Inside Danger (Outside The Ropes Book 2) (6 page)

My hands slid around his neck. “I do trust you, but I don’t know if you’re right about why I’m here.”

“I know I’m right.” His head dipped towards me and his nose rubbed against mine. “But I’ll find out more today and then I’ll come back tonight.” His lips brushed over mine. “I’ve got to go, but I don’t want to leave you.”

Our lips moved together, gentle to intense in a flash. He pulled me onto his lap so I straddled him, and his hands slid under my shirt, coasting up and down my skin.

He bit my lip and sucked it into his mouth with a growl, then flipped me onto my back. The cool tile floor chilled my heated skin as he slid up my shirt. He hovered over me and his lips dragged down my neck in fiery kisses. Grinding his hips into me, his hands pushed at the elastic of my sweatpants.

I kicked them off, consumed with the urgency of the moment. The bright sunshine streaked into the bedroom beyond us, he had already stayed too long. But I needed this moment.

Slipping my hand down his jeans, I rubbed the rigid length of him. He rose up to his knees, undoing his pants and slipping off his shirt in an instant. Then his body was pressed to mine and his fingers glided in and out of me. My body tightened around him, sensation already building, about to burst as the rhythm increased.

I guided him into me and he filled me in a quick motion. I bit down on his shoulder, stifling my moans of pleasure. He lifted my leg, slamming into me deeper than before. The knots of need in my core were loosening with each thrust, about to undo me completely. My legs vibrated with pleasure as his lips latched onto my nipple, hands exploring me. He controlled the fevered pace, and it had me spinning with the intensity, the speed, the pleasure. I absorbed every second, every piece of him. His hot release came as he rolled my sensitive bud between his fingers, and I collapsed, falling apart.

He rested his forehead against my neck, his breath tickling my skin as he sucked in air. “It’s only you. All right? Despite how things may look.” He raised his head, eyes pleading with me. “It’s only you I’m thinking of. It’s only you I want. It’s only you that I love. Trust me.” He moved his hand over my cheek and neck. “I probably shouldn’t but… I’ll come back here tonight and check on you.”

I nodded, distressed that he was saying good-bye, but knowing he had to.

He kissed my lips one last time, a soft kiss full of longing that squeezed my heart. Then he dressed and left.

I walked out of the locker room, freshly showered, and straight into Dexter.

“Rea, where the hell have you been? Leona said she hadn’t been able to get a hold of you since you moved out.”

I took a step back, surprised by his presence. “I thought you weren’t boxing anymore. Why are you here?”

I looked beyond Dexter to the front door, Demetri was walking in to pick me up. He had dropped me off with Silas this morning and went off on his own. It felt good to throw myself into training, but now everything was coming back and the familiar tension pulled at my muscles.

“I came to work out. Plus, I was hoping to see you. This is your usual workout time, but I guess you came a little early today.” He stepped close to me and spoke in a low voice. “Is everything okay? I was surprised to hear you came back to boxing with Silas.”

Dexter finally noticed Demetri walking towards us. He looked towards the short, but fierce, man and back to me. “Regan? What are you into? Didn’t you learn anything from me?”

“This isn’t the same thing, Dexter. Stay out of it.” Although I didn’t believe my words, especially recalling my morning with Gage. I had unintentionally pulled Gage into my mess, just like Dexter had.

He stepped back as Demetri took up the spot next to me.

“Dexter.” Demetri nodded to him and then turned to me and nodded to the door. “Let’s go.”

Before I could walk away, Dexter had me in a tight hug. It felt different than any of the hugs before; there was no humor or joy in it. His worry and concern pressed into me, transferring to me, I had to pull away or be suffocated in his fear.

Demetri turned towards me, sliding on his sunglasses against the bright sunshine of the unseasonably warm day. “I followed you yesterday while you shop. Today is my day. We do what I want.”

I raised my eyebrow in question as I buckled my seat belt.

“Can you use gun?” he asked with a smirk.

PULLING AWAY FROM THE CURB, HE DISMISSED my hesitation with a shake of his head.

“Doesn’t matter. You not shoot anyways.” He checked his mirrors to get over into the next lane before slowing to a stop with the traffic. “I have one errand before we have day off.”

