Redemption: Triple R Security, Book 3 Page 19

  “It’s Scott. Jake Danvers is awake and wants to talk… To Jess.”

  “Course he fucking does,” Rick mutters as he grabs my hand, pulling me over to the sofa.

  Seb and Jamie join us, and Rick is still grumbling under his breath as Seb hands me the phone.

  Lifting it to my ear, I’m halted when Rick says, “Speaker phone, Jess.” I throw a dark look his way, and all he does is smirk.

  Resting it on my knees, I unmute the call. “Hello,” I say tentatively, unsure if it will be Scott or Jake on the other end.

  “Jess, is that you?” Jake’s croaky voice crackles through the phone. It’s a little echoey, which tells me it’s probably on speaker phone his end and Scott is there too.

  “It’s me, Jake.” I feel a twinge of anger spark at his betrayal. I know we weren’t close or knew each other very well, but it still hurts to know he befriended me superficially.

  “I’m sorry, Jess. I never meant for you to get involved. I just wanted answers to what happened to my sister.” I hear the rustling of fabric as Jake shifts in the bed.

  I share a look with Rick, gauging if he knows what Jake is talking about, but from the grim line of his lips and the furrow in his brow, he doesn’t have any more clue than I do.

  “I don’t understand what I have to do with your sister, Jake. I don’t understand what I have to do with any of this if I’m honest.” And I truly don’t.

  “They wanted me to follow you and see who you were meeting with and talking to. That’s all I agreed to, but then they had me send the roses and plant those pictures of that dead guy. When they asked me to tamper with your car, I told them no. Honestly, Jess, that wasn’t me.”

  I suck in a sharp breath at the mention of the pictures of Christian I found on my car the day of the accident. I can feel Rick’s gaze burning a hole the size of the damn moon in the side of my face.

  “Who are these people, Jake? What do they want?”

  “I don’t know what that they want with you. They just told me that they wanted to scare you a bit, that’s all.”

  “Okay, but who are they?” Jake coughs, and I hear movement before the sound of swallowing comes down the line.

  “He told me his name was Garcia, that’s all I have.” I watch as a look passes between Seb and Rick at the mention of the name Garcia, and Jamie shifts in her seat. “He said he could tell me what happened to my sister.” He sniffs loudly, before breaking out in another hacking cough. He doesn’t sound good.

  “I still don—”

  “Listen to me, Jess. These men, they’re dangerous.” I hear the beeping of a machine in the background becoming more erratic as Jake talks. “You need to go to my flat. You’ll find a file with—” His words are cut short as the machine skips into a continuous beep. There’s a flurry of noise before the call disconnects.

  Rick immediately tries calling Scott back. When there’s no answer, he gets up and paces the floor, redialling continuously.

  “Want to tell me who Garcia is?” I ask the room, hoping one of them will give me an answer.

  “I wish we fucking knew,” Jamie replies in a snippy tone, just as Rick finally gets through to Scott.

  After a couple of minutes of conversation, Rick’s colourful flurry of words, which would make a sailor blush, tells me the news isn’t good.

  Ending the call, he turns to us, and whilst there’s a small thread of sorrow at whatever Scott told him, anger seems to be the riding emotion on his face.

  “Jake’s dead.” He stands with his hands on his hips and head bowed before looking up and announcing that he needs to make a call and disappearing off down the corridor.

  “Does someone want to explain what the fuck is going on?” I demand, looking at Seb and Jamie.

  Thirty-Three

  Rick

  “He told me his name was Garcia…”

  As soon as the word left his mouth, I knew there had to be a connection to the shit that went down with Marcus and Tempest.

  Following the ‘Dinner of Death’ at Marcus’ house, we were able to connect Marcus’ to several human trafficking rings in Manchester and London. The police are still trying to connect the dots and deal with the fallout of having so many prominent businessmen and government officials, even some of their own, listed as members of a club associated with slave auctions and human trafficking.

