SWNOVELS Runner: Chapter 10
“Another drink, Mili?” Vic asked, looking at my empty glass.
I gave him a sweet smile. “I’d love one, thank you.”
I was back in the club where I’d first introduced myself to Kade and Gray. Vic and Juan had invited me back upstairs into the private room when they noticed me sitting at the bar, just like I hoped they would. Swiveling slowly in the plush chair, I stared through the one-way glass, watching people dance. It wasn’t a weekend, but the club was still busy. The music vibrated the floor, and I turned my attention back to the Riot bosses when Vic handed me another gin and tonic.
“How are you liking Ridgewood?” Juan asked, studying me. I had a feeling he didn’t like me as much as Vic did but wanted my business anyway.
“It’s fine. I haven’t had much time to explore.”
Vic nodded. “Kade and Gray told us the job last night went smoothly. We appreciate you working with us.”
“The job was easy,” I replied lightly.
Of course they fucking told them that. I kept the smile on my face, waiting for the right moment to start the conversation I came here to discuss. I looked out over the crowd below me, and my heart jumped when I saw them. Kade and Gray were talking to the bouncer and didn’t look in a hurry to come up here yet. If they thought the bombs I had planted last night were the last of my revenge, they were going to be in for a surprise.
“It’s too bad that you two aren’t the ones in this city,” I said coolly. “I bet you’d be easier to deal with than Kade and Gray.”
Juan frowned, glancing at Vic. “They’re giving you trouble?”
“I don’t think they believe I am who I say I am.” I made eye contact with both of them before continuing. “You believe I’m Sapphire, right?”
After a bit of hesitation, Vic spoke up. “Yes, we do.”
“When I first met you, I said I’d respect your city and your gang. But if I don’t receive respect back, then I’m taking my business to someone else. I do not appreciate being belittled because I’m a fucking woman. Do you understand?”
The door opened, and with perfect timing, Kade and Gray strode in. They stopped short when they saw me as I spun the chair to face them. Kade’s gaze traveled down my body, a muscle ticking in his jaw. I was wearing tight black leather pants with a matching leather crop top that just covered my tattoo. It was odd that I was wearing the clothes I wanted. Usually, I dressed to get a job done or to blend in. But there was no need for that since the men in this room knew who I was.
“What are you doing here?” Gray snapped, crossing his arms.
“I was just informing your bosses of how last night went,” I said, raising my eyebrow.
“You told us everything went great,” Juan said, focusing on Gray and Kade. There was a touch of annoyance in his tone. I kept my glee to myself when Kade opened his mouth to respond.
“We realize what we did was a mistake,” Kade grated out. “We didn’t trust her to do the job with us. We were going to have the police let her go once the night was over.”
“Liar,” I muttered under my breath, watching shock fall on Vic’s and Juan’s faces.
“You did what?” Vic bit out, his eyes flashing in anger.
Gray’s eyes snapped to mine in confusion, and I pressed my lips together to keep from grinning.
“What did you tell them?” Kade said, advancing toward me.
I stayed sitting, not the least bit nervous that he was coming closer. “Just that the job went fine.”
“Why don’t you tell us what exactly happened?” Juan demanded, glaring at Kade and Gray.
“It doesn’t matter,” I cut in, looking at Juan. “The job was done. And I can have your half deposited into whichever account you’d like.”
Suspicion seared in Kade’s eyes. “What are you playing at?”
I blinked innocently at him. “Nothing. I want to make sure my partners are happy.”
“We can’t do this,” Gray growled. “We don’t want to work with her. We want her gone.”
“No.” Vic’s voice oozed with dangerous power, pulling his rank on them. “She’s giving us new business. More money than we make in months. And she promised to give us any jobs that she’s too busy for, even after she leaves. I’m not turning that down because you two can’t accept that a woman can do your job as well as you.”
“What?” Kade sputtered out. “This isn’t because she’s a fucking woman—”
“Better,” I interjected, standing from my chair. “I can do their job better.”
Juan pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s less than six months. Can you three get along for that long?”
“We have other men you can work with,” Vic offered.
