Nick avoided his eldest son's glare. "I sold some things."
Kelly put a settling hand on his brother's arm. Their gazes clashed as Jack shook it off but it seemed to have reined him in a bit. Turning back to Besian, Kelly said, "We can't do that. Not by the end of May. We need more time."
"The timeline isn't up for negotiation. I have my own business interests to look after, Kelly. Your father settles his account by the end of May."
Or what? I didn't even want to think about what these men would do to Nick or his sons if the half a million wasn't repaid. "I can cover it."
The second the words left my mouth, I regretted them. Every eye snapped to me. Kelly pivoted slowly and pinned me with a withering stare. I suddenly remembered his instructions. I had promised to keep quiet, hadn't I?
"Do I know you?" Besian stepped to the side so he could get a better look at me. Snapping his fingers, he smiled. "Yeah. You're that computer genius that made Yuri even richer, right?"
I bristled at his description. "That's hardly the way I would frame our working relationship."
Besian's shoulders bounced dismissively. "Call it whatever you want. I'm only interested in getting my money."
"You're not getting it from her." Kelly's irritated glare skipped from me to Besian. "This is our debt to settle. She's not part of our family."
Kelly's remark shouldn't have hurt me the way it did but I couldn't ignore the pang that pierced my chest. After losing my family to cancer and war, Kelly and my friends were all the family I had left. Now I understood exactly how he saw me. No wonder he'd found it so easy to ignore me since that stupid kiss.
"I wouldn't be so quick to turn down that offer," the gangster counseled wisely. "Where else are you going to come up with a half a million in two weeks?"
"We'll find a way."
Besian stared at him Kelly for a few seconds, almost as if he was mulling over something. Finally, he said, "Maybe we can work out a deal that helps all of us."
I didn't like the sound of this possibility at all. Any deal that this guy would offer probably had some gnarly fucking strings attached.
"Let's hear it," Jack said.
"Paulie broke his leg last night in a rollover. I'm in the market for a new fighter. The tournament is the first weekend in June. Two nights and it's done." Besian slid his hands out in front of him. "We wipe the slate clean."
I blinked and tried to wrap my head around the offer the gangster had just made. Fighter? What kind of fighter?
"No fucking way," Finn interjected forcefully. "Those fights are brutal. Men die in that cage."
Suddenly, I understood. This wasn't sanctioned mixed-martial arts or boxing. They were talking about the underground fights that happened at the old meatpacking plant. I'd learned about them after starting college. A guy I had dated had shown me a video on his phone from one of the invite-only fights he'd attended with some of the guys from his frat. I'd nearly vomited watching half a minute of the bloody brawl.
My panicked gaze jumped to Kelly. Their dad had a reputation as a fighter from his younger days. It was the reason Connolly Fitness had been so successful. The business had taken a downturn while the boys were away at war but Jack was turning things around now.
Jack made a living instructing others in self-defense and Krav Maga. But Jack couldn't fight anymore. His unit had come under heavy fire in Iraq. An explosion had caused a head injury that forced him out of the corps. As far as I knew, he had been warned to keep any hits to his head to a minimum or he risked serious injury. It was one of the reasons he didn't spar with his students.
And Finn? He'd lost his leg when his convoy had been hit by an IED. The men who fought in those bare-knuckle matches needed all their limbs in working order to survive. He simply couldn't compete against some of the freakishly built men who fought on that circuit.
That left only Kelly—and I would be damned before I let him go into the cage.
"Give us forty-eight hours," Kelly replied, ignoring his brother's outburst. "We'll give you an answer."
"Twenty-four," Besian countered before backing away with his men. "You know where to find me."
The tension eased, and I glanced nervously between the Connolly brothers and their father. Nick swayed on his feet. Whether it was from the hits he'd taken or the alcoholic bender he'd clearly been on, I couldn't tell. From the looks of his rumpled shirt and stained jeans, he hadn't showered or changed in days. Was it the stress and guilt of his gambling debts that made him drink?
