Dazzled and Dazed

by Harley McRide

  “Reilly and Anthony! I missed you guys! I swear you have been spending too much time with the men and not enough with us! When is lunch, it has been too long? With everything going on, it has interfered with our time.”

  “Well, we may make it breakfast, darlin’,” I heard Reilly say. “With these idiots needing us to set them straight with the fight thing, we need to be here early. Dammit, Jet, keep that right hand up! See what I mean.”

  I grunted a response, and then focused harder. Then I saw Brit walking back, her hips swayed, and the delicate lines of her breasts could be seen through the white blouse, they were enough to drive a man to drink. I was distracted again, and Reed noticed and moved in for the kill. Jabbing and swinging, he hit me time after time, and I knew I was in trouble when the ropes hit my back.

  I could hear Reilly yelling, and I reacted to what he was saying. “Hands up, keep your footing. Push back and find the opening!” I raised my hands, bounced on my toes, and ducked and weaved to Reed’s attack. When he threw the next combination, I answered with my own and drove him back. “Keep moving!” I did what Reilly yelled, and when Reed left himself open, I swung with an uppercut.

  Then Brit dropped her fucking pen.

  Seriously, she bent over to pick it up and her ass was in the air. How could that not be distracting? I heard Reilly yell and I turned too late, right into my partner’s fist. Well shit, that hurt, was the thought I had right before I fell into the ropes again.

  “What in the FUCK are you doing, boy?” Reilly yelled and stomped to the ring as Reed went back into his corner, giving me a break to get my ass chewed out.

  “Shit, sorry,” I muttered, and then watched as Brit walked up the stairs headed to her office, not knowing the effect she had on me. How could she not know? It was like she had no clue how much we wanted her. How is that even possible? She had to know, yet the evidence showed she didn’t.

  “Son,” Reilly muttered, and I turned my head. “I get your problem, I would be distracted, too. Maybe you and my son should get off your asses and claim her, so we don’t have this problem. Fin was much better with his footwork when he and Tony claimed Brooklyn. I swear, you young guys are just not real bright. A good woman can do wonders for you.”

  I squinted my eyes at the older man and said, “Who said anything—”

  “Do not think you can fool me. If I were you, I would find out a way to make that marriage real. Don’t let her go.”

  “I…well…I mean…” I said, and Reilly rolled his eyes.

  “When will you all learn I know everything?” Reilly said, and then caught my eyes and leaned forward and said, “And I mean everything. I know everything about my kids, my wife, and the people we welcome into the fold. I make sure of it. We protect what’s ours, and to do that, we need to know shit. Now, just remember that and get my son off his ass and you two go get my girl, she needs you. ‘Cause if you don’t, I am going to need to find someone else for her. She needs something, and I am gonna get it for her.”

  I opened my mouth and closed it, and then Anthony hit me in the back of the head, and I frowned and looked at him. “What the fuck?”

  “You needed a little reminder to listen. I do not see you moving. Get up and get moving. You need practice. I will call my nephews in Chicago if you don’t get your head sorted.”

  I sighed and leaned back, and then nodded. “Yep, I got this.”

  I stood, and Reed came to the middle of the ring and he grinned. “Round two, think you can handle this?”

  I shook my head, and then moved in a circle, bouncing on the balls of my feet I grinned back at him. “Ready.”

  “When are you gonna let me give you a tat?” I heard Petal yell but didn’t look to see who she was talking to. “I mean, it is an honor to tat people for the first time, and I’ve been thinking about getting my hands on your virgin skin!”

  I frowned and saw Reed frowning as well. He wasn’t taking his eyes off me, so he didn’t know who Petal was talking to either. I grinned, at least I wasn’t the only one who was whipped.

  “Darlin’,” Reilly’s voice bellowed as I jabbed at Reed and we circled each other. “As soon as you have a ring on your finger, I will let you give me a tat. How does that sound?”

  “Woo hoo! Hear that, baby, you and Bry need to step it up. I have a special tat to plan, and you’re the only ones holding that shit up,” Petal yelled.

