘It’s unlikely to be linked to your situation. But it’s possible.’

  ‘Why would he do that now?’

  ‘We still don’t understand his motivation, but I agree that it would be a massive escalation to go from flowers to murder.’

  ‘What’s going on?’ Crystal asked.

  Too many people in this room didn’t know the full situation and he wasn’t about to let them all in on it, so he stood up. ‘Would you all give us a minute?’

  ‘I’m going to check the fall out,’ Blaser said and put an arm around Destiny and Crystal to take them out.

  ‘I’ll cover your zone,’ Crystal said to Lyssa before she exited, Lyssa smiled in acceptance. Crystal hadn’t officially waitressed in years, she was a dancer, and high up in the food chain. She’d likely serve a couple of tables and then relegate another of the girls to the task when she was bored with it.

  Colt didn’t know if it was a testament to his sacrifice, or if Blaser just knew he wouldn’t be comfortable discussing the situation around him, but his respect for Blaser grew. He didn’t try to involve himself, maybe he didn’t care, but more likely he just understood the walls that had grown between them and that got to Colt more now than ever.

  Ruger stayed, as did Suzette, and after the door closed, Colt went toward the fridge to retrieve sodas for him, Ruger, and for Lyssa.

  ‘Can I have water?’ Lyssa asked when he handed her the cold can.

  ‘No, you can drink what I give you and be happy with it,’ he said, hoping the sugar would calm her nerves, though she didn’t look particularly shaken up.

  ‘She can drink whatever the hell she wants,’ Suzette said, trying to hand her water bottle to Lyssa.

  Colt pushed it away. ‘The sugar will help her regain her equilibrium.’

  ‘Lyssa is a rock in disaster situations,’ Suzette said. ‘She says it comes from her rotation in the ER, but the truth is, she’s always been like this.’

  ‘I’m in the room,’ Lyssa said. ‘And I’m fine, so you can both stop worrying.’

  ‘I’m not worried about you at all,’ Ruger said, moving over to the couch to sit beside her. ‘You’re made of steel, anyone can see that.’ He pushed his fist to her shoulder, making her sway to the side a little, and she punched him back, much harder than he had nudged her, so Ruger smiled.

  ‘I could knock you out,’ Lyssa said to him.

  ‘Oh, you want to go?’ Ruger said. ‘We can step outside. I’d take you down in a heartbeat.’

  ‘How up are you on your anatomy?’ she asked. ‘Just the right amount of pressure—‘

  ‘What is going on here?’ Suzette exclaimed. ‘I thought you were being forced into sex with him!’

  ‘I am,’ Lyssa said. ‘But only by my overwhelming desire to copulate with him.’

  ‘Copulate,’ Ruger muttered. ‘That’s a sexy word.’

  ‘It’s the way she says it,’ Colt said, swinging down to sit on the couch at Lyssa’s other side. ‘She uses that sexy doctor tone, and she doesn’t even get how hot it is.’

  ‘She uses it in bed?’

  ‘A
ll the time,’ Colt said.

  ‘I do not talk like a doctor in bed,’ she said, threading her fingers through his and resting their joined hands on his lap, maybe a little closer to his groin than he was comfortable with in company.

  ‘You talk me through what I’m doing while I’m doing it,’ he said and Ruger laughed. ‘You tell me how good it feels, and what you like about it.’

  ‘I do?’ she asked and he nodded and then leaned in to kiss her temple.

  ‘It’s ok, it’s hot, and I never wonder if you’re having a good time because you tell me, in detail.’

  ‘Sounds like you,’ Suzette said. ‘You never miss an excuse to talk about sex.’

  ‘Even while I’m doing it?’ Lyssa asked.

  ‘Apparently not,’ Ruger said. ‘What else does she say?’

  ‘Are we going to talk about why someone is shooting at us?’ Suzette asked.

  ‘They may not have been shooting at you. It’s as likely they were aiming for one of the pimps on the corner. The police will be here in a while. You’ll have to tell them what you saw.’

  ‘Which means we’ll have to explain why we’re here,’ Suzette said and her head fell into her hands. ‘Oh god, Pete is going to kill me.’

  ‘You can take off if you want,’ Ruger said. ‘No one has to know that you were here.’

  ‘I can’t run away from the police,’ Suzette said.

  ‘Why not? You didn’t see anything.’

  ‘Pete doesn’t have to know that you were here,’ Lyssa said. ‘You can talk to the police and get a cab home.’

  ‘I’m supposed to be home in twenty minutes. If I’m not back he’ll worry and he’ll call me.’

  Colt hadn’t been formally introduced to Pete, but he already didn’t like him. If it wasn’t bad enough that the guy was keeping Lyssa and Suzette apart, he didn’t seem like the caring type. Lyssa excused his attitude towards the friendship as his need to protect Suzette, but if that was true then he should be the first person Suzette should want to call when she’d had a fright like this.