Chapter Thirty-One
Knox stared up at his bedroom ceiling. Since sunrise an hour ago, he’d watched the buttery glow of another summer morning slowly stretch across the white surface, Darya’s comfortable weight and the sweet press of her naked body against his the only thing stilling his need to take action. Not that his mind was inactive. For the first time since he’d brought her home, sleep had eluded him and he hadn’t minded one bit. Some of his best ideas had come to him in the quiet hours before dawn, and right now he needed every slick inspiration his mind could dole out.
Snagging his phone off the nightstand, he checked the time.
7:53 a.m.
Which meant Ninette and Sylvie were probably up and around already, and with a little luck, Danny and Beckett were either back already or at least on their way with news on if anyone was watching Darya’s house.
He slid the phone back against the nightstand’s rich mahogany surface and rolled to his side, wrapping his woman up tight. Another benefit to a sleepless night was watching her sleep. Letting himself drink his fill of her classical face and burn every detail deep. He’d also figured out she liked having someone play with her hair. Whether she’d registered the contact in her sleep or not, he wasn’t sure, but every time he’d taken to slicking his fingers through the silky strands, she’d almost purred and snuggled closer.
He kissed her cheek and muttered low beside her ear, “Morning, angel.”
She stirred and her eyes fluttered open, the striking blue even more impactful with the sun’s soft glow. At first her expression was a little dazed, her features still soft and unmarked by reality, but like everything else about her, her mind caught up quick and her eyes came into focus. “Is everything okay?”
“Perfect.” He rolled her to her back and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I need to run some traps I laid out last night, but I didn’t want you to wake up and worry where I’d run off to.”
She traced an arc below one of his eyes. “You didn’t sleep.”
“I didn’t want to. Was too busy enjoying the woman next to me.” He snagged her hand and kissed her palm. “I’ll get my work done a whole lot easier if I know you’re happy and asleep in my bed, though.”
“If I stay, will you promise me you’ll sleep tonight?”
He couldn’t help it. The lure of all the ways they could sexually work his over-thinking brain into off mode made his dick twitch and start to swell. “Oh, I’ll make sure we’re both so exhausted tonight we’ll drop into a coma.”
She smiled at that, one full of teeth and mischief to match his own. “I can work with that plan.”
“Good. Now close your eyes and think about what’s on your wish list for tonight.”
She chuckled low and sultry. “That list keeps getting longer with you.”
Fuck, but he loved this woman. Loved her heart. How sweet she was even to strangers. How easily she not only kept pace with him intellectually, but eagerly met him pound-for-pound with sex. “Make it as long as you want. Not gonna quit until you’re sated, and then I’ll still be ready to start over again from the top.” He slid his nose alongside hers and breathed in her winter rose scent. “Sleep for me, angel.”
Before he could change his mind and indulge himself and his ready cock in her sweetness, he rolled out of bed and grabbed his phone as he stood. He snatched his discarded jeans off the floor, tugged them on in short order and padded to the door as quietly as he could. The second he opened it, the rich, nutty scent of coffee and the even better promise of Sylvie’s old-fashioned fried potatoes and bacon assailed him. His stomach growled in appreciation before he’d even shut the door to his suite.
Sure enough, Ninette was perched on a bar stool at the massive island while Sylvie manned the stove. For two women outside their normal environment, they looked right at home, both still fitted out in their TV-watching yoga pant and T-shirt combos. It was Ninette who spied him first, casting an easy good morning grin over her shoulder as she set her oversize coffee mug on the concrete-topped counter. “Look who’s up and smiling like he ate a whole flock of canaries last night.”
Well, hell. Who’d have known he could be twenty-nine years old and still blush like he’d just been caught whacking off to a Penthouse centerfold? He strolled past Ivan manning the screens and laptops lined up on the dining room table. “Hey, man. Anything?”
“Nope. Not a peep,” Ivan said. “Got a call from Danny and Beck about half an hour ago. They’re hittin’ Krispy Kreme on the way back and called the rest of the crew in early. Jace and Axel just pulled into the garage.”
Good news. An earlier meet meant less time to kill keeping Darya distracted. “Thanks, man.” He headed on toward the kitchen and Ninette, who’d yet to take her eyes off him, her focus a little too narrowed for comfort.
She stood just as he reached her and wrapped him up in a familiar hug. “I’d ask if you got any sleep, but my guess is no. So how about I ask if your girl did?”
