Vice (Tortured Heroes Book 1) (10 page)

“Shit. Devin? I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

I coughed and brushed another cobweb away from my face. “Yeah. Just. Ugh. Lay off the Hulk-smash for a while, will you?”

“Come here,” he said and his strong arms came around me again. How did he do that? Jase seemed to have some preternatural sense and moved with ease while I fumbled through the dark. He took my hand and led me toward the stairs. “Let’s just sit for a minute. Let me figure out a plan.”

I walked up two steps, reached out to find my way, then sat down pressing my back against the wall. Jase was right behind me. He sat up one step and kept my hand folded in his as he rested it against his thigh.

“I really am sorry,” I whispered. “How about I let you have the night off tomorrow?”

He laughed. “Nice try. Tomorrow already is my night off. You could give me the next night off too but Kinney’s going to be beaten and fired, remember?”

“Oh. Right. Yeah.” We laughed together and I let out a sigh as I leaned against Jase’s thigh. He let go of my hand and settled his fingers over my shoulders. He kneaded the flesh there sending shivers down my spine as he worked my tight muscles. I couldn’t help but groan from the pleasure of the sensation.

“Any chance someone’s expecting you tonight?” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. I tilted my head back, settling under Jase’s divine touch. God, was there nothing this man couldn’t do?

“Afraid not. What you see is what you get with me. My life is this bar. I don’t have time for anything else.”

Jase’s breath skittered along the back of my neck, sending a shudder across my flesh.

“Hmm. No hot dates?”

“Nope.”

“What about you? You were in a hurry to get out of here. You have some Northpointe hottie waiting for you back at your apartment? Should I plan on playing my stereo loud just in case?”

I laughed at my own dumb joke but Jase’s fingers went still and his tone grew serious when he answered. “There’s no one, Devin. My life is pretty much this bar right now too.”

Silence and darkness settled between us for one beat. Then two. Then something bubbled up inside of me and I felt Jase’s posture shift too. We burst out laughing together. A great body-heaving, belly-busting, snorting fit of giggles that I couldn’t contain. I curled in on myself and rested my forehead against Jase’s knee as he ran his hand down my spine and took my hand again to keep me from rolling off the stairs.

When we’d both recovered ourselves, Jase moved down to the next step so we sat side by side. I rested my head against his shoulder as he circled his arm around me and pulled me close. It was an intimate, familiar gesture. Maybe it was the circumstances. Down there in pitch blackness, we couldn’t look at each other or read facial cues. Touch was the only form of nonverbal communication we had and neither of us seemed to feel like talking. I don’t know how long we sat like that in silence side by side. Long enough that we both felt natural and comfortable together.

Finally, Jase took a breath. “Tell me about you,” he said. He pressed his thumb against one of my palms, splaying my fingers out. He massaged me there sending waves of pleasure through me.

“What don’t you already know?”

“What about your family? Have you heard from your sister?”

My heart skipped a beat and it was in me to evade or lie, but I didn’t. “No. My uncle looked for her for me. Hired a private investigator and everything. But she’s gone.”

Jase squeezed my hand. “What do you think happened?”

No one ever asked me that. Hell, I hadn’t really asked it of myself. I’d been too afraid. But somehow, in the intimate darkness with Jase holding my hand, the truth came easier. “I think it was something bad. It’s been over a year. She’s never stayed out of touch that long. And I think I always knew it was only a matter of time before her … uh … lifestyle caught up with her.”

“You sound like you’ve made your peace with it.”

I shrugged. “It hurts. I can’t lie. And I miss her. We had plans. She and I were supposed to run this place together. All the redecorating inside the bar? That was Mandy. She has an artistic eye. But she’s just never been able to follow through with anything. My parents were the same way. Rootless. I could never count on them and Mandy told me never to count on her either.”

“I’m sorry. That’s tough.”

“Is it? I guess so. I don’t know. Sometimes though, I think it makes you stronger. You know? Better to know the only one you can really count on is yourself. That’s true for everyone. That way you can never really be disappointed.”

Jase let out a little chuff and squeezed my hand again.

“It’s no different for you though, is it?” I asked. “I mean, what you told me about your parents. Your dad?”

Jase leaned back and stretched out his leg across the step below us. “I’ve got a brother. We’re twins. We look exactly alike but all my life I thought we couldn’t be more different. He was the rootless one. Left home as soon as he hit eighteen. And he left me behind to deal with our parents’ shit show. Just like your sister did, it sounds like. But it’s different now. We both grew up. He came back home and cleaned up his act. We kind of found our way back, you know?”

