They filed into the command center, Ruby taking her station at the computer brains for the audiovisual equipment, Jordan at the head of the table, and the rest of them scattered around. As easy as things had been in the dining room, they were nearly as tense then as when Kennedy was working on someone in the field.
Knox cleared his throat and spoke up. “What can I tell you?”
Jordan planted his elbows on the table, steepled his fingers, and leaned in. “Start talking, and as you hit on something that sounds interesting, I’ll figure out what I want to know more about.”
“Sure.” Knox took a deep, ragged breath. “I got involved with the Vipers when I was seventeen. I was recruited by the local cops when I expressed an interest in joining the force after graduation. They told me I’d almost surely get a spot in the academy if I could prove myself first by being a mole.”
“Son of a bitch.” Aarav clenched his jaw. “They didn’t look after you, did they?”
Knox shrugged. “I had to fit in to get any good dirt. That meant rolling with them when they smoked. Unfortunately, I apparently inherited my mom’s love of drugs.”
He stared at a spot directly in front of him, so Kennedy reached over beneath the table and squeezed his thigh. She was surprised when she did, that her knuckles brushed against Marcus’s as he did the same on Knox’s other leg.
“And the cops didn’t offer to help you?” Jordan cursed. “This is why so many of us left. Why we have our own code of what’s right and wrong. I’m sorry they used you like that.”
Knox nodded tersely, as if he might crack if he spoke his thanks aloud. He chewed his nails and Jordan didn’t press him, letting him inhale a few shaky breaths before proceeding. He glanced around the room, as if searching for the exit, until his gaze landed on Nolan’s throat flexing as he sipped from a silver can.
“Is that a beer?” Knox eyed it as if it were made of diamonds instead of hops and water.
“Uh, yeah. You know what? Shouldn’t have it at a work meeting anyway.” Nolan stepped into the bathroom and poured it down the sink without a second thought.
Knox sighed and resumed mauling his poor abused fingernails with his teeth.
The immensity of what they were asking him to do smacked Kennedy in the face. Could Knox handle the pressure? Would he crack and return to his old ways? Struggling with sobriety was hard enough. All this extra shit on top could send him spiraling into darkness again.
Now that she’d found him again, she couldn’t stand the thought of him being lost.
“Okay, so, anyway. Recently, the stakes have been higher. Those of us who oversaw large regions started getting shipments of special shit. We were told to charge double for it and only give it to our best customers. Problem was, it was too good. A lot of people, my ex and I included, couldn’t handle it. We both OD’d.” Knox swallowed and looked at the bathroom as if considering lapping the beer out of the sink. “For some reason, paramedics brought me back.”
He snatched his stare from the bathroom and instead looked at Kennedy. Was she really ready to be his purpose? Was Marcus?
“What happened to your girlfriend?” Jordan wondered.
“Boyfriend. He died.”
“Shit. I’m so sorry, man,” James said softly as the rest of the Shields added their condolences.
“So yeah, that sucked.” Understatement of the century. “It might also be important to know his name was Riggs, and he was Vex’s nephew.”
“Vex as in the head of the Vipers.” Jordan confirmed.
“Yeah.”
“So you have some special connection to the guy.” Jordan tapped his fingers on the table at that.
“Not really. I think he trusted me more because of it, though. Because he knew from Riggs that I was all in…until I wasn’t. Riggs cared more about advancing than I did and I went along with a lot of the plans Vex had for us because it kept things flowing. Once Riggs died, though, the memories from that night kept me clean and I lost the will to be involved. I didn’t touch one fucking bit of that shit you saw in the cabin the other day. It’s no joke. It’s going to kill a lot of people if it hits the streets.”
“What is it?” Jordan asked.
“All I know is our boss told us it’s a test. Only two places had the recipe and they weren’t fucking around, keeping a tight lid on it, so they can hopefully smash the competition once and for all.” Knox pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s why I ratted to that shitty agent when I found out one of the locations where they were cooking it.”
“They intercepted the delivery you informed them about and were able to shut down the plant. But they haven’t been able to locate the source of the remaining supply.” Jordan must have known at least some of what Knox was sharing. He’d used it to confirm Knox was being straight with them.
As much as Kennedy hated to admit it, she appreciated that. A sliver of her was still afraid to fully put her faith in him given how fragile his recent commitment to doing the right thing might be in the face of his addiction issues. He’d wrecked her once. If he didn’t live up to the high hopes she was already forming, it would destroy her this time around.
And now it wasn’t only her in the equation. She had to worry about the fallout harming Marcus too. Hell, even their professions were at risk. Her whole life.
“Okay, I have a question.” Ruby raised her hand from the computer console like the geek-at-heart she was. Liam and Ace exchanged an amused glance.
“Yeah?” Knox raised his gaze to hers.
“How did you communicate with the people who worked for you and especially with this Vex dude?” She twirled a section of her red hair around her finger.
