Red Handed by Jessa Wilder

“Three… four… five.” I counted as my sister’s suitcases came out of the house. “You know we’re only going across the river. You didn’t need to pack everything you own.”

“Yeah, I did. We don’t know how long we’re going to be there. Plus, do you know how many events and parties the Esposito’s have?” Sophie’s voice went up an octave with each word until she was practically chirping out the syllables.

“I doubt we’ll be attending any parties, Soph. This is gang warfare, not fucking Gossip Girl.”

Connor, one of our long-time security guards, laughed as he hauled the last of her bags into the truck. Connor turned toward me and mimed putting a gun to his shaved blonde head. He pulled the trigger and imitated the sound of a gunshot. His plain brown eyes shined and his mouth twitched at the corner, ruining any attempt at appearing exasperated.

He and I had been friends for as long as I could remember. If anyone understood the trials of my sister, it was him.

Sophie glared at us, arms crossed, nose bunched up in mock outrage. “Don’t come asking me when you’ve forgotten something,” she said, her voice vibrating as she tried not to laugh.

Connor and I dissolved into laughter. I wrapped my arm around Sophie’s waist and rested my head on her shoulder. “Awe, don’t be like that. Where else would I find the perfect shade of pink shoe?”

It honestly felt good to laugh, like this wasn’t the most fucked up situation ever. We were all avoiding talking about it on purpose.

It had only been two hours since the Gentlemen marched back out of our house, got in their motorcade, and left. We had an hour to pack and, in my father’s words, “Get our asses in gear.” I couldn’t decide what was pissing me off the most. That we were in danger from some shadowy unknown new gang, or that apparently Mount Summer had been in touch with The Gentlemen and no one told me. How the fuck did my parents have a standing arrangement already in place with them to work together? What did that agreement even mean? I had so many questions, my head was spinning.

The thing that was really getting me was no one had even wanted to discuss Marcus. I had been only thirteen when my brother was murdered in the last gang war. A lot of Mount Summer men were killed that summer. A lot of Gentlemen too, from what I’d heard. The whole thing stopped when both Marcus and Nicolai’s older brother, Dante, were killed in a shootout.

Both sides called a tentative truce to hold the funerals. A peace that had been kept ever since, though, only so long as we stayed on our own sides of the city. If you crossed the divide, it was open season. Today, Sophie and I were crossing the divide, and we were just supposed to believe everything was all sunshine and rainbows now? Yeah, no. I wasn’t born fucking yesterday.

“Is everything in there yours, or should I check your bags for stolen goods?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the deep words spoken so close, I felt them against my neck. I spun, coming face-to-face with familiar, mismatched eyes.

“Hey...” I said slowly.

He didn’t reply.

The tattooed stranger from last night had snuck up behind me, entirely too quiet for someone so big. He’d changed out of his suit into jeans, and a soft, dark-gray shirt that showed off every muscle that his suit had only hinted at. My breath hitched in my throat, momentarily stunned. Goddamn, he was melt into a puddle hot.

I took a few beats to get a grip on myself. The gala could’ve been even more of a disaster than it already was. I shuddered at the thought of my dad’s reaction to my hanging all over a Gentlemen. A Gentlemen who now stared at me like I was the devil incarnate.

Good. I needed to be reminded of exactly who we were to each other. Enemies.

This wasn’t some Romeo and Juliet shit. We weren’t about to switch sides and become martyrs all because of one dance. No matter how soul-shattering it was.

“Why, did you want to search it?” I gave him a smirk. “I think you just want to get your hands on my panties. I’m not really into that type of thing.”

“Liar,” he responded, without missing a beat. “You would beg me to put my hands down your panties.”

“That’s not—” I spluttered.

He glared at me. “I’m Rush. You’re Raegan, right? The deceiving daughter of the head of Mount Summer.”

“Wait, what? You think I didn’t tell you who I was to get something from you? I legit thought you were a guest at the gala.” My eyebrows pinched and my nose scrunched. “It’s disgusting you think I’d get so close to one of your kind.”

His eyes darkened on me, dropping to my mouth. A shiver ran through my body. That was definitely not caused by the million degree weather.

“What kind of name is Rush, anyway?” I asked.

