Rev It Up (13 page)

When he got very still, she figured she’d better deliver the coup de grace before she lost her nerve
.
“I’m not sure I ever loved you,” she whispered hoarsely.

Did he…? Were those tears in his eyes?

Dear God, they were. And just when she thought those tears might actually fall—and heaven help her if they did; she’d never survive it—everything hardened in his face.

The wetness in his eyes vanished so quickly it startled her, forcing her to retreat another step.

“I can change your mind,” he declared, lowering his chin so that he was glaring at her from under his furrowed brow.

And
that
was the arrogant man she knew so well, the mercenary man she knew so well. It gave her the courage to shake her head. “No. You won’t get the chance to—”

Her brother picked that moment to burst through the shop’s back door.

Jake spun, his hand automatically going to the weapon he’d returned to the small of his back, reminding her that, despite the ridiculousness of the debacle with Peanut, they’d been having this entire conversation, engaging in this foolhardy behavior, in the middle of a situation that was downright dangerous.

Her big brother had someone trying to kill him, and she and Jake were standing there kissing? Arguing about their feelings?

They should both have their heads examined.

“Snake,” her brother said, “I need you to go to Shell’s place and pack a couple of bags for her and Franklin. They’re staying here for the next few days.”

“
What?
” she yelped, Jake’s heart-wrenching words momentarily forgotten as she gaped at her brother. Her outburst caused Franklin to grumble sleepily and root around for his thumb. After shoving the chubby digit between his lips, he once more quieted. Only then did she hiss, “You’re insane. We’re not staying here!”

In response, Frank leveled her a glare so severe everything inside her shriveled to the size of a pea.

“Yes,” he insisted, “you are.”

***

If Boss hadn’t been so butt-ugly and likely to punch him smack in the face for the effort, Jake would’ve run over and kissed the guy.

He’d been losing the battle with Shell and had been clueless as to what to do to turn the tide in his favor. Enter Boss…

“B-but you can’t be serious!” Shell sputtered, absently patting Franklin’s bottom when he grunted quietly.

“Oh, I’m serious as a heart attack.” Boss ran a big square hand through his hair and settled into a lounge chair. “See, we’ve got ourselves a little situation here, and I’m afraid it might spill over onto you and Franklin. It’s not likely, but I wanna make sure to cover all my bases.”

“Little situation? Is that what you call having someone paint a giant bull’s eye on your back?” When Boss glanced over at Jake, she added, “Oh, yeah. He told me someone wants you dead.”

Boss lifted a shoulder, and Shell’s face filled with incredulity.

“Okay, so when did you know about this
little
situation
?” she demanded.

“Yesterday evening was the first time we got credible evidence of the threat. I thought perhaps that might be the end of it, but apparently not. And then tonight the seriousness of the situation became clear.”

“
Yesterday
evening?” Jake watched her eyes narrow. He was glad he wasn’t the one on the other end of that death-ray stare—for once. “And when did you think you were going to tell
me
about all this?”

“I just did.”

“Yes,” she grumbled. “Which leads to the next important question, which is why in the world would you bring me and Franklin here when you know you’ve got guys gunning for you? Why would you bring us to the center of all the trouble?”

“Believe me, you’re safer here at the compound than any place else.”

“What the heck is going on, Frank?”

“Some guy out of Las Vegas named Johnny Vitiglioni has hired a bunch of backwoods goons to take us out,” Boss explained, and Jake resisted the urge to reach out and grab Shell’s hand when she gasped quietly. If the last few minutes were any indication, she wouldn’t welcome his touch—and he was going to try very hard not to let that hurt him.

Of course, even if it did hurt him—okay, so let’s be honest here; it most certainly did—he was determined to take it.

He deserved it, after all…

But if there was one thing he knew about Shell, it was that she couldn’t hold a grudge for long. She was too softhearted, the wonderful woman. She’d eventually forgive him for his past mistakes, no matter how egregious they were. That’s what he loved best about her, her big, wide-open heart. All he had to do was stick with it, stick with
her
and—

“There’s fifty grand on each and every one of our heads,” Boss finished.

Oh, hell.
His mind was wrenched away from his relationship, or non-relationship as the case may be, with Shell.
So, whoever wants them all adiosed means business.

Because fifty thousand dollars was a lot of money, even for a professional hit, and when you multiplied that by the number of Black Knights, it became a small fortune.

He listened intently as Boss recounted a story of a corrupt senator, illegal weapons deals, missing files, and a cross-country chase that ended in two hired thugs being sent to their maker by one of the Black Knights.

“It seems Vitiglioni has sworn a vendetta against us.” Boss shrugged like having a price on his head was nothing more than a minor inconvenience, a pesky gnat buzzing around his picnic lunch. “And until we can get rid of him and cut off the money he’s willing to supply for our deaths, we have to be extremely vigilant. Hence the need for the guys we’ve got on the rooftops surrounding the compound and the whole Barnum and Bailey theme going on back here.” He pointed to the overhead canopy.

“What’s to stop this Vitiglioni character from using an RPG or hand-held missile to try to take out the entire compound in one fell swoop?” Jake asked, his mind spinning with logistics.

“Nothing,” Boss admitted. “Except the fact that he’s a small-time crook, and it’d be extremely difficult for him to get his hands on anything like that. And given the guys he’s hired to do his dirty work answered an ad in
Soldier
of
Fortune
magazine, I’d bet the farm they don’t have anything more than handguns, rifles and maybe a little C4. And just so you know, it’d take a lot more than an RPG to take down the shop.” He smiled and winked proudly. “The walls on the factory building are three feet thick and reinforced with the same alloy steel they use on aircraft landing gear. It’d take a two-ton bomb to level Black Knights Inc.”

