Red Handed by Jessa Wilder

Iflopped on Sophie’s bed, so tired I was worried I might fall asleep and never get up again. Sophie wandered in behind me and I didn’t even comment. She’d been a blubbering mess the entire ride home. I wasn’t surprised she didn’t want to be alone. Being shot at was no picnic.

“Should we order food or something?” I asked, my face pressed into the bed so my voice came out muffled.

“What?” Sophie said, hollowly.

I sat up. “Thai or Pizza?”

“I’m not hungry.” She looked completely defeated. Sad and small, like a scared child.

“Come on, we should eat. It’s not even late. We can watch a movie or something and get your mind off today.”

She let out an enormous sigh and shifted to face me on the bed. “Why aren’t you more upset?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve seen shootings before, I guess.”

Sophie took a deep, shuddering breath, pushing her bleached hair behind her ears. “I can’t just sit here being scared. This is stupid.”

I raised a brow at her. “What do you mean?”

“I want to do something. Let’s go somewhere.”

I barked a humorless laugh. “We were shot at both times we left the hotel. If you want to get your mind off being attacked, I don’t think the way to do that is to go out.”

She groaned. “It’s not fair. I’m going fucking crazy.”

I pursed my lips. Sophie rarely swore. “Well, we could probably go find some wine or something. I bet Nico has some rich people booze in his room.”

Speaking of Nico, I could hear the guy’s muffled voices from the next room. I had no idea how Sophie tolerated that. I would go insane.

“No.” Sophie shook her head. “I need to get out of here. I’m crawling out of my skin.”

“Nico won’t let us.” As I said that, I died a little inside. What the fuck? Since when did I care what Nico thought?

“Since when do you care what Nico thinks?” Sophie said, echoing my thoughts.

“Since he’s right for once. Broken clocks are right twice a day you know.” I wondered absently if he could hear us. Probably, but the voices in the next room hadn’t paused. He clearly wasn’t listening.

Sophie stood and started pacing around my room. “Wait…” She grinned and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “What if we wore disguises?”

I laughed for real this time. “This isn’t a TV show. That’s dumb.”

“How is a disguise dumb? If we are getting shot at, you and me, let’s not be us.”

I flopped back on my pillows. “Or we could stay safe here.”

She grabbed my hands and made big eyes at me. “Rae, I can’t stay here anymore, trapped while fucked up stuff keeps happening. I want to get drunk and find some guy to hook up with and just go back to normal.”

“Soph—”

“If you don’t come with me, I’m just going to go alone.”

I groaned. Jesus Christ. This was the worst idea ever. Like, seriously, I couldn’t think of anything dumber. This was how women in horror movies got their heads chopped off. I fell silent, mulling over other ways to distract her. In the prolonged quiet, the voices from the next room became more audible.

“Can’t we stay tonight? The shooting was scary, and I know we’d be safe with you.”

My eyes narrowed. I knew that voice. I glanced at Sophie, whose eyebrows had disappeared into her hair. Sophie and I both leaned closer to the wall.

Nico’s voice echoed so loud it sounded like he was in the room with us. “You can stay here tonight.”

“What the fuck?” Sophie rasped, eyes wide. “Is that those girls from the motocross thing?”

My ears buzzed and I set my jaw. “What kind of disguises?”

* * *

It felt freaking weird to be in an Uber. Moreover, to be in an Uber alone with my sister. Only two weeks of living in the hotel, and already Nico’s insane over-reliance on security was rubbing off on me. I kept checking around me to see if we were being followed, like a cornered animal running from a predator.

I couldn’t believe I let her talk me into going out. I guess defiance was a powerful thing. After hearing Sadie was staying the night in Nico’s suite, there was nothing I wanted to do more than defy the top Gentlemen. I wasn’t about to sit in Sophie’s room with Thai takeout and listen to…whatever happened through the wall. I gazed out the window, watching the city lights blink by, and frowned. I knew the truth: I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t jealous. Yeah…it wasn’t my brightest moment.

Fuck it. After today, we deserved a bit of fun. Plus, I was fully loaded: two blades strapped to one leg, and a pistol to my other. Sophie practically shook with excitement in the seat next to me, and that somehow made everything better. She looked perfect as always, her lavender hair giving her an irresistible party girl look. With our matching brightly colored wigs, we looked so alike it was almost scary. It would be easy to mistake us as twins.

