LUCI (The Naughty Ones Book 2)

by Kristina Weaver

  I woke up with that feeling this morning and spent half the day walking around on eggshells, peeping around corners and just generally being a Nancy.

  And now I’m sick of hiding in the house behind the walls of Chase’s fortress. I’ve convinced Hensley to take me to Liv’s so that I can at least have a change of scenery and get the lowdown on some gossip.

  “Chase wants you home by five. The dinner you’re going to with the Falcone’s is at six, and he wants enough time to get you prepared for the security measures.”

  I groan and nod once, though truth be told, it’s starting to get a little annoying the way I can’t go to the bleeping bathroom without somebody knowing if it’s a one or a two.

  Liv greets me at the door, her hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail, her body decked out in a sleek, black V-neck sweater and a pair of ripped jeans.

  “Hey Girl! Come on up, I ordered Italian for lunch and we’ve got this chick stopping by who does these amazing massages.”

  “Did Gabe or Chase clear this?”

  We both ignore Hen and walk up, rolling our eyes at his muttering. Security is one thing, but having a baby sitter who calls your ‘parent’ every five minutes to narc on your every move is not cool. Even if you know that the babysitter in question likes you enough to take a bullet for you.

  “Jesus, I cannot wait till they catch whoever this is and take care of Brian and those other assholes. I’m going crazy in this place. Yesterday I tried to go for a walk and Chase came home just as I was sneaking out the door.”

  I snort and throw my purse onto the coffee table before falling onto the sofa.

  “Try having to tell a grown man who looks like he eats nails for breakfast that you ran out of tampons. First time I ever saw Hen look like he wanted to cry.”

  Liv snorts and starts laughing. I join in when I finally admit that I’d had a perfectly good box of the suckers in the bathroom cabinet. Sending him out for feminine hygiene products had been my way of getting back at him for telling Chase that I wasn’t following the rules. Really, I took one walk close to the eastern wall—to check for easy escape areas of course—and all of a sudden I’m being treated like a flight risk.

  All I want is a little freedom and they can’t understand it.

  “I’ve kinda got a plan to break out of the asylum for today. I need to run on over to Mrs. Cadenski’s place. It's Libby's birthday and I promised her months ago that I’d be there.”

  I nod because I would love to go to Libby’s birthday. The little girl and her mom now live in the new apartments Chase built and have much better lives, but Libby has a rare bone marrow cancer that is proving more aggressive and virulent and resistant to any of the treatments her doctors have given her.

  There isn’t much hope, but that girl and her mom live every day as if it’s a celebration.

  “What’ve you got planned?”

  Half an hour later, the masseuse is happily munching on Italian food and Liv and I are sneaking down the hall, out the back door and into the service elevator.

  “See? Stick with me kid.” Liv laughs, throwing an arm around me and pulling me closer to avoid the camera in the upper left corner.

  “Always, Livvie doodle.” I giggle, taking in her disguise of a baseball cap and huge, clear-lensed glasses.

  Never let it be said that Liv doesn’t always dress for the occasion.

  “You know what I find really funny, Remy?”

  I shake my head as the doors open and Liv leads me to the back entrance, her movements stealthy and ingenious as she avoids the cameras and pulls me out the back door behind her.

  “What do you find funny, Liv?”

  We’re outside now and the cold air hits me with a punch that steals my breath as we skirt down the alley and tiptoe down the street, keeping the door of Gabe’s building in view.

  “I find it really funny that not one of you ever thought about me.”

  I turn to her, a little confused by her tone…and my heart just knows…

  “I mean, think about it, Rem, who had access to your car? Who knew that we were making plans to go away for the weekend? Who has been one step ahead of you this whole time?” she asks quietly, looking at me with a wealth of pity.

  “You…I don’t understand.” I gasp, shrieking when a set of strong hands grips my shoulders and pulls me back, into a car I hadn’t even heard pull up.

