Red Handed by Jessa Wilder

Iwoke gasping for air. Fear drenched me as I tried to take a breath. Nico’s dark eyes flashed to mine in the barely there light from the window. Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, and I felt a soft kiss on the top of my head. The smell of sandalwood surrounded me. Beck.

A kiss was placed on my forehead. “You’re safe, Firecracker. Go back to sleep.”

Safe. My heart slowed, and my breathing calmed, sleep pulling me back under, surrounded by their warmth.

* * *

The side of my face throbbed to the beat of my pulse. How the hell was it possible to hurt so much? I groaned, my eyes barely lifting when I rolled over. Fear spiked through my chest, sending my heart hammering. Had I been drugged? I bolted to a seating position, scrambling up in the bed close to the headboard. My entire body shook with the panic induced adrenaline flooding through my veins. This couldn’t be happening again.

“Easy, Rabbit. You’re safe.”

My head snapped toward the voice, so quiet it was almost unfamiliar.

Nico’s usually perfectly styled hair stuck up at the front, like he’d run his fingers through it. His near-black eyes were framed with dark circles, and the shadow across his jawline said he hadn’t shaved in a day or two. He should have looked like shit, but maybe I was still drugged because honestly, I was into it.

Relief flooded me, my heart rate coming down a level, but tension pulled my muscles tight. I took a deep breath and was immediately surrounded by the comforting scent of gunpowder and expensive shampoo. I filled my lungs with it as I scanned the room. It wasn’t mine, but still familiar. Tall floor to ceiling windows covered one wall, black silk bedding lay all around me, and all the furniture was made of sleek, modern lines. My eyes snapped back to Nico’s piercing gaze. I was in his room.

Nico’s eyes darted over me, pausing on the side of my face and the bandages on my arm. I vaguely remembered a doctor last night, frantically checking me over while three men growled at him not to wake me. How the hell they thought he could pull that off was beyond me.

I peered down at my arms, covered in splotchy purple bruises and small cuts. The bruise on my arm was almost black…and shaped disturbingly like a handprint. My stomach dropped as memories of that greasy man trying to break my arm bombarded my mind. My lungs squeezed and my breath came in shallow pants. I couldn’t get a full breath in, as my vision blurred around the edges. I needed to breathe. I couldn’t let myself pass out. No, no, no, this couldn’t be happening. The panic attack took over as fear gripped me, sending me over the edge.

Nico’s sharp voice cut through the panic. “Breathe, Raegan.”

My eyes shot to his, he’d crawled on the bed until he held me in his arms. Face mere inches from mine. “I need you to breathe, Rabbit. Take a deep breath with me.” He took a slow breath, just like he did when I panicked in the warehouse. I tried to match it, but my heart pounded too hard and I couldn’t slow it down. I was being assaulted by hundreds of images of being tied in that van. The overwhelming feeling of helplessness sucking the breath from me.

His hand cupped the bruised side of my face, his words hard, sliced with sharp edges. “Rabbit, listen to me. You and me are going to hunt every last one of them and make them regret they were ever fucking born.” He made a dark sound in the back of his throat and his dark eyes bore into mine with that promise.

A shiver ran through me, and my breath finally calmed. I should’ve been freaked out by the murder written across his face, but I fucking wasn’t. I wanted them to pay. I wanted them to feel the fear that tortured me, and relief filled me knowing not only was I going to get to hunt down the bastards, but Nico, Rush, and Beck were going to help.

I blinked up at Nico with clear eyes, breath steady, suddenly very aware he hadn’t let go of my face. My breath caught again, but this time not from panic.

The door banged open and Nico leapt off the bed like he’d been burned. We both turned to see a frantic blonde rush into the room.

“You were supposed to tell me the second she woke up,” Sophie shrieked, apparently too panicked to even process what she’d walked in on. “The barbarians wouldn’t let me in here in case I woke her up, but I could hear you through my wall.”

I glanced at Nico, wondering if he knew what a mess I would’ve been had he not been here. My skin flushed as his dark gaze shifted over me one last time before striding toward the door.

Sophie laughed before he walked out the door. “Nico, you really think you can pretend to be casual? As if, you didn’t spend the last twenty hours hovering over her like a fucking gargoyle.”

Nico replied, but my brain was caught on the twenty hours I’d been out. “Has it really been twenty hours?”

Sophie cracked open a bottle of water before handing it to me. “Yes, the doctor gave you something to sleep when it became clear you couldn’t settle.”

