A Perfect Chance (18 page)

Pulling out his phone, Jase pressed a few keys and lifted it to his ear, beginning to talk after a few seconds.

"I'll get Lena home and call if I need you, okay?" I addressed Diesel.

He lifted his head in acknowledgement. "That official yet?"

I paused, gauging his reaction. It was high time it was. We spent every night together, and making it permanent was something I wanted badly. "Yeah," I answered, "or, at least, it will be by the end of the day." I stood in front of him. "You good with that?"

Diesel assessed me a moment, not giving anything away. "Yeah, brother." He reached out and shook my hand, pulling me in and patting my back. "But this shit needs putting to bed. I'm in this the whole way."

"Thanks, brother." I patted his back once in return and stepped away, heading back outside to Lena, grabbing her helmet on the way out.

She was out of the car immediately and in my arms in a few steps. "Everything okay?" she mumbled against my chest.

"We'll talk when we get home." I squeezed her slightly before releasing her from my hold. She looked up at me as I positioned the helmet on her head and fastened it. I found it in me to offer her a small smile. After all, she looked fucking adorable wearing the helmet.

Positioning and securing my own helmet, I then mounted my bike, started the engine, and indicated for her to climb on. With her familiar warmth pressed against my back, her arms around my waist, a tense breath left me. Lena on my bike was something I looked forward to. It offered us both the chance to escape, even for a short while. A part of me just wished we could keep on riding and leave all the mess behind. Instead, all too soon, we were pulling up outside the house and then heading inside.

I went straight into the kitchen and grabbed us both a beer from the fridge. Sitting at the table, I placed the drinks down, and Lena joined me, turning in her chair so her knees brushed my thighs.

"You know, your silence is freaking me out a little." She huffed out a small, nervous laugh. "What was inside the office?"

I angled towards her and cupped her cheek, grazing my thumb across her bottom lip. "You're so fucking beautiful, baby, especially when you're brave and direct."

She scrunched her nose at my words. "That bad, huh? Are you worried I'll have a panic attack?'

"No," I answered honestly. "I think you'll handle what I have to say. It doesn't mean I want to put this shit on your lap or in your head, though."

"Is that why you're stalling?" She angled her head, her eyes flickering over my face, no doubt trying to get a read on me.

"You think I'm stalling?" I was totally stalling. While I was going to be honest with her, it didn't mean the conversation was going to be easy, especially when she realised the graphic nature of the pictures. The thought led me to clench my jaw hard, knowing some fucking scumball had been watching the two of us. Nothing about the situation sat well, but the irony of someone getting so close to me of all people was not lost on me. Unsurprisingly, if anyone were going to lose their shit, it would be me. My level of fucked-off had skyrocketed and preparing myself to tell Lena wasn't helping.

Lena's brows lifted high in challenge. She was reading me far too well.

"There were photos of the two of us together having sex, from different times. Prints were spread all over my desk. There was also a photo of Abigail there too." My voice was controlled, my tone matter-of-fact. "I think it was Nox, and it was definitely a warning. I just have no fucking clue what that is yet." She remained still, her face impassive. "But I promise you I'll get this shit figured, and more than anything, you're safe, baby. I promise."

Starting to worry that she had yet to respond in any way, I stroked my thumb over her knee and squeezed. She looked down at the action before returning her gaze to me, before it shifted to her untouched beer. Picking it up, she brought it to her lips and tipped her head, taking a long pull. The pull kept going until the damn thing was empty. Swallowing, she moved the bottle from her lips, placed it on the table, her eyes on me the whole time.

I had no fucking clue what was going on. I was as freaked out as I was turned on that she'd just downed a bottle of beer in one gulp.

"Lena?"

She lifted her hand in a stop signal.

So I waited.

And waited some more until finally, she huffed out a breath, and closed her eyes.

I was about to speak, but her eyes springing open had me closing my mouth. Her voice was eerily level when she spoke. "So a jerkoff has been taking photos of us doing the dirty and just, what, left them there for you to see? To let you know someone was invading our personal space? Have I got that right?"

I bobbed my head, deciding keeping my mouth shut may be for the best, for the time being.

