“Are you ready for this?” Seb asks as he gets in the passenger seat, his hair tied back at the base of his neck.
“Yep,” I say, popping the p.
My eyes veer off toward the house as West exits, his head thrown back as he laughs at something. No sooner is he out of the house and walking down the path does Lexi come to a stop in the open door.
Her eyes zone in on me; she lifts her hand in a wave, but all I can manage to do is nod my head in reply.
I have to distance myself from her; things are getting too complicated in my own head, and as much as I want to say that her being an ex-con is pushing me away, it’s not.
“That girl,” West says, chuckling as he slides in the back on the car and leans forward. “She doesn’t even realize what she’s saying half of the time.”
I ignore him, my eyes still fixated on Lexi and her lip as she worries it. I can see the apprehension on her face as she looks down at us.
“I know,” Seb answers. “She’s kinda growing on me.”
“No shit.” West’s brows fly up on his forehead. “Never would have guessed with how you ignore her most of the time.”
Seb shrugs and pats his hand on the dash, signaling me to pull away from the sidewalk. My foot hits the gas pedal and I speed out of there, heading out of town and to the location where the meeting is.
My head’s not in the game, and it needs to be, especially for this meeting with Darrell.
“Did you check the car?” Seb asks.
“Yeah.” I nod, taking a left. “Nothing on here apart from my own stuff. There was nothing in your gran’s house either.”
“Good,” West answers. “Last thing we need is Gran on his radar.”
I nod in agreement and come to a stop at a red light. “What will happen at the meeting?”
Seb turns around to face West, a silent conversation going on between them before he turns back to me. “There’ll be a test.” I raise a brow in silent question. “He’ll get you to do something for him so that he knows he can trust you.”
“But you don’t know what?” I ask, pushing down on the gas pedal and taking a right; only a couple of miles from the industrial estate now.
“No one knows until he says what he wants from you.” Seb clears his throat. “But be prepared because it won’t be anything… legal.”
I shrug, not letting it bother me. Darrell is looking for a computer expert, and not your average kind of computer expert, but a really good one. I know I can do whatever he throws at me without a doubt, I just have to be able to put on the front that Seb and West seem to put on as soon as we drive into the industrial estate.
“We’ve kept it simple,” West starts. “We told the truth about how we know each other. It’s better to base a lie on truths—less chance of being caught out then.”
I come to a stop outside of the warehouse that Seb points to.
“The only thing he doesn’t know is that you work for MAC, but then no one knows that. I mean shit, we didn’t even know it at first.”
I smirk, knowing that I’m a ghost in the cyber world. People will have heard about me and the skills that I have. They may even have stories about seeing me or meeting me. But nine times out of ten they’re lies.
“Ready?” I ask, already pulling the handle on my door and pushing it open.
I step out, Seb and West not far behind me as I scan the building and swipe my arm twice across my belt to start recording what happens from here on out.
All conversations are recorded in my car with a swipe of my hand underneath my steering wheel, this is the “on the go” version.
Seb pulls the door open and we all step inside; both of them are searched: their cell phones and weapons left at the door in a safe box.
They turn around when it’s my turn, watching as I’m searched by the woman who looks more like a man than I do. The muscles on her arms have my eyes widening. She could probably crush me to death in a matter of seconds.
“You’re good,” she says, her voice soft. I don’t know if that shocks me more than anything else ever has.
You tend to already associate a tone of voice when you see a person; that’s definitely not what I expected to come out of her mouth.
She watches me as I walk forward, standing beside Seb and West before we move toward a black door that sits off to the right.
They both have worried looks on their faces, and I know what they’re thinking—that we have no backup, no way of relaying this meeting. They really should have more faith in me because I don’t go anywhere without something to protect myself or record what goes on around me.
The door opens when we’re a couple of feet away from it, and another guard appears, only this time it’s a brute of a man.
He doesn’t make eye contact with any of us, instead he stands there like a sentinel.
“Boys!”
Clapping of hands has my attention moving to the middle of the room.
Darrell Le’Fraine.
His light-brown hair sticks up in all kinds of directions, and when he stands, my eyes widen. He’s smaller than I imagined, he can’t be much taller than Kitty and she’s only five foot two.
The brute moves aside, allowing us into the room as Darrell’s dirty-blue, beady eyes meet mine. His lips turn up into a grin as he steps around his large, glossy, black desk.
“You must be Evan,” he says, holding his hand out.
