Chapter 31
RIGHT WHERE I WANT HER
Killian
Instead of pushing me away, Lexi melted in my arms, her chest heaving with each shaky breath. A crimson flush spread across her skin, and her nipples peaked against her shirt.
“I-I’m not having sex with you, Killian.” The husky rasp to her words made her declaration less than believable. “Back off before I toss you over this balcony.”
My chuckle stirred the delicate hairs around her face.
“As if you could.” I swiped her hair over her shoulder and kissed her neck, the shiver rippling through her body giving me another dose of satisfaction.
I had her right where I wanted her. “You’ve been dreaming about having my cock buried inside you, haven’t you?
It’s time to stop pretending to be disgusted. ”
Lexi scoffed. “You do disgust me.”
“Have it your way. Since you insist on being such a bad girl, I’ll have to punish you.” My hand slid between her legs, cupping her warm pussy. “The things I’m going to do to you will have you begging me to let you come.”
Her head fell back against my chest, and her eyelids closed, her dark lashes fanning her flawless cheeks. “We’re here for a school project. Stop trying to turn this into some sex-fueled getaway.”
“You’re the one who’s grinding on my hand, Red.” I rolled my hips, rubbing my hard dick into her ass.
My fingers slipped inside the waistband of her shorts, ready to yank them off and fuck her against the balcony. Then my phone rang.
A string of curses plowed through my mind. I would have ignored the call, but I’d asked Gage to keep an eye on Bass. If my stepbrother was investigating the mystery girl, or Lexi, I needed to know.
“Saved by the bell, Red.” I grabbed her jaw, forced her head toward me, and gave her a rough, savage kiss. “For now.”
Her dramatic scowl only made me smile as I headed inside to grab my phone off the dresser. But the name on the screen sent my anxiety skyrocketing.
“Hello, Stan.” Did Bass tell his father I nearly choked him to death?
“Killian, you took my private jet to the Dominican Republic?”
Gloria, his assistant, helped me with the arrangements, so it wasn’t surprising that he knew. “Yes, sir. I would have booked a commercial flight, but it was last minute.”
Lexi wandered inside, her face souring when she realized who had called. She snatched her bag off the ground, tossed it on the bed, and rummaged through her things.
“I hope that’s okay, Stan. I just—”
“It’s fine, Killian. Actually, it’s perfect.”
My brows dipped as I strode into the bathroom to grab a towel, wrapping it around my waist. Stan’s unexpected phone call had burst my sexual fantasy bubble. “Why?”
“I need you to handle an important job as a favor for an Ascended,” Stan said.
“Who?”
“Don’t worry about that.”
As my stepfather explained the job that had suddenly landed in my lap, I wondered if it was a coincidence that we ended up here. When I mentioned the subject of our project, Gloria suggested Santo Domingo and Casa de Campo because I’d already stayed there plenty of times.
Or maybe it was because she knew the spot would be perfect for Stan.
“You are to retrieve a marked envelope with extremely sensitive information the target is using to blackmail one of us. I’ll email you the layout and the code to the safe you need to locate.”
So much for escaping my life for a few days.
“Someone will deliver two counterfeit invitations to a party at a private villa owned by the target,” Stan continued. “Make sure you bring your guest. It’ll look less suspicious than showing up alone. A pretty woman always makes for a good distraction.”
My stomach knotted, and I braced my hands on the marble counter. If Stan knew Lexi was my guest, he wouldn’t want her anywhere near this. He’d also rip me a new one for hanging out with the girl who’d accused him of sexual assault.
“Oh, and Killian?” Stan paused. “Don’t read the information. It’s best if you don’t know.”
I hung up the phone and marched out of the bathroom as Lexi sat on the bed, flipping through her Geology notebook. “We’re going to a party.”
Her eyebrows slammed together. “I thought we were here to work on our project.”
“We will tomorrow.”
She tossed her notebook aside and crossed her arms. “One call from your stepfather and you suddenly drop everything?”
My jaw clenched as I stomped to my suitcase. “It’s not like that.”
Actually, it was, but I didn’t have a choice. Even if this had nothing to do with the Serpents & Daggers and was simply a personal request from Stan, I’d still be obligated to do it.
“This has something to do with whatever vile secret society you’re in, right? Is he part of it, too?”
I ignored her dangerous questions and sent a text to Maria. I didn’t bring a suit, and Lexi sure as hell didn’t bring a cocktail dress, but Maria would know where to get something at such short notice.
“I’m not doing a damn thing for that man,” Lexi snapped, scrambling off the bed. “I’d rather die.”
An invisible band tightened around my chest as my anxiety attempted to suffocate me. She had no idea how easily that could be arranged by someone in the brotherhood. Especially Stan.
“You’re going to this party, Red. I’m not asking.”
An angry flush spread over her cheeks. “That man destroyed my innocence, and I’ll be damned if—”
“Stop lying!” I tossed the phone onto the bed to avoid crushing it as fury hemorrhaged through my bloodstream. “Why are you still spouting that bullshit after all these years? It’s over. Just stop.”
Something cracked. I saw the moment her control shattered into a thousand pieces, like mine threatened to do every day. The girl I grew up with rarely raised her voice or let anger get the better of her, even when I’d called bullshit on her story.
