Braden Security: Tied Up In Knotts Part 7

James looked at Avery. She didn't fool him. She wasn't tired, just tired of the questions. He would let it go for now. Signaling the waitress, James asked for the tab.

The long drive back to the office was done in quiet. The only sound was the soft sounds of the jazz station on the radio. As he drove through the night, James wondering how he could break down her barriers.

Avery was trying to think of ways to avoid telling him more.

Avery didn't want to tell James anything else about her family. She was really starting to like him when he wasn't so bossy, and her job was a dream. While she didn't want to lie to him, she didn't want him to look at her the way most people did after knowing that her parents were involved in drug distribution. He seemed to like her so maybe she could distract him with s.e.x. Most guys, when s.e.x came into play, stopped asking questions. Yes, that's what she'd do. She really didn't have the first idea how to seduce a man, but hopefully he would take the hint without her having to do too much. Avery opened the first two b.u.t.tons of her top and let a little skin show.

James looked over at Avery sitting silently beside him, every now and then biting her lower lip. He could tell her brain was working a mile a minute thinking of ways to put off telling him about her family. Watching her start to fidget, he watched her reach up and unb.u.t.ton her top.

Oh, that was the way she was going to play it. He would just have to show her that she didn't run the show. Parking the car in front of the office, James rounded the front and opened the door for her. Helping her out, he noticed she wasn't meeting his eyes, but made quite a show of stretching her long legs before taking his hand and standing up. Looking shyly up at James, Avery raised her hand to the open v of her blouse, drawing attention to her creamy skin. Oh, James looked, but there was no way James was taking the bait.

Reaching the bottom of the steps leading up to her apartment, James gently turned her, leaned forward, and kissed her forehead. Avery's startled eyes looked up at him.

"Aren't you coming up?" Avery asked James, wetting her dry lips.

"No, little one, at the restaurant you mentioned you were tired." Turning her back around to the stairs, her patted her a.s.s and told her to get some sleep.

Avery walked up the stairs with her head looking backward, watching James walk down the hall into his office. Well, that went well. I guess I'm not s.e.xy enough. I guess I got my signals mixed up. Maybe I was a one-night stand. Maybe this was his way of soften the blow by taking me out to dinner. A pity date.

James sighed as he closed his office door. Another night on the couch. He would have to think about expanding into the next building, if this went on much longer, and make himself an apartment. He wasn't spending any time at his penthouse on the other side of town with wanting to keep an eye on Avery. Tonight he had thought he would be spending it in her bed, but he wanted her to trust him with everything. He could see she still didn't when she evaded his questions at the restaurant with her fake yawn. She also had to learn that he called the shots when it came to s.e.x, not her. His unruly c.o.c.k had been at half-mast, raring to go since he picked her up. Tonight would just be another night he took himself in hand.

She was the only one James wanted since he had seen her, but she was not going to lead him around by his c.o.c.k. They would both have to learn. James moved his c.o.c.k into a more comfortable position in his pants before he sat on the couch and took his shoes off.

James was not used to going without. He always had a willing woman whenever he needed one. He knew his looks helped, but with a last name shared with Chase-the golden child-they all a.s.sumed he had the same bank account. James couldn't be bothered to correct them. Those kind of women were a dime a dozen and James was tired of a revolving bed. He wanted someone just for him, someone to come home to every night. Six months ago, he would have shuddered at the thought of only one woman. But after seeing Avery, he knew he was hooked. She just seemed to reach something inside him, something he didn't even know he had been missing or searching for. Being with her, he felt at peace. He wanted to wrap her up and keep her only for himself. He found he could be a very possessive man. He was even jealous of Clay's easy repose with her. Throwing his jacket off, he lay on the couch.

Chapter Fourteen.

James was woken the next morning from his less-than-comfortable sleep with yelling coming from the reception area. Sitting up quickly, he reached under his pillow and grabbed his gun.

