Kace (Allen Securities) Read online

  “Just stay here,” a soft, deep voice said. “I got you.”

  She could feel his strong warm arms around her and felt the unease pass. When she opened her eyes again, she was staring up into Kace’s concerned face.

  “What happened?” she rasped out.

  His arms tensed around her. “Someone clocked you on the back of the head.”

  She lifted a hand to gingerly feel around. Kace let the icepack move away slightly as she felt the large knot. She winced when the ice was put back on.

  “I know it hurts,” he whispered. “This is really the best thing for you right now.”

  He looked over to her other side, and she shifted to see a very worried Alyssa.

  “Can you find some aspirin for her?” Kace asked.

  Alyssa nodded and hurried out.

  “Did you catch him?” Jessica asked. She looked back to him.

  He shook his head. “By the time I got to you, he was already gone.”

  Jessica frowned. “How did you know to look?”

  “I didn’t,” he said. “Alyssa came running out. Ash white and crying.” He swallowed, and the muscles in his neck moved. “When I came in, you were lifeless on the floor. Dale cleared out the customers, and Alyssa played nurse while I kept you still with ice.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered. When she looked up to him, his brown eyes stared deeply into her own.

  She closed her eyes to escape his dangerous stare. When she opened them again, he was looking toward the door, his body tense.

  “Who called you?” He glared at the returning Alyssa who ignored him and handed Jessica the aspirin.

  “Well seeing as it’s my place, seems like someone should have called,” Finn said, walking through the door. His cool voice sent a chill over her.

  Jessica watched as Alyssa froze where she was at and looked up to Finn. Her hand shot over to Alyssa’s, and she gave a squeeze.

  Kace looked down at her when she placed a hand on his well-formed chest.

  “Can you help me to the couch?” she asked.

  He lifted her with ease and moved her to the couch. She was surprised that he decided to sit with her. He placed her head on the couch with the bag of ice behind it. He sat down and moved her head onto his lap. She could only assume for elevation, but regardless, it felt good.

  Jessica glanced up to see Finn staring at her. She closed her eyes and decided he could just wait until she was ready for him. She liked being where she was and with the way the room kept spinning, she figured it was okay to take her time.

  Quiet wrapped the room for a bit while she relaxed. When she opened her eyes again, Kace was staring down at her.

  “Think you can tell us what happened?” he asked gently.

  She swallowed, her mouth dry from the waves of nausea she was feeling. Jessica turned to Alyssa, who was standing shyly to the side.

  “Think you could get some water?”

  The little waitress nodded and scurried out of the room.

  “I was going to get some rum and vodka. The light was out, but I didn’t think anything of it since we were still open,” she said. Behind her head she could feel the muscles on Kace’s legs flex. “I was using my phone to find a light bulb when I heard a noise.”

  “Why didn’t you call for help?” Kace asked.

  She could see the anger brewing from Kace and looked away.

  “I thought it might be a mouse or something. By the time I knew, I was already hit,” she said quietly.

  “Did you see anyone?” Finn asked, his eyes also dark with rage.

  “No. Just that it was a man, but there must have been two because I was looking at the one in the back of the room when I got hit,” she said.

  Jessica watched as Kace and Finn exchanged looks.

  “Your cop buddies and paramedics are here,” Dale said from the door to the office.

  “Where were you when all this was going on?” Kace glared at Dale. The veins in his thick neck bulged as he stared at him.

  “I was smoking out back,” he said.

  “Maybe you should take a few less smoke breaks.”

  Dale shrugged and headed back out.

  She watched as Kace looked down at her. “I’ve got to make a phone call, and you need to get your head checked out.”

  She frowned at his pushy ways. Being told what to do was never something she liked much.

  “I’m fine,” she said and sat up. Her stomach lurched forward, and she broke out into a cold sweat.

  “That doesn’t look like fine to me,” he said at her ear.

  She breathed in slowly, trying to keep the contents of her stomach down.

  His warm hands pulled on her shoulders as he leaned her against the back of the couch so the ice rested on under her head. He tossed his jacket over her.

  “Just let them check you out,” he said. When she started to protest he cut in. “I’d just like to know that you’re going to be all right,” he said quietly.

  Jessica nodded slowly and winced at the pain. Kace stared at her for a few moments and then left without another word.

  “You know it’s her,” Finn said when Kace was out of the room.

  She moved slightly, so she could look at him as she talked. “I don’t know it’s her.”

  Finn paced the room furiously. “It makes sense.”

  “Actually,” she said. “I was thinking that nothing is really making sense right now.”

  “Whatever,” he said and stopped pacing. “But if it turns out to be her…”

  He stopped as Alyssa came in the room and gave her a dark look. The women glanced nervously at him as she handed Jessica a glass of water.

  “I think the paramedics would like to look at you now,” Alyssa said quietly.

  Jessica took a drink and sighed. “It’s fine. Let’s get this over with.”

  * * *

  “What the hell is going on over there, Allen?” Lt. Jackson shouted into the phone.

  Kace paced as he talked, scanning the dark street as he walked the path.

  “I’m not sure, sir. I was outside when Jessica was attacked, but it seems like a case of wrong place, wrong time.” He watched a car drive slowly by.

