“It’s okay. I’m sorry to intrude,” I rasped as he showed me to his guest room. I looked around the simple bedroom, outfitted with a bed and not much else.
I’d been to his place a few times. The location was amazing, walking distance to the beach, but I’d always been on him to decorate. He’d bought it as a fixer-upper and had been gradually doing work on it himself. In my opinion, his place felt barren and cold, in need of a woman’s touch—if he ever got around to letting a woman into his life.
“You’re not intruding, you know that,” he replied firmly as he watched me with concern.
I sat heavily on the bed, looking down at my hands twisted in my lap before staring up into the eyes of my very worried big brother.
“I’m okay,” I lied, wanting to reassure him.
“You aren’t okay,” he gritted out, his eyes blazing with murder. After a few deep breaths, he composed himself, outwardly at least. “You got the shit beat out of you. And what the hell was that with Sid?” The question weighed heavily in the air.
“That was a culmination of years in the making.” I sighed.
His brow pinched in confusion. “Is that Greek? Speak English here, Sam.”
“It’s Greek for something happened between us before he left and it’s clear he doesn’t see me like that,” I retorted. “And that’s all you need to know and all you want to know,” I clarified.
“You need me to kick his ass?” he asked, and I knew he wasn’t entirely kidding. They were both powerfully built men with combat experience; truth be told, I wasn’t sure who would come out on top if they were to ever come to blows.
I snorted through tears. “Not at the moment.” I looked up at him imploringly. “What was he doing there tonight anyway?”
He looked apologetic. “I called him when I was en route. I knew things were tense between you, but I didn’t know they were that bad. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have called him had I known.”
“That’s okay.” I sighed. “Who the hell were those guys, Trav?”
His eyes darkened. “It sounds like Osip Ivanov. He’s a Russian mob boss. I can’t confirm yet, not without more intel. But I’ll find out, Sam. I’ve got my entire team on this. Nothing’s gonna happen to you.”
I nodded, my fingers twisted in my lap.
“I think you need some sleep,” he assessed. “Do you want to call Piper?”
I shook my head, lying down on the bed on top of the covers. “Too tired,” I mumbled.
“I’ll let you be. Get some rest, okay?”
I nodded, tears burning my eyes.
I fell into a deep sleep, my body shutting down, forcing itself to escape from reality.
When I woke up, familiar arms were wrapped around me from behind. Two thoughts simultaneously entered my mind: I couldn’t believe she’d flown out here, and I must have been asleep a hell of a long time.
Piper.
“How’d you know?” I grated out, my throat like sandpaper.
“Travis and Sid called,” she replied, simply giving me a squeeze. “I’ll kick your ass later for not calling me.”
“I can’t believe you flew out here,” I marveled, turning to face her.
She rolled her eyes, shoving me gently. “Of course I did. You’d do the same for me. When was the last time you ate?” she asked quietly.
“It’s been a while,” I admitted. “What time is it?”
“Just after two.”
I gaped at her in shock. “Holy shit, I can’t believe I slept that long.”
She squeezed my hand briefly. “You must have needed it.” She sat up and I knew she was in take-charge mode. “Now, go wash your face, change your clothes, and come down. Your brother cleared some space down in the construction zone,” she muttered.
“Fine,” I mumbled, feeling like I could stay buried under the covers for a week.
I winced when I got a look at myself in the mirror. My left eye was nearly swollen shut, my nose was swollen, and my skin was puffy and pale. I looked like death warmed over.
“Trav went to work?” I asked when I wandered into the kitchen after cleaning myself up. I looked around. Trav had obviously cleared away some of the plastic wrap covering the countertops, and had pulled out a table and chairs from somewhere.
“Yep, but not before showing me five times how to work the alarm and telling me that some guy named Theo is parked out front. Now, sit,” she ordered, pointing to the eat-in kitchen table and depositing a plate of grilled cheese and a cup of coffee down. “Eat.”