  I hit redial again as I hear Jess asking who Garcia is. Jamie’s reply couldn’t have been more accurate. Redial, redial…

  “Hey, man,” Scott answers, sounding out of breath and harried. “Fucking nurses wouldn’t let me use the phone, and I wanted to wait and see what happened.” He pauses, taking in a deep breath. “He’s gone, Rick.”

  Every swear word known to man leaves my mouth on a heavy exhale. When I’ve stopped cursing, Scott tells me he’s waiting on Jake’s address, then he and Jay are going to turn his place upside down to find this file he mentioned before he took his last breath.

  After giving them the news about Jake, I head to my room to make a call. I hear Jess demanding answers as I walk away.

  In my room, I pace back and forward, rubbing my hand over my chin as my mind spins. My phone rings in my hand, and I lift it to see it’s Dean.

  “Dean, what’s up?”

  “Hey, sorry to ring you so late, but I thought you’d like to know we finally got a hit on the email IP address.”

  “Really?” I sound sceptical and suspicious because I am. Why now?

  “Yeah, some guy named Jake Danvers…” I tune him out as he reels off the address. And there is the reason why I thought it was too good to be true. “Rick, you there, man?”

  “I’m here, Dean. Thanks. Take a break for a few days.”

  “Okay, but you call me if you need anything.”

  “Will do.” I end the call, and stare at my phone.

  Snapping out of my daze, I scroll through my contacts and hit dial.

  “What happened?”

  “What makes you think something happened?”

  “Because, Sully, you said twenty-four hours, and it hasn’t even been twelve.”

  “Yeah, well, the Grim Reaper decided I don’t get that long. I’m sending you the address, and you better have the answers when you get here. I’m guessing you’ve got enough time on your drive here to weigh up what the risks are of telling me exactly what the fuck is going on.” I end the call before he can reply and send him a quick message with the time and an address of a place in the next town. There’s no way I’m risking bringing him here when I don’t know how involved he is.

  The creak of a floorboard in the hall warns me of her presence before she even makes it to the door. She gives a small tap on the door before pushing it wider, and her scent fills my room.

  “Rick?” My name on her lips is hesitant, something I’ve never heard in her voice before. Inhaling a deep breath, I turn around to face her.

  She’s leaning against the frame, one hand on the door and the other in the back pocket of her jeans. Her face tells me in a hundred different ways that she’s tired, confused and unsure.

  “You okay?”

  “Are you?” I volley back. Answering a question with a question seems to be our thing. I’m gifted with a half smirk as her lip curls in one corner.

  “Fucking marvellous,” she snaps sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. Stepping further into the room, she says, “Jamie filled me in on what happened at Tempest back last month, not all the details I’m guessing. You think they are the same guy?”

  “It’s likely.”

  “But you don’t know the connection yet, right?” I don’t answer her straightaway, and it takes a split second for her to call me on it. “Or you do, but you’re not saying?” I give her a long look. “Okay. You know what, I’m just going to go to bed. Come find me when you decide I’m worthy and you respect me enough to tell me the fucking truth.” She spins on her heels, heading for the door.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about the pictures?” She stops, tu
rning her head to look at me from the corner of her eye.

  “And why would I do that? I’m not in the habit of going around and sharing my personal business with strangers, Rick, any more than you obviously are. Careful your hypocrisy is showing.” She goes to walk away again, but it’s like I don’t want her to, and my next words are of dual purpose; made to keep her here for as long as possible and punish myself at the same time.

  “You asked me about my wife. Her name was Samantha.” This time I watch as her steps falter, but she doesn’t turn to look at me. “She died after giving birth to our son.” I take a step closer to her. “I wasn’t there, Jess. She died alone and never knowing how amazing our son is.” I step up to her back, and she gasps at the contact.

  “She knows, Rick. She knows.”

  “How can you be so sure?” I whisper close to her ear. My heart beats ten to a dozen, and I can’t decide if it’s being so close to Jess or talking about Sam.

  “Because I like to think that those we lose get to watch over us. I like to think that Christian is proud of at least some of the things I’ve achieved.”