I stared at him and leaned back against my door, putting distance between us. “What’s the errand?”

“Have to collect something. Shouldn’t take long.” He turned onto another street.

The nice weather brought everyone out, and our drive was slow as people crossed the road with no sense of urgency. We took another turn and the taller buildings were replaced by row homes, many with boarded windows. Kids rode their bikes and groups of teens walked in the road defiantly. I recognized the neighborhood, stayed with a foster family here for part of fourth grade.

Another turn and the people were fewer, homes all abandoned. A tingle of nervousness skittered over my skin.

“Here.” Demetri reached under his seat and pulled out a gun. He kept it low as he handed it to me. “Put in waist band, cover it up, but show if he talks to you.”

I took the gun. It was light and made of a hard plastic, and my throat constricted like I was allergic. Trying to keep calm, I turned it over in my hand and checked that the safety was on, but there was no safety.

Demetri’s raised brows could be seen over his sunglasses. “Glock 17, good gun for you. Put away now.”

He took another turn as I slipped the gun into the top of my pants and covered it with my shirt, stomach on a spin cycle. “What are we doing?”

“Picking up someone. You just sit there and leave talking to me.”

A group of three men stood on the run down corner, a girl with wild long hair exchanging something with the middle man. They looked up as our car slowed to a stop in front of them and the girl took off in the opposite direction.

Demetri wound down his window, keeping eyes forward. “Get in back.”

The men traded glances, communicating silently, and then the one on the end stepped forward and slid in the back of the car.

“Demetri, how’s things?” He questioned with a nonchalant smile.

He pulled the car away as he shrugged, one hand on the wheel. “Depends. How’s business? Bad enough you dealing on the corner?”

The man in the back shifted, the smoky sweet smell of a black and mild filling the air as he leaned towards my seat, yellow eyes suspicious. “Who’s the girl?”

“She’s my associate.” Demetri nodded towards me.

I wasn’t sure if this was the moment Demetri told me to act on, but the sickly exciting rush pulsing through me made me move. Better to show it too soon than too late. I nodded to him and lifted the bottom of my shirt, just enough to flash the gun before covering it back up.

He saw it and sat back in his seat. “Nah, I don’t sling on the corner. I got boys for that. So what do you want? I know you’re not here just to lecture me on how I run my shop.”

Demetri slowed at an intersection and took his time to look both ways before crossing the empty four way stop. “I came for what you owe.”

“Well talk to Nick, he’s given me an—”

“Nick sent me.” Demetri raised his hand, silencing the man, but his voice stayed cool and level.

My heart thumped in my stomach and hands hovered over my gun as the man reached into his pants. He pulled out a money clip and I relaxed.

“This is all I got.”

Demetri took it and then tossed it into the center console like the thick wad of green was nothing but cheap sunglasses.

“That’s good start. I see you next Sunday for rest.” He turned left onto a one-way street and pulled the car over.

The man exited the car but hesitated before closing the door.

Demetri’s hand moved to his pants, but stopped as the door slammed. He chuckled, watching the man jog down the street in his rearview mirror.

“You did good.” His hands were quick and he had the gun from my pants in a second.

I shook my head, confused. “Why did you bring me along?”

The corner of his mouth turned up. “It was on the way. Figured get it over now. Plus, wanted to see how you do.” He inclined his head to me. “You passed.” He tossed the gun onto my lap, and I flinched. “Didn’t think you would be stupid enough to try something. But I wasn’t stupid enough to give you bullets either.”

I put the gun in the glove box in front of me to get it out of sight. All the tension from my body was travelling to my brain, giving me a killer headache. “I threatened a guy with an empty gun?”

Demetri put the car in drive and pulled away. “Not threatened. Just warning is all.” His chest jumped with one laugh. “I didn’t tell you to show gun as an introduction, but it worked.”

“Don’t ever take me on this type of errand again,” I demanded with more authority than I possessed.

He shrugged as he pulled into heavy traffic. “Why? It can help pay what you owe and it’s easy. You didn’t show fear.”

