Inevitable (Key West #2) (2 page)

Chapter Two

Easton

Seeing Harper angry and all fired up was sexy. She was a spitfire, and I had no doubt she would be just as feisty in bed.

“Fuck.” I sighed. “I’m sorry, Jett, I know she’s your sister, but that was fucking hot as hell. She is a wild one. I think I’m a little turned on.” I whistled, and my eyes connected with Jett’s.

He shook his head and gripped the back of his neck. “Don’t.”

One word with so much meaning. I could see the message written all over his face. For now I wouldn’t push it. I knew he was hanging on at the end of a rope; I shouldn’t cut it.

He reached out and picked up his phone from the desk, then dialed and put it to his ear.

“Hey, baby,” he said all sweet and love-foolish. “Listen, Harper may be by. She, um…” He paused.

I took a seat next to Kade, and we both watched in amazement. Watching him stumbling as he tried to talk his way through this was one of the funniest damn things I had ever witnessed. “She’s pissed, and I think she’s coming by to tattle on me,” he finally explained. He listened to her response. “Well yeah, but…” He paused once more and leaned forward, resting his head on his hand. “No, listen, I don’t trust the guy.” He groaned when Quinn apparently started again. “Babe, seriously. I’m just worried she’s gonna get hurt.”

Another pause. “Yeah, but—” He wasn’t getting a word in. Kade chuckled, and Jett shot him a look that would have intimidated someone who didn’t know him. He was so gone, whipped, and sunk. He had it bad for Quinn, and she was schooling his ass.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll see you tonight. Love you.” He hung up and leaned back in his chair.

“What’s wrong, Jett, Quinn lay down the law?” Kade asked, his voice laced with amusement.

“I want all the information you can find out about this Ian guy,” he said, his eyes closed tightly.

“What about Quinn?” I asked.

“I’ll handle her,” he said, sitting back up and locking eyes with me. “Something about that guy doesn’t sit right with me. I want to know what he’s hiding. I know there’s something.”

I nodded. “You got it. I’ll call Bennie now, get Ray and him working on it.”

Bennie and Ray were the guys my dad passed on to me—two brothers who worked side by side and who had become surrogate fathers to me. My father was a hardcore businessman. Along the way, he gained a lot of enemies and in turn felt it was necessary to have men on call to cover his back.

After my father passed away, I inherited his fortune. I’d known he was a wealthy man; I just didn’t realize how wealthy. We’d only had each other for so long that life now felt lonely without him. Even though he was a little shady at times, we were always very close.

My mother died when I was four. Before that, she’d found out during a breast exam she had a lump. That exam just happened to be during the same visit where the doctor confirmed she was pregnant with me.

After further testing, they determined she did, in fact, have breast cancer. Her choice was to carry me to term, even though her doctor advised her against it. She was already in stage two, and the tumor was extremely aggressive. But she insisted, “The life of my child means more to me than anything else in this world.”

My father passed away eight months ago after a massive heart attack. I inherited more than I had ever imagined, including my go-to men. I could always count on Benny and Ray, no matter how big or small the task.

I knew they would be the guys to find out everything I needed on this Ian guy. He was shady. I agreed with Jett on that. He was always looking over his shoulder, like he was hiding something or hiding from someone. Whatever he was involved in, I didn’t like the idea that Harper had anything to do with him. In the end, she may suffer. That thought sat heavy on me and left a bad taste in my mouth.

I’ve known Harper for years. She was full of attitude, full of fire. Most found her intimidating, but I actually found her temper a huge turn-on. Something I chose to hide because my friendship with Jett was very important to me. I was sure if I voiced an interest in his sister, everything would change. I just wasn’t sure I would be able to hold back if I was ever given the chance to have a taste. The temptation would be too much.

I was more than positive she would be ready to murder me once she found out I had just upped the ante. Jett wanted information, and I would do whatever it took to provide it. I wasn’t worried about Harper’s reaction. I could handle her. It actually may be fun pissing her off.

Chapter Three

Harper

I had no idea what the hell Jett’s problem was, or Easton’s for that matter. I didn’t need a damn keeper. I could handle my own shit.

Quinn had the front door open before I even got out of my car. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she waited for me with a scowl on her face.

“I’m going to pulverize both of them,” I told her as I stormed past her into the house. I heard the front door click shut, and I spun around, throwing my hands in the air.

“They’re crazy if they think this shit is okay. Who does stuff like this?” I growled. “I haven’t even been seeing Ian long, and they already have to cause trouble. They are just looking for the chance to butt in.”

“I talked to him,” she insisted.