We pulled up to a plain industrial building down by the river. The exterior looked like a warehouse or an airplane hangar, except for the packed parking lot and the huge flashing red and yellow sign that read: Absinthe.

“Here we go,” Sophie said, flashing a huge white smile.

She paid the driver and scooted out of the car. I followed, my eyes darting all around the packed parking lot. The line to get inside wrapped all the way to the back. It was going to be body to body in there.

I grabbed her arm, and she spun to me. “We stick together.” I dropped my voice low, but clear. “If you find a guy, make him come home with us. No following anyone back to their place.”

“Jesus, Rae, you sound exactly like Nico.”

I choked on my laugh, then the mortification set in. Fuck. The hell with that. We were here for a good time and we were going to get it. When we reached the bouncer, Sophie handed him her two VIP passes.

His face went white. “This way, Ms. Esposito.” The beast of a man’s voice held a slight tremble and he wouldn’t meet our gaze as he quickly lifted the velvet rope.

I grabbed Sophie’s arm as soon as we were inside. “What the hell are you playing at, Soph? Esposito?”

“Relax. It was the only way we were getting in here. A North Side club? Come on, we couldn’t use our own names.” She smiled wide. “And it totally worked. You should thank me.”

I should’ve known when she mysteriously came up with these too good to be true tickets. I was about to rip into her, but my words were cut off as soon as we entered the main area. I gasped. The club was two floors, with the top floor mostly open and visible from the entrance. Brightly colored silks, twirling dancers, and contorted acrobats hung from the vaulted ceiling over a packed dance floor. Along the back wall, girls in various stages of undress writhed on poles, all covered in red and yellow glitter, against a black and white striped background. It was like the bizarre love child of a strip club, a Vegas nightclub, and a three-ring circus. I watched, transfixed, as one of the strippers flipped upside down on her poll, twirling a flaming baton in one hand.

Sophie bumped my shoulder with hers. “Right? I told you this place was unreal.”

“Mmmhmm,” I agreed. She was full of ‘I told you so’s’ tonight. I just hoped I wouldn’t have to say one back.

“Come on, Rae, loosen up. We’re free.” Her hand slid into mine, and she led me to a raised section with individual booths overlooking the dance floor. Our booth was big enough for at least ten people and we looked comically small sitting in the center alone, but there was no way I was going to let her loose on the dance floor where I’d easily lose her. Bitterness tightened my chest. Sophie was my older sister, but somehow, I’d fallen into the role of babysitter. No one ever looked out for me like that. She was the heir, and I was the spare of the family.

A beautiful waitress came up to us, dressed in striped leggings and a red and orange striped mini dress, like a carnival performer. She held a giant bottle of grey goose.

“We didn’t order that,” I said, confused.

The waitress smiled. “It’s compliments of the gentlemen down the row.”

I stiffened at the word gentlemen. “Where?” I asked sharply.

The waitress pointed toward a couple of gorgeous men sitting three booths down. Both of them were laser focused on Sophie. There was a dangerous air about them and the hair on my arms stood on end. An edge of warning trickled through me. I squinted through the dark club to get a better look.

“I can’t tell from here if she meant regular gentlemen or the Gentlemen,” I muttered. “Fuck, I knew this was a bad idea.”

Sophie practically preened at the men and waved. “Chill, Rae. They’re not wearing suits, and you know Nico is weird about that. It’s probably nothing.” She handed me a shot glass and raised her drink to the guys down the aisle.

I groaned. She was going to be a handful tonight.

The closer one—a blonde—gave us a head nod, a grin pulling at the corner of his lips. His hooded eyes were focused on Soph, and I swear he looked like he wanted to devour her. Sophie must have agreed because a visible shiver ran through her. She clinked her glass against mine, then downed it. Fuck it, Bottoms up. The smooth liquor burned down my throat and heated my belly. I immediately poured another.

The DJ wasn’t slotted to start for another hour, so we spent that time scoping out guys in the crowd for Sophie. Honestly, a random hook up might be good for me too. I was getting too wrapped up in the drama at the hotel and the guys living there. I’d made the mistake of letting my guard down with them, and that needed to stop. This had to be some weird version of Stockholm syndrome. Technically, we weren’t prisoners. But the fact that we had to sneak out tonight showed what limited freedom we had. Being controlled itched at my skin, I’d spent years in dangerous situations and suddenly I was being treated as a helpless little girl while the men went out to play. Fuck that.

