South Row (21 page)

“
F–f–fine,” she sobs, burying her face in the crook of her elbow.

“
Talk to me, Red,” I implore her, tilting her face toward mine.

“
It’s stupid,” she whispers, trying to look away from me.

“
Tell me,” I demand.

“
I’m happy!” she shouts, bursting into fresh tears before rambling away. “God, I’ve waited for this –
for you
– for ten years. And now that it’s happened, I can’t help but cry. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, because I really, really did. And that’s why I’m so happy. But I can’t stop crying. God, Collin, I love you so much.”

I smile. I know exactly how she feels. Cupping her cheek, I capture those beautiful, unreal eyes in mine, hoping to communicate one thing:
“I’ve got you.”

“
I know,” she whispers, dipping her head closer to seize my lips and mark my soul with her kiss. “And I’ve got you.”

**********

Morning comes and we reluctantly roll out of bed. South and I made love once more last night before falling into the most comfortable sleep we’ve ever had. I loved sleeping next to her. It further highlighted the rightness of us being together. She ran rampant in my dreams, her eyes haunting me. We woke up tangled in one another. Hot as fuck, but contented.

After showering together, and taking her hard and fast once more, we get dressed for the day. And what a day today will be!

We started setting our plan in motion yesterday and, let’s just say, shit will hit the fan and we’ve got our umbrellas.

“I thought you guys would never fall asleep last night,” Lydia comments as we enter the kitchen freshly showered. She’s making breakfast while Luke sits at the Island reading the paper. They look so domestic.

I shoot him a know-it-all grin and he flips me the finger, sending me into hysterics.

South shakes her head at both of us before smiling broadly and smacking her lips against Lydia’s cheek.

“Ew, cooties!” Lydia exclaims, but kisses her back. She dishes our breakfast – pancakes and eggs and coffee – and we all sit and eat in silence.

After a few minutes, Scott bursts through the front door, looking all sorts of professional in a grey pinstriped suit, deep purple shirt and a pinkish-purplish tie. Sue me, I don’t know flashy colors. I’m a guy.

“Phase three of
Operation: Take Down
is complete. The police will be coming by your law firm around nine to make the arrest, so make sure you keep him there until that time. And, the story will be run on the news by midday,” Scott informs us, fiddling with his cell phone.

Operation: Take Down
is what we’ve dubbed our plan. Our targets: Fletcher, Liam and Kaylee. Phase one: making the report. South filed it yesterday and gave the cops a copy of the recording. Phase two: get Kaylee at the office tomorrow. After hashing out our plans, I called her and told her to meet me there so we could talk about the future and she quickly agreed. I bet she thinks we’re going to work things out. Silly rabbit. Phase three was confirming the plan with the cops and getting the media involved, but we didn’t think we would get them on board so fast.

“How did you get them to do that on such short notice?” I ask him.

Scott finally looks up from his phone with a smirk. “I know a guy.”

Quirking an eyebrow in question at him, South chuckles and pats my hand. “Collin, you don’t want to go there. Let’s just say our Scott knows many a guy.”

Lydia bursts out laughing and Scott throws a mock glare at South before his lips tug up into a smile of his own. “I wouldn’t mind expanding my knowledge base,” he says, lifting his eyebrows at Luke and me.

“Should we be worried?”

“No, honey, I don’t bite,” he responds flirtatiously, making my balls shrivel into hiding.

Luke grabs Lydia and kisses her theatrically, squeezing her ass and moaning loudly before releasing her.

“I’m too straight!” he announces loudly with his hand raised, causing all of us break into raucous laughter.

Gradually, the laughter dies down and a sense of gravity descends upon us.

“Are we ready to do this?” Scott asks.

We all look to South who has a sad smile on her face. She nods quickly before squaring her shoulders and standing, a steely resolve transfo
rming her features. She runs her palms down her blue peplum blouse – I know this because she told me and, really, what guy, aside from Scott, would know this? – and her white pencil skirt and my cock surges in my slacks. This outfit accentuates her curves so much. I feel like taking her back in the room.

“Let’s do this,” she asserts.

“I’ll meet you all at the office, I’ve gotta go get dressed,” I tell them. My clothes are at the hotel I’d checked into last night. “Luke, keep her safe. I have a feeling that Fletcher could still be watching her or, at least, having her watched.”

“Don’t worry, man. This will go as planned,” Luke assures me and I trust his word.

Slinking my arm around South’s waist, I pull her to me. Without a word, she meets my lips and kisses me deeply. I’ll never tire of these soft lips of hers.

“What did I say last night?” I ask when I pull away from her.

“That you’ve got a cramp?” Laughter breaks out around us.
Jeez.

“No, not that.”

“Oh, that you’d only last one minute? You lied by the way,” she accuses. They laugh louder this time, Luke banging the table as he does so.
Motherfucker.

“No, baby…” I trail off as I see her lips twitch. She’s messing with me. I slap her ass in admonition and she giggles as she wraps her arms around my neck.

“I said that I’ve got you,” I remind her. “You believe that?”

“Yeah, Collin,” she whispers, nodding her head and staring deeply into my eyes. I swear she can see my soul with those things. “I do.”

