Kace (Allen Securities) Read online

  Finn walked back to the car and got in without a second glance.

  Liam stood silently behind him as they stared at the car.

  “His father used to beat his mother,” Liam said when he turned around. “No one could ever do anything for her because he was the boss, and you didn’t cross the boss.”

  Kace could feel his anger turning to pity. Feeling something for someone like Finn wasn’t something he wanted to examine too carefully. It put them too close to being similar. Putting a lid on those feelings, he faced the problem at hand.

  “Did you find anything useful?” Kace asked.

  Liam held up a small bag. “It’s not much. A smudged partial print, a cigarette butt, and a candy wrapper. Not enough for the cops to bother with, but it might be something for us. You okay with this?” Liam held up the bag. “I know you haven’t always been a fan of the way we go about getting information.”

  Kace glanced toward the car and then back at the bag. For as much as he didn’t want it to be true, Finn was right. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do to protect the people he cared about. And right now, Jessica was in danger.

  “Do it,” he said. “Let me know when you have something.”

  Kace walked to the street and glanced around. The sun would be up soon. He could feel the need to sleep deep in his bones.

  “What are you going to do when this all goes down?” Liam asked.

  Kace sighed. “I don’t know.”

  “We need people like him,” Liam said quietly. “The city is being flooded with people that are outside your reach with the methods you use. He’s outside all that. And despite some of his criminal behavior, he’s the one thing keeping things from tipping to the side of bad.” Liam scrubbed his face and seemed to struggle with what he had to say. “Things are tough right now. He can’t really trust many of his men, and the ones he does trust have to watch the others. If things don’t end in his favor, I’m afraid we could all be sorry.” Liam sighed. “He needs us more than he ever wanted to, and if we’re all going to come out of this alive, we need him.”

  Kace nodded. It seemed to counter everything he had learned from Lt. Jackson.

  “Keep me posted on the results,” he said and climbed into his car. He was going to have to make a decision at some point but right now, all he wanted was a hot meal and a good sleep.

  He shoved his thoughts down and drove toward home.

  Chapter Eight

  Jessica tossed the covers off at the first sight of morning and cursed the new day. What was the point of even trying to sleep when it never came or, when it did, her thoughts were filled with Kace? If she didn’t start getting some decent sleep, she was going to lose it. The last time she had slept well was at the beginning of the week while in his arms. Here it was Saturday already and still no luck. One more day of this, and she was going to call him over just so she could sleep.

  Of course, maybe the events of the week had something to do with that. She wasn’t certain who was avoiding who, but they had both been doing a pretty good job of it. Being in a relationship was the last thing either of them needed, especially with each other. But for some reason, she just couldn’t seem to convince her body that was true.

  Her muscles groaned as she slipped out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. When she looked in the mirror, she winced. Dark circles highlighted the red in her eyes. She’d even lost a little weight, which made her color seem a little off.

  She couldn’t help it though. Wherever she went, he was always there watching her. Of course, that was his job, but it wasn’t helping the situation. Every night she wondered if he felt the same draw when he dropped her off at the house.

  Jessica groaned and climbed into the shower. She had to stop thinking about him. Her sexual frustration had reached all new peaks, and even when she helped herself, there was little relief. It just came back full force.

  At least tonight she’d get a little break. Meg and Irene wanted to go to the club for a few drinks and dancing. She had been so resistant when Finn insisted she take the night off, but now she was grateful. A night off was just what she needed. Everything had been pretty laid back at work, and if anything did happen, Finn would be on duty to handle it.

  * * *

  Kace grumbled as Meg sat at his table. Not only was he tired from the week, but this was one of the few days he was able to lay around the house, and his younger sister woke him up. On and on she talked about going to the club later. It wasn’t until she mentioned needing a ride that he was able to piece the whole thing together.

  “So let me see if I get this right,” he said. “You want me to spend one of the few nights I’ve had off in weeks, driving you and your drunk friends around.”

  “Well, I just thought you might want to keep an eye on Jessica, but if not, I can always call Cage. I’m sure he won’t make a pass.” She smiled sweetly.

  Kace felt his blood pressure rise. Cage was a great guy, but when it came to women, he just couldn’t help himself. And there was no way that was going to happen.

  “Fuck,” he groaned. “What time?”

  * * *

  Jessica stared at herself in the mirror. A little better. At least the makeup was able to mostly cover the dark circles. It did nothing for the red in her eyes, but there was little that could be done about that.

  The black dress, now that looked good. She hadn’t had much opportunity to wear it since she bought it, but it was well worth the wait. It hugged her curves in all the right ways and dipped low for just the right amount of cleavage. She blushed thinking about the last time she wore something that revealing. This time she was wearing a bra and panties though, so she didn’t feel quite as exposed.

  She jumped when the bell to the door chimed and peeked around the corner at the clock. Early as always.

  She raced down the stairs and stopped short when she saw Kace through the window. He didn’t look very happy. Jessica opened the door.

  “You really think going to the club is the best idea?” he said and charged into the house. “Considering everything?” He stopped and stared openly at her.

