Reed (Allen Securities) (3 page)

Reed’s arm snaked around her to open the door with her not so well-hidden key. When the door swung open, Reed gently pushed her to the side. Once again, gun drawn, he moved inside with her close behind.

She watched as they cleared the four small rooms in fascination. Like clockwork, they moved with precision. Olivia wondered how often they had performed this task. It was obvious they were trained well and took no risks.

It took more time than she would have thought to hobble over to the couch. When she proper her foot on the table, she could see her flats barely contained her swollen foot. The bruising was already a nasty black and blue. She sighed and rested her head on the couch. The thought of getting up to get some ice was painful.

“So, Cindy,” Olivia said, turning to look at the woman perched by her window. “How do you know my brother, Ben?”

The exchange of looks between the three was not lost on her.

“Listen, I don’t know what kind of trouble Ben is in, but I’ve only got a few hundred.” She turned to look at Reed. It was obvious who was in charge here. “If it will get him out, it’s yours.”

Reed’s face darkened at her comment.

“Are you trying to pay me off?”

Anger flared through her. Who did he think he was being mad at her? She hadn’t caused this. It wasn’t her firing weapons or chasing people.

“I’m just…” She took a breath to try and control her emotions. When she looked at Reed, something in her broke. “I’m just trying to keep my brother alive.”

Tears silently slipped down her face, faster than she could wipe them away. It wasn’t until they slowed that she realized Reed had left the room.

“Don’t mind Reed. He can be a real dick sometimes,” the other woman said. The man in the corner snorted loudly at the woman’s language. “I’m Meg by the way.”

Meg plopped herself on the couch and smiled warmly at Olivia.

“But I thought you were Cindy.” Olivia looked between the two of them in confusion.

The man moved to sit on the window ledge.

“That’s just a cover,” he said. “Name’s Cage.”

He turned from the window and smiled lopsided at her. It was obvious that Cage was used to the attention he was getting. The man was walking sin and knew it. Something Olivia was sure wasn’t such a great combination for most women. Or maybe it was.

Olivia jumped when something cold touched her throbbing foot. Reed had returned with a package of frozen peas. Their eyes met as he adjusted her foot for a better position. Reed reached out beside her, and she could feel the flow of attraction running between them. The connection broke when lifted her leg to place a pillow on the table. His rough, calloused hands skimmed the back of her calf as he helped adjust her. The roughness, combined with the gentle way he moved her, caused her nipples to tighten almost painfully. She quickly crossed her arms across her chest but not before catching a smirk from Cage.

When Reed’s tender caresses moved to her abused foot, she couldn’t help the low groan that came out. His hands froze on her foot and when she looked across at him, she was surprised by the anger reflected in his eyes. So maybe the groan had been a bit much, but she couldn’t express how much pain she was in.

It might not have been so bad if he hadn’t let go. Her foot dropped back to the pillow, and she tried to catch her breath. This was not going at all like she expected.

She glared at Reed and turned back to Meg. It had gone strangely quiet during their exchange, and it was no surprise. Meg and Cage stared openly at them.

“So why the cover? You cops or something?” Olivia turned to Cage but watched Reed from the corner of her eye as he moved toward the front door. It was almost impossible not to watch him. His large body took up so much room.

Cage laughed, drawing her attention back to him. “Not cops. We offer security in a variety of ways.”

“Kevin,” Reed growled from the door.

“Cat’s already out,” Meg said.

“This is why there are rules,” Reed bellowed. Olivia could almost see the anger radiating off of him as he marched into the room. “Now she’s going to tell her brother, and the whole thing will be blown.”

That was it. She’d had enough of this hellish day. First the car. Then her ankle. Gun fights. Hiding in the dark. Out of control hormones. And now she was being treated like a criminal in her own home.

Olivia pulled the peas off her foot and stood silently.

“First of all, I have no idea where my brother even is.” She hurried on when he started to talk again. “And even if I did, I have no idea what I’d tell him. Listen,” she said, moving slowly to the front door, “at this point, all I want to do is call a cab and get down to the police station.” She smiled politely at the group as she opened the front door. “So if you don’t mind.” She waved to the open hall.