And I really do.

Standing in the elevator on my way up to the conference room of Stone, Grisham and Lake, waves of nervousness wash over me. I mentally thank God for the support that is making this journey with me in the elevator. I literally couldn’t have done this without them. Luke stands in front of me as my legal representation, possibly sacrificing his job for me. Scott and Lydia, standing on either side of me, both took time off work to give me moral support. And Big Jesse, who is taking up the flank, is with me for protection. With all of them around me, my biggest support is Collin.

He knows what the blowback will be in taking down his boss, fiancée and one of the richest, most powerful men in San Francisco and he’s doing it anyway; but he’s prepared to never work in this town, risking never being able to practice law ever again, for me. My love for this man swells exponentially with every thought, and I can’t wait for this to be over so I can be with him, broke and pauperized and all.

The elevator dings and none of us make a move toward the sliding doors. With one last deep breath, I square my shoulders and clutch my purse under my arm.

“Show time,” Scott utters, clutching and squeezing my hand.

An
d what a show it’s going to be.

I know the moment South is here. I feel her without even seeing her. Her presence warms and brightens everything in a two mile radius. You can’t come in contact with her and not feel some kind of hope, some kind of joy. For me, I feel all of those things, along with a certain tightening of my slacks.

“What are we waiting for, Danes?” Liam grumbles. We’re in the conference room with the partners and a very nervous looking Fletcher Colfax. He’s been on edge all morning, shooting me murderous glances and having silent flustered conversations with Liam.

He’s worried. As well he should be. His chickens have come home to roost and he is going to pay for every sin committed. Liam as well. So too will Kaylee, my fiancée. She hasn’t yet showed up, but the time of her arrival is fast approaching. Just a few more minutes.

“Luke is bringing me something important to the case,” I answer vaguely.

“Be patient, Liam,” Michael Lake, one of the senior partners, admonishes. “It’s barely been five minutes.”

“Call me when you gentlemen get your shit together,” Fletcher grouses, rising from the table. He snatches up his briefcase to leave but stops dead in his tracks when the door opens, and Luke, followed by a very sexy and poker-faced South enters.

“What is this?” Liam sputters, knocking back his chair as he stands.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Fletcher spits angrily, his face going puce.

“I assure you, Mr. Colfax, this is no joke,” South speaks, her voice sultry. My cock throbs to life at that voice.
Focus, man!

“Somerville, what is going on here?” Henry Grisham inquires, rising to his feet.

“Why don’t you ask your client, Mr. Grisham?” Luke shoots back to him.

“Or your partner, Mr. Stone,” South throws in for good measure. “He may have some insight.”
Her smile is victorious and, oh, so sexy. I seriously need to focus.

Liam’s eyes go wide as saucers and Fletcher looks about ready to kill someone. I move to South’s side, that over-protectiveness rolling off of me in waves. Yeah, she’s not going to get hurt on my watch.
Not again, you mean
.

“This bitch is lying!” Fletcher snarls. I smile. Strike one against Mr. Colfax.

“That’s strange, she didn’t say anything accusatory,” Lake observes.

“But…she…” Fletcher splutters, trying to cover his mistake but coming up short.

“Will someone please tell us what is going on?” Grisham demands.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I am not wasting my time with this.” Liam goes to leave but I stop him with a hand to his chest.

“Ah, ah, ah,” I tut reproachfully. “You’re going to want to stay for this.”

At that moment, the doors burst open and Kaylee strides through looking like the money her father spoils her with. She’s dressed in a navy blue
Emporio Armani trench coat dress that stops just above her knee with a gold belt – I think she once called it lamé – around it. I know the dress is Armani because the day she bought it, she couldn’t stop gushing about it.

The kicker, though, are her shoes. At least she came to fight for me. She is wearing my favorite pair of
Manolo’s: gold déjà-vu heels covered in lace. I picked them out for her and fucked her in them as soon as we got home. Funny how her legs in those shoes used to make me salivate and now…well, let’s be honest, who wouldn’t get a hard-on seeing Kaylee looking like she does?

South shoots me a glare but her lips twitch, letting me know that she’s not upset that I’m checking out my
unofficial ex-fiancée. She looks down at Kaylee’s feet and her lips part in awe. I guess she likes the shoes, too. Quickly, though, she masks her expression and refocuses her attention to the room.

“What’s going on here?” Kaylee asks frostily.

“The gang’s all here,” I announce. I turn to Kaylee, taking her hand. “Sweetheart, you need to sit. I don’t want anything happening to the baby.”

South’s eyes slit to mine in irritation as I lead Kaylee to one of the chairs. I mouth to her not to worry and she visibly relaxes.

“Is someone going to explain what on earth is going on?” Lake demands, exasperatingly.

“Well, Mister…” South trails off, obviously not knowing what to call the senior partner.

“Lake,” he provides.

“Lake,” she continues. “Well, Mr. Lake, it seems we have a conspiracy on our hands, involving Mr. Colfax, Mr. Stone and Miss Stone.”

“That is preposterous!” Liam snaps, slamming his fist down on the table.
Testy.

