TheFugitivesSexyBrother (21 page)

Javier cast about the apartment, desperate to find anything
that could protect him. A stool had been overturned along the kitchen wall. It
was flimsy, too light to block the door in any meaningful way. Javier grabbed
it anyway, holding it out before him like a talisman.

The door swung open. Javier stiffened in anticipation, then
in horror as he recognized the man coming through the doorway.

Sergio Aristone’s eyes widened. He lifted a gun. “Fernando
Bonavita? You’re early for our appointment.”

“Look closer,” Javier said, tilting his head up just enough
to show his scar. He spoke through gritted teeth. This was the man responsible
for hurting him and for killing his sister. This man wanted to frame Fernando.

“Ah.” Aristone smiled. “You’ve filled out, little brother.”

“You’ve gotten older.”

The other man raised an eyebrow. “I’m very aware. Now, let’s
see what age has done for you. I remember what a brave boy you were. Has your
courage held?” He aimed the gun deliberately.

Javier didn’t move. He had nowhere to go. He didn’t have the
skills to take down a man with a gun. He wouldn’t risk Fernando or Emily by
calling for help. He stood his ground, unflinching, and looked Sergio in the
eye. The gun fired.

Tangled on the ground with Matthew, dead leaves crunching
around them, Emily despaired. She held him off, barely, with her legs wrapped
defensively around his torso. She shielded her face from blows with her
forearms, curled up like a turtle. With luck, she might hold out until he
tired, but a lot could go wrong before then.

A lot had already gone wrong. He’d gotten in a solid blow to
her left eye that had already started to swell. Her head swam, and she had to
squeeze that side shut to see clearly from the right. He grabbed the right side
of her face, reaching toward her nostrils. Emily caught the side of his palm
between her teeth and clamped down hard.

“You’re going to play like that?” Matthew said. He bared his
teeth and leaned his weight on her arms, crushing and trapping them against her
face and beginning to smother her.

The report of the gunshot saved her. Matthew jumped at the
noise, giving Emily the opening she needed. Knowing she wouldn’t get another
chance, Emily jammed her elbow up sharply, striking his solar plexus. Matthew
gasped, weakening further, and Emily took the opportunity to roll them, placing
herself in a superior position.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she worried about that
gunshot, but she couldn’t afford to think about it just then. She had to focus
on subduing Matthew. Never mind that this still meant doing the impossible.

Now Matthew held his arms protectively. As the defender, he
had the luxury to wait out her strength, and Emily feared he had more in
reserve than she did.

The bullet flew just past Javier’s shoulder, so close that
it tore his shirt. Javier focused on staying steady. He wouldn’t flinch for
this man.

“Impressive,” Sergio said.

“I don’t want to play games,” Javier answered. “Maybe we can
make a deal.”

“I don’t need any deals with you. All I want is your
brother’s blood.”

“What if I told you I could give you access to a system that
could find anyone as long as you have their cell phone number?”

Sergio chuckled, but he lowered his gun slightly. “Why would
you do this for me? Are we friends now? You look like a man with a long
memory.”

Javier shook his head. “I’m not like you. I don’t care about
revenge or honor. I just want to live free—from you and my brother.” He took a
deep breath. “Fernando’s getting out of the business anyway. You could still
kill him, I guess, but why? Framing him the way you did took the spirit out of
him. He’s not interested in the life anymore.” Could hope make words true?

The gun dropped to Sergio’s waistband. He outright laughed.
“You sound like such an authority. You speak for your brother now?”

Javier ducked his head. “I speak for my brother.”

In one feline movement, Sergio crossed the room, his fingers
cold on Javier’s jaw. “I need to make sure you understand what you’re saying,
little brother. If you tell me you speak for Fernando, then you become Fernando
to me from now on. If what you say is wrong, you’re the one I hold responsible.
Understand?”

Javier squared his shoulders. He hoped to God that Fernando
and Carolina had gotten away clean and that his brother planned a trip to a
nice island in the Caribbean, never to return.

“I understand. I give you the system I described. You let me
and my brother go and you never hear from the Bonavitas again.”

The mob boss spread his hands, his face relieved. “This is
good, my friend. I’m happy to hear this. When Matthew Lodi called to say he had
the key to Fernando Bonavita waiting in this apartment, I have to say I
expected something a lot more stupid.”