Quickly he walked and opening his office door, James took in the scene going on in the front sitting area. Avery was standing behind her desk with her arms waving and pointing at the door, yelling at Danny to get out. Danny was leaning on the front door with a wide smeary grin on his face.

"You've come up in the world, haven't you, sweetheart? Do you think you're too good for us now? You move out of your apartment and start living with a bunch of men. If I would have known you were like that, me and the guys would have moved in with you." He turned and laughed at his buddies standing behind him just outside the door.

"You get out of here. I'm not that kind of person, I work here, and that's all." A spitting-mad Avery was now standing behind her desk, still shaking her finger at Danny.

"Sure, doll, but what kind of work do you do? You can't be that dumb to think a business like this would start up in this area and not be just a front for the usual business that goes on around here. Come on, doll, you've probably seen the deals being held in the back alley.

"That's why I'm here. n.o.body steps on my turf. I can't have these guys taking my business away. I have a reputation around this area as the guy to come to when you need a little fix. These dudes have to be made to understand that. We're here to make them see sense, that's all." Danny, with a bold jaunt to his walk, was now coming into the office, the others starting to trail in behind him.

James stepped out of his office wearing only his pants, bare chest rippling, and holding his gun pointed at Danny. "Danny, didn't you get our message the last time we met? I'm sure Angel has sharpened his knife again so maybe you could get the point this time."

"I'm not stupid. I checked out the place before I came. Only you and Avery are here. Are you going to try and shoot me?" Danny slowly inched closer to Avery as he watched James holding the gun on him. The next minute, before Avery knew what was happening, Danny leaped and grabbed her around her waist. Avery lost her breath at Danny's tight grip and her eyes bugged out in fright.

James clenched his free hand into a tight fist. He knew his hands were tied. He couldn't make a move and not hurt Avery at the same time.

James looked out the front door, a smile suddenly coming across his face. James could see through the gla.s.s door. Angel and Clay had the other guys of Danny's group herded into a circle with their hands held up. They must have been out there behind the group all the time Danny was making his speech and grabbed them as he rushed in and seized Avery.

Looking back at Danny, James spread both of his arms out, sweeping the front office s.p.a.ce. "Did you notice your gang is no longer with you?"

Danny looked through the door and blanched. He pulled Avery even closer to him and waved the gun that he must have had hidden. "You let them go and I'll give you Avery. We only came here to talk to you. You didn't have to start things by bringing a gun into it."

James a.s.sessed the situation. He knew Avery was scared, but he could also see that Danny was more bark than bite. "OK, let's both put our guns away and we'll have that talk you want."

"You go first," Danny shouted, waving his gun around again. "And what about my guys? Tell those dudes to let them go."

James looked at Angel and nodded before laying his gun on the carpet to one side of his office door. Knowing that Angel was keeping Danny in his sight, he could count on Angel having a knife in him faster than Danny could pull his trigger, long before he would have time to hurt Avery. Danny pushed Avery to the side of her desk and slowly laid his gun down on the top of it.

"OK, let my guys go. We don't want any of this s.h.i.t, we just have to talk about the territories around here and this one is ours. You can't-"

James raised his hand, stopping Danny in midsentence. "Why don't we take this into my office?"

Angel and Clay were escorting, well, shoving, the others in front of them into the building.

Danny, getting Dutch courage from having his gang around, went to pick up his gun but Angel's knife got there first before he could touch it, just missing Danny's hand. The knife embedded itself in the wood beside the gun.

"You leave that alone. You can have it back after the meeting." Danny looked into Angel's glowing black eyes, then looked at his hand that was almost cut off, and folded. James turned, leading Danny and his gang into his office. Clay and Angel followed, still holding their lowered guns at their sides.

