Chapter 18
R iordan
Climbing off Cassie, I popped the button of my jeans, unzipping my boots next then stripping my lower half aside from my boxers. My jacket followed them in a pile.
On her elbows in the pebbles, she licked her lips.
I controlled a curl of heat. “Don’t look at me like that, wild girl. I’m not taking your virginity on a cold beach.”
“Striptease says otherwise?”
By way of an answer, I turned and strode to the waterline then entered the sea. Freezing water licked my ankles and calves. I muttered a curse and explored the seabed with my hands. Thick seaweed brushed me. Fucking hell.
“Little to the left,” Cassie called from the shore.
I followed the direction.
“Now a little deeper.”
My dick pulsed, unhappy with me for stopping the show, even if it was the right thing to do. Then the water closed over my knees and my balls shrivelled.
“Oh, yeah, baby. Right there,” she crowed.
I shot her an evil glare but my toe touched something square-edged. I plunged my hand in and pulled out the ruined wallet.
Cassie beamed as I trudged back in. “Told ye so.”
I shook it at her, and she squealed and scampered away.
From a distance, she smirked at me.
Shaking off the seawater, I dried myself as best I could then dressed again, putting a hand out to Cassie so we could return to the bike. She gazed at my extended fingers then clutched them.
“We’re holding hands. You’re ridiculously sweet.”
“And somehow not only in a relationship for ten days but also engaged.”
She shrugged, skipping at my side. “Ye won’t regret it. I’ll learn to give good head.”
At my sound of anguish, she laughed. “By the way, ye have really nice legs. Perfectly shaped and strong.”
“Get on the bike, Cassiopeia.”
“Oh no. I’ve made ye grumpy. But only my first name has been deployed. Have to work harder to get the whole shebang.”
Back on the coast road, Cassie tucked herself against my back and cuddled down, trusting me to drive us the long trip back to Deadwater.
We were halfway when dawn stretched its light across the sky. It turned fully pale by the time we were creeping into the city’s outer limits.
Deadwater was split across Scotland and England, cut in half by a wide, tidal river. The city centre was on the English side with suburbs on the Scottish part. We bypassed them and hit the bridge which took us into town then down the harbour road to the warehouse.
We’d been away for days, and I’d left in traumatic circumstances.
Yet somehow, I couldn’t regret any of it. All I knew was the mischievous, bright soul who clung to my back so I could carry her off the bike. She stayed hugging me for a moment then jumped down, her gaze taking in the building.
Everything looked the same. The tall, red-bricked structure had a cobbled street leading to the front and the car park set down a level at the back. My sister had warned of protesters, and there was evidence of some kind of activity at the front, that we didn’t linger to take it in.
I wanted Cassie safely inside. As far as we knew, Arran hadn’t yet revealed his kidnap of Bronson, but that didn’t mean the rival gang was unaware. Even now, they could be lying in wait. Taking either one of us would be a prize that could compromise the skeleton crew’s position.
At the back door, Cassie entered a code.
The panel turned red, the door remaining locked.
She repeated it with the same effect then growled and thumped the glass. “Open up.”
A figure in a skeleton crew t-shirt appeared the other side. He hesitated.
“Jed? For fuck’s sake.”
A pause followed, then the door clicked and swung inwards. Cassie marched through, and I followed.
“When did the code change?” she demanded.
“You’ll have to ask the boss that,” Jed replied.
I’d met most of the crew, but this guy only once. All I knew about him was that he was Scottish.
He slid a glance over me. “Going to need to frisk ye both for weapons.”
I lifted my chin. “I’ll save you the trouble. There’s two guns in the backpack, both owned by the crew. We also both work here.”
The man shrugged. “That may be so, but ye haven’t been here for the past few days. Things have changed.”
“What other than the code is different?”
He eyed me. “Not sure I can tell ye that.”
“Can ye let us in?”
Jed glanced at the inner door to the hall. It formed an airlock in case of emergencies, so I knew it would be locked, too. And Jed wasn’t budging.
