Neil (The Uncompromising Series Book 2) (15 page)

But that didn’t stop the words from spilling out of my mouth. “It wasn’t a lie.”

“The truth,” he ordered.

I flinched at his sharp tone and swallowed past his hold on my jaw and neck, but I didn’t move because it would be a mistake. This was a test and I was going to fail it. Intentionally. “I don’t want to be fucked. I want to be loved.”

His grip released so quickly, I stumbled forward. If he hadn’t already walked out, I would’ve fallen into him.

M
Y HANDS SHAKING, MY HEART
pounding, I knew what kind of game Viking was playing and I was never going to win. But the longer I took to get back out there, the more ground I lost because respect was the only currency I’d ever gain on him.

I ran my fingers through my loose curls and smoothed my hands down the slacks I’d dressed in this morning. It felt like a lifetime ago instead of just this morning that I’d buttoned up my silk blouse and stepped into my heels. Feigning confidence, I walked out of the bedroom.

Viking’s cold stare met me first, followed by André’s frown.

“Mama!” A banana in one hand, a cookie in the other, Conner grinned.

I took the stool next to him and kissed his forehead. “Hi, sweet boy.” My chest hurt. I didn’t want to send him away.

André crossed his arms and leaned a hip against the kitchen counter. “We have a visitor downstairs.”

I glanced at Viking, who stood on the other side of Conner, but his expression didn’t give anything away. I looked back at André. “That didn’t take long. Candle?”

André shook his head. “Tanner. I haven’t sent him away yet.”

I slipped off the stool. “Watch Conner. I’ll go talk to him.”

“Hold up.” André stopped me. “What’s the game plan?”

I glanced at my son and forced a smile then looked back at André. “I’ll tell him what I think of his stunt this morning, then you can do whatever you want with him.”

Viking said “No” at the same time André said “
Chica
.”

“You said it was my call,” I protested.

André shook his head once. “No, I said I hadn’t sent him away yet. You know why he’s here. All he’s going to do is tell you to hand over the product.”

“Then he can go fu—”

“Language,” Viking barked.

I refrained from holding my middle finger up, just barely. “This is my mess and he’s my ex. I get to talk to him. I won’t tell him a damn thing about the guns but I am going to let him know he blew it. Conner and I are done with him and he needs to know that. Then you can kick him out or tell him to take a hike or whatever it is you do in these situations.”

André drew his eyebrows together and glanced at Viking.

“What the hell was that look for?” I snapped.

Viking’s penetrating stare hadn’t left me since I’d walked into the kitchen. “He is up to something.”

“That’s real helpful. Tell me something I don’t know.” What the fuck? Jason Tanner was
always
up to something.

Viking didn’t hesitate. “He was arrested, arraigned, and posted bail in record time then he spoke with Scott, went off grid for an hour and showed up here.”

“So?”

“He’s driving a vehicle registered to a Marissa Riley.”

That lying piece of shit. Jason said he wasn’t coming around because they broke up.

Viking wasn’t finished. “She was reported missing over a week ago by her employer.”

I sank back down on the stool, dumbfounded. “What does that have to do with me?” Jesus. What the hell did he do?

“Who is she?” André asked.

“The woman he left me for. Is she dead?”

André didn’t bother sugarcoating it. “Dead or running.”

“Which one?”

Neither of them responded.

I grasped at straws. “Maybe she’s not missing for real. Maybe it’s for show.” I looked at André. “Did you ask Jason?”

“He’s not talking.”

Fuck me. “Fine, same plan, nothing changes. I’m going downstairs.” I shoved off the stool and kissed Conner. “Be right back, baby.” I glanced at André. “Can you watch him for five minutes?”

André shook his head but it was more in resignation than anything else. “I’m not agreeing to this.”

He didn’t say no, so I took it as consent. “Thanks,” I muttered.

I didn’t remember walking to the elevator and I didn’t remember jabbing the down button, but I remembered every second of what it felt like to have my heart ripped out by Jason. And now he was going to pin me for what?
Guns?

A warm hand closed over my shoulder and Viking’s quiet voice repeated my words from the kitchen. “This changes nothing.” Even though they sounded a hell of a lot better coming from him, I didn’t want to hear it.

“Who invited you to the party?” I crossed my arms, refusing to turn around and look at him.

“He is a convicted felon who was in possession of stolen military weapons.”

“No shit. I know his history better than you.” The elevator arrived and I stomped inside.

Viking silently followed, pushed the button and waited till the doors closed. “No, you do not.”

I spun. “What’s that supposed to mean? You and André looked into him?”

“André had nothing to do with it.”

“Bullshit.” André had the security company, not Viking. “Contractors are PI’s now? And why were you even looking in the first place? I didn’t ask for your help. I didn’t ask you for shit but you showed up and now
both
you and André are involved in my mess and that’s fucked-up!” I knew I needed help, I knew I was in over my head, but since the moment Viking showed up at the strip club, my life had spiraled out of my control and goddamn it, I was
pissed
.

“He is not a father. He should not be around the child.”

“Seriously?” I threw my hands up. “Now you’re adding insult to injury? You think I don’t know that? I would’ve thought a Viking was above that shit.”

His head tilted and the corner of his mouth moved. Then he stilled. “
Viking
.”

