Game Of Risk (Risqué #3) (6 page)

‘She’s feisty,’ he said with another smile as though explaining her behaviour to the rest of his family before he addressed her. ‘You are jealous.’

‘I am not jealous,’ Layla muttered, but keeping this conversation private from the trio of women sharing the countertop with her would be impossible. ‘I’m telling you that it’s inappropriate and it makes me uncomfortable. You can’t leer and expect women to be happy with your reaction to them.’

‘Ruger frequents Risqué and knows the women,’ Lyssa chimed in. ‘You have no need to concern yourself with him becoming aroused at the sight of the women there. Any who had an interest in him, or who he had an interest in, would’ve staked their claim long ago.’

‘What about Destiny?’ Suzette asked Lyssa, and Layla was intrigued by the mention of this woman who made Lyssa nod.

‘He and Destiny are close,’ Lyssa said with a slight nod. ‘But he’s sent no signals that he returns the interest she frequently shows in him.’

‘Destiny is not interested in me,’ he said. Modesty didn’t come naturally to him. ‘We’re friends, that’s all.’

‘You’ve never slept with her? You’ve never thought about it?’ Suzette asked. ‘The way you guys flirt…’

‘What about it?’ Ruger asked, opening his hands. ‘We flirt, it’s harmless.’

‘We’ll see how harmless it is when she hears you’ve moved a woman into your mother’s house,’ Suzette said.

‘Which I wouldn’t have to do if someone wasn’t taking up residence in my apartment, would I?’ he said, eyeing Suzette.

‘You can stay with Colt and me if you would prefer that, Littlest Warner,’ Lyssa offered.

‘Are you kidding? The way you two are going at it with the baby-making thing? No thanks.’

‘I’m sure you’d rather overhear Colt and I making love than you would hear your parents being intimate.’

‘Ew, ok,’ Ruger said, holding up his hands. ‘You’ve crossed a line with that.’

Layla liked the way that Lyssa and Pru shared a smile. ‘He’s just the same as Colt,’ Lyssa said. ‘They’re so narrow-minded about intimacy.’

‘Oh,’ Layla said, swivelling to Ruger. ‘Now who’s narrow-minded?’

‘About my parents having sex?’ he said. ‘Yeah, check that off the list, Lay. That’s one thing I’ll always be intolerant talking about.’

‘We all have boundaries I suppose,’ Layla said, subduing her smile.

‘Ok, you ladies spend the night putting the world to rights. I’m going to go where the men are,’ Ruger said.

‘Colt isn’t at Risqué,’ Lyssa said when Ruger pushed away from the counter. ‘He’s working… It’s a favour for Chavez, and I’m telling you it better be worth it.’

‘Chavez?’ Layla asked.

‘My nephew,’ Pru said. ‘You’ll get to know all of the family in time. He works for the police force.’

‘And it was him who hooked Lyssa and Colt up,’ Ruger said. ‘Are you forgetting that, sis? I think you owe him one.’

‘And I’d be happy to pay,’ Lyssa said. ‘But does it have to cost us our future family?’

‘So go find Colt on his stakeout,’ Suzette said.

‘It’s hard to be discreet when you’re watching someone if your fiancée is riding you in the front seat,’ Lyssa said, dipping a finger in her coffee then sucking it dry. ‘I’ll give it another hour and if he’s not home, I’ll find out where he is.’

‘You want to get pregnant before you are married?’ Layla asked.

‘Colt wants kids,’ Lyssa said. ‘What’s important to me is knowing that they’ll be born into a loving family, and you don’t get much more loving than the Warner clan.’

‘You’re not afraid that… that you’ll get pregnant and never get down the aisle?’

‘No,’ Lyssa said. Each of the women were amused by this assumption and Ruger rubbed her back again.

‘Wait until you see the two of them together, then you’ll know she has nothing to worry about,’ Ruger explained, bowing close. ‘Colt is cuckoo-crazy in love with her.’

‘They got their marriage licence,’ Pru squeaked, then covered her lips with her fingertips.

‘Excellent,’ Ruger said. ‘Have you set a date yet?’

‘We were talking about that tonight when something else came up,’ Lyssa said.

‘Something else what?’ he asked.

Pru and Lyssa turned their attention to Suzette, who hissed at them both. ‘Nothing.’

‘Ok,’ Ruger said. ‘I’m going out, everyone, be good.’

He patted her shoulder and spun around to stride out. Layla wasn’t going to let him run away that easily. ‘Excuse me,’ Layla said.

Rotating and bouncing off the stool, she hurried after Ruger and caught up with him in the lane between the house and garage. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him to a halt. ‘What’s up, Legs?’ he asked.

