Serenity
W e arrived home in the dark, which was a good thing, since we had to drag Brandon into the house through the front door. He didn’t put up much of a fuss, but I had no idea what we were going to do with him.
Half his face was swollen, and the anger coming off Nate promised even more damage. Still, I just didn’t have it in me to see Nate beat him up, even if he deserved it.
There had to be something else we could do.
Nate led him into the kitchen and pushed him into a chair. Brandon glanced at Nate and quickly turned his gaze to me. “Look. I don’t know what you’re involved in, or what’s going on here, but I don’t want anything to do with it. Just let me go, and I’ll forget any of this ever happened. ”
Nate folded his arms and raised a brow. “Sorry, Dude, but it doesn’t work that way. First you have to tell me why you wanted Serenity dead.”
While Brandon sputtered out a denial, I pulled out a chair and sat down. “He took out a life insurance policy on me… I need to be dead for him to collect.”
Brandon flinched and lowered his head. “It was a mistake. I don’t want you dead… not anymore. Just let me go, and you’ll never see me again.”
“I wish I could believe that.” Nate pulled out another chair, moving it in front of Brandon’s, and sat down. He leaned forward into Brandon’s space. “But this is what I’m going to do. I’m going to leave it up to Serenity. What happens to you is up to her.”
He glanced at me, and sat back in his chair. “But I strongly recommend ending his miserable life. He shouldn’t get away with attempted murder. How can you trust that he won’t try again? I know how to make him disappear, and you won’t have to worry about him ever again.”
Brandon’s gaze jerked to mine. “Serenity! No. You can’t go along with him. That’s murder. Can you live with that? I’ll do whatever you want. Just let me go.”
I met Nate’s gaze, trying to decide if he was serious or just toying with Brandon. His hard edge never wavered, but would he really do whatever I wanted? Even if it meant killing Brandon? “You’d really kill him for me?”
His eyes crinkled a little, like he was happy to play along. “Of course I would. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” His gaze flicked to Brandon. “And this asshole tried to kill you, so… yeah. I would.”
My lips tilted up, and warmth tightened my chest. “Wow… you really love me, don’t you?” I waited for his se xy-smile and nod before glancing at Brandon. “Well… in that case—”
“No! Serenity! You can’t be serious?” Brandon’s eyes widened. “Look. I’ll sign the divorce papers right now. You’ll never have to see me again. I promise. Just… you can’t let him kill me.”
“Yeah… but there’s more to it now. What about everything that happened today? Can you keep your mouth shut about Johnny and Aubree and what happened to them?”
He swallowed. “Absolutely. Already forgotten.”
“And the divorce papers?”
“I’ll sign them first thing in the morning.”
“Just to make sure you’re telling me the truth…” I slowly reached over to touch his arm. He flinched, but couldn’t move away from my touch. He closed his eyes like it would be painful, and I shook my head.
Concentrating on him, I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. I caught a glimpse of him arguing with the woman from the club. Her face was scrunched up in anger, and she was telling him it was over.
Hmm… did that mean he’d signed the papers and had none of the millions he’d promised her? I tried not to smile and glanced at Nate. “I think he’ll go through with it. I don’t love it, but I guess I’m good with it… unless he changes his mind.”
Nate’s lips twisted. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
I huffed out a big sigh and sized Brandon up, like I wasn’t sure, before turning back to Nate. “It is.”
He shook his head, like he was disgusted, and turned to Brandon. “As much as I don’t want to do it, I guess that means that I have to cut you loose.” He pulled out his knife. “Go ahead. Stand up. ”
Brandon lurched to his feet, but before he could turn around, Nate grabbed his shoulder and held the knife to his throat. “But know this, sleazebag. If you don’t do everything you agreed to, your life is over. I will come for you. Understand?”
Brandon swallowed, and his throat bobbed before he nodded.
“Good.” Nate lowered his knife. “Now turn around.” He cut through the zip-tie, and Brandon quickly backed away. Rubbing his wrists, he hurried toward the front door. Pulling it open, he rushed out of the house like his pants were on fire.
I glanced at Nate. “That was oddly satisfying. Thank you.” His smile melted my heart, and he pulled me into his arms.
“Anyone else you want me to threaten?”
“Um… not right now.”
“Good, because I’m beat. What a day.”
“No kidding. When Johnny shot you…” I shook my head. “Every time I shut my eyes, I still see it happening.” I couldn’t help the shudder that ran through me. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“Babe… I was afraid of losing you, too. If it wasn’t for that stupid dog—”
“What dog?”
