Jace zeroed in on Danny. “You get details?”
“She rode shotgun on a deal there last Wednesday, saw where they stashed their X, and decided a little industrious activity would generate enough cash to pay her bills.”
“So where’s the cash?”
“Gone. She threw a party Friday night, woke up with what was left of the stash and the money gone, and thought a repeat visit was a great idea. My guess, she’s in for fifty large.”
Viv’s breath rushed out and, for a second, the little bit of dinner she’d managed to eat almost flew out with it. “Fifty thousand dollars?”
Still on the couch where they’d left her, Callie sat with her face averted and her knee jiggling in a nervous cadence. Her hair looked as though it hadn’t seen a brush in at least two days, and her jeans and tie-dyed T-shirt probably hadn’t had attention in twice that.
Trevor shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “Man, she doesn’t go half-assed, does she?”
“So, pay it.” Knox shoved a chunk of dirty blond hair out of his face in the hot, absent-minded professor way she’d grown to appreciate over the last week, and chin lifted toward Jace’s tags hanging around Viv’s neck. “You marked her, so she’s family, and Haven covers family debts. Get in and out, and Moreno’s not out a penny.”
Beckett crossed his arms, his big biceps straining the arms of his T-shirt. His voice rumbled about half volume compared to the rest of the men. “It’s not that simple. Hugo needs money and a message. Word gets out he’s giving a pass to lost product, he’ll lose face and start finding himself short across the board. Not to mention he’s gonna want to use this to get back into Crossroads.”
“No.” Every head whipped Viv’s direction. For the last week, she’d been quiet around the men, opting for small talk and ignoring the details when they dove into business. But she’d be damned if Callie ended up being the reason Jace was out money, or ended up with more headaches at Crossroads. “I’ll find a way to pay him off, but he can’t get back into Crossroads. Jace has worked too hard to get him out.”
The brothers and Danny all looked between each other as if they weren’t entirely sure what to say.
Jace, on the other hand, twirled his toothpick with his tongue and grinned. “You’re cute when you get wound up.” He tugged her in front of him and pulled her in close enough his beard tickled her temple. “Hugo’s not getting back in my club, and you’re not paying a penny. We’ll handle this.”
“But—”
“No buts. We’ve got this.” Jace lowered his voice and focused on Zeke. “You got a place we can dry Callie out while we clear things up?”
“Might have to hop a few states and call in a favor, but it can happen quiet.”
“Detox?” She’d tried for the last year to get Callie to get help, but her sister wouldn’t hear of it. “What if she won’t agree?”
“Sugar, your sister’s got two choices. Find a way to pay Hugo back, or send a message via her corpse to anyone stupid enough to steal from Hugo again. The only means she’s got to pay him back right now is me, and I’m wrapping that payback up with one big string—treatment. She might act crazy, but I guarantee you, she’s smart enough to know she won’t last a day with Hugo’s guys on the hunt. So, which do you think she’s gonna choose?”
All the blood in Viv’s head free-fell toward her feet and she swayed, bumping into Jace behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, Callie sat hunched over and picking her nails. “He’d really kill her?”
“In a heartbeat. She knows that or she wouldn’t have run the way she did.”
Viv crossed her arms tight and fought back a shiver. Nothing like learning your sister hadn’t just left you to fend for herself, but did it knowing Viv wouldn’t come out breathing on the other end.
“Hey.” Jace craned enough to study her face. “It’s over. Or it will be in a few more hours.” Straightening, he jerked his chin toward Callie and directed his comments to his brothers. “We need her stashed someplace Hugo’s men can’t find her. The compound’s too obvious.”
Danny spun into action. “I got her.”
“Hold up.” Jace motioned Danny back and traded a lot of silent eyeballing between the rest of the brothers.
Each dipped their chin in a silent acknowledgement, boyish but sneaky grins mirrored on every one of them. Clearly, if she was going to hold her own in this family, she had a lot of nonverbal translation to get up to speed on.