Kade and Gray went rigid at the idea of being demoted. If looks could kill, I’d be in my grave by now. I leaned against the glass, staring above their heads as if I were actually considering Vic’s words.
“No. I want them. Even if they are assholes, they’re better than anyone else I’ve looked into.”
“Did she happen to tell you how she planted not one, but two fucking bombs in our car?” Gray grated out, rage swimming in his gaze.
Vic whirled toward me. “Did you?”
“That was the end of the night,” I said dismissively. “And I told them I did it. It was just a warning.”
“You did not fucking tell us,” Kade shot back.
“If you didn’t pick up on my hints, then that’s on you.” I shrugged. “Seeing as you’re here, you obviously did.”
“We need to leave.” Vic nodded to Juan. “I want you two to talk to her and figure out a way to work this out.”
“I have no issue working with them,” I said sweetly.
Vic muttered something in Kade’s ear before he and Juan disappeared through the doorway, closing the door behind them. Kade was on me in a second, his chest bumping against mine. My fingers tightened around my glass, but I stayed where I was.
“Why’d you come here tonight?” he asked, his voice low and steeped in anger.
“I was having a drink, and Vic invited me up here.”
“Bullshit. You wanted them to know what we did last night.”
I laughed, patting him on the shoulder. “You did that all by yourself. I didn’t say anything.”
“Just like you planned, I’m sure,” Gray muttered from behind Kade.
“It must be a punch in the gut to know Vic and Juan have lost their confidence in you.” I clicked my tongue disapprovingly. “They don’t even want you working with me anymore. But don’t forget what they chose—which was me. Over what you wanted.”
I slid to the side, keeping my guard up as I went to the bar and poured myself another drink. I could hear one of them coming up behind me, but I still took my time refilling my glass with gin. Deciding I wanted both my hands free, I kept my drink on the counter and turned around. They were both right in front of me, and they caged me in the second I was facing them.
“This is not talking it out like Vic wants,” I murmured, my tone filled with warning. “Did you not learn your lesson last night?”
“What do you want?” Gray asked.
“You already know that. I want help with the Panther job.”
“Leave town,” Kade demanded. “We’ll do the job with you, but you don’t need to be here for the next five months to plan it.”
“No.” My answer slipped out, surprising even me. I cursed silently for letting myself get carried away. I never spoke without thinking about it first.
“Why not?” Gray ground out.
For once, I decided to be honest. “Because I’m having fun.”
“Fun?” Kade repeated in disbelief.
I attempted to push past them, but neither moved an inch. They only moved forward, pressing my spine against the bar counter. Hot excitement burned through my veins when I realized they weren’t going to back down, even after I nearly blew them up last night.
“I’ll admit, when I first came to Ridgewood, I didn’t want to stay.” I trailed my fingers up Kade’s shirt, feeling his hard abs underneath it. “But you two changed my mind. I’m usually alone. And I’ve never met men who think they can go up against me and win. So…you two can try your hardest to get me to leave. But just remember that payback’s a bitch.”
“You want us to make you leave?” Kade asked, tensing when my fingers reached his chest.
“I want you to try.” I grinned, dragging my nails back down to his stomach. “And when you don’t succeed, then you’ll agree to do this Panther job with me—how I want to do it. I’m in charge when it comes to the planning and the execution. Got it?”
“And if we do get you to leave?” Gray asked, his eyes glued to my hand.
“You won’t. But if you do, then I’ll give you the entire payout for the job.” Shock lined their features, and I knew exactly what they were thinking. I continued before they could question me. “This isn’t about money for me. It’s personal.”
Kade snatched my wrist when my fingers grazed the zipper of his jeans. “What are your rules?”
I tugged out of his grip, only for Gray to grab my wrist and twist my arm behind me while grabbing my other arm and holding both of them at the base of my spine. He stood behind me, his body pressing against me to help keep me in place. Kade was in front of me, and I stared at him curiously, not fighting to get out of Gray’s hold. Once again, they were trying to intimidate me. It seemed they hadn’t learned much from last night.
“Rules,” Kade murmured, his fingers grasping my chin, forcing my head back until I met his gaze. “Or are you so confident you’ll start a war with us without restraints?”