Javier cocked his head and kept his face placid. If Sergio
didn’t know about Carolina, no way would he tip the man off.

“This is good. This is family style. I like it.” Sergio
clapped Javier on the back, embraced him and kissed his cheek. Javier forced
himself to take it with a smile. He could bide his time. His way of fighting
slipped between the cracks while no one was looking.

Inch by agonizing inch, Emily eased her way toward a
conclusion to the fight. She still didn’t dare to match him strength versus
strength. Instead, she executed a series of strikes to his face that he
couldn’t afford to ignore. When he moved to defend, she took any chance to
wedge the blade of her forearm a little closer to the soft part of his throat.

Even in her superior position, Emily struggled to hold him
down. Bigger than her, stronger than her and just as trained in martial arts,
he rocked his hips, constantly threatening to unseat her. A cramp formed in her
left calf muscle. Her arms wobbled from the strain of holding him. Her swollen
face throbbed in agony. Emily gave no quarter.

Inch by inch. Her only hope. She focused so intensely on the
challenge at hand that she did not hear boots crunching through the dead leaves
as they approached.

Javier followed a little distance behind Sergio, his mind
racing. The other man had wanted to find Matthew to “seal the deal”. Bluffing
had worked so far, but he had no way of knowing what kind of monkey wrench
Matthew Lodi would represent.

A few steps ahead, Sergio stopped short. Ragged breathing
and the sound of a struggle pulled Javier’s attention to a patch of parking lot
near an ostentatious orange sports car.

All strategic thought fled Javier’s mind when he saw Emily’s
face, purpling around her left eye. Everything in him wanted to run to her, but
he could not without giving her away to Sergio.

The mob boss seemed amused. “She’s good,” he said. “And so
little. If I had a girl like that fighting for me, I could clean up with long
odds.”

Javier grunted noncommittally. Sergio approached with an
unhurried gait. Javier’s heart pounded in his throat. After his attempt at
boxing, he’d become convinced he couldn’t hit anyone. Looking at what Matthew
had done to Emily’s face, Javier thought he might be able to change his mind.

Emily gritted her teeth and counted, muscling just the last
few millimeters to Matthew’s throat. She’d been patient with her position. He
wouldn’t be able to turn his head to buy himself time or do anything else to
ease her choke. Her forearm sank home and she leaned in for everything she was
worth.

Matthew’s eyes widened. For the first time, Emily saw fear
in them rather than condescension. She could not afford to celebrate just then,
but she would later. He struggled, but she already felt him giving in. She
could choke him out, then find a way to restrain him. She added her last ounce
of strength, then froze when cold metal contacted the back of her head.

“Hands up,” a new voice said. “Get off him slowly.” The
speaker’s foot nudged Matthew’s body with a light kick. “And don’t
you
try anything either. You stay right where you are until I say you can move.”

Emily knew better than to argue with a gun to the back of the
head. The few moves she knew for addressing that scenario were desperate
measures, last-ditch attempts for times that death seemed certain anyway. She
released Matthew with a twinge of regret and lifted her hands. Shifting her
balance until she got her feet under her, she stood an inch at a time.

“Beautiful,” the voice said. “You are a work of art. Now
turn around and face me.”

Emily did as she was told and found herself face-to-face
with Sergio Aristone, Javier lingering behind him. Her lover looked ready to
burst, but Emily carefully avoided showing recognition on her face. Sergio
clucked with false concern.

“What’s the problem here, sweetheart? Did he do that to your
face?”

Emily shrugged. “Obviously I respect the man holding a gun,
but this is a personal matter. I wasn’t really planning to discuss it with
anyone else.”

“What are you doing here?”

“He’s my ex-boyfriend. I knew he stayed out here sometimes
with a friend, so I came looking for him. We got in a fight.”

“Bad timing.”

“I guess.” Emily blinked, slipping into her best innocent
persona. “He grabbed me and started talking all intense. I didn’t understand
half of what he was saying.”

Javier stepped out from behind Sergio. “Sir? With your
permission, I can take care of her. Get her out of here. You and Matthew have
plenty to talk about now that we have a deal.”

Emily thought a significant look passed between Javier and
Matthew, but she couldn’t watch closely enough to be sure. She stood tall and
kept up her act. “Excuse me? Take care of me? Who are you people?”