James could almost feel the steam coming out of his ears. He was holding himself on a tight leash. Watching Danny grab Avery had made him want to beat the s.h.i.t out of the little punk. If it wasn't for the gun in Danny's hand, James probably would have rushed him and done just that. He knew he could have gotten to Danny before he could have done any harm. But one look at Avery and he knew his hands were tied. She looked scared to death and would probably panic and get herself shot before he could reach her. He couldn't take the chance, so he had gritted his teeth, promising himself that Danny would pay for manhandling his woman. Walking behind his desk, James sat down stiffly and could feel his hands clench back into fists. Oh G.o.d, he wanted one moment alone with this punk. He didn't want to sit here and talk to him. Clay and Angel were the last ones through the door. Clay turned and locked it while Angel kept his eyes on the group.

"Are you the boss?" Danny spewed at James with one hand on the desk, leaning over into James's personal s.p.a.ce.

Clay stepped forward. He knew James was close to losing it. "I'm the boss, but James can speak for all of us. Now, why don't you tell us what your problem is?"

Danny stood up from his slouch and looked back at Clay. "You're horning in on my turf. Yous can't just come into this area and take over. There are territories and this is ours. Everyone knows if you want or need anything to come to us. Now you have some of our customers coming to you. Sez you have better prices and that's just not right. I don't want to go to Carlos, but I will if yous don't listen. We can keep this friendly between ourselves, just clear out and we'll keep him out of this. We see him every two months when he collects his cut. He's got ears in this neighborhood and will soon get wind of the deals yous have already done and will come after his cut. He doesn't take kindly to greedy dealers, if you get my drift. Clear out and I won't say a thing." Danny stopped to catch his breath.

He sounded more like a whiny kid than a drug dealer, James thought to himself. He kept his face blank when Danny mentioned Carlos. He didn't want Danny to have a hint they knew about the dealer.

"Carlos? I never heard of him. We don't share with anyone. This is our business and if you want to tell this Carlos, go ahead. We have dealt with worse," Clay spoke, playing the heavy. Clay wanted Danny to keep talking. Maybe they could get a bead on where Carlos made his pickups.

Danny put his hands in the pockets of the jeans that were hanging off his a.s.s. "You don't know what you're asking for, man. This guy is a real mean dude and has the backing to prove it. We'll just leave now and see how you handle him. I would be very interested to watch your big mouth taken down." Danny looked around at his gang and nodded toward the door.

"We'll just see who is left standing when Carlos finds out. I'm sure it won't be you." Danny and his gang started to leave the office with smirks on their faces.

Angel unlocked the door and stepped through before them, another knife poised in his hand. His eyes never left them as he watched them file past Avery's empty desk. Danny stopped long enough to pick up his gun, hiding it in his belt, and left, following the others.

Angel, after he was sure that they had left, stepped back in and closed James's office door. Leaning on it, he folded his knife and put it away in the hidden sheath in his boot. "Well I think we'll have Carlos's attention now. Danny's probably making a call as we speak."

James stood up, trying to get his anger under control. It hadn't subsided with Danny's leaving. Walking to the side board, he slid a panel open with shaky hands and poured them all a drink. He knew it was early when Clay and Angel both raised their eyebrows at him, but took their gla.s.ses anyway. Clay sat on the couch and Angel resumed leaning against the door.

"Let's find out more about when Carlos does his pickups and get a plan together. When we have it set up, we'll inform the Feds and they can take him down. It will be one less headache for us to deal with. Maybe we should let Avery in on this plan, in a very small way, mind you. We don't want her in any danger. But it just might get Avery to start believing and trusting us. This just might be the opening we've been waiting for."

"I think you're making a mistake," Clay said from his seat on the couch, his drink untouched. "Avery is too smart. She will put the pieces together when we bring in the Feds. It won't take her long to leap to the conclusion we are looking into her. I know you want to get this whole thing over and clear her, but if this was any other client, you wouldn't take this chance and blow our cover. Think, man, with your head, and I mean the one on the top of your shoulders. We all like Avery, you know that. You seem to be making progress getting closer to her. Let's just let it play out a bit longer. As soon as Danny tells Carlos that she's with us, he will be thinking we are also after the stash of drugs her father hid. We can't allow ourselves to go off half-c.o.c.ked now."