I turned to face him, wishing desperately I could see his face. “You’re close now?”

“Closer than we were when we were kids. For sure.”

“Then why did you leave? Why did you come to Northpointe, Jase? The truth.”

He stiffened beside me. Maybe I’d dug too deep. Maybe the false intimacy of the darkness got him to reveal more than he wanted. Whatever it was, I felt him pull away.

I acted on impulse. He leaned back and I leaned in closer. I couldn’t see his face or read his eyes so I reached up and trailed my fingers along his strong jaw, the stubble tickling the pad of my thumb. His hand rested on the small of my back and I felt him go rigid. A heartbeat. Then another. There in the thick darkness, some silent truth passed between us.

I wanted him. He was wrong for me. Probably. I still knew so little about him except the only thing that mattered in that moment. I felt his pulse quicken as I closed the dark space between us and felt his heated breath against my cheek.

Jase’s hand slid up to the center of my back. He threaded his fingers beneath the ponytail at the nape of my neck and pulled me close. Pausing for an instant, as if to ask me if I was sure. I parted my lips and closed the distance between us. His lips were warm and salty against mine. I couldn’t catch my breath. I couldn’t get close enough. Jase let out a groan that set off an electric charge all through my body.

“Devin.” He whispered my name between kisses. Over and over. “Devin. Devin.”

The world seemed to spin out of time. In the heat and darkness, with Jase’s body pressed against mine everything fell away. There was just the two of us. There had only ever been just the two of us. He was good and solid. Sin and heat. I couldn’t get enough and couldn’t take it back. I didn’t want to.

That first kiss was slow. But the energy between us became combustible. One kiss wasn’t enough. Would never be enough.

Clothes. Too many clothes. We pressed our lips and bodies against each other. Somehow he turned me so I sat on the stair above him. He knelt below me and tugged at the waistband of my jeans. I found the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head, hating the split second it took his lips away from mine.

Heat coursed through me, settling in the sweet spot between my legs. I throbbed for him. Logic flew out of my head. A thousand reasons why this was an epically bad idea. He worked for me. He was trouble. Of course he was.

“Oh, fuck it,” I whispered, wanting more and more. Heat rose with me, burning through my clothes even. I tore off my shirt and his lips found the space between my breasts. He ran his tongue along the slope above my bra cup. With two deft fingers, he reached around and unhooked the clasp. When his lips found my nipple, I cried out from the shock of pleasure as he sucked me there. Teasing. Coaxing. Making me arch my back into the sensation.

“Jase,” I gasped as I ran my hands over his shoulders, feeling every solid ripple of corded muscle. God. I wanted to see him. But maybe this was even better. I felt my way along his chest, running my fingertips down until I caught the rough edge of his jeans. I fumbled with his fly.

Jase straightened and reached back. Something in his pocket. The whiff of leather, a rustle, then a tear of plastic. He stood tall and straight, maybe two steps down from me. My fingers closed around the solid, turgid length of him. He pulsed in my hand and I looked up, desperate to find his eyes but there was only darkness and his hot breath against my face.

“Are you sure?” he said, his breath ragged. I reached up and slid my hands around the back of his neck; pulling him down I answered him first with another kiss.

“Of course, not,” I whispered. “But let’s do it anyway.”

His sultry laugh sent a shudder through me. I caught a whiff of latex and I peeled my own jeans down past my hips. Jase reached out and helped me, sliding my pants off the rest of the way as I kicked off my boots. Then his skillful fingers found me. I spread my legs as he touched me there, slipping a finger beneath the cotton crotch of my underwear. I was wet. Molten. My breath hitched as he worked me, bringing me close to an orgasm with just that simple, delicious touch.

Then he dragged my panties down and the stairs creaked as he drew closer. I braced myself on the stair above me, leaning back on my elbows. Jase stood between my legs, stroking me. I writhed and moaned, uninhibited in the darkness. If he
could
see me, God knows what he would have thought. He turned me into some wild, sensual creature. I didn’t let go like this. Not ever. The only thing that seemed to matter was the feel of his fingers between my legs. He knew just how to touch me. How to draw me out and leave me panting for him. I wanted to reach out and touch him back, but I quivered beneath him feeling boneless and liquid.