But now, the dam holding all that rage back vanished.
Releasing a feral scream, Lexi grabbed a decorative vase from the nearby table and threw it at me. I jerked to the side just in time, the vase smashing into the wall and raining sharp fragments onto the floor.
“I. Am. Not. Lying.” She marched toward me, nostrils flaring and a wild look in her eyes. “That asshole attacked me, and you didn’t believe me. My person, who I trusted more than anyone. Do you have any idea how much that hurt?”
I towered over her, breathing heavily as childhood memories pummeled my skull. “My father was an abusive prick, but not Stan. He was the total opposite. I won’t let anyone or anything screw up my mother’s happiness.”
Lexi slapped me with enough force to shove my head sideways. “You left me!”
A sharp sting ricocheted across my face as I slowly turned back around, shocked at the violence exploding from her.
“My mother was marrying him,” I murmured. “We were moving. I didn’t have a choice.”
“You were my best friend.” A broken sob slipped out as her bottom lip wobbled. “And you left when I needed you the most.”
Her face crumpled and she spun, marching onto the balcony and slamming the door shut behind her.
An invisible hand gripped my heart as realization struck me, and I stumbled forward, dropping onto the bed. Could Lexi have been attacked by someone that day? She couldn’t be this good of an actress.
Maybe she’d thought accusing Stan would keep me in San Carlo with her.
I cursed and jammed my fingers through my hair. When we were kids, Lexi was the strong, courageous one while I was just the pathetic friend. She held her father together after her mom died and still managed to comfort me when I was at my lowest.
But if Lexi was desperate enough to lie about her attacker, maybe she’d needed me more than I thought.
And I’d let her down.
A click echoed as I picked the lock on the door to Gregory Banks’ office in his swanky mansion while the posh party continued downstairs.
I checked both sides of the long hallway, Spanish tiles and extravagant gold décor stretching out in either direction, and then opened the heavy door, slipping inside.
Hopefully, this wouldn’t take long since I had the code to the safe. I didn’t like leaving Lexi alone.
She’d barely spoken to me after our blowout, but I finally convinced her to come when I offered to pay for another room so she could have one to herself. Of course, I had no real intention of doing that—but that was an argument for later.
I strolled around the office stuffed with expensive antiques, overpriced leather, wood furniture, and paintings that probably cost more than my childhood home.
My chest tightened as I remembered my last days in San Carlo with Lexi. The more I thought about her story, the more my stomach roiled.
There could be some truth to it. I knew back then that something had been off, but she kept brushing off my concern. It couldn’t have been Stan, but someone had hurt her.
And that someone would pay.
A crimson haze bled around the edges of my vision as I walked across the burnished hardwoods, searching for Banks’ safe. I rolled my shoulders and cursed, trying to focus.
Gregory Banks had recently come into a ton of money after his tech company exploded onto the scene. Apparently, he’d always had a little help, though. This wasn’t his first blackmail scheme, but it would be his last.
If I were a young, newly rich douchebag who liked throwing money around, where would I keep my safe? From our brief interaction downstairs, I could tell he was a flashy idiot who thought money made him invincible.
After exploring the office for a few minutes, I found the safe behind one of those costly paintings I’d noted upon entering.
The code worked, and I pulled out the manila envelope with a discreet yet familiar spider insignia inked in the corner, the mark of the company he used to obtain this information.
Arcane was an organization that had its hands in plenty of illegal dealings, blackmail being one. Sometimes they were our enemy. And sometimes they were our allies.
Today, it was enemy.
I closed the safe and swung the painting back into place. Now all I had to do was get Lexi and get the fuck out of here.
A creak echoed and my head snapped to the door, just as the knob turned. My heart jumped into my throat.
Shit!
I bolted across the room and plastered myself against the wall behind the door as it slowly opened. A familiar scent hit me before a head full of auburn curls peered inside.
Fucking Lexi.
My nostrils flared as I snatched her arm, yanked her away from the door, and slammed it shut. She squeaked when I swung her around to face me.
“What the hell are you doing?” I snarled. “Did you follow me up here?”
She wrenched out of my grip and lifted her chin. “Since you made me participate in this mission for your sinister little club, I deserve to know the details.” Her gaze dropped to the manila envelope in my other hand. “What’s that?”
Gone was the sad, broken girl after our fight. The stubborn, fiery woman had returned full force.
“None of your business.” I tucked the incriminating evidence into the back of my pants and ensured my blazer hid it. “We need to get out of here.”
Lexi crossed her arms, making her tits nearly spill out the top of the skintight black dress Maria had found for her. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what you’re stealing.”
Why did she have to look so damn good? She was too distracting.
“You don’t need to know a damn thing, Red.” My teeth clenched as I clutched her arm and jerked her into me. “Except that I will be punishing you for this stunt. You can add it to the other punishments you’ve accrued.”
Her blue eyes widened and filled with lust for a fraction of a second, but the fire quickly returned, and that seductive mouth curved into a snarl. “Try anything, and I’ll—”
The door suddenly crashed open, sending my heart lurching into my throat.
Oh, shit.
There was no time to hide.
We were going to be caught red-handed.