Page 17 of Impulse (Infinitus Billionaire #1)

“The Armenians,”

Jillian whispered.

She remembered that shiny head peeking out the window the day she’d learned about her father’s money problems. This could end up bad. The only thing she could do was make sure Lex wasn’t caught in her mess.

“Let me handle this,”

Lex whispered.

“No, Lex. This is my problem, not yours.”

If anything were to happen to him… Or worse, if they learned his identity, shit would hit the fan. Thugs always followed the money, and Lex was a better bargaining chip than she was.

“Damn it, Jillian,”

Lex growled.

“I know what I’m doing. Men like these only understand one thing. Brute force.”

She’d been sure he’d say money. What the hell did he plan to do? Take them down? No, she had to do something. Maybe she should pretend she wasn’t Jillian. That she was visiting and was at the wrong house. Nah, if they’d been scouting her house, they knew exactly who she was.

There was no way she could bullshit her way out of this, unless she drew the attention of her neighbors. Her subdivision was full of young, upward mobile men and women, and on Sundays, they hung out at the pool and gym, which were in the building across the parking lot. Someone was likely to see them.

“Jillian Finnegan?”

Baldie asked, stopping a fair distance and widening his stance. His right hand slipped under his jacket, probably for his gun.

“Who wants to know?”

she asked aloud, hoping a neighbor heard her. Lex stiffened.

Baldie chuckled and exchanged grins with his partner, who was of average height and skinny with greasy hair. Physically, he was lacking as a sidekick, but his beady, dark eyes shone with malice and he had cruel lips. He was the one she had to watch for. The smaller thugs often had a complex and overcompensated.

“The boss wants to see you,”

Baldie said in a thick Armenian accent.

“She’s not going anywhere,”

Lex said and gripped her arm.

Baldie studied Lex.

“Do I know you from somewhere? Why does he look familiar, Yegor?”

“He’s probably like her,”

Cruel Lips said in an even heavier accent and laughed like a demented fool.

“A star in the business.”

“Leave before either of you does something you’ll regret,”

Lex warned, not appearing intimidated by the two men. In fact, he sounded cocky.

“Tell your boss that if he ever bothers Ms. Finnegan again, he’ll have to deal with me.”

Jillian closed her eyes. Did he understand that men like Baldie didn’t handle threats very well? Her heart hurtled to her throat when Baldie adjusted his stance, glanced around, and tapped the bulge at his waist. He was definitely packing.

Mouth dry, Jillian tried to take a step away from Lex, but his grip tightened. She elbowed him.

“What my bodyguard is saying is I can take care of this. You’ll get the money my family owes your boss as soon as I talk to my father,”

she said, still buying time. Come on, neighbors. Look out your windows. Videotape us. Do something.

“We can stop at the house on our way.”

Baldie sneered.

“We’re not interested in the money, Ms. Finnegan. We are here for you.”

“Why?”

Stupid neighbors. Of all days to keep their noses out of my business, they had to pick this one.

“Because you are Jillian Finnegan. Now what we find interesting is what your father said when we stopped by his house. Do you know what he said?”

“That I’m not his daughter,”

Jillian said, hating that it still hurt to say those words.

Baldie chuckled.

“That’s right. And that’s after you arrived and left in a helicopter. Now why would a man deny having a daughter and remove pictures of her from his walls? A daughter neighbors said is a big star?”

No wonder the pictures were missing when she’d gone with Lex.

“I told you she’s a porn star,”

Cruel Lips said from the corner of his mouth.

“Shut up, Yegor!”

Baldie said.

Now Jillian was offended.

“Excuse me?”

“Nobody’s seen her in any real movies,”

Yegor whined, and Baldie let out a string of words in Armenian. From Yegor’s expression, he’d just been chastised.

Lex had reached his limit. His voice cut like shards of glass when he spoke.

“I’m going to say this one last time. Leave before someone gets hurt.”

“What are you going to do, Mr. Bodyguard?”

Baldie asked.

“He’s a nobody,”

Jillian said quickly and jerked her arm from Lex’s hand. She was surprised when he let her go.

“He’s a struggling actor I’m paying to act as my bodyguard.”

The irony of it all.

“We can leave him here. I’m sure he’ll find his way home.”