Then his breath caressed my cheek and I reached up to touch his face. He pressed my knees down, spreading me wide as he reached down and pulled my panties off the rest of the way.

Then he entered me. I arched my back and brought my legs up, wrapping them around his waist as his jeans slid down. Oh God. He was huge and hard and filled me perfectly. He kept one hand free and wrapped the other arm around my waist to keep me in place. But oh, the things he did with that free hand. Jase tweaked my nipples to heighten my pleasure. He cupped my face and kissed me slow. And he drove himself into me deeper and deeper as I curved my body around his and took him in.

He fit.
We
fit. Jase found the perfect rhythm as he drew me out and filled me. I wanted him. Why had we waited so long?

I cried out his name as I felt the rising wave of pleasure. I couldn’t hold back a second longer. Jase arched his back and let me set the pace. The stairs creaked so loudly for a second I thought they might crack beneath us. I wouldn’t have cared. Every cell in my body exploded with simultaneous pleasure as I took my release. Jase kept himself still, driving into me deep as wave after wave crested through me.

When I could barely hold on another second and my legs started to turn to rubber, Jase reached back and held my knees as he took his pleasure from me. It was all I could do to stay in place as he thrust deep inside me. I felt him twitch and spasm and found the strength to curl my legs around him and hold him tight. He kissed my neck and whispered my name over and over as he came inside me in the darkness.

It felt good and right even if it was only for that one moment. Whatever happened next, whatever secrets we both kept, for one perfect moment, it didn’t matter. Jase was mine and I was his.

J
ase

If there is a heaven, it couldn’t compare with the feel of Devin, snoring in my arms in that darkened basement. We’d found a box with old tablecloths inside of it and I lay them out at the base of the stairs. She’d curled into a ball, afraid to touch the cement floor, and I cradled her against me when she finally drifted off.

A sliver of light stabbed through the glass block window. Morning had finally come. In an hour, maybe two, I knew Floyd would show up. He liked to work a split shift, doing food prep in the morning then coming back just before the bar opened in the evening. Part of me wished he’d be late today. As Devin stirred against me, it was the first time I’d had peace in God knew how long. I was exactly where I wanted to be and I’d forgotten what that felt like.

I’d explored every inch of her with my fingers and lips last night, getting to know her by touch when I couldn’t use my eyes. Now with the dim light bathing her in blue I drank in the sight of her. I shifted my weight, putting a little space between us so I could get a better look.

God. She was perfect for me. I grew bold and trailed a finger down the slope of her shoulder, loving the feel of her creamy white skin. I smiled as she groaned and shifted, rolling to her back but bent at the hip so her legs stayed tucked to the side. Her round ass pressed against me. She looked exactly like I’d imagined in the dark last night. Better even. I smoothed my hands over the contour of her hip, down her muscled calves. I leaned down and kissed each of her wine-colored nipples, loving the way they rose to peaks for me. Then I moved up and kissed her on the lips. Even with morning breath, she was sexy as hell.

My balls tightened as she grew agitated in her sleep, drawing her dark brows together, those bee-stung lips curling into a pout. I kissed her again. Her eyelids fluttered. For an instant, confusion clouded her honey-brown eyes as she tried to puzzle out where she was. Then a slow smile curved the corners of her mouth and squeezed my heart.

I was falling in love with her.

Fuck. I was
in
love with her. Impossible. Reckless. Selfish. Everything she thought she knew about me was a lie. Everything I had to do would hurt her one way or another. I wouldn’t have to worry about begging for her forgiveness, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself. She didn’t deserve me.

“Mmm. No fair.” She yawned and stretched, arching her back enough to drive me mad.

“What, baby?” Her eyes flashed. I shouldn’t have said it. I should have been cold and distant. Let her think this was just a hook-up to pass the time. That would be safe. Cleaner. I wasn’t strong enough. This was Devin. One word pounded through my brain like a pulse.
Mine
. Devin was mine and I never wanted to let her go.

“Why do you have clothes on? What’d you do with mine?”

“Sorry. Spiders got ’em.” I couldn’t help myself. She reached up and tried to swat me. I leaned down and kissed her again. I couldn’t help that either. It was too good. She was too good. We’d spent the night in a bubble, shielded by darkness, away from both of our realities. I didn’t want to step back out. Not yet. She worked on me like a drug. Now that I’d had a taste, it would be that much harder to stay away.

“Any idea what time it is?” Devin reached up and touched my face; I kissed her palm.

