Chapter 14
As I had assumed would happen, right at seven, Jagger and Asher arrive at The Raven’s Nest. Apparently, this situation calls for not one, but two big brothers.
I can hear their booming voices before I actually see them, turning to spot them strutting through the place, heading right for me.
Onyx ratted me out again.
My pointed look in his direction, sharp and cutting, is met with a careless shrug, his eyes filled with amusement.
“Bit late, boys, I have averted both crises without you.”
Asher kisses my cheek in greeting.
“What crisis? We’re here to stop you going out with detective surfer boy.”
I toss my hair over my shoulder.
“I had assumed as much, but you’re out of luck tonight. I don’t give a fuck what either of you thinks, I’m leaving here with Reef, and if you interfere in any way, I can promise you, you’re going to regret it.”
“Feisty tonight, Sloane.” Asher chuckles.
“Settle down, Sis, I’m not going to stop you from going out with him. What I said last night still stands. You’re a big girl, you have proven you can take care of yourself. And it might not be a bad idea to have the detective on our side with the new commissioner breathing down our necks.”
“I thought…” Asher says, glancing between us, confused.
Even he didn’t expect Jagger to let me leave here with the detective .
My eyes narrow in on him.
“If you’re cool with it, why are you here?”
“I said I would let you go out with him, but I didn’t say I wasn’t going to have a friendly chat with the boy first.” His grin twists.
“Boy? He’s a man, probably your age.” I smirk, watching as Reef walks through the door.
Yeah, he’s either brave or stupid.
I guess tonight I’m about to find out which one.
I leave my brothers’ sides and move across the room, feeling like I’m being pulled toward him with magnetic force.
I don’t know what it is about him, but I want to know more.
His face lights up, and he tosses his hand through his long hair.
“You look ready for a date. Stunning as ever,” he compliments me.
I can’t help but return his warmth.
“You must have a death wish.”
“Nah,” he says, a smirk playing on his lips, “I just think you’re worth the risk.”
“Good answer. Let’s get out of here.” I hook my arm through his, hoping to make a hasty exit.
But before we make it to the door, Jagger cuts off our path, his hand directed toward Reef.
“Jagger Stryker,” is all he says, his face deathly serious.
I roll my eyes. Here we go.
Reef shakes his hand.
“Reef Wilder. Nice to meet you, Jagger.”
“Hurt my little sister in any way and I will end you,” Jagger growls out in warning, sounding every bit the scary motherfucker he is.
“Got it.” Reef tilts his head to the side, my arm still hooked with his, and I can feel the warmth of his body and smell his fresh, clean scent.
I lean into him a little closer, enjoying the feel of his body so close to mine.
“I have no intention of hurting your sister, but somehow I get the impression Sloane’s not one who needs her big brother looking out for her. ”
I grin at him, feeling like he already gets me and kind of loving that he respects me when it feels as though the other numbnuts around here don’t.
I find Romeo’s eyes from across the bar, where he has poured himself a drink.
He’s watching me, his gaze intense and unwavering, like a hawk focusing on its prey.
“I think we’re good, Jagger. Don’t wait up, I might be late.”
Jagger gives Reef one last look then bends to kiss my cheek.
“Don’t have too much fun,” he says mischievously, and I know he wants me to make friends with the nice cop so we can have one of them on our side again.
With one last glance in Romeo’s direction, I pray to whoever will listen that leaving tonight won’t give Romeo some advantage I haven’t thought through.
For now, he doesn’t have access to any other section other than the front bar, and I have Myriah watching over him.
She promised to call if she needs me.
Reef and I make it out the front, and he directs me toward an Army-style Jeep.
I know I need to address the elephant out here on the street.
I turn to Reef. “If you want me to have a meal with you, there’s one little hitch.”
His brow kicks up.
“What’s that, wildcat?” He eyes Onyx who has left the club sneakily behind us, intensely watching us.
I can almost hear the low growl coming from his lips.
He’s on edge tonight, more so than usual.
I nibble my bottom lip, wishing I didn’t have to have this conversation with some guy I have just met; it kind of dents my badass reputation.