  Liv follows me in and shoves me to the opposite seat, her face a portrait of cool satisfaction when she leans in and plants her lips on…Gareth Knox.

  They attack each other, their mouths and groans making my stomach turn. Knox pulls away and leans back, his demeanor calm and relaxed.

  “You’ve been a cause of great annoyance for me lately, Remy. Your husband has gone on a very intensive mission to avenge those photos we put on the net. He’s systematically taken over every company and asset owned by each of us. Even poor Brian hasn’t escaped the man’s wrath.”

  My mind is whirling as the car pulls away and starts making its way through the streets. I lunge for the door and grab the latch, gasping when Gareth backhands me and calmly shoves me back, my head ringing from the blow.

  “Why, Liv?”

  She smiles regretfully and shrugs.

  “Brian is no fool, Remy, he’s kept an eye on Alex since the beginning, and he kept you under his thumb as a bargaining chip. When you forced the divorce and shacked up with Marshall, he knew it was a matter of time before his whole house of cards came crashing down. So he made a deal. He’d get rid of you, and in return, every one that Marshall’s after would get a free pass.”

  “But you all deserve this!” I yell at Knox, not even bothering with Liv anymore. “You and Brian are monsters! You ruined Alex, and then you attacked me.”

  He cocks a brow and I have to force myself not to lunge at him across the car and wrap my fingers around his throat.

  “We warned him not to touch you. There were already plans in place for you and he was ruining everything. You…we had to find a way to drive you back to Brian.”

  “Why! I’m just one person. One woman. What difference could I have possibly made?”

  I’m yelling now because I’m getting truly scared. They’re talking as if I’m disposable, and yet they seem to be implying that I’m central to their plans—

  “Simple. We needed you to keep Brian in line. He’s in a position to work those all-important defense contracts our way and we, in turn, make a shit load of money without going through all that red tape. We’ve had the guy by the balls since high school.”

  Liv laughs as if the thought of Brian being controlled is hilarious.

  “Let me get this straight. The five of you are the masterminds behind arms deals?”

  Knox laughs loudly and shakes his head.

  “Family businesses sweetheart. Our parents started this shit and handed it down. Once we got Brian into a position of power things got easier.”

  “Parents?”

  Oh God.

  “Why would you need me involved?”

  Keep them talking, Rem, you have to find all the players.

  At that I see Liv’s lips twitch.

  “Because mommy dearest used your name on all the documents, and Brian got your stupid ass to sign away a lot of your…you do know you’ve got a trust fund, right?”

  They’re both laughing so uproariously that it takes them a while to calm down. I use the time to think. Then I realize…they’ve all been playing me this whole time and using me and—“My grandmother left me money?”

  “She left it to you—and your mom has been dipping her sticky fingers in since your twenty-first birthday. She got access to it the day you signed your marriage certificate. She just slipped a few extra documents in there—easy as you please.”

  When they say that last bit, I reach into my coat—the heavy coat Hensley had put on me—and grip the gun that I never leave home without. I feel pretty damn good about keeping my shit together as I bring it out and aim. My mouth is
curved in a slow smile that very quickly has these two scumbags silenced and looking back at me in horror.

  “Wanna know something that you didn’t know two days ago? Gabriel may be in love with a woman that doesn’t exist but the guy is no fool. He knew there was something off about you the moment Chase told him you ‘got into his computer.’ See, Gabe doesn’t leave sensitive information out in the open like that.”

  Liv’s smile is completely gone now. I laugh and tell her that her acting skills aren’t as grand as she may think.

  “And then there’s the fact that Lena overheard all you bastards talking. She tipped me off and Chase got a wire on Brian. We know all about your back door dealings, and believe you me, the authorities are just eating that up and ready to indict your asses. We needed your boss, though. So thanks for the long convo and thanks so much for admitting that you all used me as a pawn. You got everything, Dec?”

