Red Handed by Jessa Wilder

Idreamed confusing scenes of torture on rooftops, and the familiar smell of gunpowder and expensive shampoo. When I woke, however, it was to sunlight streaming through Beck’s bedroom windows. His colorful tattooed arms circled my waist and his chin pressed into my shoulder blade.

My legs ached in the best possible way, and my arms burned from where I’d held them above my head for God knew how long. I would be happy for a repeat performance. Soon. Now.

I rolled over in Beck’s arms, and the happy bubble in my stomach popped as I caught sight of the Gentlemen tattoo across his right shoulder. Fuck.

What time was it? I glanced around for my phone and found it on the bedside table, just slightly out of reach. I stretched carefully, trying not to wake the sleeping man wrapped around me. It was 7:12AM. My dad would have expected that I at least text an update by now. I blew air through my nose, my stomach churning with anxiety.

Goddammit. Last night had been a treasure trove of information to share with Mount Summer. Not only did I now know who the Gentlemen’s interrogator was, I knew who had been their mole. I knew how they disposed of their bodies and where. If I was honest with myself, I would examine the fact that I’d known half of that before I agreed to spy for my father, but that didn’t matter now.

Beck stirred in his sleep, and my anxiety spiked, acid bubbling in my throat. I looked down at him, my fist clenched in the blankets. Last night changed everything. I meant it when I said I trusted him, and he believed me. Trusted that I accepted him for who he was. Fuck being enemies. Where did that leave us, though?

I lifted his heavy arm and tried to squirm out from under it without him waking. His hand tightened on my thigh.

He yawned. “Where are you going, Little Thief?”

“Back to my room.” I glanced around for my t-shirt. “I need to shower and then I need to find Nico.”

“Why?”

I looked back at him. “It’s complicated, but you’re just going to have to trust me, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” He looked confused. “Want me to come with you?”

“Uh, no. I got it.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what I was doing yet, but a plan was starting to form as I pulled on my shorts and t-shirt.

I took a few steps toward the door, but Beck grabbed my hand and pulled me back to where he was sitting on the bed. He kissed me hard, his teeth just grazing my bottom lip. “See you later.”

I nodded mutely, an ache piercing my chest, hoping desperately that was true. That Nico wouldn’t throw me out, or… worse.

I glanced at my suite door on the way to the elevators and decided to skip the shower. It didn’t really matter how clean I was or how long I procrastinated. This conversation wasn’t going to get any easier. I didn’t even know what I wanted to say. “Listen, I know we have a decade—decades really—of hate between us, and I think you might hate me half the time, but I’m kind of falling for your friends. Sometimes I think I’m falling for you too. I think I’m just fucked in the head. I don’t know, but I do know that my father is spying on you and going to fuck you over. Just thought you should know.”

I shook my head. He was going to kill me. Literally. I’d seen him kill people for less. Fuck, I’d seen him murder a hell of a lot of furniture.

In too-short a time, I stood outside Nico’s door. Should I knock? No, I never knocked. I rubbed my palms over my face. Jesus Christ, I was being weird.

My pulse raced and goosebumps rose on my arms as I pushed the door open. I needed to tell him. I needed to tell him now, while I still had the nerve to do it. “Nico?”

Nico strode out of his bedroom, looking far to put together for 7:00AM. His tie was perfectly straight, hair impeccably styled. I probably should have showered after all, in comparison my sex hair and second-day clothes were almost laughable.

He eyed me for a second as I danced foot to foot, unable to contain my nervous energy. He took a step forward, voice low but firm. “What happened, Raegan?”

My heart thundered in my chest. My next words could ruin everything.

Nico took another step closer, and I had to tip my head back to see him. His eyes bore into mine, searching. His hand came up to touch my cheek.

“What the fuck happened?” he barked, too loud for how close we were standing.

My body tensed, and I took a step back, needing the room to breathe. “I have to tell you something.”

I swallowed as his eyes narrowed on me. This was going to fucking hurt. I drew myself up, standing tall under his intense gaze.

“Spit it out, Rabbit.”

“Always telling me what to do,” I snapped back, but my voice was devoid of its usual bite.

