Take a Risk (Risk #1) (21 page)

‘He doesn’t want to have sex with girls,’ Lyssa said.

‘Who does he want to have sex with?’ Ruger asked. ‘Mom might like a gay son, she needs help with the window dressings in the dining room.’

‘Come on, guys, this isn’t fair,’ Colt said. ‘We shouldn’t pick on the cripple… wait until he’s back to full strength, and then we can question his sexuality.’

‘It’s about time someone else took a turn,’ Ruger said, narrowing in on Lyssa who projected as much innocence as she could muster.

‘I still say that you need a session on my couch.’

‘When’s my turn?’ Blaser asked.

‘You are welcome on my couch anytime,’ Lyssa said, proud to have someone confess such faith in her skills.

‘I’m missing something, aren’t I?’ Blaser asked, eying them all.

‘She’s a sex therapist,’ Ruger said. ‘She wants to deconstruct every sexual experience you’ve ever had and somehow use it to prove you’re a momma’s boy who still secretly wets his bed.’

‘That is not what I do!’ Lyssa asserted. Colt tightened his embrace and she realised that she was the focus of a typical Warner ribbing, so she growled at the smiling brothers on the other side of the bar.

Suzette came over waving a sheet of paper. ‘This is so much fun and everyone is so nice.’

Ruger took the piece of paper and began to fill the order. ‘Might have something to do with the fact you’re carrying thimbles in your bra,’ Blaser said.

Everyone took note of Suzette’s stiff nipples, but she just laughed. ‘It’s cold in here.’

‘It’s not actually,’ Blaser said.

‘What would you know? You’re doped up,’ Suzette said, sticking out her tongue. ‘You’ve probably got a fever from the infection Lys might let continue to coarse through your veins if you piss me off.’

‘Don’t worry, they guarantee you better tips,’ Lyssa said, indicating her friend’s chest, but Colt smacked Lyssa’s ass. He did it so hard that a frisson of pleasure nipped her centre, and she turned her smile to her shoulder. ‘What?’

‘You better not do that,’ he said and his hands slid up over her breasts, which caused her own nipples to pebble, so his eyebrows rose.

‘What do you expect them to do when you play with them?’ she asked, to which everyone except Colt laughed, so she nuzzled a kiss on his lips. ‘You’re the only one I want, babe.’

Rotating in his arms, she pressed herself close and went right on kissing him until he hummed out. ‘I should discipline you more often.’

Without taking her eyes, or her lips, from Colt, Lyssa called out. ‘Can I take a break, boss?’

‘What are you asking me for? Apparently you’re running the place now,’ Blaser replied. ‘Do what the hell you want.’

Trying not to make too much fuss of her excitement, she linked her fingers between Colt’s and led him through the club and up to his office. When they arrived, she closed the door and before he could speak she gave him a hard shove, sending him onto his back on the couch. She climbed on top of him and began to unbutton his loose shirt.

‘You know, I don’t remember consenting to being molested by an employee,’ Colt said.

She kissed his neck and covered his lips with her fingertips, dismissing his teasing. ‘Shh.’ The taste of his chest did something to her and the torrent that had begun downstairs grew to fever pitch. ‘This is different, I need this,’ she murmured, not requiring a response.

‘Always happy to oblige,’ he said, skimming his hands through her hair to take it away from his torso.

His change of heart may have had something to do with her action of unfastening his jeans and directing her face into his groin. Squashing the head of his dick between her lips she let vibrations build in her throat, knowing that the sensation would drill itself right through him and sure enough, he grunted and his fingers curled.

‘You like that, babe,’ she said, rolling her tongue around his shaft.

‘No problems to discuss on this couch,’ he said and she lifted her eyes so that they could share a smile.

Thundering footsteps outside the room grew louder, then there was commotion from beyond; shouting and something that sounded like screaming. She sat up, holding his manhood in both hands, then the door burst open and her own scream dissolved to stunned shock when she saw the guns pointed in her direction.

‘What the fuck?’ Colt said, snatching her backwards and somehow putting his dick back in his pants in the same move.