“You’re bossy,” I mumbled petulantly.
She sat across from me with a mug of coffee between her hands. “I love you and I’m worried and I need to do something. So I’m being bossy.” She shrugged.
“Okay,” I agreed. “Are you missing work?”
She shook her head. “Ry’s mom has it handled,” she replied, referring to her fiancé’s mother.
Piper owned and operated a gorgeous boutique in Hawthorne called Dixie’s. Ryker’s mom had been helping out for a few months now. When I was of sound mind, I intended to ask her how that was going.
“Why didn’t you call me?” she asked quietly.
I sighed. “I was exhausted. And I didn’t want to bother you with this. You have so much going on, with the store just opening and your wedding right around the corner.”
“This is important, Sam. You are important,” she emphasized.
“I know,” I agreed. “I just… you know how I am.” I shrugged.
She smiled. “I know. That’s why I’m going to force it out of you.”
I groaned.
She held her hands up. “Later. First you need to eat. Then, later we’ll make some cocktails and have it out.”
“You have this all planned out, huh?” I grumbled.
“I do.” She nodded sagely. “I’m spending the night, so you’re stuck with me.”
“You’re a good friend.” I sighed, feeling like I could cry.
She winced, gesturing to my eyes. “Uh, babe, let’s not do anything to make that situation worse. Let’s stick to the light stuff for now. No waterworks.”
I laughed, amazed that I could and grateful that I wanted to.
****
“Is Ryker okay with you spending the night?” I asked later that evening as we lay sprawled out on the sofa with cocktails in hand. Ryker was notoriously overprotective.
She nodded, taking a sip of her drink. “He’s fine with it. He understands.”
We sat silently for a few moments in the cavernous-feeling space. Travis had stopped in earlier to make sure I was all right before going back to headquarters. I was worried he was going to work around the clock until they figured out who’d attacked me.
“Does it hurt?” she asked quietly, gesturing to my face.
I winced. “Yeah. I’ve never—I just can’t believe this happened to me. It’s like something out of a movie; a really terrifying horrible movie.”
Piper had been through her own hell when a rival biker gang had attacked her. I knew if anyone could understand, it would be her.
“So this Osip guy thinks you have his diamond?” she pressed. Clearly, she’d talked a bit with Trav.
I nodded. “That’s what it sounds like. I can’t believe Zitto would purposely put me in danger like that.” I grimaced. “He’s always been so kind to me.”
“Sid should point that out to him when he kills him,” she commented dryly, taking a sip of her drink.
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be sure to tell him that.”
Her demeanor shifted as she eyed me intently. “And how about that elephant in the room, hmm?” she queried.
Feigning ignorance would get me nowhere. I took a much-needed sip of my drink. “What, Sid?”
She reached over and squeezed my hand. “Cade may or may not have mentioned that you two saw each other last night.”
“Traitor,” I grumbled.
“He loves you both. So do I.”
I sighed. “I know. Re
ally, I should be thanking Cade. I would have never agreed to come if I’d known Sid would be there. And I ended up getting some shit off my chest. It felt pretty good, actually,” I explained, running the tip of my finger over the rim of my glass. “No one’s ever hurt me like he did. I want so badly to get over it, and maybe being able to get some of that out is a first step to getting there.”
“Good for you.” She nodded.
Piper had been my voice of reason and shoulder to cry on when everything with Sid first went down. I’d stayed holed up in her guest room in Nevada for the better part of a week.
I took a much-needed breath before continuing. “I just… I’ve never felt this way about anyone before,” I admitted, my voice cracking. “I’d dreamed about finally being with him and knowing that it was all a big mistake to him is so fucking gut-wrenching I can’t even put it into words.”
She reached over and patted my knee in a silent show of support. “Did you talk after you were attacked last night?”
I snorted before wincing. Snorting with a swollen nose was not a good combination. “He said that we’d talk when I was up to it. The last thing I need is his pity. What I need is a new place to live. I don’t think I can ever go back there.” I shuddered at the mere thought.