“That’s very reassuring, Frank,” Shell cut in. “Truly it is. But I really don’t understand what any of this has to do with me. I don’t understand why
I’d
need to stay here.”

“Because when Vitiglioni realizes he can’t get to us, he might start going after targets he
can
get to.”

Jake nearly tossed his dinner at the mere thought…

“S-so you’re telling me you intend to bring in everybody’s families?” Shell demanded, her expression filled with disbelief. “Mac’s and Ozzie’s and—”

“Come on, Shell,” Boss cut in. “Everybody else’s families don’t live here in Chicago, where the hit men just happen to be hanging out. Your situation is different, and you know it. I might’ve been less worried a week ago. But after that stunt you pulled in the hospital, I have to make sure I take the proper precautions.”

Rock had filled Jake in on the situation with Shell and Boss. The fact that Boss had kept her hidden from the employees of BKI and the fact that Shell had recently blown right through that rule.

A little part of him thought,
Go, Shell.
Because he couldn’t imagine how difficult it must have been for her to remain separate from that part of her brother’s life when she’d grown so accustomed to sharing it. Of course, after everything that’d happened back in California, he could certainly understand why Boss had chosen to do what he’d done, and knowing she’d inadvertently entered the crosshairs by appearing with BKI personnel had him wishing she’d stayed hidden away—permanently.

“You planned this all along, didn’t you?” Her eyes flashed, and Jake was pretty sure that had Boss been the least bit flammable, the dude would’ve burst into a giant fireball then and there.

“What? Planned to have some jack-off Las Vegas mobster put a price on our heads?”

“No. You planned to back me into this corner even before you came to my house this evening. That’s why you were trying to convince me to pack a bag so Franklin and I could spend the night.”

Boss shrugged. “Yeah? So what? If you’d cooperated, you’ve have what you need now instead of me having to send Snake after it.”

“You deliberately manipulated me!”

“Nope. I just chose not to fight about it at the time. I know how overprotective you are and how you get when something threatens Franklin’s schedule.”

“You
know
why I’m such a stickler about that,” she snarled.

“Just because we had a deadbeat father who dicked up our childhood doesn’t mean you have to micromanage every waking minute of Franklin’s.”

“We. Are. Not. Staying. Here.” She enunciated slowly, meticulously.

“Fine,” Boss said, and Jake’s heart hammered at his easy capitulation. Damnit! He needed Boss’s help in this, and if the big guy was going to give up so—

“If you don’t want to stay here,” Boss continued. “You can take Snake home with you to act as your bullet-catcher.”

Oh, you giant, ugly,
wonderful
sonofabitch!

“No way.” Shell was already shaking her head before he finished the sentence. “Send another of the Black Knights home with me but—”

“As it happens,” Boss interrupted her, “we’re already stretched thin. He’s the only man available for the job.”

The knife that’d cut straight into Jake’s heart when Shell said she didn’t love him, the one that’d twisted when she claimed she may never have loved him, stopped turning and began to retreat. Because he hadn’t been kidding when he told her he could change her mind. Given the right set of circumstances and enough time, he
knew
he could win her over.

And it seemed Boss was determined to silver-platter the right set of circumstances for him. If the look of horror on Shell’s face was anything to go by, she knew it as well.

A small smile tugged at his mouth.

“B-but I d-don’t want him to—”

Boss talked right over whatever objection she began to make. “I also think you should tell Miss Lisa to take the rest of the week off. You don’t want to have to explain to her why Snake is glued to your side. It’ll cause too many questions. Just tell her a friend has come into town who’s willing to look after Franklin and that she should use this time to take a much deserved paid vacation. In fact,” Boss whipped out his cell phone and handed it to her, “why don’t you give her a call right now?”

Jake knew by the obstinate expression Shell wore that she was very tempted to throw that cell phone straight back into Boss’s face. Instead, she took a deep breath and grumbled, “There has to be another way.”

“Nope.” Boss shook his head. “It’s either take Snake home with you, or you and Franklin stay here where
I
can keep you safe.”

“But I have clients and meetings,” she ground out, careful to keep her voice pitched low so as not to wake the sleeping boy. “I can’t just hang around here for however long this will take and—”

“Which is why it’s best all the way around if you let Snake act as your bodyguard for the next few days. He’ll watch your back and take care of Franklin, and you can go about your business as usual. You okay with that, Snake?” Boss turned to him, and if Shell hadn’t been watching, he felt sure the big guy would’ve winked.

“It’s fine by me,” he said, still fighting the urge to run over there and plant a big sloppy one on his former CO’s face.

“Good,” Boss slapped his knee and stood. “Now, there are a few specifics Snake and I need to discuss. Shell, while we’re doing that, why don’t you make that call to Miss Lisa, then get your stuff and meet us by the Hummer.”

“Snake,” Boss turned to him, “you should probably perform a few escape and evasion techniques on the way to her house just to be safe. Oh,” he snapped his fingers, “and on that note, you’ll be taking the river tunnel out of here.”

River tunnel? They had a river tunnel?

Too cool.

Once more he felt a jolt of pride at what Boss and Rock had built for themselves here in Chicago. And once more that jolt of pride was quickly followed by a trickle of regret that he hadn’t been here to build it all with them…