Knox chuckled and kissed Ninette’s gray head. “She slept hard. Though, I’m hopin’ she gets at least another hour in before she gives in to curiosity and obligation and drags her butt out of bed.”
“She’s a woman, Knox. A smart one who’s just had it made plain she is well and truly taken. Only normal she’d instinctively feel the need to step into her place as woman of the house instead of resting where she should be.” She stepped away, but kept her hands on his shoulders and scanned his bare torso. “I see you’re missing something this morning.”
Knox scoffed and headed for the coffeepot. “Like you haven’t seen the lot of us hangin’ out sans shirts a million times before.”
The odd commentary must have caught Sylvie off guard, too, because she paused in stirring the potatoes long enough to twist and scan him head to toe.
Knox took advantage, leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Mornin’, Ma.”
When he pulled away, she was smirking back at him. “Ninnie wasn’t talkin’ about the shirt, love.” She dipped her head toward his chest and waggled her eyebrows. “She was talkin’ about yer tags.”
Yep. Twenty-nine and both of them could make him feel like he was ten again. He covered the uncomfortable response by tackling the single-brew coffee machine.
Sylvie didn’t seem the least bit troubled by the topic, because she kept going. “Ye know Ninnie and I would be more than happy ta help ye pick out a pretty ring fer the lass.”
“Yeah, I thought we’d start by making it so she could walk out of the house without a psycho catching her before we started planning weddings and babies.”
“Oh, babies!” This from Ninette who’d settled back on her bar stool. “The fact that word even came out of our boy’s mouth says that shopping trip’s not too far away.”
Shit. She was right. Where the fuck had babies come from? Although, picturing Darya’s belly big with his child made him stand up a helluva lot taller and pushed his shoulders back about as far as they’d go. Still, he kept his gaze trained on the coffee machine while it gurgled and churned out the last of his brew.
The loft’s door chunked open, and Jace and Axel ambled in. It took the two of them all of two seconds to scan the open space, clock everyone’s positions and settle in on razzing Knox. “Told ya he’d be up and chompin’ to go,” Axel said over his shoulder to Jace.
Jace aimed an ornery grin at Knox. “Yeah, but if he’s half-dressed it hasn’t been for long, which meant he had a damned good night.”
“I’m in my own place and my woman’s still in my bed,” Knox said over his cup of coffee. “Be glad I put on jeans.”
“Well, there is that.” Axel ambled toward the kitchen while Jace peeled off to check in with Ivan. “Do I smell fried potatoes?”
“And bacon,” Sylvie said. “Biscuits are in the oven, and I’ll whip up the eggs once Danny and Beckett roll in.”
Axel moved into Ninette’s side, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Just like bein’ at home.”
“If my boys are there, it is home,” Ninette said with an easy smile. “But speakin’ of Haven, how’s the rest of the crew?”
“Levi’s on top of the world,” Axel said. “Trevor stopped off at his place and picked up Lady, so adding Ruger and Max in the mix, he’s in dog heaven. Plus, his aunt Vivienne and aunt Gabe have deemed it their duty to spoil him more than normal.”
“As they should,” Sylvie said. “Though, I’ve never met a lad easier to spoil than Levi.”
The grate of wood against the concrete floor drew everyone’s attention to the big dining room table. Ivan stood, shook Jace’s hand and tossed a casual wave to everyone gathered in the kitchen. “I’m gonna head out and bunk down for a few hours. You guys need me before tonight, give me a call and I’ll head over.”
Knox met him halfway to the front door and offered his hand. “Appreciate you pulling a shift on short notice.”
Ivan took it and met his stare head on. “Haven’t gotten to know Darya much yet, but I know you. If she’s yours, she’s worth it.” With that, he tipped his head to the women, opened the door and headed out.
“He’s gonna be a no-brainer.” Jace settled in behind the computers, but rearranged his chair so he could have a straight-on view of the kitchen as well as the laptop screens. He cocked one foot up on the rung of the chair beside him and cranked his head to Knox. “Any idea how far out Danny and Beck are?”
Knox threw the bolt on the front door and padded back to the kitchen. “Ought to be here anytime. Where are Zeke and Trevor?”
“Stayin’ at Haven to keep an eye on things,” Axel said. “We’ve got their proxy, but can call ’em if somethin’ big comes up that needs their input.” Lifting his own coffee mug, he dipped his head in the direction of Knox’s suite. “Darya still out?”