He explained his adventure through the neighbors’ back yard and how he’d ended up in a tree house and missed my call.
“Oh my gosh!” I shook my head. “From now on, you’re carrying your lucky stone everywhere you go. And if you won’t, I will.”
“Sounds good to me.” His lips lowered to mine in a tender kiss. Pulling away, he tugged me toward my room. “Come on. I want to savor every inch of you. ”
Before he could take a step, his phone rang. “Dammit!” Pulling it out of his pocket, he sighed. “It’s Detective Scardino. I’d better answer.” He swiped his phone. “Hey, Dino, what’s up?”
Nate held the phone away from his ear, and I could hear Dino yelling about an explosion. Nate shook his head and waited for him to stop before responding. “Yeah. I got that, do you want me to tell you anything, or are you going to keep yelling at me?”
Listening, he closed his eyes. “Arrest me? What for? I didn’t do anything…” Nate sighed and rubbed his forehead. “The owner of the property? Who is it?… Is that right?… good to know…” He let out a breath. “Yeah. I may know something about that, but I’m not telling you unless you can guarantee my anonymity… Sure… okay… yeah, yeah… I know the drill.” He hung up and sighed.
“What was that about? He’s not coming to arrest you, is he?”
“No, but he asked if I knew who the bodies belonged to. Then he said that the owner of the property dropped my name to them… telling them that I might have had something to do with it.”
“What? Who is it?”
“Vanetti’s competition. His name is Bruce Lawrence.”
My brows drew together. “Aubree mentioned someone named Larry. Wait… I know that name… but I don’t know from where.”
“While you think about it, I need to call Vanetti.”
“Yeah… that’s a good idea.”
I stepped to the refrigerator and pulled out a diet soda. I held the can up and Nate nodded, so I popped the lid and handed it to him. He closed his eyes and took a swig while waiting for Vanetti to pick up. “It’s me. Did Ricky tell you what happened?”
He listened for a few more seconds before explaining his phone call from Dino. I held my can to my forehead, feeling drained and tired. All I wanted was to fall into bed with Nate, but from his conversation, I wasn’t sure that would happen.
“She’s okay, but she got shot.” Nate met my gaze. “You want to talk to her? She’s right here.” He held out the phone and I took it, setting my soda on the counter.
“Hey there.”
“I can’t believe what happened, but I’m not real clear on how Johnny got you.” I stifled a yawn and limped over to the couch, tugging Nate along with me. We sat down, and I explained the whole thing. Nate listened in, since he didn’t know that part either.
“Good work. You’ve earned every bit of that money. In fact, you should come in tomorrow and I’ll cut you a check.”
“Thanks. I’ll do that.”
“I guess, with the job over, Nate can go home now.”
I glanced at Nate. “Uh… yeah… I guess he could. Did you want to talk to him again?”
“Sure.”
I handed the phone over. “Your turn.”
Nate held the phone to his ear, and glanced my way. “Yeah?” He gently rubbed the dirt from my forehead and brushed his thumb across my lips. “Uh… sure. No. I’m staying here tonight.” He shook his head. “Don’t give me that … Yeah? … Whatever. See you tomorrow.”
He put his phone away. “He wants us in his office first thing in the morning.”
“Did you just tell him you were staying the night? ”
He chuckled. “Yeah… he said he’d known something was going on between us, and we hadn’t fooled him. But I think he just likes to act like he knows everything.”
My brows rose. “Well, he kind of does.”
Nate stood and tugged me to my feet. “Look at us. We’re a mess.”
I smiled. “Maybe we should take a shower?”
He pulled his shirt out and began to unbutton it, revealing his bullet-proof vest.
“Need some help getting it off?”
He nodded. “I’d appreciate it. My chest is a little sore.”
We got the vest off, along with the t-shirt underneath, and I got a good look at the purple bruise where the bullet had hit him. “Ouch. That looks painful.”
“It is.”
“Should I kiss it better?” I stepped close and gently kissed his bruise. “Anyplace else that needs a kiss?”
“Yeah. Lots of them. But let’s shower first.”
That was all it took for us to head into my bathroom. There were a lot of bruises on both of us, but that didn’t limit the amount of places that needed kissing.
By the time we were done, the water was running cold, but it was easily the best shower I’d ever taken in my life.
∞∞∞
I woke the next morning, cradled against Nate’s chest. My heart expanded, knowing something special was happening between us. It was the start of something new and more exciting than I could have imagined.
“Sen?”
“Hey.”
He inhaled deeply. “I don’t want to get up. ”
I chuckled. “Me neither. Will Vanetti be okay if we wait until tomorrow? After yesterday, I think we deserve a day off, right?”
