SWNOVELS Runner: Chapter 20
I switched the phone to my other ear as I stepped out of my car.
“This is a mistake,” Caleb told me as I walked around the block to the restaurant. “You’ve had this planned for months—”
“It’ll be fine.” I sighed. “I need to give something, or they won’t help me with the Panther job.”
There was only silence, but I waited, knowing he hadn’t hung up. The Italian restaurant came into view, and I slowed my steps.
“What did you do?” he finally asked.
I cleared my throat. “We’re still working on trust.”
“Mili,” Caleb chastised me. “You did something to piss them off.”
“It was days ago. And I was only getting them back for the shit they pulled on me.”
“It’s too late to find others to help you with the Panthers,” he said carefully. “You need them.”
I gritted my teeth, hating that he was right. “I know. That’s why I’m extending an olive branch tonight.”
“Hmm,” he hummed out, and I could hear him clicking the keys on his laptop. “Why are you meeting them an hour outside of Ridgewood?”
“Stop tracking my phone. That’s supposed to be for emergencies only.”
“You must have really done something bad for you not to want to meet them in their city.”
A laugh bubbled up. “It wasn’t that bad. I didn’t even spill blood.”
“Are you scared of them?”
My humor died instantly. “Absolutely not.”
“Then why drive an hour to meet them?” he asked, the amusement in his voice shooting annoyance through me.
“They’ve caught me by surprise a couple of times,” I snapped. “And after what I did to Kade, I decided neutral ground is best.”
“This isn’t just some normal job. I think you should handle it yourself. Let them help you on smaller things,” he said, his concern evident.
“I’m not planning many jobs right now, especially after Liam finding me,” I told him in a low voice. “If I don’t start including them, they aren’t going to trust me for the Panther job.”
“Just be careful.”
“Always. I have to go. I’ll call you later.”
I hung up and pulled open the restaurant door. It was a fancier restaurant, but with my black cocktail dress, I fit in perfectly. My heels clicked on the hardwood floor as I walked up to the hostess.
“Hello, I have a reservation under Mili. For three.”
The lady smiled after looking at her screen. “Your party is already here.”
A hint of nerves swirled in my gut as I followed her through the restaurant. It had been three days since I left Kade cuffed in the bathroom, and I hadn’t seen them since. I’d left his phone in the club because I figured he could track it. But I’d kept his wallet for the hell of it.
“I requested a table on the balcony,” I said as we passed the open patio area.
“Yes, ma’am. Your table is at the end.”
I frowned, my guard rising when she opened a door. I peeked around her, seeing the lone table. Technically, it was on the balcony. It had a wall to ceiling window facing the water, but it wasn’t an open area like I wanted. Instead, it was a private room. Kade and Gray were already seated, and they both glanced up when the hostess moved to the side so I could step into the room.
“This is the only table available?” I asked quietly. The whole reason I’d chosen this place was to stay in public. This tiny room was the complete opposite.
Gray grinned. “We decided to upgrade your reservation when we got here. We figured privacy would be best for our conversations. Don’t you agree, Mili?”
I swallowed my laugh, walking into the room with my head high. Once again, they surprised me, but I was more entertained than anything. It wasn’t like they were going to do anything to me in a public restaurant.
“Would you like to hang up your purse?” the hostess asked, motioning to a row of hooks on the wall near the door.
“No, thank you.”
Kade’s eyes drifted to my purse as I clutched it tighter. The hostess nodded and closed the door behind her. I stared at the guys, waiting for one of them to move. There were four chairs around the table, and they were sitting in the two closest to the door. I wasn’t about to crawl over them to get to my seat. After a few strained moments, Gray finally stood up, moving so I could sit. I purposely took his seat, setting my purse on the chair next to me so they both had to sit across from me.
Kade’s gaze stayed on me while he slid over, sitting near the window. Gray took the other chair across from me, a grin still on his face even though I could tell he was tense. I leaned back, tapping my fingers on the table as a server came in and set a glass of water in front of me.
“Can I have a gin and tonic, please?” I told the server when he began taking orders. “No food for me. I won’t be here long.”
The second the server left the room, Kade leaned over the table. “Where the hell is my wallet?”
I blinked innocently. “Did I not leave it with your phone?”
“Cut the shit,” Kade hissed. “I already canceled my credit cards.”
I let out a laugh. “You think I need your money? I probably have more than both of you combined.”
I reached into my purse, pushing my gun to the side, and fished out his wallet. I tossed it to him over the table, and he caught it, immediately opening it to make sure I hadn’t taken anything. Sipping my water, I rested against the back of the chair, keeping my posture relaxed.
“Why’d you want to meet here?” Gray asked.
“Italian food is my favorite.”
“Yet you didn’t order any food.” Kade tilted his head. “Didn’t want to be alone with us?”
I scoffed. “Please. I think I proved I can handle myself against you when we’re alone. Don’t you think, Kade?”
