Game Of Risk (Risqué #3) (3 page)

‘Such a funny man,’ she said, unwilling to admit that her brother was probably right. When it came to her, he usually was. ‘Ok, so if I’m in such grave, horrible danger, are you going to tell me what the plan is?’

‘Stick with Ruger, he’ll keep you safe. He knows what to do and if you do what he tells you, exactly what he tells you, then you’ll be fine.’

‘I don’t know Ruger,’ she said, noticing that he was watching her in the rear-view mirror. ‘He seems a bit slow to me, you know, special.’ Ruger’s smile formed and moved back to the windshield.

‘Give the guy a break, he is helping me out. We’re both just lucky he was down there to bail you out.’

‘I don’t need to be bailed out. You do. Once again you’ve gotten yourself into trouble. You’re a danger to yourself, do you know that?’

‘I do, but this one is worth it. Trust me.’

‘And who is looking out for you?’ she asked. ‘You’re up there all by yourself. Is Serendipity there? If we get on a plane—‘

‘You’re not getting on a plane,’ Drew said. ‘You can’t use any form of public transportation. They’re looking for you and these people have the means to access all kinds of information.’

‘My god, Drew, what have you gotten yourself involved with? Who is after you?’

‘I can’t say much, but this is big, bigger than anything I’ve ever got into before, and if I break it—‘

‘Yeah, yeah, you’ll be hot property.’ She sighed. ‘Ok, brother, I’ll do what you’re telling me to do. But you look after yourself because as irritating and frustrating as you are, you’re all I’ve got.’

‘You won’t get rid of me,’ Drew said and she was pleased to hear the smile in his voice. ‘You stick with Ruger and I’ll be back in touch soon, ok?’

‘Ok. I love you.’

‘Back attcha,’ he said and the line disconnected.

When getting dressed for the meeting with Potter, Layla had worried that her silk dress would crease and that her shoes might pinch her toes. She hadn’t worried about being drawn into her brother’s crazy world.

It was no wonder that her brother, Drew, had such a tight relationship with Serendipity. He had a singular kind of focus which made him the best kind of guy to commit to. At least he would be if he didn’t get himself involved with so many shady characters. He’d take whatever risks were necessary to crack a case and to protect Serendipity from the peril she was so frequently put in by his work.

‘Ok,’ Layla said, climbing between the seats to position herself in the front passenger seat. ‘Where are we going?’

‘We’re getting out of Miami,’ Ruger said, with a sideways look her way.

‘That’s… incredibly general.’ Smoothing her skirt with one hand, she sought out road signs to try and get an idea of which direction they were heading in.

‘I’m hoping the mysterious thing will work for me,’ he said.

‘So far it’s not. The muscles are panty melting,’ she admitted, giving him the once over. ‘The arrogance and condescension, not so much.’

‘Thanks for the pointers.’

‘How do we expect to learn if we’re not willing to be educated?’ she asked, tucking the phone back into the glove box. ‘Tell me about your family.’

‘Why?’ he asked, frowning at her sudden re-route of the conversation.

‘You know about mine and I’m not in the habit of traveling around with strangers. It will make me feel better if I know something about the guy who’s abducting me.’ Ruger wasn’t really abducting her because Drew had given him permission to do what he did. Still, she wanted to know who she was spending her time with.

‘Fair enough. My mom and dad live in a nice house and like to talk about the grandchildren that they don’t have yet.’

‘Only child then… explains a lot.’

‘Actually no,’ he said, retrieving gum from the door well and offering it to her before he took a piece. ‘I have twin older brothers who are both in committed relationships. I come from a huge family, there are a million cousins.’

Feigning her disbelief with a curious frown. ‘Your dad is still around?’

‘Yeah,’ he said, glancing at her to observe her expression of astonishment. ‘You sound surprised.’

‘I am. Huh…’ she exhaled. ‘He obviously never taught you how to approach a woman.’

‘Never needed taught,’ he said with swagger. ‘Some things just come naturally.’