“Sure, I will.”

Lex practically shoved her behind him.

“After you leave.”

Jillian groaned. Men. She started to move around him and froze. Douglas was by the phantom, right behind the two men. Had he been following them?

Lex moved toward the two men. They smirked. Baldie charged, but Lex shifted his body fast, grabbed Baldie by the shirt, lifting his left knee at the same time, then yanked the man down. His head connected with Lex’s knee. He whipped Baldie around and shoved him into the shrubbery.

Holy crap. Lex can fight.

Cruel Lips reached under his coat, but Douglas was behind him. Jillian had never seen a man move that fast. Cruel Lips didn’t see him coming either. One second, he was upright, and the next face down with Douglas’ foot on his back.

“I hate guns,”

Douglas said. He removed the clip and dropped the gun. It hit Cruel Lips, who whimpered, before it landed on the cement with a clang.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,”

Lex warned. Baldie was trying to get up and reach for his gun, which had fallen and was only a few feet from Jillian.

Jillian grabbed and cocked it.

“Jillian,”

Lex said slowly.

“Give me the gun.”

She shook her head.

“I’m not going to be victimized by you guys,”

she said, her voice shaking, reaction setting in. She pointed the gun at Baldie.

“Tell your boss he’ll get his money. If he comes after me or goes after my father, I will contact the police and tell them everything.”

Baldie nodded.

“The gun, Jillian,” Lex said.

She ignored him. “Get up,”

she ordered Baldie.

He scampered to his feet and shuffled backward. He tripped over his partner, who was still on the ground, and fell backward. They struggled to their feet. Cruel Lips took his gun and ran to their SUV. When Baldie started to follow him, Jillian called out.

“Forgetting something?”

The man looked back and shook his head.

“Your gun.”

She quickly dismantled it, the pieces dropping on the ground with thuds. Like Douglas, she palmed the clip. She was starting to shake. Lex still looked furious. Douglas nodded at her with approval.

Baldie collected the pieces of his gun with clumsy hands, then shuffled backward, eyes filled with hatred as they darted from Jillian to Lex, then back to Jillian. She read the promise in those eyes. He would hurt her the next time they met.

She was so terrified she couldn’t think straight. There was no telling what those men would do if they came back and found her alone. And there was no question they would return meaner than ever.

“They’ll be back,”

she whispered.

“Let’s get you inside,” he said.

“No. You should leave.”

She tried to unlock her door, but her hand started to shake.

“You cannot be involved in this. You could get hurt. Or worse.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Jillian.”

Tears weren’t far from falling, but she refused to cry. She focused on unlocking the door, but her hand shook so hard and she couldn’t direct the key into the stupid keyhole.

“Let me do it,”

Lex said gently from behind her.

“No,”

she snapped.

He wrapped his arms around her and refused to let go no matter how hard she struggled. The fight left her and she sunk into him, allowing his warmth to chase away the cold that had crawled under her skin. She fought the tears and won.

Somehow, Lex knew the moment she calmed down. Without saying a word, he covered her hand and directed the key to the lock. He waited until she turned it and pushed the door open before letting her go.

Jillian entered her house on shaky legs, expecting the worst. Everything was exactly the way she’d left it, yet it wasn’t the same. This used to be home. Her sanctuary. Those goons violated it by ambushing her. How long had they been waiting outside? How had they known where she lived?

Jillian went to the bedroom and dragged out a suitcase, then another. She yanked clothes from hangers and threw them in the cases. Shoes, boots, jeans, and shirts. She emptied drawers without thought. She was rattled, and she hated being rattled. Damn bastards. Her brothers should have used the money she’d left with them. Just wait until she got them on the phone.

Voices reached her from the living room. Did Douglas follow Lex everywhere he went? What was he? Bodyguard? Driver? Master of all trades?

“Of course she can’t stay here,”

Lex said, his voice sounding closer.

“Those bastards will come back.”

Oh, she planned not to be around when they did. She had to talk to her brothers. She reached for her phone where she always kept it and remembered she’d dropped in the water. Stupid move, Jillian. Until Petrosian had his money, she wouldn’t be safe. There was no saying what they’d do to her to get to her father. Cruel Lips already thought she was a porn star.