“Miss,” Sergio said. “It’s better if you don’t ask too many
questions about that.” He nodded at Javier. “Go on, son. Take care of her. You
know how to get in touch with me to deliver your part of the bargain. I think
you know better than to try to screw me on that.”

Emily’s eyes opened wide. She couldn’t believe what she was
hearing. Javier gave her no sign of reassurance, simply avoiding her eyes and
taking her by the elbow. Together, they walked toward the rental, leaving
Matthew lying on his back at Sergio’s feet.

Neva flipped through paperwork at her desk.
Her
desk—more her property than it had ever been before. After making love and
setting their plans in motion, Guy and Neva had a long conversation about the
future.

She’d had to bring up the matter of her job. She didn’t want
to take advantage of him, but she also knew how hard it would be to find a
replacement who knew the business the way she did. Guy had refused to restore
her to her previous position, saying he didn’t want to put Neva in a situation
where her lover was also her boss.

Before she had a chance to argue, he made a counteroffer
that dropped her jaw. Partnership, both sexual and professional.

Neva wanted to concentrate on the paperwork at hand, to
savor the feeling of being employed once again and working closely with the
love of her life. Her mind kept pulling away to go over and over the things Guy
had said to her. “How can you offer me partnership when just recently you were
saying you couldn’t trust me?” No matter how many of her insecurities he’d
alleviated, Neva needed to hear this one explained to her.

“You can’t do this job with heart unless you believe in
second chances,” Guy said. “I’m not preying off my clients. I’m giving them a
shot, and I know how to do that because I’ve had times when someone gave me a
chance they shouldn’t have. You deserve a second chance, Neva. I’m going to
choose to trust you. Because I don’t think you’d betray me twice. Not after
what we’ve shared.”

Neva had been too overcome for words. The memory still
brought tears to her eyes even as she sat at her desk.

The door banged open, shattering her reverie. Neva looked up
to see Matthew Lodi strutting into the office, no doubt on the way to his
appointment with Guy. Surreptitiously, Neva checked to make sure she had Cliff
James’ business card in place in her drawer. Then she presented him with the
coldest and most professional veneer she could muster. This was her moment of
truth. She’d promised Guy he could trust her. She needed to hold out against
Matthew, so she could keep her word, and for her own self-respect.

“Hey, Neva,” Matthew said, pausing at her desk. “It looks
like you and Guy worked things out from the other day?”

She blinked. Was he really asking this?

“I mean, you’re at your desk.” He wore his usual expression
of insincere concern. Neva stared at him. She’d expected to feel angry but
instead she just felt strange. How long had she let this man use her? Why had
she been willing to put up with him for even a second, when he cared so little
for the job she had poured heart and soul into for years?

She nodded distantly. “Yeah, we worked it out.”

He leaned in closer, seeming encouraged by her positive
response. “Any word on what Guy wants with this conversation? He has work for
me, right? He’s not just trying to set up some kind of fight?”

Neva smiled. “Guy’s not going to punch you.”

“Okay.” Matthew gave a wink that he must have intended to be
charming. Neva restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Emily’s attitude
toward him over the last few months made a lot more sense to her now. Matthew
seated himself on the desk, stretching in a way that displayed his sculpted
torso. “Neva, I owe you an apology,” he said. “What about dinner?”

Neva narrowed her eyes. “You’d just abandon me there as soon
as you got worried about your precious car. Where’d you park the Lotus,
anyway?”

He gave her the cross streets. “It’s fine. As long as you
stay off the beaten path, it’s no problem. I can take you to Federal Hill. A
friend recommended a great Italian restaurant where we’ll get the VIP
treatment.”

“Thanks, Matthew.” She smiled to show all her teeth. “I’m
not interested.”

He seemed surprised. The anger in her blood chilled and
settled. He really did think he had infinite access to her, that he could hurt
her over and over again and expect his hot body to win her forgiveness every
time. Taking cocky that far made it pathetic.

She nodded toward the back room. “Guy’s waiting for you.”

She watched him go, her confidence surging. Matthew Lodi had
truly lost his power over her. Neva had been set free.

She smiled warmly in Guy’s general direction, closing her
eyes to remember the sensation of his rough thumb tracing her cheekbone. He
made her feel special and valuable. He never took her for granted even though
he could have.