“I hope so.” Knox pulled out a bar stool next to Ninette. “Yesterday was a hell of a day.”
“I take it you shared a few extra details on her new family?” Axel said.
“Enough she gets we can handle what needs to be handled.”
“How’d that go?” Ninette asked.
Knox kept his gaze rooted to the countertop, but he was pretty sure everyone still caught the stupid smile on his face. “She took me like I am.”
“Knew I liked that lass,” Axel said with a chuckle.
Jace’s voice cut from the dining room table. “Danny and Beck just pulled in.”
“Right,” Sylvie said with a nod. “Eggs are goin’ on now.”
Maybe it was the smell of all the food, or the chorus of male voices overpowering the room once Beckett and Danny showed, but about fifteen minutes later Darya wandered out of his suite. Her face was void of makeup—a practice that had taken him about five mornings to convince her he absolutely loved—and she’d thrown on a loose pair of ice-blue cotton pajama bottoms and a white tank. Dangling dead center between her breasts were his tags, right out where God and everyone could see.
Fuck yeah, he was gonna catch all kinds of shit the second his brothers got him alone. Probably three times what Sylvie and Ninette had dished out, but damned if he cared. They looked perfect right where they were. Not to mention, they’d serve as a hell of a reminder if she caught some wild idea about running.
The second she got within grabbing distance he pulled her between his thighs and hugged her close. “I take it we were too loud?” he murmured in her ear.
“My thoughts were louder.” She anchored the heels of her palms on his shoulder and leveraged herself enough away she could see his face. “Plus, the food smelled really good, so I gave in.”
“Knox, let go of the lass and let her eat.” Sylvie slid a fully loaded plate next to the one she’d built for Knox along with a napkin rolled around a full set of silverware. “Hop up and let her have your place. You men can eat your food and do your business at the same time.”
Axel grunted, nabbed his plate and coffee mug off the counter. Despite the beleaguered sound, his voice was full of mirth. “Sounds to me like the women want us out of their hair so they can get the play-by-play from last night.” He winked at Darya as he rounded the island then shot Knox a smirk as he headed toward the dining room table where Jace, Danny and Beckett were already situated. “Better hope you gave it your A game, brother.”
Knox palmed her hips and squeezed, tempted to tell the lot of them to go to hell and cart Darya back to his suite. Instead, he lowered his voice just for her. “You good while I talk with the guys?”
Her smile was a sweet one. Soft like her morning kisses and a little bit shy, but void of the worry she’d wrestled the day before. “I’m good. I’ll help your moms with cleanup then spend some time digging into work.”
Work was good. Like him, she was all focus the second she dove into her code. Where they differed was once she walked away from the screen, she could easily detach. He cupped the back of her neck and kissed her, not giving two fucks about the fact that conversation had all but ceased around them. Only when she smiled against his mouth and pushed against his chest did he release her and move away.
“Tags, huh?” Danny grinned and shoved the empty seat next to him far enough away from the table Knox could slide right in. “You sure you don’t want to go with something that would warn the male population off a little more clearly? Like, I don’t know...a big honkin’ ring?”
Eyes on the screen in front of him and fingers moving at about half the time what Knox was capable of, Beckett cut in with a chuckle. “Be glad he didn’t haul her off to a tattoo shop in the middle of the night.”
“Property of,” Axel added.
Jace held Knox’s gaze, but his low voice was for everyone else at the table. “Careful, brothers. What comes around goes around.” He scanned the rest of the men and picked up his coffee. “The way I see it, you’re all prime pickings to be in his shoes. Just a matter of which one’s gonna fall next.”
Yeah, Jace got it. Had been the first of the brothers to face all the unfamiliar sensations that came from claiming a woman for their own. The fact that he’d never thought to be in these shoes only made the moment sweeter. “They can give me all the hell they want. Only thing I care about right now is fixing shit so Darya and the rest of our women aren’t cooped up inside four walls.” He stretched his legs out long, reclined against the seat back and rested his forearm on the table, fingers coiled loosely around his mug’s handle. Eyes on Beckett, he got down to business. “So? Anyone watching Darya’s house?”
“Two,” Beckett said. “Took a while, but found ’em backed into a driveway across from the complex. House was for rent and completely dark. Only thing that tipped ’em off was their shiny black Mercedes.”
“Not exactly the best way to blend in in that neighborhood,” Danny said.
