Risk Read online

  “What are you doing in here?” I asked throwing the covers back and setting my feet on the carpet.

  “With the runner getting attacked the other day I’ve been a little jumpy. I heard you screaming, thought the same was happening to you. Almost shit my pants.”

  Even without my glasses on - and I was practically blind without glasses or contacts - I could see the concern on Denny’s face. Denny was a full time smart ass, never showing his emotion but the rare time that he did, instead of mouthing off, meant he was worried. But Denny had been having a hard time lately maybe he was seeing something that wasn’t there because of the Rachel thing.

  Denny was my Uncle Vinnie’s son, really my cousin but more like a brother than just a cousin. Denny took after his Italian mother, thick black hair that was a little too long, blue eyes so dark they were almost black and a strong body that matched mine, his father and at one time my father too.

  Vinnie, his wife Annabelle and Denny took me in after the accident that took my family when I was thirteen. Denny spent years after that pulling me out of depressions and controlling my reckless behavior. If something was bothering Denny I owed it to him to help.

  “Why’s this bothering you, runners get hurt all the time? It’s the nature of the business we’re in.”

  “Dad’s been acting weird. Something’s going on Jonah.”

  “Weird how?” I asked, running my hands over the nightstand until my hands brushed my glasses.

  “He upped his bodyguard count again and sent mom out of state.”

  Shit, Vinnie only sent Annabelle away when things started to get tense. “Call a meeting with Vinnie.” Meeting Vinnie in person was like pulling teeth. Very few people actually knew what he really looked like and you had to be in the ‘circle’ to even get face time.

  Vinnie owned the club but left the everyday running to Denny and me and only showed up when needed. Denny claimed this was because he just didn’t care for the club scene but we all knew it was because the club was used to hide drug money and for the dealers to get business. If the police ever came calling they could track the drugs and the money back to the club and Vinnie could claim he had no idea and get off scot free, leaving the rest of us to go down.

  Breathing out a long sigh Denny nodded his head, “He’s not going to like us asking questions.”

  No he really wasn’t, Vinnie was a mean son of a bitch when it came to his business. He preferred to leave everyone in the dark and didn’t like or want to be questioned. How he became so successful in the drug business was a mystery on one hand and a good fit on the other. He was an awful boss, always treating his employees like his enemies, demanding more times than not with his gun pointed at your head. But isn’t that what the drug business is fuelled on, fear and money?

  I didn’t have to answer Denny’s question, we both knew Vinnie was going to be pissed and would most likely have his boys take it out on us. “Leave our boys out of it until we know what’s going on.” I told Denny, hoping he listened to me for once.

  Vinnie’s business was made up of three groups each having their own jobs and boys. Denny and I along with our boys Kay, Ben and Cole handled the money with two runners who ran the money from the dealer to one of us. Joe and Kate were the buyers, they got the drugs and stored them for the dealers to pick up and Max and his boys were the dealers.

  Giving me a nod Denny’s grim face changed back to a smug smile, “So, who is Olivia?”

  “Get out.”

  “Tell me who Olivia is and I will.”

  Instead of answering I threw a pillow that hit Denny right in the middle of his tattooed chest and made my way to the bathroom to get ready for work.

  Once in the bathroom I started the process of changing my appearance from real Jonah to Jonah the idiot that works for the drug lord. Piercings came out, tattoos were covered up by an expensive suit, glasses came off, contacts went in and my hair was styled into messy spikes.

  With my appearance successfully changed, I went back into my room to get my gun. Denny and I had to make a run to the safe house to drop off money before going to the club.

  Waiting by the back door I yelled for Denny to get a move on. Denny was always running late even though his appearance change took about five minutes; all he had to do was take out his multiple piercings, put a suit on and he was done. But still I waited another ten minutes before he was finally ready to go.

  The car ride to the safe house was made in a tense silence, both of us watching to make sure we weren’t followed. Vinnie kept the drug money in three places, some went into the club - disguised as money the club made - some went into an off shore bank account and the rest went to the safe house.

  The safe house was a house outside of Denver in the middle of nowhere; it was made to look like a vacation house/weekend get away from the city. The house sat on a private lake surrounded by a tall wall and an iron gate. To the outside eye it was just a fancy lake house.

  Denny and I tried only to come out here around the weekend but we didn’t like to keep the money on us for too long so depending on how much money was made during the week determined when we made a trip to the safe house.

  Once at the safe house I took the money to the office safe while Denny checked the house. Inside the safe I found the coded books detailing how much money I should have from the dealers. Vinnie only had one dealer that sold randomly, the rest had rich clients that had a set time, amount and fee.

  After updating the books I took out the money Vinnie needed to pay his other workers, closed the safe and went in search of Denny.

  Denny was in the process of changing cars around, his huge body was crammed into a tiny yellow sports car pulling it into the driveway. Leaning against the doorframe laughing I watched Denny cuss up a storm as he smack his head numerous times.

  God he looked ridicules.

  “Next time asshole you can move the damn clown car.” Denny yelled kicking the door shut with his foot while shooting his middle finger my way.

