Chapter Thirty-Eight
She awoke in near darkness, the bright neon lights from a nearby casino illuminating the bedroom window. The brilliant pink and blue flashed on and off, reminding her of a firework display.
“I got this place because I liked the night lights,” he whispered before laying a loud, sloppy kiss on the back of her neck. “It’s Vegas, after all.”
“Ah.” She didn’t try to pull free, her body blissfully lax and lazy from the afternoon’s loving. “I still have a few more days.”
Trey hummed something as he nibbled her earlobe. “It’ll take me a bit of time to lock things down here. Don’t want to leave Dylan short-handed, and he’ll want me to make sure everyone’s trained on the system.”
She turned in his arms to face him. “Are you sure? You’ve got a life here, friends.”
“Time for a change.” The determination in his voice startled her. “I’ve put my life on hold for long enough.” His grip tightened. “You’re what I want to focus on for the next twenty, thirty years.”
She let out an exaggerated huff, unable to hide her smile. “Here I was thinking you’d want to stay around for a while.”
“No.” He paused. “I need to tell you something about Dylan, about the other men there. And Edgar, now.”
“I figured there was something going on there. What the loan shark referred to. Your… group.”
“It’s called the Brotherhood. We help those who can’t help themselves, who have no place else to turn. Jessie was one of the people we helped.”
“Fluxxx.” She drew in a breath. “That was your work.”
He went on to talk about it, about other operations he’d been on both near and far. He’d flown drones and hacked computers, stood toe-to-toe with bikers and slipped through the darkness to save kidnapped men and women.
After he finished, all she could do was stare at him.
He dropped his gaze to the sheets tangled around them. “I don’t want this to go on any longer without you knowing the full truth, the bare truth about me. I’ve gone into the black more than a few times and skirted the law. If Dylan calls and asks me for help, I’ll do it again because I made a commitment years ago to him and the others, and I won’t break it.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but that’s how it is.”
She slipped a finger under his chin and pulled him up to face her.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” It was hard to speak, the emotions stealing her words. “You and Dylan, Jessie, and the others brought Vincent home. You found justice for your friend and gave me the final push to break out of an abusive situation. I wouldn’t ask you to leave, and I won’t.”
Trey exhaled, the tension slipping out of his muscles.
She kissed him. “I’d like to view some of these ninja moves for myself. Care to demonstrate?”
“With pleasure.”
…
Trey pulled into the garage, Ally sitting beside him. The sun had set not long ago, and the music was already thumping through the walls, the thick bass beat giving the entire building a heartbeat.
Patrick glanced over from where he sat by the workbench, a cup of coffee in his hand. He raised an eyebrow as Trey went around to help Ally out, but said nothing.
“Is Dylan upstairs?” Trey asked.
“Sure is. Been quiet so far. Guess that isn’t going to last now that you’re here.”
Trey laughed and took her hand. “Ally, Patrick. Patrick, the most beautiful woman in the world.”
He took a sip of coffee and grinned. “Pleased to meet you.”
Ally nodded as Trey led her to the door.
“Going to miss you ’round here,” Patrick said.
Trey paused, taken aback by the mechanic’s deduction.
The older man tucked his hands into his pockets. “I’m not blind. Good luck to the two of you.”
“Thanks.” Trey opened the door and motioned her through.
He knew where Dylan was—the club was open, and he’d be in his nest, high above the dance floor, overseeing everything.
A short elevator ride later, Trey rapped at the office door, his heart pounding.
“Come in,” a female voice called out.
Jessie.
Dylan was standing in front of the one-way glass, looking out over the happy club-goers. He turned as they entered, a wide grin on his face.
Jessie was there as well, sitting behind the desk.
“You two look happy.” Dylan gave them a knowing look. “I get the feeling this isn’t a social visit.”
“No.” Trey looked at Ally before speaking, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I know we’ve talked about expanding out my section, teaching others how to work my stations.”
“Jessie’s gotten pretty good at flying the drones,” Dylan said.
She beamed, giving him a wink.
“That’s great, because I’ve got a job offer. With Phoenix,” Trey said. “No offense against the club, but they’ve got better benefits.”
Ally coughed into her free hand as her cheeks turned scarlet.
“I can’t say I’m surprised.” Dylan grinned. “I’m comfortable with dropping you to reserve status, effective immediately. How does that sound to you?”
He frowned. “You don’t seem surprised.”
The Brotherhood leader laughed. “Let’s just say I know the value of true love. You deserve a little happiness after all this. Congratulations.”
He came around the desk and shook Trey’s hand hard as Jessie hugged Ally.
“We’re going to miss you. It goes without saying, we’re here for you both. Anything you want or need—if we can help out, we will. Just ask.”
“Thank you.” Ally drew a deep breath. “I’m hoping Sheldon Construction might end up merging into Phoenix, depending on how things work out. I don’t think my uncle’s keen on running it, and with Vincent indisposed, it might be the best way to cleanse the smear on the company’s name.”
“That might be best for everyone,” Dylan said.
“Thank you both for your help.” She laughed. “In every way.”
Trey slid his hand around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss.
“Don’t be a stranger,” Dylan said.
“We’re going to split our time between New York City and Las Vegas, at least for the foreseeable future,” Ally said. “We’ll stop in every now and then.”
Trey grinned at Dylan. “I’m only a call away if you need my computer skills.”
His former boss chuckled. “No one’s irreplaceable. But damn it, you come darn close.” He smiled. “Now, let’s go grab a table and celebrate. Sparkling water and non-alcoholic drinks on the house.”
Jessie hugged Ally again. “Bet you never thought this would happen when you called my office looking for help to find Vincent.”
“No.” She blinked away tears as she took Trey’s hand. “I thought I’d end up in the same vicious cycle I’d been trapped in for years. Now I’ve got a chance to make a new life for myself with a man who I love.”
Trey laughed and hugged her tight. “We’ll catch up to the two of you downstairs. I need to clean out my desk.”
…
She looked around the office as he loaded up a banker’s box with knickknacks—the artillery-shell paperweight, the tension squeeze-ball that was shaped like a human brain…
He hesitated as he picked up the picture of him and Nick, holding it in his hands like a fine piece of china.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It wasn’t your fault.” Trey turned to face her. “Despite what you’re thinking, none of that was on you. None of it.”
She traced the edge of the desk with her hand. “In my mind, I know that. But it’s going to take some time to get my heart to catch up. What Vincent did, what my aunt and uncle did…” She shook her head. “Can we go visit Nick’s parents? I’d like to apologize for my family, see what I can do in Nick’s memory.”
“Sure.” Trey nodded. “They’d like that.” He stepped around the desk and took both her hands in his. “And if Dylan calls us in New York City and needs me…”
“Then you come here and save the world.” She leaned in, touching her forehead to his. “Because that’s what you do.”
“That’s what we do,” he corrected her with a kiss. “Let’s go see what we can build together.”
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