Axel leaned into the table and sipped his coffee. “A good slip for us, though, if it means Beckett can get a bead on where they’re operating from or how big their crew is.”
“What about Darya?” Jace asked Knox.
“What about her?”
“If they’re tracking movements then they’d have marked the two of you leaving with a suitcase in tow. They might buy you two headin’ out for a little trip, but if she doesn’t pop back up on their radar, they’re guaranteed to start digging into you.”
“Let ’em dig.”
Jace hesitated, keeping his gaze steady even as he gave his toothpick a quick swirl with his tongue. “Think you’re missing my point. If she shows, it keeps them off track. They think we’re still clueless and buy us more time to build a plan.”
“No.” As if his harsh shut down wasn’t enough, Knox focused on the screen in front of him completely cutting eye contact. “I’m not using her.”
Situated on the same side of the table as Knox, Beckett shifted enough to see around Danny. “He’s got a good point, Knox. No one’s saying it has to be much. Just show back up at her place, drop off an empty suitcase and head out again.”
Knox whipped his head around and glared with all he had in him. “Not gonna happen.” He held Beckett’s stare and tried bringing his breath in line with something less heavy than a marathon runner. Not exactly the easiest task considering his heart had taken off at a sprint with the mere idea of letting Darya outside the safety of his loft. He forced his attention back to his laptop. “I put out a new honeypot.”
His brothers kept their silence, either too stunned by his outright refusal to say anything, or just giving him space to see where the new topic was headed. He was just about to share more when Axel grumbled, “What the fuck’s a honeypot?”
Danny snickered. “It’s a lure. Knox uses ’em to trick people nosing into our business. Fake databases with the promise of financial or personal info. They bite and he blocks.”
Axel grinned. “Think I like my definition of honeypot better, but to each his own.”
One quip and the tension was broken. But then, that was the thing Knox loved about his brothers. They might not always see eye to eye completely, but they always had each others’ backs.
“I take it you’re hoping this lure is gonna get us another inroad to Ruslan?” Jace said.
Knox nodded. “The goal’s to find some way I can get them suckered into uploading a RAT.”
Axel’s head snapped back and he frowned. “A what?”
“Remote Access Trojan,” Beckett answered. “Basically malware. It gets him administrative access to their systems.”
“And from there I get whatever information on this prick we need to gain leverage.” Knox hesitated. Of all the shit they’d done together in the years since he’d met them, what he was about to suggest was probably the most dangerous. “The little bit of research I did on Ruslan last night showed this guy’s loaded.”
“You wanna hit the fucker’s accounts.” Jace grinned huge. “You’re a mean bastard when someone messes with your toys.”
“Like you’d do anything different if it was Viv.”
The grin died and the lethal side Jace barely kept banked on a good day roared to life. “I’d take his money, but only as a means to lure him close enough to cut his dick off and choke the son of a bitch on it.”
“Then you see my point.”
“Clear as day.” He reclined against his seat back. “Still, you take that step, it’ll escalate fast. We ready for that?”
“Not yet,” Beckett said. “We will be. Just need to find where they’re holed up and if Ruslan’s even with them.”
Danny perked up in his chair, eyes narrowed on his laptop. “You got any tenants registered with a navy blue 750 BMW?”
Knox leaned over only long enough to confirm the model that pulled up in front of the building then checked all the makes and models listed by their renters. “Don’t remember anyone with a BMW, let alone a 750.”
“Brother, that’s not just a 750,” Beckett said. “That’s an Alpina with blacked out glass I’d bet is bulletproof.”
Danny zoomed in on the car and punched a few keystrokes on the keyboard. A second later the image flashed on one of the six flat screens on the wall just as the front two doors of the sedan opened. Two men dressed in dark pants and black oxfords rolled up at the forearms unfolded themselves from each side. Both scanned the immediate perimeter before the driver shifted to the rear door curbside and opened it.
Another man stepped out, this one dressed to rival Axel on one of his most tricked-out days. His gray suit reeked of money, and despite the muggy morning his white shirt looked hanger fresh. Come to think of it, with his dark shoulder-length hair and trimmed beard, he and Axel would have been double-trouble in the clubs. He glanced up toward the top of the building as though he felt the stares on him, fastened his double-breasted jacket and pushed his shoulders back as only a man comfortable with power could.
Jace swiveled his head to Knox. “Somethin’ tells me our search for Ruslan just got a whole lot shorter.”