Unease constricted my chest from being sandwiched between them. It wasn’t that I couldn’t get myself free—that wouldn’t be too difficult. It was that I wasn’t hating their hands on me. During some jobs, men would touch me and I’d have to take hour-long showers and scrub my skin raw until I felt clean again. But with these two, my body was buzzing with excitement. Which was why I stayed still, even when Kade leaned so close his lips were inches from mine.
“Rules?” I questioned, biting my lip. “Where would the fun be if we had rules?”
Kade’s eyes fell to my mouth, not missing the sexual intention bleeding from my voice. Gray’s hold tightened while he shifted behind me. I knew he could feel the gun in my waistband, but he didn’t make a move to take it.
“I guess we should make one thing clear,” I continued. “Whatever you do can’t interfere with the jobs we do. Because that would fuck us all over, and seeing as that’s my livelihood, I can’t let that happen. Oh—no telling people who I am. If I find out you’re doing that, you’re not going to like what I do.”
“And what’s stopping you from trying to kill us if we do something to piss you off?” Gray asked gruffly, his mouth closer to my ear than I had thought. Goose bumps skated down my spine as I let out a laugh.
“Nothing.”
Kade’s eyes darkened as he kept his grip on my jaw. “But I’m sure something happens to us if you end up dead.”
I smiled. “I haven’t stayed on top for this long without protecting myself.”
“How long have you been Sapphire?” Gray asked.
I paused. “Not as long as the person who held the name before me. But I plan on outliving him.”
“Who was he—”
Kade’s question was cut off when I lunged forward, smashing my lips to his. He went still, not reacting at all, even when I pushed my tongue into his mouth. Our eyes were open, and his suspicion-filled gaze was locked on mine. He tasted like tequila, and the scent of new car with a hint of cigarettes engulfed me as I leaned against him. I nipped at his bottom lip, making him snap. Heat smothered his gaze, and his hand moved from my jaw to the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him. Gray’s hold loosened around my wrists, but I didn’t move, enjoying this too much. It had been way too long since someone could make my pussy pulse from a kiss alone.
Wanting to be the one to stay in control of this situation, I broke the kiss while ripping out of Gray’s grip at the same time. I knocked Kade’s hand away when he tried wrapping his fingers around the back of my neck. Bracing my arms, I pulled myself onto the bar counter and slid off to the other side. I picked up my forgotten drink and downed it in one gulp while they both stared at me from across the glossy wood counter.
“I can’t decide which was better.” I twisted a lock of hair around my finger. “When Gray fingered me or that kiss. Now, if you boys will excuse me, I need to go find someone to finish me off. Do you know how good an orgasm a day is for your health?”
I had no plans to seek someone out to sleep with, but their glares proved I’d hit a nerve like I wanted. The best way to get under the skin of men was to bring sex into the equation. A sudden knock at the door interrupted the growing tension in the room, and I glanced over to see a young guy poking his head in. He stared at me with interest until Gray cleared his throat.
“What do you want?” Kade snapped.
“Sorry to interrupt,” the guy sputtered out. “There’s someone at the bar saying they had a meeting with you two—”
“We’ll be there in a minute,” Gray cut him off without looking away from me.
“Oh, don’t let me keep you. I’m leaving anyway.” I rounded the bar, heading toward the door. I glanced over my shoulder and shot them a grin. “See you two later.”
Before they could respond, I slipped past the guy in the doorway and bounded down the stairs. I brushed my fingers to my lips, still tasting Kade. My stomach twisted at the thought of what was going to happen with them next. They were smart and didn’t want me here. But I was confident I could stay one step in front of them.
For a half moment, I second-guessed it all. Caleb would not be happy with me playing around with these guys. He’d tell me I was being reckless. There was a reason I’d perfected blending into the background for the last five years. But my problems were half a world away from Ridgewood. And as long as the crew kept their mouths shut that Sapphire was in town, I’d be fine. If that changed, I’d be gone in a heartbeat. Messing with Kade and Gray was fun, but nothing was going to destroy my chance of finishing the Panther job.