“Ha. If only. No. We’d better get going.”
“I guess so.” I slid out from under him, but he tugged me back down and nuzzled his face against my neck.
“I just need one more kiss… then you can get up.”
That one kiss lasted a little longer than it should have, and it was another half hour before we finally got out of bed.
“Do you think Vanetti will yell at us for being late?” I asked, tugging on my boots.
Nate shrugged. “He can yell all he wants. It was totally worth it.” He sent me that sexy, lop-sided grin that always made my heart flutter, and I had to agree.
I didn’t think I could ever get enough of him. Was I an idiot for falling for a hitman? Maybe… but he was a good guy… not like a real hitman, right? Still, whatever this was, I wouldn’t change it for anything.
Before we left, my phone rang. The caller ID said it was my lawyer, so I quickly answered. “Hello?”
“Serenity! I have some great news for you. Brandon just dropped off the divorce papers. And get this: he signed off on everything. I knew you’d be thrilled, so I had to call.”
“Wow! That’s great. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Of course. I wonder why he changed his mind.”
“Yeah… no kidding. I guess he had a change of heart. So, what’s next?”
“I’ll file with the judge today. That means the divorce should be final in the next couple of weeks.”
I let out a breath. “That’s the best news ever. Thanks.” I disconnected and glanced up at Nate. His brow rose, and I tried to suppress my enthusiasm. “Dang. I guess you don’t get to kill Brandon… sorry.”
He snickered and pulled me into a hug. “I’ll just have to get over it. But at least he’s out of our lives.”
My heart swelled. “I like the sound of that.”
He gave me a sweet kiss, full of promise, and I couldn’t hold back the love I felt for him. Pulling away, I sighed. “We’d better get going before Vanetti fires you.”
∞∞∞
We stepped off the elevator onto the twenty-sixth floor and went right to Vanetti’s office, passing Julia. “There you are. I was just about to call you.” Julia glanced between us, and a sly smile curved her lips. “Go on down. He’s waiting for you.”
Nate gave her a chin nod, and continued down the hall with me beside him. He didn’t waste any time knocking, and opened the door.
Vanetti glanced up from his desk. “It’s about time.”
Nate raised a brow. “We had a rough day, yesterday.” He glanced at me. “Didn’t we?”
I wanted to add that the night was pretty rough too, only in a much better way. Instead, I cleared my throat and glanced at Vanetti. “Yes. But don’t blame Nate. I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning.” My eyes widened. Did I just say that out loud?
Vanetti rolled his eyes. “Well… since you’re both so worn out, you’d better sit down.”
As we took our seats, Nate grinned at me, and I couldn’t help smiling back .
Vanetti let out a small huff before getting down to business. “We need to pay Bruce Lawrence a visit. I have a feeling he’s more involved with this than we know.”
He met my gaze. “Remember that first job you did for me? Finding the letter that got lost?”
“Oh my gosh! That’s right. It was from him. Bruce Lawrence. That’s where I’ve heard that name before.”
“Exactly. He’s been encroaching on my business for a while, and I think he decided to make his move. At least that’s what it looks like, since he owns the property that Johnny blew up. We need to pay him a visit and find out what he’s up to.”
He met my gaze. “And I’d like you to come with us. You might be the key to uncovering his secrets. Will you come?”
“Sure. If it’s tied to Nate, I’d like to finish the job.”
“Good. Let me get Ricky and Slater. They’re coming with us.”
A few minutes later, we were all headed down to the parking garage. As we passed Nate’s motorcycle, I slowed to glance at it and let out a sigh. I’d made sure to wear my leather jacket, just in case I could get a ride.
“Hold up,” Nate said, calling to the others. “We’ll meet you there.” Without waiting for a response from them, he pulled me over to the bike.
Barely able to hold in my excitement, I grinned up at him. “How did you know?”
“Babe… it’s what made you fall in love with me. Right?”
I raised a brow. “Maybe. I mean… it definitely helped.”
“Yeah? What else?”
“Well… it could have been seeing you without your shirt for the first time…” I sent him a saucy smile. “Then there’s the way you kiss me… and you really are quite handy—”
A car honked, and I practically jumped out of my skin .
With a chuckle, Nate pulled our helmets from the trunk of his car, handing mine over. “As much as I’m enjoying this, I guess we’ll have to finish the conversation later.”
I pushed my helmet on and fastened it like a pro. At least I’d learned how to do that right. We quickly mounted the bike and followed behind the black SUV.