“My bodyguard, Onyx, comes everywhere with me, it’s not negotiable.”
I see his shrewd eyes assessing Onyx in more detail.
I’m sure he was wondering who the hell the dude following us around was this morning.
“Why do you need a bodyguard? ”
I force a tight smile, my shoulders stiffening as I avoid the painful details.
“My brothers are a little overprotective,” I go with instead.
That’s as much as I want him to know about my life.
“Is it really necessary? You know I’m a cop, right? I can take care of you.” The way he says it makes me feel all warm inside.
He doesn’t even know me and already I know he’s a man of his word and he really would take care of me.
“I can take care of myself. But yeah, it’s necessary. Onyx comes with me everywhere I go. You’ll get used to him. He can drive us in my Porche.” I redirect him to where Onyx has parked my car.
“Fancy,” he says, impressed by my wheels.
“I was expecting a bike.”
“I’m a fancy kind of girl. Can’t really ride a bike in this.” I motion to my fitted dress.
It’s also hard for Onyx to protect me, though the truth is, my brothers never let me learn how to ride.
They said it wasn’t safe for me.
Just another thing I hold against them.
Onyx goes to walk by us, and I halt him with a hand to his arm.
“Reef, this is Onyx, the best bodyguard in the business.” I don’t know why I stop and introduce them, but it feels important tonight, so I do.
It’s also the truth; Onyx means everything to me, and what Romeo said in my office this afternoon is one hundred percent accurate.
I owe him my life. I need to stop being such a bitch to him because he won’t give me what I want.
He’s trying to protect me, though from what exactly I’m not sure even I understand these days.
“Nice to meet you, Onyx,” Reef offers.
He’s so polite even if this situation is awkward for all involved.
Onyx gives a nod and a grunt of acknowledgment.
Then he moves around to the driver’s side, hopping in.
Reef opens the back door for me, and I slide on over as he moves in beside me.
I can’t help smiling at him, and I don’t even know why.
He pissed me off this morning with his uppity attitude about searching my club, but like this, he’s charming and very likable.
I think I’ll give him a second chance.
“Where are you taking me?”
“I don’t know Ravens Hollow all that well just yet, but one of the girls at work said I should take you to Casa Moretti.”
Onyx snickers from the front, probably because of my terrible business meeting there last night.
“No?” Reef asks, worried he’s done something wrong.
I place a reassuring hand on his thigh, meeting Onyx’s gaze in the rearview mirror in warning.
He’s supposed to be invisible.
“Sounds perfect, their food is to die for.” I smile at Reef.
The car falls silent as we drive through the busy city streets of Ravens Hollow.
The sound of a siren punctuates the air.
Reef glances out the window, taking it all in, and I can’t help but watch him.
He’s easy to watch, a calming presence when my life feels so chaotic at the moment.
And this would all be new to him, if the story he told me the other night was even true.
But I know he’s new in town, we would have heard about him earlier if he wasn’t.
He looks back at me, catching me checking him out.
He doesn’t seem to care, and if anything, the twinkle in his green eyes tells me he quite enjoys my eyes on him.
“Are your brothers like that with every guy you date?”
My cheeks heat, not sure how much I want to admit to him.
I know I have to be super careful.
“I don’t normally date, Reef. I’m pretty positive my brothers have no idea what to make of this. But you can be sure they don’t like the fact you’re a cop.”
“I’m okay with that.”
“Good. If you’re going to hang out with me, you will need to be okay with a lot when it comes to my brothers.” I study him carefully, wondering what exactly his angle is here with me.
The way he looks at me, he seems genuinely to like me.
But we both know what happened this morning.
He takes his job very seriously, and he’s likely still investigating my club.
I need to tread carefully.
“Am I just a job to you, Reef?” I ask, just putting it out there, knowing he won’t be able to answer me truthfully even if I am.
But I’m hoping to see the truth in his actions.
I’m normally pretty good at reading people, though I’m doubting my ability more of late after my bad decision with Romeo, but he is a master manipulator.
So maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh on myself.
