Kace (Allen Securities) (8 page)

“Wait,” he said. The deep rumble of his voice sent zings to her clit. She cursed her response to him.

She turned as he closed in on her. Having no choice, Jessica backed up until she found herself flush with the column.

“I didn’t mean it to be bad,” he said. His arms lifted to frame her in, and he pressed into her. “My reaction to you is what catches me off-guard,” he said and bumped his hips into her.

She bit back a moan as his hard arousal pushed into her.

He leaned forward until his lips just brushed her ear as he spoke.

“I just don’t know what to do with you,” he whispered. “Part of me wants to spank the hell out of you for not listening. The other part wants to fuck you because you don’t.”

Jessica shivered and turned her head to his, ready to give in to whatever side he wanted to give her. Although she sincerely hoped the fucking would win.

Kace sighed and stepped back slightly, leaving her feeling slightly empty.

“But right now I need to get a hold of Reed and Finn,” he said.

She frowned. “Aren’t you going to call in the cops?”

“Something strange is going on here, and I need to go with people I trust,” he said.

She folded her arms over her chest and quirked an eyebrow at him.

Kace chuckled. “I trust Reed at least.” He nodded to the office. “Go get your stuff together, and I’ll have someone take you home. I need to stay here and make sure they don’t come back. They made such a quick getaway. I think they might have gotten sloppy.”

Hope perked up in her. If they could catch whoever was behind this, then things should go back to normal. She looked up to Kace and felt her heart speed up. Jessica wondered if, for the first time, normal was going to be good enough for her.

* * *

Kace ducked behind the brick of the building when a car pulled down the street. They moved slowly, and he wondered if the creep from before was back for more. He pulled out his gun. This time they weren’t going to get the drop on him.

He sighed when Finn and Liam pulled up. It was luck that they happened to be together at that moment. He tried not to think about why they would be. Liam had made it pretty clear about his feelings for that side of the family. Although he also knew that since Reed had called in a favor with Finn, Liam had been the one to take on the favor owed.

Whatever they were together over he likely didn’t want to know about. It would be one thing to take in a bastard like Finn, but taking in Liam, well, he was practically one of the family. He had been coming to Sunday meals for years now, and if he ever decided to pull his head out of his ass, they could make it official when he married Meg.

Kace sighed. This easy promotion gig was turning out to be far more complicated than he ever wanted. Involving his family was only a small chunk of the problem, with Jessica being the biggest chunk. He didn’t even know where he was going with all this, but the idea of not going anywhere with it had him nearly sick. As odd as it seemed, it was more a risk not to see where things went.

“Where’s Jessica?” Finn narrowed his eyes at him, and for the first time, Kace wondered what exactly he felt for her.

“Her sister was up and came by,” Kace said.

Finn’s mouth formed a thin line. “Her sister shouldn’t have to be up,” he snapped. “And what were you even doing here this late?”

He knew someone was going to ask. Kace sighed.

“We fell asleep,” he said simply.

Finn continued to stare, clearly not believing what he had said.

“If you two are finished pissing on stuff, I’d like to get this shit over with, so I can go home.” Liam was already hunched over the window ledge, examining the ground and ground level window.

“Whatever,” Kace said and walked into the dark alley. A light flickered at the end of the alley, near the back of the building, but it wasn’t enough light to make much of anything out.

He was surprised when Finn followed behind him quietly.

“Find anything?” Finn rumbled to Liam.

Liam looked up from his spot on the ground.

“Doesn’t look like forced entry.” He pointed to the lock at the top.

Kace frowned, as that didn’t make sense. “I locked this window the other night. I’m certain of it.”

Liam and Finn exchanged a look.

“Looks like you were right,” Liam said.

“Right about what?” Kace crossed his arms and leaned against the cold brick. He hated being out of the loop, especially when that loop could get him killed.

“Not only have we been coming up short on booze, but someone is skimming the accounts. It’s still not certain if they are related. The skimming is far more sophisticated than the theft. I tend to think that if they are the same group, it’s not being done by the same person,” Finn said.