I swallowed down the bubble in my throat. The lure of money and getting out sooner only tempted for a second before my sense returned. “That’s not me.”

“Suit you.”

“What?” I stared at him, unsure of what he said. His accent made it almost sound like, “shoot you.”

He pulled a cigarette out and stuck it between his lips as he lit it. “I said,” he cracked his window and blew out smoke. “Suit you. I won’t bring you along, even though I’m expected to watch you and get shit done.”

It finally clicked and I spoke absently, without thinking. “The saying is, suit yourself.”

He glared at me as he took another drag of his cigarette. “You don’t go on errands, you still need to know to shoot. And I need to relax. Let off steam, is the right saying?”

I nodded, unable to read if he was angry or not.

I quickly learned Demetri owned a lot of guns, and knew a lot about guns, and had sniper accuracy when shooting guns.

My arm vibrated from my last round of shots. We were back at the prison, Rusnak’s place, at the end of the sprawling property where stables were set up for target practice.

“You emptied in less than a minute. Let’s check accuracy.”

We walked over to the hay bale with the target paper on it. I could see the bullet holes cutting through the torso and head, but there were a few stray holes on the side of the paper.

Demetri dragged his finger through the air, counting up the shots. “Looks like two missed the paper altogether, but 6 are kill wounds. Not bad for so fast.”

I resisted the smile bubbling up. It had been thrilling to shoot, but this didn’t feel like a compliment I should be proud of.

Demetri cocked his head at me. “Enjoy this.”

I wasn’t sure if it was a question or demand.

“It’s all right to like this.” He nodded to me.

I kind of did like this, but didn’t want to admit it to him. Instead, I nodded at the paper. “Not too bad then?”

“We’ll keep practicing. But not bad.”

“Where is Mrs. Rusnak?” I asked Demetri as we ate a sandwich around the counter in the kitchen.

A few people had been in and out, stopping to talk with Demetri, and I wondered how the wife felt about all these guests and my presence.

He swallowed his bite. “She’s at home.”

“This isn’t their home?”

“Ollie likes to keep things separate. He has his office in the city, his home in the suburbs, and this… this is his compound for… his… side work.”

Demetri had been decent today and while we were on good terms I figured I would get as much information as I could, without pushing too hard.

“Ollie? I haven’t heard anyone else call him that.”

“It’s a family nickname.” He took another bite of his sandwich. “My sister, his cousin, gave it to him in Russia.”

“So you’re family. Does that mean you’re second in command?” I needed to know the order. Was it Demetri or Nick who I should worry about most?

He leveled me with his gaze, setting down his sandwich. “We’re family. He wants to see you before he goes. If you’re done, I’ll take you now.”

That killed my appetite, and I didn’t want to put it off so I set down my sandwich. “I’m ready.”

Demetri opened one side of a double door, admitting me into Rusnak’s office within the house. The room was dim and masculine, dark cherry wood and gold, obviously expensive.

He walked around his desk to greet me, smile in place. “Regan, come in.” He grabbed my hand and slid it to my elbow as he escorted me to a chair. His touch almost made my dinner come up.

He leaned on the edge of his desk directly in front of where I sat. His long legs stretched out so his feet nearly touched mine.

“How was your day? I trust last night was better?” he looked beyond me to Demetri in the doorway, “No locked doors?”

“No locked doors.”

I didn’t turn to see Demetri’s reaction. I had to block the memory of last night, not wanting to risk thinking of Gage in front of them. “My day was fine.”

“Good.” He picked up a red rectangular case on his desk, it was slightly longer than his hand but he held it easily. “Demetri told me you two went shopping yesterday.” He laughed, eyes lighting up as he looked behind me again. “I’m sure Dem loved that. You’ll have to go again though, we have more parties coming up this weekend.”

“She has dress already. She needs no more.”

I nodded in agreement. I couldn’t afford any more.

“Nonsense.” He stood up. “Dem, we’ll only be a minute. Go check on something else.” He said it in a way that made it clear there was a specific something else to be checked on.

When the door clicked close, Rusnak reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He fingered through it and then extended several hundred-dollar bills to me.

I gripped the chair rails to keep from reaching for it. I wasn’t going to take money from him.