In the Still of the Night:Sexy Romantic Suspense (Book 2 The Blonde Barracuda's Sizzling Suspense Series)

by Lee, Taylor

  All of these troubling issues paled in comparison to that fact that Lexie was in real danger. Much more so than she realized. He could no longer keep from sharing what he knew. He’d spoken to Dan earlier and told him he needed to break his confidence. Dan wasn’t happy, but he understood. He’d been shocked by what happened to Lexie last night. He was astonished that she took such a risk. Evidently Dan didn’t know Lexie as well as he thought he did.

  “Would you like a refill, Jake?”

  Jake looked up in surprise. He’d been so deep in thought, he’d forgotten that Master Wan was sitting quietly behind his desk. The man truly was a sphinx.

  Jake shook his head, embarrassed.

  “I’m not a very good guest, am I?”

  Master Wan smiled. “Perhaps because you are not a guest. You are part of our family.”

  Jake felt a surprising rush of moisture hit the backs of his eyelids. He ran his fingers through his hair.

  “Thank you for saying that. I just wish our arrangement was a tad more formalized.”

  The stoic man nodded.

  “Remember, Jake. Those are formalities. Important ones and joyous ones. But you and Jai Li have committed to a life together. You know that and so does she. Now you have to work through some painful issues. Once you do, the ‘formalities’ will take care of themselves.”

  Jake sighed. “I know you’re correct, Master Wan. At least I hope like hell you are. But I’m a little shaky. Lexie and I are in a challenging place, and the challenges are serious. None more so than the danger that surrounds her. I need your permission to tell her the things you told me. Since our conversation I have reached out to my network, and your suspicions were correct. More so than even you were aware.”

  Master Wan gave a troubled sigh. “That is why I talked to you, Jake. I knew you could investigate the rumors, find out if my concerns were just an old man’s worrying—or if there was reason for alarm.”

  “Yes, Sir, I regret to tell you there is considerable reason for concern.”

  The sound of footsteps in the ante room to the dojo, and excited voices greeting her, signaled Lexie’s return.

  Jake stood and quaffed the remainder of the alcohol in his glass. With a troubled sigh he prepared to meet the woman he loved.

  Lexie frowned when she saw Jake in Master Wan’s office. Damn. Just what she needed. Two against one. But that didn’t mean she had to agree to the odds.

  She poked her head in the doorway. “Are you boys having a nice visit? Isn’t it a little early to be drinking?” She cocked her head at the glass on the desk. “Don’t tell me Jake has you drinking at four o’clock in the afternoon, Master Wan?”

  She forced herself to smile, to appear unconcerned, but it was an effort. She wished she could stop but the words were out of her mouth before she could pull them back.

  “You should have joined us for lunch, Master Wan. It was what Jake would call a ‘y’all come.’” She glared at Jake. “It was quite something. For the second day in a row, I got to see Jake with one of the women from his past. One of the one’s he’s fucked.” At Jake’s startled gasp, Lexie shrugged. “Oh don’t look shocked, Jake. Master Wan has heard that word before. He even knows what it means.” She looked from one to the other of the frowning men, and backed out to the doorway. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to take a shower. I’m a sweaty mess.”

  Jake’s voice cut across the room. “Lexie, wait. We need to talk.”

  She gave him a breezy nod. “Maybe later. Bye, y’all.”

  She fairly ran down the hallway, an angry Jake chasing after her.

  Master Wan shook his head. A wry smile crossed his lips. He didn’t envy Jake. Jai Li was in a fighting mood. He knew what that meant, at least in the ring. He mused. Maybe Jake was right when he said she needed to be spanked. Master Wan knew he never would have spanked her, but someone should.

  Chapter 16

  Lexie ran down the hallway. If she were fast enough, she could slam the door and lock him out. She heard his footsteps closing in behind her. In seconds his big hand grabbed her arm and reeled her back against his hard chest. His breath was harsh in her ear.

  “I. Said. Wait.”

