Reed (Allen Securities) (12 page)

“So how did the Russians get involved?” Reed leaned in. His intense movement shifted Olivia closer to him.

“Maybe all along but for sure just before the library.” Ben put his laptop on the table facing Reed and Olivia. “I don’t know what Carson told you all, but it seems his dealings with Neil are just the tip of the iceberg. After the big shootout, I decided to have a look and see what was worth all this trouble.”

She leaned forward to flip through the files and was surprised to find shipping receipts. Some inbound and others outbound. Each signed off by Carson. On a spreadsheet was a dollar value corresponding to the dates. She stared, puzzled as to why this would be important.

“So what were the shipments?” She questioned her brother.

Ben shook his head. “I wasn’t in the loop on this, but just look at where some of these are being shipped.”

“Looks like it’s centered in the Middle East and parts of Asia.” Olivia looked up from the computer to Ben and Reed.

“Well, that would explain the Russians,” Reed said quietly.

“That’s what I thought.” Ben looked down at the table.

“I don’t understand,” Olivia turned to Reed expectantly.

“Human trafficking. Likely some drug and gun running in there as well.” Reed stared at her like she might fall apart at any moment. “Kace has been talking about this for a while. Said there had been an influx of missing kids and the drug scene has been escalating to being just about out of control.”

Her stomach flipped as she took in his words.

“And Carson knew?” She focused on the task at hand and not the sinking feeling she was getting. The situation went from being a mess to being atomic level.

Ben shrugged. “Maybe. Regardless, he signed the paper and didn’t even question.”

“A man like Carson doesn’t get into bed with the Russians and not have a good idea what might be going on,” Reed said. He gripped the table hard enough for the wood to creek. “That son of a bitch just took the money and didn’t even care to find out.”

“You can see why it might be hard to offer this information to just anyone.” Ben looked them both in the eye. “I might have my moments of being on the wrong side of the law, but this goes against every ounce of morals I have.”

Olivia sent up a silent prayer that he had done the right thing. This wasn’t just wrong but evil. As evil as a person could get.

“So what do we do now?” She looked at the two men.

Ben shrugged his shoulders. “I was hoping your boyfriend could help.”

Olivia opened her mouth to correct him.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Reed said firmly. “I think it might be best if you take a trip out of the bay for a few days. This isn’t going to die down, and I’ve got some people to contact.”

Reed stared out the side window into the dark, his face a hard line as he thought things through.

“There’s no good solution is there?” Olivia asked quietly after some time of sitting in silence.

Ben and Reed turned to look at her. She was sure it was shocking for them to hear from her, but there really was no good way out. Either they turned this over, and Ben went into hiding for the rest of his life, constantly looking over his shoulder, or they handed over the information and let the Russians continue doing business with Carson.

Reed leaned over and patted her leg. Warmth zipped through her.

“We’ll figure it out,” he said quietly.

Olivia smiled at him through the tears that threatened to spill. This was all too much.

Reed turned back to Ben. “I think you should go out on the bay for the weekend. Staying here you run the risk of someone finding out.” He glanced over to Olivia. “Or someone giving something away.”

“I wouldn’t,” she stuttered.

“I believe you, Liv,” Ben reached across and took her hand. “Maybe you should come out with me. Might be fun.”

Her heart melted at his child like grin. She couldn’t help but smile back.

She was brought back to the present when Reed tensed next to her. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she could see the muscle in his jaw ticking.

“Thanks, but I think I’m a better help staying here.” She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and pulled back. Feeling bold, she placed her hand on Reed’s thigh. Ben followed her action and raised an eyebrow at the action. She could feel the blush spreading across her body but didn’t remove the hand.

“I see,” Ben said quietly and looked between them.

“If you can meet back here Sunday night, I should have a better solution.” Reed spoke with authority. His assurance helped ease her worry.

Ben nodded his understanding. “I best be on my way then.”

Olivia slid out of the seat and excused herself to the small bathroom.