“I am,” I reply, placing my hand in his and shaking it as I keep my eyes connected to his.
He stares at me for several seconds before pulling away and stepping back behind his desk. “Sit,” he offers, waving his hand out toward the chairs that sit the other side of his desk.
I discreetly move my gaze to Seb and he subtly nods his head and sits beside me.
“So, these guys tell me that you’re the best in the business?”
“They do?” I ask, chuckling as my eyes wander around the room, taking it all in and compartmentalizing it. All of the walls are stark white, black picture frames containing nothing scattered on the walls and a black sculpture of a lion sitting in the middle of the wall. Gold accents shine through the black and I narrow my eyes at it.
I’m sure I’ve seen that somewhere before.
“I see you like my lion.”
“I…” I turn back to face Darrell. “I suppose if that’s your kind of thing.” I shrug.
He laughs. “It’s worth ten mil.”
I act uninterested as I stare at him, but inside I’m screaming “what the fuck?” Pushing down in the seat, I let my legs straighten out in front of me as my elbows rest on the sides of the chair.
“Are we here to talk business? Or to shoot the shit?” I ask, my voice sounding bored.
The atmosphere changes, and when I look back up at Darrell, I see his eyes narrowed and his mouth in a grim line.
“Look…” I start, sitting up and shrugging. “I’m a busy guy, I have several jobs on the table. All worth a lot more than that lion over there.” I hook my thumb toward the lion. “If you wanna drag this out then I’ll leave now and save you the trouble.”
Darrell’s brows rise on his forehead, his eyes skirting to Seb who sits next to me. “You said he’s the best?”
“He is,” he confirms.
“Good.” He nods his head several times before waving his arm to the brute who is still standing by the door. “Pass him the laptop.”
A couple of seconds later an open laptop is placed into my lap, the screen full of green code against a black background.
“Get me into the central bank.”
I raise a brow, knowing what he wants without having to ask. But I’m the smart one here, so I start typing away and ten minutes later, I’m standing up and placing the laptop screen on the desk in front of him.
“Holy shit, you did it.”
“Of course, I did it,” I scoff. “That’s a warm up for me.”
He leans closer to the laptop and I see the tremor in his hand as he’s about to make a dash for the keyboard, but I’m quicker than him.
I pick it up, typing in the code and getting out of the system.
“What—”
“You asked me to get in the bank.” I raise a brow as I put the laptop back on the desk and walk toward the door. “You want money transferred, then I get a cut. Simple as that.”
I open the door, taking two steps back into the warehouse that is starkly different to the room we were just in. I know how to play him—to act bored and uninterested so that he’ll take the bait.
“You’ve got the job.”
I spin around and say, “Who said I wanted it?”
He laughs and points at me. “I think I like you.” He turns to Seb and West who still haven’t said a word. “You boys did good. Get him a device.”
“On it, boss.”
Darrell turns his gaze back to me. “I call, you come. That’s the deal and you get a twenty percent cut.”
“Twenty-five.”
He huffs out a breath. “Twenty-two and that’s my final offer.” He’s silent for a beat before he warns, “Don’t push me.”
I nod in agreement and walk across the dirty concrete floor before collecting my cell.
* * *
It’s been a few days since I managed to give myself a black eye, and I’ve had the worst headache since. To say that I was embarrassed with everyone knowing what I did and how I did it is an understatement.
Once I finally left, I could feel myself relaxing. I didn’t know who any of those people were, they had me on edge and afraid. No matter how much Evan said that they wouldn’t hurt me, it didn’t matter, because they were strangers and they didn’t seem too happy about me being there.
The day after “the floorboard incident,” as I’ve now dubbed it, Evan came to pick up Seb and West. I don’t know why I expected him to talk to me, to get out of the car and at least say hi, but he didn’t.
The cold shoulder had me doubting everything about him that I know; which now thanks to Cal and Mal, is quite a lot. They never hesitated to get out the many photo albums that they had with pictures inside of all of them when Evan was growing up, although not before the age of nine. I wanted to ask them where his baby pictures were, but didn’t want to pry.
So, two days after the cold shoulder and not seeing Evan at all to thank him, I decide to make some cakes and brownies.
Baking was something that Gran and I always did together: it was how we bonded, but I haven’t made one since before I went to prison.
After spending all morning in the grocery store to get the ingredients, I came back and made a collection of cakes and brownies. Livvy’s house smells like heaven, and I may or may not have eaten my own weight in brownies.