Neva allowed herself to bask for a few breaths, then she
took her cell outside to give Cliff James a call, including a tip as to the
location of a certain Lotus Elise, California edition.

Just as she hung up the phone, a taxi pulled up outside
Guy’s Bail Bonds. The woman who got out would have been stunningly beautiful if
not for the faint bruises on her face and a set of abrasions on her lips. She
stumbled a little getting out of the car. Tears streaked her cheeks and she
turned to Neva with a desperate expression.

“Help me,” she said.

Neva dropped her cell phone to the pavement beside her and
ran to the woman. “What’s going on? What’s your name?”

“I’m Carolina Mendes,” the woman said. “I’m here to make a
complaint about one of your bounty hunters. Matthew Lodi. He broke into my
house and kidnapped me. I just escaped.”

Neva froze, gaping. “Carolina Mendes?” Guilt stabbed her.
She’d known Matthew was trouble but had never imagined he’d be capable of
something like this. She fisted her hands at her sides. “I have to warn you
that he’s here right now. But don’t worry. I’ll call the police as soon as we
get you settled, and in the meantime I know my boss will protect you.”

Emily waited to question Javier until they’d returned to her
place. She heated up microwave meals for them both, then insisted on taking a
shower to rid herself of leaf particles and the smell of Matthew’s sweat. She
knew she couldn’t stall forever, so eventually she returned to the living room
where he was waiting and sat beside him on the couch.

“Hey,” Emily said.

“Hey.”

“I feel a little like I’m talking to a stranger right now. I
don’t know who you are.” She smiled ironically. “I guess that’s what I should
expect. I barely know you.”

He reached for her hand, his dark eyes gentle. She let him
have it. “You know more about me than anyone. It may have been a short time,
but it’s been intense. I meant what I said, Emily. I love you.”

She shook her head and pulled away. “No. Don’t say that yet.
I can’t hear that until you explain a few things to me.” She breathed slowly to
calm herself down. She wanted to present herself to him as mature and in
control, not tear-soaked and vulnerable. “You’ve got a lot going on below the
surface, Javier. You sent a secret message to Fernando after leading me to
believe you weren’t communicating with him. I heard a gunshot in that apartment
building and then five minutes later, you come out with Sergio Aristone like
you’re his best friend and he’s talking about a deal you’ve made.” Ice spread down
her veins. “It took a lot for me to let your brother get away. I believe in the
law. I did that for you. I need you to meet me halfway. I can’t be with someone
who’s got a bunch of sketchy secrets. It would be too much like Matthew Lodi
all over again.”

Javier winced. “I hope I never again give you reason to
compare me to your ex, Emily. Please hear me out.” She noticed his hands
trembling in his lap. She wanted to take that as a sign he really cared. “I’m
going to take your advice and use my computer skills to make a living
aboveboard. I told Sergio I’d give him access to my cell phone tracker app, but
I’m going to give him a special version—one that logs his queries in a special
file I can give to the FBI. It’ll be good evidence of his activities. I think
they still pay for tips about criminals of his caliber.”

Emily raised both eyebrows. “That sounds like a risky path,
Javier. What if he figures out what you’re up to and comes after you?”

“I’m good.” Her lover lifted his chin with a stubborn pride
that Emily had to respect. “He won’t have a clue what I’m up to.” He reached
for her again, and this time she let him hold her. His arms slipping around her
shoulders felt absolutely natural. The comfort she felt in his embrace could
lull her away from her concerns if she let it. She settled her face against the
side of his neck. Desire flared.

Emily retreated. He’d already won her heart, but she
couldn’t give in until he assured her of his intentions. “What am I supposed to
think of all this, Javier?”

“After everything Sergio’s done to my family, I need to see
him punished, the legal way. I’m asking for your help, Emily. In return, I’ll
be your skiptracer. It seems like Neva’s been…unreliable lately.”

Emily shrugged. “Matthew’s got her all messed up too. She’s my
friend. We’ll work it out.”

Javier stiffened, sitting up straighter. Emily couldn’t look
at the disappointment on his face. She stared over his shoulder at a splotch on
the dingy wall. “I mean, you don’t have to make a business deal to appease me,
Javier. I’ll help you figure out what you need to do to catch Sergio. I’m not
going after Fernando anymore. You’re free.”