  Lexie jerked free and tossed her head. “So?”

  Jake took her by the shoulders and pushed through the doorway, closing the door behind himself. His jaw was rigid, his voice stern.

  “We’re not done talking.”

  She glared at him. “I am.”

  His voice dropped to a dangerous level.

  “No, you’re not. Sit down. Lexie. Now!”

  Even in his anger, Jake marveled at her defiance. It always surprised him that this little firebrand was willing to take him on. She came to his shoulder at the most. Even in those outrageous shoes she wore, he towered over her. But she would lift that chin of hers and glare at him, daring him to respond. Hell, she actually dared him to spank her last night. His cock hardened at the thought. Damn, maybe he should. The one arena where she thrived under his dominance, even encouraged it—was in their fierce lovemaking. She reacted to his erotic commands with an initial twinge of fear, that quickly merged into excitement and arousal. No matter how outrageous his demands, she responded eagerly, daring him to go further. He didn’t need to be encouraged.

  His cock was screaming for release. It had been torture, not taking her last night. Returning from beating the shit out of the filthy animals that attacked her, he was high on adrenaline and testosterone. There wasn’t a worse combination when the woman you were dying to bury yourself inside was hurt. He’d controlled his raging lust, only to have her slam the bathroom door in his face this morning. Looking back on it, he gaped at his restraint. He’d come close—damn close to kicking the door in and taking her on the floor or against the wall. Or hell, both places. And then seeing her smiling up at that Hapkido warrior, his dick had been shouting for relief most of the day. Jake needed her. He needed her in the most primal way. To prove that she was his. Jake was scared out of his mind that someone bad was out to get her. He needed to protect her. But the defiant little brat refused to take him into her confidence. To let him protect her. Hell she wouldn’t even tell him what was going on. Whatever it was, she was determined to do it alone. No matter how dangerous it was.

  With a supreme effort, he lowered his voice and pointed to the chair.

  “Lexie. Please sit down. We need to talk.”

  He watched the war of emotions battle on her face, and was relieved when she flounced to the chair and plopped down with a loud annoyed sigh.

  Jake smothered a grin. Drama Queen much?

  Lexie pressed her lips in a firm line.

  “I’m warning you, Jake. I’m angry. I thought my run would help, but it didn’t. So before you start with your macho act, tossing out this command or that order, you should know that I am not in the mood to listen.”

  Her defiance lit a predictable spark. He sat down across from her. No need for her to see how aroused he was. She’d just taunt him further, and then it would be all over. And dammit, raging hard-on or not, he had important information she needed to hear.

  “Lexie, you’ve intentionally, or unintentionally, stirred up a pack of animals you don‘t want to poke a stick at.”

  Lexie gave a bored sigh.

  “Do you think I don’t know that when I release my information that there will be recriminations, reactions? For God’s sake, Jake, what do you think I am aiming for? I hope to cause the biggest scandal this city has ever seen. Of course I am going to ruffle feathers.”

  “I’m not talking about feathers, Lexie. And yes, there will be massage parlors that are closed—at least for a short while. And there will be a flurry of activity in the Department of Public Health. And yeah, a few heads will roll, more than likely the low-level inspectors who took a bribe or screwed one of the girls in return for the permit. Hell, maybe you’ll even take down a Councilman or two. Too bad if by mistake you get the guy who was lusting over you at lunch today.”

&
nbsp; Even Jake knew he was out of line. Taking precisely the wrong approach. He struggled to contain his anger. But he was about at the breaking point.

  Lexie flared to attention. Leaping to her feet, she whirled on him, her hands on her hips.

  “Great, Jake. Go ahead. Minimize what I am doing. Rub it in my face how difficult it will be to get lasting change, to make a real difference—”

  Jake put up his hands in surrender.

  “Lexie. Forget I said that. Give me a break. I’m angry, too. Let’s see if we can lower the temperature. Unfortunately, the likelihood of your having an impact is huge. But there is a damn good chance that the ‘impact’ will take you down in the process.”

