Take All Of Me: A Brother’s Best Friend, Sibling Rivalry Romantic Suspense Novel (The Takers Series Book 1)

by Sienna Evans

  Lilly Cohen was her name, and there was one of her and two of us. Obviously, things were bound to get ugly. Brendan and I had taken turns tossing out one-liners. Brendan felt the obvious choice was himself, since he was older. I proved him wrong.

  —

  Lilly unbuckled my wide brown belt, removed it from the loops and handed it over to me with a sting in my palms. “We’ll need that later,” she whispered, turning red. Her words then came softer, “In case I start acting up.” I enjoyed how much she tried to seem innocent. But I knew better. When her father had first introduced us, she’d tried flirting with me in plain sight. Broads like her were a dime a dozen. I knew that now, but back then, that was everything to me and Brendan. When he was running errands between the office and Mr. Cohen’s warehouses, I snuck back to the house for alone time.

  With the house cleared out, we had nothing but time on our hands. Normally, this would never have happened. Our escapades typically consisted of quickies or rough sex in tiny places. She was greedy and needed more. As much as Cohen wanted to believe his daughter was innocent, twenty-four-year-old Lilly was anything but.

  And then came a knock at the downstairs door. Not just any normal knock. The person on the opposite side was laying it in heavy and steady. I liked to believe I had a sixth sense on matters like this, but when getting off was front and center, most men didn't know the first thing about common sense.

  “Who is that?” she whined, wiggling around on the sheets below me.

  “Trouble. Are you expecting somebody else?” My arms remained locked at her sides, the milky white shade from her skin had me feeling like she was this ultimate prize to be claimed and treasured.

  With each passing second, the noise grew louder from outside. The walls seemed to reverberate to the point of contracting fully. I got off of Lilly, drawn to the noise like fire. She encouraged me to ignore it, but I couldn't. The closer I got to the upstairs window, the heavier the beats to my chest. And as I stood there, ready to press my forehead to the glass, a familiar car caught my attention from the driveway. It was parked sideways, blocking anyone from coming or going.

  Just then, Brendan appeared. He stepped into the sunlight splattered across the lawn. His head tilted upwards, like he knew exactly where I'd be. Our eyes landed on each other and I knew I was done for.

  —

  Brendan's men took me to One Police Plaza, not the precinct. The entire time I was in the back of the squad car, I couldn't completely wrap my mind around the fact that my brother allowed his minions to ship me off like a criminal. Every few minutes I'd nod or shake my head in disbelief. I know what it might've seemed like, but Brendan should've never allowed it to go this far. No matter what, he was lucky I didn't kill him for disrespecting me.

  I didn't fight the men when they used extra force to escort me up the pavement and through the doors of the police headquarters. Even with it being super early in the morning, the place was filled with criminals. Whether they were actually guilty or not, one arrest could get you labeled. But instead of taking me through the routine, they kept moving to a partially hidden office with Detective Brendan K. Michaels scribbled on a bronze nameplate. I yanked away as they removed the cold cuffs from my wrists. Without wanting to openly breathe a sigh of relief, I shrugged and shuffled until there was close to two feet separating us.

  “Wait here,” one of the guys ordered in his best douchebag tone. He swung an arm up and prepared to place it at the center of my chest. All it took was one look to deflect.

  “Are you letting me go?” I got ready to step around them. There was no need to cause a scene in here of all places. And I wasn’t sure how I was going to react when I saw Brendan.

  “Have a seat,” the other replied, “otherwise, I'm sure we can find something that'll stick.”

  Then in the distance, I saw my brother’s shadow round the corner wearing a different shirt. His shoulders were cocked back, and head held high, though his face had different shades of red from the beat down I'd handed out. Overall, he looked even more busted up than I remembered. He paused to acknowledge some guys, and even had time to joke with others standing out in the hallway.

