Crazed: A Blood Money Novel (17 page)

“Always,
marido
.” Her eagerness coated him, coaxed him. “Don’t let go.”

“Never.” Covering her mouth once more with his palm, he filled her with a single, smooth stroke, his forehead falling to the stable wall above her shoulder. “Oh, God, baby, it’s so good.” When they’d had their reunion in the hotel room days ago, he had been too out of his mind to appreciate just how glorious it was being bare inside her, but now.
Now
. Her heat was unlike anything he’d ever known, the silky slick grip of her clutching him so sweetly he could hardly breathe.

Each thrust of his hips threatened to jar her body against the wall, but he scrabbled for control because he knew the risk they took, joining like this in a frenzy, unprotected from the elements, from eyes and ears and terrible discovery. He could stop it, he knew he could, but it felt imperative that he not. Every time he entered her, again and again and again, this...this
thing
between them grew. It cemented, soldered, forged itself anew, and that was why he could not, would not ever stop in this moment.

Her moans were captured within his palm, her wriggling body a live wire as it met his. Her arms clung, fingers gripping with punishing strength for one so petite, but he loved it. Loved her. She responded to him as no one else, a match for him in all ways. His missing half. “Being inside you,” he panted, harsh, “it fixes all the grief, the pain. It makes everything right again.” Another thrust, another delicious dig of her fingernails along his shoulder blades. “Tell me it feels right to you.” But just as he was about to lift his hand, he hesitated. “On second thought, not gonna let that pretty mouth say a word. Don’t want you to break my heart.” And to hear her deny them
would
break his heart, fragile thing that it was.

Every slide was perfection. “I need this, need
you
, for the rest of my life, Ilda. Like it would’ve been, if...” He felt no shame in admitting this weakness for her, nor any regret in bringing up what he would have given her if only he’d known she still lived. The arm securing her tightened as his movements grew jerky, frenetic. “No future exists for me where we’re not together, baby. Tell me you know that.” And he lifted his hand from her mouth, bracing himself for whatever torture fell from between her lips.

Her inner muscles fluttered around him, hurtling toward the end, the very end. “I know it, Casí. I know it.” When she came, she dragged him along with her, into the abyss he craved only with her.

Gasping into the crook of her neck, he waited for his pulse to slow and his brain to clear. He was aware of the sound of her unsteady breaths, the sweat dampening their skin, the lingering aftereffects of her orgasm wringing him dry. When he felt relatively under control, he surrendered to temptation and nuzzled a meandering path up to her temple, where he pressed his lips in a tender kiss. His heart pounded painfully, filled to bursting with what he felt for her—his love for her.

For Ilda, and for Arlo. “I meant what I said,” he murmured as he withdrew gently, fumbling to right both his appearance and hers but making no move to release her. “You’re my future. You always have been.” His hands stroked down her back before he adjusted their position, until he alone carried her weight, the wall no longer propping them upright. “But I need to be clear about something.”

In his arms, his wife tensed, but said nothing to stop him.

“There is no world in which I don’t have a relationship with my daughter.” The truth of those words lay heavy in his whispered warning. “Do you understand? If that means I risk my life to fly down here every week and see Arlo in secret, I’ll do it. If it means I stay embedded in the Marin cartel indefinitely, then fine, I stay.” No matter that his days were already numbered so long as Pipe lived.

“Why aren’t you just...just trying to take her from me?” Ilda’s voice trembled in his ear, making him want to pet her, soothe her.

But despite the intimacy of the moment and the stark honesty of his emotions, he couldn’t soften. Not when his future with Arlo was at stake. “Because she’s your daughter, and I’m not a monster. I won’t lie, protecting you—both of you—is my first priority, and I’ll protect you better outside of Colombia.” Giving in, he wrapped his arms around her fully in an unyielding embrace. “Let me take care of you, as I would have if we’d all been dealt a better hand four years ago.”

Her cheek rubbed against his. “I have to make the best decision for Arlo.”

“I am the best decision for Arlo, I swear I am. And for you, too.”

Pulling her head back, she frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

Casey’s already-aching heart wrenched sideways. “I mean that you’re allowed to choose what’s best for you, too. You can be selfish.” He watched his words penetrate. “You deserve to be selfish, Ilda,
amor
—it’s the rest of your goddamn life.”