“When I stumbled into your club a few nights ago for a drink, I had no idea who you were. Or who the Iron Strykers are. I was there for a relaxing drink after a stressful day of moving, sitting there wondering if I had made the biggest mistake of my life, and then there you were, all pretty and confident. I thought all my luck had changed.” His eyes meet mine, warm and comfortable, the same buzzing of electricity I felt the first time we met.
“I didn’t start with Ravens Hollow Police Department until today. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw your club was the first job on my list.” Is it really all some messed up coincidence?
“You shocked the shit out of me when I saw it was you as well.” I laugh, not able to help it.
How does this shit happen to me?
His hand trails up my thigh, feeling the fabric of my dress.
“I wanted to see you again, it just wasn’t the way I was expecting.” He smiles at me in a way that makes my cheeks heat and my body thrum with excitement.
He’s so gorgeous when he smiles.
“So, the story you gave me was real?”
“One hundred percent. Did you think I was undercover?”
“I had wondered, it seemed too much of a coincidence. How’s your gran?” I ask, remembering his reason for moving here.
“She has her ups and downs. Today was a good day. ”
He’s a regular Mr. Nice Guy, the complete opposite of every other man in my life.
And way too sweet for me.
But somehow, I find myself imagining just what it would feel like to have his full lips on mine.
Explosive, I decide.
Like fire and ice, pain and pleasure, light and dark.
My complete opposite.
Onyx pulls up out the front of Casa Moretti and kills the engine, bringing me out of my daydream and back into the present.
Reef opens the door and hops out, thanking Onyx for the safe driving.
He’s so polite.
Onyx’s eyes come to me for a second before I get out of the car, his hand capturing mine.
“Be careful, trouble. I will be right here if you need me.”
I offer him half a smile and nod, sad for him.
He has to watch me date some other dude right in front of him.
But he could have me and he won’t.
I’m not going to be alone forever because I can’t have him in the way I want.
Not that I’m saying I’m actually going to date the detective.
That seems like a stupid thing to do, unless I could corrupt him.
Now that could be more fun.
Reef holds a hand out to help me out of the car.
I’m grateful, as my little black dress is tight around my hips and not easy to get out of my car with it on.
“You’re smoking hot in this dress, wildcat.” Reef’s hand wraps around my back, settling at my waist gently.
I look him over in his crisp white button-up and slacks.
“You don’t look so bad yourself, Detective Hot Stuff.”
He chuckles, a warm, friendly sound, and we walk into the restaurant, the atmosphere feeling effortlessly comfortable between us.
Once inside, we’re shown to a table that looks out over the street, and I can’t help but wonder if Onyx had the booking changed so he could keep an eye on us.
His eyes meet mine, and I know he did.
Something in the dark way he looks at me lights me up inside.
It’s so sick how badly I want his eyes on me.
How desperate I am to make him jealous.
If I keep pushing him, he might just tip over the edge and finally give me what I crave so desperately: him.
We order our food and sip on wine as we wait for our meal to arrive.
The atmosphere is so different from last night.
So comfortable. Where Romeo had me on edge wondering what he would do next, Reef makes me feel at home and relaxed for the first time in days.
When my eyes don’t leave his face, he smiles at me warmly.
“I don’t want to talk shop, but I’m so intrigued by you. How did you end up running that club?”
I raise a brow, wondering if he did have an ulterior motive for this date.
“Do you mean because I’m a chick?”
“I guess, it’s not what I expected.”
I shrug it off, knowing it’s not what anyone expects.
“The previous owner died suddenly, and I was the best person for the job. That club has been in the family for generations, I grew up in it. And as much as I love my brothers, they couldn’t run an establishment of that size if their lives depended on it. So, I took charge.”
Reef can’t hide the horror from his face.
“You grew up in a gentlemen’s club? There is more to your story, I can tell.”
I sigh heavily, knowing what it must look like to an outsider.
“Sure there is, but if I told you the rest, I would have to kill you.” My eyes meet his again, my lips twitching up at the sides into a cruel smirk.
Just so he knows I’m half serious.
He chuckles as if I’m joking.
I’m not. But I smirk back at him anyway.
