Geek Chic (20 page)

Eleven, Marion Transit Center.

I’ll be there.

Nami fought the urge to burst into relieved tears. As she settled in for the night, she closed her eyes and tried to think about Beck, and not about what she’d discovered about her brother.

Chapter Eighteen

The next morning, Nami wanted to grab Da’von and shake him until his teeth rattled out of his skull. She’d gotten little sleep.

On the heels of her worry about the situation with Da’von, the worry that when Beck found out about her father and what was going on that he might not want anything else to do with her.

That would break her heart, but if she was ever going to trust him she needed to know it wasn’t a one-way street.

Beck was standing there in the plaza outside the building, waiting, when she pulled in. She walked over to him and felt her nervous stomach settle just seeing him there. After giving him a quick kiss, she said, “Let me go check in. I’ll be right back out.”

After checking in and using the bathroom, she returned to him. “Can we go sit in your car and talk?”

He gently rested his hands on her shoulders, stroking her arms. Deep lines furrowed his brow. “What’s wrong, Nami? What’s happened?”

She glanced around. “In private.”

He took her by the hand and led her to his car, where he cranked it up, air conditioner running. Then he held her hands. “Now, tell me what happened.”

“I have something I need to tell you,” she said.

“This sounds bad.”

“It is.” This was something she hadn’t had to deal with in a long time. “I haven’t told you everything about my father. I have no contact with him, and haven’t since Momma died. He was in jail. I say
was
, because apparently they paroled the worthless son of a gun a couple of months ago. The parole board told me they would send me notice when he got out, but they didn’t. I didn’t think he would get out for a while—”

Beck kissed her, slowly, pressing her hand against his heart until she could barely even remember what it was they’d been talking about. When he finally lifted his mouth from hers, he said, “I don’t care what your father did. I care about
you
.”

She felt the prickle of tears in her eyes and desperately wanted to hold them back, but part of her couldn’t. Not anymore. This was a man far stronger than her in many ways, and right or wrong, she felt safe letting go and leaning on him.

And she’d be a liar if she denied it. “I found out last night he’s been in contact with Da’von. I’m scared he’s gonna try to pull him into his gang.” Now the dam burst. She started sobbing and didn’t resist when Beck pulled her into his arms, their secure warmth and strength around her. She let him hold her, let him support her…

Let
him.

“I’m scared, Beck,” she whispered.

He kissed the top of her head. “Don’t be scared, baby. I can fix this for you. This is easy.”

“How? I—”

“Shh. We have contacts, and we have ways of making people leave other people alone.”

She didn’t dare pull back, pull away, afraid to see what might be lurking in his eyes. “Please,
please
, swear to me you guys aren’t like some mob or something.”

He chuckled, but it almost sounded like a dog’s snort. “No, baby. I swear. We’re not a crime syndicate. We’re just a very powerful group of people from…very, very old money.” He stroked her back and every cell in her body wanted to be absorbed by him, into him, him into her. “There are a lot of confidentiality clauses and stuff to protect our business that means I can’t tell you a lot right now. But no, no mob. I promise. We’re not criminals. You would be surprised what money can buy.”

She was a big woman, a strong woman. And when necessary in the past, she’d been able to be one bad-assed woman, to protect her family.

This man was bigger and stronger, and far, far, badder.

“What needs to happen?” she asked. “I don’t know how I’ll pay you guys—”

He silenced her with a kiss. When he lifted his head and stared into her eyes, she wanted to melt into him. “No money. We don’t do this for money. I take care of
mine
. We all do.”

The word and the way he said it sent a pleasant shiver through her. “Then what now?”

“Now, we need to talk to Dewi.”

As if she’d had fur, her hackles raised along her back, visceral. “No offense, Beck, but maybe you should talk to her on your own.”

“She’s no threat to you in any way.”

“Yeah, but you…” She snapped her mouth shut on the sharp accusations wanting to climb free from her throat.

He studied her for a moment before answering. “Yes, we were lovers. But she met Ken, she’s happy with him, engaged to him, and they’re going to be married.”

“So she just up and left you for
that
guy? No offense, he seems nice, but
really
?”

Beck smiled, and it bore a knowing weight of information that she suspected wasn’t accessible to her yet, but might be, one day. “You’ll see, eventually. You’ll understand. It’s…complicated.”

“You and Dewi are pretty people. How do I know the two of you won’t ever get back—”

He cut her off again with another kiss, harder, fiercer, deeper than the last. It took every last ounce of will she had not to collapse into his arms in a sobbing puddle.

This time, he cupped her face in his huge hands and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. “Because,” he said, “I keep my oaths. And as long as you want me, then
you
are the only person in my heart. No one else will ever take your place.”

Maybe she just wanted to believe it, but it
felt
right. Like a universal truth along the lines of the sun rising every morning and the moon following along behind it like a faithful dog. Like dropped objects succumbed to gravity. Water always seeking its level.

“Can you trust me?” Beck asked.

She nodded. She knew she had a choice, but not really. Because her heart had already made the decision in a secret vote that locked her brain and common sense out of the meeting chamber.

“You and your brother and I will go talk to Dewi. Have dinner at her place. I’ll set it up with her for later in the week, when she’s back from Georgia.”

“What about Malyah? She should be in on this, too.”

