“I don’t understand,” Olivia said finally.
Ryder sighed again, agitation lacing his words. “He wants you to walk away. Don’t.”
Olivia sat and chewed her lip.
“Is it really that simple?” Irene asked quietly.
Ryder stared at her for a moment. “If he’s worth it, it is.”
Olivia turned her eyes to Jess. Out of everyone she knew, Jess was not only the most practical but didn’t let anything stop her.
She shrugged and took a drink. “Don’t see how it could hurt anything. You think he’s just pushing you away.” She smiled wickedly at her. “It would be entertaining.”
Olivia shot her a mock glare. “Thanks.”
Jess tilted her drink forward in salute but nearly dropped it when she looked at her watch.
“Shit, is that really the time?” Jess looked around the table.
Olivia looked at her phone. “I’ve got nine.”
“All right, ladies,” Jess said. “Let’s move this pity party to Cortex. I’ve got a club to check in on.”
Olivia laughed. Jess might be a smartass but just about everyone depended on her at some point. It was nice to see it finally paying off for her.
When she stood to collect her purse, her eye was caught by Ryder.
Don’t let him say no, she thought.
She smiled. It just might work.
***
Reed was pissed. He hadn’t received but a few short texts from Ryder, and he knew something was up that he wasn’t being told. Being left in the dark made him uneasy and even more so when it came to Olivia.
He glared at the phone on the table.
“So where is he?” Kace looked as agitated as Reed felt.
Liam leaned back in his seat. “He’ll be here soon.”
“What the hell is the matter with you all?” Cage said, scanning the group.
Liam and Reed scowled at him.
“I’m not risking my job for this shit,” Kace said adamantly.
“No one’s asking you to break the law here,” Finn said.
They turned to look at Finn.
“Well that’s good to know,” Kace said, making a face.
Finn sat and stared at the group. “We need a show of force with this situation. The Russians aren’t just making a few moves in the area. They are planning on setting up shop here.”
Kace narrowed his eyes. “Where are you getting your information? We haven’t heard anything like this at the station.”
Finn chuckled lightly. “I don’t think our associates are the same people.” He pinned Kace with a pointed stare. “I’ve been doing some digging. They haven’t made the move yet, but all indications point to them doing this soon. This doesn’t just hurt my business but the people in this city.”
“And you’re a man of the city now?” Reed asked.
Finn leveled his gaze on him. “I am if it means it could hurt my market.”
Reed nodded his understanding. This wasn’t just turf war but an overall perspective. If the people of the city were hurt, then so would his business, especially if Finn was moving into a more legitimate business.
“So what’s your plan?” Cage said easily.
“I’ll buy the file from Ben. Enough to secure him for some time,” Finn said smoothly. “After I’ve made sure my interests are safe, I’ll turn it over to the police. Anonymously of course.” His gazed shifted to Kace.
“Interests?” Kace leaned forward. “And what would that be?”
“Some things my father dabbled in.” Finn leaned forward, his cold eyes piercing Kace.
“Won’t this piss off the Russians?” Cage asked.
Finn leaned back, his eyes still cold, glittered with menace.
“Oh I’d imagine so,” he said.
“What about Olivia?” Reed asked quietly.
“She’ll be under my protection,” Finn said simply.
“But at what cost?” Kace shot back.
Finn nodded to Liam. “No cost. My cousin has offered a favor and that’s way more valuable.”
All eyes at the table shifted to Liam. He nodded stiffly.
“I think that should just about do it for your part, Officer Allen.” Finn nodded his dismissal to him.
“Whatever.” Kace slid his chair back. “You just make sure you don’t step out of line. I get the chance to nail you and I’m taking it. Got it.”
“Perfectly.” Finn smiled at him.
Kace stormed off and through the door.
“Now, let’s get things settled.”
Chapter Sixteen
Cortex boomed with music and people. Even more people packed the floor than the previous night. Olivia glanced around at the throngs of people.
“Just head to the back,” Jess said. “Meg and I will go get some drinks and meet you there.”
She, Irene and Ryder made their way through the pulsing bodies on the floor. She turned to see where Irene was and slammed into someone.
“Shit.” She swayed backward. A set of strong hands reached out to stop her fall.
Olivia looked up into the smirking face of Finn.
“So lovely to see you again Ms. Cross,” Finn said. His eyes twinkled at her surprise.
“Excuse me,” she replied. Heat bloomed on her cheeks at her near fall.
“Please.” He waved a hand to the back room. “I’d love if you and your friends shared a drink at my table.”
She glanced behind her to see where Ryder and Irene were but had lost them during their journey through the crowd. Olivia turned back to Finn. He wasn’t someone she wanted to be around, but he was Jess’s boss and currently her best chance to help Ben.
She nodded and followed him through the door.
The back room had more people than the night before. As she followed along, she was glad she had bumped into Finn. It looked like all the private tables had been filled. They would have been stuck standing in some corner for most of the evening.
When they rounded the corner to his table, Olivia stopped and stared.
Reed was the last person she expected to see, and it was obvious she was the last person he expected to see.
“What are you doing here?” He stood, anger etched on his face. “Where the hell is Ryder?”