  I didn't immediately sit down on either of the two-winged chairs on the other side of the desk. Not even a matching sofa nearby. My feet didn't venture beyond the second set of tiles on the inside of the door. The office was a typical man cave. Yeah, that's my brother all right. He moved through the place like he was king of the jungle. By the time he maneuvered into the office, our eyes were fixed. If his was a reflection of mine, no one would've likely believed we were anything beyond enemies.

  Brendan had one arm hidden behind his back. “Take this,” he said, slamming a folder in front of my chest.

  I reluctantly took the file to gaze at it, some pages with scribble. I never really thought beyond that moment, at least not until I followed him further into the room. I was still fuming, so it was useless to try to decipher the scribble on or inside of the folder. I needed an explanation. Me getting handcuffed and being brought here was low for a man who was supposed to be my brother.

  “Please, have a seat.” His eyes fell on me while he touched the tip of his fingers together in a praying motion.

  After one loud puff, I finally plopped down on a nearby chair. Brendan took his. My eyes passed over the title scribbled in blue ink on the folder and zoned in.

  Greyson Michaels.

  “What is this?” I demanded. My palm crashed down the desk.

  “I'm doing you a favor. You could've landed in a lot of crap for assaulting a police officer, the head detective at that.” He was smug as usual.

  God knows I felt a certain level of satisfaction for his pain. “Favor?” I faked a choke. “You've only ever focused on self-preservation, Brendan. I just want to get out of here―”

  “And get to Celeste?” The question was bitter as hell. It lingered in the air for a few seconds. I wasn't shocked that he'd tossed out the question. Just irritated as hell.

  “That's what this is all about—Celeste?”

  “Adam is going to blow up,” Brendan enunciated in slow, deep words. His eyes avoided mine. I followed his gaze straight ahead to nothing but a bare, coffee-colored wall.

  “Look, I'm done here.” I stood to my feet, still curious enough to reach for and hold tightly onto the Manila folder. The door reopened. A slick, honey-colored broad with wavy brown hair pulled into a bun stepped in without saying a word. She leaned to her right and winked at my brother. They clearly had this secret exchange going on. Knowing Brendan, I could only imagine.

  “Detective Michaels, I can take over from here.” She smiled, showing a mouthful of glistening white teeth between fuchsia painted lips which complimented her rich skin tone. Her slim hips seemed magnified by a gray pencil skirt, while a white shirt had the top three buttons unhooked. Her tits glistened; this broad revealed more than a little of her assets. She looked out of place, like she should've been on the cover of Playboy instead of working in a precinct.

  With a Cheshire grin spread across his lips, Brendan exited and drew in the door behind him. I could almost swear he'd inhaled in the process. The faintest, most provocative scent gnawed away at any real man's masculinity. I mashed a smile and tossed my head left to right.

  “You guys look so much alike.” Her words were just as alluring as her presence. Put me in the mindset of Lilly Cohen. And a horrible sense of Déjà vu came over me. My fists grew larger as I contracted my fingers inward. The entire time, I made certain to keep my eyes on this broad. She slid into the seat next to me, on the same side of the desk and paused for a reply. The furthest thing from my mind was having small talk with some stranger, and especially not someone tied up with my brother.

  “What do you want?” I blurted out after about thirty-seconds.

  “Not subtle, huh?” Her smile got wide again. I could tell she was used to getting her way with men, probably some women too. With one leg crossed over the other, she was aiming to
set something up. I knew this type. I’ve been around them most of my life. “I've heard so much about you, Greyson.”

  “I've heard nothing about you…” I paused; only now aware I didn't know her name.

  She nodded and smiled seductively. “Naila Sanchez. I'm sorry. I'm Brendan's boss.”

  “Sarg?” I teased, though more for a reaction.

  She laughed hard and pressed her arms on her gut. “Do I look like a Sargent? You can just call me Naila. Please, have a seat. Your brother has told me an awful lot about you.”