He raised a dark eyebrow. “It’s a nickname, but I’ll be sure to remember that you disapprove.”

Connor stepped between us, partially tucking me behind him. “Why don’t you back the fuck off?” His voice had lost any playfulness from before, edged with a little too much aggression. “Who are you, anyway?”

“The Espositos were concerned the girls wouldn’t get to the hotel in one piece without an escort.”

I peeked around Connor’s arm, noting that Rush hadn’t exactly answered his question. They both stood with their arms crossed with scowls on their faces. The air practically smelled of testosterone.

I smirked at him and filled my voice with sass. “You mean, you were worried we wouldn’t show.”

Rush’s eyes bore into mine. “Something like that.”

“They have an escort,” Connor said.

Rush pushed his chestnut hair out of his eyes. “You?”

“Yeah. Jimmy wants to make sure they’re safe, I’m supposed to go with them.”

“No.”

“Yes,” Connor snapped.

“Okay,” I shrugged. “Whip ‘em out, why don’t you?” Fuck me. “I’m going to get my stuff, let’s get this nightmare circus on the fucking road.”

I didn’t care if Connor came with us or not, but the fact that my dad sent him was sort of out of character. Well, maybe not. Maybe Connor was supposed to guard Sophie. I wished there’d been time to ask, but everything happened so fast.

I reached for the handle on my suitcase, but Rush’s hand grabbed it first, not bothering to look at me. He tossed the bags into the trunk of his blacked out Range Rover. “Don’t bother. You’re coming with me.”

My mouth dropped open. “No, I’m not. Stand down, Psycho.”

Even as I spoke, I admired the tinting on the windows of the car. It wasn’t the normal bullet resistant glass favored by your average street-thug. It was the 6cm bullet proof version with a layer of polycarbonate on the inside. The president used that shit.

“Let’s not make this difficult.” Rush sneered at me.

“What’s difficult? I am not getting in the car with you, I’m not insane.” Our van may not have been armor plated, but still, there was no way I was locking myself into a car with the enemy. No matter how hot he was.

Rush looked toward our van. “There’s no way you and your stuff are fitting in with hers. If you don’t come with me, you’ll have to make two trips and let’s face it, I don’t trust you to show up.”

Dammit, that was reasonable. Plus, his chuckle damn near killed me. Maybe he was just hired help, and not a sworn Gentlemen? No, I’d seen him speaking directly to Nicolai, he was probably inner circle. Fuck. I wished I could see his other arm to check for tattoos.

“Help me out here,” I said to Sophie. “We’ve got to stick together.”

She eyed Rush up and down and gave me a devious smile. “Actually, I think you should go with him. He’s…” she checked Rush over again. “Packing. I’m sure I’ll be leaving you in capable hands. I’ll go with Connor to be safe.”

I sent her a telepathic, “Thanks for nothing,” but she just laughed. She’d been on my case for months about my dry spell, and the look she was giving me said this was the guy to end it with. Last night, I’d have completely agreed, but in the light of day it was never going to happen. Plus, she wasn’t as aware of the inner workings of Mount Summer as I was. Obviously, she knew how Marcus died, but she hadn’t spent every day for the last ten years having it drilled into her head that the Gentlemen were the enemy and it was her job to protect the family from them at all costs.

“It’s for your own good, Rae,” she whispered.

“Traitor,” I murmured.

“I heard that.”

Connor immediately objected. “Absolutely fucking not. We stay together as a unit. I’m in charge of your security today and we aren’t risking splitting up.”

“Yeah, isn’t that the first rule in survival movies? Stay together?” I piped up.

Connor's eyes crinkled at the corners and he looked smug to have me on his side, but Rush ignored us and stepped in close to me. His mouth dipped to my ear. “Come on, I won’t bite.” The gleam in his eyes told me differently. That if I let him, he’d do more than bite. Fuck… that was tempting.

I lifted my hair off my neck. My nape was already damp with sweat. It was well past midnight, but still the August heat hadn’t let up, and we’d been hauling luggage for the last hour. My clothes clung to me and my skin felt sticky with the humidity. I just wanted to get inside and take a shower. I looked over at Rush. An ice-cold one.

“The Range Rover has air-conditioned seats.” Rush’s lips curled into a grin that had my breath catching in my throat. He immediately schooled his face, but I’d seen it. The same grin from last night. The one before we’d realized who each other was.