Packing them all up in the containers that I bought at the store, I move them to the front door and pull it open.
It’s just after eight and Livvy isn’t at home yet. She met someone on her night out with Mal and Cal, and has been seeing him and going on dates ever since. It’s nice to see the smile on her face when she talks about him, and I can’t help but have hope that if she can find someone special at this age, then maybe I can too.
Evan’s face flashes in my mind and I shake my head. Dammit, don’t go there. But a small voice in my head starts to protest, telling me that he’s no longer with the police officer. Mal and Cal were ecstatic when they told me, but I have no idea why, because surely they’d want their son to be happy? It’s all too much for my brain to handle right now.
I worry my bottom lip before looking over at Mal and Cal’s house. There’s no way that I can remember the way to the… what did Evan call it? A fort? I can’t remember, but I’m sure they’ll know the way.
I bite the bullet and shut the door behind me, jogging over to their house and knocking on the door.
“Lexi!” Mal opens his arms and pulls me into him, planting a kiss on the top of my head. “Come on in.” He waves his arm and I step inside. “Cal’s still at work.”
“Okay… erm…” I bite my bottom lip, twisting my fingers around each other. “I was wondering if you could give me a ride?”
“A ride?” he asks, his eyes full of questions.
“Yeah… well… erm…” I shake my head. “You know my eye.” I point to it as if he can’t see the purple and green bruise clearly. “I wanted to thank Evan and Caveman.”
“Caveman?” He chuckles.
“I can’t remember his name.” I shrug.
He widens his stance, crossing his arms over his chest and smirks. “So, you wanted to thank them?”
“Yeah, I made cakes and brownies.” I smile wide, proud of my idea.
“I didn’t know you could bake,” he says, his eyes widening.
“I can.” I nod. “So? Could you give me a ride to their… fort?”
He throws his head back laughing before grabbing his keys off the table by the front door. “It’s a compound.” Ahh, right, that makes sense. “I’ll bring the car over.”
“Yes! Thank you, thank you!” I reach up on my tiptoes, kissing his cheek before spinning around and opening the door, jogging back over to the house and collecting all of the tubs.
Once we have them all loaded in his trunk, I climb into the passenger seat and he pulls away from the curb, heading the same way that Evan did a few days ago.
The music plays over the radio, and halfway there, I find myself singing along to the songs, shaking my hips in my seat. It must be catching because by the time we pull up to the large gates, Mal is doing exactly the same and we’re both singing at the top of our lungs.
“Helllllllo?” Someone says when Mal pulls up to a small box and presses a button.
“Hey!”
“Mal?”
“Yeppers! Let us in, Kitty! We have an army’s worth of sugar high here!”
“Ohhhh!”
The gates open and Mal pulls forward, parking next to the car that I know is Evan’s. “Let’s unload!” He rubs his hands together before switching the engine off by a button in the middle console and then pushes out of his side of the car.
My stomach dips when I spot Evan walking with a few guys and two women. I only met two guys last time, but when they’re all walking toward us like that, I can’t help the way my hands start to shake.
You can do this, Lexi. Pull up them big girl panties.
Taking a deep breath, I pull the handle and push the door open, stepping out of the car and walking around to the trunk where Mal now stands with them all.
“Dad.” Evan’s deep voice rumbles around me as I stand back and watch them embrace each other. “What are you doing here?”
“Well…” Mal’s eyes connect with mine. “This one came over and told me she’d baked a thank you present.”
Evan’s eyes snap to mine, and for a second, I think I see a ghost of a smile on his face, but it’s gone as soon as I think I’ve seen it.
“Who?” another voice rumbles. His head moves to the side and I see Caveman as his lips quirk up. “Ahhh, Ex-con.”
“Excuse me?” Mal’s voice cuts in, deeper than I’ve ever heard before.
“I mean… erm…” Caveman struggles to talk and it has a snort coming out of me at the sight of him squirming. “She’s an ex-con?” He sounds so unsure of himself that it’s almost comical.
“That she is,” Mal replies, waving his arm at me. I step forward, letting him put his arm around my shoulders. “But it’s not her name, Luke. It’s, Lexi.”
“Right, yeah.” He clears his throat, obviously uncomfortable. “Lexi.”
“Now, I’m guessing it’s you who fixed our girl up?”
“I did, sir.”
Mal offers him his hand and shakes it before he pulls me closer and whispers, “They’re all big softies really.”