  He motioned to the chair.

  “Sit down, please.”

  She took a deep breath, and must have seen the seriousness on his face, because she sat down across from him with a loud sigh.

  “Lexie, we have very good, high-level information that the Korean mob, specifically the Jopok, has you in their sights. It won’t surprise you that they have been watching you and trying to put up the usual roadblocks in front of you, which is why so many of your previous initiatives haven’t been as successful as you’d hoped. But that information you got the other day, the list of permits given to illegal massage parlors—was the kicker. It was dynamite. The kind of dynamite that blows up in your face.”

  He shook his head, to keep her from interrupting.

  “For you, Lexie, and for the woman who got you that information.”

  Lexie paled. “You… you… mean Ginny Lynn?”

  “Yes, Lexie. Ginny Lynn was threatened yesterday. Someone knew that she sent you that information. Most likely because they are watching you, not her. Which means that all of your communications are being monitored.”

  “Wait, Jake. What happened to Ginny Lynn. Please tell me she wasn’t hurt. Oh God.”

  Lexie put her head down in her hands and started rocking back and forth. When Jake reached for her, she pushed his hands away.

  “Tell me. Now!”

  “Fortunately Ginny immediately reported the threat to Dan Rourke. She is a good friend of Dan’s wife’s and she knows that you and he work together. There’s no question that the people who threatened her knew that she gave you that information. Dan has a protective guard on her which will stay until we get this mess cleaned up.”

  Lexie’s face was pale, her voice soft.

  “How do you know it’s the Jopok. It could be any low level techie who hates me or Ginny, or some malicious do-gooder. Who knows? Why does it have to be the mob out to get me? Are you sure you aren’t overreacting?”

  Jake sighed. He didn’t look forward to conveying this next bit of information.

  “I wish it was. But Dan’s informants, Master Wan’s and mine—”

  “Wait.”

  Lexie’s eyes widened in disbelief.

  “What do you mean, informants? Dan’s? Master Wans? Yours? You… you all have people informing on me! What are you saying, Jake? Tell me! Tell me that three of the men in my life aren’t spying on me! I… I can’t believe this. I can’t believe that you would allow this to happen and not tell me.”

  “I know this is upsetting, Lexie. And I wish I could have told you. In the beginning, it was just concerns, no hard evidence. But as each of us has compiled more information, it is clear that this has gone far beyond mere concerns. The information I’m receiving now—particularly after what happened last night—makes the involvement of the Jopok a virtual certainty. Someone knew what Ginny Lynn sent you, and someone knew that you would be at the Rising Sun last night. What this means, and I hope you agree, is that you are going to have to pull back. Curtail your plans. At least for now. Until we can put names and faces behind what’s happening, it is too dangerous for you to go forward with your expose. The Jopok farms out ‘enterprises’ like this, Lexie. There is someone local who is overseeing this. What happened to Ginny Lynn is the key. No international mob boss gives a rat’s ass about massage parlor permits in a district in San Francisco. But someone who’s actively involved and who is in danger of being traced to the activity does care. Particularly if that individual has a financial as well as a personal stake in it. Your expose could take this guy down in a big way. And put you in serious danger.”

  Lexie didn’t know when she’d started pacing the floor. Her head was swirling with questions. Trying to process what Jake was telling her. But it was a jumble. Two things jumped out. Both infuriating. One was that the important men around her were holding back critical information. And two, they were using that information to get her to pull back. To stop what she was doing. She took several long deep breaths. If ever she needed to center herself, it was now. While her temper often flared, what she felt now was rage. Cold rage. And it was directed at Jake.

  “And you didn’t tell me this, Jake? Why?”

  “First, because I couldn’t break a confidence. Second—”

  Lexie broke in. “Really. You had information that was important to me, to my safety even, but you didn’t tell me because you didn’t want to break Dan’s confidence? Master Wan’s? Men I assumed had my best interests at heart?”