“Good,” Jace said as though they’d debated out loud. “Zeke, start working on detox for Callie. Knox and Trev, track down Hugo and set up a meet. Me, Danny and Beck will handle drop-off.” He pinned Danny with a hard stare. “You up for this?”
Danny’s head snapped back. He hesitated long enough to meet each man’s gaze, then straightened to full height and squared his shoulders, his slack mouth spreading to a rowdy smile. “Hell, yeah.”
“That’s the answer I wanted.” Jace smacked Danny on the back and guided Viv toward the couch. “One more head-to-head and we can get this shit put to bed.”
All the men but Danny peeled off.
Callie glanced at Jace, Danny and Viv headed her way then jerked her head the other direction and scowled at the villa’s massive stone entrance.
Jace halted in front of her and crossed his arms, his take-no-shit attitude in full force. “Look at me.”
Her sister’s knee jiggling started back up and she tucked both hands under each leg.
Jace’s voice dropped to a scary growl. “Only gonna give you this chance once, and I want your eyes while I do it.”
Whipping her face to Jace, the jiggling stopped. “I need to go.”
“You need to listen,” he bit back. “You and I both know you’re in a hell of a fix. Because you’re Viv’s sister, I’m willing to bail your ass out of hot water. In exchange, you agree to detox at a place well out of sight of Hugo’s reach and straighten your shit.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“If you want to keep breathing, you do. The way I hear it, you’re in for at least fifty grand for the X you stole. Now, unless you’ve got about three times that floating around, the odds of you coming out from any altercation with his men is slim and none.”
“I just need to find the X.”
“See, that’s what you don’t get. Hugo’s going to want to send a message to you and any other idiot fool enough to steal from him. So you don’t just need what you stole, you need more. You get me?”
For the first time since Viv had walked in, the tension and anger in Callie’s too-thin frame eked out, leaving nothing but stark fear and realization in its place.
“I’m giving you one shot,” Jace said. “One. After that, you’re on your own. No more late-night rescue calls. No more bailouts. No more anything. And if you think me fronting what you owe plus the hefty penalty is going to make Hugo disappear long-term, let me share this. Hugo’s boys are dedicated twisted fucks with long memories who get off on making statements. If you’re smart, you’ll take this deal. If you love your sister at all, you’ll see to keeping her happy by not draggin’ her through your daily hell anymore.”
Callie lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes aimed at Viv. “I’m fine. I’ve just been out having a good time. Going to parties—”
“I’m done, Callie.” The second the words slipped out, the pressure bearing down on Viv’s shoulders eased so much she thought she’d float off the ground.
Jace stared at Viv, his harsh face showing zero leniency, but his eyes screamed of pride and encouragement. He was right. If nothing changed, nothing changed.
“This is your last chance,” Viv said. “I love you, but I won’t keep doing this anymore. I won’t let you hurt me or anyone else I—”
Viv flinched and snapped her mouth shut, the words she’d nearly let slip free still burning on her tongue. There were only
four people in the room, but it felt like a crowd of thousands looked down on her, the bulk of the weight coming from Jace in her periphery.
Swallowing around the thick knot in her throat, she tucked her hands in the front pocket of her sweatshirt and prayed her near miss hadn’t been as obvious as it felt. She turned to leave, the need for distance and time to recalibrate leaving her flustered and disoriented. “Jace is right. The decision’s yours, but it’s the last intervention you’ll get.”
Thirty-six years Jace had walked this earth, partying with all kinds of wild people and dabbling in substances he shouldn’t have, but the rush burning through his veins in that moment beat the sum total of them all, hands down.
The words. They’d been right there on the tip of her tongue. Damn near airborne. He still couldn’t decide if he was glad she’d choked them back, or pissed she’d clammed up. To hear those words on her lips, he’d trade just about anything, but then he’d end up acting like a whipped pup in front of his brothers and he’d never live it down.
