Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
CHANCE
Bruno “Tank” Conti set my blood boiling every time I saw him. A single glance his way could tear down my carefully crafted persona.
As Chance Sheppard, I was a family man with a strong moral compass.
Tank’s version of Chance Sheppard was a man who resembled a feral animal.
My time with him walked the line between arguing to rile him on purpose and tearing his clothes off. We rarely ever met without at least one of us getting off. It was fucking impossible to ignore the chemistry we had.
The first time I met him, I thought it was a one-off thing. Figured I’d get him out of my system after a night.
But then I woke up and realized I was wrong. There was no getting over him. I was utterly addicted after one time and it’s only gotten worse since then.
I ran my lips over his jaw, breathing him in. His scent, a mix of leather and something deeply masculine, always drew me in. If left to my own choices, I’d be huffing it all day long, my neck buried against his skin instead of working all the time.
He made me that crazy for him.
“It’s good to see you too,” he said when I didn’t immediately pull away.
I hummed, my mind too stuck on the feel of him to register I needed to step away. In my mind, the door was closed and that was all that mattered.
Besides, I suspected my assistant knew about me and Tank. He’d never said anything about it outright, but his looks when I had Tank on the schedule for a visit spoke volumes.
Maybe the soundproofing in this office wasn’t as good as I thought it was.
Or maybe Tank just always looked too fucking sated after he left me.
Either was a possibility.
It took everything I had to finally let him go. When I stepped back, I kept moving until my ass hit the desk. The space between us was much needed after getting myself so worked up.
Tank grinned at me as he locked the door behind him. He practically strutted over to the chair across from me.
“Mr. Sheppard,” he said slowly. “Pleasure to see you, as always.”
“You too, Mr. Tank.”
His grin shifted into a smirk. Couldn’t he cut me a fucking break? He knew what that look did to me.
“Mr. Tank.” He chuckled. “That will never not be funny.”
I rolled my eyes as I crossed my arms. Even though Tank wasn’t his first name, everyone called him that. In fact, I doubted most people even know his legal name anymore. He’d made sure to rebuild his image after he got free from his family.
It didn’t help that he was named after his piece of shit father. I’d never met the man, but I hated him all the same. If he hadn’t been killed before I came along, then I’d have gone after the piece of shit myself, Sheppard legacy be damned.
I hated him that much.
The bastard didn’t deserve the family he was given. Just thinking about him made me feel homicidal.
“What made you turn into a dragon just now?” Tank asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
“A dragon?”
“Yeah. Flame breathing and all that. You were about to blow, but your gaze was unfocused.”
I didn’t want to tell him it was about his father. There was nothing that would make him clam up as quickly as a discussion about his father.
“Nothing to worry about. I need to calm down. What brings you by so late in the day?”
Tank looked me over as if he could examine me long enough for the answer. I surely hoped that wasn’t the case. Sometimes a man needed to keep his secrets.
“I wanted to see you. Besides, the case we’re working on is shit right now. I needed to get away. Needed to remember that I actually had a life outside of this fucking job.”
His tone was harsher than I’d ever heard it. Whatever was going on really messed with him.
“Anything I can help with? You know I have connections you don’t. I’d be willing to help discreetly.”
The look he gave me would have made a weaker man squirm. For me, it felt more like foreplay.
I loved when he examined me like this. As if he couldn’t believe I was his.
Because I was.
In every way that mattered, I belonged to Tank. And he belonged to me.
No one knew it, but it was the truth.
Neither of us needed the world’s approval though. We knew what we were, and so far, that had been enough. I wondered if that would change soon.
I knew his men had fallen into relationships over the last year. Despite the challenges he faced and the chaos that came with his work, each of them had found their forever person.
“If you’re serious about wanting to help, I could actually use it this time,” he admitted.
My mouth fell open all on its own. There was no hiding my shock.
Tank never accepted my help.
Literally never.
This had to be bad. He always claimed he wanted me far away from the business in case anyone made the connection. I even used a fucking competitor for my security because we didn’t want anyone catching us making eyes at one another.
And now he was willing to use my genuine offer to his gain.
What a plot twist.
“Um, yeah, I’m serious.” I cleared my throat. “Whatever you need. It’s yours.”
He smiled softly, his hand reaching for mine. I quickly laced our fingers together, happy to simply be with him.
It didn’t always have to be passion and fire. Sometimes the soft and sweet was good too. In fact, I might have enjoyed it more since it was so rare for us.
We didn’t get to have the nights most couples did. There were no cuddles at night before bed or dinners out on the town where we got to huddle together over a meal in a dimly lit restaurant.
All we had were stolen moments.
Stolen in time and in privacy.
“We don’t have a lead on a guy. He runs in some of the same circles your supporters might.” Tank winced once he realized what he was implying.
I waved my hand. “It’s nothing. Do you want me to ask around for him? See if I can set up a meeting?”
“No!” The word burst from his lips.