A knock on the door then Lex entered her bedroom. He didn’t say anything, just leaned against the doorway and watched her.

“Does Douglas follow you around everywhere you go?”

she asked.

“Most of the time.”

She tried to close the suitcase, but it was too full. She pushed at the bulges and tried again.

“I think I’ll stay with Chris for a few days until I straighten out this mess.”

“No. You’re staying with me.”

So the thugs could follow her to his house? She didn’t think so.

“Could I borrow your phone?”

She sat on her suitcase and tugged at the zipper again.

Lex sighed, lifted her out of the way, and zipped it up with zero effort. He turned and peered at her face.

She gave him a tiny smile.

“Thank you.”

“In two weeks we’ll be married, Jillian, so moving in with me is the logical thing to do.”

“Logic has nothing to do with this.”

He’d be safer that way. She started zipping up the second suitcase.

“So you’d rather put Chris and your agent in danger?”

Jillian frowned. She had gone with her instinct and hadn’t really thought this through. After her mother died, Chris had become her go-to person whenever she felt threatened or unhappy. She couldn’t put him and Greg in danger.

“I’ll check into a hotel.”

“Then I’ll check in with you.”

Jillian sighed. “Lex.”

“I’m not letting you deal with this alone,”

he added when Jillian opened her mouth.

“The penthouse is safer. I have better security than any hotel, a private elevator accessed only by those who know the code, motion detectors in the house, and Douglas. He’s an ex-counterintelligence agent and can take down anyone.”

Lex grinned before adding.

“He can help you dismantle a gun faster. He thought you seemed a little rusty earlier.”

Jillian scoffed at the idea.

“Forget about the gun. I want to learn his fight moves and how he disarmed—”

She stopped, realizing that she’d caved again. Oh, he was good.

“Fine. I’ll stay for a few days, until I fix this mess.”

“Why you? Your father created this mess. He should fix it. You’ve already given him the money.”

She dragged the first suitcase off the bed, almost hitting her toes. She jumped back and cursed.

“Leave it before you hurt yourself.”

He lifted the suitcase like it weighed nothing and pinned her with a glare. “Why you?”

“Because that’s what children do for their parents.”

She waited for him to bring up what she’d told him, that her father had said she wasn’t his, but Lex just handed her his phone and carried her suitcase outside.

Jillian sat on the bed and dialed Ricky’s number.

“Where the hell have you been and why weren’t you answering our calls? I swear if you pulled that crazy-ass zombie shit you pulled whenever you felt sorry for yourself, I’m coming over there to whoop your ass.”

Tears rushed to Jillian’s eyes again.

“Oh, Ricky.”

“That shit wasn’t funny when you were young, and it ain’t now either. We went to your house several times and called every goddamn hotel in town, Jillian. Chris wasn’t returning our calls either, and when he finally did, he didn’t know where you were.”

Petrosian’s men must have followed her brothers to her place, but hearing the concern in Ricky’s voice made up for all the heartache she’d gone through the last three days.

“I’m fine, Ricky.”

“You don’t pull shit like this, Jillian. You don’t do that to us. We thought…”

He sighed.

“We thought Petrosian grabbed you. We scouted his clubs the last several nights, but… Where are you?”

“At my place, but I’ll be gone in…”

Lex walked into the room and indicated with his fingers.

“In five minutes.”

“No, I’ll be there in under an hour. Be there.”

“I have to go, Ricky.”

She stood, ready to follow Lex, who’d grabbed her second suitcase.

He swore.

“I swear if you try to use the crap Dad said to push us away, I’m going to find you and… and…”

He sighed.

“We need to talk, Jillian.”

Jillian smiled.

“We’ll talk. I didn’t want to tell you this, but Petrosian’s men were here. I drove up and they were waiting for me. If it weren’t for Lex and his bodyguard, they would have grabbed me.”

Silence followed.

“Come home, Jilly,”

Ricky whispered, fear in his voice.

“Forget what father said. It doesn’t change a thing. You are family.”

“Yes, Jilly. Come home,”

Cian cut in.

“We can sort this out together as a family.”

They’d just used their father’s nickname for her. Tears escaped and rolled down her cheek. She swiped at it.

“If you mean that, give Petrosian the money I left.”