‘You can’t bring me here and then run off to get drunk with your brothers,’ she whispered.

‘You think that’s what I’m doing?’ he said. Taking hold of her elbow, he nudged her to the wall and rested his forearm above her head. ‘Look, my brothers know everything about the favour I owe your brother. But like I said, I’ve been in Miami all week and I haven’t filled them in on the latest developments. I’m going to Risqué to talk to Blaser because your safety means as much to him as it does to me.’

‘It does? But I’ve never met either of your brothers.’

‘It’s a long story. Just stay here and lay low. It’s late and like I said, Ashcroft’s men won’t put you and me together, so you’re safe here with my mom and Lyssa.’

‘They think that we’re together,’ she hissed. ‘They asked me if you had proposed.’

He flashed a smile. ‘My mom wants her boys to be taken care of. You can tell them we’re not together. Tell them the whole truth if you want, I trust them.’

‘So why didn’t you tell them all about it before we arrived?’

‘Because this is not my story to tell. The mess Jansen helped out with involved Blaser’s girl, Bri. Blaser knows what’s going on because Bri told him, and if I know them, they’re not far away from each other tonight. Knowing you’re safe and that we’re repaying this debt will make Blaser feel better. He has contacts who can help to keep you safe, so he needs to know that we’re back in town.’

‘So take me with you,’ she said. ‘Let me meet Blaser and Bri—‘

‘You will. But not tonight. I don’t plan to hang around at Risqué for long. I’ll tell Blaser what’s going on and then I plan to hit the hay.’

‘Can’t you just call him? What’s the point of leaving here if you’re just going to come back and sleep?’

‘I will crash in Colt’s office. He has an office at Risqué. You can take my bedroom upstairs here. I’ll be back before breakfast, don’t worry.’

‘You’re going to leave me here all night?’ Shifting her weight, Layla didn’t want to betray to him how uncomfortable this situation made her. ‘I’m not great with moms.’

‘You don’t have to be great with my mom, she’ll do all the bonding, I promise you.’

‘Why do we have to bond? I’m not going to have your babies.’

‘That’s reassuring for both of us,’ he muttered. ‘Just be yourself. Think of her as a client that you’re trying to impress. You don’t have to do much, just smile along with the conversation. My dad will be back in an hour, after that, Lyssa and Suzette will split.’

‘So I’ll be left alone with your parents?’

‘My mom will show you to my bedroom and give you towels. Just stay in the bedroom until I get back.’

‘In the morning?’

‘Right. Are you going to tell them the truth?’

‘Do you want them to think we’re together?’ she asked. If she had to endure being here alone then she didn’t want to break Pru’s heart by being the one to tell her that her youngest son wasn’t paired off. Of course, she didn’t want to feign a relationship with Ruger either.

‘I don’t care,’ he said. ‘I’ll keep your secret for you if that’s what you want. I love my mom and I’d trust her with my life, but she knows everyone in this town. If you tell her there’s a hit-man after you, she’ll assume that it’s every stranger she sees. I don’t want to upset her like that.’

‘You really are a momma’s boy,’ she said with a teasing slant to her mouth and when she swayed side to side, she wiggled a finger into his ribs.

‘Tease all you like, I love my family and I’d never do anything to endanger them,’ he said, removing her finger from his torso.

‘Then I shouldn’t stay here,’ she said, losing her ease. ‘I can go to a hotel and—‘

‘You can’t use any of your cards, and you can’t withdraw cash either. I already told you that we’re dealing with people who have connections.’

Searching for an alternative, her focus flitted left to right. ‘I could transfer money into your account and you could withdraw it for me?’

‘No, that won’t work either. If you transfer money from your account to mine then Ashcroft’s guys might find the connection and our cover will be blown. We can’t do anything which would put us together. So for now, you stay here, you have to… And you can’t call your brother either, just in case they’re monitoring his calls.’

‘If they are, then they heard me talking to him earlier.’

‘My phone has a trace block and a scrambler on it,’ he said as though this was no big deal. ‘No one can hear me or see who I’m talking to.’

‘What kind of sales are you in?’ she asked, wondering why anyone would have such elaborate security on their cell phone.

‘I told you that my job wasn’t typical and I know some guys in electronics who like to share their gadgets.’

‘Can I use your phone then?’

‘Tomorrow,’ he said. ‘I have to get to Blaser. Once I’ve told him what’s going on, he’ll help me figure out the next step.’

‘You’re not reassuring me, again, you’re making me worry.’