“Come dance,” Sophie said, throwing one glance back at the guys in the other booth.

I rolled my eyes. “Fine.”

She started to move with the music, her slim body fluid. Her head tipped back as she let the sound seep through her. I scanned the room and looked for anyone who might look like trouble. So far things were chill, but I was missing the safety of numbers. I should've called Connor and Brian, but they were even worse than Nico when it came to Sophie.

I scanned the room again and my lips curled up in a smile. She was fucking good. Both the guys at the next table were laser focused on her, their eyes hooded with heat. She smirked at me, knowing exactly what she was doing. She avoided them completely and continued to move as if no one was around. The freeness made her practically irresistible. I loved to dance, but there was an edge tonight that wouldn’t let me relax. We’d come out here unprotected and there was no way I was going to let something go south and have to hear about it from Nico. That was…if they ever found out. If everything went as planned, we’d be tucked into bed before they woke up.

“Are they still watching?”

I barely shifted my gaze and spotted the guys in question, eyes still riveted on her. “Yup.”

Her smile was mischievous. “Good, they should be here in five seconds.”

I watched as they stood up and headed toward us. A sound from our right was tugging on my mind, but I was riveted on what was happening here. Sophie smiled brightly as a huge, tattooed guy stared down at her. The air shifted around us, suddenly intense under his gaze.

“Hi,” Sophie said breathlessly.

Before the guy could reply, a harsh voice cut into the tension. “They’re with us.”

A shiver ran down my spine at the sound of Nico’s voice. Oh shit. I spun so fast I almost toppled over in my too-tall heels.

Nico threw out a hand to catch me on reflex, his fingers splaying across my stomach. He dipped his head to whisper in my ear, his voice edged with repressed anger. “Found you.”

Behind Nico, Rush and Beck glowered at our new friends. The dark-haired one with the tattoos was now flanked by his blonde friend. The dark-haired guy looked at Sophie for a second longer before his gaze darted to Nico. He blinked twice—maybe in surprise or recognition? Nico was a relatively recognizable figure in St. Adrian. Even if this guy wasn’t a Gentlemen, he probably knew who he was dealing with. His eyes darted from Nico, to me, to Sophie. “We didn’t know, man. No harm intended.”

“Well, you know now, so back the fuck off.” Rush’s voice was harder than I’d ever heard, but he didn’t look at me. All his attention was on our new guests. The hypocrites were cock blocking us only hours after they invited Sadie to stay the night.

I let out a sound of frustration, but no one paid attention to me. The men were talking. They’d be lucky if I didn’t stab them all in the throat.

Sophie, usually reserved, practically shot toward Nico. She stared down her nose at him, breathing hard. “Listen here, Esposito. I may have played along with your bullshit, but we’re not captives. You don’t control us.”

His gaze shifted to me, his jaw clenched and hands fisted. “Is that right?”

Sophie’s smile was feral, showing all her perfect teeth. “I know you’re used to getting everything you want, but we are not for sale.”

Nico’s eyes darted to mine sharply again, then back to her. “I think you’d be surprised.”

Sophie laughed without humor. “You better be careful, or you’ll lose her before you get a chance to catch her.” She stormed off the dance floor in the direction of our booth.

I watched her out of the corner of my eye, feeling like I should follow, but also aware that this conversation wasn’t over. I straightened my back, trying to look unaffected, but the truth was I felt like a kid getting caught stealing. Nico straight up looked like he wanted to punish me, and I shivered for a new reason. Would I like that? No, definitely not. What was I thinking?

When I looked at Beck and Rush, my chest panged with regret. Rush’s jaw was set in anger, but there was more to it than the unbridled rage I expected from Nico. Beck just looked hurt, like I’d kicked his dog. Fuck. I’d gotten in deeper than I’d expected to with these guys and from the look on their faces I’d fucked up. Maybe I should apologize? No, fuck that. I wasn’t some damsel in distress. They couldn’t lock me up while they went out and had fun. A cool tinge of envy sent sparks down my arms. Fair is fair. So why did I feel so bad when I met Beck’s gaze and he shifted his eyes from mine?

I stomped back over to the booth where Sophie sat, arms crossed like a sulking teenager.

“You need to go home. Now,” Nico said to her, his tone leaving no room for discussion.