“I can see that,” I answer, my gaze meeting all of theirs. “I erm…” I look at the man that Evan called Ty, knowing that he’s the boss here. “I made cakes and brownies as a thank you for helping me after I was attacked.”
Someone gasps, and I turn to the woman who stands by his side. “You were attacked?”
“I… well… by a floorboard?”
Her brow furrows and she looks up at Ty. “Is she the one you were telling me about?”
“Yeah, sweetheart,” he says, his eyes moving to Evan and then back again. “She is.”
“Ahhh, okay.” She steps forward, pulling me away from Mal as she hooks her arm in mine. “It’s nice to meet you, Lexi. I’m Kay.”
“Hi,” I squeak.
“Kitty!” she calls. “Let’s show Lexi around.”
“Oh, no,” I say, shaking my head. “You don’t have to—”
“Of course, we do! You’re Evan’s friend.”
“Kay,” Ty warns.
I look behind me, my eyes meeting Evan’s, catching him watching me. His shoulders are up high, his arms crossed over his chest. The way his eyes stare has a shiver rolling through me. I’ve never been looked at like that before.
* * *
I can’t understand why she’s here, much less why Dad brought her here. I’ve had to cancel one of my self-defense classes this week because I was being followed—by one of Darrell’s brutes no doubt.
There was no way I would lead them to the community center, not when that class is full of women who are trying to get away from the hell that they live in. So, I canceled, knowing it was the safer option. But in the back of my mind, I knew that staying away from Lexi was the right thing to do. Even if the timing was right, and I hadn’t long broken up with Geena or I wasn’t working this case; I still wouldn’t have gone there.
I don’t think.
Shaking my head, I try my hardest to concentrate on what Luke and Dad are talking about, but I can’t seem to tear my eyes from her as Kay and Kitty lead her into the warehouse.
There’s something about her that draws me to her; some kind of pain that our souls seem to connect with. I know it’s hopeless, there’s no way that we would work, but I can’t stop the fantasy of being able to touch her skin, of being able to feel her lips against mine from running through my mind on a daily basis.
I have a feeling that I won’t be able to get away from her, or this feeling, no matter what I say or do.
“Evan?”
“Huh?”
“Come on,” Luke says, slapping my shoulder and tilting his head at the warehouse. “They’ve all gone inside.”
I take a step forward then come to a stop. I can’t go in there, I can’t sit with her and listen to her soft voice as she talks to everyone. “Nah, I’m gonna head back to my cabin.”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth I’m moving as fast as I can toward my cabin before he calls me on my bullshit.
“Oh, no you don’t.” I feel a hand land on my shoulder and then I’m being pulled back. “What are you running from?”
“What?” My eyes widen as I stare into his ice-blue ones. “I’m not running from anything. I have things to do.”
“No you don’t.” He smirks, moving his gaze to the warehouse before narrowing his eyes in thought and looking back at me. “Is she the reason you called things off with Geena?”
“What?” I pull out of his hold, pushing my shoulders back and standing at my full height of over six feet. “Of course, it’s not. Things with Geena were over for a while before I ended it. You know this.”
“I do.” He nods. “But that doesn’t explain why you’re running the minute that the pretty brunette turns up.”
I blow out a stuttering breath, realizing that I’m going to have to give him something to get him off my back. “I can’t go in there,” I confess. “I can’t sit with her—”
“Oh, damn.” He stumbles back a step. “You—her—you—”
“Fuck!” I push my hands through my hair, pulling at it and relishing in the burn that runs through my scalp. “I… fuck... dammit!”
I start pacing in front of him, my eyes focused on the gravel that covers the compound and the crunching sound underneath my black combat boots.
I have to control this: control how I feel. There’s no way I can go there, not now, not ever.
So why is it that all I want is to go in there and crush my lips against hers?
I shouldn’t feel like this. I shouldn’t, dammit!
My gaze swings back up to Luke where he’s leaning against the back of the van we use for jobs, a tub opened and a brownie making its way to his mouth.
“You enjoying this?” I spit out.
“Me? Hell to the yes, I am.” He takes another bite, his brow raised as I carry on pacing in front of him. “You need to chill the fuck out.”
“Chill out?” I laugh. “Chill out?”
“Yeah,” he says, pushing up off the van. “Chill the fuck out. Have some fucking fun for a change. Get laid, go out on dates. There’s nothing and no one stopping you.”