Please, God, let her be selfish
.

Chapter Fourteen

London

Tobias lay on the bed, trailing his fingertips up and down Chandler’s naked spine as she sprawled atop him. Perspiration gathered on his skin, and he smiled smugly against the top of her head, a cloud of honey-blond hair mussed from his desperate hands and soft along his jaw. “You’re going to kill me one of these days.”

“I’m glad you’re at least aware I’m trying.”

And he couldn’t imagine dying happier than he was in this instant, sated but still inside her body, feeling her clench around him as the aftershocks of her orgasm faded away. “All I said was that I would stop having the jeweler send over engagement ring options.”

He felt her grin against his bare chest, right over his heartbeat. “I know.”

“And
that
made you jump me?”

“You’ve made me look at fifty rings, Cheekbones. I’m bored.”

Except he knew better. “You’re overwhelmed. I’m pushing too hard.” His fingers paused in their stroking, and he frowned at the ceiling overhead. He simply didn’t see the point in putting the brakes on their life together just when it had picked up real momentum. They were in the flat he’d purchased, the flat decorated by her twin sister, Pippa, to reflect Chandler’s tastes; Tobias had wanted her to feel utterly at home in this space, in her city. The city he had chosen to make his home, as well, for as long as Chandler’s work was here.

He wanted his ring on her finger, and hers on his. He wanted to give her his name, his family, his protection—not that she required any of that, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to offer her these things regardless.

Shifting in his arms, she flattened her hands over his sternum and propped her chin so she could stare straight at him. “No. I want you to push.” Her brandy-brown eyes crinkled at the corners as she pursed her lips, obviously unwilling to smile fully as she set him back on his heels. “What I
don’t
want is for you to continue trying to distract me with shiny objects.”

“Distract you from what?”

Her gaze narrowed. “You don’t actually believe I’m buying this innocent act you’ve got going.”

Sometimes the best defense was silence. Were he his own client, he’d definitely advise himself to keep quiet at this particular juncture. Instead, he spread his hands along her lower back, reveling in the smooth, warm skin that seemed to melt under his touch. Touching her was the craziest privilege, something he’d never dared imagine in all his years of devoting himself to Faraday Industries. All those years of eating, breathing, sleeping solely for the work he did, and what that work meant for his parents, siblings and the thousands of employees who depended on them for a paycheck every other week.

He didn’t resent his responsibilities, not in the least, especially since he still intended to take on even more responsibility in the coming months. Tobias needed his siblings to step back from the business that was consuming their souls and keeping them from living full lives, and he was fully prepared to absorb the future fallout from their lessened leadership.

Mostly, he knew he could do this—take over Faraday Industries—because he’d have Chandler by his side. Someone who belonged to him and him alone. Someone who would challenge him, soothe him, love him...and protect him. More than anyone else in the world, he trusted her to have his back when the chips were down. No doubt the chips would be down more than once in their life together.

Which, of course, explained why he’d had the jeweler deliver engagement rings—in sets of seven, wrapped in black velvet—to their flat every other day for the past two weeks, hoping she might find something she fancied amidst the glittering array of diamonds and platinum. Because he was having a tough time keeping his mouth shut about the thing that it wasn’t his place to share.

“Toby.” Her fingernails dug into his chest then, hard enough to make him wince, sharp enough to remind him that no matter the uncomfortably domestic fantasies he sometimes had surrounding her, Chandler would never be a tame house cat. Honestly, he didn’t know if he’d be quite so fascinated with her if she was. “You’re keeping things from me.”

“Never,” he vowed, and it was true. He didn’t keep secrets from her. It was one of the great joys of having found the person with whom he’d spend the rest of his days.

“Toby.”
Leaning in, she nipped his chin, and he responded by squeezing her backside, reprimand for reprimand. “Perhaps it’s you seeking the distraction. Worried about Adam and Casey, yeah?”