“I read your case file, but it was surprisingly empty when you and I both know that what the Iron Strykers are involved in isn’t legal. How have you all covered it up so long?”
My back straightens.
“Did you ask me on a date to get the scoop on me and my brothers, take some intel back to your boss, earn the new kid a pat on the back?” I snap back, knowing how bitchy I sound.
He reaches across the table, taking my hand in his, instantly soothing me.
“I asked you on a date because I’m utterly fascinated by you and was from the moment I saw you behind your bar.” He stares back at me, and I see the lust in his eyes.
I feel it, swirling between us.
I can’t explain what it is with him.
I shouldn’t trust him, I shouldn’t even be here with him.
But I can’t walk away either.
“Anything you can get on me will help build your case though, right? Sorry, honey, tonight is purely pleasure for me, no business talk.”
“No business talk, got it.” He smirks back.
His foot brushes the side of mine, a strange thrill running right through me.
I know he feels it too.
Our meals arrive. I ordered the eggplant parmigiana as it’s my favorite, and I didn’t get to enjoy it last night.
I’m hoping tonight will be different.
And Reef is having the steak just like Romeo did; there is something a little creepy about that.
They couldn’t be more opposite, so is it a coincidence or does he know we came here and had these exact meals?
We both start on our food, the silence comfortable as we eat, but my mind is spinning, trying to work this guy out.
I’m insanely attracted to him, but there are warning bells constantly going off in my head as well.
I enjoy every mouthful of my meal, feeling like I haven’t eaten properly in days.
“You didn’t like that at all,” he comments.
“It’s my favorite.”
“You a vegetarian?” he asks, cutting into his steak and placing another piece in his mouth .
“Yeah, from the moment I found out animals were the same things we had on our plates as food, I just couldn’t do it. Syd was an asshole about it, but my mother was more supportive.” I collect my glass of wine, swirling the liquid in the glass before taking a large gulp.
“Now I feel bad for ordering the steak.” He chuckles, having a drink as well.
“Who’s Syd?”
“The asshole I took over the club from.” If he’s done his research on me, he knows who Sydney Stryker is.
Every cop in this town did when he was alive.
If you weren’t on his payroll, you stayed the fuck out of his way if you didn’t want to end up a dead piggy.
That’s what he used to say, anyway.
I have come to learn he was more talk than anything, full of shit and hot air.
“Your dad?” he asks.
“I wouldn’t call him that. You have to acknowledge your kid and be present in their life to be a dad. Syd found out I wasn’t a boy and that was it. I was no use to him.” I say the words without a hint of sadness.
My life was better without him in it.
I still have no idea what my mother saw in him or why she stayed with him for so long, but maybe it was more complicated than that.
Maybe she was trapped there, with her five kids.
He looks disgusted on my behalf.
“He would be surprised to see the incredible woman you have become then, the business you have created.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere, Detective. But no, he would be rolling over in his grave. He really couldn’t stand me. If he wasn’t already dead, it would kill him to know what I did to his shit-heap of a business.” I see the way Reef studies me.
I have said too much, and I need to shut the fuck up before I actually tell him something I shouldn’t.
Is this how he gets info out of the criminals he’s interrogating?
Makes them feel all comfortable with his charismatic charm then slowly they open up to him.
“What about your family?” I ask, trying to shift the subject off me.
“Not much to report. I haven’t seen my parents in years.” He brushes me off, but I see the hurt he’s trying to mask.
“Since you moved from California to New York?” I push, needing to know more.
I see him shut down on me.
He wants me to share, but he’s not so willing.
What is he hiding? “I didn’t have the best upbringing, Sloane. My parents aren’t a part of my life I want to revisit.”
I nod, understanding, but curiosity has me wanting to know everything about him.
“Why did you become a cop?”
“I thought I could make a change.”
“I’m sure you do.” I grin at him, and he returns my warmth.
I realize his hand is still in mine.
This is all too normal, and the most bizarre part is how much I like chatting to him when I know I shouldn’t.
The server approaches us with a white envelope in his hands.
“This is for you, Miss Stryker,” he says, handing me the envelope.