I nodded, but my thoughts drifted back to the dark dreams that had filled my night, unsure if that was better than insomnia. Sophie took the water from me, replacing it with an extra-large coffee, and I groaned when I took the first sip.

Beck and Rush looked in the room, each searching over me. Sophie’s voice was stern. Pure gang princess. “Get out. She needs sister time.” I smiled at their dejected faces, but they didn’t argue with her, taking one last look at me before escaping through the door.

I tensed and sipped my coffee, preparing myself for the bombardment of questions I was sure she’d ask. Sophie scanned my face, her expression soft, then put on a giant smile.

“We are so overdue for a sister day,” she said, grabbing the TV remote from the nightstand and flipping on a mindless Hallmark movie. Her hand gripped mine, the only sign of her worry. She knew I needed something light and fluffy this morning.

“So, are we going to talk about how insane those guys got at the mere idea you might be hurt?” she said, taking a sip of her own coffee. “Or are we just going to pretend that’s not happening?”

I groaned. “The latter.”

“You’re no fun.” Her voice was light, easily letting it go. Which was good, since I had no idea what was happening.

* * *

Tuesday’s entertainment was Nico pacing around the kitchen. Beck, Rush and I watched him from the comfort of the couch as he finished his fifth lap around the island. He'd been on edge ever since the kidnapping, like one wrong word would set him off. Fortunately, that was sort of my thing.

“And he’s off! Rounding the island for another lap now.” I grabbed the TV remote and used it as a microphone as I pretended to be an announcer at a horse race. “Taking a swift lead around the table toward the bar cart. Crossing the bar cart and coming up the back stretch around the kitchen island. Here he comes up the left side of the island, glaring at me across the living room. Glaring at me, and stomping over with incredible speed.”

Beck and Rush laughed as Nico grabbed the remote from my hand and tossed it unceremoniously out the open balcony slider.

“We need to all go to the gym,” Rush muttered as we heard the remote bounce off several balconies below.

“Oh please, that rule about fighting is ridiculous. I’ve never seen you guys go to the gym,” I whispered, as Nico started pacing again.

“We know,” Beck said. “Worth a try though.”

I knew the other two had some idea what was going on. I’d witnessed my share of whispered conversations, but whatever they talked about, I wasn’t allowed to know.

We were laid out on the couch. Beck pulled me tighter into his side, and I happily snuggled deeper, surrounding myself with the smell of sandalwood. I craved it more and more these days and took any opportunity to get closer—not that it was hard. Ever since the kidnapping days prior, both Beck and Rush had made it their mission to always have at least one of them near me. Often both, which was fine with me.

Beck’s fingers twirled the ends of my red hair, while Rush drew small circles over my ankle with his thumb. I wondered if he even noticed he’d been doing it. He’d been hovering around me ever since he’d pulled me from that van.

Nico, on the other hand, was making an obvious effort not to touch me. It was like since his overprotective malfunction right after I woke up, he was overcompensating by being more of an asshole than usual. One moment he was all Gentlemen, a total psychotic rage machine, and the next moment he was talking me through panic attacks and making promises I had no idea if he had any intention of keeping. His mood swings could give a person whiplash.

As if on cue, Nico’s gaze turned sinister. “We’ve got a lead on the person who took her.”

A cold, dead expression took over Beck. To anyone else he’d be terrifying in this state, but a sick, hidden part of me started to like it. More and more often it happened whenever my kidnapping was mentioned. I might’ve been a bit sick in the head to get hot over the overprotective, possessive caveman he became in moments like this, but hey, it was hot. I ran my fingers over Beck’s jaw, drawing his attention back to me. The hard look in his eyes had me wiggling into his chest, and his playful side instantly came back.

He ran his thumb over my lip. “If you keep pressing into me like that, Little Thief, tonight’s going to go an entirely different way.”

Rush laughed. “Like fuck asshole, it’s my turn to be on guard duty.”

Even though I knew they were mostly joking, unease pinched my chest whenever they bickered. I didn’t want to be a part of messing up their dynamic. The longer I knew them, the more I understood that they were closer than brothers. They’d grown a bond through something more than just friendship. They survived something together.

Rush’s eyes skimmed over my face, reading everything written there. “Stop worrying about it. He and I will sort it out.”

I wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to him. There’d been a solid line neither Beck nor Rush had crossed since our little scene on the dance floor. Not that the scene hadn’t run through my head each night. If something didn’t happen soon, I would burn from within.

“Fucking pay attention.” Nico drew our gaze back to him, eyes gleaming. “Rick has the guy pinned down and ready for questioning.”