His head fell back on the pillow, eyes closing. “Yeah,” he echoed. With each passing day, he felt less and less in control. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Casey, because he did. No one alive was better able to rescue Adam. Mostly it just seemed impossible that they were once again in a situation where a member of their family was imperiled. Adam’s life hung in the balance, but so did Casey’s. So did his, and Gillian’s, and Beth’s. Vick and Chandler, Gavin and Della, Pippa and Keir and Freya. His parents. Every last one of them was under siege by forces unseen.

Who would be next? This was the fear that kept him awake at night. So maybe Chandler was right, and he wasn’t distracting her so much as himself.

Dropping a quick kiss to his throat, Chandler disentangled their limbs and rolled off the bed, and then he had to sit upright so as to watch her naked ass as she sashayed into the bathroom. Light filled the doorway, and seconds later the shower turned on. That she’d left the door open was, clearly, an invitation.

One he had every intention of accepting. Kicking aside the sheets, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, already feeling a slow lick of heat low in his belly—

His cell rang.

With a sigh, Tobias reached for it on the bedside table, glancing at the name flashing across the screen. “Casey.”

“I found Adam.”

Tobias hit speaker and left the bed, reaching for his trousers. “I’m listening.” As Casey gave him the run-down of not only where Adam was being kept but also their brother’s condition, Tobias moved from the bedroom to the main living area, to the desktop computer placed beneath the window overlooking Hyde Park. Dawn was creeping over the horizon, bathing the green landscape in shades of pink and blue. “Hold on—did you say
auction
?”

“You heard me.” Casey’s voice was grim, his breathing slightly rattled, indicating he was walking somewhere, and quickly. “Based on what Adam told me, it sounds like invitations have been kept completely off the grid. I’m talking literal word-of-mouth RSVPs. I can find out the when and where before Friday, but we might have a problem getting in the door.”

“When has a door ever stopped us in the past?”

“Good point.” A heavy sigh. “I could’ve gotten him out tonight, Tobias, but the damn kid wouldn’t let me.”

Tobias tapped out a message to Della, asking her to give him a call when she woke up. “Explain.”

“I...shit. Shit, shit, fucking—”

“Casey.”

“I’ve got a kid. A daughter. With the woman from the marriage certificate.”

Tobias froze. “A daughter.”

“Yeah. Arlo. And...and my wife’s name is Ilda.”

“Yes, I saw that.” Shoveling a hand through his disheveled hair, Tobias exhaled slowly. “Let me guess. Adam found out about Arlo, and Ilda, and refused to let you rescue him if you weren’t also rescuing them.”

“Bingo.”

“Which leaves us with this auction nonsense.” Familial revelations aside, this was the issue they needed most to address. Tobias logged into their private server and began clicking through their financials. “We’ll need to be prepared to actually
purchase
Adam, which means either an untraceable wire transfer or untraceable cash. You know better than I what sort of an ask Pipe would place on an opportunity like this.”

“In the hundreds of millions, easily.” Casey’s anger was a palpable thing. “Maybe edging into the Bs.”

Billions. Well, that would be more difficult to allocate without attracting an auditor’s notice, but Tobias could drain a few personal accounts. The business wouldn’t take a hit, and they’d get Adam back in one piece.

Not to mention, they’d be able to hold it over his head that they literally owned him. That kind of sibling negotiating power was priceless.

Allowing himself a small, wry smile, Tobias typed out notes to himself, action items he’d need to accomplish between now and the auction. “We’ll fly in Friday morning, somewhere rural outside Medellín, since no doubt Pipe will be monitoring the airports. Who do you want in your tac team?”

“Henry and Finn, if you’ve determined they’re not our moles. Vick. Chandler.”

That had Tobias pausing. “You want Chandler?”

Casey made an irritated noise. “She’s hella smart, quick on her feet, deadly as fuck, and for some reason loves you, which means she’s one of us. So yeah, I want her on my team. I don’t have time to protect your fancy ass at that auction.”

“I can watch my own fancy ass, thank you very much.”

“In case you’ve forgotten, people shelling out billions of dollars have bodyguards. She’ll be yours.” Casey grunted. “And then when shit goes down—because of course shit will go down—she’ll be handy to have around.”

Tobias scrubbed a hand over his face, vaguely noting Chandler’s shower shutting off. “I think I’ll refrain from passing along that you find her ‘handy,’ if you don’t mind.” He paused. “You sure that’s all you want? Just four?”

