by Amelia Shea
“Nice to meet you. Can I get you some coffee or water?”
Great, and she was nice.
Kenzie tightened her lips in a strained smile. “No, thank you.”
Corissa nodded and turned to leave closing the door behind her.
Kenzie batted down the slight twinge of jealousy rising. She had no right to be jealous. She had no claim to him, and obviously being with her hadn’t meant much to him if he was blatantly flirting with the woman in front of her. She pushed her foot against the floor and created distance between her and Bogs. She stared across the table at the empty seat as her seat moved further away. The whole scene between him and the blonde was a shot to her pride.
She felt his eyes on her, but she kept her gaze forward until T spoke.
“You’re fucked,” he said matter of fact.
She whipped her head to him. “What?”
He leaned closer, raised a brow and pointed at her. “You’re. Fucked.”
Stone sighed and pulled the seat out next to T and sat down. He nodded his chin at her but spoke directly to Bogs as though she wasn’t even there.
“Reached out to my buddy who does the fights sometimes. Had him give Dante a call. Fucking backfired. Now, I got fucking Dante blowing up my phone, wanting me to hand deliver her ass.” He hooked his thumb and motioned to Kenzie.
Oh, fuck! Her stomach dropped, and her breakfast was threatening to make an appearance.
“What if we just give back the money?” Kenzie blurted, inserting herself into the conversation.
Stone gave a mocking laugh. “You don’t fucking get it, sweetheart. It doesn’t matter. You could give back double the amount you fucking took, and he won’t give a shit. He’s still going to make you pay for stealing from him in the first place. A chick walks into his place and walks away with twelve thousand dollars. You know what that says about him?”
They hadn’t thought that far in their plan. Taylor just made it sound like he probably wouldn’t even notice, and if they returned it, there would be no hard feelings.
Bogs sat up. “You talk to him directly?”
“Yeah, I did. Said he’d give us a few days to drop her off.”
“Okay, so I’ll just talk to him. Explain the situation and apologize. I have some money in savings.” She gulped thinking of how long it had taken her to save it. “It’s not the full twelve, but it’s almost half. Maybe I can pay him a little each week from my paycheck.”
Stone snickered. “Like a payment plan?”
“Well, yeah.” She sensed that was the wrong answer the second the words slipped past her lips.
Bogs groaned, running his hands over his face. “Oh fuck.”
Stone chuckled, and T gave her a look that told her he didn’t think she was the brightest crayon in the box. “Dante doesn’t do payment plans. Look, Kenzie, truthfully, it’s not you he wants. He wants Taylor. She’s the one who conned him into getting into the club in the first place. She’s the one who made the grab. As far as Dante’s concerned, you were merely a bystander.”
“Well, that’s good then. Right?”
Stone smirked. “You wanna take that one, Bogs?”
Bogs swiveled her seat to face Kenzie. “Not quite. You may not be the one he’s after, but he’s not just gonna let you go as long as Taylor’s on the run. If he thinks he can use you to get to her, he will. And right now, with Taylor in the wind, he’ll come for you.”
“Oh God.”
“Give up your friend, and you’re safe,” T said as if her problems would be solved if she threw her best friend under the bus. Where was this man’s sense of loyalty?
“I can’t do that,” she said firmly. They could try and talk her out of it, but she would refuse.
“Well, then as I said before…you’re fucked.” T leaned back in his chair. He didn’t seem too concerned with her current situation.
She started nibbling on the corner of her pinky. A large hand covered her wrist and slowly lowered it to the armrest. She glanced over to see Bogs. His face was serene and calm making the churning in her stomach settle a bit.
“What’s our next move? I take it Dante knows we got Kenzie, so hanging at my place isn’t gonna work. Any ideas?”
“Dad’s?”
Dad? Whose dad? She scanned the room, making note that while they were all attractive in their own way, none of them looked anything like one another. There’s no way they were brothers, right? She peered closer at Stone, then to Bogs, and back to T. There was no inkling of a resemblance.