‘I brought you here, to a safe place, and now I’m going to make sure we have the manpower to keep you alive. I’ll try to get a hold of your brother tonight, but it’s getting late. I don’t know if he’ll answer his phone.’

‘He’ll answer,’ she said. ‘Or I’ll get on a train up to Jersey just to piss him off.’

‘Your revenge will be short-lived because you’ll be delivering yourself to the people who want you dead.’

‘I see that your repertoire doesn’t extend into optimism,’ she said, but as soon as she did, she was reminded of how dangerous optimism could be. ‘Fine, I’ll go back inside and sit with your family, but I won’t forget that you dumped me here.’

‘Course not, how else could you pass judgement on people if you so easily let things go? I know a grudge-holder when I see one.’

‘Others might find you funny, but I’m not on that list.’

‘I’m observant,’ he said. ‘And you, Legs, are a lady with a chip on your shoulder.’

‘Have you ever taken anything seriously in your life?’

Bringing himself lower, he fixed his eyes to hers. ‘There’s only one thing I take seriously.’

‘Oh yeah, what’s that?’

‘In a place you’ll have my complete concentration,’ he said. Brushing his hand down her cheek, he pushed away from the wall and disappeared out of the gate which led to the driveway.

Layla didn’t want to think too hard about what he was implying with the intensity he’d exuded from those eyes when they pinned themselves on her. Ruger was a joker, a guy who sailed through life without a worry because he didn’t care about anything enough to let it bother him. Except he’d said he loved his family, and didn’t mind when she teased him about it. There was something under his blithe surface, but it was something he would never let her see.

‘So you just left her there?’

Ruger had been at Risqué for almost half an hour and it was the first chance that Blaser had had to come and talk to him. The club was busy and while that was good for his brother, it meant Ruger had to wait for attention. Usually he would come to visit the club after he got back into town but he’d wait until the wee hours when Blaser was closing up shop.

Waiting until later hadn’t been an option. If he had stayed at his parents’ house until Risqué was closing up, his mom would have stayed up with him probably quizzing him about the new woman in his life. He could have handled his mother’s interrogation. What he couldn’t handle anymore was being in close proximity to those legs which had teased him throughout their long drive home from Miami.

‘What else was I supposed to do?’ Ruger asked, swirling the beer left in the bottom of his bottle.

This corner of the bar was reserved for family. The access to behind the bar was here, but it was beside a wall and kept dark, so that family could have some privacy from the patrons admiring the women doing their work.

‘Not leave her there,’ Blaser said, spreading his hands wide on the bar. ‘You left her with Mom, Lyssa, and Suzette. That’s like leaving a lamb to the slaughter.’

‘Not this chick,’ Ruger said, looking down the neck of his bottle. ‘She can handle it. She can handle anything.’

‘Why are you looking out for her then?’ Blaser asked. ‘If you think she can take on the world—‘

‘She’d sure try it. If these guys got a hold of her, they’d want to hurt her. They’d probably keep on torturing her until they got her brother to back off.’

‘And that matters to you?’

‘You know why it matters to me,’ he said, making eye contact. ‘Jansen saved Bri’s life.’

A life that was only put in danger because he had refused to work for the criminals anymore. Ruger wanted to make amends, but no matter how many steps he took in that direction, he could never shake the guilt that curled itself around his shoulders and tightened around his chest.

‘Lyssa knows what happened with Bri. She knows what crap you're mixed up in. Once Colt knows about this deal you made with Jansen—‘

‘It wasn't a deal. I went to see him, just like I said I would. When I heard what he was dealing with, I thought that helping him out with his sister was the least I could do.’

‘Yeah and that's cool,’ Blaser said. ‘You're right, we do owe him and you know that Colt and I will do whatever it takes to repay the debt we owe him.’

‘Do I hear a but?’

‘Taking her to Mom was a bit extreme.’

‘Not the way I see it,’ Ruger said, pushing his bottle aside to rest his forearms on the bar. ‘I had to take her somewhere and Suzette is still in my apartment.’

‘That’s another of your good deeds that’s blown up in your face. I don’t think she’s ever moving out of there.’

‘You could talk to her.’

‘Oh no, that’s your mess. All your mess,’ Blaser said. ‘I’m not kicking Suzie out. She’s paying rent on time every month and you won’t hear me arguing with that.’

Blaser did have enough on his plate. He owned and managed not only the strip club but an auto garage too. He also managed the apartment complex where he lived, where Suzette lived in Ruger's apartment. Ruger had made the offer to let Suzette stay in his place as a temporary solution and he’d done it under heightened circumstances. Being a nice guy wasn’t meant to cost him his home.