“Okumura will need to keep the jet prepped, so... I guess that makes five. Oh, and Axel Moreno is down here, which you probably already know. Six.” A beat of silence passed. “It won’t just be Adam we’re taking home. You know that.”

“I know.” Casey may have entered Colombia entirely unencumbered, but he’d be returning with a wife and child.
The lucky bastard
. “Though to be clear, as your license was never filed with the Colombian government, you’re not legally married. You’ll have to have the ceremony all over again in the US.”

“Then we’ll do it again,” Casey growled. “And this time we’ll do it right.” More movement in the background, what sounded like branches whipping by. “Let me know when you’re in-country. I’ll keep checking in, on the off-chance I have an opportunity to get all of them off the property before the auction.”

“Will do.” Tobias ended the call, leaning back in his chair as he stared out the window. It was quite a view, he had to admit. An oasis in the middle of a metropolis, the dips and swells of treetops casting shadows over the paths winding through grassy planes. He’d realized not long ago that no place, outside of the Faraday compound, had ever felt like home to him. Having spent more time in hotel rooms than in any one place, that wasn’t surprising.

What did surprise him was how, from the moment he had leased this place, before Chandler moved in and before he’d bought it outright, these big windows and tall ceilings and wooden floors had given him peace. Part of it came from knowing that this was
Chandler’s
city, and
Chandler’s
job would keep her here indefinitely. He’d needed to be near her, even before he’d known with any certainty that she would be with him.

So perhaps it was really Chandler who made it feel like home. Her presence, both inside these walls and out, made this flat and this city the place he truly belonged.

Now he just had to help get the rest of his family home in one piece. Then maybe he could breathe a little easier—and turn his full attention to figuring out which ring would end up on Chandler’s finger.

The padding of small bare feet sounded behind him. “Baby.”

“Yes?” He typed one last note to himself, ready to move toward the kitchen and make them both a cup of coffee.

“No.” Chandler’s voice trembled.
“Baby.”

When he turned in the chair, it was to see Chandler in a green towel, damp hair clinging to her cheeks and neck, holding a white plastic stick. Holding it, and staring at it like it might combust at any second. “Sweetheart?”

“I’d wondered, yeah? After the Fadel House party, and we...with no condom...” Her wide eyes lifted to his. “So I bought a test, but I didn’t think it would... I mean...no. No.”

A lump formed in his throat as he stood, slowly, and approached her where she leaned against the wall. “No?” He couldn’t seem to do anything but respond with questions, at a loss for words as he never at any time in his life had been before.

Chandler’s shoulders lifted in a jerky shrug, water droplets still clinging to her creamy skin. “I love you,” she said, husky voice panicked.

He closed the distance between them, sliding a firm, reassuring hand around her nape. “I love you.”

“I’m pregnant.” She stared up at him, wild eyed, and turned the plastic stick around to show him the undeniable plus sign. “We’re pregnant?”

Gently, he took the stick from her and slid it into his pocket. His hand slipped from the back of her neck to the base of her spine, pulling her into an embrace, his other arm wrapping securely around her shoulders. Her cheek rested on his chest, her body tense as hell, but with each passing second, she relaxed in his hold. Eventually, a heavy breath shuddered from her lungs, and her arms looped around his waist, melting into him.

His mind raced. They needed to make an appointment with an ob-gyn right away. Well, first he needed to vet potential ob-gyns and run federal background checks on them, then they would make an appointment. She’d need vitamin supplements, and, knowing his mother, Sofia Faraday would want to weigh in on such matters. This flat wasn’t big enough for a child, with only the single bedroom, but it shouldn’t be too hard to purchase the other three top-floor flats, blow out the walls and turn this into a massive penthouse suite. If he got a contractor in here this afternoon, there was no reason the renovation couldn’t be done in a few short months. Then they’d have enough room for his entire family to stay when they visited, and if Chandler got pregnant again—

Oh, God. Chandler was
pregnant
.

Dropping to his knees, Tobias buried his face against her flat, toned belly, covered by the soft nap of the towel. “We’re pregnant,” he murmured, confirming her question. “Chandler...are you—?”