“What—”
“Evan…” He places his hand on my shoulder, squeezing slightly. “Nothing. Is. Stopping. You.”
“But she’s an ex-con.”
“Yeah, there is that. But… she seems harmless enough.” He shrugs. “What she get put away for anyway?”
I wince, knowing that I’ve done my research, and he knows it too by the look on his face. “Robbery and assault.” He whistles. “She was trying to steal pills for her grandma’s illness and accidently knocked a police officer out as she tried to escape.”
He laughs; full on throw your head back laughter. “I can see her doing something like that.”
“Yeah.” I grin. “Me too.”
My mind wanders back to when I first met her and how awkward she was, how awkward she still is.
“Come on, Ev.”
I let my head fall back, staring up at the night sky and watching the stars twinkle in the sky. When I was a kid, I used to love lying in the front yard, staring up at the stars and imagining that each one was dancing to some inaudible beat that the universe was playing.
As I’m about to step forward, the warehouse door opens, and we both swing our gazes toward it.
“I… erm…” I smile as Lexi worries her bottom lip and takes a few steps toward us. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who talks so much.”
“Kay?” both Luke and I say in unison.
“Yeah.” She chuckles. “Look…” She takes another couple of steps. “I wanted to say thank you for helping me. I can’t make you understand what hospitals do to me or how they make me feel. So, bringing me here to fix me up. I… yeah… thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I say, my voice rougher than normal. I can’t stop my eyes as they wander over her and the jean shorts she’s wearing with a black tank and black Chucks.
“And you, Caveman,” she says, swinging her eyes toward Luke. “Thanks for stitching me up.”
“You’re welcome.” He shrugs. “I’ll do it anytime if you bake some more of these brownies for me.” He groans and rubs his stomach before turning to face me and winking. “I’ll be inside.”
I widen my eyes, begging him silently to not leave me alone with her, but willing him to move away faster all at the same time.
The sound of the warehouse door closing echoes around us, and I shuffle awkwardly, my eyes slipping back to her and then away just as fast.
What the hell am I doing?
“Do you—”
“Can I—”
We both talk at the same time so I wave my arm at her. “You go first.”
“No… you go.”
Her eyes pull me in, the hazel orbs distracting me and what I was going to say. I’ve never looked into a pair of eyes like it before, and I know I should say something, but I’m not physically able to.
My feet are moving forward before I realize what I’m doing; my hand reaches up, cupping the side of her face and marveling at how the moonlight illuminates her beauty.
“You’re so beautiful,” I murmur, moving closer. So close that we’re practically touching. I can hear, feel, see, her intake of breath as she looks up at me, her eyes never leaving mine.
I don’t know how long we stay there, staring at each other, but so many things pass between us and before I know it, my other hand is reaching out for her too.
“Tell me to stop,” I whisper.
She shakes her head, her mouth parting before her tongue darts out to wet her lips.
I grab her waist, the pads of my fingers sliding underneath the hem of her tank, the soft skin feeling so smooth against my rough hand.
Dipping my head, I move closer as she reaches up on her tiptoes, her one hand coming onto my chest while the other lands on my bicep.
“Don’t stop.”
No sooner has she said those words do I slam my lips down onto hers. As soon as our lips connect, she moans which has me pulling her even closer and stepping forward.
My tongue flicks out, tracing her bottom lip, begging for entrance. She opens up for me and I drag my tongue along hers; my heartbeat picking up and my hands grab for her, wanting her even closer but knowing we can’t possibly get any closer than we already are.
I take another two steps forward, keeping her close and coming to the back of the van. Pushing her against it, I pull away slowly and open my eyes.
I take in all of her features. Her straight nose, her almond-shaped eyes, and the long lashes that flutter along the tops of her cheeks before she opens them.
“I’ve wanted to do that for so long now,” I tell her. “I couldn’t stop it any longer. I had to.”
Her lips part as a breath leaves her body and she opens her mouth.
“Lexi! You out here?”
I step back from her, my eyes wide at hearing my dad’s voice as the gravel crunches under his feet.
“I…” She clears her throat. “I’m here.”
“Ahhh! What are you doing—” He stops abruptly when he sees me, his brows rising as he looks between us.
“I gotta go,” I say, pushing my hands through my hair and looking back at Lexi once more before jogging back to my cabin and slamming the door behind me.
What did I do? What does this mean? Why did I—
Get it the hell together. It was a kiss! One little—big, gigantic, enormous—kiss.