Across the room, Viv stared out the wall of windows overlooking the pool. The night skies on the other side made a perfect backdrop and reflected her troubled frown in the glass. It might have only been twenty feet away, but it might as well have been Omaha.
He zeroed in on Callie. “No fuckin’ around. Are you in, or out?”
Callie sniffled and dashed away a tear with the back of her hand. “I really don’t need—”
“It’s a yes or no answer. Viv said her piece and she’s backin’ my play. Now which is it? In or out?”
Callie aimed pleading eyes Viv’s direction, but Viv kept her eyes trained on the backyard. “I’m in.”
“Smart choice.” He eyeballed Danny and jerked his head toward the front door, and his soon-to-be new brother hustled Callie out of the house.
The door snicked shut, and quiet settled thick and riddled with energy.
Viv’s gaze slid to his in the reflection, her pretty gray eyes so big and vulnerable, it was all he could do not cart her upstairs and tell the rest of the world to go to hell. She’d want him to ignore it. Shit, she’d probably sent at least ten prayers up asking for exactly that, but he was done with things in between them, even the unspoken ones.
He ambled her direction and slipped his arms around her waist, never breaking her stare in the window. Nuzzling her ear, he drew in her crisp, bright scent, letting it settle deep in his lungs. “You scared?”
“She’s my sister, of course I’m scared.”
“Wasn’t talking about your sister.” He tucked his hands in her sweatshirt pocket and covered her tiny fists. “Nothing to be afraid of with us, Viv. Not about how you feel or the words that come with it.”
She twisted and peered up at him, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
“Give me one good reason.”
Viv swallowed huge and glared back out at the pool. “People leave. One way or another, they leave, and I’m not ready for that with you. Not yet.”
His arms tightened around her, and a nasty growl lodged in the back of his throat. Christ, her family had done a number on her. His might be all kinds of weird and ten leagues beyond socially acceptable, but they’d never once not been there for him. Eventually, she’d learn what that acceptance and support looked like, but for right now, the best he could do was hold steady and let her adjust.
“I’m not going anywhere, sugar. Might have gotten hotheaded once, but I learned my lesson and mean to prove it. What you’ve got to get is where you’ve been and where we’re headed are two different places. When you get that, you let me know.” He turned her in his arms, tilted her face up to his and brushed a soft kiss against her lips. “I’ll give you those words. When you’re ready, you let me know and I’ll go first.”
Chapter 27
Viv woke with Ruger’s hundred-pound, muscled body curled and wedged behind her knees the same as always, but the room was dark. Pitch dark.
Jace’s room.
Even after the week she’d stayed at Haven, she still couldn’t get used to the blackout blinds he kept over the balcony sliding glass door. Both of her townhouse rooms were loaded with windows so she woke up naturally with the sun, but here a person could sleep from sunup to sundown and never have a clue what time of day it was.
Still, something wasn’t right. She reached across the bed and met only cool, soft sheets. Twisting the best she could with Ruger pinning her legs under the bedcovers, she propped up on an elbow and flipped the bedside lamp.
Jace’s side of the bed wasn’t just empty, but unruffled, the sheets and comforter barely disturbed by her almost motionless sleep. But that couldn’t be right. When he’d dropped her and Ruger off at two in the morning, he’d promised he’d come straight back.
She pried her legs free and fumbled for her phone on the nightstand.
10:20 a.m.
Wow. A solid eight hours, and she still felt like she could handle another two at least. Not surprising, though. With the lack of sleep the night before, and the come-to-Jesus with Callie, her body was probably due for more than its share of downtime.
Or you just finally made your mind up and surrendered to what felt right all along.
Well, wasn’t that a harpoon strike from her conscience. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t felt this relaxed since she’d woken up floating on morphine. The lack of mental gymnastics tumbling around in her head didn’t suck either.
She’d still like to know where the heck Jace was.
Thumbing up her contacts, she punched his number and padded to the bathroom.
Ruger yawned and plunked his chin back down on the bed, watching her from between his paws.
