3. Welcome to the Hoopla

3 WELCOME TO THE HOOPLA

Koen

It had been a long, exhausting day of pounding the literal and figurative pavement in search of new leads to help us close several cases currently under investigation. All of us, minus Lanie who’d left early, were catching up on the piles of paperwork we’d neglected when Duncan announced we had visitors.

“Gentleman, I’d like to introduce Special Agents Reed Hendricks and Oakleigh Harty from the DEA,” Waverly announced when she entered the conference room.

Strolling in behind her, the two agents moved to occupy the open chairs on the opposite side of the conference table, where I sat with Noah and Keaton. Duncan took up his usual spot, leaning back against the wall with his feet crossed in front of him. Waverly joined him, which should’ve been my first clue something was off. Typically, she would have sat at the head of the table.

“Thank you, RAC Mitchell. We’ll get straight to the reason we’re here.” Reed slid a folder to each of us. The man looked to be in his late forties, while Oakleigh barely appeared old enough to vote. They were both dressed in business casual with their service weapons secured on their hips.

“I presume you’ve heard about the latest and greatest drug to hit the streets, Tranq Dope,” Oakleigh began. “What you may not know is we believe it’s being manufactured here in West Virginia.”

“We’ve narrowed the players down to one particular group with ties to Los Tredos in California.”

At Reed's mention of the name of the gang responsible for gunning down my father, my blood ran cold. Los Tredos was into everything from drug and gun trafficking, kidnapping, prostitution, and murder.

“Not surprising,” Noah scoffed.

“With all due respect, let’s cut the bullshit. What do you need from us?”

Keaton said what we were all thinking. This meeting was about more than the opportunity for a career-making drug bust. When the two agents shifted uncomfortably in their seats, a knot formed in my stomach.

“We believe Los Tredos is attempting to expand their extensive repertoire. The gang's top dog, Victor Macha, was recently spotted having dinner with Machail Bolotov, the head of the Bolotov Bratva,” Oakleigh explained. “Two days later, an unmarked SUV carrying a federal witness set to testify against the Bratva, along with their protection detail, exploded five minutes before it arrived at the courthouse. Everyone inside the vehicle was killed instantly.”

A chorus of “Fucks” rang out through the room.

“It was a test of loyalty,” she went on. “For the past three months, we’ve partnered with Homeland in attempts to infiltrate Los Tredos.”

Duncan left his post against the wall, dragging a chair out from under the table and spinning it around, then eased onto it backward. “How’d that work out for you? They’re blood in, blood out.”

“Which is why we want to try to get someone on the inside here in West Virginia. Away from the watchful eyes of the big boss.”

“You obviously have a plan, so you may as well just spit it out,” I grumbled.

“We’ve had Brandon Little under surveillance for a little over a month. According to what we’ve observed, he’s the drug connection to Los Tredos. He’s also a sucker for gorgeous blondes.”

“You want Lanie to go undercover.”

Keaton’s statement was followed immediately by a stern, “Fuck no,” from Noah.

Ignoring everyone else in the room, I narrowed my gaze on the two agents in front of me. Something wasn’t adding up.

“You mean to tell me the DEA doesn’t employ anyone who would fit the description? Why Lanie? What aren’t you saying?”

“You’re right, Koen,” Reed relinquished, shaking his head. “Had we known Agent Biggs wouldn’t be joining us today, we’d have rescheduled for a time when she was available. However, since you asked, I’ll tell you this much. There’s a history between her and Brandon Little.”

Wrenching back from the table, Noah sneered, “What kind of history?”

Noah was damn-near robotic when it came to showing emotion, however, recently when Lanie was involved, his normally stoic behavior had begun to falter. There were little things—subtle things—I’d picked up on over the past couple of months, like the way his eyes sought her out the moment he entered a room. To the untrained eye, his behavior might not have seemed out of the norm. However, my gut told me there was more at play than his instinctual need to protect.

Both agents stood, making it clear they wouldn’t be sharing anything else. While I understood their reluctance, it still pissed me off.

“Let’s reconvene tomorrow morning when she’s available,” Waverly spoke her first words since making introductions.

Without so much as a nod in our direction, they exited the room, leaving Keaton, Noah, and me with more questions than answers.

“This is fucking bullshit,” Keaton fired off, smacking his palms against the wooden table.

“Totally,” I agreed. “But there’s not a whole lot we can do about it until we have the full scoop.”

“We could have Nelson look into this Little character,” he suggested. “He’d find the connection in two seconds flat.”

“And risk the wrath of Lanie when she finds out we dug into her past behind her back? I’d prefer to keep my balls swinging right where they are, thank you very much.”