“Fine. You’ve ruined the night anyway,” she spat.

Rush beckoned to a couple of guys in dark suits I hadn’t noticed before, but who looked way out of place in the circus themed club. “Take Ms. O’Rourke back to the Hotel on Main.”

Sophie turned to me as one of the security guys took her by the elbow. “Let’s go,” she said.

My fucking pleasure. I stood and went to walk past him, but Rush grabbed my arm. “Not you, Raegan.”

I blinked. Fuck. He’d busted out the full name.

Rush didn’t squeeze my arm hard, but I could practically feel the anger simmering in his gaze. It dared me to try to get away from him.

Sophie’s head whipped back when she realized I wasn’t behind her. “Like hell I’m leaving her with you all when you’re acting like cavemen.”

Rush never looked away from me, just took a step closer. I began to pull away but caught the hurt look in Beck’s eyes. Shit. “Just go, Soph. I’ll be fine.”

She scoffed. “There’s no way I’m leaving you here.”

“Trust me. Go.”

She gave the guys one last glare. “If I so much as hear that you’ve hurt one hair on her head, you’re all dead men. Trust me. I have men that know how to dispose of a body.”

Rush glared at her. “We’ve spent weeks trying to protect you both. We aren’t going to fucking hurt her.”

I sagged a bit in relief at his words. I didn’t think they would hurt me, but a small part of me was growing nervous.

Rush’s eyes met mine, feeling the change in my posture. He looked like I slapped him. Eyes wide with shock, he let go of my arm like I’d burned him. His voice was rough. “You thought I’d fucking hurt you?”

Sophie watched the guys for a long moment, and a sly smile formed on her lips. “Fine.”

She had barely moved out of earshot when the three guys piled into the booth. I sat facing Nico. His smile twisted and I glared back, not breaking his gaze. These boys needed to learn they didn’t own me. The heat of Beck and Rush as they sat on either side of me snapped me out of my stare-down, but neither of them were looking at me. Instead, their eyes scanned the room as if they were looking for danger. Overprotective assholes.

Beck was stiff and all hard edges, not a glimpse of the playful guy he’d been these last few weeks. He wouldn’t look at me. Fine. All of this had to stop, anyway. We’d figure out how to stop the Trilogy and go back to being enemies. I wasn’t under the delusion that our gangs would suddenly be best friends. This was all a means to an end. I murmured something similar to that under my breath, and Beck’s attention snapped to me.

“Screw you, Raegan. What are you playing at?” He took a deep breath “I thought…” His eyes searched mine. “Fuck it. It doesn’t matter what I thought. I was clearly wrong.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Rush said, glancing between Beck and I.

“No,” Nico said smoothly. “Raegan thinks she needs a night out. We’re going to give it to her.”

We sat there in complete silence as time ticked by, until finally Beck turned to me. “Just tell me why you left like that? What were you thinking?”

I faced them all with a snarl. “I was thinking that you three get to come and go as you please, set all the rules, keep things from me, and hook up with motocross chicks, all while you keep us locked away in your gilded cage of a hotel.”

Beck’s brows pinched together, confusion written across his face as he worked over my words, then a wicked grin formed and he glanced at Rush. “The little thief was jealous.” He barked a laugh.

Rush turned to look at me. “Is that true Firecracker? Were you jealous?”

Relief flooded through me at the return of the nicknames I’d hated only a week ago, but that didn’t change anything. “Hell, no. I wouldn’t be jealous of you. Go fuck whoever you want.”

Nico scoffed, a small smirk crossing his mouth before returning to glowering at me. “There are better ways to prove a point, Raegan.”

We returned to silence, but Beck handed me a drink and leaned into my side. His fingers traced a pattern on my bare thigh that sent sparks down my spine.

Rush turned hot eyes on me. “They aren’t staying in our rooms. We went and played with the shooter.” He tucked a strand of hair from my lavender wig behind my ear, fingers brushing my cheek. “We made him pay nice and slow for shooting at you.”

Fuck. My head tipped back as heat flooded between my thighs. There was no denying that was hot. Beck and Rush both groaned beside me at my reaction. Beck’s hand tightened on my thigh, slowly drifted up. Rush’s lips pressed barely there kisses down the curve of my neck. The tension between us nearly setting me on fire. “Come dance with us,” he whispered.

Fuck, that sounded good.