Olivia smiled. Don’t let him push you away, she thought. “Back there.” She waved vaguely at the door.
She walked warily around the table to sit next to Finn. If she sat near him, he would have the upper hand, especially with the few drinks already in her. Leaning back, she surveyed the table. Something seemed very strange about this mix of men. She turned to Finn who was still smirking.
“Were you all meeting over Ben?” She leaned forward, feeling just a little fuzzy.
Finn and Reed exchanged looks.
“I’ll fill you in later,” Reed said quietly from across the table.
Olivia opened her mouth to say something but stopped when Irene and Ryder showed up.
“I can see you’ve been doing a great job keeping an eye on thing.” Reed glowered at Ryder.
Ryder pulled out the chair next to Olivia and ushered Irene into the chair.
“Wouldn’t have needed to if you hadn’t fucked up,” Ryder replied.
The table went deadly silent.
“Oh I’m so glad you found a table,” Jess said, slamming the drink tray down.
“Well actually, we sort of crashed Finn’s table.” Her eyes shifted to Reed and back.
When Olivia caught sight of Meg, she watched the pain wash over her face. Not looking at Liam, Meg took a seat on the other side of Finn.
“Oh?” Finn said quietly.
Olivia turned shook her head.
“So look at us. Aren’t we a lively bunch?” Finn grinned openly at the group.
Olivia downed a pink drink.
“Are you sure you should do that?” Reed hissed at her across the table.
She finished up the last bit and placed the cup back on the table.
�
�Looks like you’ve got your hands full,” Finn laughed.
“Meg, would you like to dance?” Olivia turned to her.
“Love to.”
Ignoring their men, both women worked their way to the dance floor.
Olivia danced like never before. She was sick of always being in control of things. Together, they spun and wiggled around one another. She nearly jumped when arms circled her waist.
“What are you doing here?” Reed growled in her ear.
Olivia turned in his arms to look him in the eye.
“Having fun,” she said over the music.
When she turned to back to look at Meg, she spotted her in the corner with Liam. Both of their faces were contorted with rage. Meg raised her hands in exasperation and turned away from him, the shimmer of tears in her eyes.
Olivia stopped dancing and put her hand in Reed’s. She was surprised when he trailed behind her without any complaint.
She stopped in front of Liam.
“I’m not feeling so well. Reed is going to take me and Meg home. Will you tell the others?”
Liam nodded, peering around her to look at Meg.
“If you all could take Jess and Irene home, that would be great.”
Firmly, she held her ground against the man who looked ready to argue at any moment.
She turned to find Reed staring at her in shock.
“Will you get our purses?” she asked. “We’ll meet you outside.”
After nodding, Reed walked quickly behind Liam to gather their stuff.
“Now,” she turned to Meg, “Let’s get you out of here.”
She placed her arm around the broken girl. As they walked to the front, she contemplated how young Meg actually was. She couldn’t have been much over twenty-one.
They moved to the door and rested quietly against the wall outside, the crisp air cooling their heated bodies.
“You okay?” Olivia looked over to her.
Meg gave a weak smile that fell quickly as the tears began to fall.
“No,” she whispered.
Olivia softly patted her back.
“Okay,” Reed said quietly from behind her.
Keeping her head down, Olivia helped guide Meg to the car and into the backseat.
The trip home was quiet except for the occasional sniffle from the back. When they reached her house, Meg got out and stuck her head back in to talk to Olivia.
“Thanks,” she said, eyes red rimmed and flushed. “If you leave, just lock the door before you go.”
She walked quickly inside.
“What was that about?” Reed asked quietly.
“Young love,” Olivia answered.
Reed narrowed his eyes as he watched the front door. “I’m going to beat the shit out of him.”
Olivia placed a hand on his shoulder. “That’s not going to solve anything. Let them solve it on their own.”
Reed looked back to her and nodded slowly.
“I’m sorry,” he said after some time.
“Oh?”
When she turned to look at him, he was watching her.
“I don’t know what to say.” He ran a hand through his hair. “When this is all over, you’ll go back to being the sweet librarian, and I’ll still be dealing with this shit.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face.
“I just don’t want that for you.” Reed stared out the window. “You worked hard to get away from this. I can’t keep bringing you back in.”
Olivia unhooked her belt and slid across the seat, straddling his lap.
“Liv,” he groaned.
“Shhhh.” She put a finger over his mouth to silence his protests. “Now, I vote that you don’t get to make decisions anymore.” She smiled at his surprised face. “I don’t know what you think you’re protecting me from when it comes to you, but I’m always going to wading through this shit. As long as Ben is in my life, there will be issues. Those aren’t going to go away just because you push me away.”
Olivia placed her hands on either side of his face and caressed his cheeks. “I’ve been through too much to let you scare me away.” She leaned forward and kissed his lips sweetly. “So I’ve decided you don’t get to push me away.”
“Is that so?” His dark stare focused on her lips.
Olivia shook her head and nestled down further on him. The steering wheel in her back was more than a little uncomfortable.
“We really can’t be doing this.” Reed stilled her hips on his lap.