The corner of Nico’s lip twitched in a hint of a smile. My chest ached, knowing what I was about to tell him would fucking ruin the tentative trust we’d built. I clenched my fists at my sides, speaking through the tension in my chest. “I’ve been—”

A loud crash sounded from next door. Nico and I both tensed, turning in unison to stare at the wall that stood between his and Sophie’s rooms.

“Soph?” I called, tentatively, knowing she could hear me.

My answer came in the form of a high-pitched, terrified scream.

I felt ice drop into my veins. “Sophie!”

I chased Nico down the hall to Sophie's room. He pulled a universal key card out of his pocket and unlocked the door, shouldering it open. Fear burned up my neck as I pushed past Nico, desperate to get to my sister.

The room was still perfectly in order except for one glaring thing. The huge window that took up most of the far wall of the living room and overlooked the city was shattered, the gaping hole large enough for several people to fit through.

Wind howled through the room, whipping at the curtains and blowing bits of splintered glass across the floor. I rushed forward, my heart pounding wildly, but Nico’s muscular arm wrapped around my waist, hauling me off my feet.

“Let me go!” I screamed.

“We’re on the fucking forty-seventh floor, Raegan. You can’t go over there.”

I fought and thrashed against his hold. I had to know if Sophie had fallen. Had to see.

Nico’s mouth dropped to my ear. “Stop. I’ll look.”

“No, I need to see.”

When I kept moving, his arm tightened further. “Fucking stop, Rabbit. We don’t have time for this.” He barked the words at me and for once I obeyed, knowing he wouldn’t let me go until I did.

“Fine. Hurry up.” Dread dropped through my stomach all the way to the floor as I watched Nico walk to the window. Tears formed in the corner of my eyes at the possibility of him seeing Sophie’s body below.

I held my breath as time came to a standstill. I couldn’t lose another sibling. I couldn’t do it again.

Nico moved in slow motion, the wind blowing his hair back. My body trembled and my legs gave out as he peered over the edge.

Strong arms wrapped around me from behind before I hit the floor. I breathed in the scent of woodsmoke and cedar. Rush. Rush is here.

Nico turned back to us, eyes hard. His hand raked through his hair, making it stand straight up. “There’s rope. They repelled somewhere below. I can’t fucking tell where it ends from here.”

Air filled my lungs, and my heart beat again. She was gone, but hadn’t fallen. She was gone, but alive.

Nico took a deep breath, eyes meeting mine for the briefest second. Then he straightened, his entire demeanor changing. The in control mob boss version of Nico taking over. “Call in everyone. I want every inch of the hotel searched immediately.”

Apparently, Rush was too slow to let me go, because Nico barked “Fucking now, Rush.”

Rush didn’t fuck around, pulling out his phone and snapping orders to whoever was on the other end. I tried to pull away from him. I needed to help. Needed to get to my sister.

Rush tightened his free arm around me, pulling the phone from his ear. “Wait, Rae. There’s nothing you’ll accomplish on your own. Let us handle this.”

I stiffened, every instinct telling me to run after her.

“Trust me,” Nico said, looking right at me again.

I nodded mutely, a little surprised to find that I did trust him. Completely.

Within moments, the entire building was swarming with Gentlemen. Beck appeared and pulled me into his chest, the warmth seeping into my skin as I took heaping breaths of his scent, letting it fill my head. “Don’t worry, Little Thief. We’ll find her.”

I couldn’t find the words to reply, just nodded again, watching Rush and Nico scream orders at nameless, faceless men in suits. All I did was nod, lately. I was becoming a bobblehead.

“Got something, boss,” one of the Gentlemen appeared at Nico’s shoulder. “There’s something on her bed.”

“What?” Nico said harshly.

“Uh, we shouldn’t move it,” the man said. “Come, take a look.”

I followed close behind Nico into Sophie’s room. Her bed unmade, like maybe she’d been asleep when they came in and grabbed her. I squinted at the bed.

“Oh my God.” I turned, hiding my face as bile rose in my throat. I was going to be sick.

A dead rabbit was oozing blood onto Sophie’s pillow, its little mouth hanging open, a bullet wound in its stomach.

“Fuck.” Nico’s voice was sharp, disgusted.

“I can’t fucking deal with this,” I spat.