Jack exhaled roughly. "Let's go, Dad."
Kelly reached out and tapped Finn's shoulder. "You okay to drive, man?"
"I didn't drink!" Finn snapped at his brother. "I came here to drag Pops out of there."
Kelly held up his hand. "Cool it, bro. I meant your head. Looks like you took a good smack."
Finn brushed away Kelly's hand before his younger brother could check the bruise forming on his jaw. "I'm fine. I'll see you at the house." His expression softened as he smiled at me. "It's good to see you again, Bee."
"You're about to see more of her." Kelly put his hand against my back. "She's coming home with me tonight."
Finn's expression was almost comical. "Uh, Kelly, you think that's a good idea? I mean, tonight?"
Kelly made an annoyed sound. "Not like that, Finn. She's in trouble. We're going to keep an eye on her until I can get her security situation sorted out tomorrow."
"Oh. Well. Then I guess I'll see you both back at the house." Finn didn't push for any more details before heading to his truck.
Kelly gave me a gentle push forward but refused to meet my questioning gaze. "So…you're living with Finn and Jack?"
"I've been traveling so much it didn't make sense to keep my place. Jack lets me rent a bedroom from him."
Before I could ask how the arrangement was working, we reached Kelly's truck. I quickly climbed into my seat and waited for him. As he crossed in front of the vehicle, I caught the clenched set of his jaw and realized he was upset. With me? With his dad? I figured he would tell me soon enough.
Buckled into his seat, Kelly jammed the key in the ignition and started the engine. He didn't make any attempt to back out of the parking space. Instead, he exhaled loudly. "What did I tell you, Bee?"
I swallowed nervously. "Look, what was I supposed to do, Kelly?"
He darted an irritated glance my way. "You were supposed to be quiet." Gripping the wheel, he asked, "Do you have any idea what you've just done?"
"I offered to help a friend in trouble."
"No," he countered roughly. "You just announced to the Albanian mafia that you can get your hands on half a million dollars without breaking a sweat. The next time one of those assholes is short on his pickups or makes a bum side deal, your face is going to be the first one that pops into his head. They're going to be thinking that some young, sweet thing like you will be easy to blackmail or strong arm or kidnap for ransom." With a ragged sigh, he added, "Jesus, Bee! How the hell am I supposed to keep you safe from a stalker if you're walking around advertising your net worth to lowlifes? For someone so damn smart, you just made a really dumb move. "
His outburst shocked me. In all the time I'd known Kelly, he'd never once raised his voice with me. Within the cab of his truck, his normally deep voice seemed so much louder. Feeling stupid and embarrassed, I hastily averted my gaze to the window and blinked rapidly to clear the tears burning my eyes.
I heard the snap of Kelly's seatbelt unlatching. A second later, his big hands were grasping my shoulders and gently turning me toward him. With the weight of my naïve misstep heavy on my shoulders, I hurriedly apologized. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize—"
"No." Kelly touched my lips with his fingertip. "God, Bee, don't apologize to me. Not after I just acted like the biggest jackass to you." The moonlight and the parking lot lamps highlighted the pain and regret etched into his handsome face. He cupped my cheek and brushed the tears from my skin with the rough pad of his thumb. "I'm sorry, Bee. I
'm so damn sorry."
When he touched his forehead to mine, the spark of contact arced through me like lightning. "I'm upset and angry and stressed—but that doesn't excuse the way I spoke to you."
With trembling fingers, I stroked his cheek, the slight stubble there rasping my fingertips. "It's all right."
"It's not all right. You don't have any idea how the underworld works. You were just being kind."
Relishing this moment of intimacy, I trailed my fingertips down his cheek to follow the curve of his jaw. "Please take the money, Kelly. Those men looked so dangerous. I don’t want you or your brothers or your dad to get hurt."
Kelly clasped my hand. My heart flip-flopped in my chest when he pressed his mouth to my palm. Tugging away from me, he ended our sweet moment. "No. This is our mess. We'll clean it up."