‘Police! Nobody move! Hands where we can see them!’

Colt’s jeans were still undone, but they did as told and exchanged a look. From the gang of officers behind the two in here it became obvious that the police were raiding Risqué. She didn’t begin to know why, and it wasn’t really the right time to be asking questions.

The women and men were separated in the club, with separate holding spaces for employees and patrons as well. The whole time she said nothing because the melee of people and activity was enough to make even her head spin. It turned out that they’d had a tip about drugs being run through the club. The police did their thing, but there were no drugs found on the premises, which she knew would be the case as soon as she discovered that’s what they were looking for.

Except because of the bog of bureaucracy she had to be transported to the station in cuffs so that detectives from the appropriate department could decide if she had done anything wrong. Being found with Colt, in a compromising position, meant she was criminal number one as far as they were concerned because they hadn’t found anything else. As humiliating as the experience was, she wasn’t worried about the outcome because she’d done nothing wrong.

Colt apparently wasn’t as confident, or at least wasn’t as casual about it. When she next saw him he was growling something fierce at the cops jeering around him when he shoved into the vice bullpen, where she was sitting. His focus fell to her and he came from one corner to the other, where she was, in record time.

‘Lys,’ he sighed, and she lifted her hands when he crouched to unlock the cuffs he had a key for. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘No harm done,’ she said. Yes, the cops had thought she was a hooker pedalling her wares in Risqué, but she was more worried about what that kind of reputation would mean for Blaser than what it meant for her. ‘It was interesting to go through the experience that so many women do.’

‘They thought I paid you for sex,’ he said, throwing the cuffs and the keys onto the floor.

‘I told them that your check bounced,’ she joked, but Colt wasn’t in the mood.

‘This isn’t funny. Let’s get you out of here.’

This was kind of his area and the vice guys kept a sniggering eye on the couple until Colt took her outside. She wasn’t perturbed, and getting herself in a tizzy about a misunderstanding would be stupid. She’d been spared the humiliation of jail cells and being booked, so all that ended up being wasted was time.

Colt knew the guys in this department, and he’d been brought in too. Probably as soon as they saw him they started asking questions, especially knowing it was his brother’s club, but she doubted that they suspected him of a crime.

Ruger was on the sidewalk outside the police station finishing off a hot dog when Colt brought her out, though where he got a hot dog at this time of the morning she had no idea.

‘Take her home,’ Colt said, putting her hand into Ruger’s and trying to walk away but Ruger dropped her and grabbed his brother.

‘No,’ Ruger said, shaking his head. ‘No.’

‘Let go of me,’ Colt said. Trying to throw his brother off only made Ruger snatch Colt’s shirt and spin him around to thrust him against the car with a thump that made Lyssa jump.

‘You are not going to go over there,’ Ruger growled. ‘You’re not going to do it, brother.’

‘Blaser’s not going to do it, is he? He can’t. His shoulder is still busted up.’

‘You’ll get yourself fucking killed,’ Ruger shouted. ‘What the fuck happened the last time we confronted them? We’re not starting a gang war here, Colt. Keep your nose clean! Think!’

‘This is personal,’ Colt said. ‘They can’t fuck about—‘

‘Yes, they fucking can. This is what they want!’

Lyssa didn’t know what they were talking about, but she knew it was about tonight and it wasn’t about her stalker. ‘This is related to Blaser,’ she said. ‘Isn’t it? This is about why he was shot?’

‘Stay out of this,’ Ruger snapped.

Colt shoved him. ‘Don’t you talk to her that way!’

‘Find your fucking senses then!’

The men began to tussle, emotions were running high, she’d never heard either of them curse this much, but that wasn’t her concern right now. ‘Hey!’ she called, but they paid her no heed.

Ruger swung for Colt who ducked and rushed him back against the wall opposite the car, but Ruger got out of his brother’s hold. Before either could swing again Lyssa got in between them and planted a hand on each of their pounding chests.