‘Are Dax and Ivy home?’ They lived in the same apartment complex.

Blaser nodded as he wiped down the bar. ‘Got in last night and they’re not the sort of couple to let you crash at their place either.’

‘What about Bri? You could talk to her.’

‘About what? She and Suzette aren’t that close, if you want someone to talk Suzette into moving out then Lyssa’s your girl.’

‘No, you could talk to Bri about staying with you until this is over. Come on, bro, I need to stash Layla somewhere. She can't stay with Mom indefinitely.’

‘I’d love to have Bri in my place full-time,’ Blaser said. ‘But you know what Lyssa says about rushing her.’

The captivity that Bri had endured after being taken by Victor’s gang had traumatised her. Rather it was the rape that she had been subjected to which had made her wary, and Ruger understood that. His brother had been patient with the woman he loved and while everyone knew that they were having sex, Bri still wasn’t quite ready to integrate her life with Blaser’s round-the-clock.

Ruger didn’t know what else to suggest. All ten apartments in the complex that Blaser managed were one bedroom, so he couldn’t even ask anyone to put Layla up because there was no room for a houseguest.

‘You know that Mom won’t complain,’ Blaser said, tossing a bar towel over his shoulder. ‘She’ll look after Layla better than any of the rest of us could. She’ll have the girl fed and pampered every hour of the day.’

‘I’m not sure if it’s Layla I’m worried about or Mom.’

‘Mom? Why would you worry about her?’

‘Layla likes to speak her mind and she doesn’t pull her punches.’

Blaser’s lips quirked. ‘Is that so?’

‘Yeah,’ Ruger said, taking a deep breath and picking at the label on his bottle. ‘She just opens her mouth and lets out the sass, and she’s not shy about telling someone when they’re out of line. She voices her opinion about what Jansen’s doing and she calls me out on my behaviour too, like she has the right to comment on our lives.

‘Last night, we were in this motel, and she gave me grief because I made a stupid joke about porn. I mean, come on, it was a joke, and it’s not like she doesn’t have enough sass to go around. The girl is really quick-witted and makes fun of me, but I don’t think she likes it when I give it back to her and—‘

Lifting his focus from the bar, Ruger was surprised to see Blaser rubbing a hand over his mouth, doing a terrible job of hiding his amusement. ‘What’s the matter with you?’ Ruger asked.

‘Nothing,’ Blaser said, quickly clearing his face. ‘I guess you’ll have to stay with Mom while this is going on too.’

‘Stay with Mom? No way, I couldn’t move back in there.’

‘Mom’s is always your first stop when you come home,’ Blaser said. ‘She loves nothing more than spoiling her baby. And now that she knows that Colt and I have women of our own to keep us in line, she doesn’t have to worry about us.’

‘Where is Bri?’ Ruger asked, scanning the room.

‘She’s at Ivy’s,’ Blaser said, resting his hands on the bar again. ‘Bri was looking after the garage while Ivy was away, so she said she was going there to bring Ivy up to speed. I think it’s an excuse to drink wine and make fun of guys, or whatever women do, but I’m just happy to see her smiling.’

‘She would have sympathy for me.’

‘Sympathy is going to be hard for you to find on this one,’ Blaser said. ‘All you have to do is stay at home for a couple of weeks. It’s really not a big deal.’

‘Easy for you to say, you’re not the one being subjected to it.’

‘Subjected to what? Mom’s cooking? You love it and she’ll do all your laundry, turn down your bed, draw you a bath, whatever the hell you want, because she loves taking care of you. You afraid of looking like a momma’s boy in front of Layla?’

‘No, I told her I love Mom, I’m not ashamed of that.’

‘So if Mom isn’t the problem…’ Blaser said, leaving his question hanging in the air.

‘What?’ Ruger asked, sitting straighter. ‘I don’t have a problem with Dad.’

‘Which leaves one other person who’s currently in the house,’ Blaser said.

Glancing behind Blaser, Ruger nodded to show his brother that there were two waitresses waiting for Blaser’s attention. When he noted them, Blaser left the family corner to go and deal with the orders.

Ruger guessed that Blaser was implying that he’d have a problem with Layla, but he couldn’t figure that one out. He was great with women. They loved his easy manner and his jokes. It didn’t hurt that he wasn’t hideous to look at either. He hadn’t met a woman who he couldn’t flirt into submission, not that he took advantage of women, but he found it easy to ingratiate himself with them.

‘Hey, baby.’

Destiny strutted over. Holding her arms wide, she draped one over his shoulders and the other around his chest. She was such a pixie of a woman that she almost couldn’t reach the breadth of him to link her fingers, so she hung them around his neck, pushing her breasts into his arm and pressing a loud kiss to his cheekbone.