She could feel the hard ridge pressed against her core and moved her hips forward a bit until he hit her clit.
“Liv,” he said angrily. “I can’t do this.”
Reed lifted her off and placed her back into her seat.
She grabbed her things and swung the door wide open the door wide. She stumbled out.
“I tell you what,” she turned gave him a hard look, “you either get this figured out by tomorrow, or I’m going to take matters into my own hands.”
She slammed the door and walked around the front.
“What does that mean?” he hollered out the window.
Olivia turned back to him with a wiggle of the fingers and walked into the house.
She slammed the door shut and leaned against it with a shuddered breath.
“This is going to be harder than I thought,” she whispered.
“No shit,” Meg said from the darkness. The gleam from the bottle caught her eye.
“Got another glass?” Olivia said, sitting next to her.
“Fuck the glass, straight up.” Meg passed the bottle.
Olivia put the bottle to her lips and took a long draw, knowing she’d pay for it in the morning, but at this moment, it was going to suck either way.
Chapter Seventeen
The morning light streamed into the living room where Olivia had fallen asleep. Her hangover wasn’t as bad as she would have thought, but she fell asleep before the booze was even half gone. Meg, however, could be heard in the bathroom paying for the other half a bottle she polished off, the evidence sitting clearly on the table.
Olivia went to the bathroom door and knocked lightly.
“If you’ve got any effervescent antacid, I’ll get some ready for you.”
It was a few long seconds before she replied.
“Kitchen. On fridge.”
Waiting a few seconds more, Olivia guessed the worst of it was over. Meg didn’t seem to be getting sick anymore and that was a sign it was time for some aspirin.
Rummaging around, she found some stomach relief for Meg and tea packets for herself. She would have preferred coffee, but it would just be cruel to brew a pot with Meg like that.
Just as she sat at the table, Meg came in, hair all over the place, makeup smudged across her eyes, and about as white as a sheet.
“Oh, hun,” Olivia stood and steered her to a seat at the table. “Drink this and then off to bed with you.”
Meg shook her head. “I need to head to the office and then Mom’s for dinner.”
“Nope,” Olivia said firmly. “Off to bed. I’ll deal with the rest.”
Meg smiled weakly as she tried to swallow down the drink.
“He really is an idiot you know.”
“He knows.” Olivia smiled. “Now off to bed.”
She took the cup from Meg’s hand and ushered her into bed. Once there, Olivia sat on the side for a moment.
“I don’t know what happened…” Meg said, not really sure where she was going.
“I’m the kid sister. He has feelings for me, but I’m too young. I’m too naive.” She sighed loudly. “I just don’t know where I’m supposed to go with this.”
Olivia thought for a moment. “Maybe getting away from him will help.”
“I don’t know how I’ll do that. Working with him puts a cramp on things.”
“Well, let’s think on it.” Olivia got up and shut off the light. “Sleep well.”
Shea went into the living room and threw herself on the cou
ch next to the snoozing Harley. She chuckled thinking he had also had a long night.
She stroked the fur on his head and stared out the window. The problem with Reed was that he thought he was protecting her from his life. She laughed, and it sounded hollow. He didn’t even know what it was like to live in that world. Being only partially in didn’t count for much.
She pulled out her phone and stared at the names she had listed. There was always Charlie, her mom’s new husband, but Charlie and her mom were the last people she wanted to call. She really didn’t have anyone to contact.
Her eyes kept going back to Jess’s name. She could always bypass them all and make a deal with Finn. She hit send.
Her heart beat wildly in her chest as it rang.
“Hey, Jess. I have a favor to ask,” she said into the phone. “Yes, I know what time it is. Listen. I need Finn Kelly’s number.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Jess said. “I don’t really think you know who you are dealing with. It’s different with me. I’m just working this club, but it’s not the same thing with you at all. You can just mess around with the Kellys.”
Olivia rolled her eyes as her friend ranted.
“You know you’re the one who introduced us.” She sighed. “Don’t be a bitch. Just give me the number, so you can go back to bed.”
Jess sighed. “Fine.” She rattled off the numbers.
Olivia quickly scribbled the numbers down.
“Thanks,” she said and clicked off the phone.
Before she lost her nerve, she dialed the number.
“Mr. Kelly, please,” she said to the woman on the phone
.
***
Sweat dripped from every part of Reed. Today’s workout hadn’t been hard. It had been brutal. Sunday wasn’t always a big work out day for him, but he was finding he needed an outlet for some of the pent-up energy.
He had walked in mid-day expecting to find Meg at her desk but instead found Liam, Kace and Ryder taking a few rounds in the ring. It had been some time since he had put on gloves, but he found it really helped. If he couldn’t work his energy out on Olivia, then beating the shit out of someone would work.
Glancing over at Liam, he grinned at the fat lip he’d managed to land. It was petty, but that was for his sister. Not that Liam wasn’t a good man. Actually, there wasn’t a person in the family that wouldn’t be thrilled to have him a legitimate part of the family, but Olivia was right, that was between Meg and Liam. If Reed happened to pop him in the ring from time to time, well that worked.
Reed (Allen Securities) Page 13