Once the door was closed and locked, she looked in the mirror over the sink. Her normally pale skin was about three shades of pink. Surprisingly, she liked the look. Being flushed looked good on her. Even her strange blue and yellow eyes seemed brighter. She leaned forward and tried to contain the tremble that threatened to overtake her.

Here, her brother was in grave danger, and she was thinking about a man. Shame washed through her. This was no time for this. But then the right time never seemed to come up, and she was so tired of waiting for everything. She shook her head. There was really nothing to do at this moment but see what Jess’s boss had to say. As for Reed, well, she had little control over what happened between them.

“Take it slow,” she whispered and couldn’t help the giggle that escaped.

“Liv?” Ben knocked on the door. “You all right in there?”

Another darker blush spread on her cheeks.

Olivia ran a little water and patted it on her neck. Once dry, she opened the door to her concerned brother.

“I’m fine.” She smiled at him. “Even better now that I’ve seen your safe.”

She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, surprising him.

“Stay that way,” she whispered in his ear.

His arms tighten around her. For the first time in ages, she realized that he was no longer the little boy she had raised. The strength of his embrace was a reminder of the man he turned into.

“I will,” he rumbled in her ear, the emotion from it bubbling just below the surface.

Ben pulled back and glanced over to Reed at the top of the stairs.

“Now you listen to me,” he spoke in a hurried hushed way that spiked her worry. “If shit starts to get real, you find Mom.”

“What?” Olivia would have jumped out of his arms if he hadn’t been holding her in place.

“I know you don’t like her, but her boyfriend, Charlie, he can help.”

“Husband,” she said quietly. “And help how.”

Ben gave her a pointed stare. “You know the kind of men Mom is with. He’s not a bad guy, but he knows how to take care of things.” Ben shook his head. “All sorts of things if the money is good enough. Just don’t argue, go to him if this shit hits the fan.”

Olivia nodded. She wouldn’t, but there was no point arguing with him.

“You trust him?” Ben nodded to the door.

“Yes,” she said quietly.

“You love him?” Olivia’s head shot up at the question.

“I…” She sighed. “I don’t know. We haven’t really known each other long enough to fall in love.”

Olivia frowned. Had it really only been a few days? Somehow it had felt like ages. Over the time she’d been forced to face so much, including her own inner demons. It was the most she had ever opened up to anyone. In fact, when she thought about it, it was surprising how much he knew about her and how little she knew about him. Despite all that, there was a feeling she couldn’t deny that went well past basic desire.

“I could,” she said after some time. She looked into his eyes that were so very similar to her own. “He’s worth trying to find out.”

The answer seemed to settle something in Ben. He hugged her again quickly and steered them toward the door. When they reached the top, she found Reed staring at her and the warmth spread through her again. The concern was evident on his face, and she found she liked him worrying about her.

Without overthinking things, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed. The gentle rubbing from his thumb was all the reassurance she needed.

Ryder reached over the side of the boat and took her other hand to help get her onto the dock. Reed let go only after her feet had reached the other side.

She waved warmly to her brother.

“Allen,” Ben called out. Reed stopped half-way off and looked over to him. “Take care of her.”

Reed gave a curt nod and stepped heavily to the dock. Ben untied the rope from the dock and started to drift out slightly.

“Good.” He grinned widely. “I’d really hate to have to throw your big ass over the side of my boat.”

“Ben!” Olivia itched to launch herself onto the boat and throttle his smart ass. Ben shrugged and blew her a kiss.

Ryder chuckled beside her. She and Reed turned to look at him in surprise.

“What?” he said. “You would be hard to toss over the side of a boat. And don’t think I haven’t thought about it.”

Olivia couldn’t stop the laugh that came up.

“Well glad to know it.” Reed chuckled.

Chapter Twelve

The club was hopping. The dance floor had become a sea of bodies, moving in time to the loud beat of the techno music. Olivia was glad to see that Jess had been so successful with the opening. Managing the club had been the dream job for her. Much like Olivia, Jess had been spent much of her life raising herself. With her father in and out of prison, it wasn’t hard to see why she tried so hard to get away from her background.