  My eyes widened as Reed stopped what he was doing and turned and looked at Petal who had moved next to Reilly.

  “Did she just say...” Reed said slowly.

  “Now that it’s sorted, I need to get the tat drawn up. We can get you an appointment in a week. Hear that, baby, you and Bry are on a deadline,” Petal yelled happily, and everyone in the vicinity began laughing. Reed paled, and though I felt for the man, I smirked, and then took the opportunity to swing and knock him on his ass.

  Petal yelled loudly at Reed, “Baby, what the fuck? Do you want Jet to beat the shit out of you? I mean damn, that was so not good. Get your ass up, it’s kinda embarrassing.”

  I laughed and leaned down and whispered to Reed so no one could hear us. “Brother,” I said when his eyes went to mine. “Paybacks are a bitch, you should know by now our women are not predictable. You should have seen it coming.”

  Reed rolled his eyes and took my offered hand. As I pulled him to his feet, he said, “Probably, but you shouldn’t let Brit anywhere near the fight. Not unless you want the shit kicked out of you.”

  “Can’t argue with that,” I said, then Reed and I bumped fists and went back to training. When we finished the workout, both of us were covered in sweat and headed for the showers.

  Cleaned and dressed I walked back into the gym, then headed for the stairs that led to the offices. Once upstairs, I followed the voices.

  “Things are not fitting together,” Fin said slowly as I entered the room. Seemed they were still in the meeting.

  I sat next to Sean who was grimly listening to what everyone was saying. I stared at the board in the corner and began to read. They had tried to make a connection between a few of the incidents, and it hadn’t worked. We were still missing something important.

  Cal had come up with a theory months ago when this shit started, apophenia. Which basically meant different things that happen, but are actually related. In this case, we were looking at crimes committed in the 48th, 45th, and 42nd precincts territory. As of yet, we couldn’t connect them, but we were all convinced they were related. Especially since we connected a gun to several murders, including Ranger’s wife who had been shot over a year ago. That was why we expanded our search, to see if we could find something back farther that would connect this shit.

  “We have the drugs, the gangs, the fights, the kids, the Russians, not a fucking one of them fit, and yet they are all related, we know that. How?” Tony said, staring at the board.

  “Obviously a lot of it can go back to the Russians, they have their hand in everything,” Michael said, and everyone nodded.

  “I get that, seriously I do, but gangs being run by the Russians? I don’t think so. If the gang was a Russian gang then yes, but they’re not. We are missing a piece, and it is important. Something that holds all this together,” Reese said.

  “There is nothing. We have looked at cops, criminals, and not one damn thing is common in any of the incidents. Hell, the only thing we do know is that something big is coming, and we haven’t one fucking clue what it is,” Ranger said, slamming his hand down on the table.

  “Big as in?” I asked slowly, someone needed to say it, we were all thinking it and it needed to be out in the open.

  “Big as in there are too many people involved in this shit, and we are blind. From here on out, no one is going anywhere alone,” Ranger ground out and he looked at Tony. “Do you have enough guys to cover this, or do I need to beg for help?”

  “Stretched thin, but we can manage if we have to,” Tony said.

  “What about Briggs? He brought
in agents to help with the raids on the 8.3.0. gang,” I said, and Ranger and Tony nodded.

  “Yeah, I’ll give him a call,” Ranger said and was already pulling his cell out of his pocket as he rose.

  I sat and listened as we once again went over everything we knew. We needed a break, preferably one that didn’t involve another body being dumped. The rest of us leaned over the table and stared at the board again, hoping like fuck something would jump out at us. We were smart, but there was nothing, not one damn thing, that jumped out at us.

  Chapter Ten

  Brit

  I saw the guys begin to filter down the stairs and into the gym. I wasn’t going to watch or wait for Sean and Jet to come down. Shit, I needed a fucking life, I swear to God. I turned back and watched Bruno as he was being talked to by the trainer. I hoped it was nothing, Bruno was a football player and a free agent. Right now, five teams were vying for him. Bruno was a huge defensive player, by huge, I mean the boy was six feet six and three hundred pounds of solid muscle. Unfortunately, he had a strained ligament and was in rehab.

