Risky Secrets Read online

  ****

  The apartment above Lucky’s wasn’t bad. It was a little shabby and could have done with a coat of paint, but that would have to wait for now. Tom didn’t know how long he would be in Pine Bluff. If things played out well and went his way, he’d stay for as long as possible. But if they managed to find him, he would have to pull his ass out of there fast!

  Screwing over the Leone brothers had been a stupid thing to do. Thinking back on it, Tom couldn’t pinpoint why he decided to do it in the first place. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He did have his reasons. He’d worked for them taking care of their accounts and stayed behind the scenes of their drug running operation. He was damned good at his job, and they paid him well. It wasn’t like they had been stingy paying him, but with the amount of money they were bringing in, he wanted more. Twenty thousand dollars was nothing to them in the grand scheme of things. If he disappeared from the scene, they wouldn’t bother coming after him. He was wrong.

  Even in the underworld people talk. Through the grapevine, Tom heard there had been a hit placed on him by the brothers. No one messed with them. He had to get out of the city fast. There was no hiding from them there. They had eyes everywhere. Snitches were always looking for an opportunity to make quick cash.

  “How the fuck could you have been so stupid?” Tom’s father had asked after he went to the old man for help.

  Less than a week had passed since he’d gone into hiding, and with no other place to go, he headed to his father’s house. Surely he’d have some advice for him. Frank O’Brien had been an officer of the law for thirty years before he retired. He knew criminals inside and out. “I know, but it’s too late to go back now. They’re after me, and I need your help,” Tom had explained.

  “What can I do? You can’t stay here with me. Christ, if they find you here they will kill us both. How could you do this? I raised you better than this, Tom. I knew you were involved in something bad, and I said nothing. I pretended that everything was fine and dandy. Tell me what you want me to do?”

  It hurt like hell to hear the disappointment in his father’s voice. It was the truth. It hit him straight through the heart. He was a complete fuckup and always had been from day one. “I need a place to go.”

  Tom watched as his father stormed around the small living room. He paced back and forth before sitting again. “Give me time to think. Your best bet is to stay at a hotel for now. And pick one that’s off their radar. I’ll make a few phone calls and see what I can do. Call me tomorrow evening.”

  It turned out the phone call that had been made was to Lucky. Lucky wasn’t his uncle, but rather an old friend of his father’s. There were favors owed Frank. There was no way that the Leones would ever think to look for him in Pine Bluff.

  ****

  “The gutter won’t fix itself,” Keith said. “Thanks for the coffee and the chat.”

  He was genuine. Jayne felt that from him. “I enjoyed it.” She meant it. It was refreshing to talk openly with a man without having to worry if he was going to judge her unnecessarily for her shortcomings. After all, she didn’t have to impress him. The need wasn’t there from either of them. “Drop by soon and we’ll do it again.”

  Jayne’s heart thudded quicker inside her chest as she cleared the table. It was silly for her to behave like that. She didn’t have any interest in Keith other than friendship. Even if she did, it wasn’t like he was able to return those types of feelings. He seemed messed up about his emotions as it was. The look of frustration in his eyes all throughout their conversation had said that many times over. He was open with her though, and that did impress her. Not many men would be so frank about their feelings like that.

  Keith was a lot like the heroes in her books. He was strong, handsome, and somewhat alpha. But he possessed something deeper. There was much more to him than anyone would suspect just from looking at him. Nothing was ever cut and dry. This she tried to play over into her writing. It made things interesting and certainly more exciting.

  It was time to get to work. With nothing else to do at the moment, Jayne opened her laptop and set in. Back in her fictional world the words began to flow like fine wine. She was extremely pleased with the results when she finished. All in all it had been a good day, even if it did have a rocky start.

  Chapter Six

  Pine Bluff wasn’t much to look at. The man in black sat back and relaxed behind the wheel of his non-descript car and lit a cigarette. Did that fool think he could hide from the Leones? For them it wasn’t even about the money. Tom had broken their trust. That was something you didn’t do if you knew what was good for you.

  He’d managed to trace Tom easily after the Leones acquired his services and paid him a handsome down payment. He’d get the rest after the deed was done. That was the agreement. A few phone calls had been placed, and it turned out that Frank O’Brien had some dark secrets of his own from his days of glory on the police force. It was rich to see the look of utter surprise on his face when he paid good ole Frank a visit with the Leones.

  “I don’t know anything,” Frank said. He sounded halfway convincing, but the constant liar’s twitch in his left eye told them otherwise. Tom had been seen going in and out of Frank’s house. A snitch had told them that.

  “We know he was here,” Carlos said. He was the younger of the two brothers. Estefan the older sibling looked on with amusement. “Where is he?”

  “I haven’t seen Tom in a long time,” Frank replied. “We don’t have the best relationship, you know.”

  “You being a cop and all, it must piss you off to know that your only son is associated with the likes of us,” Estefan teased. “You raised a damned thief. Did you know that?”

  Frank flinched and furrowed his brow. “He’s an adult and not a child. He’s quite capable and able to make his own life decisions.”

