Risking it All (10 page)

room. It wouldn’t matter to her he had

immunity with the police as long as he

cooperated. But immunity didn’t mean he

hadn’t committed crimes. It only meant

he wouldn’t pay for them. As soon as

she was clear of this personal crusade,

he and the NYPD would be back to

playing cops and robbers, just like

before.

It was for the best his criminal status

stayed fresh in her mind. As often as

possible, she needed to be reminded to

keep her distance. This is who he was.

Not a painter or someone she should be

letting kiss her neck.

Bowen leaned back against the kitchen

counter. “We’ll pay them a visit tonight

and remind them. Although after the last

time, I’m not sure what’ll get through to

them.” He hated the look of anticipation

that entered Wayne’s eyes. “Anything

else?”

“Yeah.” Wayne chuckled. “Our boy

Tony still hasn’t paid for the big hit he

took on the Jets’ loss last week. He’s

been ducking me.”

Bowen massaged his eyes with the

heel of his hand. “God, this guy doesn’t

learn.”

“Let’s hope not. That’s how we make

money.”

A sour taste flooded Bowen’s mouth.

“If I wanted a punching bag, I’d go to the

gym. He’s
never
good for it on time.

Why do we keep taking his bets?”

Wayne spread his hands. “We get the

dough eventually, don’t we?”

Exhaustion washed over Bowen.

“Give him another couple days to make

good before we go see him.”

“You can’t go easy,” Wayne warned.

“You go easy, word spreads that you’re

soft.”

“I’m not soft.” His voice quieted. “I

don’t see you throwing the punches.”

Distracted, Wayne bent down and

fished a lacy pair of underwear from the

plastic grocery bags Sera had left in the

living room. “What’s this?” Bowen tried

not to react. “You wearing ladies’

underpants now?”

“Are you really asking me that

question?”

Looking uncomfortable, Wayne shifted

on his feet. “You got a girl here?”

Again, Bowen repressed the need to

hide her in the closet, before guarding it

with his life. “I don’t see how that’s any

of your business.”

“Not my business?” His lowered

voice vibrated. “We’re out here talking

shop while your latest piece of ass can

hear everything we say? That sure

sounds like my business.”

Rage filtered through his body at

hearing Sera referred to as a piece of

ass, but he managed to keep himself in

check. “She’s asleep,” he said through

clenched teeth, hoping she would

overhear and follow suit. “I spent the

morning wearing her out. Been a while

since you did that to a woman?”

“Touchy, aren’t we?”

Bowen ignored the question. “Are we

done here?”

“Not until I’m satisfied she didn’t hear

anything. You know what happens when

people have the misfortune of hearing

too much.”

He took a step closer. The older man

arched an eyebrow at the action. Very

rarely did he challenge Wayne, even

though he technically held rank over him.

He’d known the man since childhood,

had once even viewed him as a father

figure. With Sera’s safety in question, he

didn’t hesitate to pull rank now. “Are

you questioning my judgment? I wouldn’t

suggest it.”

The older man’s chin went up. “That’s

the first time you’ve ever reminded me

of your father. It’s almost enough to

bring a tear to my eye.”

Nausea roiled in Bowen’s gut. Even

though the comment had been insincere,

it still made him feel ill. “Then you

know how Lenny would deal with

someone who questioned him.”

Wayne gave an exaggerated nod.

“Very well, kid. If that’s how you want

to play it.”

At the use of the old nickname,

Bowen’s hands bunched into fists.

“Time to go, old man.”

Wayne threw back his head and

laughed on the way to the door, but it

held a hint of menace. “Out of

everything, I never thought pussy would

be your downfall, Bowen. Can I at least

count on seeing you tonight, or are you

taking her to a Broadway show?”

He didn’t wait for Bowen’s response,

but closed the door softly behind him.

After flipping all three dead bolts back

into place, Bowen released a pent-up

breath and went to the guest bedroom.

What he saw made his heart squeeze in

his chest. Nestled under the covers, Sera

had obviously overheard him and

pretended to be asleep, even going so far

as to make the bed look mussed from

sex. Now she sat up, watching him with

a wariness so different from the pleasure

she’d shown when talking about his

murals, it increased the queasiness he

was experiencing.

Bowen cleared his throat into the

silence. “What time do you work

tonight?”

“Five.”

He nodded. “Be ready to go at four

thirty.”

“Okay, sure.”

Frustration gripped him. He wanted to

shout at her, tell her she was in over her

head. He wanted to beg her to go home

and let him deal with the fallout. He

wanted to climb into the bed with her

and see if she still planned on using her

body to keep him happy while she went

behind his back to bring down Hogan.

So many things he wanted and couldn’t

ever have. In the end, all he could do

was walk away and leave her there,

looking like his personal version of

temptation.