James slumped back in his chair. He hadn't taken a sip of his drink either. Who was he kidding? It wouldn't help. Rubbing his hand wearily over his face, he looked at Clay, then at Angel still holding the door up. "I just want Avery as far away as she can be from this stuff. I think we should tell her, but OK, we'll play it your way. But we'll have to be even more on guard now that Carlos will know we're here, thumbing our nose at him, and that we have Avery. Let's get her in here and think of something that will make sense to her."

Angel shrugged, opened the door, and gestured for Avery to step in. After watching Danny leave, she had returned to her desk from the kitchen where she had fled. Angel never did have much to say, but he agreed that they would have to be extra vigilant in the future. Clay and James seemed to be fixated on Carlos, but Angel had a feeling that Danny could also be a real threat when backed into a corner, like they had done to him today.

Avery meekly crossed the threshold of James's office. Taking in the solemn faces looking back at her, her nervousness increased. She expected the look from Angel, he never had much of an expression on his face at any time, but on the others, it bothered her. James met her halfway and sat her down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Avery, we think it's time for you to know what's going on here."

Avery straightened her back, preparing for the worst. Had she been right all this time? "If it's drugs, I don't want to hear and I don't want anything to do with it." James's hand clamped her shoulder down to stop her from bolting from the room.

"Yes, it does concern drugs, but not in the way you're thinking. I would like to think by now that you know us a bit, that you would give us the benefit of a doubt and listen to what we have to say before you make any decisions. The investment firm is only part of our job." James clamped down on Avery once more.

"We also have another mission. We want to clean up the streets of drugs. We all came from varied backgrounds and drugs have affected all our lives. We all have lost someone or know of someone who has lost people to drugs. So when we start a business in a new area, we try to give back and help anyone that wants it. If we can save just one kid, we'll try. Maybe our methods seem strange to you but we are already making progress."

"Are you trying to help them by selling drugs? And don't try to deny it. I saw you and Angel out back doing deals. Oh, I know you told me before that you were only helping these kids. Drugs must be pa.s.sing hands. Danny wouldn't have paid you a visit if they weren't. I heard him say you were invading his territory. Well supplying drugs is not the way to go about helping kids." Avery looked up at him, her body held stiffly in the chair. She wasn't that much of a fool.

"We are trying to help the kids. In fact, we are buying their drugs, not the other way around. I know what it looks like. We are trying to show them that there is another way. We are sending them to the youth center where they are starting to learn skills for trades that will make them legit money. The kids that need more help are getting it with the help of the councilors at the center. We are buying the drugs from them so they don't take them or sell them to someone else. Doing this allows them to still have money for food for their family. Others that are beyond help are being rounded up by the police and carted off to rehab or jail, depending on their circ.u.mstances," James tried to explain.

"So all the deals you and Angel do out back is really helping the kids. I don't think I believe you," Avery answered back with disbelief in her voice.

Clay now also stood up from the couch. "Avery if you don't believe James, look at us. Do any of us, Angel, Brad, or Grant, look like we use drugs? We might look a little rough around the edges, but with our sideline we have to be able to fit in and also protect ourselves. We would like you to help us with this, if you're willing. You know the area better than us and I'm sure that you probably see things we might miss. If you're in with us, we would like you to come to us with anything that seems strange to you or anyone that looks like they need a hand. Danny is going to be a thorn in our side now that he is thinking of ratting us out to Carlos, his supplier."

Carlos. Avery slumped down in her chair and looked at the floor.

"Do you know that name? If you do, we have to know. He's like the kingpin around here," Clay asked sharply.

"No, I don't know him. I must have heard that name around here from someone." Avery did not look up and meet their eyes.

James looked over her head at Clay. Clay's steel-gray eyes said it all. She was lying and hiding information from them. She still didn't trust them.