  “You know they do, and you know that I do, Lexie.”

  She shook her head, and pierced him with a fierce glare.

  “I thought they did. As I thought you did. Now I don’t know. But wait. I want to understand about this ‘confidence business.’ Let’s see if it works for me. Ask me what I learned from Peter Kim today, Jake? Don’t bother asking. Because I won’t tell you. You see, I don’t want to break a confidence.”

  Jake’s face flushed. His eyes narrowed dangerously.

  “Lexie, that is not the same thing. I work at a different level. Behind the scenes. My effectiveness is based on my ability to keep confidences. It’s not the same as yours.”

  She tossed her head with a derisive snort.

  “It isn’t? No, of course it isn’t. Your work is important. Your confidences are important. Mine are nothing but show, right? The cute little girl showing off her perky ass? Is that how you and Dalila talk about me—describe what I do—when you’re discussing your important, confidential work?”

  Jake stepped up to her and pulled her into his arms. “Darlin’, you know that isn’t how I feel. I am so proud of you. But, Lexie, I’m so damn worried about you.”

  Lexie refused to hear him. She jerked out of his arms. Dammit, this time he was not going to sweet talk her out of her anger. She was crushed. These men: her friends, her lover—were discussing her behind her back, like she was a child who couldn’t be trusted to handle a challenging situation. As though she weren’t a grown woman with an important initiative that could change lives. The indignity of it hit her full-force. As did the double standard that Jake apparently was comfortable with.

  She glared at him. Jake’s face was tight with a mix of concern and anger. She ignored the concern. She didn’t want it. Any of it. She gave a harsh laugh.

  “What a fool I’ve been. Over and over you castigated me for not trusting you. Making me feel that somehow I’m not loving enough. But you don’t trust me, do you Jake? None of you do. Dan, Brady, Master Wan. All the men I thought respected me and respected my work. I’m almost as angry with them as I am with you, Jake. Just so you know, I’m done confiding in any of you. None of you any longer are my confidants and that includes Master Wan and you!”

  She got to her bedroom door, then turned to face him. She wished she could keep her voice from shaking. But that wasn’t possible. She had to hang onto the doorframe as it was. Lexie’s legs felt like rubber.

  “One more thing, for all you big boys to work into the important ‘secret’ work that you do. I am not stopping. And there is no way that you can make me stop. I am going before the City Council. Peter agreed today that he will put me on the agenda for this Friday. Two days from now. Do you understand?”

  As she turned to go into her bedroom, she said over her shoulder, her voice shaking with
ill-disguised scorn, “And Jake, did you honestly think I didn’t expect—assume that the Korean syndicates are involved? Who the hell do you think I am after? Who do you think owns these fucking parlors? The local dry cleaners?”

  She should have understood just how angry mentioning Peter’s name would make him. Later she wished she hadn’t. Peter was a tangent that kept them from addressing the real issues. Jake moved toward her, his hands clenched in tight fists at his sides. Looming over her, his breath was hot against her face. Only his voice was cool, dangerous. He spit out each word as though they were tacks, nailing her to the door frame.

  “No, Lexie. I do not think the drycleaners own the brothels. I think the more likely candidate is a very well-connected businessman. One who appeared like ClarkfuckingKent in the middle of the night to ‘save’ the woman who is about to blow up the illicit massage businesses in his district. Oh yeah, and who drives a Jaguar and has finagled a spot on the City Council after the former councilman had a ‘stroke.’”

  Lexie stared at him. It wasn’t that she wasn’t suspicious of Peter, she was. There were too many unanswered questions. But she knew that Jake’s possessiveness, his need to control her, was the impetus behind his accusation.

  She tossed her head.

  “You may be right, Jake. There are a lot of things about Peter Kim that warrant investigation. So it’s a good thing that Peter Kim is interested in me, isn’t it? I should be able to get first-hand information. Wish I could share it with you… but you know how confidential that information is likely to be.”

  Jake’s voice was low, cold. She hated the look in his eyes.