  The window behind me slides down slowly to reveal not only Dec, but Brick and a grinning Chase, his eyes focused on the gun I have pointed at my targets.

  “We’ve got it, babe. You thought about that executive position I offered you? I could use your scheming mind to close deals,” he croons.

  “Nah. I kinda want to have a baby soon, so I think I might already be booked. Sorry.”

  We’re all laughing by the time the limo pulls up to the police station, and I have to say, I like this new, harder, more intense version of me. In the end, I’ve not only been an integral part of unravelling the mystery that was the sixth player, but I’ve nailed Liv to the wall too.

  While it’s a shock, I understand why I woke up in that room alone and why she was never drugged. They wanted me dead, I was no longer of use to them and they were trying to kill two birds with one stone—because killing me would have destroyed Chase.

  Even more, I understand that my life has not been my own since the day my mother saw me slipping through her grasp, and that only now am I truly free.

  Chase gave me that, and I will henceforth move on from this part of my life secure in the knowledge that I am protected, yes, but I am fully capable and powerful enough to protect myself.

  Chapter 38

  Remy

  “I am so sorry.”

  I kiss my father once and walk away from the courthouse, my husband standing tall beside me as he hurries me to the car and hands me in. The case, after four months of investigation and building evidence, went relatively quickly.

  Brian will serve at least twenty-five years. While he was only doing this because they were blackmailing him, he was directly involved in my kidnapping and thus got a few more years even though he turned state’s evidence.

  The rest of them will never see the light of day. I feel sorry for my mother, but I am finally feeling free of the pain she has brought me. Liv only got five years and will be out in three if she behaves her stupid ass. I’m not worried, Gabe is still into her and willing to stick it out because, as it turns out, she’s the one who made sure the two buffoons who took us were so high that the dosage of drugs they gave me wouldn’t kill me outright.

  Turns out she was as much a victim of this whole mess as I was; no one who is being blackmailed will react well and she chose her aunt Soph’s safety over me.

  Not great, but totally understandable.

  It’s done now and I am free.

  And I got my guy too, so yeah, I won.

  Doc says that my level of smug satisfaction and the way I usually gloat during our sessions does not bode well for my ego, but hell, I need a big one to survive Chase Marshall and his volatile moods.

  “God have mercy on these vultures!”

  The car pulls away quickly and I’m not really paying much attention to where we’re going until I see a large house come into view about two blocks from ours.

  “Where…?”

  “It’s a surprise, babe.”

  “Another one? You already got me my job back. You let dad reconcile with me even though you sorta hate him, and you even bought Lena an apartment. What more could you possibly think I need?”

  He doesn’t answer, just grins slowly and opens the door once the car rolls to a stop. He pulls me out and almost hustles me to the door. I’m aware of his excitement and can hardly contain a grin of my own.

  “Chase…”

  “This is the house I bought for mum. She’s coming over in another week, and I thought I could maybe get your help decorating the place before she gets here,” he says, his face serious and so open I feel like I’m looking into the sun for a split second.

  “You’re introducing me to your mom?”

  Chase stops and slides his hands in to cup my cheeks, his gaze skittering around, searching for words I think, before he looks at me fully and gives me a breathtaking smile.

  “No. I’m letting you into…it’s time for Alex. I will never fully be that boy who laughed and took everything for granted, and you can bet your arse I won’t be soft enough to let you go, but I think, if I try hard enough, that I can let a small part of him exist again.”

  My heart almost explodes at the thought of this strong, often angry, very much loving man, dropping his guard enough to be that same boy I’d fallen in love with all those years ago.

  Not too much though, because I’m pretty sure this new Remy would eat the poor guy for breakfast and use his bones as toothpicks. But I appreciate that he’s willing to give me that small part of him that I’ve cherished for so long.

  “I loved Alex a long time ago,” I whisper, feeling myself smile through the tears that are threatening to spill over. “He woke me up and gave me a part of myself I never knew could exist, but I would be lying if I said I want him back.”