  Still chuckling to myself I went into the garage flicking on the light I looked over the nine cars. “Which one of you lovely ladies are going to let me ride you.” I said out loud my eyes on my favorite red GT Mustang.

  Every time we came to the safe house we changed cars in front of the house to make it look like someone was at the house and we changed the car we drove around the city just to be safe.

  Pulling the car around back I waited for Denny to reset the alarm.

  Flinging my door open Denny growled like an angry bear, “Get the fuck out, you drove up here I get to drive back.”

  “It’s my car piss off.”

  “I swear to god Jonah you don’t get out of the car right now I will beat the living shit out of you.”

  Denny wasn’t playing he would beat me before he let me drive back he really hated being a passenger. “Fine I’ll let you drive but only because I wouldn’t want you bleeding all over my car.”

  We left through the back gate that took us to the other end of the property and on a different road from the one we came in on, if someone was watching, they wouldn’t even know we left the house.

  The ride back was quiet and as usual on a Friday I had a little over an hour to work on actual club stuff, which Vinnie expected me to do on top of his other business.

  By the time I’d finished most of the club paperwork Club Risk was in full swing. It was Rock night so the club was packed with a younger crowd and the attire was black, leather and barely there.

  Risk wasn’t the biggest club in the area but it was the best and what I considered a work of art. A dark red and sliver rounded bar took up the right side wall surrounded by red leather bar stools, behind the bar was a mirror running the full length of it, which reflected the whole room. Opposite the bar was a dance floor that started half way and went to the stage that was along the back wall. Surrounding the dance floor were sliver tables and booths with red and black chairs. On both sides of the club were wide staircases that led to t
he second floor. The second floor looked down on the dance floor, had a smaller bar on the far wall that was dark purple and gold. Purple, black, and gold chairs, couches and even some beds littered the floor offering a relaxing place to drink and just hang out.

  Making my way around the edge of the dance floor I nodded to the staff and people I knew.

  Denny waved me over at the bar; walking towards him a streak of sliver in the sea of black caught my eye.

  A sliver tank top hugged the girl’s small frame showing off the indents on her lower back just above her tight black jeans. Dark black hair swung around her as she turned.

  Holy shit, clean-cut Olivia was in Vinnie’s club.

  Olivia signaled to her dance partner, a girl with the wildest red hair I’d ever seen and started walking off the floor.

  I was stuck watching her as she tried to make her way through the bodies that were all twice her size. A sick feeling turned in my stomach as I realized just how small and fragile she was. All it would take was a small hit or bump to send her to the ground.

  Thankfully the group of guys that blocked her exit off the dance floor parted giving her a path to walk through but only so they could stare at her ass.

  Anger caught me off guard taking me by the throat demanding I cover her up so no one else could see what was mine.

  But she wasn’t mine and she never would be.

  Shaking it off I continued walking to the bar towards Denny; I had to get away from this girl before I did something stupid.

  I was almost to Denny when I couldn’t help but look back once more at Olivia.

  My eyes just about popped out from what I saw.

  I heard Denny yell to me and felt his hand grabbing at my arm but I wasn’t going to be stopped.

  I stomped across the floor shoving my way toward Olivia who was standing by the dance floor with a dealer that worked the club for Vinnie.

  I grabbed the dealer – whose name I never cared to learn – by the arm roughly, pulling him away from Olivia who stared at me with wide baby blue eyes.

  Dealer boy swung around clearly not happy that I interrupted his work, “What the fu−”

  “No.” I barked cutting him off because I didn’t care to hear what he had to say and the thought of Olivia hearing his dirty mouth had me wanting to cover her ears.

  “Sorry J didn’t know.” Dealer boy said his face turning an unnatural shade of white.

  “Go.” I said to dealer boy keeping my eyes on Olivia who was giving me a big smile that had my heart racing.

  “My mystery man in a suit.” She said as soon as dealer boy left.

  “I normally just go by Jonah.”

  Shit why did I just tell her my name when I was meant to be staying away from her.

  Olivia gave me an even bigger smile that lit up her whole face. “What’s a presentable boy like you doing in a night club?”

  There it was. That’s why she was smiling at me like I was the answer to her prayers she was seeing the suit and thinking I was something I most certainly was not.

  Vinnie, entering from the back door with a handful of bodyguards caught my eye, Denny was at the back wall opening the office door for him but instead of going straight to the office Vinnie locked eyes with me no doubt trying to see what had my attention.

  “I’m a co-manager, is that your girl over there?” I said pointing to the redheaded girl she was dancing with who was now over at the bar.

  “Yes.” She said a little confused.

  “The bartender is giving me the signal that she is wasted, he is cutting her off. It doesn’t look like she is taking it that well and I would really rather not kick one of your friends out.” I yelled over the music, thankful for her drunken friend.

  “Dammit Darcy.” She whispered staring at her friend who was now leaning over the bar trying to get closer to the bartender while a skinny guy attempted to pull her away. “I’ll take her home, thanks.” Olivia started to walk towards her friend but stopped suddenly and turned back to me. “Wait you never asked for my name?”

  “Oh I already know your name, Olivia.” Smirking, I let myself take in her shocked face for half a second before turning towards the office.

