Branded

by Scarlett Finn

  “I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.”

  “But you do now?”

  Getting closer, he seemed so sure. “You’re here and we have time, and we’re blessedly alone,” he said and smiled as his eyes rose to the heavens. “I hadn’t realized how much I enjoyed being alone in my own space until I was surrounded by people constantly, every minute of the day. They’re in my head, in my hair, in my face; I’m never alone in here. I need a minute to just be with you, you know? And I want to know what you went through.”

  He always did, Tag was great at making time for her. He’d been her go-to person whenever she needed to talk something out. “It was late,” she said. “We’d already closed up, and most of the staff had gone home. We were just doing one last sweep and they stormed the place. I never heard the shots outside.”

  “The cops said they had silencers.”

  She nodded, recalling the silenced barrel that had been pressed into Jamie’s temple. “There were five of them who came in first; all of them were wearing masks. They got Jamie and me into the breakroom and that was where they tore her apart.”

  “Did they hurt you?”

  Shaking her head, she was surprised at how little she remembered about what had happened to her. It could be trauma that her mind had blocked out, or maybe witnessing Jamie’s death was so powerful it eclipsed everything else.

  “Not seriously, not like they hurt her. They came to Sizzle looking for me, because I was the way to get to you and that was all they asked about, where you were. I wouldn’t tell them a thing.”

  “All these years I’ve looked out for you,” he said, caressing further up and down her arm. “It feels weird to switch places.”

  “It feels good,” she said. “I liked looking out for you, it didn’t matter what they said or did. Our friendship means everything to me. I would’ve let them do anything; I would never have given you up.” Before it got too intense or intimate, she moved on with the story. “That was where I met Archer.”

  Surprise flashed on his features. “He was one of the masked guys?”

  “No,” she said. “Two other guys with masks came in to tell us the cops were on their way, but that didn’t slow down the guys who had Jamie. From nowhere, Archer came in, he wasn’t wearing a mask, he wasn’t with the other guys. He told them they had to split. He saved me, Tag. I might not have seen it at the time, I was scared, but he saved my life. He asked me where you were too, but he did save me. If he hadn’t come in, I’d have ended up like Jamie.”

  Tag wasn’t convinced and she didn’t blame him because it was only half the story, as far as her and Archer’s relationship was concerned at any rate. “I still don’t like him.”

  “You don’t have to. I trust him, Tag. He can help us. If he was going to give up your location, he’d have done it by now, wouldn’t he? He hasn’t because, believe it or not, he cares about me. Just like you do.”

  “Nobody cares about you like I do,” he said, picking up both of her hands to move them into his lap when he leaned in. “What we have, Yorkie, it’s more than friendship and we’re lucky to have this.”

  That was the truth because it didn’t seem to matter how many ups and downs they had in their lives or with each other. They could always trust that they’d act in the best interests of their friendship.

  “We are,” she said.

  “If you want me to give the guy I chance, I will. I can’t trust him. I can’t flip a switch to make it happen for you. But I can promise to give him a fair shake.”

  That was as much as she could hope for and Archer had said the same about Tag, so she’d managed to broker a tentative peace treaty between them. For now, that would have to do.

  Encouraged, she felt optimistic. “You’ll see what kind of a man he is when he fixes this situation with Hexam. He’ll find out what you need to know, everything and more. I’ll tell you everything he finds out and you’ll know how to mobilize.”

  “Yeah?” Tag asked. “How do I know he won’t be selective with what he shares like he was the last time?”

  His reservations made sense, but she couldn’t see Archer being that conniving with her. “I’ll make sure of it,” she said. “We’ll know everything.”

  This had to satisfy him because he moved on. “What’s it gonna cost me this time?” he asked. “Or are you here to swipe another twenty grand from my safe?” A moment of worry was extinguished when he smiled and stroked her face. “I’m kidding, relax, I don’t give a fuck about that. But I do need to know what it will cost me.”

  “I’ve got that covered,” she said.

  Horror and anger seized him. “You’re paying him in sexual favors?”

  “I’m not a whore,” she said then lowered her volume. “And he wouldn’t accept payment in sex.”

  “No, you’re fucking not a whore and if he thinks—”

  “He doesn’t. What happened to you giving him a chance? He’s a good man and he’s doing this for me because I asked him to, because I care about you and he acknowledges that. He doesn’t question our friendship.”

  “Then I’ll do the same,” Tag said. “Like you said, when he brings us what he knows, we’ll find out how good he is and how much we can trust him. I’m still not sure it was the right thing to involve him ‘cause he is dangerous. But I can tell you’re infatuated and when you get like this, Yorkie, there’s no switching you off.”

  It was nice that he knew her so well and gave her the respect of accepting her relationship… sort of. Tag had seen her with men through the years and probably knew her signals as well as she knew his. Infatuation was an accurate word and one she preferred to the alternative, because falling in love with Chase Archer could only end badly.

  Until she could guarantee that she had his heart, she couldn’t risk her own, because he knew how to slice her deep and his brand would never fade. Nya was infatuated, addicted, and she feared she’d never be able to let him go.

  eighteen

  It was Tag’s suggestion that she go back to Sizzle. Although he was apologetic about not being able to go with her, he encouraged her to return because he didn’t think it was a good idea for her to be away for too long.