Knox rattled off the name of a communication app. “You want my phone?”
“Uh huh.” Ruby nodded. He unlocked it then tossed it to her. She snagged it with one hand, then beamed. “I’ve got this. Continue.”
She flipped around and started hammering on the keyboard, completely ignoring everything they were saying. JRad, her mentor from the Men in Blue, had a hell of a reputation in their industry, but Kennedy had no doubt the student would surpass the teacher someday, if she hadn’t already.
“Unfortunately, that’s pretty much what I know. They were keeping us in the dark about most of the operation. I got the feeling they were on the cusp of making this shit able to be mass produced instead of putting out small test batches.” Knox shrugged.
“Okay, let me make a few calls and then we can pick up again.” Jordan snagged the headset James held out to him, then ducked behind the display screens into the nook where Kennedy had kissed Marcus during the grand opening.
When she glanced over at him, he was grinning back, obviously reliving the same memory.
“I’m sorry I’m such a fucking loser.” Knox ripped a bit of skin from his cuticle, making Kennedy wince. She took his hand in hers and lifted it to her mouth, kissing the raw spot he had aggravated.
“You’re not.” Marcus angled his chair to face Knox squarely.
James joined them, hopping up so that he sat on the table beside Kennedy. He swung his legs, his hot pink sneakers zipping through the air. “Hey, I thought I’d come over and say I really admire you for doing this. I know it’s hard enough to open up about your personal life, but doing it in front of these do-gooders must be extra difficult.”
Kennedy silently thanked James for easing the tension. Of course he was an exceptional communicator having been part of a committed threesome and also having six additional lovers as part of the Powertools crew. If they weren’t open and honest, their complex lifestyle would never work.
“Uh, thanks. I guess.” Knox groaned. “Don’t make me out to be some kind of hero, though. I’m just a junkie who ruined his chances with a woman way too good for him.”
“From my perspective, your odds with that lady look pretty damn stellar,” James said with a kind smile. “And maybe even for a two-fer with an equally great guy. This pair should have been a perfect match on their own, yet somehow never quite got things to work between them until you showed up. Just saying.”
Knox lifted his head then and looked between Marcus and Kennedy. “Yeah, why is that exactly?”
“Because sometimes people need a third person to bring them together. Or keep them together. My wife, Devon, did that for Neil and me. We probably wouldn’t have lasted without her.” James shook his head as if chasing that horrible possibility from his mind.
Aarav ambled closer, taking up a spot beside Marcus though he looked at James, not Knox when he asked, “Could you say more about that?”
Kennedy tried to play it cool, but her heart was thundering. Could he be asking for himself? Was there some reason he thought having another person around might make it easier for him to approach Sola?
Her best friend was across the room, joking around with Nolan and Liam. Aarav couldn’t seem to go more than three seconds without glancing over his shoulder at her to make sure she was still there and safe although there was no threat to them in the office, despite the thunder that had begun rumbling in the distance. The news had predicted strong storms that evening and it looked like they had been right.
“I guess Neil and I were kind of stubborn. Stuck in our way of doing things. Which was okay for a while, but Devon brought out parts of us that we held in check around each other. She lets me be silly and goof around with her, and she lets Neil explore the side of him that gets off with women. As for her, she likes to take the lead with me but surrender to him. It’s just different than how we are alone. And without her…we might not have been enough for each other. Neil and I had started arguing a lot even though I knew he was my person. We couldn’t seem to get it together until Devon whipped us into shape.”
Aarav slicked back his wavy obsidian hair with his palm. “I know that feeling.”
“Can I give you some unsolicited and probably shitty advice?” Knox asked.
“Sure.” Aarav grinned. “Can’t be any worse than I’m doing myself. Hell, you’ve been here like two days and you’ve already snagged a couple of amazing people.”
“Uh, yeah. I guess. Though I’m pretty sure they snagged me.” Knox finally cracked the hint of a smile. “Anyway, if we’re talking about that firecracker of a brunette over there, you should probably quit thinking so hard and do something. She keeps looking over at you like she’d rather have you than that pizza for dinner.”
“She does?” Aarav peeked over his shoulder at the same time Sola looked their way, as if she could feel the heat of his stare.
“Yes,” Marcus, Kennedy, Knox, and James all said at exactly the same moment.
“She’s waiting for you to make a move.” Marcus elbowed Aarav. “How many times have I told you this?”
“Sola isn’t the kind of woman to sit back. If she liked me, she’d have said so by now.” Aarav’s shoulders slumped. “That’s one of the things I appreciate about her. She knows what she wants and she goes and gets it.”
“Maybe not when it comes to love.” James leaned in. “None of us think straight when our hearts are involved. The consequences of a wrong decision are too fucking scary. So…Knox…”
“Huh?” Knox looked up at James then. “Welcome to Shields. Don’t make me have to sic my wife on you. She will not hesitate to kick your ass if you mess with our friends, okay?”