“Oh, Sam, you can’t decide any of that right now,” she chided gently. “It’s all so raw. Give it some time.”
I looked at her with tears in my eyes. “Piper, Sid and I, it will never be the same. Not after what happened.”
“Maybe you’ll find a new normal,” she pressed. “I don’t know. All I’m saying is don’t make any major life decisions right now. How long are you planning to stay here?”
I looked around the expansive condo.
“In the construction zone? Not that much longer if I can help it.” I shook my head wryly.
She looked thoughtful for a moment before her green eyes reclaimed that fire I both loved and feared. I knew she wasn’t letting the topic drop, not yet. “Sam.” Her voice was firm as she waited for me to look at her. “I don’t know what the hell is going on with him, but I have zero doubt that he wants you.”
“Need I remind you that I was naked and waiting and he fucking ran away!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms up in exasperation, and in a move that was so very me, spilling the dredges of my cocktail. “Shit!”
She jumped up to grab a paper towel. “I’m not saying he’s not an idiot,” she clarified as she soaked up my mess.
I rolled my eyes, cracking a small smile. I could certainly agree with that.
“Why do you think he cared when you’d get hit on?” She grinned suggestively.
“He was always somewhat overprotective,” I replied, shrugging her statement off.
She laughed. “Not with me, honey. When I lived with you guys, he never once stopped anyone from hitting on me. No, that was all for you. And the man has no need for roommates; one guess why he lived with you and Cade for so long.” She cocked a brow pointedly.
I thought about that. Was she right?
“You could come stay with us,” she offered, and I took a deep breath, knowing my interrogation was over.
“Thanks. But I should face things here.” My eyes widened with realization. “And shit, I’ll need a new job.” I groaned.
She squeezed my hand in sympathy. “Just remember, you’re not alone. You have me and Caden. Your brother is out scouring the earth for revenge, and Sam—whether you choose to admit it or not, you have Sid too.”
After a few more cocktails, we made our way upstairs to share the guest bed.
“Thanks for coming, Pipe,” I said through the darkness before I shut my eyes.
“You’re welcome. Things are gonna be okay. You’ll see.”
In my tired, slightly drunk state, I could almost pretend that was true.
****
It’d only been a day since Piper had left and boredom was setting in full force.
Being trapped in the house all day without a car had me feeling suffocated. Plus, I’d been largely sequestered to the guestroom, based on the state of Travis’s downstairs living and kitchen space.
I’d only seen him briefly in the last forty-eight hours. He’d come in to check on me the previous evening and had told me they’d recovered the gift from my trunk, which did turn out to be the flawless canary diamond the Russians were looking for. It had been in a lock box, so even if I’d wanted to open it, I wouldn’t have been able to. Not that I would have peeked. That was back when I didn’t know Zitto was a scoundrel.
I had dinner ready when Travis walked in the door that evening. It had been a feat to make anything at all, since the fridge was in the garage and everything had to be made on his George Foreman grill. But I had persevered, damn it.
He took off his leather jacket, slinging it on a chair. “You cooked?” he commented in a surprised tone.
“Hey, I cook sometimes,” I replied, sounding mildly offended as I handed him a beer.
He eyed me knowingly. “You’re bored.”
“Maybe I just want to do something nice to say thank you for putting me up,” I replied defensively.
He stared at me with raised brows.
“Okay, fine, I’m bored,” I mumbled.
He looked around his condo. “I can see why this wouldn’t be the best place to be stuck,” he muttered dryly.
I didn’t really have a response to that, since it was true.
We sat in the kitchen nook and ate in companionable silence for a little while.
“Did you discover anything new?” I asked hesitantly. I knew they’d all been killing themselves to dig up as much information as they could.
“Zitto’s in the wind,” he grumbled. “Would love to get my hands on that motherfucker. We did talk with Camille. I’ve interviewed a lot of fucking people and I genuinely believe she didn’t know a thing about this,” he shared.