  The way she accentuated the “awful” rode me long and hard. I knew what this was about. There was a reason I stayed clear of family or even this area. They either hated me enough to avoid any real interaction or hated me enough to want to use me. There was no middle ground. Not an ounce of hope or love either. Because of what some might've called my bad choices in the past, I'd alienated myself from family. Brendan played on this. Most of the time, I wished I could make things better. But to do that would mean the total collapse of this convoluted life where I seemed destined to be the underdog.

  Celeste

  I went straight to the headquarters. Sure, it was Brendan's area, but I hoped Greyson was taken there. I was terrified. Between the guys from the club and Brendan's drama, I still hoped I could trust the police to protect me. But as I made the journey up the front of the building, sourness settled in my gut.

  Who was I kidding?

  What was I going to say?

  And most importantly, was I getting ready to commit career suicide by coming up against either of my new enemies?

  I stopped moving forward, knees buckled. I reached a new level of uncertainty unlike ever before. My heart ached. My body felt beaten. My mind threatened to explode. Prickles of sweat inundated the back of my neck and shoulders.

  “I should've known you'd turn up here.”

  I might've gasped, if I had any strength remaining. When you've got nothing left to hold onto, weakness somehow becomes a comfort. Since I was still depleted, I only managed to say a silent prayer as Brendan's arms gripped. His embrace cut off my circulation.

  “We need to talk.”

  “Look, Brendan, I want no part of this. None of this,” I blurted out.

  He redirected our bodies so that we were now heading off to the side. My feet dragged on the concrete ground. I'd put my heels back on, so running wasn't an option now. One way or another, I couldn't escape his grip. To anyone looking on, we might've only been a cuddling couple. In truth, his fingers were digging into my arms. And the sicko even had the nerve to have an erection pressed to me.

  “You're making me want you, Celeste.”

  I got a sinking feeling in my gut. “What happened to you, Brendan? You're not this person.”

  “You don't know a thing about me,” he grunted. I looked sideways at the kid I'd literally seen grow into a man. I no longer recognized him. His gingery hair made his eyes transform into an evil shade of red.

  “You're a cop! A detective!”

  “What’s your point?” His lips were paper thin, unlike Greyson’s sensual ones. Before this minute, I'd always believed they looked exactly alike. That's a privilege Brendan would never again get. I now gazed into the face of a monster. His eyes had taken on a darkness I'd never once seen in Greyson’s.

  “You're disgusting!” I spat.

  “Get away from her,” Greyson popped up out of nowhere, and my fears immediately subsided. I yanked out of Brendan's hold and tripped perfectly into Greyson’s arms, which I gladly melted into. “Don't you ever touch her again!” He shot past me.

  “Or what?” Brendan barked back.

  Although I was pressed to his chest, Greyson didn't back down. “This is going to take you out. Don't get too comfortable on your throne.”

  “Oh, but that's where you're wrong, little brother. When you're owed favors by the major players, you pretty much own them. And when you own your enemies and allies, no one can dethrone you. No one. You should know that.” Brendan’s words trailed behind us. His laughter carried along. I peered behind us for a quick second as two guys approached him. Even with the busted-up face, he reeled with self-confidence.

  Greyson’s arms wrapped around my waist. He held me near, though his grip still managed to get even tighter by the second. And I allowed him to lead me away from this stressful night, in exchange for the passion we'd left behind hours ago.

  Celeste

  Warmth flushed over the sides of my head, right at the temples. I felt my cheeks burning. I rubbed them and thanked God it was still early in the day. Either way, I didn't care about my appearance, only that Greyson had come to my rescue. He drove me home. Neither of us commented on the obvious things racing through our minds. That was okay with me. With the new day, I considered this a do-over. We got to my place within fifteen minutes after a bout of deafening silence the whole way up on FDR Drive.

  After parking, we wasted no time in getting upstairs to my little sanctuary. Once the door shut behind us, I fell into his arms.

  “Did he hurt you?” Greyson asked.

  “Who, Brendan?”