"How old were the images?"

"Some could have been a few weeks, but there were ones of us from today, in the office." I watched her gulp and then bite the inside of her cheek.

"And what about the picture of Abigail? Were you…?"

"No." I shook my head. "It was just a picture I'd taken of her. It was stored away in the garage."

"Here?"

"Yes. I have guys investigating and coming around to figure out how they got in undetected. They'll put some extra measures in place too."

"So what are you planning on doing with the photos?"

"Cole's bagging and burning them."

Her face blanched, the first physical reaction she'd given. "They all saw the pictures, Diesel included." It wasn't a question.

"I know it's a big deal, baby, but don't even spend a second worrying about that. All those pictures achieved was pissing off a group of hard-arses. You have nothing to be embarrassed about."

"How graphic were they?"

I sighed. “They weren't close-up porno shots or anything, Lena." I attempted a quick smile, sure it came out as a grimace. She snorted, much to my relief. "Seriously, the images are already long gone. The focus now needs to be working out what game's being played and putting a stop to it."

"A game?" Her voice rose, her calm evaporating with those two words. "You think this is a fucking game?"

While anger wasn't ideal, I preferred it as her way of coping. It meant that she was at least in part controlling her emotions and reaction. "Bad word choice. I'm sorry." I took her hand in mine. "Just give me time to figure this out, okay?"

Her shoulders sagged; her anger short lived. 

"Okay. So what now?"

I knew that there were such things as perfect timing, and this was no doubt not one of those times, but I couldn't stop the next words from spilling forth. "I want you to move in with me for good, today." I paused a beat. "I want us to live together."

"Why?"

Okay, not the reaction I was expecting exactly. "Why not?" I answered lamely.

She smirked and shook her head. "I mean why now?"

I returned her smile, relief settling in my tight chest. "You were always going to live with me, baby. You're mine. Today seems as good a day as any."

Quirking a brow, she rested back in her seat, grabbing my beer from the table. "Oh, really? I'm a sure thing, am I?" She took a drink. "What if I don't want to move in?"

I squinted at her, choosing not to bite and only interpreting her words one way. "We can get a new place together if you want. I'm okay with that. Whatever you want." I shrugged. "And you know, I'm the sure thing in this relationship, Lena. You can count on that." I leaned back in my own chair and watched her reaction.

She worried her bottom lip, seeming to mull over my words. "Have you got empty boxes in the garage?"

Grinning, I stood and dragged her off the chair, swiping the bottle from her hand before she dropped it. Lifting her, I turned and placed her arse on the table before stepping between her legs. "Thank you," I whispered against her lips, brushing against them gently and caressing her bottom lip with my tongue. "Let's do it now so I can then focus on working through this clusterfuck, okay?"

She nodded and then pressed her lips against mine. While I wanted to seal the deal by spreading her out on the table and feasting on her pussy, I wanted to get her moved in so I could start investigating properly. Allowing Lena the small reprieve of moving in was what she needed; hell, it surprisingly calmed me too, enough so the red rage had long faded. It would mean I could think and investigate with a clear head, and be driven by facts and evidence rather than gunning for blood with my emotions ruling me.

Chapter Sixteen

LENA

My hand met cotton rather than Mace. Opening my lids, I peered into the darkness then picked up my phone to look at the time. 3:27 a.m. After rubbing my eyes, I sat up, switched on the bedside light and got out of bed. His side of the bed remained unslept in, meaning he'd yet to come to bed. It was four days after the incident at the office and four mornings that I'd woken at an ungodly hour alone.

I understood his drive and the seriousness of the situation, but he was going to burn himself out unless he allowed himself to rest.

I threw on my PJs, a cute shorts set with a heart print, and made my way out of the room. I paused when I heard voices. Not distinguishing between them, I carried on through to the kitchen and found Mace, Jenson, and Diesel at the table. They were surrounded by paperwork, their laptops open, and were talking animatedly.

Mace looked tired and ruffled, but there was also something different about him, something I'd missed over the last few days. His eyes were alight with excitement, his knee bouncing as he spoke. Diesel and Jenson looked crazy eager about something too, especially considering it was drawing up on four o'clock.