His eyes clouded with anger. “That won’t happen again.”
“Did Gray get to you in time?” I asked tauntingly. “Or did someone see the badass Kade Jacobs in all his naked glory?”
Kade lunged across the table, knocking over my water glass. Gray grabbed his arm, yanking him back as I stared at him with a mocking grin. Water dripped onto the floor, but none of us moved to clean it up.
“I have a job next week. It’s out of town, but I could use the help if you’re interested,” I told them calmly, as if Kade hadn’t just tried to attack me.
Gray frowned in suspicion. “You want our help?”
I nodded. “I could do it myself, but having you two there would make it easier.”
“Why?” Kade asked through clenched teeth.
“Because this won’t be the first car I’ve stolen from this man. He’s seen my face before,” I lied smoothly. It was a half-truth, but I had no intention of telling them why I was really doing this job. “We’d be gone a few days.”
“Why so long?” Gray studied me.
“I’ll tell you the details once you decide if you want to join me.”
A muscle ticked in Kade’s jaw. “You’ve been here almost two months, and we still haven’t done a job with you. I don’t know what the hell you’re playing at, but we get the feeling you don’t want to work with us.”
“That’s on you.” I shrugged. “I had every intention of working with you, and then you decided to try and have me arrested. I’m giving you a second chance. And believe me, the payout is worth it.”
They exchanged a look, staying quiet when the waiter came back with our drinks. I slowly stirred my gin and tonic, waiting for the door to close again.
“Where’s the job?” Gray asked.
“About four hours from here,” I answered, standing up. “I leave in two days, so tell me your answer by then.”
They both shot up from their chairs when I reached into my purse, and I chuckled, pulling out my cash and tossing some on the table for the bill.
“If I was going to do anything, I wouldn’t have chosen to meet here.” Grabbing my drink, I finished the rest of it.
Gray crept closer when I moved toward the door. Facing him, I raised my arm and trailed my nails down his cheek, making him go still.
“Don’t worry about me trying to get you back like I did with Kade,” I murmured, keeping my voice sweet. “At least while we’re working. I told you before that I take my jobs seriously. No need to be wary until after the job is done.”
Gray snagged my wrist, pulling my hand from his face and backing me against the door. He pressed his body into mine, his leather scent surrounding me. He kept a tight hold on my arm as I peered over his shoulder, locking eyes with Kade.
“I have no need to be wary of you,” Gray stated, pulling my attention back to him. “I’ll know you’re up to something the second you start taking your clothes off.”
I giggled, letting my stare turn lethal. “I can fuck you just as hard when my clothes are on. Don’t forget that, Gray. Now back the fuck up.”
Gray slowly released me and stepped away. I moved to grab my bag before opening the door, glancing over my shoulder at them.
“You have my number. If you want to do the job, text me.” I didn’t wait for their answer as I walked away. The hostess glanced at me in surprise as I passed her. I was sure people usually stayed here longer than fifteen minutes. But I had other things to do tonight and needed to get back to Ridgewood before it got too late.
I knocked on the door, not waiting for a response before pushing it open. Rylan was sitting behind his desk, and his pen fell from his hand when he saw me. I strode inside, glancing around. His large oak desk was in front of the window, and bookshelves lined the left wall. Pictures and framed awards were perfectly organized on floating shelves on the opposite wall. Two oversized chairs faced his desk, and I passed them, rounding the desk.
“Do you always work this late?” I asked as he pushed back his chair, giving me room to stand between him and the desk.
“Politics never sleeps,” he muttered, his eyes raking over my black dress. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“You keep popping up and surprising me. I thought I’d repay the favor.” I perched on his desk, and he didn’t make a move to push the paperwork out of the way before I sat on it. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I thought the crew killed you until you texted me to meet you at the club.” He raised an eyebrow. “It was a long two weeks.”
A fluttering filled my stomach that had no business being there. Having someone other than Caleb worry about me was unnerving, and I wasn’t enjoying the small amount of guilt clinging to me. I shouldn’t fucking feel bad about not telling him that I was okay.
“I appreciate you trying to cover for me.” I reached forward and began loosening his tie, catching a flash of confusion on his face. “When I tried making you my alibi when Andy was hurt and you lied for me. Why did you do it?”
He shot me a small smile. “Have I not made it obvious enough that I like you?”
The unwanted flutters grew, and my hands froze on his tie. Using men to get what I needed had never been an issue, but as I locked eyes with Rylan, hesitation stirred inside me. He was an innocent, and using him wasn’t sitting right.
“I should go,” I muttered, my muscles tensing when he caught my wrists, keeping my hands on his shirt collar. “You don’t want to get involved with me, Rylan.”
“Too late for that,” he stated gruffly. “Why’d you come here, Mili? What do you need?”
I bit my tongue, not liking how quickly he’d picked up that I’d come here for a certain reason. His hands drifted away from my wrists, trailing over my skin until he was grasping my hips.