We continued to deliberate while Noah remained eerily silent. He stared straight ahead while the fingers of one hand tapped out a nervous rhythm against the table; the only sign of his internal turmoil. Finally, he jerked to his feet, upending the chair in the process.

“I have to talk to Lanie,” he mumbled, marching through the doorway.

“Or we could do that.” Keaton shook his head as we scrambled to catch up with our friend.

“Welcome to the hoopla,” Jade slurred when she opened the door to her house thirty minutes later.

Once we left the office, Keaton texted Henley and found out the girls were successful with their intervention, prompting a celebration of sorts, which clearly involved an absurd amount of alcohol.

“You drunk, Angel?”

“Little bit.” She scrunched up her face while holding her thumb and forefinger up to show me how much.

Damn. She was adorable.

“Let’s get you some water.” I steered her down the hallway toward the kitchen with a hand on her lower back.

“Probably smart.”

At the sink, I situated her against the counter, making certain she was stable enough to stand on her own as I rummaged through the cupboards for a glass. Once it was filled, I handed it to her, then mirrored her position.

“Where’s Jett?”

“Upstairs in his room, as usual.” She sighed. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately.”

“Give it time, Jade. He’s a teenage boy full of hormones.”

“It’s not his hormones I’m worried about.”

Leaning in, I lowered my voice. “Have you had any time to think about my proposal?”

It wasn’t exactly fair of me to ask her when she wasn’t thinking clearly, however, I wasn’t above taking advantage of her inebriated state.

“It’s all I’ve thought about.”

“And?” I drew out the word.

“I have questions. ”

Interlacing our fingers, I held on tight like the simple connection was a lifeline. Considering her next words had the potential to alter our lives, it was.

“Ask away, Angel.”

After a few beats, she blew out a ragged breath.

“How would this work? I mean, we aren’t exactly dating, Koen.”

“That changes now.” Turning, I placed my free hand on the counter, while maintaining contact with the other, “I’d like to think I’ve been pretty obvious about my intentions, but just in case, I’ll make it crystal clear. I want a relationship with you beyond friendship.”

“Why?” She tilted her head back and to the side, those chocolate irises searching relentlessly for the truth. So I gave it to her.

“Life is too fucking short. I’m twenty-five years old. I have a job I love, a group of friends who would take a literal bullet for me and I them. Now, I’ve met someone who I can picture a beautiful future with. There’s no way I want to waste a second of the time I have left on this earth searching for something when it’s right in front of me.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Nothing is guaranteed, Jade. You just have to be brave enough to take the leap.”

A comfortable silence fell between us, only broken by the low hum of conversation from our friends in the next room. Taking a drink of water, Jade tapped out a nervous rhythm with two fingers against the glass as she stared straight ahead, seemingly lost in thought. I opened my mouth to speak, but she cleared her throat, shifting slightly to face me. We were separated by mere inches, close enough for me to catch a glimpse of minuscule flecks of gold along the outer edges of her deep-brown eyes. Desire wafted between us, hotter than a volcano on the verge of eruption. I was entranced by her beauty, which was nothing new.

“Okay,” she announced hesitantly.

“Okay?”

“I’ll marry you.”

“Be sure, Angel. We may be doing this ass-backward, however, if this thing between us goes the way I hope, I’m not planning to let you go.”

“It’s you who needs to be sure, Koen. My parents are drug-addicted assholes, who associate with some very dangerous people.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I devour criminals for breakfast.” I smiled wide.

“I’m serious.”

Brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, I sobered.

“So am I. They won’t touch you. Either of you. I promise.”

My gaze dropped to her mouth, her plump pink lips begging to be kissed. I leaned in slowly, giving her time to push me away, just as Noah’s raised voice interrupted my first taste of heaven.

“Have you lost your mind?”

“Shit,” I swore. “We’d better get in there.”

Taking the glass from her hand, I set it on the counter, then followed as she led the way. All six feet of Noah stood nose to nose, scowling at an amused Lanie in the middle of the living room. Keaton shouldered his way between them in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

“Settle down, man.” He splayed a hand in the center of Noah’s chest, giving him a slight shove backward, while placing himself directly in front of Lanie.

“It’s funny you think you have a say in how I perform my job.” She rolled her eyes .

“What if this guy knows you’re a Fed, huh? What then?”

“We won’t know shit until the DEA gives us the full brief, will we?”

She was right. Their argument was pointless and going nowhere fast. Without all the information, we had no idea if their plan had merit.

“Why don’t we all just calm the fuck down for a minute and have a discussion like a bunch of adults,” I offered, steering Jade toward the couch, away from any potential blowback.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Noah’s head swung in my direction; his eyes narrowed to slits.