I groaned. “Fine.”

I thoroughly questioned my sanity as I sank onto the tan leather seat and tried not to moan at how comfortable it was. What Rush didn’t know was I wasn’t a flight risk. My dad had ordered me to the hotel, so that’s exactly where I’d go.

Getting in a vehicle with the enemy was preferred to waiting around in the killer heat for the van to circle back to get me. The Rover practically screamed, “I have money.” It was a stark reminder that compared to the Espositos, my family was blue collar rich. We could afford the Range Rover brand, but we were buying the base model, not this top-of-the-line beast. Hell, this shit was probably custom made.

The SUV sank with Rush’s weight when he settled himself behind the wheel. Even seated, he was large compared to me. His body took over his entire side, and his arm rested on my side of the center console, his rose covered tattooed fingers flexing.

“Like what you see?” His lips tipped up in a devilish smirk.

Yes. The fine leather seat stuck to my back for an entirely new reason as heat flushed through me. Thank God I had enough control not to say that out loud. His smile, coupled with those mismatched eyes, was deadly.

“Not really my taste, to be honest.”

“Whatever you say.”

To my mortification, we both knew I’d been all over him last night, but he’d been the same. The way he kept looking at me like I’d betrayed him told me loud and clear that it hadn’t been a scheme to corner a member of Mount Summer. He hadn’t known who I was, either.

He hit a few keys on the huge LED screen, and cool air jetted out of my seat. Groaning, I closed my eyes and tried to forget who sat next to me. My muscles still ached from being tossed to the ground by the explosion. Beck’s heavy body landing on me probably didn’t help, either. Apparently being huge and gorgeous was a job requirement for the Gentlemen.

My skin cooled, and I finally returned to my senses. We might’ve been working together now, but they were still the enemy. I shifted in my seat and checked that my guns were still positioned properly underneath my thin jacket. I might be going there to work with them, but the Esposito’s being anything but our sworn enemies was going to take time to get used to.

Rush kept his attention on the road as we merged with traffic. “Still carrying around those Baby Eagles?”

“Yup.” I popped the P.

“Big guns for a little girl,” he said in a condescending tone.

I gave him a skeptical side eye. “I can handle it, thanks.”

“We’re going to be living together. The least you could do is hold half a conversation.”

“I’m surprised you want to talk to me at all.”

“Why?” He raised an eyebrow. “What better way to learn about the enemy.”

I furrowed my brow. “You do work for Nicolai Esposito, right?”

Rush choked on a genuine laugh. “Call him Nicolai to his face and please, promise me you’ll wait for me to take my phone out so I can film it. That would make my whole year.”

He seemed to flip back and forth between hating me, and a slip of the guy I’d met last night. I frowned. I needed to remember that last night was a fluke.

The familiar mega mansions of the newly rich flew by my window. The closer we got to the city, the more congested the housing became until the yards disappeared, completely replaced with sky-high buildings.

Rush was quiet, driving on the triple lane highway. He occasionally glanced my way, but his eyes darted continuously between all his mirrors. The realization that he was looking for something sank in.

“Are we being followed?”

He didn’t look at me. “Black truck three cars behind.”

I spun in my seat and barely made out the vehicle.

“Watch.” Rush’s voice was a command. It ran through me, pooling at my core. When we changed lanes, the truck followed a second or two later. I wouldn’t have noticed had Rush not pointed it out. We were in the far-left lane and I was sure we were going to miss the bridge exit, but suddenly he gunned it and we swerved around four cars, just barely making it. The truck flew past, unable to follow.

I sat back in my seat, heart hammering in my chest. The adrenaline sent tingles over my skin that was hot. Not that I’d admit that to him. “Jesus, warn a girl, won’t you?”

He shot me a knowing smile. “What? We had to lose them. You weren’t scared, were you?”

Not scared…worse. I was turned the fuck on. I shifted in my seat, squeezing my legs closer together. I resisted looking his way as his chuckle filled the room. Somehow, he knew.

“This is going to be fun,” he said.

“Just don’t kill me before we get there. I’d hate to piss off your boss.” My voice practically dripped with sarcasm.

“Nico is not my boss.” He took his gaze off the road and directed it at me.