She disconnected and put the phone down. She gave Lex a weak smile and wiped her cheeks, but the tears kept flowing. Lex looked like he wanted to punch someone. He closed the gap between them and, without saying a word, sat and pulled her down on his lap.

The tears Jillian had fought hard not to shed flowed unchecked. This time, she didn’t feel ashamed of breaking down. She clung to Lex until she was drained.

“Sorry, I made your shirt wet,”

she said, talking into his neck.

“I don’t usually have the waterworks over people or things, but this situation with my family—”

“Shh.”

Lex lifted her chin and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb.

“There’s no need to apologize. You’ve held everything in for days, and it was time to let go. As for the situation with your family, things will work out in the end.”

“You don’t know my father.”

“Actually, I’m beginning to understand him.”

He kissed her.

“I don’t think we’ll go to Sloan’s this evening. I’ll stop by and sign off on a project we’re doing together and just come back home. We’ll have dinner and rest. Would you like that?”

Home. The word was beginning to have a new meaning and face. Lex and his kindness. Lex and his brand of loving. Lex and his ability to make her the center of his world. Jillian reached up, touched his face, and smiled.

“Yes.”

*

Sloan’s beach house hugged the edge of the cliff. There were no roads to the house or a place to park. The only access was by boat, seaplane, or helicopter. A set of stairs led to the beach below. Two yachts were moored side by side on the docks. Rod must have hitched a ride with Cade because his boat was missing. A helipad with markings for landing several helicopters sat perfectly on a level above the beach and below the house.

Lex landed his helicopter and started up the second set of steps leading to the front of the house. He’d hated leaving Jillian behind, but she had enough crap to deal with right now without adding a party. His friends weren’t going anywhere. Unfortunately, neither was her family.

What kind of a father rejected his own daughter out of fear that bad guys might go after her? Lex had reached that conclusion after listening to the Armenian bastards sneer and make snide remarks to Jillian. If she weren’t so emotionally involved, she too would have reached that conclusion. Jillian’s father hadn’t kicked her out because of their relationship or how she’d gotten the money as he’d erroneously concluded earlier. Her father knew what the Armenians were capable of. Pushing her away was his way of protecting her. Her untimely arrival must have thrown him for a loop. Still, telling her she wasn’t his daughter was a shitty way of treating someone you loved in the name of protecting them.

Lex came from a family with many women. He’d learned at an early age that they were a lot stronger than men gave them credit for. His cousins had given him hell whenever he’d tried to treat them like they were helpless. His sister’s situation had been different because she had an illness that needed to be managed. Still, he’d learned that it was better to include her in decisions that affected her. Jillian’s father was obviously old-school, like his uncles who believed that women should be protected by keeping them ignorant of the dangers surrounding them.

The house was too quiet for someone having a party. Sloan usually had people frolicking in the pool, the grill going or some catering company providing food, and music blaring somewhere in the background. Most of the female guests modeled for his company.

Lex slid the door open, looked around, and frowned. The room was empty. He followed sounds of laughter and cheering downstairs to the media room. They were probably watching football.

Since the door was open, the men didn’t see him enter the room. Six of them leaned forward in their seats, watching what appeared to be a circus with rapt attention. He’d watched his share of circus performers, but his favorite had always been the daredevils—bikers and trapeze artists.

A group of six bikers were inside the Globe of Steel. At first, they looped up and down. Timing was crucial for this sort of stunt. One wrong move could lead to fatal injuries. One of the bikers angled his bike until he was perpendicular to the base.

“She’s good,”

Cade said.

“Yes, she is,”

Lucien said. He had a laptop open on his lap. He peered at the screen.

“She and her brothers started riding inside the Globe of Death when she was a pre-teen. Look at this.”

He tapped a key, and the pictures on the screen changed.

It started with the riders leaving the globe. They circled the arena, stopped facing the audience, and removed their helmets.

The master of ceremonies yelled.

“Ladies and gentlemen. The Fearless Finnegans.”

They bowed, but Lex’s eyes were drawn to one of them. The woman. Not a woman. A girl. Jillian. She must have been in her teens, but he recognized her.

So this was what Dom had meant when he’d said he recognized her and mentioned the Fearless Finnegans and a changeling among them. Jillian stood out among the men. Even as a child, she’d been amazing.