“On top of all that,” Liam stood and continued, “it looks like some of this is an inside job.”

It did make sense. Otherwise, they would have to assume these people were smarter than they appeared, and nothing from the break-ins indicated that was the case.

“So do you have any leads?” Kace asked. He watched Finn as he spoke.

“The little waitress,” Finn said flatly.

It wasn’t a surprise she was a suspect. She had been cagy since Kace started watching the place, but taking into consideration her situation, it wasn’t all that shocking he thought otherwise.

“It’s not her,” he said.

Finn smiled. “Jessica convince you she’s not in on this?”

Kace frowned and stepped around the trash bin. “No. More like her boyfriend did.”

Silence filled the alley as Finn’s mood shifted to something far more deadly. “What do you mean?”

His voice cut through the air despite how quiet it was actually spoken. Kace could see why so many feared him.

“She came in with bruises, and apparently, this wasn’t the first time,” he said. “Jessica has been monitoring the situation, and they talked tonight.”

Finn’s fists clenched at his side. “And why didn’t she come to tell me this?”

Kace glanced from Finn’s fists to his hard face. “Maybe she didn’t think you’d have the best reaction.”

Finn threw his arms up. “And what reaction should I have when I hear that a little woman like that is being beaten?”

“A legal one,” Kace said flatly.

Finn laughed bitterly and stepped onto the sidewalk outside the alley. The light from the club lit his face. “You know the problem with your solution? They take a guy like that in, and if she’s lucky, he gets six months in. That gets reduced the two for good behavior.” Finn sneered. “Then he’s right back out to do it all again. My way, a piece of shit like him gets the beating he deserves, and he doesn’t ever fucking touch her again.” Finn stepped forward. “Tell me again that my way is wrong.”

Kace took a step forward himself. “It’s not legal your way. We have laws for a reason.”

Finn leaned forward. With a twisted smile on his face, he whispered, “But tell me my way is wrong. That they don’t fucking deserve it. That my way doesn’t make the world just a little safer at night.”

Kace breathed in heavy through his nose. His anger was kept just barely in check. As much as he wanted to say it wasn’t true, he knew it was. For all the times he pointed to the law as this great thing to uphold, he knew that some people slipped through and got away with murder. Finn was a prime example of that. But then, so was the boyfriend.

“You know the problem with you?” Finn stepped back and turned to the cars. “You think we’re worlds apart, but seem to forget I’ve met your family. We do what we have to for those who mean something when the time comes.” He turned to stare him in the eyes. “No matter the cost.”

Finn walked back to the car and got in without a second glance.

Liam stood silently behind him as they stared at the car.

“His father used to beat his mother,” Liam said when he turned around. “No one could ever do anything for her because he was the boss, and you didn’t cross the boss.”

Kace could feel his anger turning to pity. Feeling something for someone like Finn wasn’t something he wanted to examine too carefully. It put them too close to being similar. Putting a lid on those feelings, he faced the problem at hand.

“Did you find anything useful?” Kace asked.

Liam held up a small bag. “It’s not much. A smudged partial print, a cigarette butt, and a candy wrapper. Not enough for the cops to bother with, but it might be something for us. You okay with this?” Liam held up the bag. “I know you haven’t always been a fan of the way we go about getting information.”

Kace glanced toward the car and then back at the bag. For as much as he didn’t want it to be true, Finn was right. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do to protect the people he cared about. And right now, Jessica was in danger.

“Do it,” he said. “Let me know when you have something.”

Kace walked to the street and glanced around. The sun would be up soon. He could feel the need to sleep deep in his bones.

“What are you going to do when this all goes down?” Liam asked.

Kace sighed. “I don’t know.”

