3. Hartley

3

HARTLEY

The drive to the police station was done in silence. I didn’t go to the room Vail and Lana did, instead sitting in the SUV and waiting with the twins and Sheldon. Lana had driven herself because she was going to have to stay longer.

It felt like hours had gone by, but the clock told me that wasn’t the case. When Vail exited, he looked even more defeated than before. How much did he have to recount for the police? How much more did they need to know when they already had reports of what happened to him, thanks to Gil?

Reghan didn’t wait for Vail to put his seat belt on before pulling away from the curb and driving us home. Vail stayed quiet, leaning heavily against me.

Even once we were inside, I didn’t want to let him go. While he was telling the story of what happened to him when Lana was here, he had this blank look on his face as tears built in his eyes then fell down his cheeks. And when I hugged him, he didn’t move. He was trapped in the nightmare he had lived through.

Murdering someone wasn’t part of my thought process unless Gil was brought up. Now that I’d heard what I had, I wanted Jordan to take me with him so we could kill Gil together.

Jesus, what was happening to me? I was ready to commit murder.

Meh, it wasn’t like I’d get caught. Jordan was a pro, after all.

Now it was Vail and me. No Lana. No Jordan. Sheldon, Raiden, and Reghan were here.

They watched as Vail shuffled to the couch and sat down. I joined him on one side, Sheldon took the other. Tahoe lay on the floor, watching us. Raiden and Reghan sat in front of us on the coffee table, twins whose only difference was the scar that ran through Raiden’s right eyebrow. Normally they weren’t this close to us, but Jordan wasn’t here. The guards were getting along better with Vail, thanks to him being involved in their game nights where they played cards weekly.

“You heard everything,” Vail said. It wasn’t a question. The guards wouldn’t leave our sides with Jordan not here. That meant they heard everything that was said, thanks to the open floor plan.

“We’re here if you need us,” Sheldon replied.

I leaned my head on Vail’s shoulder and looped my arm through his. We sat that way for a while before Vail’s body relaxed more and more until I was on my back, and he blanketed me. His arms were around my waist in a crushing hold I wouldn’t have any other way. I ran my fingers through his dark brown hair and felt the strands fall against my cheek and chin. Vail’s face was buried in my neck, his body between my spread legs.

Vail was bigger than me, but like this, he almost felt small.

The guards had wandered off. I couldn’t see them, but they were still here somewhere. I heard their shoes on the floor now and then.

Lifting his head, Vail peered down at me. His eyes were bloodshot; his lashes no longer damp with tears. “I don’t want to leave,” he whispered. “But if Jordan did something…”

I ran my fingers through his hair again, brushing it from his eyes. “Why don’t we wait until Jordan gets home before we talk about the what-ifs?”

“I want this feeling out of me, Hart. This gnawing pain that keeps trying to tear me apart like Gil’s still with me, even though he isn’t. It won’t go away. I keep waiting for it to pull me under into that space I existed in when I was with him. That quiet spot where my mind went, where no one could touch me. But when I’m there, I’m afraid to emerge again.”

“You don’t have to be scared anymore. I’m here. Jordan too. We’ll always keep you safe. Plus, the eight hundred men Jordan has protecting us.” That number was a wild exaggeration, but it had the desired effect when I saw Vail’s lips twitch.

“Will you come upstairs with me so we can lie down? The couch isn’t leaving much room.”

“Of course.”

Vail stood and held out his hand for mine. I readily took it, threading my fingers through his. The second I was on my feet; Vail’s arms came around me. “Thank you, Hart. You didn’t judge me or push me to say more than I was ready to. You held me and let me get out what I had to. I don’t…” He blew out a breath. “I’m not sure I ever will be ready to tell Jordan. To say those words again…”

“You won’t have to. If you want me to tell him for you, I will. Or you never have to say anything. The choice is yours, and I’ll honor whatever you decide.” It wouldn’t be easy for me to repeat what Vail had said. I’d probably sob my way through the entire story, but I’d do it if he wanted me to, if it would save him from more pain.

We were about to go upstairs when all three of the guards’ phones started going off at once.

“Cops are here,” Sheldon said. “My guess is they finally got a search warrant and are looking for evidence in relation to Gil. Hang tight.”

Reghan came over to hand Vail Tahoe’s leash. “Keep him contained the best you can, so they have no reason to do anything.” Usually, Tahoe was a loving boy. I really enjoyed spending time with him. But when the cops came in, I wasn’t sure how he’d react.

Raiden went into the closet near the elevator, and they put their weapons inside. “Hidden safe,” he told us. “We don’t need more trouble than we already have.”

“I thought some of you had permits.”

“Some of us do. Others, not so much. If cops come in here and we’re armed, permits or not, shit will get much worse.”