“Yeah, like that matters. He’s a determined asshole. Quinn, Jett has always been like this. When Alexis and I were growing up, he scared off every boy that would smile at us.” I dropped my bag to the floor and flopped down on the couch. “I spent my entire time in high school feeling ignored. No guy would attempt to ask me out, not when they would have Jett to deal with. He’s a controlling ass and I’m over it.”

I was on a roll. “Oh, and Easton, I don’t even know why he cares about this anyway. He barely talks to me, and when he does, he is just so…” I couldn’t find the words to explain Easton. I groaned and made fists at my sides. “He is just so cocky and arrogant. He thinks he controls the world and everyone in it. He needs to just go back to Miami to his big house on the hill and leave me the hell alone.”

That man has always gotten under my skin. There was just something about him that made my blood boil. I hated the way he would watch me, when he thought I couldn’t see him. He made me anxious and irritated and…

“You like him,” Quinn gasped. “You have the hots for Easton Black.”

“You’re insane, you know that? I used to like you. I’m thinking I may have been wrong about you.” She had to be delirious. I did not, nor could I ever have the hots for Easton. He was just…overbearing, and he frustrated me to no end.

“If you say so.” Quinn lounged back on the couch and propped her feet up on the coffee table. “But I don’t think I have ever seen you so at a loss for words. Easton brings out a rambling, uncontrollable side of you. You are usually so on top of everything. You rarely lose control, and you’ve never been unable to express yourself. That usually comes so naturally to you, except when you’re talking about him.”

“I always ramble and I never have control. I’m very spastic, and you just—” I glared at her, and she only smiled as her eyes widened.

“Gah, you are going to drive me nuts.” I shoved at her shoulder and she fell to the side, laughing. “Whatever, I’m leaving, but you better tell my brother that the chances of him ever having kids is iffy. I may have his manhood removed for being such a bitch.”

I grabbed my bag and left in a hurry, Quinn’s laughter following me to the door. She was without a doubt certifiably insane.

I did not have the hots for Easton.

***

I had one more asshole to handle. Ian and I had an understanding. He was an attorney with very demanding hours, and I accepted that. With the dedication and hours I had to put into running my own salon, I rarely had time to worry about Ian being so busy in return. In fact, we’d found we only had time for last minute dates and booty calls. It worked for us.

Today things had changed, and a visit to Ian at Meyers, Murphy, and Canter was definitely a must. He needed to understand that I wouldn’t sit back and allow him to act the way he had this morning. It wasn’t my style. I was more the type to hold grudges and make your life miserable in return.

I pulled up outside the building that held the law office and contemplated if I should go around to the parking area behind it or just leave my car here out front. What I had to say wouldn’t take much time. I truly had no intentions of allowing him a chance to speak; he’d said enough this morning.

Deciding to just leave my car parked where it was, I grabbed my purse and climbed out. I entered the building and read the sign just inside that would direct me to the place where I would find the ass that needed to be set straight. I had never been inside this particular building prior to today, and I soon found that his law office was located on the third floor.

Tapping at the button, I waited impatiently for the elevator as I looked around while fidgeting with the hem of my shirt and trying everything to appease my irritation from my shitstorm of a day.

The elevator dinged, and I looked up to find myself staring into the face of the man who just a moment ago I had an entire speech prepared for. A speech that would explain to him just how I wouldn’t be taking any shit from him in the future. But for the second time that day I found myself speechless.

I didn’t expect to find the man I had been sleeping with for the last three months with his arm draped over the shoulder of a very attractive brunette. That wasn’t even the worst part. It was the tiny baby she had strapped to her chest and the little toddler pulling at Ian’s pant leg. The word
daddy
spilled from his lips over and over while he looked up at Ian, bouncing in excitement.

My chest literally ached. I felt sick, not because I loved him but because I’d slept with a married man. A man with two sweet children who had no idea their daddy was such a scumbag.

I stood before them in a daze, staring as everything moved in slow motion. The entire scene felt surreal.

The woman smiled and stepped past me, guiding the toddler to the side. I looked up to see Ian staring at me, a look of shock on his face. Or maybe it was fear; it could be both.

A gentle laugh caused me to look away from the man I currently wanted to throw down the elevator shaft. “Silly man, will you move out of her way so she can use the elevator?” The brunette tugged on Ian’s arm and pulled him toward the exit. She smiled lovingly at him, and I felt my stomach churn.

I took in a deep, agonizing breath. I felt like I may get sick at any moment.

Taking one last look over my shoulder, I turned to watch Ian and his family walk out of the front door. Just before the glass door closed, he looked back over his shoulder, and our eyes connected.

Life had just got a lot more complicated.

Chapter Four

Easton

It had been two days since I contacted Bennie and Ray. When Ray called this morning and said they had the information I needed, my stomach dropped. His tone said it all—they found shit I wasn’t gonna like. Which only meant that Jett was gonna hate it too.