  I shouldn’t have done that but damn she was just to tempting, I needed to stay far away from sweet Olivia or I was going to find myself in a bad situation.

  Before my hand could open the office door Vinnie grabbed my arm pulling me in close, “Who was that?”

  For some reason Vinnie always took a special interest in women Denny and I seemed to notice. “No one. Her friend is drunk, I told her to take her home before I kick them out.”

  Nodding his head Vinnie dropped my arm and went through the office doors.

  A perfect example of why I had to stay away from Olivia.

  Denny was waiting in his office, entering after Vinnie I shut the door cutting him off from his bodyguards.

  “Boys, I trust the run to the safe house went well?”

  Vinnie wasn’t my father and calling him a real uncle was out of the question, so his straight to business attitude didn’t really bother me, but I know it bothered Denny that Vinnie treated him like an employee first and son almost never.

  “It went fine.” I answered giving Denny time to pull himself together and also wanting to get this over fast. “What’s going on Vinnie? You’ve upped your bodyguard count and we know aunt Annabelle left the state.”

  Vinnie gave me a look that showed his annoyance at being questioned before sighing heavily. “A small group is looking to expand their business into our part of town.”

  Oh shit.

  “Business or gang Vinnie?” I hissed through tight lips.

  A business like Vinnie’s we could deal with because the ones that called themselves businesses had money and played by a set of rules. Gangs on the other hand needed the money and played by no rules. If they wanted to do business on our side of town they would do it till Vinnie paid them to go away or someone got hurt fighting, capturing the cops attention.

  “Business. They used to work for Adam but now have decided to start their own.”

  “What are they selling?” Denny asked avoiding eye contact with Vinnie, which I couldn’t blame him for, Vinnie was being unusually calm about us questioning him.

  Question was why was Vinnie being calm?

  “The same as us.”

  When Vinnie said “us” I felt my stomach turn and vomit run up the back of my throat. I wanted to scream and tell Vinnie there was no us. But even though I never touched the drugs I touch the money, which was just as bad. This wasn’t who I was or who I wanted to be. Growing up under Vinnie’s roof Denny and I both knew Vinnie did something that wasn’t your normal job but it wasn’t until after graduating high school did we learn what Vinnie’s business really was. By the time we knew Vinnie’s business was selling high quality drugs to rich clientele it was too late, Vinnie had pulled us in too far.

  “I want guns on you both in the club just in case they decide to come in.”

  In Vinnie talk that meant he most likely knew they would come into the club.

  And that had me seeing red, I hated guns and I hated carrying one. I had always been a believer that you didn’t carry a gun unless you were prepared to use it and honestly I wasn’t sure I could ever pull the trigger.

  Chapter 4

  The sound of rushing water had me knifing awake, causing me to hit my head on the bathtub but the pain was nothing compared to the cramp in my neck.

  After Ty and I finally got Darcy out of the bar we just barely made it home before she started to throw up. Once we got her to the bathroom Ty and I played rock, paper, scissors, loser had to take care of her.

  For the third time in a row I lost.

  Opening my eyes I was greeted to the outline of Ty’s naked butt behind the shower curtain. Well there was a site to see first thing in the morning, “Ty why is your butt staring at me?”

  “Sorry darling, I think you’re staring at it.” He wasn�
��t wrong I was staring but only because he had quite a nice bottom, for a computer geek.

  Shaking my head I pulled my mind out of the gutter and tried again, “What I mean is, why is your butt in the shower while I’m currently laying on a floor I can’t remember the last time it was cleaned.”

  “It’s ten thirty Olivia, I have to get ready for work.”

  Shit.

  Jumping up I stumbled over Darcy who was curled around the toilet and ran to my room.

  I had thirty minutes to get ready before the lawyer from my dad’s firm showed up.

  Gosh I didn’t even know his name.

  Just as the door bell rang I was giving myself a once over in the mirror I had thrown on blue jeans, brown boots and a matching thick brown kitted sweater, left my hair down and put on as little make up as I could. This wasn’t a date so I purposely didn’t try too hard so it wouldn’t give him the wrong idea because all I was doing was humoring my father.

  Passing a now thankfully completely dressed Ty, he gave me an unhappy look, “I hate your father.” Join the club I thought. “Want me to tell this guy to get lost?”

  “Nope I have a plan. Plus its not all bad today I’m hopeful that if I played my cards right this will be the last humor date as the next date I go on will be with a very sexy club manager.”

  “How sexy we talkin’?” Ty asked eyeing me with a raised eyebrow.

  “Mouth watering.” I winked

  Opening the door I just barely kept myself from cussing as loud as I could and slamming the door shut, because my bastard father had done it again.

  Standing outside my door, giving me a stupid smug smile was Christopher Fuller or as I like to think of him ‘the person my father was replacing my brother with’.

  Christopher was the most arrogant person I had ever met and from the three family dinners he had been at, I learned that the only things he cared about were the way people looked and how much money they had.

  And from the foul look on his face he did not like my look or my apartment.

  “Do you need more time to get ready?” He asked in his stuck up voice looking me up and down with a grim look on his face.