“Okay, well, you’re clearly after the prize of sending me insane.” Cassie raised her phone. Dialled someone. It connected. “Shade, can ye come down to the back door for a second?”
Jed’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline.
Cassie hung up and folded her arms, her toe tapping.
A minute passed, then footsteps sounded on the stairs and Shade shoved through the door. His piercing gaze shot over us all, his typical pissed-off expression installed.
“What’s the problem?”
Cassie pointed a finger between us. “We’re back. Apparently we need to know the protocol to come back inside. I’m annoyed and just want to go to bed so I called ye.”
Shade gave a world-weary sigh and palmed his tattooed throat. “Jed, check the fucking list next time. They’re both on it.”
“They’re armed,” Jed hissed.
Shade pursed his lips. “Good. Cassie, Riordan, follow me.”
He led us past the basement entrance and up the steps to the ground floor, taking the corridors through to the management office. Inside the room, he rested back on the big desk and adjusted the bright lamp so it wasn’t blinding us.
“I assumed you’d be back today. Jamieson filled ye in, then?”
Cassie nodded. “Bronson’s in the skeleton crew’s slammer. I want a piece of him. Or several. I’m thinking of starting a trophy cabinet, and he’ll be so pretty as a piece on my shelf.”
Something glimmered in Shade’s eyes. Maybe the promise of blood.
Cassie examined her nails. “I’ll stay back at first, if ye like, but I’m serious. I want to be in the room.”
The gang enforcer chewed on her request for several seconds. If he said no, she’d be gutted, but I didn’t think that was going to happen. Shade and Cassie had a kind of mentor/protégé relationship going on, from what I could tell. He’d let her take on Piers Roache as Everly’s champion. More, if Bronson was the killer, he’d threatened Cassie directly. She had a right.
He inclined his head. “We’ll have a strict game plan, discussed in advance.”
Cassie’s eyes flared. “I’ll follow your lead. Have ye already started?”
“No. He’s out cold until tonight. Arran will delay telling Red until after we’ve made a first attempt. The whole plan is being set back as there’s no sign they know he’s gone.”
“Good. I need sleep and to talk to my ladies first. We need to girl-detective what questions to ask.”
Shade adjusted his position, a hand coming up to stifle a yawn. “Ev will be glad you’re back. She missed ye.” His attention settled on me. “What’s your story? Here voluntarily?”
I bristled at the jibe. There was no love lost between me and Arran’s second-in-command, or at least there hadn’t been when we met. I’d gone after him for kidnapping Everly. The arsehole had damaged my bike. But Everly was dating him now. If they were serious, he’d be in my life because she was. The sister I barely knew. Since then, he’d offered to pay for the bike repairs, though I’d already made them, scratches to my bodywork the only remaining injury.
I thought our position towards each other had changed. His attitude towards me had shifted slightly. Softened was the wrong word, but he’d been less hostile. He’d even offered advice.
Holding his gaze, I tipped my head at the woman across the office. “I’m formally telling you I’ve claimed Cassie.”
“Funny, I thought it was the other way around.” He slanted his eyes at her. “By the way, if ye ever touch my drugs again, I’ll?—”
Annoyance shot through me. “Don’t finish that threat.”
He lifted his eyebrows. I was begging for trouble. Twice, I’d gone up against him. Still, I would never let him talk to Cassie like that.
Shade held my gaze. “Noted. And I’m naw saying you’re whipped. Just need to know you’re here because ye want to be.”
“Leave my fiancé alone, and I’ll do the same with your drugs,” Cassie chided.
Shade’s mouth fell open. “Fiancé?”
Christ alive. I dropped my glare on her. “Cassie, come here.”
Dutifully, she trotted over. “Yes?”
“Tell him we’re together by my decision.”
She peeked up. “It’s true. Oh, and because we made a deal.”
Alarm chased my other emotions. She couldn’t tell Shade about my plans. If it got back to Arran?—
Happily, she smiled at the enforcer. “Riordan and I are going to be fucking over the mayor. I’m not sure how yet, but think death by a thousand cuts and it’ll be along those lines. We cool?”