She meant it too. If I told her I wanted her to go back into my file, fix the termination, and reinstate me, she’d do it. And I’d pay the price. “Being dead has some advantages, I suppose.”
Her lips formed a smile that flashed me back to my childhood, reminding me of simpler times. Times before adulthood sucked us all in and made mincemeat of us. It was oddly soothing.
The feeling of her small hands on my arms jolted me back to the present. “You boys have always had a special place in my heart. There won’t be a day where I won’t do everything I can to protect you.”
My throat bobbed against the constricted feeling her words caused. Jared’s mom hadn’t been around much when we were younger. But when she was, she’d always treated us like an extension of her own family. Knowing that, even after all these years, she still thought of us that way was comforting in its own way.
Before she could walk away, I pulled her into a hug. The right words to say escaped me, fleeing my thoughts, leaving only a reaction. One she understood. Her arms wrapped around me, and she held onto me until I was ready to let her go.
“Jake, I wish I could say I’m sorry for the way everything has happened. But the truth is, I’m not. Knowing there’s no way a piece of paper can take you away from us now makes me just as happy as knowing Jared is here, safe and sound.”
I let her go and she reached up, placing her hand on my face. She said something in Russian and then spoke in English as she stepped back. “Stick to the shadows, Jake, and all will be well.”
She walked off, leaving me alone in the hallway. In a span of less than thirty minutes, my life had been turned upside down, and then righted again. I was dead, yet wholly alive.
“Ace!” Oliver said my name in a sharp tone. “Come on. We have shit to do.”
Chapter 7
Oliver waited until I Fell into step with him before he spoke again. “We’re going out tonight.”
Either it was my odd sense of humor, or maybe it was that Jared’s had rubbed off on me, but I didn’t miss a beat. “Ah, thanks, but you’re not really my type.”
Oliver let something that sounded like a growl rumble in his throat. “We’re gonna check out a few of Nicco’s establishments to do some intel gathering.”
A guilty rush of excitement swelled through me. I was so ready to get out and breathe something other than recycled air. “I like intel gathering if it gets me above ground for a little while. What is it we’ll be looking for?
We’d reached the end of the hallway past the supply room before he answered. “Ever since Trent disappeared from the hospital, nothing’s come up on him, so we’ll have to do a little old-school recon work.” Oliver scoffed, flicking his fingers in my general direction. “And you damn sure can’t wear that.”
I looked down at my clothes. They were standard-issue black cargo pants and a black T-shirt. All of us were given the same clothes when we signed on. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
Oliver rolled his eyes up at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh before opening an unmarked door. He said, “Because you’d stand out like a sore thumb where we’re going.”
Four feet into the room, metal racks marched lengthwise from left to right. Each rack stood three shelves high and was filled with duffel bags and suitcases. I could hear Oliver’s light footsteps as he walked the furthest aisle to the left of me.
“What are we looking for?”
“The bag you took to basic,” he answered.
“Do you even know what to look for?” I asked.
“Got it,” he answered as I heard the sound of a bag hitting the floor.
I walked to the front of the racks, picked up my bag, and settled the heavy weight of it on my shoulder. Even though it was closed, I swear I could smell the fabric softener my momma always used when she washed my clothes.
"Meet me in the cafeteria in ten,” Oliver said.
The soft denim of my jeans hung on my hips. My Crimson Tide shirt hugged my biceps, stretching the material.
Nothing fit right anymore, but it didn’t matter. I could close my eyes and see myself standing at the cabin watching the Six banter back and forth over fishing or swimming. Home. I smelled like home.
The serenity of the moment shattered when Riley burst through the door, swearing a blue streak until she realized she wasn’t alone. “Ace. What are you doing in here?”
She didn’t even bat an eye at what I was wearing. Had she been anyone else, I’d have had my ass ripped for being in civilian clothing. “Oliver just took me to get my clothes.”
She noticed then. “Oh!”
I put my hand out, and she stepped into my arms with a heavy sigh. “What’s wrong, Riley?” I asked, gathering her close and kissing the top of her head. Dread ran through me. I had a feeling I already knew.
She tucked her head under my chin and slid her hands down my back until her thumbs found my belt loops. “Nothing.”
I snorted at her lame-ass attempt to cover up how she felt. “You can’t bullshit a bullshitter, Riles. I know you’re not happy with any of this.”
She dropped her hands and took a step back, squaring her shoulders. “I’m fine. It’s just been an adjustment. Nothing I can’t handle.” She pulled out all the stops and managed a smile.
I caught her face in my hands and leaned down to place a kiss between her brows. Right on the spot that pulled together, telling me she was anything but happy. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m gonna prove it every day for the rest of my life. I know you’re miserable. I know this isn’t what you wanted.”
“Once we find the leak and figure out what Nicco is up to, we’ll talk with Nadia and Grant and come up with something. Maybe they’ll even want us to transfer to Scotland.”
A real smile broke through that time. “Okay.”
One word was all it took to make the knot in my chest unravel.
I didn’t want to leave Riley, but Oliver was waiting for me in the cafeteria. “I have to go meet with Oliver. Are you staying in here for a little while?”