He stopped breathing when she put her helmet back on and took off, doing a loop before disappearing off the stage. Then she reappeared on one side of the stage, riding her bike on a wire. If he’d thought watching her do a stunt at the set was bad, this was five times worse. Lex broke out in a cold sweat as she crept up to the top of a wall while doing tricks.

“Turn it off!”

Lex snapped.

The men turned to look at him.

“But you haven’t seen her Phantom Rider act yet,”

Cade protested, but Lucien hit a key and the screen went blank. Someone turned on the lights. Not wanting the others to see how rattled he was, Lex left the media room. Sloan called out his name, but he didn’t slow down, almost bumping into Dom.

“Are you guys done already?”

he asked, but Lex kept going.

“What the hell is going on?”

“He’s pissed we were watching the Bay Area Circus,”

Cade said.

“He won’t let us meet her, so we found a way.”

“How the hell did you find her?”

Dom asked, proving he hadn’t told the others about the Fearless Finnegans. Not that it mattered. Cade and Lucien could break into Fort Knox if they could get away with it.

Lex tuned them out and disappeared inside the nearest bathroom. He stared at his reflection and cursed. He looked like shit. Was it always going to be like this? Breaking out in a cold sweat every time he thought Jillian was in danger? He couldn’t wrap her in bubble wrap to keep her safe. He’d love to though. He splashed his face with cold water. At least she wasn’t performing in that circus anymore.

When he rejoined them in the media room, the others got up and congratulated him.

“Always knew you’d get hitched first,”

Sloan said.

Lex chuckled. “Why?”

“Your family is big on producing the next generation of Fitzgeralds, which brings us to your future wife. What happened to her?”

Cade asked.

“Yeah, we were looking forward to welcoming her to the group,”

Rod chimed in.

“And wiping the smirk from Dom’s face.”

“We wouldn’t have resorted to researching her if he’d just told us what we wanted to know,”

Sloan said. Dom leaned against his chair and shrugged, but the gleam in his eyes said he was enjoying their annoyance.

Lex wanted to ignore them, but they’d only continue to push his buttons.

“What do you want to know?”

“Does she have a sister?”

Lucien asked.

“Is she hot?”

Rod asked.

Lex shot Rod a look that could have shriveled a lesser man.

“If you ever mention hot and Jillian in the same sentence, I will kick your ass. You already owe her an apology.”

Rod grinned.

“I’ll send her a nice gift.”

“Something appropriate, you knob head,”

Aiden warned.

“American insults, Aiden,”

Lucien said and kicked the Englishman’s foot.

“They have more impact. Is Jillian still with the Bay Area Circus?”

Lex shuddered. He hoped not.

“Feel free to ask her when you meet. Hopefully before the wedding.”

Silence followed, their expressions sobered as though it finally dawned on them that one of them was getting married. Cade had an aversion to dating, so he slept with women with questionable morals. Rod dated several at the same time and somehow managed to keep all of them happy. Lucien fell in and out of love so often they were convinced he’d bite the bullet first and settle down. Sloan nearly got engaged a few years ago, but things had turned sour and he hadn’t dated in over a year. Aiden had a steady girlfriend, who hated the idea of settling down. Rake was monogamous, but presently between relationships, while Dom went through two phases—when he went through women like he had something to prove and when he shunned them.

“When is the wedding?”

Sloan asked.

“In a couple of weeks. You’ll get the invitation. Maybe,”

Lex added.

“You’re kidding. We are going to be your best men.”

Rod glanced at the others.

“I know I’d want all of you to stand by me if I ever met a woman worth giving up my freedom and lifestyle.”

He shuddered.

Lex hadn’t thought of asking them. He had brothers and cousins who would stand by his side when he wed Jillian. These guys didn’t.

“Do you want to?”

“Yes,”

was their collective response.

“Fine.”

Lex shifted his attention to the images on the screen. Rake, who’d been quiet since Lex arrived, had done his thing—used his satellites to find hot zones, images of a people dying of a viral hemorrhagic fever. Since the government in question had openly denied there was an outbreak, it was time for Infitinus to get involved.

“What organization are we using this time?”

Lex asked.