  I slide my arms around her waist, splaying my hands over her stomach. “He would be. He always talked about you with so much pride and love, JJ.”

  She spins in my arms, brow drawn together and confusion and sadness in her eyes. I see the moment she pieces it together.

  “Hold on, you were with my brother when your wife died?”

  I nod, swallowing back the pain clogging up my throat. Forcing it to work, I say, “When Sam died, I was being held captive along with Kuffs. I didn’t even know that Sam had gone into labour.”

  “Oh my god, Rick.” Her fingers trace the scruff on my jaw before her thumb runs over my bottom lip. Pulling back, she looks at me. “You’ve been blaming yourself all this time. You think that your wife died because you weren’t there.” I lower my eyes from hers, unable to see the disappointment that is sure to be there.

  “I couldn’t save either of them, Jess. I couldn’t save my wife or your brother. They died because of me.” My words are drenched in loathing and anger. She grips my jaw and yanks my head up to look at her.

  “Hell no, Rick. Are you fucking crazy?” She shakes her head like she can’t believe what she’s hearing, and her eyes burn with fury. “Don’t you fucking dare,” she says, her grip on my chin tightening and bringing our mouths closer until they almost touch. “You’re not fucking God, Rick. None of what happened is on you.” Her lips meet mine this time, and I allow her to taste my pain and wash it away with her fierce kiss.

  Jess pushes me into the room, closing the door with a well-placed flick of her foot. Her hands roam freely across my torso, under my t-shirt, tickling along my abs down to the prominent V at my hips. When her fingers run inside the waistband of my jeans, I break the kiss.

  “Jess, I—”

  She places a finger to my lips, silencing me before replacing it with her lips again. My body has no desire to question what we are doing, and I’m too emotionally exhausted to fight it.

  “Let’s just have this one night, Rick. I have a feeling that come tomorrow our lives are about to get fucked up and not the good kind.” She flicks the button on my jeans open, slipping her hand inside to find me as hard as granite.

  “You’re not wrong, but don’t for one second think that we only get this one night, JJ. I told you earlier I’m never going to stop, and I meant it.” I pull her hand away, and she lets out a groan that soon turns to a moan of arousal as I strip in front of her. Fisting my cock, I say, “Your turn. Strip for me.” And she does.

  As the last of her clothing slips to the floor, she goes right along with it, dropping to her knees in front of me and swiping her tongue up the length of me, root to tip, before swirling her tongue over the slit, tasting me.

  Her hands come up to grip the back of my thighs as she takes me in her mouth, and when I hit the back of her throat, my head drops back, and my hands fly to her head, finding purchase in her hair.

  “Argh, fuck!” I curse on a growl, as she tightens her lips around me, and I thrust my hips, fucking her mouth until my balls draw up, and I almost let go. But I don’t want to come in her mouth. I want to lose myself inside her body. I want to feel her pussy gripping my cock, milking it, buried deep inside her.

  Pulling her back, my dick falls from her mouth, and she looks up at me, lips puffy and swollen from where they’ve been wrapped around my cock.

  I hold her chin up and bend down, kissing her fully before dropping to my own knees. Her legs widen, opening herself to me. My eyes are immediately drawn to the slick heat between her thighs, and my dick throbs, weeping at the sight.

  Sliding a hand along the side of her face to her nape, I take her mouth like a starving man as I run my fingers through her folds, coating them in her juices.

  Breaking the kiss, Jess climbs into my lap, straddling me, while I bring my fingers to my mouth, sucking them clean.

  “You taste fucking divine. Like the sweetest kind of drug, and I can’t get enough of you.” She groans at my words, leaning forward and nipping at my lips as she lines herself up.

  Sliding down my shaft slowly, I feel as every inch becomes enclosed by her heat, until she’s wrapped around me like a glove. My hands grip her arse as she begins to roll her hips slow and deliberate, each thrust designed to bring maximum pleasure. Dipping my head, I take a nipple into my mouth, rolling the taut bead around with my tongue, biting and sucking, as Jess’ thrusts speed up.