‘We’re standing outside a police station!’ Shouting wasn’t her default tone, but the men were still glaring at each other over the top of her, and she could feel their pumping hearts. She imagined that the adrenaline was flooding them, which wouldn’t lead to them making the best choices. ‘Both of you get into the car, we’re going back to Blaser’s and we’re going to get to the bottom of this.’ Neither moved. ‘So help me god, the pair of you will do what you’re told or I’ll march back in there to have you both declared medically insane and have you sectioned in an institution.’

This must have got through to them, because both of them drew their eyes away from the other and skulked into the car. Ruger roared away from the kerb and when Colt tried to take her hand in the backseat, she removed it from his reach. She wasn’t angry at him, as such, but fighting in the street with his brother was uncalled for and she’d tell him that when they were next alone.

Blaser was at his place, pacing, when they got back. He must have been able to tell straight away that there was something wrong – something more than what had gone on at the club – because he said nothing and just examined his brothers.

‘You’re not going to apologise to her?’ Colt demanded of Blaser.

‘He doesn’t need to apologise to me,’ Lyssa said. ‘He didn’t phone the tip into the police and he didn’t set you all up for tonight’s raid. He also didn’t seduce me in your office.’

Colt spun on her. ‘Me seduce you?’

Lifting her hand, she dismissed him and seated herself at Blaser’s kitchen table. ‘Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?’ she asked.

‘No,’ Colt said.

‘I’m a part of it,’ she said. ‘This is nothing to do with my stalker, is it? You said Blaser being shot wasn’t either, so what is this?’

‘It’s Gary,’ Blaser said. ‘He thinks I’m screwing with his sister and this is his idea of payback.’

‘Shooting you is his idea of payback?’ she asked.

‘Shooting me was an accident,’ Blaser said.

‘You think,’ Ruger murmured and dropped onto the couch.

‘Why didn’t you call the cops?’ she asked. ‘If you told them that he shot you—‘

‘Because he’s still in love with Gary’s little sister,’ Ruger said.

‘It’s not like that,’ Blaser snapped. ‘I’ve told you to stay out of it!’

‘Except we’re all in it,’ Colt said, maintaining his position beside the front door. ‘We’re all in it, Blaser, and it has to stop.’

‘What does that mean?’ Blaser asked.

‘She can’t be that good in the sack,’ Ruger said, folding his hands behind his head. ‘That’s what Colt is saying, brother, end it. Finish it. Stop schtupping the baby sister.’

‘You think that will end it?’ Blaser asked, his vehemence was interesting.

‘Do you love her?’ Lyssa asked.

‘No!’

‘So it’s just about sex,’ she said. ‘What is it about the sex that is addictive?’

‘It’s not addictive. We’re not having sex,’ Blaser said. ‘I’m not talking about this with any of you.’

Blaser tried to walk away but Colt bounded over the room to get hold of him. ‘You damn well will talk about it, because you better explain it, or Lyssa’s right: I’m going to the cops.’

‘Oh, typical you,’ Blaser said. ‘Run off to your old buddies, keep yourself on the straight and narrow. Screw the rest of us, right?’

‘You’re screwing us,’ Colt said. ‘It’s about time we fought back. I’m not going to stand by doing nothing. It was one thing when Ruge and I were in it, but Lys is involved now, and I’m not going to let you drag down the woman that I love just because you want to get one up on the guy who sent you to prison.’

No one reacted to Colt’s declaration, not even him, which made her wonder if he knew he had made it. Except now wasn’t the time to draw attention to his revelation of love for her, emotions were running too high. And the announcement that Blaser had spent time in jail, was a new discovery, she hadn’t known that.

‘This isn’t about that,’ Blaser said.

‘You keep saying that, but you can’t make up for past mistakes by repeating them over and over again,’ Ruger said, much calmer than he had been on the street. It seemed that so long as his family, the people he cared about, were safe, then he was a well of calm and control. It was only when those people were threatened that he was a different beast altogether.

Blaser didn’t look ready to tell anyone anything, in fact his whole demeanour took on the appearance of a cornered animal and the last thing she wanted him to do was strike out at his brothers. Reaching over, she took Blaser’s hand and the action startled him so much that he tried to pull away, but she persisted and moved in close to him.