“Aren’t you a member of the Gentlemen?”

His lips became a flat line. “Yes.”

“Then he’s your boss,” I surmised.

“We’ve been friends for a long time. We grew up together. Technically, I guess, sure I work for the Esposito family, but I also wouldn’t hesitate to shoot Nico if he ever pointed that out.”

I couldn’t decide if he was joking. Probably, since having met Nicolai, I assumed he liked to remind everyone around him he was the boss at every opportunity. I could relate.

“Fine, then I’d hate to keep your ‘friend’ waiting,” I said sarcastically.

Rush raised an eyebrow at me, the heat in his expression enough to make me moan. “You’d be surprised. He might like that. I know he’d sure as fuck like punishing you after.”

I blinked. Nicolai was a self-important asshole who thought he could control my life. So why does the truck suddenly feel so hot?

* * *

Rush’s insane driving got us to the hotel well before the others. It was a massive building—forty-seven floors. I counted. The entire thing was made of glass and steel, giving it a sleek, modern look, but the jacketed door man out front of the revolving doors added an air of old world elegance. The Espositos were on an entirely different level of rich. This was just the newest of their four hotels. Well, three now, since the one on the waterfront was out of commission. Oops.

I stepped out of the car and was immediately met by a bellhop. He passed me an ice-cold water bottle that I finished in three heaping gulps. I turned to find Rush staring at me. My cheeks heated, knowing how I must have looked with sweat plastering my hair and clothes to my skin. Still, his eyes hooded—you’d think I was standing there naked. I broke eye contact with Rush and thanked the bellhop. He smiled genuinely at me, and I liked him instantly. “Ms. O’Rourke, we’re here to help you. Anything you need just ask.”

I checked his name tag. “Thank you…Christopher, I’ll take you up on that.”

Rush walked past me into the hotel, and I stood for an extra second debating going in. If there was ever a moment to disappear, it was right now. His head popped out, and he sneered at me. “Now, Mount Summer.”

The lobby of the Esposito’s Main Street Hotel was surprisingly empty when our group pushed through the revolving doors, luggage in tow. The ceilings were vaulted with modern chandeliers reflecting off the polished marble floors. Black leather chairs and chaise lounges surrounded spindly gold tables, with artfully decorated plants spread every few feet. Some interior designers had spent a lot of time in here, making everything look like it had popped right off Pinterest.

I eyed the pretty brunette woman at the marble check-in desk, then turned to Rush, who was hovering behind me. “Do I talk to her, or are you going to tell me where my room is?”

Sophie walked into the lobby just in time to hear the tail end of our conversation. “Rae,” she hissed under her breath. “Don’t be rude.”

I ground my teeth. I felt completely justified in being rude. Sophie and I were definitely on the same page about not wanting to be here, but I was pretty sure her reasoning was more about not wanting to disrupt her comfortable lifestyle. I was more concerned about walking directly over enemy lines without a full picture of why we were here. I wanted answers about the bombing, more information on The Hatter and The Trilogy, and answers about what exactly Nicolai wanted from me. Like yesterday. One very attractive Gentlemen would not distract me from how fucked up this whole thing was.

Before I could voice any of this, the elevator at the end of the long marble lobby dinged, and the doors opened, revealing two unwelcome, familiar faces.

Beck and Nicolai—Nico?—stepped out of the elevator and strode toward us. I supposed it shouldn’t have surprised me that they knew each other. I’d assumed Beck was a Gentlemen, and he’d been talking to Rush before he ran off to find Nico, even so, something about this familiarity was off. There were literally hundreds of Gentlemen all over the North Side of the city. What were the odds that I’d run into the two that seemed to be in Nico’s inner circle?

The difference in both their expressions and demeanor was almost laughable. Beck, sunny, blonde, and dressed like he’d come from the beach, was beaming at me like I was an early Christmas present. Nico, meanwhile, still wore the all-black suit he’d worn in my father’s dining room. His expression was completely flat as he scanned from me to my sister and back.

“Hey, Little Thief,” Beck called, his voice echoing in the cavernous room. “You’re back. Nice.”

My sister turned and stared at me with wide eyes. “Why do you suddenly know so many guys I don’t? What is happening?”