  “You need to make sure to alternate ice and heat three times a day, twenty minutes each,” the trainer told Bruno who was listening while he did his stretches.

  I watched and waited. I needed to speak to Bruno about his options, some of the contacts he had to choose from were contingent on a timeframe, and Bruno was cutting it close. He had been avoiding me, I knew it, but it had to stop. I stepped up when the trainer left.

  “Bruno, we need to talk,” I said firmly. The player sat up and sighed, staring at the floor instead of me.

  “Brit, I just don’t know. I mean we talked about the offers, and the trainer thinks I am good to go, but what if I’m not healed. This injury could be a career ender if it’s not healed and I tear the ligament instead of straining it,” Bruno said, and I leaned down until he looked me in the eyes.

  “Bruno, the trainer is not going to lie to you. If it was a team trainer I might question it, but this trainer Fin pays, and because of that, he is not going to tell you a lie. He’d tell you the truth whether it was good news or bad. Now, I heard what he said, and I know you are freaked, ‘cause yeah, it could hurt you in the long run. If you decide to retire, cool. I am behind you a hundred percent. But don’t make a decision because of the injury. Once it’s made, there’ll be no going back.”

  He stared at me and smiled and said, “How many three-hundred-pound pussies do you deal with daily?”

  “Only one, thankfully. And he is a prima donna.” I laughed, and Bruno shook his head.

  I felt them behind me when I stood, and I ignored them. Shit, I hated it when they did that, something I really wished I knew how to do, sneaky bastards. I focused on Bruno who was wiping his face off, and then he leaned his forearms on his legs and smiled at me.

  “So, who do you think is the front-runner?”

  “Personally, I will tell you to go for the Broncos, I love the Rocky Mountains and so visiting would be like a vacation.” I laughed.

  “Pittsburgh would be closer.” Bruno laughed, and I shook my head.

  “Nah, their quarterback is a bigger pussy than you are. If I had to pick the two best? Broncos or Cowboys,” I said and winked at him. “That way I can have two great places to visit.”

  Bruno shook his head. “Pretty soon you’re gonna do the whole, ‘Help me Help you’ speech.”

  “Only if you call me and say, ‘SHOW ME THE MONEY!’” I said, and Bruno laughed loudly.

  “How about this, Brit. I take you to dinner, and then we can throw more movie quotes around and make a decision,” Bruno teased.

  I opened my mouth to say yes because let’s be honest, it was an awesome excuse, dinner with a client. But I didn’t get the chance to say a damn thing because suddenly Sean made himself known.

  “Hey, baby, you ready to go? Bruno, how you doing, man?” he said smoothly. I turned and glared at him as he slid his arm around my shoulders.

  “I am…” I started.

  Bruno smiled and said, “Hey, guys, I guess I will take you out to lunch tomorrow, Brit.”

  Jet moved to the other side of me and said, “I will be free for lunch tomorrow if you don’t mind me tagging along. I mean, you are a football legend, it would be stupid to pass up the opportunity. And don’t worry, you can trust me and talk business too.”

  Bruno grinned bigger and shook his head. “Not a problem, figured I didn’t have a chance in hell. But just remember, if you fuck up, I got huge arms for her to fall in to.”

  Sean grunted, and I glared at all of them. What the fuck, it was like they were planning my fucking life right in front of me. This was so not fucking cool, and I was so not going to go along with their stupid plans.

  “Since you all seem to be doing my schedule, can you pencil in my pap smear? I think it will be awesome at this juncture to let you guys know that if you want to piss me the fuck off, interfere with my schedule,” I snapped, and all of them looked at me.

  “Brit, rest assured I am not going to piss you off. You’re kinda scary when you are pissed, just saying,” Bruno was the one to speak first.

  I rolled my eyes and pointed at him. “Lunch tomorrow will be on me.”

  Jet shook his head. “Nope, on me, figure I need to have bragging rights for taking an NFL football star out to lunch.”

  Bruno grinned and said, “I will take you up on that. And, Brit, you know I won’t ever let you buy lunch, you should know that by now.”