“Fuck you, Koen,” he seethed. “What if we were talking about putting Jade in danger?”

My long stride ate up the space between us as I came to an abrupt stop next to Keaton. Noah wasn’t fooling anyone except himself. The idiot had it bad, but was too damn stubborn to go for what he wanted. I’d suspected for months his feelings for Lanie ran deeper than being coworkers and friends. Now he’d unknowingly shown his cards.

“The difference is Lanie’s a highly trained, highly lethal FBI agent.”

“Even the best of the best can get dead.”

“Noah.” Lanie pushed her way through our makeshift barricade. “We have to hear them out, and you need to trust I wouldn’t do anything to put a target on my back.”

“Not you I don’t trust, Lanes.”

“Listen. I grew up with Brandon Little. We were friends. Hell, he even dated my best friend before she disappeared. It’s going to be okay.”

“Your best friend who was abducted into a human trafficking ring, then later killed? How sure are you that he wasn’t involved back then?”

“I’m positive. His family moved out of state six months before it happened.”

“Whatever. He still could’ve been in on it.”

Lanie ignored him, returned to her seat, and grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza out of the box. The timing of it all did seem eerily suspicious, especially given the kind of people Brandon was involved with. I had no doubt Noah would be looking into it further.

Jade

Even with my alcohol-induced brain fog, I detected the pulse of sexual tension between the two of them. I had no idea what caused the usually unflappable Noah to flip his shit, and I’m not sure I wanted to. Thankfully, after his momentary outburst, everything calmed down.

Once the pizza was completely devoured, Noah bid us all goodnight as he slipped out the front door, with Lanie quickly on his heels. Keaton and Henley weren’t far behind them, leaving Koen and I to clean up the remnants of the impromptu get-together.

My stomach flipped at the notion of being alone with him, sending a tidal wave of apprehension through my system. I was almost certain he’d been about to kiss me in the kitchen earlier, and the crazy part was, I wanted him to finish what he started.

For so long, I’d been hyperfocused on simply surviving that I’d dismissed any possibility of an intimate relationship. Jett’s well-being would always be my priority, even if it meant my wants and needs took a back seat. However, as I watched Koen gather the full trash bag out of the can, setting it outside, I wondered if I’d been mistaken. Was it possible to give my brother the world and be happy at the same time? My heart stuttered behind my ribs at the thought. I guess I was about to find out.

“Hey. What’s wrong?”

A hint of concern laced his deep voice. My eyes stung as wetness gathered on my lashes. When was the last time someone asked me that question and truly meant it? Maybe…never?

“Nothing.” I breathed deeply through my nose to stem the flow of unwanted tears.

“No more hiding from me, Jade. I’m here for you, through good times and bad. It may be unconventional, but we’re going to be married soon and I take those vows seriously.”

“How soon is soon?”

“By the end of the week, if I can make it happen.”

“Could we keep it a secret for a little while?” His clean-shaven jaw clenched and he looked about ready to put up a fight, so I blurted out, “I don’t want our friends judging us for rushing to the altar.”

“They’d never do that; however, I understand where you’re coming from. We can keep our marriage quiet for now, but I won’t keep the fact we’re dating from them.”

“Thank you.”

“Anything for you, Angel.”

“Why do you call me that?”

He shrugged his shoulders, dipping his stunning green eyes to mine. The way he stared at me made heat bloom across my cheeks, matching the flames of desire which had suddenly taken up residence in my lady bits.

“They’re protectors—guardians, actually—who are extraordinarily beautiful. You fit the bill to a T.”

Oh hell.

This man was dangerous and I didn’t mean because he carried a gun on his hip. He had the potential to either destroy me or save me, and at the moment, I wasn’t sure which one scared me more.

“I edit books for romance authors.”

Gasping, I slapped a hand over my mouth, as if the act itself would prevent any other words from slipping through my lips. Why on earth I had chosen this very second to reveal one of the skeletons in my closet was a question for another day. Along with what was so special about Koen Banks that made me want to drop to my knees and confess every one of my sins at his feet? I knew the answers, I just didn’t want to get my hopes up, only to be let down spectacularly. Story of my life.

“Really? How did I not know this?”

“It’s not like I go around advertising it. Henley and Lanie are the only people I’ve told besides Jett.”

“When you say romance books…how spicy are we talking here?” He raised his eyebrows; a gigantic smile creeping across his face.

Again, I blushed as my eyes drifted shut.

“Never mind. Your reaction says it all.” He sobered.

“So you’re working two jobs in order to support yourself and Jett?”