“We need people like him,” Liam said quietly. “The city is being flooded with people that are outside your reach with the methods you use. He’s outside all that. And despite some of his criminal behavior, he’s the one thing keeping things from tipping to the side of bad.” Liam scrubbed his face and seemed to struggle with what he had to say. “Things are tough right now. He can’t really trust many of his men, and the ones he does trust have to watch the others. If things don’t end in his favor, I’m afraid we could all be sorry.” Liam sighed. “He needs us more than he ever wanted to, and if we’re all going to come out of this alive, we need him.”

Kace nodded. It seemed to counter everything he had learned from Lt. Jackson.

“Keep me posted on the results,” he said and climbed into his car. He was going to have to make a decision at some point but right now, all he wanted was a hot meal and a good sleep.

He shoved his thoughts down and drove toward home.

Chapter Eight

Jessica tossed the covers off at the first sight of morning and cursed the new day. What was the point of even trying to sleep when it never came or, when it did, her thoughts were filled with Kace? If she didn’t start getting some decent sleep, she was going to lose it. The last time she had slept well was at the beginning of the week while in his arms. Here it was Saturday already and still no luck. One more day of this, and she was going to call him over just so she could sleep.

Of course, maybe the events of the week had something to do with that. She wasn’t certain who was avoiding who, but they had both been doing a pretty good job of it. Being in a relationship was the last thing either of them needed, especially with each other. But for some reason, she just couldn’t seem to convince her body that was true.

Her muscles groaned as she slipped out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. When she looked in the mirror, she winced. Dark circles highlighted the red in her eyes. She’d even lost a little weight, which made her color seem a little off.

She couldn’t help it though. Wherever she went, he was always there watching her. Of course, that was his job, but it wasn’t helping the situation. Every night she wondered if he felt the same draw when he dropped her off at the house.

Jessica groaned and climbed into the shower. She had to stop thinking about him. Her sexual frustration had reached all new peaks, and even when she helped herself, there was little relief. It just came back full force.

At least tonight she’d get a little break. Meg and Irene wanted to go to the club for a few drinks and dancing. She had been so resistant when Finn insisted she take the night off, but now she was grateful. A night off was just what she needed. Everything had been pretty laid back at work, and if anything did happen, Finn would be on duty to handle it.

* * *

Kace grumbled as Meg sat at his table. Not only was he tired from the week, but this was one of the few days he was able to lay around the house, and his younger sister woke him up. On and on she talked about going to the club later. It wasn’t until she mentioned needing a ride that he was able to piece the whole thing together.

“So let me see if I get this right,” he said. “You want me to spend one of the few nights I’ve had off in weeks, driving you and your drunk friends around.”

“Well, I just thought you might want to keep an eye on Jessica, but if not, I can always call Cage. I’m sure he won’t make a pass.” She smiled sweetly.

Kace felt his blood pressure rise. Cage was a great guy, but when it came to women, he just couldn’t help himself. And there was no way that was going to happen.

“Fuck,” he groaned. “What time?”

* * *

Jessica stared at herself in the mirror. A little better. At least the makeup was able to mostly cover the dark circles. It did nothing for the red in her eyes, but there was little that could be done about that.

The black dress, now that looked good. She hadn’t had much opportunity to wear it since she bought it, but it was well worth the wait. It hugged her curves in all the right ways and dipped low for just the right amount of cleavage. She blushed thinking about the last time she wore something that revealing. This time she was wearing a bra and panties though, so she didn’t feel quite as exposed.

She jumped when the bell to the door chimed and peeked around the corner at the clock. Early as always.

She raced down the stairs and stopped short when she saw Kace through the window. He didn’t look very happy. Jessica opened the door.

“You really think going to the club is the best idea?” he said and charged into the house. “Considering everything?” He stopped and stared openly at her.

She closed the door and looked back to him.

“Why is going to the club such a bad idea?” Jessica crossed her arms and glared at him.

Kace stepped closer to her. “For one, I’m not there.”

“So. Liam or Ryder should be. Not to mention that Finn is working the back tonight.” She felt the quiver inside that she got every time he was near her.