  With Archer tied up in his own work, she had some time to kill anyway and figured it would be better to slip into the club while it was in full swing rather than go there while it was deserted.

  Returning to the scene of the crime was therapeutic. Outside, she walked past the spot Archer must have parked in and she had no negative reaction. The guys on the door recognized her, so let her in without a hitch. Tag hadn’t replaced any staff, and in truth that should be her job and one she’d have to deal with soon, because until they did, they could only operate to half capacity.

  Ignoring her responsibilities while she was trying to convince Tag to face up to his was hypocritical. The club should never have reopened without her. She understood that he had to make a show of strength. He didn’t want any enemies out there to think he was weak and everyone knew this was his club. She could’ve tried to blame male ego for his haste, except she didn’t want her attackers to know she’d been affected by what they’d done to her, she had her own pride too.

  If those guys thought they’d damaged her psyche they would get off on the power they had gained over her and she didn’t want them coming back to gloat because that encounter would extend beyond words. Being attacked again would be more than she could handle.

  Blue was the predominant light on the dancefloor. The bar was busy and her people were working hard. The heat and scent of the space was familiar and memories began to flash. In a blink, in her mind’s-eye, the club was empty, then the crowd came back. Side-stepping, she was beginning to sweat, and realized that she wasn’t ready to face her colleagues or answer their questions. Dealing with their condolences when she wasn’t ready to accept and move on from what happened to Jamie wouldn’t be right.

  Another blink and she was taken to the moment she’d made eye contact with Jamie when Jonno
had the gun to her head. The noise of music pounded through her skull, slamming her back into the present crowded moment.

  Claustrophobia made her flee. Returning was never going to be easy and she needed to smack herself with reality to flush the trauma from her system. That meant one thing: the breakroom.

  Rushing into the room, she came up short.

  Tag had ordered new flooring installed and it was now a dark blue. But it didn’t matter, the image of Jamie on the floor with those men played on mute, and when Nya turned she saw herself against the wall, pinned by Jonno like she was out of her body.

  Overwhelmed, her exposure therapy only made her head buzz. Her chest got so tight that she began to wheeze. Stumbling backwards, she hit the wall by the door and yelped like she’d been snatched by another attacker.

  With blurred vision, she fumbled for the door handle and ran toward freedom. She couldn’t be here yet, she needed air and with the walls closing in, she couldn’t breathe.

  She needed to get out and find some support, she couldn’t hold herself up and there was only one place her instinct told her to go.

  Nya didn’t want to have to wait for him for long, so she was elated when she unlocked Archer’s apartment and saw him standing at the back of his couch eating a Snickers.

  “Oh, baby,” she exhaled and rushed over to him. Her face was wet, her eyes were swollen and she knew that she looked a mess.

  She’d run through the streets for five blocks in the lashing rain before she got it together enough to hail a cab. Then she’d sobbed into her hands like a grief-stricken widow until the driver banged on the screen between them and told her they’d arrived.

  Throwing both arms around his defined body, she buried her face in Archer’s chest. Nya hadn’t cried in years. Even while locked in Archer’s bathroom, she hadn’t cried for herself. This kind of meltdown was contrary to the shield she built around herself. Men took advantage of vulnerable women in her experience, so she’d never sobbed like this, not even with Tag.

  On the night of her teenage attack, she’d been in too much shock to cry. Still a teenager when her father died, she was so bitter and angry that she declared her gratitude and relief that he was gone instead of reacting with grief.

  Losing Jamie hit her hard, and she couldn’t explain it except she’d been Jamie’s superior, she’d let the woman be abused, violated, and murdered to protect herself and her friend.

  “Did someone hurt you?” Archer asked, grabbing her arms to haul her body away from his to glare down at her.

  She read anger and confusion in his expression through her tears. “No,” she said and when she shook her head more tears flowed free. “No, I—”

  His scowl didn’t fade; it grew deeper until he looked both pissed and disgusted. “You’re a fucking mess,” he said and began to walk her backwards.

  Confusion replaced her grief in increments. “I… I went back to Sizzle. When I walked into that room, I—”

  “You’ve got to calm your shit down,” he said.

  She was dumbfounded when he reached over her to open his front door. “What are you—”

  “Get your crap together,” he said. “Then come back to me when you’re fucking reasonable.”

  Finding herself alone in his hallway staring at his closed door, Nya was speechless. At least the shock of his reaction to seeing her upset had the benefit of throwing her back down to Earth with a crash.

  Coming here had been an impulse and they were meant to meet here anyway. Archer wasn’t warm and fuzzy, but she hadn’t expected him to evict her. If this was a test on how she could rely on him then he’d just failed. Of course, if it was a test of how she reacted to and coped with stress and trauma, she’d failed too.

  Going home had left her restless, so at some point in the wee hours, she got tired of pacing and threw some things into a bag. Tag’s was the only place left available to her and whenever she was in need of company, his was the best place to go.