"Drink?" I asked from the end of the room. Three pairs of eyes darted to me. All three handsome faces smiled, until two dropped into frowns as their eyes raked over me. Diesel seemed unimpressed, while Mace shot out of his seat and took long strides towards me.

"Where are your clothes, baby?"

I snorted. "It's after three. I was naked. You're lucky I threw these on." I was deadly serious, and he knew it. It wouldn't be the first time I’d made my way around the house butt naked.

His eyes darkened. "You look too sexy. Want to throw something else on for me?"

"Don't mind me," Jenson called out. I looked over Mace's broad shoulder just in time to see my brother smack him around the head. "Hell, man!"

"That's my sister, dickwad."

Jenson shrugged. He knew exactly who I was to these two big men and apparently took pleasure in winding them both up. I grinned and looked back up at Mace. I was half tempted to push past him and go and put the kettle on—sometimes it was fun poking the bear—but I was more eager to find out what discovery they'd made that had put eagerness on their faces when I'd first entered.

Standing on my tiptoes, I pecked a kiss on Mace's lips. "Fine. Put the kettle on for me, please." I spun around and then squealed when his hand made contact with my butt. I threw him a scowl over my shoulder before turning and grinning, loving the laugh I left behind.

After throwing on some longer shorts and a singlet, I headed back and started making drinks, half listening to the guys talking. I looked on while the teabags were steeping.

Mace, while sleep deprived, was still incredibly hot, especially when wound up with excited anticipation. I flicked my gaze to my brother. He actually looked fairly together, as though he'd at least managed to get some sleep. His dark hair was in need of a trim, and it looked like his rough facial hair was becoming a beard. With me no longer living with him, he hadn't me on his case, which worried me.

Despite being a grown-arse man, he didn't take care of himself as he should. I just hoped that since I wasn't under his feet, he'd feel able to have a life outside of work and running the club. He needed to find time to have fun along the way too.

Then there was Jenson. I had to admit, he was pretty sexy, but in a different way to the hotness of Mace. Yeah, he was built, but not one piece of ink decorated his skin, making him stand out that much more as he sat with my brother and Mace. His hair was closely shaven and dark, and he had gorgeous olive skin. I didn't know Jenson all that well, but I knew enough of him to know he excelled at what he did, so much so that he and Mace were talking expansion and partnership.

I was excited for Mace. He worked his arse off and did so much good. Yeah, he was paid at the end of the day, but he also did pro bono work on occasion. The world of security was nothing as I had imagined and while I'd only recently stepped into the environment and there was still a lot to learn, I was eager to help with the expansion and to put my degree to good use.

Finishing the drinks, I took them to the table, handed them out, and sat. The guys thanked me and then I waited, not so patiently, to find out what the excitement was for.

Mace grinned at me, reading me like a book, knowing the tapping of my finger was my failed attempt at being patient.

"Chris checked in," Mace started, referring to one of Deadwood's new recruits. "O'Leary's clean as a whistle. There's been nothing at all suspicious. I've dug in a few files too, but I can't find any link."

I glanced at the men, my brows dipped, wondering how this information could be a good thing. "I don't get it," I admitted.

"Well, Chris made a call for Flick to join him, said there was something dodgy about Enfield." My eyes widened in surprise. "Flick ended up trailing him over the last three days and spotted him meeting with Rebel."

"Shit. What sort of meeting?"

A vein in Mace’s temple twitched as soon as he'd started talking about Enfield and his possible involvement. "Envelopes changing hands and a couple of arguments too. He definitely wasn't there as a cop, and Rebel wasn't wearing his cut."

"It was a good thing it was Flick there. He's a freaking genius or some shit with faces," Diesel cut in. "Not that Rebel's ugly fucking face is easy to forget." He snorted in humour.

My head spun with this new information, and I gasped as pieces fell into place. While there was still not a whole picture yet formed, Enfield was a pretty major player. "Mace"—I took his hand—"I'm so sorry. Enfield?" The main thing I knew about Enfield was that as Mace's ex-boss, he was a guy Mace trusted. That must have stung.