Olivia shook her head. Wasn’t much to be done about it.
She jumped when her shoes landed on the floor, and Reed fell into the chair beside her. He leaned his big frame down and lifted up her sore foot. He examined the tender flesh. It wasn’t near as painful as yesterday, but the swelling was still there, and her skin had turned a purple-green color that was less than flattering.
When she looked up from her foot, she found him staring at her with concern.
“Can you wear them?” he said, nodding at the shoes.
Something twitched deep inside her at his gentle words.
She nodded and watched in shock as stooped the gather her shoes. He slowly slid the shoe on and tested the fit. It was snug, but she thought it would work. After all, she had been able to do quite a bit in them yesterday, and her ankle had been in much worse shape.
As if catching his bizarre behavior, Reed lowered her foot to the floor and quickly slid on the other one. Without another word, he stood from the table and grabbed his keys.
She worked herself into a standing position. When she turned, Marilyn was standing in front of her with a cloth bag.
“It was so lovely meeting you, dear,” she said and squeezed Olivia’s arm. “Here’s dinner and some plates. Who knows how long it will be,” she said as she turned to glare at her son. “He’s never very good about this.”
“Thank you, Marilyn. It’s very kind of you.” Olivia smiled warmly. Despite how hot and cold her son might be, Marilyn was nothing but warmth and sunshine.
“You can return the favor by brining my son to dinner on Sunday.” Her eyes twinkled as she spoke, and Olivia knew she was planning on a little matchmaking while she had the chance.
“I don’t really know if I’ll be here,” Olivia started.
“Fine, Mom. We’ll see you Sunday,” Reed cut in.
Olivia’s head snapped up to stare at him. He stood impatiently, glancing at his cell.
She turned back to Marilyn to turn down the invitation but having gotten the reply she was looking for, the older woman quickly made her way to the door.
“You two be careful, and I’ll see you Sunday.” And like that, she was out the door.
Anger seeped into her veins as she turned to Reed.
“Dinner?” she spat out.
“She wasn’t going to let it drop, and we have places to go,” he said nonchalantly and walked to the garage door.
Olivia seethed at his arrogance. As it was, she was forced into the crappy situation. It wasn’t that she wasn’t looking forward to seeing the other side of his life or seeing Marilyn. She was sick and tired of letting someone else call the shots. It had taken years for her to fully gain her independence, and she’d be damned if she was going to hand it over.
“You coming or what?” he shouted from the garage.
Irritated, she stomped her way to the Jeep and slammed the door.
Olivia sat in silence, thinking of all the ways she could hurt Ben when his sorry ass finally showed up. Getting creative wasn’t proving to be a problem.
Chapter Seven
Reed walked with ease through the large warehouse he referred to as the office. It was really not much of an office but more a training facility with several big conference areas. However, it did contain one office, and he supposed that was good enough.
Back when he first started, he would work from home, but he found it easier to keep work and home separate. Especially with what happened last time he decided to mix the two.
He glanced back at Olivia. She stared wide-eyed at the large training room they were passing through. It must have seemed so strange to see the large variety of equipment they used, but he expected his staff to not just be fit but ready for anything. They had the typical stuff you’d find at most gyms, but their training went far beyond typical. Rappel ropes lined one wall, and a sparing mat took up one corner.
She visibly jumped at the pops of the guns in the distance.
“It’s from the firing range,” he said gruffly. “We’re safe.”
She smiled weakly at him.
Reed turned back around and led her up the stairs to his office overlooking the training room. It had once been the office for the warehouse supervisor when it was a manufacturing center. He wasn’t so fond of the location, but it made the most sense for an office. There were two large conference rooms down the hall, and he really didn’t want to convert the space.
As he opened the door to let her in, Reed turned to see many of the men watching with open curiosity and interest. Anger strummed through him as he stared back at him. He knew what they were thinking. Hell he’d thought it a time or two himself. He’d have to be blind not to be interested in Olivia, but this was strictly business, and he wasn’t about to let one of these schmucks fuck it up.
He glared at the men and slammed the door behind him. Once inside, he pulled the blinds on the large windows looking out and smiled smugly when several men hurried to look busy. He turned to watch her stroll around the room.
It wasn’t particularly small. File cabinets lined on wall next to his rather large desk. A few chairs in front of the desk and a sofa on the other wall allowed for more than enough seating. It suited his needs, and he liked the space.
Olivia quietly placed the lasagna on his desk. When she spotted her bag on the couch, she smiled brightly. The shock of her smile sparked something deep in him, and he felt other areas rise with anticipation. Reed swiped a hand across is neck and tried to control his overactive body. He watched in silence as she leaned over to examine her bag. As she leaned over, her plump backside came into perfect view. He closed his eyes and tried to picture anything else but what he’d like to be doing. His mouth ran dry at the thought.
Reed shook his head and cleared his throat. Whatever it was about this woman, he needed to get it under control. There was no way he could deal with the mess her brother had created if he was too busy thinking about where he'd like to stick his dick.