  It took a while for someone to answer the door and she was disappointed to see Gio. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he demanded, his hair was a mess and he yawned.

  “I came to see Tag,” she said, because she didn’t need to ask if he was here, that was obvious given that he was in hiding.

  “He’s in his room,” Gio said, reversing to open the door wider.

  His welcome wasn’t warm and enthusiastic, but his attitude was better than it had been the last time she’d seen him. “Thanks.”

  Gio locked up the door and moseyed into his own room. Even if he wasn’t her biggest fan right now, he didn’t breathe down her neck, so couldn’t see her as a threat to Tag.

  Gio might be feeling the stretch of loyalty because he was a social guy who probably wouldn’t like being stuck here. But he was closely associated with Tag’s business ventures, linked tighter than even she would be. Venturing into the world to take care of Tag’s business put Gio at risk, yet he did it anyway. Their ideas of how to support Tag might be different, but Nya couldn’t fault his loyalty.

  Heading for Tag’s bedroom, she tapped on the door before she went inside. It was so late that she thought he’d be asleep. The lights were off, but he was sitting up, watching the TV.

  “Hey,” she said, coming in and closing the door.

  “Hi,” he said, grabbing the remote to press mute on the TV. Tag didn’t have subtitles on, he watched TV like a regular person. But there were no other lights on in here, so if he turned off the picture they’d be plunged into darkness. “What’s up?”

  He pulled back the blanket beside him. Instead of getting in, she slipped off her shoes, dumped her purse and jacket on the floor then climbed onto the end of the bed to sit cross-legged in the middle.

  “I went back to Sizzle,” she said, but she didn’t really want to talk about how that had gone or what had happened after it.

  “How is everyone doing?” he asked, sitting up straighter.

  “I didn’t really speak to anyone,” she said. She hadn’t spoken to anyone at all and she didn’t know if they’d noticed her. Maybe the guys on the door had told the others, but she’d been saved from talking to anyone so they couldn’t have figured it out too quickly. “But I was thinking about security.”

  “What about it?”

  While trying not to think about Archer, she had been thinking about Sizzle and changes that she might like to make. “I know we’ll never be a top-class establishment,” she said and that wasn’t meant as an insult, the neighborhood was shitty and she wasn’t qualified to manage a refined place. “But I would like to shake things up a bit.”

  “And security is where you want to start?” he asked. “I’ll increase your budget for staff, how many do you think you’ll need?”

  “I don’t know. I thought I might talk to someone who knows about this stuff and have them set something up for us. We don’t have a proper security manager. I’d like to get some more guys, to protect the customers and the staff. Could we look into getting some radios and maybe cameras?”

  Wearing a scowl, he didn’t appear enthusiastic. “Radios we can pick up for sure, but cameras… people come into Sizzle ‘cause they know they’re not being watched. We provide an environment for folks to do their business.”

  And pedal Tag’s product too. Drugs weren’t the only thing that were sold on premises, anything that anyone wanted to get rid of could be sold in the dark corners and booths of the club that addicts and pushers felt at home in.

  “I guess,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking so much inside, maybe outside. If we’d had cameras outside and someone watching them, maybe our guys wouldn’t have died on the street. The cops could’ve been called—”

  “Even if we had the cops on speed dial, they wouldn’t have prioritized Sizzle.”

  Probably not. “I’d still like to talk to a professional,” she said. “Could I do that and come back to you? I’d feel better to get some input. We need new staff and I don’t think it will be easy to hire anyone
we can trust given what happened. Bouncers don’t get paid enough to be shot in the street like dogs, and the servers… Live or die, no woman wants to go through what Jamie did.”

  “If it will make you feel safer, I’ll let you do whatever you need to,” he said. “I can make a few calls and…”

  “What?” she asked when he didn’t finish his thought. It couldn’t be easy for Tag to be stuck here and out of the loop as to what was going on in his own network. “I can make the connections, don’t worry about it. I have a few ideas of people who may be able to help out, I’m happy to manage the project on my own, I’d like to. I just needed your approval.”

  Sliding down in the bed a bit, he took his hands over his head to hold onto the top of the headboard. “I told you when you started at Sizzle that you should consider it your own.”

  Tag had other business interests that captivated him more than running a nightclub and she had come to think of Sizzle as her own, as he didn’t say no to her whenever she wanted to make changes. She’d never considered overhauling the place like she was now, but she couldn’t risk anything like Jamie’s death ever happening again.

  In light of what Tag did, and the patrons of Sizzle too, it was likely that future incursions may occur and she wouldn’t be taken by surprise again. Something of this magnitude hadn’t been her thing, until now. Sizzle was her livelihood, so she had no choice except to suck it up and go back there. Maybe when she was hiring new staff and implementing whatever changes her security expert told her to, she’d talk to Tag about a refurbishment.

  In all the time she’d worked there, the place hadn’t had a lick of paint. Tag might have changed the floor in the breakroom, but she’d bet that was inspired by the blood stains that wouldn’t shift from the previous covering.

  More than a distraction, maybe if she altered the environment, she wouldn’t be assaulted by the images that had struck her when she visited earlier.