Vail and I sat on the couch again, Tahoe leashed and on the floor in front of us. It wasn’t too long before the elevator arrived, and three officers stepped out. Tahoe barked until Vail told him to be quiet. One of them I recognized instantly but said nothing. Was I supposed to pretend I didn’t know Detective Barrett North? Or was I supposed to wave and say it was nice to see him again, even though it wasn’t under the circumstances?

Then there was Reghan with the already forming storm cloud in his eyes. It got darker and darker the longer he looked at Barrett. I’d heard Jordan say in passing that Barrett and Reghan should fuck and get it over with, but they might be past that point. When the other cops weren’t looking, Barrett winked at Reghan. It took Raiden’s hand on his brother’s shoulder to keep him from lunging forward.

One of the cops stopped in front of the twins to search them. It was quick, and nothing was found. Then the two cops started canvassing the floor we were on. Barrett hung back and began looking through things, although his eyes kept jumping to the other cops. When they went upstairs, he spoke to us.

“I don’t have long,” he whispered. “The other two have body cams on, so say nothing.”

“You don’t?” I asked.

“No, I normally don’t. Anyway, I need you to stay low and Jordan too once he’s home. Lana will get him out.” He glanced toward Reghan. “You need to find Gil. I don’t care what you have to do, but he needs to be found alive, so they get off Jordan’s ass about this.” Reghan nodded. “They had trouble getting the search warrant. There was no sign outside of the shit Gil had in his place that he could be here, but they’ll do anything to take Jordan down.”

Before going back to pretending like he was working, Barrett petted Tahoe, who immediately got on his feet and started licking him.

“That’s enough of that,” Reghan said, pulling Barrett up by his jacket.

Barrett spun but didn’t lay a hand on Reghan. “Don’t touch my jacket again unless it’s to remove it from my body.”

“You’d like that too much.”

“You have no fucking idea.” He stepped closer. There were a few inches in height difference between them with Barrett being shorter. Barely a breath separated their bodies as they stared each other down. I almost fanned myself. To think of them together was not a terrible picture.

That was all they could say before shoes on the stairs drew Barrett to the other side of the room, where he went back to searching for nothing.

The cops didn’t say a word as they got into the elevator with Barrett to return downstairs.

Reghan started pacing, his anger needing an outlet. He and Barrett had to have a backstory. There had to be a reason they hated each other. Although, hate might not be the right word.

Raiden stepped into his path and put his hands on his brother’s shoulders. “Stop letting him get to you.”

“He needs to be knocked down a few stories,” Reghan growled.

“I agree, but he says that shit to rile you up, and it works every time.”

“Just fuck him,” Sheldon said casually, where he leaned against the floor-to-ceiling windows. All our heads turned in his direction. “I didn’t say anything we weren’t all thinking. Sex is a great way to work out aggression.”

Reghan turned like he was going to strangle Sheldon.

“I’d love to see you try.” Sheldon grinned.

“Do you guys ever spar in the gym downstairs?” I asked. It was partially out of curiosity and partially because I’d love to see them do it.

“They used to,” Sheldon answered. “But Barry ended up with a broken arm, so that was the end of it.” Barry was Jordan’s head of security. I’d only met him a few times. He was nice enough, not as big as the other guards. Then again, neither was Sheldon. “If we keep getting hurt, that puts us out of the rotation and leaves holes in Jordan’s and your protection. Instead, we work out and try not to kill each other.” He raised an eyebrow at Reghan.

The elevator dinging had Reghan, Raiden, and Sheldon all moving fast, so they were closer to it, forming a wall between us and the elevator. Were more cops coming up?

When the doors opened, it was Barry who stepped out. Slicked back dark hair with eyes that had dark circles under them, Barry looked rougher than he usually did.

“Okay up here?”

“Oh yeah,” Sheldon said calmly. “We’re just passing the time by threatening each other. Another day in the Altair organization.”

“How many floors do they have left?” Raiden asked.

“About half. They didn’t bring enough men to do them at once, like they have in the past. There isn’t shit here, so it shouldn’t take them too long. I just hope they get out of here before the boss comes back. He’s going to be pissed as it is. If he sees cops crawling all over the place, he’ll lose his shit.”

“What about your poisons?” Vail asked Sheldon.

“Hidden. Everything I own is.”

“I thought it was in a closet.”

“It is. But it’s a closet within a closet. I have an app on my phone to get the panels to drop and a secondary closet appears. I just have to move clothes out of the way.”

“I hope no one ever steals your phone,” I muttered.

“They’d have to unlock it, get into the building, fight their way through guards, get past my front door, which has its own protection, and then get to the closet. Chances are really slim of that happening.”

God, my life was so fucking boring until I met Jordan and moved in. I thought designing clothes was exciting. Sheldon had hidden walls and a room with safeguards. Reghan was going toe to toe with a detective, and one of my boyfriends was in prison.

I would never again refer to my life as dull.