Olivia smiled when her friend’s jet black hair came into view.

“Oh I’m so glad to see you.” Jess smiled from ear to ear. Her smoky gray eyes twinkled from the excitement.

“Me too,” Olivia said, hugging the smaller woman.

“How did things go?” Jess said into her ear over the throng of the music.

Olivia shook her head. It was way too much to share at this moment.

She shivered when she stepped back and walked into a wall of man.

Jess smirked at her and stuck out her hand.

“Jess,” she said, shaking Reed’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Reed,” he replied.

Olivia flamed when her friends smile only got bigger. She winked at Olivia and waved them over to a table in the back room of the club. Surprisingly, once they passed through the opening, the music became a dull beat.

“So my boss was more than happy to meet with you. He’s been here for a bit with a few friends, but things don’t seem to be going very well for them.”

She turned back and wrinkled her nose at Olivia.

“Thanks again for doing this.”

“This is still a bad fucking idea,” Reed growled at her.

“You don’t know that.” She crossed her hands over her chest. If he wanted stubborn, then she could give as good as she got.

“I know we have no fucking idea who this person is and what we’re walking into.” He leaned in. His anger choked the air around them. “What if it’s the Russians?”

“Jess doesn’t work for the Russians.” She leaned in, her own anger matching his. “I put my trust in you.”

She watched as Reed leaned back, viewing the win as his.

“Maybe you should put some trust in me.” Olivia turned to see where Jess had gone and nearly crashed into a man standing behind her.

“Careful there,” the man said and reached out to steady her. He was shockingly good looking with a strong jaw and prominent brow to match the dark brown hair on his head. A shiver crept through her when she looked in his eyes. Although a bright shade of green, the smile never seemed to reach them. Cold and closed off was the only thing she could think.

“Thank you,” she said finally. Reed came to stand behind her, and she was thankful for the warmth.

“Finn,” Reed rumbled.

“Ah, Reed. I’ve been expecting you.” Finn smiled and waved to the table in the corner where two other men were sitting. One looked oddly familiar. Her friend Jess stood anxiously to the side.

As they made their way over, she laced her fingers with Reed. She’d take his strength however she could get it. His thumb swept the back of her hand in a soothing motion.

Finn took his seat next to the two men, his back facing the corner. Olivia wondered if he did this on purpose. He seemed like the kind of man that would have to sleep with one eye open.

Olivia took the seat next to Finn and let go of Reed’s hand. She nearly yelped when Reed slid her chair closer to his own. Arm draped around the back of her chair, he was clearly making a claim on her. Under normal circumstances, she would have rolled her eyes, but the way Finn was looking at her, she was glad for the possessive move.

“Oh, Meg and Ryder.” She turned to Reed.

The man next to Finn jumped up and it clicked. Liam was here with Finn. “You brought Meg here?”

“Liam, she’s with Ryder,” Reed said, irritation lacing his voice.

Liam glared at Reed. “She shouldn’t be here.”

“She’s an adult.” Reed shrugged.

“Liam,” Olivia said sweetly. “Can you go tell them where we are?”

His eyes shot to her. The resemblance to Finn was uncanny. Liam nodded and left the table.

Jess leaned over to her. “I hate to do this, but I have to circulate for a bit more. Besides, Irene should be here soon.” She scanned the table. Uncertainty played on her face. “I’ll be back soon,” she whispered.

“I see my cousin is still denying his infatuation with your sister,” Finn said to Reed.

The other man at the table laughed. It made sense now. They must all be related.

“That’s up to them,” Reed replied with a shrug.

“So,” Finn said, turning to look at her. His eyes bored into her. “I hear your brother got himself into a bit of trouble.”

“It’s bigger than that now,” Reed cut in.

“Oh?” Olivia suspected that Finn already knew the answer to this but was feeling them out for information.

“Carson has been working with the Russians, signing over for them to bring in weapons and I suspect human trafficking.”

A pretty waitress came over and passed out drinks for the table. Olivia stared skeptically at the pink drink on the tray.