One word. One word was all it took to get me to stop my ridiculous tantrum. His voice didn’t change, his expression didn’t waver, but that one word, spoken with just a hint of amusement was enough. “Fine.” I exhaled. “Make fun of me, or whatever secretive bullshit that means when the left side of your mouth tips up like something is funny as hell to you. Any other person would just smile. Or laugh. Either way, it wouldn’t fucking kill you to show some kind of emotion every now and then.”

He went all serious as shit again. “I did not make fun of you.”

“No, you didn’t. But you were amused, or whatever it is that happens in your head when you think something is funny. Or stupid, or whatever.”

“I would not laugh at you.”

“Jesus Christ, Neil.” I rubbed my fingers over my forehead. “Did I say you were making fun of me?” A vicious headache started behind my eyes. “What does it matter anyway? Laugh all you want. I don’t give a shit. I just want to get this over with. And stop following me.” I regretted the last sentence as soon as I said it because I was a glutton for punishment. Good or bad, I didn’t want his attention to stop. I knew it would never go anywhere. The amount of frustration I was causing him, I was sure I was everything but what he wanted in a woman. Not that it mattered because I wasn’t going there. The elevator stopped.

“Ariella.”

Quiet and soft, his tone pulled me in but I wasn’t going to fall down that rabbit hole, not with him or Jason or any man, not anymore. “What?” I asked wearily.

“Turn around.”

My stomach tightened and dangerous hope flared so quick, I had to shut it down. “No.”

His hand landed on my shoulder and something more than awareness shot through my nerves. “Take a breath.”

His touch, his voice, the heat from his body radiating around my back, I inhaled. Deeply.

“Again,” he said, softer still.

“Don’t think for one second that this means I’m okay with you telling me what to do.”

“Breathe, Ariella.” His hand tightened.

I hated how I was drawing strength from his presence. I hated how he made me feel invincible when he was by my side and I hated how much I liked having him around. “I got this. I’m fine.”

His voice went back to being cold. “Do not give him any information.”

The warning made me hate him almost as much as I hated Jason right now. “What information? You haven’t told me shit.”

The doors slid open and Viking’s grasp slid down to my arm. He led us out of the elevator but we weren’t on the first floor. The sea of cubicles and offices in front of us was the second floor, the heart of André’s business.

I faltered a step because I never came up to the second floor. I was always in the reception area on the first floor or the break room. More than a dozen sets of eyes glanced at us then went back to working as if nothing was out of the ordinary. There was so much chatter and men moving around, you’d never know this many people worked at Luna and Associates from seeing the lobby.

It didn’t matter that I was next to the most capable man I knew, every step toward the opposite bank of elevators made my heart beat faster and my mouth go drier. In theory I’d wanted to get the confrontation with Jason over with, but now I was remembering every good moment we’d ever had like Jason was the fucking prince of boyfriends.

Viking led us into the next elevator and pushed the button for the garage level. “I will handle any questions he has.”

Something wasn’t right. “He’s not in the lobby?”

“No.”

The doors closed and I grasped for meaning. “Are you sure? He came through the garage?” That wasn’t like Jason. He wouldn’t come in the back door like he was ashamed or hiding.

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

I didn’t have time to answer. The doors slid open and I was staring at the father of my son.

“Elle.” Jason didn’t smile. No sunshine spread across his face and lit up his eyes. He didn’t hold his arms out. He didn’t close the two strides between us. He didn’t even call me baby.

My stomach dropped and fear crawled up my spine. “Jason.”

He didn’t move.

No tired smile. No apologetic smile. No weary smile. Jason
was
his smile.

Oh God.

Oh God
.

Viking was right. It was a trap.

“Neil,” I whispered.

V
IKING MOVED.

In a blink of an eye, he hit the panic button on the elevator and was in front of me. Before I could register that no elevator alarm was going off, Jason’s neck was in one of Viking’s huge hands while the other had reached behind him and pulled a gun out of his back waistband. Viking shoved the barrel to Jason’s temple just as a van came barreling down the ramp. Crashing through the security gate, the driver braked at the last moment. The sound of tires screeching echoed through the garage as the van skidded to a stop two feet in front of us. The back doors flew open.

Weapons drawn, LCs spilled out like ants.

Two dozen pairs of boots hit the pavement as a sea of guns pointed at us.

Jason didn’t even blink. “She comes with us and no one gets hurt.”

“You think you are not going to get hurt?” Viking’s quiet response wasn’t a question, it was a deadly warning.

Candle casually got out of the front passenger seat of the van. “Can’t wait to see you get out of this one, Christensen.”

“Thirty seconds,” Viking warned.

Candle smirked then inclined his head at the security cameras. “Feed’s on a loop. No one upstairs is the wiser.” He glanced at me. “C’mon, sweetheart, step out of the elevator.”

Fuck, fuck,
fuck
. I stepped out.

“Back inside, Ariella,” Viking snapped. “Release the hold.”

Candle drew his gun. “One step, babe, and I shoot your boyfriend.”

Jason’s focus swung to me. “
You’re fucking him
?”

Viking tightened his grip and Jason’s eyes bulged as he made a choking gasp. “Watch your language. Go, Ariella.”

I glanced over my shoulder. Two feet to the elevator. But if I left Viking, they’d kill him. Could I even clear two feet before Candle pulled the trigger? No. But I could dive. Or swerve or something. But then what? How long did it take for the doors to close? Were they bulletproof? Could I live with myself if I let them execute Neil? Oh God,
oh God
. Conner needed me. Viking didn’t. There wasn’t a choice. I inhaled.