  “Jessica?” his boss said. “Is this getting too personal for you?”

  “No,” Kace said quickly.

  “Think it’s an inside job?” Lt. Jackson asked.

  Kace walked around the side of the building where the storage room was located. Maybe the person had left being the curtain. “Could be. The waitress seems a little cagey. Every time I’m near her, she goes out of her way to be elsewhere.”

  “Check into her,” Lt. Jackson said. “For now stick with the manager. If they hit her once, they are likely to do it again. If we can be there, that would be best. I want to stop this before Finn and his men take it to the next level.”

  “Understood,” Kace replied and hit off.

  The window was slightly ajar. It was clear someone had been in a hurry when they left. Broken bottles littered the area. The harsh smell of liquor still filled the air, and it was clear what they had been after. Seemed like such a petty thing for the Russians to go after, but then again, liquor smuggling had a pretty large profit potential. He might have even suspected Finn of stealing his own liquor if he wasn’t spending so much time trying to shut him out.

  Puzzled with his findings, he walked back to the front and strolled in. Officers nodded to him as he made his way to the office. Several of the staff at the club were giving witness statements, but from the little he had garnered, no one seemed to know what had happened.

  He was glad to find Jessica sitting while two paramedics looked her over. Someone had wiped the blood off of her face. He had been shocked at how much she bled and wondered if she might suffer, but the color seemed to be coming back to her face. He was glad to see her sitting up without swaying.

  He turned to mention the bottles to Finn but was surprised to find his brother Reed there.

  “What
are you doing here?” he said to Reed. His brother was an imposing force, and even if he wasn’t keen on getting him involved, it was a relief to have someone on his side.

  “I hired him.” Finn stared pointedly at the paramedics. “A security firm seems like a good idea. Not like we can always rely on the cops.”

  Kace frowned. Maybe if Finn could stay on the side of good, he wouldn’t feel that way.

  The paramedics finished wrapping Jessica’s head. The thick, white cloth wrapped around her head was a reminder that he had failed her. One of the paramedics looked around the room and paled. Kace could see why they might be intimidated. Each of them was scary in their own right. The paramedics glanced between the various large men and hurried out of the room.

  Kace turned and saw Jessica struggle to stand up. He frowned and lowered her back down. When he sat with her on the couch, she stilled.

  “I’m here because they are having a problem,” Reed said. He leaned against the desk and watched out the door. “Money and liquor have been disappearing. They hired me to find out where it’s going.”

  “I think tonight must have been about the liquor,” Kace said. All eyes turned to him. “Out in the alley by the window, there are freshly broken bottles. It must be how they are getting them out of here.”

  Reed nodded. “I’ll send some men around to check on that. Maybe just securing the window will help on that front.”

  “Or at least prevent any more unwanted guests.” Kace turned to look at Jessica. She was watching them quietly. It was the least he had ever heard her speak.

  “Of course,” Finn continued. “All that changed tonight. They will be watching the place from now on. I can’t have my employees being hurt.”

  Kace looked to his brother. He knew this was what he did, but it didn’t mean he liked it. There were plenty of things that Reed and his crew did that more than crossed the lines of the law.

  “Olivia okay with this?” Kace asked.

  Reed chuckled. “It will mostly be Liam and Ryder on this one. She’s not so keen on me being out in the field after the last assignment.”

  “You didn’t tell her about all this did you?” Kace watched as Jessica worried her bottom lip. His eyes fixed on her mouth.

  “She just knows there was trouble, and you’re fine,” Reed said. “Try not to go into detail. Her hormones…” He looked around for help.

  Jessica laughed. “I know. She’s a prego crazy lady.”

  Reed grinned at her sheepishly.

  Kace knew things had been a little tough, but the problem was less about Olivia being bitchy. That they could all handle. No, she worried over the slightest of things. Last week, his brother Ryder got a small nick from the razor. She nearly had them heading to the hospital. Not that anyone blamed her. After the run in with Neil and the Russians, Olivia had her fill of the bad situations.

  “So what’s the plan?” Kace spoke finally.

  “I’m going to continue with the tracing,” Reed said. “This trail for the accounts has been more difficult than we anticipated, and so far, they have us going in circles. One of the men will be on duty in the club. When they close, they will take Jessica home.”

  “I’ll take her home,” Kace said.

  The room got quiet. He bit back a remark when Finn raised an eyebrow and grinned at him.

  “You really don’t have to do that,” Jessica said quietly next to him.

  He couldn’t explain it, but her comment really pissed him. Like hell he was letting Liam or Ryder anywhere near her. He stared into her eyes and wondered what it was that he was hoping to get from this. It would clearly be a very bad idea to get involved, but he couldn’t help the heat that rose in him.

  “I’m taking you home,” he said slowly.

  Her pupils dilated. Something in him flared. She was so close, he could almost smell the soap on her skin. She shivered and wrapped herself deeper into the coat. He liked that it was his smell she was snuggling into.

  Reed cleared his throat, and Kace looked at him. “So, you are on car duty. What are your orders?”