Reed crossed the room before she could finish waving them out. He slammed the door and turned the lock.

“No,” he said.

His large hand spanned her back as he guided her back to the couch. Olivia sat down, anger etched on her face.

She watched in silence as Reed paced the floor. He stopped in front of her, his large frame casting a shadow over her.

“We leave here, and they will come after you,” Reed ran a hand roughly across his stubbled face. “You can be sure they have your purse. It’s only a matter of time before they come.”

When Meg touched her arm, she nearly jumped from the tension. “My brother might be a dick,” she glared at Reed, “but he’s right. Your brother has gotten mixed up with the wrong sorts of people.”

Olivia looked between the three. Of course, now that she knew, the resemblance between them was unmistakable. Same brown hair and lopsided smiles. It was hard to tell if it was the same for Reed. The lack of smile hadn’t escaped her notice. Everything about him was unnerving. Despite that, the looks were still there.

Olivia picked at her skirt in irritation. She wasn’t a knock-out, but with her conservative look, she’d never catch the eye of someone like him.

“Someone just pulled up,” Cage said from the window.

Everyone in the room froze.

Reed walked to the door without hesitation.

“Liam and Ryder are dropping us off at my car and taking the two of you back to the office.” He turned to Olivia while the other two stood to get ready. “You and I will go to the library and meet the police there.”

Olivia nodded. It didn’t seem like Reed was a man who got told no often and to be honest, at this moment, it was the last thing she wanted to do.

Chapter Three

Reed swore under his breath as his arm brushed her soft, warm skin for the millionth time. Why he had decided to sit in the back was beyond him. He glared at Cage sitting comfortably in the front. Dirty bastard had nearly skipped to the car when he realized he would have to be scrunched up in the back with Olivia. The wink and wolfish grin were enough to send Reed over the edge.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t really thought this out. He knew what torture was. This was pretty damn close. She turned her head to look out the window. Again, the sweet scent of vanilla settled around him.

“Are we going in circles?” Olivia fixed her big blue eyes on him. His heart raced at the nearness of her face. Her delicate features made her seem so fragile. Walking into a gun battle made her anything but fragile.

“We need to make sure the area is secure.” Cage turned in his seat to look at Reed and then Olivia. The smirk on his face was not lost on Reed.

“But aren’t the police on their way?”

“They are,” Reed said. “But knowing Kace, he’ll keep this as low-key as he can.”

“You have friends at the police station?”

Reed nodded. “Although I think he’d rather not have the connection at times.”

He watched as confusion set in. Tiny lines furrowed between her brows in irritation.

Meg reached from the back and smacked him on the arm. Reed turned around to glare at her and then Liam. Liam shrugged and stared back out the window.

“Kace is our brother,” Meg said to Olivia.

“Your brother? Good lord, how many brothers do you have?” Olivia looked in awe between them.

Meg slumped back in her seat. “Way too many,” she said glumly. “And then some.” She glanced at Liam. “Way too many overprotective men.”

Olivia looked from him to the others in the car and then back to Meg. “I would think in your line of work that might not be such a bad thing.”

Meg snorted loudly. “You say that now but just wait.”

Olivia frowned and sank back into her seat.

It was clear to Reed that Olivia wasn’t going to play quietly by his rules.

***

When they pulled up in front of the library, the damage was evident even through the front window. Or what should have been a window. The men that had invaded her sanctuary had been thorough with their destruction. Olivia closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. One month on the job, and she had somehow managed to ruin it all. Not that it was really her fault, but she was certain her new boss wouldn’t feel the same.

A few officers walked about the scene in a slow, methodical fashion. They filtered out quietly while Meg, Cage and the others waited.

Olivia turned to Reed confused.

“They’ll keep an eye out and find out our plans,” he said with confidence.

She nodded, not really sure what that meant, but let it go.