Bogs shook his head. “Won’t work.”
Stone chuckled. “Why, ’cause Dad has the ‘no fucking unless you’re married’ rule?”
T snorted. “Like that ever stopped him.”
Bogs raised his hand giving his brother the middle finger. Kenzie watched as he made a face at his brother. For all the cursing and yelling they did with one another, she could definitely see the bond they all shared. She refused to blush again with Stone’s comment. They were two grown consenting adults, having sex was none of their business. Then stop blushing.
“Jonah?” T said.
She had no clue who the man was, but Bogs nodded in thought. “I’ll make the call, see if he can help us out. I’ll reach out to Trent, see where he’s at, and give him the info about Dante. Stone, next time he calls you give him my number.”
Stone looked between T and Bogs. “You sure?”
“Yeah, man. I’ll handle it.”
Stone looked over at Kenzie. He seemed to be searching for something in her face though she didn’t know what. His face softened, and he nodded looking back to Bogs. “All right.”
T and Stone got up together and left the room. Leaving Bogs and Kenzie alone.
“Your things are in the corner.” He pointed behind her. “Had Stone grab some shit from your place, clothes and stuff.” He shrugged. “Can’t be sure you’ll be happy with what he packed but at least you’ll have some of your stuff.” She glanced over to see her duffle bag filled and her work bag piled on top. “I got some calls to make but give me a shout if ya need anything.” Bogs stood up and walked around the table.
“Bogs? I’m sorry I got you into this mess.”
He smiled. “I’m not.” He winked and closed the door behind him.
»»•««
He stopped in the hallway, glancing down the narrow hallway to see Stone’s office door open. There was something his brother wasn’t telling him. He could sense he wasn’t exactly giving him the whole story in front of Kenzie. He appreciated it. It was best not to completely scare the hell out of her. Bogs, on the other hand, wanted to hear everything.
He entered the office and Stone didn’t bother looking up. That was the thing with brothers—they knew each other.
“How bad?’ Bogs said, settling into the empty chair across from Stone.
His brother looked up and rested his pen on the desk before leaning back in his own seat. His face said it all without detail. Kenzie was in some serious danger.
“He needs to set an example—he made that clear, man. With Taylor in the wind, that falls on Kenzie.”
“What did he say?”
Stone sighed. “We either bring her to him or…”
“He’ll come for her.”
“Yeah.”
“Fuck, man.” This was worse than he’d thought. Protecting Kenzie was a given, but he had no idea what he was up against with Dante. They pretty much knew all the criminals in the area, from the small time to the big players. Dante fell somewhere in the middle. But he was eager to make a name for himself, and letting some random girl steal from him and get away with it was not in his plan, he knew that for sure.
“Get in touch with Jonah, see what he’s got. We’ll handle the shit on this end. Told him we need a few days. I may have given him the impression we’d find Taylor and give her up instead.”
Bogs raised his eyebrows. “Not giving up either one, Stone.”
“I know, but the other one seems a bit mor
e street smart. Hell, she’s got fucking Trent running in circles.” He chuckled. “Better to keep his focus on Taylor and keep your girl far from his focus.”
It made sense. If anyone on their own would be caught first, it would Kenzie.
“All right.” Bogs got up and walked to the door. He’d need to make the call to Jonah fast.
“So, this thing you got with her. Serious?”
Bogs stifled a laugh. “Why? Ya think she’d make a good sister-in-law?”
Stone smirked. “Got enough of those.” He shook his head. “Better make sure none of the girls find out you’re hiding out with her though. Lots of payback coming your way.”
“Payback? For what, the girls love me.”
Stone snickered. “Yeah, and they can’t wait ’til you fall like the rest of us suckers.”
Bogs walked out. A smile played on his lips. The girls would have their payback. It was bound to happen for all the shit he’d dished out with them. The girls would definitely get their revenge because he knew resisting Kenzie was nearly impossible.