Beck’s laugh turned dangerous, and he slipped out from under me. “I’ll get my stuff.”

I pulled my legs from Rush, getting up. “I’ll be ready in five.”

Both Nico and Beck turned to me. Beck shook his head, apprehension in his eyes. “You can’t come.”

“What do you mean I can’t come?” My throat was full of acid as I hissed at them. I swung my gaze to Nico. “You promised.”

Nico made another one of his unreadable expressions. I thought this one might be “guilt.” but it was honestly impossible to say. “For once, this isn’t my call.”

I furrowed my brow in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Beck swallowed hard. “You understand what we’re doing, right? We’re interrogating him.”

“Yeah. I want to see him pay.” I tried to move toward the door again, but Rush held me back.

“Mount Summer has an interrogator, right?” Rush asked. “I can’t remember his name, but we’ve run across him before.”

“Liam,” I supplied for them. “You don’t have to put on your kitten mittens, I know what you’re about to do. I can handle it.”

“You said you hadn’t seen an interrogation before,” Beck argued.

“I lied,” I said quickly, glancing over at Nico. I hoped he wouldn’t press me on why I had seen so much of the inner workings of Mount Summer. It was worth the risk though if I got to go with them. They were going to have their interrogator torture and eventually kill the guy who’d kidnapped me, and frankly, I was all fucking for that.

Beck walked up to me and cupped the side of my face. “Yeah, but I can’t handle it. I’m not ready for you to see me like that. I’m not ready for how you’ll look at me after.” He placed his forehead against mine.

I blinked at him for a full two seconds before I grasped what he was telling me. Beck was the interrogator? That was surprising, but only because I couldn’t believe they’d managed to hide it from me. Suddenly, things made more sense. Like the way the other Gentlemen had given Beck a wide berth at the party, or how Nico had told him to do his job and asked him for zip ties that night at the club.

“I wouldn’t look at you differently,” I stated firmly.

Beck’s body stiffened. “Yeah, you would, and I’m not sure I could take it right now.” His voice sounded pained, and a fist tightened on my heart. I knew I wouldn’t see him differently, but I’d have to prove that to him.

“Okay, but just so you know you’re wrong.”

He smiled a millimeter from my lips, eyes shining brighter. “I hope so, babe.”

Nico slung his shoulder gun holster over his crisp white dress shirt and my mouth watered. For how much of an ass he was, he never failed to look like the most delicious taste of forbidden fruit.

He gave Rush a hard look. “Don’t let her out of your sight.”

Rush scoffed. “That won’t be a problem.”

Nico and Beck left, leaving me alone with Rush.

I tipped my head to look at him. “Don’t you have important ‘running a gang’ things to do?”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “Probably.”

“Don’t you get sick of babysitting duty? Maybe Beck should take a turn.”

Rush’s gaze darkened, giving me a measured look. “Don’t worry, Firecracker, we take turns.”

My mind immediately jumped back to when he said they shared everything during the stakeout. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. We share all the fun jobs too.”

My cheeks burned at his words, and images of them all sharing me filled my mind. I swallowed hard, and heat raised up my neck. Maybe I was overreacting.

Rush tipped his head toward me, and a cocky grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. “You okay, Firecracker? You look a little flushed.”

Fuck. So not helping. Jesus Christ, forget overreacting. I had to get out of here and right into an ice-cold shower. Any direct smile from Rush sent shivers down my spine, but this damn near turned me into a puddle.

“I’m going to take a shower,” I announced.

“Okay.” He gave me an odd look. “I’ll come over in a bit? We can watch TV or something.”

“Sure.” I looked straight ahead, ignoring the two-hundred plus pounds of muscle to my right.

“I’ll knock first.”

“Mmmhmm.”

I dashed out of Nico’s suite and into the elevator. The moment the doors opened. I power-walked down the hall to my room, escaping without so much as a backward glance.

I needed a fucking drink. I grabbed a glass from over the sink and filled it to the brim with ice. Grabbing something random from the pre-stocked hotel fridge, my hand shook as I filled the glass to the brim. I finished it in three large sips, pulled my shirt over my head, and lifted my sweat soaked hair off the back of my neck.

You’re going to come for us, Firecracker, and know just how much we own you.

Groaning, I tipped my head back to look at the ceiling and let out all my breath. Images of Rush’s lips on my neck while Beck devoured my mouth, flooded my mind, and soaked my panties. Fuck it, I had to take care of this.