She shook her head. “I need to meet with Oliver too. I guess we better get going then.”
Riley made it to the door and had it open before I could cross the room.
“Why do you have to meet with Oliver?” I asked, closing the door behind us.
Her hair spilled over her shoulder, hiding her face from me. It wasn’t often Riley had her hair down, so the missing presence of her ponytail seemed odd. Truth be told, seeing Riley with her hair down was like seeing her naked, as weird as that sounded. Maybe it was because the only way I really saw her hair down was when we were… “Oof.” My side ached and my hand went to the offended spot immediately. “What the hell?”
Riley scowled. “Did you hear anything I just said?”
“Um…” She’d been talking to me and I’d tuned her out as I fantasized about her hair being down. “Sorry, I was uh…” Mentally stripping you and watching the way your hair falls over your…
She snapped her fingers in front of my face. “My eyes are up here, Ace.”
I jerked my gaze up to hers, feeling my cheeks blaze. “I know.”
She rolled her eyes and pushed past me into the cafeteria where Oliver waited at one of the tables.
He looked up from the file he had opened in front of him. When he looked between the two of us, he swore. “Please tell me you two aren’t in the middle of some sort of lover’s quarrel.”
Riley flipped him off and then sat opposite of him. I kept the urge to say something smart-ass back at him locked up tight, choosing to sit down instead.
Oliver looked between us again and then back to the file. “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do.”
My spine snapped ramrod straight. “We? What we? Because I know you don’t mean Riley too.”
Oliver leaned his elbows on the table as he crossed his arms and looked directly at Riley. “You didn’t tell him?”
“Yes, I did. He wasn’t listening though.”
/>
“What do you mean he wasn’t listening?”
I forced myself to listen instead of drift off as I’d done earlier. Damn her hair. She needed to pull it up and get it out of my thoughts!
“…just like that,” she said, waving her hand in front of my face. “Do you think it’s a flashback?” The fear in her voice startled me.
“I’m not having a flashback,” I answered, shifting myself on the bench seat so I straddled it.
“Then what the hell is wrong with you?” Oliver demanded.
My lip curled as I swung my gaze to him. “I’m dead, so, technically, it could either be classified as everything or nothing.”
Oliver shook his head, tapping the folder in front of him. “Do you think you can keep your corporeal form focused for a minute while we go over tonight’s recon mission?”
Riley fidgeted beside me, but I kept my focus on Oliver. The last thing I needed was to slip off into my thoughts again. I sighed and nodded as I flicked my eyes at the folder in front of him. “So what are we doing and why is Riley involved?”
Oliver spun the folder around on the table. “This is a list I’ve put together over the years of Nicco’s holdings.”
I skimmed the page-length list as Riley moved closer, peering over my shoulder. Her hair sliding over my arm was doing nothing to help me keep focused. Moving back, I swept my hand up and tucked the offending piece behind her ear, taking a moment to rub the silken strands between my fingers.
Her eyes darted to mine, and I saw it register with her. The next thing I knew, her hair was pulled up into a sloppy ponytail, leaving her blush-stained cheeks blazing out in the open. Thankfully, Oliver hadn’t noticed as he kept talking.
“Tonight, we’re going to be checking out a couple of Nicco’s bars. I want to see what sort of security he’s put in place and who shows up,” he said, tapping two of the names on the list.
“Okay, but why is Riley coming with us?” I asked.
Riley kicked at my boot under the table. Sitting as close as we were, she wasn’t able to get a lot of room to make it really hurt. “I’m sure if Oliver wants me to go, there’s a reason.”
Oliver looked between us. “I need Riley to get in good with one of the bartenders there.”
Riley heard the growl rumbling in my chest and put her hand on my leg as she asked, “And just what exactly do you mean by ‘get in good’?”
Oliver looked between us, noticing the white knuckles of my clenched fists, and then decided to look only at Riley as he explained. “Tonight, at Full Throttle, there’s a pool tournament. Ace and I are set up to play teams. While we play, you’re going to get ‘bored’ of watching and head over to the bar. The bartender I need you to single out goes by the name of Chase. He’s one of the few employees Nicco let stay after he bought the bar from its previous owner. I’d like to know why. Nicco never keeps anyone but his own people in his establishments.”
“And how the hell is she supposed to find that out?” I asked. Using Riley to gather intel made me nervous.
“Conversation, Ace. All she needs is a way to ask, and I’m sure Riley here isn’t just a pretty face. I can almost bet that given the chance, she could have Chase’s life story by the time we leave.”
“And that’s it? She just makes her way to the bar and strikes up a conversation?” I still didn’t like it, but at least he wasn’t asking her to snoop around in the manager’s office.
“Yeah, that’s it. For that bar, at least,” Oliver said as he ran his finger down the list and stopped where it read Bare Assets.
Riley groaned as she rubbed her hands down her face. “Please tell me that’s some sort of accounting service.”
Oliver snorted and pulled the file back, closing it before he answered. “I’m sure they service accountants, along with whoever else shows up too.”