Bogs spent the rest of the day in his office, clearing the job for tonight and finishing up the research. Stone and T were heading out to pick up a jumper. Bogs was originally supposed to go with them.
Bogs grabbed his phone and made the call to Jonah. He had known Jonah for years, but it had been a long time since he’d seen him. He came back to the Houston area about a year ago. He was a construction contractor who had just finished up his brother Ethan’s office building. Talented and smart with a tragic backstory. He curled his neck, cracking his tense bones.
The phone rang three times, and he was prepped to leave a voicemail when Jonah answered.
“Yeah?”
“Hey man, it’s Bogs Garrison.”
The silence was expected. There was history amongst his brothers and Jonah. They hadn’t kept in contact with him since they fulfilled their job. He’d left town, and they’d never heard from him again, except for Ethan. Those two remained in contact.
“Been meaning to reach out.” He paused. “How’s it going, Bogs?”
“Good. Saw the work you did for E. Sweet, man. Didn’t even recognize the place.”
Jonah laughed. “Yeah, it was a hell of a job.”
“How you been?” Bogs hated the tension in his voice.
“Same shit, different day.”
“I hear that. Glad you’re back.” Bogs chuckled in an effort to keep it light. “Need a favor.”
“From me?” There was no denying the surprise in his voice.
“Yeah, if you can help me out.”
“Name it.” And there it was. Jonah would forever feel indebted to him and his brothers. Bogs hated that. He didn’t owe them anything, but Jonah saw it differently. He was surprised when Ethan mentioned him being back in town and working on the new building. They all assumed when he left that he’d never be back.
“Need a place to hide out. Not me, but a girl. Thought maybe you had something you were working on, reclusive, maybe stash her there while I get shit sorted out.”
Jonah burst out laughing which made Bogs smile. “You wanna stash a girl? Holy fuck, man, that’s the last thing I expected you to say.”
“I know it sounds fucked, but it’s a job, got someone after her, need to lay low. I’ll be with her, so I’m not asking you to look out for her, just need a place, no one can link us to.”
Jonah snorted. “Is she good looking?”
“Yeah, and she’s mine,” Bogs said firmly.
Jonah chuckled. “Gotcha. Gotta place about an hour north. Real secluded, working slowly on the job, it’s not exactly bare bones, but it’s rough. As long as you don’t mind roughing it, it’s yours.”
“I owe you, man.”
“No, you don’t.” In those three small words, so much more was meant and he knew it. The silence for the next few seconds had Bogs speechless. “When do ya need it?”
“Tomorrow, if possible?”
“All right, how about we meet up there after work? I’ll text you the directions.”
“Thanks, man, I appreciate it.”
“Later,” was all he said.
Bogs turned back to his computer, pulling up his file marked ‘Kenzie.’ This was the first time he’d ever dug deeper into a woman who was anything more than a job. If he was honest with himself, he’d admit from the first sight he got of her he knew she’d be hard to forget.
As he typed away at the keyboard, he was struck with a feeling he didn’t have often. Guilt. Digging into her past wouldn’t be necessary if she would just open up to him, but he figured that wouldn’t be happening. At least, not yet. She may be interested in being bunkmates, but he was sure Kenzie would keep her private life private.
He filtered through the file pulling up the identical information he’d already gotten on her. He knew she’d moved with her dad and brother to the area when she was in her early teens. Mom had died when she was younger. She was never in trouble with the law, got good grades, went to college, and had good credit.
He pulled up a link to the software he used often. He sat back in his chair and stared at it. Decision time. How deep was he willing to dig? If she had been some random jumper or associate, there would be no hesitation. He’d get as much information as needed and cross all ethical boundaries to get it. But this was Kenzie. It was different, personal. Her past coming from her would be so much better. He felt as though he was about to break trust with her.
He sighed, leaning forward. He’d worry about the consequences later.