I just grunted in reply, not wanting to have any kind of conversation with her in front of these guys. I loved her, but she was super embarrassing.

“You came,” Nico said, addressing me through cold eyes.

I frowned. “I thought you said I didn’t have a choice?”

“You don’t, but I thought I’d have to send someone to drag you back here by the fucking hair.” The glint in his eyes said he was totally serious.

“Chill, man.” Beck clapped Nico on the shoulder. “Stay that intense and you’re going to have a heart attack before you’re thirty.”

Nico ignored him, instead glancing from me to Rush. “How was the drive?”

“Fine. Only one incident, but we lost them quickly.”

Nico’s eyebrow rose. “On your car or the other car?”

“Mine.”

Nico stared at me again, as if putting a puzzle together. “Why is she with you, then?”

Before Rush could reply, Connor interrupted by dragging in the last of Sophie’s suitcases.

“You can give your guns to Rush before you come upstairs,” Nico said, distracted.

I snorted. “Yeah, no.”

Nico set his jaw. “No one has weapons in the hotel except for us.”

“Make an exception then, because I’m not staying if I can’t defend myself.”

“You know you’re here so we can protect you, right?” Beck asked.

“No, Sophie is here to be protected. I’m here because this one is fucking insane.” I jerked my head at Nico.

Nico raised his eyebrows. I wondered if anyone had ever talked to him like that before. Whatever.

“It’s not just you, this is a universal rule for all guests,” Rush said, looking the slightest bit sympathetic.

I squared my shoulders. Behind me, Sophie groaned audibly and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “you’re going to lose,” but I couldn’t tell who she was referring to.

“Well, then you’ll have to strip search me, because I can hide a weapon practically anywhere and you can have them over my cold, dead, naked body,” I said.

Beck laughed, his eyes flashing with undisguised heat. “I volunteer for that job.”

Nico looked like he was going to hit someone. “Fine. Fuck it. Let her keep them. I don’t care. It’s too early to deal with this shit.”

He was right. It was nearing four in the morning, and we had all been up all night. I still had ash in my hair from the explosion, and Nico clearly hadn’t even changed from the gala. The only person who looked even remotely bright eyed and bushy tailed was Beck, but maybe he was just built that way.

We had to take five different elevators upstairs, mainly because of all Sophie's luggage. Somehow, I found myself alone in the elevator between Beck and Rush, with only my single rolling suitcase for company. It could have been worse. At least Nico steered clear. Maybe he was afraid I’d shoot him.

The doors opened on the forty-sixth floor, only one away from the top. We stepped out into a long, white carpeted hallway. I glanced around in confusion.

“Where are all the guest rooms?”

“This is one of the executive levels. There’s only three suites up here,” Beck said.

I raised my eyebrows as I followed him down the hall, Rush staying close behind me. The rooms must have been fucking huge if there were only three. I wondered what was on the other side of the hall.

“Yours is the middle one.” Rush paused in front of a plain mahogany door.

“Yeah? Whose rooms are those?” I asked, feeling like I already knew the answer.

“Rush is on the left,” Beck said, coming up behind me. “I’m on the right. There’s a connecting door between our rooms. Feel free to leave it open,” he muttered against my ear.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s dead bolted at all times.” His laugh sent a shiver down my skin that I hoped he didn’t notice.

“Where’s Sophie’s room?” I glanced around as if another door would magically appear.

“She’s on the floor above us with Nico,” Rush answered, tone hard.

I spun to face him so fast I lost my balance. Beck’s quick arms caught me around my waist and tugged me closer. Whoa, déjà vu.

“Why?” I asked.

He shrugged, and for the first time today didn’t meet my eyes. “Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t make the sleeping arrangements.”

“Whatever.” I pushed open the door to my room and turned back to the boys. “Do I get a key or something?”

Beck pulled a plastic key card out of his jeans pocket and handed it to me with a wink. “Here. Are you going to invite us in?”

I rolled my eyes. “Not on your life.”

Beck sighed dramatically. “Well, don’t forget the adjoining doors if you need anything. Literally…anything. I’m right there.”

“Yeah, I get it.” I slammed the door in their faces and leaned against the wood, breathing heavily like I’d just run a marathon. Oh my God. What the actual fuck had I just gotten myself into?