  With her arms around my neck and hands in my hair, she yanks me away, tilting my head back to look at her.

  “I want you to…watch what you…do to me,” she pants out, eyes on me the whole time like she’s talking to the very soul of me. And she is. My soul is enraptured. Our bodies slick with sweat, teetering on the edge of the most intense pleasure and entwined together, we fall.

  Dropping off the precipice and crashing to oblivion below, I feel the exact moment a piece of Jess sears itself on my heart, and I know I’m never letting her go.

  As our bodies still, she loosens the grip on my hair and brings her hands to my face, holding me there as she drops her lips to mine in a desperate and fevered kiss.

  When the kiss breaks, we sit staring at each other for several minutes. Both of us are infinitely aware of the moment and what it means, but neither of us are ready to voice it.

  As we untangle ourselves, Jess begins to collect her clothing up, but I come up behind her, splaying my hands over her abdomen.

  “I’m not done with you. Not by a long shot,” I whisper in her ear, steering her toward the bed.

  * * *

  I slip from the bed, dragging a pair of joggers on and throwing a t-shirt over my head before padding out to the kitchen on quiet feet expecting everyone to be asleep.

  “Hey, man.” Seb’s voice echoes around the empty lounge.

  “Fuck, Seb! What the hell are you doing sitting in the dark, except trying to put me in an early grave.” I open the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water before joining him on the sofa.

  “Everything okay?” he asks, twirling his phone through his hand as it balances on the edge of his knee.

  I take a long mouthful of water. “Not sure how you want me to answer that. Physically, I’m good—”

  “More than good, I’d say,” Seb mocks.

  I give him the finger and carry on as though he hadn’t spoken. “Emotionally, I feel like someone put me in an industrial paper shredder and tore strips off me.”

  Seb nods, but he doesn’t fool me. I might be going through my own shit, but I’m not so consumed I can’t see things.

  “You can ask me, Seb. I know you have questions, so ask me.”

  He rubs his hand down his thighs before leaning back in his seat and giving me a hard stare.

  “Am I going to get a punch like Blue did?” I shake my head. “Okay. What happened to Kuffs…and Sam wasn’t your fault. Never was, but until you realise that you won’t be able to let Jess in
all the way.”

  “You say that, but how long did it take you to stop blaming yourself for what happened to your mum?” I hear a small growl escape Seb at my words.

  “That’s not the same, Rick,” he snaps.

  “Maybe, maybe not, but my point is you still ask yourself the what if questions every day, right?”

  His eyes bore into me, and I hate that I’ve thrown it back at him, but I know I’m right. And a second later he lets out a sigh and nods in confirmation of my suspicions.

  “Besides, I’m already on the same page as you. I know that it wasn’t my fault, that there probably wasn’t anything different I could have done to change the outcome, but it won’t stop the doubts from creeping in from time to time. Even the love of a good woman won’t change that.”

  “Agreed.” He’s silent for a moment before asking, “I take it you made a call earlier?” I nod. “And do you think he knows what this is all about?”

  “I bet he fucking does, Seb. But whatever he knows, I think it will only be the tip of the iceberg.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking that if Jess’ father is involved in this, then there’s a pretty good chance that he’s not the only one that high up.”

  “You want me to do some digging on my dad? ‘Cause you know I’d love nothing more than to finally get some solid evidence on that wanker.”

  “Do it but keep it subtle. I don’t want to tip anyone off. I think we have enough to deal with at the moment.”

  A sly grin spreads across Seb’s face, and I can almost see the internal fist bump.

  “I’ll be out in the morning, so keep an eye on Jess.”

  Seb gets to his feet. “Sure. Jamie can keep her company,” he says as he heads for the door.

  “What’s with those two anyway?”

  Seb pauses, turning back to me. “They butted heads a little back at the hospital. Jamie thinks she’s hiding stuff and told her as much. Jamie’s protective, you know that. Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll work it out and be best of friends.” He shrugs, adding a ‘maybe’ as he walks off.