"But—"
"Bee," he eyed me carefully, "if you give us half a million dollars, Besian and his crew will do one of two things. They'll either tack on more interest and fees to squeeze more money out of you or they'll give Pop a bigger line of credit. The next time it will be two or three million that he owes—and then what? I'm supposed to come to you with my hat in my hand and beg for charity?"
"It wouldn't be charity, Kelly. You're my friend."
"Friends don't abuse one another in that way." He shook his head and put his truck in reverse. "Jack, Finn and I will figure out something else."
I studied him as we pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street. "You're not seriously considering fighting for that Besian guy." He didn’t answer me immediately so I pushed harder. "Kelly?"
"I've fought in the cage before," he admitted finally. "When I first left the corps and I was pissed off all the time," he amended. "It felt good to beat the shit out of some other guy, and I made a good chunk of money doing it."
I gaped at him as his revelation hit me. If I was being totally honest, it didn't really surprise me. When Kelly came home alive and Jeb came back in a box, he was so incredibly angry. I could totally see him seeking out a venue like that to blow off steam.
"That was then, Kelly. This is now. You're an employee of a very well-respected private security firm. What the hell is your boss going to say when you come into work all busted-up?"
He didn't have an answer for that. "You don't know what men like Besian are capable of, Bee. Taking a few hits in the ring to clear our family's debt is nothing compared to what those men will do."
"And what happens if you get hurt in the ring, Kelly? I've seen those fights. I know what happens there. What if you become badly injured?"
He glanced at me as we passed through an intersection. "When did you see one of the cage matches?"
"Do you remember Cade?"
The irritated expression on his face told me he did. "The frat guy you dated your freshman year?"
"Yes. He showed me a video on his phone." My gut lurched as I considered all the horrible ways this could end. "Kelly, please don't do this. Just let me help you."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because it isn't right."
"Oh my God! Who cares about what is right or wrong, Kelly? The Albanian mob owns your dad. They're trying to extort you into risking your life." I glared at him. "Is this because I'm a girl and you're a guy? Would you take the money if I was a man?"
"What? Your gender has nothing to do with this."
"So it's not about some dumb male pride thing?"
He rolled his shoulders. "Pride isn't dumb, Bee. Honor. Loyalty. Pride. They'll take a man far in this world."
"No, they're going to take you to an early grave. I've already lost Jeb. I'm not going to lose you too!"
He reached across the center console and took my hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm not going anywhere, Bee."
Staring at our entwined hands, I expected him to let go, but he held tight as he deftly navigated the dark streets. I wasn't brave enough to believe we were charting a new course in our friendship but I couldn't stop the glimmer of hope burning within me.
We were on the cusp of something exciting and real—and I'd be damned if a loan shark mobster was going to threaten that. I'd move heaven and earth before I let Kelly step into that cage.
I just prayed he would forgive me.
* * *
It was after four in the morning when Kelly made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Bee had been safely tucked away in his bed and was already passed out from exhaustion. Before she'd put her head on the pillow, she had switched on the bedside lamp. He refused to let her feel embarrassed for needing a night light. Discovering someone had broken into her home had shattered her sense of personal safety. If she needed the lamp, that was perfectly fine.
Remembering the way she looked as she climbed into bed, Kelly experienced a wave of need. The door to his room had been ajar just enough to let him catch a glimpse of her in only her t-shirt and panties. He didn't know that any woman had ever made such a simple getup look so damn sexy.
He'd be a bald-faced liar if he said that he didn't like the way she looked in his bed. The urge to slide in with her and spoon up against the curve of her bottom had nearly overwhelmed him.
Fighting the lust she inspired in him, Kelly rubbed the back of his neck and stretched his aching shoulders. Though he'd grown accustomed to his insomnia, he still had nights where it grated on his nerves. Like tonight.
Still feeling guilty over his awful outburst in the truck, Kelly hoped he could keep his temper under control while his father laid out the ugly facts of his gambling debts. He refused to let any more of the traits he'd inherited from his old man show tonight. He didn't know if he would ever forgive himself for allowing Bee to glimpse the darkness that came from his father's blood.