“How ridiculous!” Kaylee fumes. “This…this
woman
is nothing more than a stripper trying to make a quick buck. She knows nothing, therefore can accuse any of us of nothing.”

“On the contrary,
Miss
Stone.” South stresses her last name, sending, clear, the message that she will never be my wife. “I know
everything
.” South slips her purse from under her arm and roots through it, producing her cell phone.

Kaylee turns innocent, doe-eyes to me, but all I can see is the evil within their green depths. How I ever “got lost” in those eyes is beyond me. There is no love in them, no innocence. And I won’t be fooled anymore.

“Collin, please make her stop. She’s upsetting the baby,” she begs me in that annoying baby-like voice of hers. Her voice, her very presence is grating on my nerves. Where are the police? No. We need to do this like we planned. There’s no rush.

“Oh, but, sweetie,” I say with saccharine sweetness
. “She’s just getting started.”

The recording starts playing and a hush falls throughout the room. When Fletcher hears his voice, he dashes to the door in an attempt to escape. Neither Collin nor Luke or I try to stop him. Opening the door, he runs into a wall of Big Jesse. He grabs him and shoves him back into the conference room where he falls flat on his ass. The symbolism is not lost on me.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Lake and his other partner are bristling with anger as the situation unfolds. They direct resentful, hateful, repulsive glares at Liam who is twisting his hands together nervously.

“I can explain,” he begins to say, but is cut off by the taller of the two partners.

“No, you can’t,” the man snaps, sending Liam recoiling further into the room.

At that point, Kaylee’s name is mentioned and she gasps; her hand flying to her mouth. She turns wide, frightened, pleading eyes to Collin. I watch as his face softens toward her. I can’t feel jealous or angry. They have history and I can’t imagine what he must be feeling, knowing the woman he wanted to marry is so heartless, so evil.

“It’s not what it seems, Collin. I swear, I had nothing to do with this,” she insists, tears of guilt sliding down her face. I want to snort, but I let them have their moment. It’s long overdue if you ask me.

“Oh, come off it, you little bitch!” Fletcher snaps. “You wanted to get rid of her as much as your father did.”

“Shut up!” Kaylee hisses, the sadness she supposedly felt earlier morphing into anger. Just as soon, her face contorts and her chin wobbles as she turns back to Collin. Can someone say, bi-polar?

“Collin, baby, he’s lying. I would never do something so evil,” she protests in an annoying child-like voice, her bottom lip jutting out for good measure. I want to laugh. I should laugh, but I hold it in.

Collin bends over to her so his face is lined up with hers. “You remember what you said to me last night?”

She looks away angrily, refusing to answer him.

“Well, I do.” He cups her chin and turns her face to him and she narrows her eyes at him. “And let’s just say I believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that you would do something this evil.” He releases her chin with a jerk and before he can straighten up, she lashes out and slaps him in the face.

Oh.

Hell.

No.

In a flash, I am across the room and on her, pulling her hair and smacking her already bruised face while she screams bloody murder.

“Daddy! Help me!” If he comes over here, I’ve got some for his old ass too.

As chaos erupts, Liam uses the momentary distraction to lunge after Collin. He connects with his midsection and they both hit the floor with a thud, cushioned by the plush carpet of the conference room. I slam Kaylee’s head back and punch her square in the face, before pushing her away and leaping onto her father’s back. I claw at the back of his neck until he releases Collin and stands with me. I don’t let him go as he struggles with the human spider monkey
–
me
– on his back.

I am a woman possessed. You hurt my man, I break your neck!

I am vaguely aware of the raised voices around me and the sound of scuffling and bodies being slammed into walls. I am a little occupied.

“Freeze!” a voice calls out just before I hear guns drawn and cocked.

I feel Luke behind me as he lifts me from Liam’s back. “Easy, Tiger.”

I look around and see a room full of cops with guns drawn. Some of them I remember from the night of my attack.

Lydia and Scott fumble into the room and head straight for me, hugging me to them repeatedly. I feel a hand on my arms and I know it is Collin even before he pulls me into him and squeezes me tight.

“Don’t ever do that again,” he chides.

“What? Protect you?”

“Don’t be smart,” he scolds. He hugs me even tighter and I let him. His heart is racing and I can imagine how worried he must feel, because I feel the same.

“Liam Stone, Fletcher Colfax, Kaylee Stone,” the voice I know as Sergeant Greenland, announces. “You are all under arrest. ’Cuff ’em, boys.”

Sergeant Greenland walks over to the five of us but extends his hand to me, saying, “You were a brave girl, South. We went to Colfax’s estate and we
found Magda as well as another young woman. We are now checking Stone’s mansion and, so far, we’ve found bank statements and other incriminating evidence.”

I furrow my brow, relief and confusion battling for a place in my mind.

“Let’s just say there are other players in their operation. We’ve busted a major sex slave operation run by Colfax and Stone,” he reveals. I gasp in horror. Did they find other girls?

“Don’t worry, Miss Tate, we’ve found where they’re hiding the other girls and we’ve sent units there already,” he reassures me.

I sag in relief knowing that, in more ways than one, this nightmare is over.