I was relieved to hear that. It was enough to know Zitto was an asshole; I didn’t want to think that his sweet wife had taken any part of this.
As if reading my mind, Travis continued. “It’s possible he didn’t intend to do you harm, Sam. He was a stupid fuck, and from what we’ve gathered, not well versed in the criminal underworld. At all. He was completely in over his head, trying to steal from a man like Ivanov. It’s possible that he wanted to get it out of his house. That he didn’t think someone would know he gave it to you.”
I bit my lip, nodding.
“It’s possible, but that doesn’t mean he’s not fucking guilty,” he clarified tersely before taking a deep pull on his beer.
I stared down at my own bottle, lost in thought.
“You want to tell me what happened?” he asked gruffly, taking me off guard. “With Sid,” he clarified, even though we both knew what he was talking about. He’d given me plenty of space and I knew he deserved an explanation, even a brief one.
I shrugged, looking off to the side. “Sid just doesn’t feel the same way about me, and he had a pretty shitty way of showing it.” I sighed.
He studied me intently, as though gauging his response carefully. “Well, little sis, obviously I don’t know the details but I see the man every day. All I can say is that he’s torn up. Someone who doesn’t feel something for you wouldn’t be so affected. I’ve literally had to fight to keep him from sleeping on the couch. I know for a fact he’s slept in his truck outside the house more than once.”
My mouth dropped open in shock before I recovered with a sigh. “He probably just feels guilty.”
“I know guilt,” he argued. “That’s not what’s haunting him.”
“There’s a lot that haunts Sid,” I said softly.
He nodded, his expression tight. “I’m sure that’s true. Have you thought about what you want to do about your living situation?” he asked, changing the subject, for which I was grateful.
I shook my head, biting my lip. “I don’t think I can go back home. At least, not right now. And I love you and all, Trav, but my days of be
ing sequestered in a construction zone are numbered.”
His brows pinched. “Sam, I hate to break it to you, but even if you wanted to go back home I wouldn’t allow it. It’s not safe. Hell, had I seen that place before this happened, you would have been out of there. You’re either here or at headquarters, you choose.”
I groaned. “Travis, you know that’s not a choice. I’m not going to volunteer to stay at GI Joe headquarters. It’s the most sterile place on earth, and Sid is about the last person I want to be sharing a space with.” I rolled my eyes. “Isn’t there any other option?” I pleaded.
After a minute, he shocked me by nodding hesitantly. “Maybe.”
I clapped my hands together, excited by any option that included some form of freedom.
“A former client needs a house sitter for awhile. He has this little dog he’s obsessed with—God knows why,” he muttered. “Anyway, it’s up in Laurel Canyon, nice spot, but most importantly it has airtight security. He’s a celebrity chef, travels all over the world, but it’s been hard for him to find someone he trusts. He trusts me, so I know he’d appreciate your help. You’d just need to watch over the house and take care of the dog.”
I perked up—that did sound good. It’d give me a bit more time to figure things out. I wasn’t much of a dog person, but I could fake it for a little while.
“But,” he interjected, holding a finger up. “I want to reevaluate it to make sure it’s as ironclad as I remember.”
I nodded. “It’d be nice to get back to some semblance of real life.”
Even if it felt totally foreign.
“Real life with added security,” he reminded me. “Just until we sort this shit out.”
Right, that.
I reached over, clinking my beer bottle with his. “Thanks, Trav.”
“Anytime.”
CHAPTER 6
“Aren’t you the most precious thing with your pink hair!” My brother’s client, the chef and my temporary landlord of sorts, beamed when he opened the door the next evening. “I’m Brad,” he introduced himself, extending a hand to shake.
“Sam.” I forced a smile, despite my mood being tumultuous at best. He held the smallest dog I’d ever seen.
Crave (Talon Security #1) Page 4