I didn’t bother to turn on any lights as heat burned my skin, driving me faster to my room. I needed to work this out of my system and since asking for their help in this matter was out of the question, I’d do it myself. I was nothing if not self-sufficient.

I plopped down on my bed and laid out over the creamy white comforter. My skin itched with every brush of the fabric. A million nerve endings screamed for release. I flipped my phone over and turned on a playlist, and it automatically synced to Bluetooth. Electric house music filled the air, blocking out any noise. I closed my eyes and let my hand travel down my side, fingertips skimming the edge of my sleep shorts. My clit throbbed at the memory of Beck’s hands gripping my hips as he ground himself against me. The taste of salt filled my mouth as I remembered licking up his neck.

I slid my hand under my panties to find relief. Goosebumps rose all over my body, and I rubbed faster. “Oh, God.”

My skin got hotter. In my mind, Rush bit at my lips. Beck pressed Rush’s hand harder against me, and Nico stared at me, insisting that I cum.

When I tell you to come, you come. I don’t like waiting.

I whimpered and arched off the bed, sinking two fingers into my core.

A loud groan made my eyes fly open.

My gaze connected with two-tone eyes as Rush stood in the doorway, shirtless, in a pair of low-hanging sweatpants that showed off every inch of his tattooed skin. His eyes were wide in an expression that could only be shock.

What the fuck happened to knocking?

I didn’t bother to ask. Mortification coated my skin and my mouth went dry, unable to form words. Jumping up from the bed, I tugged my shorts back into place. Dragging the covers with me, I raced to the bathroom. I was going to lock myself in there for all eternity.

Rush recovered quickly. Strong arms wrapped around my stomach, halting my progress to the bathroom.

“Let me go,” I whined, my face flaming with embarrassment.

His body stiffened behind me before molding to mine. His breath running over my ear sent new goosebumps over my skin. The hand on my stomach lowered until his fingers barely touched my waist band. “Do you need to be taken care of, Firecracker?” He practically purred it into my neck.

My eyes widened, and I stopped struggling against him. I let out an involuntary whimper in response.

He tugged the bed covers out of my grip, letting them fall to the floor. “I want to hear you say it. I want to hear you say you want me to touch you.”

A haze of need filled me, and I pushed myself into him. Grinding against his length. Oh my God, this could not be real. I nodded. “Hmmm.”

He ran one thumb over my already hard nipple through my shirt. “Use your words, sweetheart.”

Heat pooled over me, and I was absolutely soaked. I considered holding the words back, but I wasn’t a masochist. “Please.”

“Please what?”

Fuck. “Please touch me.”

Rush’s chest rumbled against my back and he dragged his hand down my stomach and slipped his fingers beneath my sleep shorts. He slid two fingers over my soaked panties. “You are so fucking wet.”

My entire body shook with the gentle touch, craving more. I rocked against his hand. “Fuck. Please, Rush.”

He chuckled in my ear and moved my panties to the side. I gasped, closing my eyes and leaned my head back against his shoulder as he stroked slow circles over my clit, making my knees tremble.

“What were you thinking about while you touched yourself, Firecracker?” His voice was like syrup, dripping with hunger as he kissed the side of my neck.

Any embarrassment had been replaced by burning desire. He had to touch me. Fuck me. I needed this now.

“This,” I panted, turning into a writhing mess against him.

He growled in my ear, tearing my shorts off in one swift motion. Two fingers plunged into my core and my entire body tensed. His rhythm picked up speed, and his palm pressed against me, rubbing my clit. Rush bit down hard on my neck and I cried out, my orgasm rattling through me.

He gave me no time to recover. Flipping us around, he backed me into the huge floor-to-ceiling windows along the far wall. Lights were on in the apartment across from us, and a shiver ran through me at the thought they might watch.  He threaded one hand through my hair, slamming his lips to mine in a bruising kiss. I returned it with equal intensity, sucking on his bottom lip and dragging my nails down his perfectly sculpted chest. He growled in approval and pulled my t-shirt over my head, tossing it on the floor. He trailed kisses down my collar bone to my breasts and sucked on each, taking care to graze the sensitive skin with his teeth. Goosebumps covered my skin and he nuzzled his nose against me, breathing me in.

“Fucking perfect, Firecracker.”

Pushing me back against the glass, he dropped to his knees in front of me, wrapping his hands around my calves, and spread my legs wide. We both groaned as he settled his face between my thighs. He pressed a kiss to my clit, then dragged his tongue up and down in slow, torturous laps, nibbling and biting until I was writhing against him. My legs trembled and my knees gave out. He grabbed the back of my thighs, lifting me until I straddled his shoulders. Holy fucking shit. I moaned, my back arching off the glass.