  “Like father like son.” Carlos glanced at their hired gun and winked. “How man bribes did you take during your career?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Frank glanced down at the floor in front of him. “I never took a bribe in my life for anything.”

  “We have information that suggests you did. If that should get out, it would ruin your rather untarnished reputation as an ex-officer of the law.” Estefan grinned wickedly. “All you have to do is tell us where Tom is. We won’t hurt him. We only want our money back. That’s it and nothing more. You have our word.”

  Frank hesitated for a moment, and then he started talking.

  ****

  Tom’s father hadn’t called since he had arrived at Pine Bluff over a week ago. It wasn’t as if he had been expecting to hear from the man who raised him. Their relationship had not been the best over the years since he’d left home and forged his own way in the world. Frank was a good man, but he wasn’t the best at being a father. Still, he wasn’t to blame for Tom screwing up his life. He had only himself to blame for that.

  Coming to Pine Bluff had not been easy. Going from living in the city all of his life to living in a small town, well…he wasn’t finding it easy to adjust. But if staying here meant living, he’d do whatever it took to make it work for him.

  His reason for being here had to stay a secret. He refused to drag anyone else into his web of lies and deceit. It was bad enough that Frank and Lucky had to know what happened to him. Lucky was in Florida now taking a breather. It was better that way. If the Leone brothers did come looking for him, there wouldn’t be anyone else around for them to harm.

  “Tom, are you there?”

  He followed the voice to the door to the apartment. He knew immediately that it was Keith on the other side. He unlocked the door and held it open to allow Keith to come inside. “This is unexpected,” he said, greeting him.

  “I was heading home from a job, and I thought I would stop in to see you.”

  They stood within inches of each other. The heat that seared between them was instant. Tom pushed to resist kissing Keith right then and there. �
��Feel free to stop by anytime. I don’t mind.”

  “I didn’t want to come across as not being interested in seeing you again. I know I can be a little standoffish. That’s my nature. I honestly never expected to meet someone like you here in Pine Bluff.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “It’s meant to be. I’m not the most social either. My skills are rather rusty from lack of use. You’ll have to overlook my rough edges.”

  “There isn’t anyone in this world that’s perfect. We all have our own issues to deal with, and some more than others. I accept people for who they are. That’s the sign of a true friend.” He hoped that Keith would feel the same way if he ever found out about Tom’s illegal activities.

  ****

  Tom’s words warmed Keith. This man was different from the other’s he had known. “What you see is what you get with me.”

  “You’re easy on the eyes. I like what I see.” Tom grinned sheepishly. He looped his fingers inside the waist of Keith’s jeans. “You turn me on so much.”

  Keith’s cock sprang to immediate attention as he moved forward until they were chest to chest. “I didn’t come here for this,” he explained. He sucked in a deep breath when Tom dropped to his knees in front of him.

  “I’m going to suck your cock,” Tom said, his voice husky and full of need.

  How could he say no to that?

  Tom worked his cock, and after he shot his load, he nearly collapsed. “You’re good,” he managed to say.

  “It’s easy when I have that to play with,” Tom replied. He curved his fingers around Keith’s semi-erect cock. “I’d let you fuck me, but I’m pressed for time. I have to set the bar up for tonight. The coolers need to be restocked, and I neglected to clean the bathrooms. Will you be around tonight?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “After closing we could have a repeat of last night minus the intrusion by that woman.”

  “As enticing at that sounds, I can’t make any promises. I should get going. You need to get that stuff done.”

  ****

  Jayne was done with writing for the night. The solitude being at the lake was splendid and worked wonders for her muse. The book would be completed soon enough, and she’d be able to hand it over to Marilla.

  Jayne ventured outside with a hot cup of coffee in her hand. She stopped to inhale the fresh air and even through the moonlight, she could see far across the lake. There was a chill in the air, but she didn’t mind. This place was good for her. It reinvigorated her, and for the first time ever, she pictured herself seriously living here all year round.

  Somewhere overhead an owl hooted and was followed by the fluttering of wings. You didn’t get that living in the city. Jayne went back inside and closed the door firmly behind her. She’d try for an early night. Keith came back into her thoughts, and she hoped he’d come around again soon. Their time together had been brief, but she enjoyed it immensely. It was nice to meet others from the area. Up to this point she hadn’t connected with anyone.

  It was around eleven when she drifted off to sleep, and when she woke again, she glanced at her bedside clock. It was nearing two in the morning. Jayne reached over and turned on the lamp next to the clock. She was in desperate need of a drink of water though the thoughts of getting out of bed and standing on a cold floor were less than appealing.

  She walked from the bedroom out into the hallway and shivered as a cold breeze blew across her bare legs. Where was it coming from? She’d closed all the windows earlier. She was absolutely sure of that. Her pulse quickened and a lump formed in the back of her throat. The feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that something wasn’t right as a sheer sense of uneasiness swept over her. That’s when she heard it…footsteps. Someone was in the house with her.

  ****

  The man in black froze in place. He had not expected her to wake up. He’d been careful when he picked the lock on the front door. Damn it, if she found him, she’d freak and call the police. That was the last thing he needed. If his cover was blown, Tom would panic and leave town. He’d have to start his search all over again, and the Leone brothers would not be pleased. Hell, they’d probably fuck him up for it. That wouldn’t do.