“This is Jace. You know what to do.” Clipped, gruff and to the point, just like everything else about the man.
Viv punched the end button before the beep kicked in and stood stymied in the middle of the bathroom. She couldn’t remember the last time Jace didn’t pick up when she called. If he’d ever headed into a meeting where he couldn’t talk to her, he always called or texted her in advance. Calling up her messages, she found a fat zero there, too.
Are you okay? Give me a call when you can.
She hesitated with her thumb over the send button. Surely that wasn’t too needy. Concern was reasonable when a man didn’t come home like he said he would, wasn’t it?
“Oh, for crying out loud.” She hit send and tossed her phone to the counter. No more overthinking things, at least not for today. What she needed was a long, hot shower, and a frat-boy-sized breakfast.
Thirty minutes later, she strolled toward the kitchen with Ruger at her heels. The sweats she’d swiped from Jace’s closet required enough rollovers at the waist it was almost laughable, and his tank hung halfway down her thighs, but they were comfy. In hindsight, she should’ve at least packed a few things before she loaded Ruger in Jace’s truck and declared her path forward, but she’d been too caught up in the moment to think further ahead than five seconds. Though, maybe it was good she hadn’t. At this point, she wasn’t too sure if she was moving in for good, or just doing a back-and-forth, dual living arrangement.
God, where was Jace? A little conversation right now would sure help, because the longer her head went unsupervised, the more her warm-and-fuzzy fizzled.
The house was quiet, more so than normal. Midday sunlight slanted from the living room windows, and the steady hum of the washing machine’s spin cycle droned in the background. Usually, she’d at least register the steady back and forth chatter between Ninette and Sylvie, but today all her senses caught was a trace of coffee and cigarette smoke. She rounded the arched stone wall that separated the main living room from the vast kitchen and dining area.
Ninette sat perched on a stool at the breakfast bar and stared into her coffee cup, one heel anchored on the stool rung and her elbow
propped on the granite countertop. Smoke curled in a lazy ribbon from the tip of the cigarette wedged between her fingers toward the vaulted wood beam ceilings. Either she was deep enough in thought she hadn’t heard Viv and Ruger’s approach, or she was pissed off at Viv for leaving and was dishing out the silent treatment.
Either way, Viv would have to face things sooner or later, but she wasn’t doing it without caffeine. “Good morning.”
Ninette snapped her head up, took in Viv and the dog, and lifted an eyebrow. “You’re back.”
Distracted and pissed. Excellent. “Of course, I’m back. I’m nervous, not stupid. When I make my choices, I prefer to do them with a clear head. Your son has a talent for persuasion.”
Ninette smirked and tried to hide it by sipping her coffee.
Pretending she hadn’t noticed and didn’t care, Viv opened the side door off the kitchen, let Ruger out for his morning business, and beelined for the Keurig.
“You get nervous a lot?” Ninette said. It was a fair question, though the idea of anyone, even a woman as fierce as Ninette, looking out for Jace seemed funny.
Viv ambled to the opposite side of the bar and leaned one hip against it. If she’d ever wondered which parent Jace learned the killer death glare from, she had her answer now because Ninette aimed hers dead center on Viv. “Jace is the kind of man I want with me.”
The glare softened to cautious understanding.
“But I have no idea what I’m doing,” Viv said.
Ninette’s booming laugh filled the kitchen and echoed off the high ceiling, vibrant and full of life. “None of us do, honey. The best we can do is wing it and hang on for the ride.”
“True.” Viv checked her phone again. “Speaking of the man I want with me, have you talked to him? He said he’d come home last night and he’s not answering his phone.”
As quick as her laugher appeared, her sour expression slipped back in place. She looked away and took a healthy puff off her cigarette before snuffing it out. “Probably tied up at work. It happens. Got to let him do his thing.” She snatched her coffee cup and strode to the sink.
Rough & Tumble (The Haven Brotherhood) Page 26