  “Did any of them hurt you, Celeste, including my brother, especially my brother.” After squeezing my upper arms, he pulled me close until I could smell a hint of alcohol on his breath. I needed his lips crushing into mine. Staring up at him as this crazy energy swirled around us; I was willing to give into him again. But then he let me go. After kicking off his boots, he flopped down on the edge of my bed. His fingers locked, they reached up to settle on the top of his head.

  “I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this all. Is Brendan working with those guys?” I hadn’t moved from the center of my tiny place. Visions of the night weighed on my mind. I needed answers, since I wasn't able to get closure.

  “Leave it alone, Celeste,” he mumbled under his breath, but gave nothing more.

  “I can't! He's in with the guys responsible for Quinn's death!”

  “I swear, Celeste―”

  “You swear what exactly? You need to understand.” And in spite of my better judgment, I walked up to him. “She wouldn't have been in New York if I hadn't brought her there. She wouldn't have met those criminals if I hadn't taken her out. And she would still be alive if I'd have just stayed in with my cousin. So, if it's my life, that's the least I owe her.” Tears escaped down my face, plopping one after the other on top of his head.

  Greyson's arms slipped around me. I let him yank me closer until I pressed into his face. The silence all around us was comforting. It allowed me to feel closer to him without any distractions. In fact, our words were the only things capable of letting either of us down now.

  “What were you going to do, CeCe?” he mumbled under his breath.

  “What?” I'd gotten so caught up in out closeness.

  “The guy in the car. You went to him. Seems like you baited him.” His palm crushed against my jaw before blowing a delicate kiss to my lips. “Those people are twisted. I know them.”

  “How well do you know them?”

  “I know their type, Celeste. You shouldn’t have—”

  “I needed to know who took my cousin and who killed her and if it meant I would get to take out just one of them, then I would feel some sort of pleasure…”

  “You were willing to get yourself killed for revenge?” His hold loosened. He took in my bottom lips between his teeth. Bolts of lightning raced up and down my spine. As cheesy as it might seem, Greyson threw me over the edge. And I was ready for the free fall, as long as I landed on top of him.

  “Don't. Not now,” I begged, reluctantly pulling away.

  “Don't what, CeCe?” He pulled back, forcing my face into his.

  I breathed heavy in response. My nipples sparked; the tips gently rubbed on my dress. This didn't slip him. I watched his fingers reach out for them. My lips formed to make a smart comment, but my mind was way too slow. I couldn't move as he pinched me harder and harder through my dress. The pain grew p
rogressively, and I got swept away by the bittersweet tingles riding all over my body until he cupped my breasts with both hands.

  I wiggled and twirled, starting with my chest and ending with my waist. He gripped me so hard…so incredibly good; vicious might've been a better description.

  Greyson lowered his head. I froze as his mouth attacked my breasts. He didn't slip away the dress, but instead suckled on my nipples one after the other.

  “Grey…” I mumbled.

  I'm not sure he heard my cry because he didn't say a word. He didn't stop. He kept at it in beast mode for what seemed like forever. And then suddenly, he pulled away. His arms squeezed my shoulders.

  “I'm crazy about you, CeCe. I would've taken down anyone in my path.” Funny thing, I knew he wasn't exaggerating. But this was a road I wanted to steer clear of.

  “Don't CeCe me,” I whispered, and then nibbled on the inside of my mouth.

  “Celeste.” He then nodded before turning to walk away. “It's about eight.”

  “Oh. You have an appointment or something?” I prayed silently that he didn't. Saturday's were usually study days for me, but I knew my focus would be off.

  “Don't you need to study for your exam?”

  “I'm good―”

  “No. I have things to do. When I'm done, I'll come back. For now, don't leave. Don't open your door. And don't answer your phone for anyone but me.”

  “Can I come with you?”

  “Did you think I was going to leave without making you cum first?”

  And that quickly, my fears flew off. He removed my clothes. I returned the favor. A pile built up at the foot of the bed, which we didn't think about again.