I wrapped my arms around Nate, giving in to the enjoyment of the moment. I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of this, either. And just thinking about all the rides ahead of us sent sunshine right into my heart.
Before I was ready, we pulled into the parking lot of an office building in a plaza on the other side of town.
With Vanetti taking the lead, we followed him into the building. We passed the receptionist’s desk, ignoring her cries that we couldn’t go into Lawrence’s office.
Vanetti opened the door and we followed him in, flanking his position and surrounding the man sitting at his desk. He was a big guy, but a little on the pudgy side. “What the—what is the meaning of this?”
“Hello, Lawrence.” Vanetti motioned to Ricky, who stepped back to lock the door. “I think we need to have a chat.”
Lawrence stiffened, then he moved to open his desk drawer.
Nate pulled his gun. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He motioned with his gun. “Hands on the desk.”
Letting out a huff, Lawrence placed his hands where we could see them. “I have no idea why you’d barge in here like this. What is this about?”
“I’d like you to explain why you told the police that Stone was involved in the explosion at your property yesterday. ”
“How did you—” He swallowed. “That was confidential information.”
“And yet… you did. So what’s your plan? Trying to move in on my business?”
“No. Absolutely not. I know better than that.”
Vanetti glanced my way, then back at him. “Could Serenity borrow that pen you’re holding?”
I stepped forward and held out my hand.
“I guess.” He shrugged before handing it to me.
“And that notepad, too?”
Picking it up, he gave it to me.
A couple of seconds later, I quickly wrote down what I’d picked up, tore off the paper, and handed it to Vanetti.
He read it, then folded the paper and put it in his pocket. “It looks like you’ve been trying to undermine my business for a while, now. It was you who paid someone to break into my safe. Was it your idea to kill Stone, too?”
“What? Absolutely not. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Right. Well… I have some news for you. Both Aubree and Johnny are dead. Your plans have failed.”
Lawrence’s eyes widened. “They’re dead?”
Vanetti nodded. “You have a lot to learn, Lawrence, but the most important thing you should know is to stay out of my way. I’ll give you a warning, and I’ll say it only once. If anything even remotely close to this ever happens again, you’ll pay a heavy price. Even if you survive, you’ll wish you were dead.”
Lawrence pursed his lips, then glanced away and nodded. “Fine. Are you done?”
Vanetti smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “For now, but you should know that I’m just getting started. You owe me. Expect to hear from me soon. ”
With that, Vanetti turned toward the door. Ricky opened it and followed him out, Slater went next. Nate motioned for me to follow, and turned for a parting glance at Lawrence. “You tried to have me killed. I don’t care what Vanetti said, it’s not something I’m going to forget.”
Lawrence swallowed. “It wasn’t my idea. I swear.”
Nate nodded. “Maybe not, but I wouldn’t get too comfortable in this town if I were you. In fact, a change of scenery might be the best thing for your continued good health.”
If anything, Lawrence seemed more afraid of Nate than he had of Vanetti.
“I’ll be seeing you.” Nate stepped into the hall and pulled the door closed behind him.
As we followed the others out, I lifted a brow. “Damn, you’re scary.”
He tried not to grin. “Why, thank you.”
We congregated in the parking lot, and Vanetti rubbed his hands together. “That went well. Thanks for the tip, Serenity.”
“Of course.”
“While I’ve got you, there’s something I’d like you to consider. Now that I’ve seen what you can accomplish, I’d like to hire you on a permanent basis.”
My eyes widened. “Really?”
He smiled. “Yes. It could be on a job-by-job arrangement, if that’s best for your business, but I’m sure we can work something out. You can think about it first, if you need to.”
I glanced at Nate to gauge his response, and caught a flare of excitement in his eyes. Sending him a saucy grin, I turned to Vanetti. “I’d like that.”
“Wonderful.” Vanetti turned to Nate. “And Stone… take the rest of the day off. You deserve it. ”
Vanetti grinned at both of us before turning to the car and getting inside with the others. As they drove off, Nate shook his head and handed me my helmet. “You’re sure you want to work for a mob boss?”
“Would you be okay with that?”
He chuckled. “Hmm… well it might mean I’d have to haul you around on my bike, and make sure you don’t get killed, but… I guess I’d be okay with it. There’s only one stipulation.”
“What’s that?”
“Keeping us both alive is your number one priority, so I expect you to touch me as much as possible to make sure that happens.”
I grinned up at him. “I think I can handle that.”
He caught me under my arms and pulled me against his chest. As he lowered me back down, his lips met mine in a searing kiss. “Ready to ride?”
“You know it.”