“I’m taking a big gamble bringing you with us, man.” Beast and some of the high powered muscles were going to set up shop right around where Kelli was. When the men had talked about it before, he was on the fence about going, but with her wanting to talk to him, he wanted in with this new venture. “We’re going to have enough trouble finding a way in without you stirring up shit with the Picernos.”

 

Carson didn’t even bother answering him since he didn’t know what was going to happen within the next few days.

 

“I’m going to let the fact that you’re not answering me go, but keep what I said in mind.” Beast turned away to join the other guys while Carson went the other way to go meet Kelli. He was so happy that he’d kept his apartment open for three months since he already paid for it why not use it?

 

“Hey, meet me back here early tomorrow.” Beast was behind him, but Carson was done with whatever the fuck the man was trying to say.

 

“I’ll be here,” Carson said as he walked out the door of the make shift club house they’d set up temporarily.

 

It was difficult for the man who was always calm and cool to fathom that he was practically running to meet with Kelli.

 

When he rounded the corner to her shop, he could see her waiting outside. Pulling up to her, she jumped on the back of his bike.

 

“GO!” She yelled into his ear, and he took off while he looked around to see who was around them. This wasn’t the greeting he had planned on, but he was happy that they were going somewhere. The apartment he’d rented was nearby, so he thought he’d take her there and then find out if they should go somewhere else.

 

Pulling up behind the building so they could be hidden from the street, he turned off the bike. “Is anyone following you?”

 

“No, but I only had a certain amount of time that I could be out before my driver came to get me.” She hopped off the bike, and he parked it next to the wall.

 

When he had it all situated, he took off his helmet and locked the bike against a large pole. He had so many questions for her now. It sounded like she had been locked up. Was she harmed? That idea got him so upset he was trying to pull himself together before he faced her. The man had power and the backing of the criminal underworld, but if he hurt his woman there would be hell to pay. It didn’t matter that she was his daughter.

 

“Is this where you’re staying?” She asked as she came up behind him to touch his arm. All the fist fucks in the world didn’t compare with smelling her sweet, sexy sent and the warm touch of her hand on his skin.

 

“It’s where I stayed when I was here. I went back to live with the Ravens about a month ago. I was going to suggest going somewhere to get something to eat so you didn’t feel pressured to do anything.” He turned toward her and looked her up and down, so he shouldn’t have been alarmed when she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, but he was.

 

“I know we have a lot to talk about, and I have some apologizing to do, but could we suspend that for a minute? I need your cock before I can even think.” She writhed on his cock, and he was impressed with how agile she was just using her arms and legs. It was the sweetest assault he’d ever had. She came at him hungry. Kissing his mouth and face like he’d just returned from the war. Kelli was doing an in air lap dance as she bumped and grinded his cock like a pro. He was hard as hell and not going to stop her. Something about the way she was touching him made him feel things he wasn’t sure she was ready for, because he knew for damn sure he wasn’t ready. The words of her cousin Argo came to him often. He liked Kelli a lot, but could he provide the princess type life that she was accustomed to? Not unless he was going to do high crime all the time, and the way they had him working the books and keeping track of the money, it wasn’t going to happen.

 

“Since you were concerned about being seen, maybe we should take this inside.” Although nothing would be better than enjoy the rest of her performance by coming in his pants like an untried teen or bending her over his bike in this alleyway that was scented with garbage and shit, he didn’t want to face the cavalry that had shown up to pick her up after Argo’s death with his dick hard and his ass exposed.

 

She stopped kissing him and stared disappointedly as she unlocked her legs from around his ass and slid down to the ground. “You’re probably right. Lead the way.”

 

They were up in the secured space quickly, and he was grateful that he place was at least clean. He’d spent most of the time over at her house, and the few nights he did use it, the only thing he did was sleep there.

 

He knew that he’d stopped her from what she wanted before, but they’d agreed that they were meeting to talk. If she wanted more, he was happy to oblige, but he didn’t want to force her. This meeting was something she set up, so he’d let her go for it.

 

“I don’t have anything to offer you except maybe a water,” he said as he went to open the refrigerator.

 

“That’s okay. I have to say a few things and then we can go from there.” She was nervous, and although there weren’t many things he thought were cute, but watching her in his space and having her care was touching.

 

He pulled out the two waters anyway. It gave him something to do with his hands, and he offered one to her when he got closer. Sitting on the couch together, he waited for her to start speaking, but it was taking so long he wondered if she again changed her mind.