“I’ve got a meeting to attend,” he said. Irritation crept in as he thought about her tempting ways. “Make yourself at home, and I’ll be back soon.”
Without another word he walked out the door into the cool air of the hallway. He stared back at the door, wondering what she might be thinking. She might not be in league with her brother, but this woman was far from naïve. Frustration bloomed in him. Best he could hope was that things progressed quickly, and the documents would make their way to him. Otherwise they might be up shit creek with the client.
Reed scrubbed his face hard with his hand.
“What a clusterfuck,” he mumbled.
“No shit.”
Cage strolled down the hall and stood in front of him.
“I was just coming to get you.” Cage flashed him and easy smile. “Everyone is set in the main room.”
With a curt nod, Reed led the way to the conference room.
“Any word from Viktor?”
Cage shook his head. “No word from the Russians yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”
“I’ll say,” Reed grumbled and rubbed his tender rib. “You can bet the Kelly clan will be dropping in as well.”
He groaned inwardly at the thought. Last thing he wanted was to deal with the Russians and the Irish, but there was nothing to be done about it. Despite not wanting to be in the middle of this mess, Reed had found himself firmly planted there.
“I’ll have Liam keep an ear out,” Cage said.
“He’s not going to like that.” Reed rounded the corner and stopped just outside the room.
“No, he won’t, but he knows his family connection to the Kellys means something.”
“Yeah, it means trouble.” Reed eyed the red-headed man through the window.
“You just don’t like that Meg’s hot on him.” Cage chuckled.
Reed narrowed his eyes. No, he didn’t like that. But how was he supposed to feel? Letting his baby sister fall for a man connected to people like that? He knew what getting mixed up wi
th organized crime got you, and he wouldn’t take pleasure in seeing her zipped in a bag.
“Let me know if we hear from Finn. He’s been groomed to take over as the head and one to watch out for,” Reed said with a scowl. “He’s smart and making some different moves.”
“Liam said Finn is pulling out of the gun business. He doesn’t like all the channels they have to go through, and the Feds are pressing in. He’s even looking at some legit ventures. I’ve heard he’s been sniffing around a few buildings for something.”
“Buildings?” Reed couldn’t mask the surprise in his voice. He hadn’t heard this news and wondered if Finn could even pull it off. “Keep me posted.”
“Are we going to start this shit or what?” The angry face of Ryder popped through the door.
No matter how many times Reed had looked at his brother, his eyes were drawn to the jagged scar running along his face. The scar he had caused. Bile caught in his throat as he tried to control his emotions.
Ryder glared at him. His anger suffocated the air around them.
Stunned by his sudden appearance, Reed nodded. The door slammed with a loud band as Ryder went back to his spot.
“Do you think he’s ever going to forgive you?” Cage said quietly from behind him.
Reed turned to him and shook his head. “No,” he said wistfully. “And I’m not so sure he should.”
After locking away his emotions about the past, Reed walked into the room. It was going to be a long and boring meeting.
***
“Son of a bitch,” Olivia fumed.
She sat quietly at Reed’s desk reading over the file.
It hadn’t really been her intention to go through his things, but then she hadn’t really done that. Not when it was just sitting on his desk waiting for all the world to see.
No, the yummy smells of lasagna had drawn her over to the desk first. The aroma had permeated the room and before she could even change, she had made her way over to the desk. The file hadn’t even stood out until she was seated and staring directly at it, the bold lettering knocking the wind out of her. OLIVIA CROSS.
Trembling with rage, she opened the folder, her food forgotten. There she was, smiling back in her college photo. It was all there. From college transcripts to driving record. But it was the next page that had her cursing. A full rundown on her mother.
No matter how far she removed herself from that life, it would always drag her back into its depths. Olivia stared, transfixed, at the hollow woman she once knew as her mother. When they were children, she looked so different. So young and full of life. Too bad that energy hadn’t been spent on her children. Olivia bit back the bitter tears that ached to fall.
The woman that stared back at her had seen hard times. There was a fresh scar across the bridge of her nose, and the eyebrow of one eye looked like it had also been split. This wasn’t much of a surprise to Olivia. Her mother always had a thing for rough men. The kind that would beat the shit out of a woman and then come after her kids if he could catch them. Then her mother would watch with smug satisfaction as someone else got a beating.
Misery loves company after all.
Olivia shivered as the memories came racing back and closed the doors as quickly as they had been opened. This was not the time she wanted to explore her mommy issues. After steeling herself for what might come next, she worked her way down the page. Looked like dear old mom had been busy. Her rap sheet had nearly doubled and included far more drug charges in the recent years. It would explain the gaunt look.
Shock rippled through her as she took in the name Tina Jones. She had heard her mother had a new boyfriend named Charlie but married? That was a surprise. Tina wasn’t one to stick around for too long. Things got hot and then cold pretty quick with most of the men she latched onto. There were many times Olivia could remember being tossed onto the street after the latest fling fizzled.