‘You’re rusty, maybe you should think about polishing up some of those skills,’ she said, admiring a guy who could give as good as he got. ‘So you’re from Jersey?’ That was where Drew and Serendipity lived, so she guessed this Ruger guy was from there too.

‘North Carolina, actually.’

‘How did you end up mixed up with Drew?’

‘That is a very long and complicated story which is probably best left for another time.’

‘So that’s how it’s going to be?’ she asked. ‘You think you’re going to call all the shots?’

‘I’m the driver,’ he said, pleased with his superior position. ‘I have all the controls, right here.’

Taking his grip away from the steering wheel, Ruger opened his hands to gesture at all of the bells and whistles the driver had access too. Reaching over, she blasted the horn before he could swat her hand out of the way.

‘If a woman knows how to move right, she has all of the control,’ Layla said. ‘Don’t you forget it, Ruger.’

The satisfied tilt of his lips prompted her to lean a little closer and he drew his attention around to fix it on her for longer than a driver really should. His eyes were paler than his brown hair, but they were far from aloof, his whole being exuded warmth and an openness that she found refreshing.

Most of the men from her past had been guarded or weighed down by the trials life doled out. Ruger was sharp, she could tell that by his wit, but he wasn’t cynical, which was something she’d been accused of herself.

‘Are you going to tell me how you hooked up with my brother now?’ she asked.

‘I have to figure out how squeamish you are before I reveal all,’ he said, concentrating on the highway ahead. ‘I wouldn’t want you to have nightmares.’

Almost affronted by the suggestion she could be weak, her eyes pinched closer, ready to accept his challenge. ‘I have a strong stomach, Ruger, you can’t shock me.’

‘Have you ever watched a person die?’

Yes, she had, and it wasn’t an experience that she wanted to repeat. Ruger was trying to shock her. He was just playing, and she was sure he hadn’t intended harm. Despite his benevolent intention, her memory conjured a mental flash of the life seeping out of her mother. That memory wasn’t one she wanted to share with him, with a stranger, and it didn’t fit the spirited mood of their repartee so she decided not to answer.

‘Will you at least tell me why you’re doing this?’ she asked. If he confessed his motivation, it would reveal a lot about his character.

‘Let’s just say that I owe your brother one.’

‘Figures that Drew didn’t pay you. I’d guess you met him on one of his other cases. That guy just can’t leave anything alone.’

‘He’s tenacious,’ Ruger said. ‘But that’s not a bad thing. Jansen’s “hang on and never let go” spirit saved a good friend of mine.’

‘Well, I’m glad my brother did you a favour.’ She switched on the radio and began to flick through stations. ‘What do you know about this case my brother is on now?’

‘It’s a big one.’

‘So he said… big in what way?’ Ruger hesitated, which was enough to make her abandon the radio. ‘I think if these men are coming after me, I have a right to know why.’

‘It relates to Governor Ashcroft and rumours of kickbacks.’

‘Rumours?’

‘That Ashcroft is as crooked as they come,’ Ruger said. ‘He’s making decisions in favour of those who can pay him the most and he has a lot of sway with the prosecutors and judges in his state. Serendipity got Drew involved. He has the skills to get the information she needs to prove that the stories are true.’

‘She’s still on this journalism kick?’

‘Yeah,’ Ruger said.

Layla couldn’t judge Serendipity for her recent change in career because she too often made abrupt changes in her life. Journalism did complement Drew’s need to investigate with purpose, but Layla wished that they would settle down so that she didn’t have to worry about her big brother all the time.

‘I’ve been watching you for almost a week,’ Ruger said.

This statement jarred her out of her thoughts about Drew’s safety. ‘You’ve what?’

‘Yeah,’ Ruger said. ‘I told Jansen I’d look out for you.’

‘You said you were on vacation,’ she said, narrowing her eyes, but he was intent on the road ahead.

‘I’m not being paid and Miami is a party town. How else would you define a vacation?’