He startled her with a half-laugh. “Emily, do you still
think I have some ulterior motive for seducing you? I want you. I love you. I
want to be with you. That part has nothing to do with my brother or Sergio or
any other person.”

Emily blinked at him. She felt more vulnerable than she ever
had in her life. Tears threatened.

“What scares you so much about the idea that I might really
want you? That everything that’s happened between us might really be about you
and me?”

Emily swallowed hard. She searched herself for an honest
answer. “You don’t seem to be trying to change anything about me. You’re not
telling me I should act more ladylike. You’re not trying to change the way I
dress. You’re not warning me that I won’t be able to make a living. It seems
too good to be true.”

“That someone might see you for who you are and decide
that’s really okay?”

“No one ever has.”

“I know,” Javier said. “Believe me, I know.” She met his
eyes and saw the same vulnerability in them that she felt herself. Emily’s
resistance melted away. She could believe in what she had with Javier, no
matter how much it scared her.

“I love you too,” Emily said. She took a deep breath. “Wait
here.”

At the bottom of her closet, she found fifty feet of rope.
She’d never used it with Matthew—she’d bought it foolishly in her early days of
bounty hunting, thinking she’d be climbing into windows in pursuit of villains.
Emily brought the rope out to Javier and set it on the couch.

“I trust you,” she told him. “In every way. About the
hacking. About how you feel about me. About what you would do to me.” She
paused, still barely able to believe herself. She had never
asked
to be
tied up. She had never felt so relaxed by the idea of it. “Please,” she said.
“Put the rope on me. I surrender.”

Javier looked from her to the rope and back. His lips
parted. He cleared his throat. “I’d love to, Emily.” He stood and came to her.
He picked up the rope slowly and deliberately, hauling it up hand over hand
from the couch cushion. He stepped closer, kissing the top of her ear. He
nibbled it lightly and whispered her name.

Taking the rope, Javier tucked one end into her waistband
and wound it around her stomach, coil after coil, length after length. He gave
her plenty of room to breathe, but kept the tension firm. He pulled her shirt
up so the rope lay against her skin. Since she wasn’t struggling this time, the
rope fibers felt soft against her skin, almost silky. She watched the rope
build up around her middle and realized that her clit pulsed with anticipation.
She didn’t feel fear—only excitement at the idea of being truly at his mercy in
the way that only rope could symbolize.

Javier wrapped her from her hips to the bottoms of her
breasts, then stopped biting his lip. He fiddled with the rope a moment, then
made a loop that secured it in place and dropped the free end to the floor.
Emily cocked her head, confused. He’d left her arms and legs entirely free.

He smiled. “Since you’re surrendering, I don’t need to tie
you up so you can’t move. The rope’s just a symbol. It’s just my arms around
your waist.” His words created a coiling heat between her thighs. “You can be
free to move however you want, Emily, and you’ll still be mine.” He kissed her
hard, nipping her bottom lip before he pulled away.

Javier undressed, smoothly revealing his long, lean, tight
body. More than enough muscle despite his mellow exterior. More than enough
man. His cock emerged from his boxers, already hard and ready for her. He
rolled on a condom and sat on the couch. “Come here and ride me, Emily.”

“You want me on top?”

“Your strength is so beautiful. I never want to restrain
that, even if I’m claiming you.” He picked up the loose end of the rope and
tugged her toward him. She came willingly. Javier helped her out of her pants
and panties, lifted off her shirt and unsnapped her bra. He slipped his hands
beneath it and held her by her breasts. “Surrender to me, Emily,” he whispered.
“Take me in.” She straddled him and lowered herself slowly, supported as much
by her own muscles as by his steady hands on her breasts. Smooth as velvet, she
sank down until she took all of him.

“What now?” Emily asked in an innocent voice.

“Make yourself come on my cock.”

The instinct to challenge him remained strong. She grinned
at him and leaned back, until he had to grab the rope around her waist to
steady her. Once in that position, her back arched, her head flung back,
supported only by the coiled rope and the strength of her thighs, Emily found
his cock pressing against her inside wall at the most delicious angle. She
rocked a little but gasped and stopped, barely able to stand the intensity of
the sensation.