In the kitchen, he found Finn and Jack seated on either side of their father. The old man was sucking down coffee and sobering up some. Kelly doubted they were going to like anything he had to say but they needed everything laid out on the table to avoid making a rash decision.
"What's the story with Bee?" Jack leveled a knowing stare his way. "I thought you said you were giving her some space after New Year's?"
Kelly wished he'd never confided in his brothers about that kiss. After the initial taunting had passed, they had both tried to convince him to give it a go with her. Neither of them seemed to understand the various angles of his predicament.
Grabbing the carafe, Kelly poured a cup of coffee and moved to the table. He reached for the sugar. "Some shithead is stalking her."
Jack's gaze flicked to the ceiling and concern etched hard lines into his face. "Stalking her how?"
"Until earlier tonight, it was just texts, emails and disgusting photos. When she came home, someone had broken into her apartment and left her a box."
"A box?" Finn sat forward. "What was in it?"
Kelly sipped the hot coffee and enjoyed the soothing burn. "She didn’t stick around to find out. I'm having Dimitri and Lev meet us at her place in a few hours."
"Ordinarily, I'd recommend going to the cops in a situation like this," Jack said, "but with Bee's profile?" He shook his head. "I've had clients come into the gym to learn self-defense because the restraining orders aren't working. She needs dedicated security and private investigators who cater only to her needs."
"Agreed." Kelly dumped more sugar in his coffee. When he reached for a fourth scoop, Jack frowned at him and moved the bowl out of the way.
"You're going to give yourself diabetes if you keep eating like this."
Kelly rolled his eyes but didn't try to jerk the bowl back. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and eyed their father. "Well, Pop, what's the real story here?"
Their old man wiped both hands down his face and cleared his throat. "Afrim always kept me on a tight leash when it came to my credit. After that Russian loon stuffed Afrim in a trunk last Christmas, Besian took over his action. He extended my line." His shoulders rounded with defeat. "I couldn't say no. Before I knew it, I was in deep."
/> Kelly wanted to lash out in anger but the pathetic old man sitting across from him only inspired sympathy. He couldn't imagine being so lost to his demons that he'd risk the lives of everyone he loved. "So what are we going to do?"
The harsh expression on Jack's face warned that he was about five seconds away from losing it. "What we always fucking do! We'll have to clean up his mess yet again."
Finn drummed his fingers on the tabletop. "I have some cash stowed away. It's not hardly enough but it will make a dent."
"I should be receiving my payout for that sheikh's contract before the end of next week." Kelly ran his finger around the rim of his cup. "Even after taxes, it's a good sized chunk."
Jack sighed loudly. "Most of my cash is tied up in the gym. I've sunk everything into it. I might be able to get a loan against the building but with Pop's credit…"
Kelly didn't hear whatever Jack said next. Their father furiously rubbed that spot on his wrist where his watch normally sat. No doubt he'd hocked the damn thing again to buy booze or lottery tickets. It was his father's tell—that rubbing motion—that made Kelly perk right up. "What haven't you told us, Pop?"
Finn and Jack snapped their attention to the old man. Tension soared around the table as they waited for their father to finally work up the damn courage to come clean. He sucked down the rest of his coffee before admitting in a rush, "The building is already mortgaged."
"What?" Jack hissed the word. "We're on the note together after the refinance. There's no way you could have—"
"I used the building as collateral for a loan from Hagen."
Kelly damn near fell out of his chair at the revelation that their father owed money to Houston's most notorious loan shark. The Albanian crew was bad enough but Hagen had a certain reputation around town.
Jack jumped out of his chair, knocking it over in the process, and stormed out of the kitchen. Kelly heard the back door open and close as Jack sought silence and privacy on the patio. He figured that was better than the alternative of Jack wringing their father's neck.
Finn flopped back in his seat and shoved his empty coffee cup across the table. "How much do you owe Hagen?"