Jolted at the noise, I leaned back, dropping his hand. He grabbed it again, placing it between his two palms.
“I didn’t mean to yell. I’m sorry. It’s just… this guy is a fucking ghost, baby. I can’t risk anything happening to you. If he took you, I’d likely never find you again. Risking you isn’t an option.”
Tilting my head, I took in his features.
Tight jaw. Fiery eyes. Brows dipped low.
The man was a live wire waiting to blow merely at the thought of something happening to me. It wasn’t a declaration of love, but it was really fucking close for a person like him.
We’d never said the words to one another. Our actions said far more than those eight letters ever could.
Still, I was a man who could appreciate the deeply protective way he cared for me.
“I promise to be careful. Some light digging is all I’ll do. It might be that nothing comes up if he’s as much of a ghost as you suspect him to be.”
“Or he realizes you’re digging now, and he tries to shut you up completely. It’s a dangerous game to play, hence why I haven’t asked for your help before. If we weren't —”
“Desperate? Yeah, I get it. Again, I’ll be careful. Plus, if things look bad, you’re the first person I’ll call, secrets be damned.”
He smiled at that. Tank loved knowing he was a press of a button away. My phone had an app on it that only required me to press my thumb to it for him to be alerted. It was like that necklace the elderly wore for falls, with a touch more discretion.
Tank told me it would be good if no one else knew it existed. I suspected he didn’t trust the people I was surrounded by. Since most of them were hired or brought in by my father, I tended to agree with the observation.
“How has your week been otherwise?” I asked him, changing the subject to lessen the tension in the room.
He shrugged. “Nothing to report. The guys are settling in. Things at the Club are the same as ever. Patrick has a strong grip on what everyone needs, and Frost has really stepped up since Godric joined us full-time. We’ve begun taking on more smaller projects like we used to since we’re at a bit of a standstill.”
Had he been anyone else, I’d have asked if there was a money issue. But it was Tank. The man had more than enough funding to keep business afloat for ages before the well ran dry.
Over the years, I’ve watched him transform NightShade into the mega-security business it was. It’s a wonder any other company existed with the level of success he had.
Then again, he was adamant about not overworking his men. His loyalty to keeping them all sane meant he couldn’t accept every job that came his way.
Or in cases like mine where he needed distance, it was great to have other security companies to call.
“No news is better than bad news, right?”
He shook his head. “Not in this case. I’m worried he’s rallying troops to come after us. We’ve been careful covering our tracks but after finding out the office was bugged, I feel like I’ve missed some signs these assholes are closer than we originally thought. Like maybe there’s a connection we missed.”
I pulled my hand away from his and moved around my desk. His words sent a tremor through me. There was nothing worse than being betrayed by someone close to you. If that was the case here, Tank was going to lose his shit.
And if he did, the only chance we’d ever get to actually be together would evaporate.
I mean, sure, there wasn’t a huge chance now. We were hiding the fact that we even knew each other to most people who knew us. I think his team had some idea given the number of meetings, and obviously my assistant was clued in, but everyone else wasn’t.
If shit hit the fan, I’d have to distance myself from him.
Which was my worst nightmare.
Opening my private contacts file, I pulled up a search. “What’s his name?”
“Diestro Lune.”
I froze. “Diestro Lune?”
Tank leaned forward. “Yes. Do you already know the name?”
Shaking my head, I dug through the papers in my desk. I knew he was going to flip out once I showed him what I knew. There was no outcome in which Tank didn’t get upset.
The printed-out email Marten handed me earlier this week came into view. I scanned the page, anguish filling me once I saw the name again.
“This came in recently,” I said as I handed the document over.
I watched him read over the lines. At first, his expression didn’t change. Then he reached the point where I knew he’d put the pieces together.
“What the fuck, Chance?!”
His outburst threw me for a second before I realized it was fear for me upsetting him rather than something I’d done. Still, I wouldn’t take shit from him. That wasn’t how our relationship worked.
“I had no clue who he was before now, Tank. Donors aren’t given background checks in political campaigns.”
“Not even ones who donate millions?”
The fury in his voice was enough to have my hackles rise. “I only just got the email. The funds aren’t even distributed yet. I can stop it from going through.”
“It’s not about stopping it. He already knows who you are! This is…” he tugged at his hair, the paper clenched tight in his hand. “This is worse than I thought. He knows who you are. Knows what you mean to me.”
I raised my hands.
“Woah! How did you even make that connection? It’s a donation, not a death threat.”
“It might as well be. You think it’s coincidence?” He rose from his chair in a rush, then paced the length of the room.
Leaning back in my chair, I observed him for a few moments. He needed to get a hold of his thoughts before I asked him to explain further. Anytime my safety was involved, he became irrational.
I would have been the same way; however, Tank was the most capable person I knew. While I often admired him for it, I could also see the toll it took on him. I saw how he distanced himself from people and relationships. Aside from his team, I was the only other person in his life.
He’d once told me it was easier to not have anyone to lose when life fucked you over.