Offering a smile only made him frown. ‘You two stay here,’ she said to Ruger and Colt, then she walked around Blaser toward the bedroom, taking him with her.

They got into the room and she closed the door then sat him on the bed. ‘Colt will come through that door if he thinks—‘

Rounding the bed, she climbed onto it and crossed her legs. ‘Your barriers are making this situation worse and all three of you are as bad as each other. They’re frustrated because they want to help you and you won’t let them.’

‘Colt is pissed that you were taken into the police station,’ Blaser said. ‘He was on the phone to me, screaming about murder while I was trying to clear up things at the club. We got Suzette in a cab home by the way.’

‘I knew that you would take care of her, because you’re a good guy, Blaser. I don’t know about your past I’ll admit that. But you are a good guy, it just seems to me that you think everyone will automatically think the worst of you. So you’re already rejecting them, chastising them, before they can have the chance to reject you.’

‘Does that psychobabble help anyone?’

‘You’re doing it right now,’ she said. ‘You’re attacking me because you think I’m going to judge you, or reject you, if I get too close to the truth. Loving a woman isn’t something to be ashamed of.’

‘No, Colt’s sure not, that brother of mine just declared his intentions for you out there.’

‘I noticed that,’ she said, a fluttering smile that she tried to subdue snuck out.

‘He hasn’t said that to you?’ She shook her head. ‘At least you know now.’

‘Yes, and I feel better for it. It’s a good thing to be loved and that makes me happy. Have you told Gary’s sister how you feel about her?’

‘I don’t love Bri,’ he said. ‘You’ve all got it wrong.’

‘It is causing a lot of upset. Are you maintaining this relationship with her because of sex or is it spite that motivates you?’

‘It’s not like that either,’ Blaser said. ‘You should all just butt out of my business. I’m sorry that you got drawn into it. I’m not going to let that happen again.’

‘What do you plan to do?’ she asked when he got off the bed.

‘End it,’ he said.

‘With Bri? It’s a bit late to go around there and—‘

‘Not with her,’ he said. ‘She isn’t causing this, Gary is causing this, and I have to address him to make him stop.’

‘Wait,’ she said. Blaser went for the door and opened it, but Colt was on the other side about to open it and Ruger was behind him.

‘Listening in, were you?’

‘No,’ Colt said, looking past his brother at Lyssa, and the solemnity in him made her shiver.

‘What?’ she asked, coming forth toward the door. ‘What is it?’

‘I’m sorry,’ Colt said. ‘Hoburn just called, there’s been another murder.’

‘Another murder?’

‘I saw Hoburn at the station tonight,’ Colt said. ‘He spoke for you, for us, I was surprised that he stepped up, but he did. I don’t know what caused the change of heart. But he just called me because he’s been called out to a homicide.’

‘And you think that this is something to do with me?’ she asked. ‘Why would you think that?’

‘The victim is Lee Zucker,’ Colt said. ‘He’s another patient of yours.’

‘Lee,’ she said and staggered back. Blaser lunged out to snatch her so that she wouldn’t collapse to the floor. ‘He’s picking off my patients. Why…? Why would…? I can’t…’

‘Take your time,’ Blaser said, guiding her back to the bed. Colt was now on her other side and Ruger was with them. It was good to have support, but through her shock she couldn’t form words or coherent thoughts.

‘Why would he do this?’

‘I don’t know,’ Colt said.

Then she remembered what he’d said in her office. ‘You know who it is,’ she said, with a burn of anger. ‘If you know… you could have stopped this. You let this happen!’

‘This isn’t his fault,’ Ruger said, jumping to his brother’s defence when not too long ago they were trying to knock each other’s teeth out.

‘No,’ Colt said. ‘She’s right. I should have watched him tonight instead of going to the club. I should have known that this was a possibility.’

He turned to leave and she went after him, wanting to know what his intentions are. ‘Where are you going?’ she asked.