“Well, she can come, too, if you want. And Lu’ana and her husband. Call it a family dinner.” He smiled. “Dewi and the others, they pretty much are my family. The people important in my life.”

“Then what?”

“We’ll all sit down and talk with your brother, for starters. Find out why he was doing this behind your back. We might be able to get him to stop just with that alone. But in case not, Dewi and I will then go talk to Jarome Drexler and inform him his presence in your family’s life isn’t welcomed. Then, I guarantee you, he will not be a problem any longer.”

“That sounds too easy.”

“I know it does, but sometimes the easiest solution is the most effective one.” He pulled her tightly against him and stroked her back. “So please stop worrying. We’ll take care of this.”

Taking a deep breath, she slowly let it out again. Her lungs were filled with his scent, unlike no one ever before. Not a cologne, just…
him
.

“Okay. Thank you.”

“No, baby. Thank
you
for trusting me and letting me in.”

* * * *

Beck made her eat her lunch, didn’t want her going back on shift without food in her stomach. Such a drastic difference from her appearance last night, her eyes looking haunted, exhausted, shoulders slumped and the spring gone from her step.

He wanted to find Jarome Drexler and make him disappear. Anything that was a threat in Nami’s life was, automatically and by extension, a threat in his life.

When he walked her to the building so she could get ready to go back on her shift, he said, “Call me when you’re off work. As soon as you are. I’ll have details for you then.”

She looked like she wanted to burst into tears again. “Thank you. I’m sorry to lay this on you, but—”

He grabbed her and kissed her, not caring who saw him. “
This
is what I’m here for. I’d be upset if you hadn’t told me.” He forced himself to let go of her. “
Call
me. Promise?”

She nodded.

Beck waited until she’d gotten on the bus and headed out before returning to his car. Then he went straight to Dewi’s. She wouldn’t be leaving for Georgia until late afternoon, so maybe they could brainstorm what to do.

When he got there and told her, her face darkened. “Shit,” she muttered. She looked at Ken. “Better give it to him.”

“What?” Beck asked.

Ken retrieved a sheaf of papers from his laptop case and handed them across the desk to Beck. “Jarome Drexler’s history.”

He flipped through them. “Wait…what?” He glared at Dewi. “How long have you known this? Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

“The night you came back with her license plate number. And we didn’t tell you because you said you wanted to take things slowly with her. If we’d handed all that to you from the start, don’t tell me you wouldn’t have been racing in there to find out what the hell you could do to erase him from her life.”

Beck slumped back in his chair. “Yeah,” he muttered. “You’re right.”

“Duh.” She rubbed at her eyes and turned to Badger. “Please call Jackson Coltrane for me and put it off till next week.”

“No,” Beck said. “That needs to happen first.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” He dropped the papers onto the desk. “Do you think you’ll be back by Wednesday night?”

“Probably.”

“Okay. Let’s agree to do Wednesday night dinner here. I’ll make sure her sisters and her brother-in-law can make it.”

“So, to make it clear, you’re wanting me to go Prime on him? On the little brother?”

He nodded.

“You realize that’s not something Peyton and Trent would be happy about, right? Nami and her family are not yet part of the pack.”

“Dewi, please? The guy’s a criminal. Her brother has a chance to have a good life if he can stay out of his father’s influence. You can’t tell me that’s a bad thing. It’s not like I’m asking you to make Nami or her family like me. How is this any different than using your powers on witnesses to influence their stories about something we’ve done?”

Badger clucked. “He’s got a point, Dewi. Ye’ve done it yerself. So have I. And I’m guessing Nami’s siblings will all be in agreement that the brother shouldn’t be in contact with the arsehole. So it’s not like yer trying to sway him into something wrong. I don’t see any harm in it.”

“Then I expect you to back me up if Peyton tries to chew me a new one.”

“We will,” Martin added. “I’m not a Prime, but I don’t see a bad side to this. Nami and her family will see you and us adding our two cents to the conversation. It’s not like you’ll have to do anything extraordinary to sway him. They’ll never know, Nami and her sisters will be relieved, and it might help Beck make up his damn mind to claim her sooner.” He shot a pointed glare at Beck.

“What?” Beck said. “I’m sorry, but my mind is made up there.”

“I don’t understand,” Martin said, “how if she is your mate you can
not
claim her.”

“It isn’t easy, trust me. If I didn’t think it was important, I wouldn’t be making a big deal about it.”

“We’re getting off-topic,” Ken said, returning his focus to Beck. “Wednesday night, dinner, here, eight o’clock. Done?”

Beck nodded. “Done. Well, when I talk to Nami I’ll confirm it.”

Dewi nodded. “Keep me posted. Martin, we need to roll earlier rather than later. Let’s go find us a damn Georgia meth-head and clean his clock.”

* * * *

Nami felt like the day would never end. As soon as she was back in her car, she called Beck, relieved when he immediately answered.

“It’s all arranged. Eight o’clock, dinner at Dewi’s.”

“How is this going to help anything?”

“It’s the first step. It’ll be a family intervention. Your sisters and brother-in-law are welcomed, too, of course.”

“I need to get Jarome Drexler away from Da’von.”

“And we will. But first, we need to break through to Da’von. If he doesn’t understand why, and Drexler just disappears from his life, it’ll leave him wondering and looking for him.”

“Oh.”