Sera set down a plate of hot wings in the

middle of the table, smiling softly at the

chorus of masculine thank-yous that went

up. Since Bowen’s intervention the night

before, she’d apparently been upgraded

from low-level peon to respected

member of staff. While it definitely

made waitressing more pleasant, it

galled her it had taken threats from

Bowen to earn her basic human decency.

Not just threats, she amended, casting a

glance at him where he sat sipping

whiskey at the bar, daring anyone with

his eyes to mess with her. Constant

observation.

People obviously thought they were an

item, and it made them curious about her.

She didn’t need that, nor did she want

his protection. Her goal had been to

keep her head down and gather

information. His oversight left very little

opportunity for recon. And her time was

running out. Even more so than before.

He’d let her overhear everything being

said in his living room.
Everything
.

Hadn’t even made a basic attempt to

keep his voice down while talking about

collecting illegally earned gambling

money, following through on threats to

drug dealers. That could mean only one

thing. He didn’t plan on keeping her

around long enough to let her tell anyone

what she’d heard. She had to work fast.

Lying in bed that afternoon, she’d

thought it was already over. The

realization had been unlike anything

she’d experienced before, and she

wouldn’t go there again. She’d actually

been surprised at the way Bowen spoke

about her, at his obvious indifference to

her

hearing

an

incriminating

conversation.
Stupid.
She had been

stupid. And naive, just as her uncle had

always accused her of being. Whatever

good she thought she’d glimpsed inside

Bowen was a facade, and remembering

that might just save her life.

Furthermore,

she’d

allowed

the

tentative friendship she’d developed

with Connor to make her complacent.

Make her feel safe in this world. Their

brief discussions about his ailing

mother, his life before coming to

Brooklyn, didn’t mean he would save

her if presented with a crucial choice. It

was unlike her to let down her guard like

that. Had she developed some weird

case of Stockholm syndrome? She might

have nursed Connor back to health, but

in this world, the bottom line was all

that counted. Making money, staying

alive. Protecting your interests. She’d

learned early not to depend on anyone

but herself, and a lapse in judgment

could mean her life.

She didn’t understand why Bowen had

moved her into his apartment, but

thinking about it had become a

distraction. Based on the conversation

he’d had with Wayne, he would have to

leave at some point to go pay his visit to

the outsiders who’d had the audacity to

invade his territory. That would be her

chance to gain entrance to Hogan’s

office, and she had to take it. She could

feel the walls closing in around her.

Until today, she’d felt relatively safe in

her assumed identity. Now it had all

begun to crumble around her ears.

Her uncle had never had any faith in

her, choosing to place it all in her

brother. When her father died in the line

of duty so long ago, she’d been a child.

She’d desperately needed approval,

encouragement. Her mother’s subsequent

death when her grief drove her to drink

and drive one horrible night had left

Sera precious little resources for that.

Instead of giving her a solid foundation

to rebuild on, her uncle’s response had

been to send her away. As an adult, she

could understand why a busy man opted

out of raising two children, but that

rejection had also instilled a need to

prove herself to him. To everyone.

Focus now. Stop dwelling on what

you can’t change. Your plan is to find

the evidence, expose Hogan, and

become invisible again. Just like you

have been forever.

Having finished serving the table, she

straightened, intending to return to the

bar. When she ran straight into Bowen’s

solid figure, she couldn’t contain a yelp

of alarm. He steadied her with both

hands on her elbows, gaze narrowed

suspiciously. “You all right?”

“I’m fine, I just didn’t expect you to be

standing there.”

“Okay.” He drew the word out. “I

have to leave for a little while, but I’ll

be right back.”

She tugged away and pasted on a

casual smile. “Who’s going to glare at

me from the bar while you’re gone?”

“Nobody better. If anyone does, you

tell me.” After what seemed to be an

internal debate, he slid a hand around

her waist and pulled her close again, as

if offended to have her so far away.

“Think you can manage to kiss me

without turning into a wildcat?”

A mere breath separated their lips.

“You didn’t seem to mind before.”

“Baby, you’re making me hard right

when I need to walk out the door. It’s

goddamn inconvenient.” He sampled her

mouth with a wet tug of his lips. “Don’t

stop.”

As though it were the most natural

thing in the world, her hand slid up his

chest and disappeared into his hair. He

snaked his arm around her body so it

rested against the small of her back and

drew her close. So close. Their mouths

came together on a groan. The sensual

devastation reached to her toes, then

slithered back up to settle between her

legs. How could he do this to her? One

minute he was the enemy; the next he

drew

reactions

from

her

body,

scrambling her brain. Made her question

everything she knew about herself.

Bowen released her mouth on a curse.

“Watching you work fucks me up. You

have any idea what it does to me when

you bend over a table and smile? It

makes me want to pull up your skirt and

turn that smile into a scream.”

His words shivered down her back.

“Do you talk to every girl like this?”

“I don’t even turn on the lights for

other girls.”

Why did that kick up a spark of