“Nothing. I can do it myself.”
Interest flared in his gaze, and he kept his hold firm when I attempted to get off his desk. “Tell me what you need.”
I grinned wickedly. “How about I give you what you need?”
He chuckled, leaning closer. “You really don’t like answering questions, do you?”
I brushed my lips against his as I went back to loosening his tie. “I can tell you what I do like.”
“You made that sound dirty.”
“I know.” I bit my lip, keeping my gaze on his as I slowly unbuttoned his shirt.
He stopped me, rolling his chair back to create space between us. Pouting, I leaned back, resting on my palms.
“Tell me why you came here,” he said softly.
I sighed. “You’re very different from all the other man I deal with.”
“Because I’m choosing to talk to you instead of having sex?” He cleared his throat. “Believe me, it’s taking a lot of fucking self-control.”
“Then stop fighting it,” I purred, giving him a seductive smile.
“I will—once you tell me why you’re here.”
“Fine.” I scooted farther onto the desk. “The night you refused to get out of my car, you told me that you heard about how the crew was looking for my Corvette. I’m guessing you have police reporting to you. Probably some civilians too.” He didn’t say a word, but his shoulders tensed as I kept talking. “Maybe you even have someone from the crew in your pocket. Or not. If you did, then maybe you would have gotten Kade and Gray behind bars by now.”
“You still haven’t told me what you want,” he said, studying me with a slight frown on his lips.
“I need to stay one step ahead of the crew.” I paused for a moment. “It would help if the next time your little helpers hear anything about me, you could let me know.”
He rose from his chair and paced in front of the window before looking back at me. “What do you do?”
“What?”
“How deep are you in with the crew? If your car is anything to go by, you have the same taste as them. Do you race? What do you do for work?”
Every question he asked had me inching off the desk, ready to bolt out of the room. “I’m not part of their crew or with any gang.”
“Then why are they so interested in you?”
“I procure expensive items for people,” I said carefully. “And I’m very good at my job. There’s an item I’m looking for that Kade and Gray are helping me with. They don’t trust me, and I don’t trust them. But the payout is worth it.”
That was about as honest as I’d ever been with anyone other than Caleb, but it was still vague enough that Rylan would never know what I really do for work. I doubted he’d ever heard of Sapphire before, but I wasn’t going to take the chance.
“They like you,” he muttered, staring at me. “Gossip is spreading that they have a girl. One girl between the both of them.”
“I don’t care about rumors.” I shrugged. “And I don’t care what people think of me. I do what I want over anything.”
“And you want to sleep with them?” he asked.
I tilted my head. “In all truth, I only slept with Kade. And I only did it to get something I wanted.”
“What did you want?”
“To show them that they have no say in what I do. I can promise you that I am not their favorite person right now.” I laughed, Kade’s naked image filling my head. “Are you jealous, Rylan?”
“No,” he said quickly before running a hand down his face. “Actually, maybe I am. I don’t know. You make my thoughts jumbled.”
“I will never be a woman that settles down,” I told him quietly, once again thinking this was a mistake to involve him.
“I still want to see you again.” He walked back to me, placing his hands on the desk on either side of me. “I’ll give you what you want. Every time I hear them talking about you, I’ll tell you. On one condition.”
“What?”
“Go on a date with me.”
“A date?” I choked out.
He nodded. “That’s it.”
I took a deep breath. To him, a date was another normal thing. But not for me. I could deal with Kade and Gray with ease. We were cut from the same cloth of crime, darkness, and danger. Using sex to mess with them was simple. I was more comfortable fighting with them on their turf than sitting here in this office. Rylan was nothing like the men I’d spent time with in the twelve years since I’d been part of the criminal world.
I was out of my element when I talked to him, and I didn’t fucking like it. I’d perfected being at ease in almost any situation. And on a surface level, I was an expert at it. But with Rylan, it was more. Because he wanted to get to know me.
“One date,” I finally said. “But it will have to wait. I’m going out of town for a while.”
He frowned. “Again?”
“It’s only for a few days, and it’s for business.”
“Then I’ll see you when you get back,” he said with a smile.
I blinked. “That’s it? I had plans to be naked and sprawled on your desk tonight.”
He ran a hand down my cheek. “We’ll save it for after the date.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you to go on your business trip thinking about how good it’s going to feel when I finally drop to my knees and taste you,” he murmured. “I want it to consume your mind.”
I swallowed thickly, heat rushing between my legs. “Why wait?”
“Because I plan to see you for more than just one date.”
I chuckled. “You can’t turn me into a respectable woman. I’m not built like that.”
“I’m not trying to change you. I want to know you just how you are.”
His words jolted me back to reality. If he knew who I was and what I’d done, then he would never want me. If he knew of the horrors I’d committed and been a part of, he would be looking at me in disgust. I jumped off his desk, striding toward the door.
“I’ll see you when you get back, Mili,” he called after me as I left his office.