Beck dragged me back to Nico’s room and pushed me down into one of the kitchen chairs. He crossed to the bar cart and poured a glass of some amber liquid all the way to the top.

“Here.” He handed it to me.

“I’m fine.” I shook my head. I needed to be sober if we were going to go after the fuckers who took Sophie.

“You’re not fine,” he insisted. “Drink it. You’re not going to go all Terminator in the next hour.”

I relented and took a sip, watching him over the rim of the glass. His eyes were soft, brows pinched in the middle as he searched my face. He looked a wreck, like he wanted to take this all on himself.

“What do we do?” I asked Nico over Beck’s shoulder.

Before he could answer, the door burst open again. Now fucking what?

Connor rushed into the room, looking like absolute shit. “What the fuck did you guys do?” He glared at Nico.

“Get out.” Nico’s jaw clenched, making the muscle in his cheeks twitch.

“Jimmy will be here any minute.” Connor’s lips tipped up in an ugly grin. “He will take care of the piece of shit that you are.”

I had to tell them about my dad and the spying now before he burst through the room and outed me. Ignoring Connor still standing there, I stood up from the table. My mouth wobbled. Everything was happening so fast.

“I need to tell you something,” I said.

Rush walked in behind Connor, eyeing me apprehensively. “Jimmy just pulled up. We’ve got minutes max.”

“Motherfucker.” Nico’s eyes burned with wild energy. He picked up his gun off the table and fired off a shot at the cabinet next to Connor’s head, wood exploding everywhere. “Get out. Now.”

Beck glanced back and forth between Nico and me, then over to Rush. Something in all their expressions spelled disaster. Beyond just my sister being missing. Beyond the rabbit. Something was fucking wrong.

“Time’s up, bro,” Rush said, his expression pained. “You need to tell her.”

My eyes narrowed in confusion as Rush’s eyes met mine. No, I needed to tell them something. Right? “Tell me what?”

Beck swore loudly, running his hands through his hair. “I told you, man. I told you this would fucking happen.”

“Everyone shut up,” Nico barked. His expression was feral. Unhinged.

Nico took two long steps forward and closed the distance between us, backing me into the kitchen island. My heart hammered as his coal-black eyes burned into mine. A deluge of emotions crossed his face. Panic, desire, anger, resignation, that strange far away expression he had in the parking lot after he’d killed that man to protect me. Like he wasn’t fully present in the moment with me right now, but was attempting to fight his way back.

I gripped the marble countertop behind me and gasped as he wrapped his long fingers around my throat. He paused, eyes searching mine, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

“I’m so fucking sorry.”

My heart beat a violent rhythm in my ears. “For what?”

He cut me off, crashing his lips to mine, and my mind went blank.

My lips parted involuntarily, and he used the opportunity to deepen the kiss groaning into my mouth. Heat flooded me, and I recovered from my shock enough to return the kiss, arching my back and nipping at his bottom lip.

He ran his hands down my sides, made bare by my crop top, and lifted me so I was sitting on the counter. I opened my legs so he could stand between them, forgetting there were three other people in the room, and about to be several more as my father and his security were on their way up. I threaded my fingers through his hair, completely lost to the weeks of tension built between us, finally stretched to breaking.

Nico kissed me brutally, like it was a battle to be won. I poured every ounce of stress and anger about my sister back into him. Letting him have all the raw, sharp parts of me that were too ugly to show anyone but your worst enemy.

He pulled back slightly, panting against my mouth. His pupils were completely blown when he looked at me with wide eyes. “Fuck. Raegan, listen—”

Nico stepped away from me abruptly at the sound of my dad’s voice in the hall. A chill ran over my skin where his warmth had just been. I met Beck’s eyes across the room. His expression was broken, eyes swimming with anxiety.

My dad’s large frame pushed through the door, face red, eyes narrowed directly at Nico. This suite was turning into a clown car, everyone piling in after each other. I hopped off the counter, going to step between them when my dad’s words froze me in place.

“You had one fucking job, Esposito. It was your fucking job to keep her safe.”

“O’Rourke,” Nico said stiffly. “Sophie is alive, we’ll get her back.”

“You’d better fucking get her back, boy. She’s your damn wife.”

Continued in

THIEVES’ HONOR

Available October, 2021

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