At least he was being honest now, but if he’d been watching her there wouldn’t have been much partying going on. Her social life had been rather uneventful for quite a while. Drew had made it seem like Ruger’s presence was serendipitous. She’d have to have a word with her brother about distorting the truth.

‘You said there were hit-men on a plane, was that a lie too?’

‘No,’ Ruger said. ‘Drew is putting the pieces together and Ashcroft found out that he was on the case. The not-so-good governor decided to do some investigating of his own and his men discovered your location.’

‘Does Ashcroft know that Serendipity is writing a story?’

‘It’s more than a story. There is a real crime being perpetuated here. Whether Ashcroft knows about Serendipity’s involvement or not, I don’t know. What I do know is Ashcroft knows Jansen is onto him. Whatever Jansen is doing, Ashcroft is freaked enough to want to scare him off.’

‘That’s all you know?’

‘Call your brother, he’ll tell you more.’

‘No, he won’t,’ she said, pulling in a long inhale and glancing out her side window. ‘My brother still acts like I’m a kid in need of protection. He acts like I couldn’t understand what he does.’

‘You don’t understand what he does,’ Ruger said.

This declaration was enough to offend her, so she whipped around. ‘Excuse me?’

‘You were on the phone arguing with him. You talk about his work and Serendipity’s with disdain.’

‘You’re calling me narrow-minded?’

‘Something like that,’ he said. ‘You told him you loved him, but other than that, I haven’t heard my indication that you support your brother in anything he does. Why would he tell you about it if all you’re going to do is judge him?’

She had graduated college at twenty-two full of optimism. Her mother had been battling cancer since Layla was in high school and she had been sure her mother would conquer it. She had been the one to remain positive even when her mother and Drew lost faith. No one had expected her mother to leave this mortal coil so suddenly, and in the end it was actually pneumonia that claimed her.

Drew had tried to be the parent, tried to bolster his little sister, but it was too late. Since those days, optimism had been a foreign concept. Layla always swore she would never be blindsided like that again.

‘I just don’t understand the purpose,’ Layla admitted. ‘There’s nothing I can do about it, so I have to accept what he does. But I don’t understand why he would choose to put himself in danger so often.’

‘Having a cause, fighting for what you believe, that’s the purpose,’ Ruger said. ‘Being freelance, Serendipity has no conglomerate protection. She’s out there on her own. Drew loves her, so he supports her no matter how desperate or crazy things get.’

‘And my idiot brother won’t just go to the police because that might break the story before Serendipity is ready to release it,’ Layla said.

‘Jansen doesn’t have a whole lot of buddies left on the force,’ Ruger said. ‘He sort of left in disgrace, remember?’

She didn’t need the reminder of how his ex-colleagues had treated her brother. Not one of them had shown understanding for the impossible position Drew had found himself in. ‘Isn’t protecting Serendipity more important than some dumb story? And where do I fit in?’

‘Ashcroft knows that Drew has been asking questions. So the governor is trying to scare him off the story. His men are tailing Drew, he’s not safe, but offing the man working with the journalist who has evidence to corroborate the story… that could draw unwanted attention to the cause.’

‘And no one is looking at the investigator’s little sister in Florida.’

Sliding his hands to the top of the steering wheel, Ruger rested his forearms on it too and nodded before he carried on. ‘Drew found out Ashcroft’s men got on a plane and that they were coming after you. That’s why you had to come with me. We were out of time. There was no way to approach you softly. I had to get you out of public view in a hurry.’

‘Great news for me.’

‘You’re safe now that I’m here,’ he said, but she wasn’t entirely convinced.

‘Are you some kind of martial arts professional or something?’

‘No, but I’ve been in my share of bar fights.’

That wasn’t encouraging. ‘Ok, so you’re a firearms expert? A crack shot?’

‘Crack shot? Could be, I usually hit what I’m aiming at.’

‘Usually? What are you used to aiming at?’