“I heard the garbage service lift the dumpster in the alley about fifteen minutes ago. It’s probably just before seven. What time does Floyd usually show up?”

She stretched again. “A little after that. I get in around nine or ten and he’s always long gone before that. Now I’m serious. I can still barely see. Help me find my clothes.”

“Mmm. Maybe I’m not done looking at you.”

She laughed and reached for me, pulling herself up. Her hair stuck out in frizzy cones and peaks and a wild mess of ringlets on one side. “Never mind your clothes,” I said. “Let’s see if we can find you a rake for that?”

Giggling, she made a lunge for me but I caught her by the wrists and pulled her into my lap. She didn’t put up much of a fight. God, it was like we were drunk with each other. The minute she touched me again I was done for. I couldn’t care less if Floyd or the entire Northpointe PD descended those steps, I was going to kiss Devin again and kiss her hard.

She seemed to have the same idea. Her arms went up around my neck and her quick tongue made swirling circles that drove me half mad. She did that to me and so much more in the late hours of the night. My cock stiffened again and I knew if we kept this up much longer, we’d both need satisfaction.

But heavy footsteps fell overhead. Shit.

“Shit!” Devin scrambled out of my arms. “Shit! Jase! Help me. Floyd comes down here first to get those heavy bags of fry batter.”

Sure enough, we heard Floyd’s unmistakable whistle as he got closer to the basement door. She found her jeans and I grabbed her tee shirt off the stairs. Devin threw it over her head and tried to comb her hair with her fingers. A hopeless effort that only made it stick out worse in the opposite direction.

“Here!” I whisper shouted and tossed her boots to her. She winked and smiled and pulled them over her feet.

“Floyd!” she yelled. “I’m locked in down here! Can you hear me?”

Then she turned and held her hand over her mouth. “Do you think he’ll suspect anything?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you want me to hide?”

She smiled and shook her head. “Ugh. No. Fuck it. Who cares.”

“What the fuck?” Floyd’s gruff voice moved closer. Then the heavy door swung open, sending shards of blinding light flooding over the basement steps. Devin lifted her hand to cover her eyes and put on a brave smile.

“Hey!” she shouted up. “You’re literally a sight for sore eyes. We came down to change the lines last night and … well …”

Floyd got halfway down the steps then froze when he saw me. I couldn’t read his expression. Shock. Anger maybe? Then his eyes widened in understanding as he looked from Devin to me and back again. I had to give him credit for looking half embarrassed.

“Well, I guess break time’s over,” he said, scratching his head.

Devin turned back toward me. The easy expression had left her face. She pursed her lips and took an awkward step up.

“Thanks, man,” I said as I came up behind her and slapped Floyd on the shoulder. He narrowed his eyes and gave me a murderous glance I didn’t anticipate. What the hell?

Devin made it to the top of the stairs and walked out the door. She turned to face me as I stood with one foot on the top step and the other on the landing. It felt like the difference between Oz and Kansas. Down there, last night in the dark we were one thing. Topside in the harsh light of day, we had to be something else. I wished desperately I could tell her the truth. Even if I could, she would probably hate me for it. She gave me weak smile, mindful of Floyd’s watchful eyes. Then I took the last step and closed the door behind me.

My foot crunched over the small wooden wedge she used to prop it open. Reaching down, I picked it up then tossed it to her. Devin caught it between her palms and her smile widened. “Maybe I’ll give Kinney one last chance to redeem himself and fix the lock today.”

Kinney.

My heart thundered in my chest and I ran my hand over the scruff of my chin. Shit. I’d missed my meeting with him by hours and with it, maybe my last good chance to find out who his supplier was. Gates and Lewandowski had expected a call from me last night when I knew the final details. I needed to get one of them on the phone and quick before they got worried something happened to me.

I made a move toward Devin. My instinct was to draw her into a goodbye kiss and tell her I’d call her later. With Floyd looming over my shoulder and the uncertainty in Devin’s eyes, I held back.

“I’ll see you tomorrow night,” I said, nodding. I turned to slap Floyd on the back again. “Now if you don’t mind, I need a shower, shave, and a few hours of sleep.”

Devin nodded and tried to wrangle her wild hair again. Her eyes went from me to Floyd and back again. He had to know something was up but to his credit, he kept his mouth shut. She put an awkward hand out to shake mine. Giving her a smirk and a knowing glance, I played along. I took her hand in mine and shook it. Then I headed for the kitchen and grabbed my jacket. My phone buzzed inside with a new text message.