My fist slammed down on the tabletop, rattling the metal braces underneath. “No. No way. That’s where I draw the line!”
Oliver moved to get up. “Doesn’t matter what you think. Riley’s coming. And if you give me a hard time and fight me on it, the next time, you won’t go. Only she will.”
I bared my teeth at him, ready to jump over the table and smash my fist into his face. He didn’t move. Didn’t even flinch.
“If you’d just take a damn breath and listen, I’ll explain what I need both of you to do when we get there,” Oliver said.
I stood up and put my hand under Riley’s arm, pulling her with me. Feeling her tremble pissed me off. Oliver had to be out of his mind thinking Riley and I would allow him to drag her into a damn strip club.
When he laughed, it took me by surprise. “Jesus Christ, you’d think I’d told you both I planned on selling her off. Would you two sit down?” We both remained standing, both staring at him. Riley wore a look of disbelief where I was sure mine showed rage. “Please?”
Something in the tone of his voice had Riley pulling away from me and lowering herself to the bench. I wasn’t falling for it. Instead, I stood behind her, placing my hands on her shoulders. I wasn’t sure if it was to show Oliver I wouldn’t walk away from her, or to show him she was, in fact, mine.
“When we get to Bare Assets, all I need you two to do is find a seat, somewhere towards the back, not too far in the shadows, but private enough. I’ll come in a few minutes after you. When I do, I need Riley to make her way to the bathroom, passing by me on her way there,” Oliver explained.
I didn’t buy it. “And then what?”
He smiled so big that the light above us reflected my image back at me. “And then you get to play the hero.”
Riley looked up at me. “That doesn’t sound too bad. Right?”
I didn’t like it. Not one bit. What Riley failed to realize is that Oliver planned on grabbing her. I could see it coming from a mile away. He had to know I wouldn’t stand for it. “Why?”
He cocked his eyebrow at my question. “Gives you a solid reason.”
A solid reason to deck him, but at the cost of him manhandling my girl. “Touch her anywhere inappropriate and you won’t just get decked.”
Riley stiffened under my hands. “If he does, he won’t have to worry about you.”
God, I loved that feisty, in-your-face, kick-your-ass, take-no-bullshit girl. “You heard her. And before you just shrug it off, you should be warned. Riley once knocked out a charging bull.” Let him think on that and make his own assumptions.
Riley snickered when he squinted as he sized her up. “Trust me when I tell you, I have no reason to be doing anything other than causing a scene. I just need security to take me to the back so I can get an idea of what’s back there. Can we all agree the family jewels will remain safe?”
I relaxed a little, hearing him understand that he knew his limits and no one would allow him to cross them.
“So what should we wear for our night out on the town?” Riley asked, turning the conversation back on track.
“Ace and I can get away with jeans and a button-up shirt. You, however, need to dress to err… impress. I need you to be a distraction to those around us. If they’re watching you, they won’t take much notice of us. There is one thing though. When security comes for me, at Bare Assets, and they will, I need the both of you to disappear faster than smoke. Got it?”
We nodded in unison.
“I’ll make my way back to the tunnels when they let me go.”
Riley moved to get up, stalling when he’d said we were to leave him behind. “What if they don’t let you go?”
Oliver stood, scooping up the file with a neat tap against the table to put it in order. “I’ve gotten out of worse situations. Don’t worry about me. Just get out of there and head back here. If you pick up a tail, head to the Riverside motel. Here’s the key to room 214. If they don’t follow you, meet me back here by seven.”
Once Oliver was gone, she wrapped her arms around my waist. Batting her eyelashes at me, she said, “Our first official date out on the town… and I get to act like a
simpering slut. Is that how you envisioned it too?”
I pulled her firmly against me. Holding her shoulder with one hand, I slid my other one down until I held her backside and bent her backward as I claimed her lips.
“Save it for the strip club!” Oliver called out from the open doorway.
Riley gasped as I stood her upright. “Is it awful to say that I hope someone follows us tonight so that we can check into a hotel?”
My body agreed whole-heartedly with her as it throbbed an aching beat to join with her. Reaching up, I pulled her hair out of its ponytail and ran my fingers up the back of her head, feeling the slippery strands slide through my fingers. “Whatever you do, please wear your hair up tonight so I can keep focused on what I’m supposed to do.”
She smiled. “You know most men are all about the legs, ass, or boobs. What is it with you and my hair?”
I nipped at her bottom lip and pulled her hair back up, tying it off with her ponytail holder. “Oh, I’m all about those too. But your hair? I’ll have to show you later for that one.”
She shivered and I had to force myself to step back, putting some distance between us before I forgot we were in the cafeteria and laid her down on top of one of the tables to show her.
”Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked.
She sighed, turning enough to look at me over her shoulder. “It doesn’t matter if I want to do this or not.”
Her words hit me square in the chest. “Yes, it does, Riley. You don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I do. I signed up for this… all of this, same as you. Do I like some of it? No. But that’s just the way things are now.” Her shoulder lifted in a shrug. The small movement hid the slight quiver of her chin as she added, “The way they have to be in order for us to be together.”
Relevance (The Six Series, book 2.5) Page 8