I pulled up in front of the little office the guys called their home: a small private investigation firm, among other things that were a little darker and unadvertised. Both Bennie and Ray were retired marines who had since become a team of two badass dudes. They had a long list of clients that entrusted them with some high-profile cases and information. Like I said, they got the job done and their reputation was well known.

Entering the office, I found both guys waiting for me with a file laid out on the desk between us.

“There it is, son.” Bennie pointed to the file. “The information you needed on Ian Wilson.”

He paused for a moment. “Some pretty interesting things we ran across.”

As I thumbed through the documents and pictures, my anger only grew with each passing second. “Fuck,” I whispered as my stomach twisted and turned.

For the next hour, I analyzed the shitstorm this Ian guy had created. I read the guys’ report notes and looked at the pictures they were able to capture. They floored me.

“Thanks,” I said, gathering up the papers. “I need to take these things over to Jett.”

I sent him a quick text as I left Bennie’s to make sure he was at the restaurant and confirmed that he was on his way there too. We actually pulled into the parking lot within seconds of each other.

His face was solid, expressionless. He stood by the back entrance waiting for me to join him before we went inside. There was a silence between us until we entered his office.

We both took a seat on opposite sides of his desk, and he leaned forward, looking at the file in my hands. “Is it bad?” he asked.

“It’s not great,” I replied. “You’re not going to like it, and I’d hate to see what Harper does to the guy when she finds out.”

Actually, Harper going off on Ian and beating his ass may be kind of entertaining to observe.

I slid the file across the desk and watched Jett as he did just what I had done not even an hour ago, his jaw ticking with agitation and anger. “I can’t believe this shit,” he said. “I don’t know what I thought we would find, but I never once imagined it would be this shit. Harp’s gonna be pissed.”

Yeah, she would be pissed—at us for snooping. Hopefully in the end she could accept that we were both just concerned.

“I got to go talk to her.” Jett was already dialing his cell phone before I could reply.

I could tell by his reaction that her phone had gone straight to voice mail. He then tried another number, and after a quick conversation with whoever was on the other end, we found that she had not been into the salon for a couple days.

Jett buzzed Callie, his assistant, who also happened to be Harper’s best friend. After a few minutes she stuck her head through the doorway and smiled at me. Callie was a cute girl. She was full of attitude, much like Harper, and fun to get wound up. She knew how to fire back, and she kept Jett on his toes.

“What’s up, boss man?” she asked as she closed the door behind her.

“When was the last time you talked to Harper?” His tone came out clipped and full of a little more attitude than Callie usually tolerated.

She narrowed her eyes and placed her hand on her hip. “Good morning, Jett, how is your day so far?” She paused, and I could sense the attitude we all knew so well spilling off her. “Well, my day actually started out pretty shitty. Colin has once again called in sick, which leaves us short in the kitchen. Jude is having his period, apparently, because his attitude is a little worse than usual. He has a fat lip, and a cut above his eye. I’m not asking but maybe you should. Oh, and the employee bathroom sink is broken, again.”

Jett stood from the desk and walked around to the front, where he leaned back and sat on the edge. I could tell he wanted to bring up his worry about Harper. The two of them were pretty comical at times. They bickered and fought like brother and sister.

“I’ll deal with Colin, and Jude for that matter. I’ll also call the plumber.” He paused, his jaw ticking once again. Quinn had really been a great influence on Jett. He’d rarely kept his cool prior to falling for that girl. “I’m sorry your day has been shitty, Cal. But I need to know when you last heard from Harper. She’s not answering her phone and I need to talk to her.”

I think in that moment she sensed that Jett was barely hanging on. She stepped forward and a look of concern came over her face.

“It was on Tuesday. Why, is something wrong?” she asked.

“She hasn’t been to her salon in two days,” he replied.

Harper was just as dedicated as Jett as far as business went. At school she had gotten degrees in both business and cosmetology. She wanted to know all aspects of the business when she started her own salon, Allure. Just a few years later, it happened to be the most talked about, in-demand salon in Palm Beach.
It was Harper’s baby and she would never allow herself to be gone for two days without a damn good reason.

“I’m going to step out for a while, is that okay?” I think Jett asking Callie surprised us both. She only nodded as he rushed past her. I moved quickly to follow him.

“Can you let me know once you guys find her? Please, let me know she’s okay,” Callie called after us. I assured her I would before jogging to catch up with Jett.

He was just crawling into his car when I exited the back door. “Hey, you want me to follow you?” I asked.

“No, I got this,” he assured me. “I’ll call you later.” He was in the car backing out of his space before I had the chance to argue.

Sitting around waiting was going to drive me crazy.