22. Reghan
22
REGHAN
Vailsat on the couch, his feet up on the cushions, as a puppy slept on his lap. Vail’s eyes held mine. They crinkled in the corners. “You’re happy, Reghan.”
I nodded but kept my lips pressed closed. Oh, I fought the smile that threatened to break free. I was ridiculously happy. It was the first time in as long as I could remember when I felt like this.
Last night, after having dinner with my parents, I pulled Barrett into one of the offices in the back, and kissed the hell out of him. I would have done a lot more had my brother not been waiting for me. As it was, he gave me shit for making him wait so I could “fuck around with Barrett.” His words.
Barrett and I didn’t go further than kissing, but god, I wanted to. It took every fiber of my being to pull away from him. I was addicted to that man.
“Things are going well with Barrett?” Vail asked. I hadn’t breathed a word of what was going on with us to anyone but my brother and Jordan. Vail had overheard though. It wasn’t hard to guess why I was happy, considering I usually walked around here with the face of a statue, no one getting much of a reaction out of me unless that smart-mouthed detective was in front of me.
Jordan exited his office, walking toward us. “Answer him or he’s going to keep asking you. And if you still don’t answer him, I’ll have to hear about it.”
“Things are going well,” I replied.
Vail sat up, bringing Aspen with him. The German shepherd puppy was a handful but was currently tired from playing with Tahoe. “That’s all you’re going to give me?”
“I’m not sure what you’d like me to say. My time with him is limited. I saw him yesterday. We had dinner with my parents and Raiden.”
“He’s already met your parents?” He was shocked, but his smile didn’t slip.
“It wasn’t intentional. We were at the steakhouse when he showed up to have dinner.”
“Alone?”
I nodded.
“I’m glad you were there so he had company. Although, it couldn’t have been easy meeting your parents that way.”
A smirk tugged on my lips. “I didn’t give him any choice.”
“And there it is,” Jordan stated. He stood at the counter, his back to me, while he poured a cup of coffee. “I knew Barrett wouldn’t be able to walk all over you. Then again, Vail and Hartley do whatever they want to me.” If there had been more people here, other guards, I doubted Jordan would have said as much. He wasn’t overly chatty with anyone; other than the men he shared his bed with.
“Barrett…” What was I going to say? How he put on an act? How he’d rather no one knew who he really was? What Jordan and Vail weren’t aware of was how he really was. His mannerisms, his vulnerability, the way he smiled when he didn’t have to worry about who would see. A part of me wanted to keep that to myself. So instead of mentioning those things, I said, “He doesn’t want to lose his job.”
Jordan shook his head. “If he does, he can work for me.”
“What?” Vail yelled as stunned as I was. “You’re going to bring Barrett, a cop, onto your team? Who are you, and what have you done with my big bad mafia boss?”
“Honestly, Vail.” Jordan lifted his mug and took a sip before walking to the couch. He held his mug out of reach since Aspen was now awake and very interested in the scent Jordan brought with him. “If Barrett were to work for me in a more official role, it would be under the strictest of rules that he has no contact with the East Dremest PD.”
“And you’d trust him if he said he didn’t?” Vail wasn’t stupid. Hartley and he saw many sides of Jordan.
“I trust Reghan. If he were to bring Barrett here, if Barrett no longer worked in his current role, I would… accept it and see what I could do for him. Reghan wouldn’t endanger us.” His eyes met mine in a pointed glare.
I quickly said, “You’re right, sir. I wouldn’t do anything to cause harm to you or your family.”
“You’d probably make him work his way up,” Vail added.
“Maybe. Barrett has done a lot for me over the years. I don’t trust him fully, but a lot of that comes from the job he does. It’s also why he’s not allowed here unless he’s in trouble or has a warrant. I don’t want him coming into our home while being employed there.” I didn’t blame Jordan. If I’d been him, I would do everything in my power to protect my loved ones. I also knew Barrett had no plans to leave his current job, at least on his own accord.
Vail peered up at Jordan with so much love in his eyes. It made me wonder if I looked at Barrett similarly. Was it so obvious how much I cared about him? How deep I was already in this with him, and we’d hardly been dating? One night in bed with him changed a lot between us. The mask was gone. The walls were down. He couldn’t hide from me if he tried.
“You’re a good man,” Vail told Jordan.
“I’m not, but I appreciate that you see me that way.”
“You might do stuff I don’t like but you also do plenty to help others. By the way, how’s it going with the kidnappings?” Vail didn’t usually get involved in what Jordan did. With the kidnappings all over the news and another victim taken yesterday from a different neighboring county, there were a lot of eyes on the police and why they weren’t doing more.
“Nothing new. It’s hard for me to get a lot from local law enforcement. Lawson can hack into their systems, but they only have so much. He found video footage with a shoe in it at the last location a man was taken. Nothing solid.”