  He wasn’t going to hurt her. That would only happen if she got in the way of his plans. Much like a spider, he bided his time and waited for the right moment to strike. When he killed Tom, it had to be perfect. There would be no witnesses left behind or evidence tracing him to anything or the Leones. He was good at cleaning up. He was known for that.

  “Who’s there?” called the woman. Fear sounded in her voice.

  He said nothing and backed up slowly. He wasn’t far from the open door. He’d followed that man here earlier that day. This man had something to do with Tom, and he wondered how exactly they were connected. Maybe the guy was one of Tom’s fuck buddies. He already knew that Tom often frequented gay bars back in the city. He’d learned this by watching him when the Leones first suspected that Tom was stealing from them and he was hired. Not that he had anything against gays. Each to their own and all that jazz was his motto in life. Live and let live.

  “Hello?” said the woman. “I’m calling the police.”

  He paused in the doorway for a brief moment. Killing her would be easy, but it would only complicate things. He left.

  ****

  Jayne moved cautiously through the house and made her way towards the front door. She felt faint when she spotted that it was open. Had she imagined the sound of footsteps? She quickly flicked on the lights. She shut the door and locked it right after. Grabbing the cell phone from her bag, she paused and wondered if she should call the police. If it was nothing, they’d think she was crazy. Keith came to her mind. Surely she could call him. It was his job to look after the property, right? And this was a security issue. Jayne keyed in his phone number and waited for him to pick up. He did on the third ring.

  “Hello?”

  “Keith? This is Jayne. I’m sorry to call you so late, but I think someone was in the house.” She remained calm as she spoke. “The front door was open. I’m sure I locked it before heading to bed.”

  “I’ll be right over. Hang tight. I won’t be long,” Keith replied without hesitation.

  Jayne snapped the phone shut and headed back to the bedroom. She shook slightly as she sat on the edge of the bed. She would have expected for something like this to happen back in the city, but not out here.

  Chapter Seven

  “Who was that?” Tom asked.

  Keith pulled on a pair of jeans. He looked back at Tom who was still lying in bed. He’d gone to Lucky’s after all that night, and when the bar closed, Tom came back to his place. “It was Jayne. She’s the lady who walked in on us.”

  “I remember. The look on her face was priceless. I bet she regretted opening that bedroom door. What did she want? It’s a little fucking late to be making phone calls.”

  “She thinks there was an intruder in her house. I have to go and check it out.”

  “Can’t that wait until the morning?”

  “No. It’s part of my job.” It really wasn’t, but Tom didn’t need to know that. “I shouldn’t be long.”

  “Can I come with you? It would be better than staying here by myself.”

  What could he say to that? It would be rude if he said no. “Sure. Get dressed.”

  “Great.” Tom hopped out of bed and dressed quickly. A look of worry crossed his face.

  “Is there something wrong?”

  “What if there was someone out there?” Tom asked.

  “It’s nothing that I can’t manage.”

  “Perhaps sending the police out there would be a better idea. They’d know what to do.” Tom shoved his hands deep into the pockets in his jeans. “It’s a thought.”

  “The wind probably blew Jayne’s door open and spooked her. It’s windy outside. It’s even worse at the lake. This happens all the time, and locks are never one hundred percent.�
��

  “I hope you’re right,” Tom replied. “Hopefully it’s nothing at all.”

  ****

  There wasn’t any sense in jumping the gun. Like Keith had said, it was most likely nothing. Yet the what if played up in the back of Tom’s mind. Tom knew that it was possible that the Leones had found him. It could have just been his paranoia playing mind games with him, but that was the first thing that came to his mind when he heard that Jayne thought she’d had an intruder at her house. The last thing he wanted was to drag some innocent person into his mess. He’d done that with his father and regretted it deeply. The fact was that they could possibly take his misdeeds out on his old man. He shouldn’t have gone to him for help, but it was too late to take it back at this point.

  “It’s dark out this way,” Tom said. They were near the lake and being so far from town made Tom feel extremely isolated and nervous.

  “What do you expect at night?” Keith shook his head and chuckled. “This is the road to Jayne’s house. She sounded so scared on the phone. I’m not sure that I like the idea of a woman being all the way out here on her own. Even here there are plenty of crazies around.”

  “It was probably some animal looking for food,” Tom suggested.

  “There are lots of them around. It could even have been a bear.”

  Tom widened his eyes at the mention of a bear. “A bear? Are you kidding me?” The thought of coming face to face with a bear almost scared him as much as meeting up with the Leone brothers.

  “I’m dead serious. They’re all over the place up here.”

  “Fucking great!”

  “You’re scared. That’s kind of cute,” Keith mused.

  “Keep them away from me.”

  “I’m sure they feel the same way about humans.” Keith grinned. “I have the rifle in case we need it locked in the back of the truck. You’re safe with me.”

  “I’d say that makes me feel better, but I’d be lying.” In the distance, Tom spotted lights coming from Jayne’s house. He sucked in a deep breath and wished he hadn’t come there.