  She closed the door and looked back to him.

  “Why is going to the club such a bad idea?” Jessica crossed her arms and glared at him.

  Kace stepped closer to her. “For one, I’m not there.”

  “So. Liam or Ryder should be. Not to mention that Finn is working the back tonight.” She felt the quiver inside that she got every time he was near her.

  “That’s not the same,” he said gruffly and moved even closer.

  “Why?” she whispered.

  They stared at each other for several long moments, neither saying anything.

  “Where’s your sister?” His eyes dilated as he stepped even closer.

  “She’s staying the night with Irene’s cousin at Irene’s house,” she said. Her voice had dropped to a husky whisper.

  “Is that so?” He moved in closer. She gasped when their bodies lightly touched.

  She stamped down her oversensitive body and turned her head to the side. “Not that it matters. You’ve been avoiding me all week.”

  She jumped when his palm slammed into the door behind her, above her shoulder.

  “I’ve been avoiding you all week at work, so I can keep my mind sharp in order to protect you. Every time I’m with you, all I can think is the sweet sound you made as you came and how bad I want to sink into you.” He breathed heavy, and when she turned to look at him, she saw how tortured he was. “At night you’re so tired I’m surprised you can even make it in the door.”

  He leaned forward on his arm, crushing his body into hers. His other hand cupped her cheek and swept a thumb under her eyes.

  “You need to sleep more,” he whispered.

  “I can’t.” She turned into his touch.

  He frowned. “If you’re worried, you don’t have to be. I’ll protect you.”

  Jessica shook her head and nibbled her lip. If she said it, there would be no g
oing back. His hand slid down to her neck, and she sighed. When she looked up at him, all she saw was concern.

  “It’s you,” she whispered. “I can’t sleep because of you.”

  Kace groaned as his mouth met hers. She didn’t hold back this time. Her tongue licked the seam of his mouth, and she smiled when he opened to her. Battling with him for control, she pulled back to nip at his lips and took delight when he rocked against her.

  Not stopping her assault, she moved along his neck and to the sensitive spot near the ears.

  “Fuck,” he grunted.

  He jumped when her hand slipped between them and traced the hard length in his pants. Jessica couldn’t wait to free him. She knew from last time he was large and wanted to feel that for herself.

  His phone chimed and he pulled away.

  Jessica groaned and leaned her head against the door while he pulled out the phone from his pocket.

  “You have the worst fucking timing ever,” he growled into the phone.

  She giggled slightly

  “Whatever.” He smiled. His eyes burned with desire for her. “You set this all up. I should just let you wait a bit.”

  She could hear the distinct screech of a woman on the phone. Jessica leaned her head forward and rested it on his chest.

  “Fine,” he bit out and put the phone back in his pocket.

  Jessica breathed in the fresh laundry smell he carried with him. Hints of sandalwood mixed with the smell, and she wondered if he used sandalwood soap.

  “I’m pretty sure it’s not murder if it’s your sister,” he said and rested his chin on her head.

  Jessica chuckled.

  “I assume you were supposed to pick me up and then them?” She tilted her head back to look at him.

  “We could still blow them off. Irene is nice, I bet she wouldn’t mind.” His hand crept dangerously toward the swell of her ass.

  “And Meg?” She raised a brow.

  Kace shrugged. “She’d get over it.”

  Jessica laughed. “Meg doesn’t strike me as someone who would get over it. Maybe you meant get even?”

  Kace laughed and she liked the sound. It seemed like all they did was deal with shit or moon over each other. Maybe a night out would be fun for them.

  She stood on her toes and pulled his face to hers. After a light kiss, she pulled away.

  “Just let me get my shoes,” she said.

  She laughed at his groan as she hurried up the stairs.

  * * *

  Kace glared in the mirror as Meg grinned happily back at him. Her dark brown hair slipped into her face.

  “So Jessica, it must be nice to know that Kace is watching your ass.”

  He gripped the steering wheel hard as Jessica blushed. The pink in her cheeks contrasted with her pale skin and black hair.

  “It’s been very reassuring,” she said quietly.

  Despite his sister being a pain in the ass, he smiled. He liked that Jessica felt safe with him.

  They pulled up outside the club, cutting off any further pokes.

  “Doesn’t look very busy.” Jessica frowned.

  Kace glanced back to Meg and tried to catch her eye, but she was already talking.

  “Lot of people were told to avoid it, or they could have Russian trouble,” she said.

  Jessica turned to Kace. “Is that true?”

  He glared at his sister in the mirror who had the common sense to look sorry.

  Kace turned to Jessica. “That’s the word. Hard to say how much is true and how much is just a threat.”

  Irene’s small voice came from the back. “Are we safe here?”

  Kace nodded. “Liam and Finn are both on duty, and Ryder has been making the rounds. Counting Dale at the door and Meg and I, someone would have to be a fool to come in.”

  Irene glanced from the club and back. Her panicked face didn’t seem to fade much, and he wondered if it was the Russians or Ryder that made her more worried. His heart twisted for his brother and his choice in women. This was not a woman that could handle a man like him.