  That surprises him and I stifle a chuckle at the awe that covers his features when I gently kiss him and keep our eyes locked.

  “I like Chase more. He’s fierce and mean and cold and he could probably kick the tar out of anyone who so much as breathes on me. He’s not always great to be around cause he’s moody as shit, and the guy is most definitely not easy to handle when it comes to my freedom, but I love him, all of him, and I don’t think I want to give him up for Alex.”

  “Remy…”

  “Plus, Chase is an animal in the sack and that’s not something I’m giving up anytime this century. Sorry, Alex old buddy, I love ya, but you can take your ass right on back to the past. I’m keeping my Animal.”

  “I love you, Remington Marshall. It was a mission to get you, and God, the effort was bloody well worth it.” He attacks my mouth with a deep, brutal kiss that leaves me gasping for air and jelly kneed by the time he pulls back.

  “I love you too.”

  And I do. He’s the best bad bet I ever made, and I’m grateful I stayed all in for the hand that should never have won but took the pot.

  Epilogue

  Chase

  I’ve fought through broken ribs and sprained ankles and even that one time when Dec challenged me and dislocated my shoulder, but I swear to God, that pain is nowhere near what I feel now as I watch Remy gasp and huff for breath.

  “You get this kid out or I swear to God one of you bastards will lose an eye!”

  I resist the urge to laugh, and watch as the nurses roll their eyes, trying and failing to hide the humor they feel.

  “Rem, darlin’, you’ve been in labor less than two hours. You’ve got a long way to go,” Lena coos, leaning over to wipe a cool cloth over Remy’s brow.

  Gabe just sits and winces silently from his place in the corner. I see Brick, Dec and Hensley shift uneasily from foot to foot. Technically, they aren’t supposed to be in the delivery room, but Remy insisted, saying they saved her life and deserve to be here for this miracle.

  I personally think she wants them all to suffer as much as she is, but I’m not saying a bleeding word since their presence means I don’t have to go through this ordeal alone.

  “Chase?”

  I snap out of my thoughts and hustle over to her, feeling my heart rate increase
at the thought of my baby being in pain. I’ve spent over a decade watching over her and protecting her and yet this is something not even I, with all my power and money can take from her.

  “Yes, my darling.”

  “Don’t leave me.”

  “Never. You’re mine,” I whisper to her for the hundredth time, knowing that she’s not quite rational at the moment but that she needs the reassurance to combat the fear that this moment is bringing. “You will always be mine.”

  ***

  “Tell me again.”

  I chuckle and pull Alexander closer to my chest, my eyes lifting from his perfect little face to Remy’s tired, joy-filled gaze. Thirteen hours of labor and a lot of cursing later, my darling is exhausted but satisfied, her eyes drooping even as she fights her need for sleep.

  I understand this well since I’m dead on my feet but unable to relinquish this moment of pure, perfect bliss.

  “You win.”

  She grins as her eyes slide shut, her mouth tilting in that smug way that I taught her but bloody hate.

  “Tell me why.”

  I feel a chuckle rumble up my chest and blow out a silent laugh so as not to wake the baby because I know I will be saying these words for a while to satisfy her competitive streak.

  “You did something I can never do.”

  Her smile widens and I roll my eyes, ignoring the deep raspy chuckles that come from every corner of the room. The guys and Gabe are propped up, their own gazes soft as they take in Alexander, and then my wife.

  “Go on.”

  I close my eyes and hear a feminine giggle come from Lena. She’s half asleep in the recliner beside Gabe.

  “You’re strong and invincible and you rock, even though the curse jar is going to be full thanks to your clever tongue and inventiveness in that delivery room.”

  “More,” she breathes, on the very verge of sleep.

  I lean over and plant a soft kiss on her brow before pulling back.

  “You won because you caught me,” I whisper, groaning when Brick starts making kissy noises and Dec starts gagging.

  “Nope.”

  “No?”