 

“I want to apologize for thinking the worst of you. When you came back to the cabin and told me that Argo was dead, I didn’t want to believe you, and then I believed that you killed him yourself. That was because someone who I’ve always believed in told me he knew that you did for a fact. I’ve been raised with criminals all my life, and I don’t know that I know an honest person. It was easy to believe that I’d been duped by a sexy, charming person who was also a hit man.” She took a deep breath, and he moved closer to her so he could give her some support through what would have to be a hard conversation for her. She was admitting that she was wrong, and that was a huge step. He’d known several people who wouldn’t have even been able to get that far.

 

Kelli picked up the water and opened the cap before she took a few long pulls at the bottle. He knew that it would come in handy, but he refrained from saying so. Watching her drink her water shouldn’t have been sexual, but just watching her do anything could get him going. The fact that he was with her after weeks of thinking he’d never see her again was making him giddy.

 

“I felt the disconnect from you as soon as you entered the house. Looking back, I probably knew something had happened, but I didn’t want to believe it was that.”

 

“When I got back, you claimed that you missed me and that was why you were so hot to have me as soon as I walked in the door. Does that mean that you didn’t really miss me when I was gone? Or was there another reason why you were so frantic?” He hadn’t wanted to say anything as to stop the flow of her conversation, but he had to ask questions as she went along because he didn’t want to forget anything.

 

“No. I did miss you, and I was feeling very anxious. When I was a little girl and my father would leave to go out on business I’d wait for him to return. I hated for him to leave, but I knew it was part of his job. There wasn’t a time that my mother didn’t encourage me to go to bed and tell me he’d be home in the morning, but I felt like if I could just wait up for him, then he’d be alright.”

 

“That sounds like a good little girl who wanted everyone safe. Don’t make yourself feel bad about that.” He wanted to wrap his arms around her, but he didn’t know if that would stop the conversation, and he really needed to know what had happened and what was going on now.

 

“Well one day he didn’t come home when he normally did, and I was frantic. I woke my mother and made her contact him only to find out that he’d been shot. It must not have been a major injury because they brought him to the house and had our doctor see him in his bed, but there was so much blood, cursing, and screaming. All from the man who was always calm and cool. You remind me a little bit of him.” She sounded like she was getting to where she wanted to go with this story, and he didn’t want to interrupt, so he kept quiet and continued to watch her face, but he wanted her to know that he was paying attention.

 

“That sounds like a lot of responsibility and pressure to put on yourself.”

 

“It was, but it’s just the way I’m made. When you left that night, the thoughts I had with my father when I was younger came back to me for you. What if I never see him again? What could I have done differently to make the most out of our time together? Those questions made me crazy, and the meeting that I assumed would take about an hour took three, so when I saw you I was just so happy that you weren’t hurt. It only registered slightly that you weren’t really into everything like I was.”

 

“It wasn’t that I wasn’t into it. I knew when you found out about your cousin you’d regret what we were doing, and I never wanted to be a regret to you. I tried to tell you a few times, but then I thought that maybe you knew something and wanted one more time or you didn’t want to talk about it. I couldn’t let that happen because I wanted you to hear from me the details of the night. It was going to be hard, and I didn’t know what you wanted to do, but you surprised me when you said you had called your father and wanted him to pick you up. When I watched them hustle you into the car, I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I thought I’d be able to talk to you later. Even if it was just to make sure you were alright.” Now it was his turn to drink down his beverage, and he hated that he didn’t have anything stronger than water. A conversation like this needed vodka or bourbon, but at least a beer would have been nice.

 

“When I got to my house, the ear beating began about how I defied him and ran off with Argo’s killer. It was nonstop. I worked to make that boutique what it was, but it was financed by my father and so was my home, so he took all that away from me. I believed that you’d killed Argo even when you told me that your club had sent someone else because that was just too damn convenient. Stuff like that only happens in the movies, and since my life has never been that scripted, the whole scenario seemed ridiculous.”

 

“What made you change your mind? I got your text. The one where you cursed me and my dick to diseased pussy for life or something like that.” He wanted to know what made her contact him, but also he wanted to put a smile on her face. She looked like she hadn’t laughed in weeks, and he wanted to be the one to break the spell.

 

“I was just so angry at you. Earlier that day, my father had told me that you’d set up a meeting with him to bargain over my bracelet. He said that you wanted the money for it before you’d give it back. Then he told me he gave you two hundred thousand for it and he would give you the other two hundred thousand when you returned it, but you never came back, but you sold it for half a million dollars to someone he knew. He said you were seen out partying and using all that money on booze, drugs, and sex.” She was watching him closely like she was going to be able to tell from his reaction what was real and what wasn’t.