I nodded, utterly embarrassed. “My grandmother left me the house when she died. It’s paid off so there’s no mortgage, but it desperately needs an overhaul. I’ve been doing most of the work myself to save money, though it’s taking a lot longer than I expected it would.”

“I’ll help you.”

“You don’t?—”

“Let me look after you for once. You’ve spent your entire life catering to others. It’s someone else’s turn to help carry your burdens.”

He left soon after, his hungry gaze lingering as he walked backward down the sidewalk to his car. It was his last words though, spoken against my ear like a whisper on the wind, which took up residence in my heart.

“I really, really want to kiss you right now, but I’d like to wait until we say ‘I do’ for all our firsts to begin.”

Talk about soaking your panties. I needed a shower and an extended session with my trusty vibrator, Bic, more than my next breath. Unfortunately, when I turned to go back inside, Jett was sitting near the bottom of the stairs.

“There’s a couple slices of pizza in the fridge with your name on them.” I plodded up the first three steps, turned, then wedged myself next to him.

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” he mumbled.

“Are you hanging out with Nelson tomorrow after school?”

“Yup.”

“Do you think you could string together more than one-word answers?

“Maybe.” He smiled smugly.

“Little shit.” I nudged him with my shoulder.

“How come you get to cuss freely, yet when I let one accidentally fly, you threaten to ground me?”

“First of all, you rarely do anything accidentally, Jett. Second, I’m the only adult in this equation.”

“Only for two more years.”

“Two years and twelve days, thank you very much. Speaking of, what do you want for your sixteenth birthday?”

“A car?”

“You don’t have your license yet. Besides, have you seen the junker I drive?”

“What’s my budget?”

I hated how he knew our financial situation. It wasn’t as if I went around announcing how dire it was sometimes, but he wasn’t dumb. He saw the pile of past due notices piling up on the kitchen counter. Maybe one day, if my luck shifted, I’d be able to pay all of my bills when they were due, instead of robbing Peter to pay Paul. It was an endless cycle, one I hoped to break once I picked up more editing gigs.

“Five hundred,” I told him, mentally calculating my potential income over the next week and a half. Cutting out anything that wasn’t a necessity of life still wouldn’t come close to the amount I gave him. Then again, depending on what he wanted, I could do one of those “buy now, pay later” deals, if they didn’t take your credit score into account.

“How about a new external hard drive for my laptop, a used one would work too. I’m running low on storage space.”

Actually, he could use a brand-new computer. His was secondhand when Gran bought it for him three years ago.

“Sounds great. Look up what you want and shoot me a text with the specifics. Do you want to invite anyone over?”

“Pheebs.”

Phoebe Jenkins was an awkward goofball with a fiery spirit. I absolutely loved her. She was also Jett’s best friend. When the two of them got together, they’d huddle up in the living room, gabbing incessantly about the latest and greatest video game or watching old reruns of Friends. Come to think of it, she reminded me of her namesake on the show. Cute with a side of quirky.

“Cool.”

He appeared lost in thought for a moment, his eyes shifting around without truly focusing on anything in particular.

“What’s going on with you and Koen?”

I froze, caught unprepared to answer questions about my budding relationship with the gorgeous agent. Especially when I didn’t know what to make of it. I’d felt an overwhelming connection with him, almost from the beginning. The problem was, my emotions bounced all over the place where he was concerned. Did I want to climb his hard body like a freaking tree? Undeniably. However—and here came the tricky part—I wanted a whole lot more. The way he made me experience both desire and safety confused the hell out of me. Probably because I’d never had either.

Blame it on the insane amount of romance novels I read, but I wanted the Rolls Royce version of falling in love. The kind where my partner offered up the moon and stars for my affection. If his statement earlier about not letting me go was any indication, Koen had the potential to give me just that. Could I trust him though? It wasn’t a concept which came easily to me, ever since my creators decided getting high and gambling were more important than providing for their own flesh and blood.

Koen had already proven he was a protector. Case in point, his insane proposal. Plus, there was more than a passing interest on both our parts to explore a relationship. My heart knew he had the best of intentions, although it was taking a smidge longer for my head to get on board.

“We’re dating, apparently,” I answered truthfully .

“I’m glad.”

“You’re okay with it?”

“More than. He’s good for you.”

“I think he’ll be good for both of us,” I offered quietly, leaning my head against his shoulder.

“Yeah.”

Long minutes passed while we sat in relative quiet. The old grandfather clock in the hall provided a calming backdrop as it ticked away the seconds. So much so, I could’ve fallen asleep right there.

We rose simultaneously, then went in opposite directions when we reached the top of the old staircase;

“I love you, Jett.”

“Love you too, Sis.”

I heard the soft click of his door closing when I whispered, “I’ve got you.”