‘Hey, Destiny,’ he said, tipping his head back to finish off his beer.

‘Why so blue?’ she asked, laying her head on his shoulder. ‘You’ve been over here all night with that scowl on your face.’

‘I’m not scowling,’ he said.

Crystal rounded him to enter the bar and she spun around to examine his expression. ‘Yes you are,’ Crystal said. She dropped her elbows to the bar and propped her chin on the heels of her hands. ‘You want a private dance?’

‘I’ll volunteer,’ Destiny said, rubbing her nose back and forth on his ear. ‘Will that put a smile on your face?’

‘I’m smiling,’ he said, forcing himself to do just that. ‘See.’

‘It’s a girl,’ Crystal said to Destiny. ‘Any guy who’s that determined not to let it show, can only be smarting over a girl. Anyone we know?’

‘Oh, you hooking up?’ Destiny straightened, but kept one arm around his shoulders. The other hand went to her cleavage. ‘My heart is breaking.’

He might have worried about Destiny’s statement after what he’d heard at the house tonight about others’ opinions on his relationship with the stripper. But Destiny was wearing a smile as wide as her face, so she obviously wasn’t being serious.

Crystal laughed and leaned over the bar to rest a hand on his shoulder. ‘You Warner boys never will let one have something that the others don’t, will ya?’

‘What does that mean?’ Ruger asked.

‘Colt is getting married, and Blaser has Bri,’ Crystal said. ‘You’re not going to be far behind.’

His laugh loosened his shoulders. ‘Not me, sweetheart. I’m avoiding that particular abattoir.’

‘Poor thing,’ Crystal said to Destiny.

‘Denial,’ Destiny said to Crystal’s nod.

‘Why should I tie myself down when I have such a delectable buffet to sample right here?’ he said, looping an arm around Destiny. ‘There’s plenty of me to keep all you ladies happy. I care about all of you. I’m not a one woman man.’

‘You’re not allowed to sample the women in here,’ Crystal said. ‘Colt’s rule, remember?’

‘Hey, both my brothers hooked up with women who were waitresses in here.’

‘Man’s got a point,’ Destiny said.

‘So you ladies get in line and I’ll show you how much love there is to go around.’

‘Room three is free,’ Crystal said to Destiny who took Ruger’s hand.

He hadn’t exactly meant to imply that he wanted a private dance. But it wouldn’t be the first time he’d auditioned a girl who ended up working here; although he had never slept with any of the Risqué girls.

Rising from the stool, he figured it couldn’t hurt to let Destiny strut her stuff. But before he turned around, he caught a glimpse of a familiar form coming in the main entrance on the other side of the bar.

‘Fuck,’ he whispered, crouching to get a better view of the woman who was suddenly lit in a bright pink flare from the stage. ‘Rain check, sweetheart.’ Ducking to kiss Destiny’s cheek, he put a hand to her waist and pushed her into the bar so he could get past her.

Twisting and weaving through men and employees, Ruger got to the opposite side of the bar to meet the woman wearing the dress she’d had on to meet with the Potter guy.

‘Layla,’ he said in a stern tone that he didn’t recognise as his. Wondering how his father’s voice got into his throat, Ruger’s hand went up to curl around the front of his neck. Layla spun around and her glittering eyes were pleased with themselves, which only made his brows clamp down. ‘I told you to stay at home.’

Grabbing her arm, he hauled her to the wall behind the last booth in the row. ‘Yeah,’ she said, clutching her purse to her hip. ‘Then I remembered, you’re not my father, my brother, or my parole officer, so you have no right to try and dictate my movements.’

‘No right? I’m the guy keeping you safe, and that gives me plenty of rights over you.’

‘Does it?’ she asked, tilting her head. ‘I haven’t seen any danger yet. In fact, if my brother hadn’t verified your story I’d be starting to think that you were keeping me around for another reason.’

‘What kind of reason?’ he asked.

Noticing that his grip was still around her arm, he dropped it to his side. His body was cloaking hers from the rest of the room, and with the booth to his left, he could angle his body to keep her exactly where he wanted her to be, so the physical contact was unnecessary, touching her was an indulgence.

Her dark hair was swooped to one side and held in place with a clasp that sparkled when the light from the stage cast over them. It was hypnotising, but he didn’t remember packing that with the rest of her things. The swathes of glossy hair reflected the light too and he was reminded of the first time he’d seen her in the flesh. He’d been parked outside her apartment complex for over an hour and the Miami heat had been making him sticky.