“You’re fucking mine.”

I gasped as he inserted two fingers into my core, fucking me with his hand as he pressed his tongue flat on my clit, holding me right on the edge. He slid his fingers out, and I whimpered, desperate for the pressure. He bit the inside of my leg and I clamped my mouth shut. His fingers worked my wetness from my core back up my crack and my entire body tightened, realizing what he was doing.

He nuzzled in my thighs. “Relax, Firecracker. I’ve got you.”

I let my body loosen, and his hand continued to drive me crazy until I pushed against him every time his fingers slid across the tight bud of my ass.

I moaned, and my head dropped back to the window when his mouth covered my clit and his fingers sank back into my core, moving faster until I bucked into him. His fingers stopped before thrusting back into me, and I clenched my teeth hard to stop from snarling at him.

He chuckled before sucking on my clit and pushing a finger into my ass as he filled my core with the others. I screamed, clawing at his hair. The unfamiliar sensation pushed me right over the edge, until I was an incoherent mess, shuddering through my orgasm above him.

Rush placed wet, open-mouthed kisses along my thighs before dropping them to the ground. He kept a firm arm pressing me into the window that kept me from collapsing onto the floor. He ran his nose up my neck, gently nipping the lobe.

“Please tell me you have condoms in here,” he murmured against my skin.

My eyes widened. I didn’t. I hadn’t exactly planned for any of this. Still, weeks of pent-up tension had accumulated to this moment, and nothing could stop it from happening. “I’m on the pill.”

“Thank God.” He sucked my hardened nipple into his mouth, biting down lightly.

I moaned, eyes rolling back, and gripped the waistband of his sweatpants, shoving them down. Holy shit.

Heat went straight to my core, and my mouth watered at the sight of his enormous cock. His heated gaze bore into me as he grabbed the backs of my thighs, lifting me up against the cold glass. His hard length pressed against my entrance, teasing me.

“Stop teasing and fuck me.” I bit his ear to make my point.

Rush moaned at my words, and his mouth dropped to my neck, kissing me hard as he pushed into my core. I cried out, shocked at the fullness, the sheer size of him. His lips found mine and swallowed my moans as he rocked into me again, slamming my back into the glass.

Dual groans filled the air. I wrapped my legs around him and pushed him further into me, meeting him thrust for thrust. My pussy throbbed and clenched around him, his cock slamming deeper than I knew was possible. I rocked my hips harder, moans escaping my lips. My nails dug into his shoulders, almost drawing blood, but that seemed to spur him on more. His movements took on an uncontrolled pace, like I had driven him over the edge and he couldn’t hold back.

“Jesus Christ, you feel amazing,” he panted. “So fucking tight.”

Rush dug his fingers into my ass hard enough to bruise and I writhed against him, loving the combined feeling of pleasure and pain.

He took my mouth in a brutal kiss and tension built in my core with every deep thrust. “Oh fuck, Rush,” I whimpered into his neck. “Don’t stop.”

He growled something back but I couldn’t hear it over the rushing in my ears. My legs began to quake uncontrollably and thank God he was holding me up or I would have melted onto the floor. “Fuck, Rush, I’m close. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

“I’ve got you, Firecracker.”

I shattered, my pussy tightening around him as I screamed his name. Spots appeared on the edges of my vision and I became limp as Rush groaned his own release. He let his face fall into my neck, breath panting against my skin as we both gathered ourselves. He kissed my sensitive skin and let me slide to the floor in a sweaty, satisfied, heap.

“Jesus Christ,” I said dazedly.

He stared at me, an almost worried expression on his perfect face. I would have given any amount of money in the world to know what he was thinking.

“What happened to us being enemies?” I asked. “Is this another truce?”

He pulled back, dropping his forehead to mine, and took a strained breath. When his eyes met mine, there was a seriousness I hadn’t seen before. “Fuck the truce… and fuck being enemies.”

He rubbed his hand over his face, raking it through his hair, then lifted me gently and carried me over to the bed. I scooted over so he could lay down next to me and he banded an arm around my waist.

“You disappeared, and I lost my goddamn mind,” he said into my hair.

My breath hitched and my mouth wobbled, saying the words I’d been refusing to let rise to the surface. “What if you didn’t find me?”

He lifted on his side, half over me, and his fingers gripped my jaw, eyes pierced mine. “Not finding you was never an option. I would burn down the entire city to get you back.