  Kace hesitated. Lt. Jackson never really said anything about what he could or couldn’t tell. He sighed.

  “Watch the place and report if there is any activity,” he said.

  “And if there is?” Finn cocked an eyebrow.

  Kace folded his arms over his chest. He wasn’t going to be intimidated by him.

  “If there is, I call it in and try to contain things,” he said. “We don’t care about your war, but we can’t have this thing going to the streets. There are a lot of innocent people who could get hurt.”

  Finn nodded. “I think we both have the same mission in mind.” A sinister smile slipped on his face. “However, our execution might be slightly different.”

  Kace knew what he meant. Despite being bound by the law to try and bring in Viktor, the local head of the Russian mob, he wouldn’t exactly weep if the scumbag turned up dead. He held Finn’s gaze for a moment and then nodded.

  “I think I should get you home,” Kace said and turned to Jessica.

  Her eyes were drooping closed. He worried that she might need to go to the hospital.

  “Is she cleared to go?” Kace asked.

  Finn glared at her. “No,” he said firmly. Her impatient sigh was all the confirmation he needed. “She needs to have a CAT scan and be watched for a concussion.”

  “I told you,” she said, shifting to stand. She made her way up and stood without wobbling. “I’m fine. I just need some damn sleep, and I’m off tomorrow.”

  His eyes widened. It was the first time he’s heard her talk that way to Finn. Kace looked back to the man.

  Finn pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, but if you aren’t better tomorrow, off to the hospital with you. I’m not going to have you dropping dead on my watch.”

  Kace would have laughed at the situation if he didn’t agree completely with Finn, which only managed to really piss him off.

  “And don’t forget the wrench,” Finn said. He reached over to a chair, picked up a heavy wrench and then pushed the heavy tool into Kace’s hands.

  Jessica walked over to Finn and patted him on the chest. Kace frowned.

  “Thank you,” she whispered and walked out of the room.

  Kace nodded to the man and followed her.

  Chapter Four

  Jessica slowly inched into the car. Despite what she had said, her head felt like hell. If her sister weren’t at home waiting, she would have gone to the hospital, but it would have worried Victoria, and she really didn’t need that. Besides, there was no way Jessica was going to waste a perfectly good day off in the hospital.

  Kace climbed into the car next to her. She wrapped his coat a little tighter around her. For some reason, since being in his arms, she couldn’t forget the feeling of being held by him. Her nose dipped down to the collar of the jacket. His woodsy smell surrounded her and made her nipples tighten with need.

  She laughed a little. Maybe she had been hit a little harder than she thought. The two of them were like oil and water.

  “I’m sorry,” he said after letting the car warm up a little.

  She turned and gave him a puzzled look.

  “About your dad,” he said quietly. “It wasn’t fair, and I was just flustered.”

  Jessica froze. Her father had always been a sore topic for her, but she was surprised Kace would apologize.

  “Just remember,” she said, staring out the window. “I’m not him.”

  “That’s obvious,” Kace said.

  She smiled. It was obvious. She had gone out of her way to separate herself from her father.

  “Thanks,” she said. She smiled at Kace and snuggled down deeper into the seat as he drove out.

  She continued to smile and look out the window as they moved through the still night. It had been one bad day, no doubt, but she was glad to have made progress with Kace.

  As she watched streets go by, she frowned. It was pretty amazing ho
w he knew to get to her house without so much as even a slight suggestion.

  “Have you been spying on me?” She turned and watched his previous good humor vanish.

  His hands gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “It’s my job.”

  Jessica choked on his words as they lanced through her. His job. That’s all this was to him. She had to keep reminding herself, or this would be trouble.

  They pulled up outside the house, and she jumped out.

  “Don’t worry about tomorrow,” she said. “There are others who can take me home that won’t automatically assume I’m a criminal. Thanks for the ride.” She tossed his jacket in his face and slammed the door. Jessica stomped up the stairs and ignored his calls to her to stop.

  After she shut the door to the house, she sighed. Maybe she could put this shitty day behind her.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Victoria said. She stood, looking angry, in the entry of the living room. Her face fell when she spotted the bandage. “What happened to you?”

  Jessica stopped and stared at her sister. It wasn’t often that she cursed, but when she did, all hell liked to break loose. Better to head this off with the truth.

  “We had trouble at work,” she said and headed to the kitchen.

  “What kind of trouble?” Victoria said as she followed. Her voiced was thick with worry.

  “Someone broke in and whacked me on the head when I wasn’t looking.”

  Victoria gasped. “They didn’t…” Her eyes widened. “They didn’t do anything to you, right?”

  Jessica rummaged through the fridge, pulled out a beer and sat at the table. Victoria took a seat across from her.

  “They just wanted to get away.” Jessica took a long drink off her beer.

  “And did they get away?”

  Jessica nodded.

  “But I don’t want you to worry,” she said. “Finn has hired a team to watch the place, and that was a policeman who dropped me off.” Jessica took another long drink. “I’m telling you this so you can be aware. I wasn’t paying attention. That’s why this happened.”

  “It’s not safe there,” Victoria said quietly. “Mrs. Masing talks about how she doesn’t think you should be working there. That the man who owns the place is a thug.”