Nineteen missed calls. Three from Kinney. The rest from Stan and Gates. Stan was in the process of texting me now.

“Where the hell are you? We need to meet this morning.
Betsy Ross Diner
on Fifth Street. Can you be there in fifteen?”

I ran a hand through my hair and looked around the corner to make sure I was still alone. “Give me twenty. Order me eggs and black coffee,” I texted back.

The cursor blinked but Stan didn’t answer. Not a good sign. I had just enough time to use a toothbrush then head across town. I slid my hand into my back pocket to double check I still had Gates’s flash drive with Kinney’s phone dump. I felt a hard, reassuring square outline beneath the denim then headed out the back kitchen door.

* * *

I
didn’t know
Mitch Gates well enough to read him, but he didn’t meet my eyes when I walked into the diner. Stan did. He pounded his fist against the table and muttered something that meant the opposite of good morning.

“Hey,” I said, jerking my chin as I sat down. The waitress set a cup of steaming black coffee in front of me. I fingered the rim and leaned against the back of the booth.

“What happened last night?” Stan said, leaning in close. “The deal is you call. You check in every few hours.”

I put a hand up in surrender. “I know. I know. Something came up.”

“What …” Stan raised his voice, drawing a look from the booth across from us. He took a breath and lowered his tone to a whisper. “What the hell could possibly come up that’s more important than your safety. Or my
sanity
when it comes to your safety.”

Now that I was forced to explain it, I suddenly realized how unbelievable it would sound. “I got locked in
The
Dive Bar
basement. Broken fucking latch. My phone wasn’t on me. I’m sorry, man. Unavoidable.”

“What about the drop?” Mitch asked. He was supposed to come with me, stay hidden, and be my ears in case anything went wrong. I can only imagine the shit storm and silence my six hours AWOL had to cause. I felt like a shit, but there really wasn’t anything I could have done. I did my best to explain what happened, leaving the intimate details with Devin far out of it. But I had to tell them she was with me. I couldn’t lie to either of them outright. No matter what, I relied on these guys to have my back. We couldn’t do right by each other if I wasn’t honest. For the moment, they didn’t ask for more.

Stan slammed his cup against the table. Mitch reached over and made a wave with his hand, gesturing for Stan to calm the fuck down. Stan leaned back hard and looked out the window. His nostrils flared and he took a breath. Finally, he looked at me, eyes blazing.

“I’m asking you for solid progress, you’re giving me a sitcom, Jase. You have no idea how close I am to having to shut this whole thing down.”

He reached down and brought up a crumpled newspaper. Laying it flat on the table between us, my heart lurched. The headline stared back at me. ‘Two Teens Found Dead in Beacon Hill.’ Beacon Hill was Northpointe’s most affluent neighborhood. Chances were the kids in question were connected to somebody if their death was front-page news.

“Doctor’s kids,” Stan said. “My guys found smack at the scene. We’re testing it, but it’s Hot Shot. You know it is. Now I’ve got the mayor breathing down my neck. One of the kids is on his son’s lacrosse team. They’re best friends. Please tell me you have something.”

Before I could answer, Mitch spoke up. “You’ve gotten close to her,” he said. “Marsh’s niece.” It was a statement, not a question, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Fucker didn’t miss a trick. I knew deep down that made him a good cop. It also made him irritating.

“This isn’t Devin,” I said, raising my voice as loud as I dared. “You’re going to have to trust me on this. She’s in the dark.”

“You sure you can be objective as far as she’s concerned?” My blood ran cold as Stan stared at me. Mitch’s hard glare matched the accusation in Stan’s question too. I gripped the side of my coffee mug hard until my fingers started to burn. I got the strong sense the two of them had a conversation before my arrival. My guess, they probably drew fucking straws to see which one of them was going to ask me straight out about Devin.

“Yes.” I hissed my answer. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the flash drive and tossed it between them.

“Hers?” Gates said, surprised as he lifted the small black square and put it in the pocket of his golf shirt.

I shook my head. “Kinney’s. The bartender.”

Stan slammed his fist against the table again and groaned. “That wasn’t your objective. She was. Tell me now, Jase. Are you capable of finishing the job I hired you to do?”

“Kinney’s small time,” Gates said. “We all know that. We need the bigger fish, Jase.”