  “Let’s go inside,” Jessica said and touched his hand. His thumb stroked the palm of her hand. He winked when she shivered.

  “Yes, let’s go in.” Meg rolled her eyes. “There’s only so much eye fucking I can take in one night.”

  Kace turned and stared at her directly in the eyes. “Well then you picked the wrong night to go out.”

  “Kace!” Jessica swatted him.

  He looked back to Meg who grinned openly at him. “Well at least I know what to expect.”

  They climbed out and greeted Dale at the door.

  Jessica checked the table chart and moved them to the back of the club, not quite to the private tables but away from the smattering of others that had braved coming in.

  He nodded to Ryder, who was seated a few tables away. Liam and Finn were at the bar, their heads close together, talking. They pulled apart when the noticed Kace’s party and headed their way.

  Finn gave a stern look to Jessica. “You’re supposed to be resting.”

  Jessica laughed. “Don’t blame me. I got roped into going out.”

  He shot Kace a hard look. Kace threw his hands up and placed one on the back of Jessica’s chair.

  “Don’t blame me, I wanted to stay in.” He smiled when Finn raised an eyebrow.

  He knew it was embarrassing the hell out of her, but he just had to stake his claim. Not knowing what the end game was with Finn was driving him crazy. There were times he was certain Finn seemed interested in her.

  “Really, I’m fine,” she said and looked between then. Kace couldn’t help but run his thumb over the exposed skin at her neck. He smiled when she shivered.

  “Well,” Meg said, standing. “You all continue your pissing contest while we use the bathroom. It would be nice if you were finished by the time we get back.”

  Kace chuckled. For being the baby of the group, she certainly didn’t mince words. But then growing up in a house of boys would do that to you. Jessica stood to walk away, and his hand skimmed down her body. She looked down at him with intense heat.

  “Hurry back,” he said quietly.

  He watched as they made their way across the room.

  “So it’s like that?” Finn asked from next to him.

  “It is,” Kace said, never taking his eyes off of them.

  “It’s not a competition,” Finn said and clapped him on the shoulder.

  Kace turn to look at the man and raised an eyebrow. Finn waved a hand and sat next to him.

  “I think of her more like a guardian,” Finn said and sat down. “It’s my fault her father got taken in.”

  “That’s not true,” Liam interjected and took a set on the other side of Finn.

  Finn glared at Liam, then turned back to Kace. “My father had him set up. He needed him out of the way, and so he paid a guy. Later I found out that he had kids. When she came through my door for an interview, it was just luck that I could fix a wrong.”

  Kace stared for a moment. It hadn’t really been what he was expecting from the man.

  “I’ll say this though.” Finn leaned a little closer. “You hurt her, and cop or not, I’ll find a way to deal with you.”

  “That won’t be a problem.” Kace stared back at him.

  “Um,” a sweet voice cut through their conversation. “Can I get you some drinks?”

  Alyssa stood shyly to the side and tried to look anywhere but at Finn. Kace smiled warmly at her.

  “How about a couple pitchers of beer?” he said.

  She nodded and hurried away.

  “Still don’t trust her?” Kace said to Finn.

  “There’s just something about her,” he said and turned to watch her walk away.

  Kace stifled a smile at the obvious attraction Finn was feeling.

  “So did you hear anything back from Reed about the partial?” Kace asked.

  Liam shook his head.

  He grimaced. This was getting really
fucking old. They just needed to flush them out and make them take a stand.

  Kace stopped strumming his fingers and looked up.

  “That’s it,” he said. The two turned to look at him. “We just need to flush this guy out. So what if we just put the word out that we’ve got a print.”

  “But it’s not enough to get anything from,” Liam said.

  Kace shrugged. “So we just don’t tell that part. These guys aren’t smart enough to know how this works. They’ll screw up again, and we nab them.”

  Liam turned to Finn. “It might actually work. Now all we need is for the nerds in the UK to figure this out.”

  “Nice,” Meg said with her hands on her hips. “I’m sure they would love the name calling.”

  He ignored her death glare at Liam. “How close are they?”

  “They have broken two of the security codes, but there are still two to go.” She turned to Jessica. “It’s actually all very interesting. I’m thinking of taking four months to go train under them.”

  The table jumped when Liam stood. His chair rocked back dangerously.

  “You can’t go over there,” Liam said, his breathing heavy.

  Meg stood, put her hands on the table and leaned over. “You aren’t my father.”

  Liam laughed and plopped into a chair. “Well your father won’t let you go over there with a bunch of unknown men.”

  “Funny.” She smiled. “He was the one to suggest it.”

  Kace watched as the smile slid off of Liam’s face. The table sat in silence.

  He jumped when Jessica’s hand slipped onto his thigh.

  “Let’s dance,” she whispered.

  His body jumped to life as if she’s asked him to go to bed.

  Without a word, he followed her across the floor.

  Chapter Nine

  Jessica slipped her hand into his big one and loved that she felt so small around him. Being taller in general hadn’t led to much good for her, and it was nice to know she could feel small.