  I rolled my eyes again as Sean turned and went to move away. “Hey,” I growled. “I was not done.”

  “You were done,” Sean said softly but firmly, and I shook my head. I saw Jet turn to follow.

  “No, I wasn’t,” I said.

  “You were done,” Jet mimicked, and I wanted to argue, stomp my foot and basically be a raging bitch at their high-handedness.

  Bruno shook his head and chuckled and called out, “Later, Brit.”

  “Later, Bruno!” I called in an unhappy voice.

  “Later, guys,” Bruno laughed loudly, and Sean and Jet raised their hands but didn’t say a word as they moved me to the exit.

  “I swear to God, we are gonna need to get some shit straight here,” I said, and Sean looked at me with a serious look on his face.

  “I agree, we are going to get shit straight. And one of the things we are going to settle is that you are ours,” Sean sneered.

  I raised an eyebrow and shook my head. “Um...sorry, I think you are delusional, I say who I am with.”

  Jet moved in front of me right at the exit causing us to stop and wait. He caught my eyes and looked as serious as Sean when he said, “Not fucking around anymore, gave you a bit to get used to this. I see you used your time to bury your head in the sand further. So, we are going to get the shit straight tonight. I am sick and tired of fucking around with you while you push us further away. So, notice, wake the fuck up now, or we will do it for you.”

  I opened my mouth and glared at both men who were staring intently at me. Sean shook his head. “Use the time between now and dinner to think before you speak. You are in a precarious situation, you do not want to piss us off anymore.”

  I frowned. “How the hell did I piss you off? I haven’t even talked to you guys since you set the house on fire.” Jet shook his head and opened the door while Sean ushered me out, and I snapped, “Dinner better be good, I didn’t eat lunch and have a hankering for seafood.”

  Sean and Jet were true to their words, they led me to Jet’s truck, helped me in, then never said a word on the drive to the restaurant.

  We had then been ushered to a booth in one of the best seafood restaurants in the city. I had taken the time to get my head on straight but not the way the guys seemed to want me to. Instead, on the way to the restaurant, I thought of all the ways I was going to tell them I wasn’t standing for this high-handed shit. Nope, not gonna happen. Even when the hostess took us to a circular table, and they pushed me in first, and then both took a diff
erent side, essentially blockading me in the middle of them. As if that would keep me from blasting them with my stance on independence and shit like that.

  The waitress delivered our waters, took our drink orders, and then left again before anyone spoke. But before I could make my announcement declaring they had no right at all to claim me, Sean and Jet both moved close so they were both touching a thigh. Dammit, they were touching me, it made my thoughts fuzzy since all I could think about was sex.

  Well played, I thought, they were so good at this game.

  “Now, baby,” Sean said softly making the apex between my legs tingle. Damn them, that was all it fucking took I guess. “Back to what we were talking about in the gym. Tonight, we are going to get you sorted so you are on the same page as Jet and me.”

  “I am not going to be on the same page. I am not even in the same damn book as you,” I snapped and leaned back as they pushed a little closer to me. “I’m serious, guys, just because we got drunk and possibly had sex.”

  “We did,” Jet muttered, and I glared at him.

  “POSSIBLY since I don’t remember it,” I restated, and Sean grinned.

  “We can refresh your memory. I’m not sure what sound I liked best, the mewling sound you made when we pushed deep at the same time, or the soft whimper when I circled your clit with my tongue but didn’t touch it. Maybe it was...”

  “No,” I snarled, and then sighed loudly. “Listen, I am trying to be nice here.”

  “Why?” Jet asked, and I looked at him confused.

  “Why am I trying to be nice?” I asked slowly.

  “No, why are you denying what we have,” Jet said and ran a finger across my bunched-up hands that were resting on the table. I jerked and shook my head.

  “No touching,” I said.

  “Why?” Sean asked.

  “Can you guys stop asking why!” I said briskly. “Now, back to what I was saying. I am trying to be nice, and let you guys know that I don’t think we would be good together. First off, I am independent, I don’t appreciate you being all caveman and shit. Second, I tend to be a little high strung, and I know you guys hate that.”