The front is blank, so I open it.
Two photos slip out, both of Reef and me arriving at Casa Moretti.
They look like they were taken from across the street.
I turn the image over.
The first one has a note scrawled across the back in what looks like blood.
Enjoy your freedom while you can, it reads, and I sit up a little taller, looking over the street again.
Like father like daughter, playing both sides.
We both know what that gets you…
dead.
The second photo also has a note, one that sends a shiver down my spine.
I’m coming for you, mia ragazza.
I’m not sure what the last part says but my hands start to tremble as I stare at the words.
Glancing out the window, I can’t make anyone else out.
Onyx waits in my car, still watching us, and now he looks concerned.
Other than him, no one is around .
“Sloane, what’s wrong? What was in the envelope?” Reef asks softly, breaking me from my sudden panic.
“Nothing.” I shove the images back inside the white envelope, trying to keep my voice light.
I don’t need Reef to see them.
If this is Romeo’s idea of a fucking joke, because I came out tonight with a cop when he told me not to, it’s not funny, and I will deal with him tomorrow.
Reef snatches the envelope from me, the images falling out onto the table in front of him.
He stares at them, then his attention comes back to me.
“Is someone threatening you?” His face grows more serious.
“I’m sure it’s a stupid joke.” I try to force a smile, wishing I was sure.
But would Romeo really do something like this just to mess with me?
“This looks like blood, Sloane. It’s no joke, it’s creepy as fuck, and you need to report it.”
“To who, Reef, the cops? Sorry that I have little faith in your profession, but your buddies in blue haven’t ever helped me in the past. I’m not sure if you know this yet, but most of the Ravens Hollow precinct was corrupt until last year, all working for underground rulers with more money than sense. I’ll deal with this myself,” I snap, suddenly feeling like we really do live on two different planets.
He has no idea what it’s like to be me.
But whoever sent this thinks I’m like Syd, and that thought is horrifying.
I’m nothing like him.
He looks me over, stress lines forming on his forehead.
“You can’t take the law into your own hands, Sloane.”
I roll my lips, trying not to lash out at him when I know he’s just trying to help.
“I do what I must to protect myself and the women who work for me. It’s the way things have always been done. I know you’re new in this town, so you don’t get it yet, but you will.” My eyes meet his.
“I learned very early on not to believe in fairytales. Some hero was never going to swoop in and save me from the life I was born into. I had to be my own savior.” I don’t say the words because I want him to save me.
I really do have this shit under control myself, and the last thing I need is him getting in my way.
I’ll deal with Romeo or whoever this is.
“I don’t really know what kind of life you’ve had, Sloane. But this shit, this is a direct threat, and now that I’m in town I’m going to make sure you and the people who work for you don’t have to feel threatened or scared.”
I stare back at him, wondering if he really could be different.
“How? What will you do to stop the scum of the earth?”
“Leave this with me. I will find who did it and make sure it won’t happen again.”
I stand in a rush and snatch the photos back, shoving them into the envelope before folding them and putting them in my purse.
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but these people are smart. If they don’t want to be found, they won’t be.” I’m also one hundred percent sure this is Romeo messing with me.
I’m sure the last part is Italian.
He must have done it to give himself away.
He hops up, taking my hands and lacing our fingers together, standing with me.
My ragged breathing calms, and my heart settles down just being close to him.
I stare back at him, wondering how he can have this effect over me.
I don’t even know him, but it’s like my body does, and she trusts him.
“Don’t push me away, I want to help you. I know what you’re involved in is dangerous. It’s why you have the big guy following you around. You could use a friend like me to look after you as well.”
I blink back at him, getting lost in his kind eyes.
“Only if you don’t plan on screwing me over,” I whisper.
His eyes meet mine, a deadly seriousness washing over them.
“I take my job very seriously, Sloane, but I already know it doesn’ t matter what you’re messed up in, I could never screw you over.” The way he says it with so much conviction, I want to believe him, but I have been burned in the past, and really, I know so little about him.
I’m not placing all my trust in him after one night, no matter what his pretty green eyes tell me.