At the door, she could see the contents of her purse lying scattered about the room. It was clear that the men had not only gone through it but cared little about any cash or credit cards. She picked up the tattered ends of her purse and clutched it in her hands.

“Check for your ID,” Reed said.

Olivia rummaged through the cards with little hope of finding it. When she reached the last piece her hands shook, and her stomach bottomed out. They knew where she lived. Bile rose in her stomach as she pictured Ben coming home only to be gunned down.

Reed placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up to his warm eyes.

“Ben will be fine,” he said. “He’s smart enough to set all this up. He’s smart enough to stay away.”

A grim line formed on his mouth. Olivia wondered what Ben had set up.

“Well, what the hell have you gotten into now?” One of the police officers came to stand beside Reed.

He jerked his hand off of Olivia with such force that she nearly fell over from the lack of support. She stared openly at the police officer. Much like the others, it was apparent that this must be Kace. With a larger frame like Reed, he shared much of the same traits. Tall, muscled, with brown hair. Kace seemed in total control of the situation and himself.

“Wasn’t me this time,” Reed said, raising his hands in defense.

“Tell Mom that,” Kace said with narrowed eyes. “First Meg and now this. She’s going to blow a damned fuse.”

“Let me worry about that,” Reed said through gritted teeth.

“Oh I plan on it.” Kace turned to Olivia. “So how did you get mixed up in all this?”

Olivia furrowed her brow in thought. “Well it seems I’m mixed up in more than one way here.”

She proceeded to tell the officer about her new position, the day, her brother and their escape. Despite her brother’s position in the whole affair, she felt it would be safe to mention his link. Not only because it was the truth, but she worried that whoever had caused this mess would be looking for him. Better he be picked up by the police alive than found later riddled with bullets.

“Listen,” Kace said and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll need to stay at a friend’s for a few days until this blows over.”

“She’s staying with me,” Reed cut in.

Olivia turned to face him. Through her whole story he had remained quiet, listening to her tell their experience from her perspective. This was not what she expected.

“Oh, well I’m sure I can stay with my friend Irene.” She smiled nicely at Reed, hoping he would get the point.

“No, you will stay with me,” Reed stated again.

Olivia balled up her fisted and counted in her head. It had been a long time since someone even tried to tell her what to do. He certainly wasn’t the man to do it.

“No, really, Irene would be happy to have me,” she tried again.

Reed leaned in close to her. The smell of his soap clung to his skin and made her feel slightly weak.

“I don’t think you get it. This,” his big arm stretched around to indicate the room, “is only a fraction of what these people can do. Not only are you in serious danger, but your brother is as well. If you want any chance at saving him, you’ll stick with me and wait for him to contact you.”

Olivia sucked in a breath and took in what was being said. Her only chance for saving Ben was this man, and he scared the crap out of her. Lovely.

Reed turned to his brother in irritation. What he was going to tell Olivia Kace couldn’t hear. It was one thing to use his brother as a resource but another to put him on the wrong side of the law.

“Give us a minute.”

Kace nodded in understanding and walked the parameter around them.

“Listen, you need to be vague on your official report to the police,” he said.

“Vague?” Olivia’s doe eyes were drawing him in once again. This girl was about as far from trouble as you could get.

“If you finger any of the shooters, you’ll be top of their list. One thing the Russian mob doesn’t like is loose ends.” Reed leaned in closer as he spoke.

“Russian mob?” Olivia whispered on shaky breath.

Reed nodded. “I’m not sure what part they play in this, but if they are involved, things just got serious.”

He could see the worry working its way through her. There was no way her brother would come through this unscathed. Heck, the way things were going, he couldn’t be sure that she would make it through this safely.

“Just follow my lead,” he said. With his hands planted firmly on her shoulders, he could feel the tremble of uncertainty slide through her. Despite this, she nodded her understanding and notched her chin up. He had to give it to her. The girl had spunk.

When he called Kace back over, he steered the line of questioning in the direction he saw best. Slyly, he helped her address the shooters and kept description as low as he could. He knew it would be enough to keep the police off of her without calling attention to the mob.