Knox laughed at that. Kennedy squeezed James tight and whispered, “Thank you.”
“I never meant to let you down,” Knox promised Kennedy. “And I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” This time he also looked at Marcus, who nodded.
As if the universe heard and punctuated the oath, a blinding light flashed through the entire command center followed immediately by a blast of thunder that had all of them rocketing to their feet and staring out the tinted glass at the back parking lot.
They were just in time to see a glorious oak tree that had withstood who knew how many storms crack straight down the center. Half remained standing while the rest teetered and then tipped, picking up steam as it crashed straight toward the corner of the lot where James parked his neon-green itty-bitty hybrid car to keep it away from people like Nolan, who had backed into it most recently.
“Nooooooooooooooooooooo!” James sprinted toward the glass and threw his palms up on it as the tree belly-flopped onto the roof, leaving a giant crater.
For a moment, there was dead silence. Then the entire command center broke out into a roar of laughter. Kennedy put her hands on her cheeks both in shock and to keep her face from splitting as she cracked up. Marcus clutched his gut and several of the men hooted.
“What the hell is wrong with all of you?” Knox jogged over to James. “Was that your car? Oh my God, dude. I’m sorry.”
Tears streamed down Kennedy’s face as everyone only cackled harder. Everyone but Ruby, who was lost in her ones and zeros. In their line of work there had to be a way to destress, and this…this was priceless.
Marcus was already hauling his phone from his pocket and tapping his contacts. “Hey, Roman? You’re never going to guess what just happened.”
He paused to catch his breath although a snort escaped.
“James’s car got squashed by a tree. Can you come tow it to the shop and fix it up again?” Kennedy heard the other man curse a streak from the other end of the line. “Dead serious. Send Bryce with the flatbed. I know, I know, that thing has spent more time at your garage than out of it. Thanks, man. And…while you’re here, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. Maybe you can talk to him about some shit he’s going through?”
Kennedy beamed at Marcus. He was such a good man. Of course he’d want to help Knox through his addiction issues. Roman had struggled himself. He would know better than them how to help Knox navigate the tough times ahead. Knox was trying, but was it for their sake, or his own?
Either way, she was glad for Marcus’s and Roman’s support.
“What the hell are you all…” Jordan rejoined them, his headset in his hand. When he looked out the window, he didn’t bust a gut, but he wasn’t able to suppress his smirk either. “Well, isn’t that something.”
James flipped them all off with a double bird, then sulked as he plopped into one of the fancy chairs he’d ordered for the command center. He might have cursed them out if Ruby hadn’t jumped up right then.
“Got it!” She pumped her fist and blinked, as if only then noticing their insanity. She peeked out the window, then chuckled before returning her gaze to Jordan. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
Jordan took his seat again at that. “What’d you find?”
“The Vipers are sending a pair of drivers to pick up a shipment from two ‘factory workers.’” She used air quotes. “They’re making it a small op to avoid drawing attention from authorities or the people who gunned down the guys they sent to reclaim Knox and their previous cache. By the way, they think that he’s gone rogue and started his own operation with that last batch, so they’re not really onto us…yet.”
Jordan thought about that for a minute, then sat back in his chair, staring at Knox. “I think you’re going to get that chance you wanted to prove yourself.”
Oh fuck no. Kennedy was sure that whatever came out of her boss’s mouth next, she was going to hate it. And she was right.
“What are you thinking?” Knox wondered, not saying no.
“You’re going to pick up that delivery for us. And if you can’t also figure out where they’re sending it from, you’ll bring the drivers back to us, so we can find out for you.” Jordan didn’t say it in so many words, but Kennedy knew what he meant. Someone on their team would torture the men if they needed to, and in any case, they wouldn’t be leaving Shields headquarters alive.
“Me? Don’t you think they’re going to have a head’s up that I’m not on the old boss’s Christmas card list anymore?” Knox asked.
“Do you think they’ll care that much if you show up with twice as much money as they’re expecting plus an offer of a fuck ton more in exchange for the recipe?” Jordan lifted one shoulder.
“They’re not idiots. They know what real cash looks like.” Knox waved his hands in front of his chest.
“We’ve got ten million in our safe in the basement and I can get more if we need it.” Jordan wasn’t fucking kidding either. James had paid special attention to the facilities down there. No one could get in, or out, of that part of the building without help from the team. It was where they stashed valuables, either currency or bad guys, until they were done with them.
“Oh. Well. Then yeah. I guess that’ll work.” Knox refused to look at Marcus or Kennedy.
Was it because he knew she’d be freaking out about him putting himself in danger like that, or because he didn’t want them to see that he intended to double cross them when he had his hands on either the money or the drugs?
The fact that the thought crossed her mind, even for an instant, meant they still had a long way to go before they could ever have a relationship that lasted beyond an afternoon of endless orgasms.
But would they get the chance to work on it, or would he be taken from her again before they’d hardly had a chance to find out?