 

It was hard to listen to what she’d been told without getting upset, but he could do it. They were talking, and he’d be able to tell him her side when he calmed down. He stood up from the couch and walked over to the window.

 

“I can tell you want to say something.” She’d come behind him and wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t know what to say, and he didn’t want to bash her father, but it was going to have to happen if he wanted her to know the truth.

 

“I did set up a meeting with your father because I wanted to see you. It was hard trying to figure out where your father is, but when I stalked your house a few days and your boutique I could tell that you were nowhere to be found. That worried me. I didn’t think your father would do away with you, but I have known parents that have offed their kids for less.” He turned in her arms and wrapped his arms around her while she looked up into his face.

 

“My father wouldn’t kill me.” Kelli’s face said she believed that, but Carson didn’t know the man well enough to know that at the time or now.

 

“Have you been locked away? Out on the street, you said you only had a few minutes by yourself before they were coming to get you.” He didn’t like the expression on her face. Her father may not kill her physically, but he was smothering her emotionally. If she wasn’t able to go around on her own steam at the ripe age of 27, then he was no better than an abductor.

 

“I wouldn’t call it locked away.” She unlocked her arm from around him and turned to go, but he held her hand so she couldn’t get far. They’d been apart for so long, and he didn’t know how much longer they’d be together, but for now he wanted to touch her… lick her…suck her and bite her. They hadn’t gotten to that part, but his body was still zinging from their time in the alley.

 

“Then what would you call it?”

 

“He thinks he’s protecting me.” She said looking a bit uncomfortable.

 

“From what…or should I say from who?”

 

“If you said who, you’d be more correct. I think he is afraid that if he lets me out of his sight, you’ll find me and kill me too.”

 

“Baby, your father knows I didn’t kill Argo. There is no way he would have let me leave his place of business if he did. The men who escorted me out wanted a piece of me like you wouldn’t believe, and I was hoping that he would tell them to rough me up a bit because I wanted a good fight.”

 

“My father also thought that I told you where to find him. I never agreed or disagreed, but I wondered that too.”

 

“It took a lot of money and some time to get the information, and after that, I still didn’t know that he’d see me. When I got the appointment, I was sure that was going to be my last day on this earth.”

 

“Then why did you go?” She honestly looked puzzled.

 

“Because I wanted to make sure that you were okay. I asked him if I could return your bracelet to you and have a few words face to face. I didn’t want him to put you on the phone. I wanted to see you. Also knowing that there is little honor among criminals, I didn’t know what he would have told you if I just handed him the piece.”

 

“So you still have it?” She asked him like it was hard for her to believe his story, and he could understand that.

 

He let go of her hand so he could reach into his pocket and pull out her beautifully sparkling pink diamond bracelet. She held her arm out so he could put it on, and she looked so pleased to have it back where it was supposed to be.

 

“That’s a great way to answer the question.” She held her hand up like she’d missed her bracelet, and he was happy that he had it to return to her.

 

“If you thought that I’d killed Argo and your father agreed and persecuted you for it, what changed your mind?”

 

The smile that had been on Kelli’s face slipped off her face like an icicle that dropped to the ground in the thaw.

 

“I’d been drinking the night I texted you. I didn’t even know I was writing you until my youngest brother woke me up and wanted to talk to me. He’s always been the sneaky one of the bunch. I don’t know that’s because it’s in his nature or because he’s young and no one tells him anything so he has to do his own intel, but it really works for him.” She looked up like she didn’t know he was still hanging on her every word.

 

He nodded so she could continue.

 

“He told me that Papa was getting blackmailed by someone, and he was thinking of paying the man. I don’t have a lot of honest people around me, but Leo is the salt of the earth. Also he has no filter, so what you see is what you get. He’s not for a lot of bullshit, so I don’t think the family business would be for him, but that’s for him to work out later.”

 

“Someone is blackmailing the kingpin?” It took a lot to shock Carson because he’d been around for a long time, and the shit pile could get deep when you were dealing with high ranking criminals. “For what?”

 

“There is a tape of what happened in that warehouse, and it’s not matching the story he’s telling everyone.” She looked at him like she wanted him to say something or like she thought he’d be upset, but the truth was he was happier than he could ever be. There was no way he would have been able to convince anyone that what he said was true. It reminded him of the good little Sunday school boy that had ransacked the room when the teacher had gone and then he’d blamed Carson. There was no way that anyone believed that he didn’t do that, and the punishment he’d received from his then foster father had taught him a good lesson.

 

No one trusts the unknown person, and he was always the unknown.