Olivia threw the file onto the desk and stared at it with disgust. It was most everything in her life that she didn’t want anyone to know.
As she stared, she spied another file lodged under the lasagna with her name in bold lettering once again at the top. She slid the pan off and stared at the manila front. Every fiber of her being screamed that this was going to be bad.
Olivia opened the file, read for a moment and then snapped it shut.
“Unfucking believable,” she said. Rage boiled in her as she shot out of the chair.
There were just some lines you didn’t cross.
***
“Cage and Mason, see if you can get a read on Neil. That little fucker has gone to ground, and I’d like to get my hands on him,” Reed said.
“You aren’t the only one,” Cage mumbled from the back of the room.
“It would be best if we could get ahold of him before the police do,” he said and the two nodded.
“Liam, you make contact with Finn. With all this backdoor involvement, he’ll likely have some insight.”
“What if we’re just adding fuel to the flame?” Liam fired back.
“I seriously doubt your cousin isn’t aware of what is going on.” Reed eyed him fiercely. He knew this was going to be a struggle, but they needed this connection. Finn might be their only chance of getting out with what they want and not have the Russians trying to take them out.
“Third cousin by marriage.” Liam looked away. His unease visible.
“We need this, or I wouldn’t ask,” Reed said quietly, drawing Liam’s eyes back on him.
With a curt nod, the discussion was over.
“Meg, I need you to do some digging on the senator. Something isn’t adding up in all this, and I don’t like it.” Reed scratched his face. Normally everything was pretty cut and dry in these cases. Senator Carson was up to something, and if it involved this sort of crowd, it wasn’t going to end well.
“Ryder, we need to know why the Russians got involved. That little piss-ant Neil doesn’t have pull like this unless he’s promised something good. Find out what the word is and see if you can flush out Ben. There’s only so many places someone like that could turn to.” Reed looked down at the file in front of him.
The kid had some petty stuff listed, but this was the big leagues. Ben getting ahold of anything to do with Ted Carson was more than bizarre.
“I’m afraid you can’t go in there,” a voice said outside the room.
Every head turned to the door. From the small window, he could see the back of Eric’s head, his training session interrupted by whoever was at the door.
“Reed Allen,” he could hear Olivia shouting through the door. He cringed. This was the last thing he needed. “Get out here and call off your goon, or I’m leaving right now.”
His head snapped up in irritation. Apparently, he had let this woman dictate things too often if she thought she would decide when he was finished with a meeting. Reed pushed back his chair and stormed over to the door. He swung it wide to look around Eric and glared at the very angry woman.
As soon as he was in her sites, she stormed around Eric and slapped something against Reed’s chest.
“Mind telling me what this is about?”
He stared at her for a moment, surprised by the reaction she always seemed to cause. Even angry she was amazing. Her light brown hair curled softly along her shoulders, bouncing slightly as she tapped her foot impatiently. Reed followed the curve of her neck to her slightly pink cheek and blazing blue eyes. If she could have shot lasers out of them, he would already be gone.
Olivia raised her eyebrow and stared pointedly at the folders in his hand.
Reed looked down.
“Shit,” he groaned.
“That’s what I thought,” she said and stomped down the hall.
Reed pulled himself back into the room.
“Dismissed,” he said and raced out after her.
No, this was not a good thing. He flipped through the contents of the top folder. Nothing terribly bad. It was mostly about her mother and her asso
ciates. Maybe it was slightly invasive to have her transcripts, but it mostly out of habit.
Reed closed the folder and pulled out the next one. He frowned. This wasn’t one he’d looked at yet and didn’t remember requesting more information.
After flipping it open, he scanned the document. The groan that followed only mildly covered his feelings. He closed the file, turned to his office and closed the door. In the dim light of the room, he could see she was gathering her things. She stopped and looked at him when the door clicked into place.
“I had nothing to do with digging into your juvenile record,” he said as he leaned against the door.
“Oh?” She dropped the bag onto the floor and stomped over to him. “And you didn’t dig into my criminal record or get my transcripts?”
She had moved so close that he could feel her breath on his chest. His arousal stirred as he continued to stare at her flushed face.
“I did,” he said quietly. “We had to take precautions. Things haven’t exactly been going to plan.”
“And things have been going just peachy for me?”
She leaned in fractionally closer, her body radiating heat. He watched as her lips parted, aware of their close proximity.
“I can’t do this,” she whispered.
“Do what?” he rumbled.
Reed watching as her sweet little tongue darted out to lick her lips. He leaned down and visualized being able to trace that path with his own tongue.
A small gasp escaped her as Reed lightly traced her arm. She stepped away, and the contact was broken.
“I need to go,” Olivia said with shaky breath.
“Go?” Reed pushed away from the door and followed her. “Go where?”
“I…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll get ahold of my mother.”
“Your mother!” Reed shouted at her. She would rather work with her lowlife mother than work with him? “Are you out of your mind? That woman isn’t going to help you out.”
Reed (Allen Securities) Page 6