Neither Vail nor Hartley fit the profile of the men who were taken. They also both had two guards on them when they left the building now. Raiden and Rory were currently with Hartley at his studio.
“It’s also nothing for you to worry about,” he told Vail. Jordan leaned down to kiss him. “I’ll handle it.”
“I know. I just wish it wasn’t happening.”
A growl worked its way up Jordan’s throat. Vail was used to it though. “If I find who’s doing this, he’ll wish he never chose to do so in my city.”
The thought of Jordan torturing and killing people used to upset Vail. It still did, but there was a calmness about him now, an acceptance. They weren’t going to change who Jordan was or the things he did, but they could keep him grounded and remind him of what he had to come home to.
I encouraged Jordan to do what he did. I helped him more times than I could count. The police wouldn’t take care of business the way we did. They were also corrupt as hell. Capturing this guy was a show for the police department. Yes, Barrett took it seriously, but that was because he cared deeply. The others who worked there who were lower on the pay scale, I didn’t know.
Jordan looked my way, as if he could read my mind and understand I was thinking about Barrett. “Is he taking extra precautions?” He referred to Marshall. No one else here knew about him. As far as I was concerned, that was for Barrett to tell, not me.
“He is. Barrett wants to catch this person as much as you do. He’s scouring the city again today.” Barrett worried he missed something. That there was a clue he’d overlooked. He didn’t. One of us would have found it if he did, or Lawson, for that matter. Jordan’s guards were thorough.
Jordan’s phone must have vibrated in his pocket because he reached in to withdraw it and barked, “What?” when he answered. I watched his face and noticed the muscle tick in his jaw. His eyes narrowed. Even Aspen whimpered. Jordan was a force all on his own. “I want the photos sent to me.” He hung up. “Lawson caught the back of the guy, at least he thinks. He found more footage from the recent kidnapping. It happened right before the man disappeared.” Jordan glanced down at his phone, tapping on the screen. “It’s not much. Jeans, a hoodie again, medium build by the looks of it, and sneakers. It’s more than we had. I’m sending it to Barry for him to distribute. I want all of you on the lookout.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied.
“Tell Barrett, but he can’t have the photos. You can show them to him when you see him next.”
I stood stunned for a moment. The words left him so easily, allowing me to share it with Barrett.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Jordan growled. I snapped my mouth closed. “Barrett is out there looking; he should know this. I don’t give a fuck who catches this asshole.”
“Yes, you do,” Vail stated.
“Fine, I do. I want it to be Barrett or one of us. He’ll bring him to me. I’ll torture this motherfucker until he tells me where the men are. I’ll sever appendages. I’ll make him bleed slowly to drag it out.”
I coughed, hoping to break Jordan’s spell.
“Fuck,” he whispered and turned to Vail. He rounded the couch, placing his mug on the coffee table before dropping to his knees in front of Vail and taking Vail’s face into his hands. “I’m sorry, baby. I shouldn’t have said that. I forgot who was here and only saw the need for answers and revenge.”
“It’s okay. I’ve been with you long enough. At least you didn’t go into more detail.”
“Only because Reghan stopped me. I wish you wouldn’t have heard that.”
“It’s fine. Honest.” Vail put the now wiggling puppy on the floor and leaned forward to kiss Jordan.
I moved my gaze from them, focusing on the hallway in front of me and the piece of artwork that hung at the end of it. The painting had become a focal point for me over the years. It was where my eyes stayed instead of watching Jordan, and then watching him with his men once they were in a relationship. What went on in here wasn’t my business. Sure, I heard everything, but I didn’t need to see it too.
As I stood there, eyes ahead, I wondered what a piece of Marshall’s work would look like there. Jordan had seen what I’d bought and reached out to Marshall. The rest was between them. I wasn’t going to hide the art from my boss. He knew everything. Plus, Jordan was already aware of Barrett’s brother.
Jordan entered my line of sight and stopped in front of me. Vail was headed upstairs to their second floor. “I’d put his work there if I could,” Jordan said quietly. “It would draw too many questions though. I see the way your eyes are always on the end of the hall. It would be a privilege to have his art displayed. Maybe in the future.” It was one of the nicest things Jordan had ever said to me.
“Thank you, sir,” I whispered, emotion getting to me.
“Fuck’s sake,” he muttered. “How much softer can I get? Jesus!” He yelled, “It’s your fault, Vail!” He turned and walked up the stairs. “You and Hartley. Pretty soon, I won’t be able to leave the goddamn building because people will take advantage of me.”
I could hear Vail’s laugh. “You’re so full of shit. No one’s going to take advantageof you.”
Their bedroom door shut, and my eyes were on the painting again.