He spent the next twenty minutes pulling everything he could on Kenzie and her family. There was more than he imagined. He was struck with shock as he read articles and court documents. By the time Stone came into his office and sat across from him, his mind was shot and his whole body riddled with tension and anger.
“You look like you’re ready to kill. What’s goin’ on?”
Bogs closed the computer and leaned up on his desk, bearing all his weight on his elbows. He lifted his chin up, gesturing to the door. Across the hall was Kenzie.
“You got something on her?”
“Yeah.” His voice croaked.
Stone snorted. “Well, from the looks of you, it ain’t good. The sweet innocent Kenzie got skeletons in her closet.” Stone hooked his ankle over his knee and leaned deeper into his seat. Bogs stared at his brother. From the look on his face, he was expecting something juicy, maybe scandalous for her past. It was, but not in the way Stone thought.
“Her mom. She was killed ten years ago. Murdered actually.”
“You serious?”
“Yeah. Wrong place, wrong time scene. Convenience store was being robbed.”
“Shit, man, poor kid.”
“They get the guy?”
“Yeah, did a few upstate.”
“A few?” Stone’s tone was incredulous, which made perfect sense to Bogs. Murderers usually spent their lives behind bars not a few years.
“He was convicted of the robbery but not the murder. From what I can gather he took a plea.” Bogs snorted in disgust. “Fucking prosecutor was quoted as saying, ‘at least he’ll do time.’” Bogs shook his head. “Yeah, that must have been some consolation to Kenzie’s family. She loses her mom, and this guy loses four years.”
“What are ya thinkin’?”
“Nothing.”
Stone sighed. “Bogs, man, we can look into it.”
“No.”
He knew what Stone was getting at, but for Kenzie, it wasn’t an option, not his girl. He wasn’t going to make her an offer. She’d be guilted by turning down or worse, scarred from taking.
“This stays in this room.”
Stone nodded. There weren’t many secrets between the brothers, but there was also no need for anyone else, including wives to know about this. Hell, the guilt was so strong, even Bogs wished he didn’t know. It was something that he’d want coming from her because she trusted him and wanted to share.
He’d ju
st fucked that up.
Chapter Nine
Kenzie packed up her computer into her bag and got the rest of her stuff organized. Bogs had stuck his head in the conference room about five minutes ago, saying they were leaving.
She barely recovered from their lunch together a few hours ago, and now she was about to spend the night with him again. Lunch had started out simple with sandwiches and drinks he brought in. The conversation was minimal, but his eyes on her made her squirm in her seat. There was something different about the way he looked at her. The lust was still front and center, but there was something else. Curiosity in the way he gazed over her as if he were trying to figure her out. He left and she hadn’t seen him since.
She gathered her things and walked out the door heading to the lobby. The sound of his voice followed by a soft giggle slowed her pace. She crept up quietly.
“Does that line actually work on women, Bogs?”
“They fall for it every time.” He laughed. She rounded the bend and stopped, taking in the sight. He was standing behind Corissa who was sitting at her desk. She was working on the computer and Bogs was standing behind her massaging her shoulders.
The pit in her stomach turned harshly like a knife stabbing into her and turning slowly. Less than twelve hours ago he was inside her, and now he was moving on with his next conquest. How humiliating. She watched as Corissa shook her head and laughed again.
They were familiar with each other, making her think this was a repeat conquest. Jeez, did he have a work fuck buddy and she was supposed to be his at-home other woman? Screw this guy. She obviously was a bad judge of character. He wasn’t interested in anything more than sleeping with her. What did you expect? There were few emotions that cut her to the core but being made a fool was definitely one of them, top on her list.
She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. Fine, it was just sex, and it wouldn’t happen again. She ignored the regret that there wouldn’t be a second round with Bogs.
“Hey,” she said, catching their attention as they glanced over. She expected to see guilt on their faces. Instead, Corissa smiled, and Bogs kept his hands on her shoulders. Neither one of them seemed affected that she saw them.