"Well let's get back to work," Angel said, opened the door, and disappeared in a flash. He was never good at stretching the truth. Sometimes it hindered him, working undercover. He liked to live life as he believed it should be and that did not include lies.

Clay helped Avery out of her seat as James stepped back and led her back out to her desk. "Don't worry about anything, Avery, it will all work out in the end. Just know that we all have your back, and if we can help in any way just ask."

Avery looked shyly up at Clay. "I really am grateful for this job, it's just that anything to do with drugs just gets me going. I won't go through that again." Avery stopped, hoping Clay had not heard the last part.

"What do you mean 'not go through that again'? Were you into drugs? Avery," Clay asked, hearing her slip.

"No, nothing like that. It just touched my life in a bad way. I promised myself I wouldn't have anything to do with them again. So I hope you guys are on the level because I don't think I could stand to think of any of you guys that way. I'm getting to know all of you better and I really want to believe in all of you."

"We're not the bad guys, Avery. Time will tell." Clay looked let down as if he was disappointed at her answer. Turning away, he walked back to his office.

Avery sat at her desk and turned everything that she had just found out over in her mind. The meetings out back could have been what they said they were. Next time she would sneak up and listen in and then she could know for sure.

"Avery...Avery." James, who had now put on his shirt, spoke from the open door of his office. James could tell that she was deep in thought. He didn't want her to think too hard and blow holes in all their explanations.

Startled, Avery looked up. She was listening, but her eyes still held confusion. "Be ready tonight at 7:00 p.m., we'll go out to dinner and maybe this time you won't be sleepy. After all you should have got a good night's sleep last night."

Taking in what James was saying, she cleared her thoughts. "I thought you weren't interested anymore. You sure gave that impression last night." She had to ask.

"Oh, I was interested last night. Don't think I wasn't. I could see what you were trying to do and if I'm not mistaken, showcasing your wares to me. But what you need to know is that I control that part of our lives. While your little display last night was nice, it didn't make me forget that you were trying to lead me and distract me from my questions. Remember that the next time. Don't forget, seven p.m. we are going first to a play that I want to see up town." Closing the door, James just smiled. He wasn't going to give Avery a way out. He had to start making her understand this was the way it was going to go between them. He knew she was interested and he wasn't going to let her have time for self-doubts or thoughts.

Avery grabbed the stapler off her desk and slammed it back down. Well who did he think he was? She hated him getting bossy and telling her what to do. But G.o.d, her body loved it when he went all he-man on her. Her mind was telling her to tell the jerk off, but her body wanted to rush him and just jump and wrap her legs around him. He looked like a giant hunk of man meat standing there in his doorway with his shirt hanging open showing off his muscular chest. She just wanted a bite. She had him once, she knew how he tasted, and that one taste wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her. Tonight, he would learn just how aggressive she could be. He wouldn't be able to say no tonight.

James heard the loud thump as he closed the door. Just growing pains, he thought to himself. She would come around to his way of thinking. But he liked a woman with her own mind. Too many women were mindless when money or power was thrown into the mix. He wanted someone he could mold the way he wanted, but with some brains behind their beauty. Avery fit the bill on every level. She had picked herself up from a bad situation and was making her way in the world. He had to admire her s.p.u.n.k and drive. Many would have folded before this. Even the Feds had tried to crack her and ended up hiring them to try. She had stuck to her story no matter how many times they had questioned her.

The story as she told the Feds had remained the same. She knew nothing of her parents' activity with drugs.

Yes, they went on nice vacations and had a vacation house in Florida, but she was not privileged to what her parents did on their many excursions out and about. When she was small, they always brought a hired nanny with them. As she got older she always was allowed to bring a friend. They would hang around the beach soaking up the sun, nights spent watching mostly horror movies.

She never thought to question them as they went out and about, that was just her parents. Sometimes weird creatures would come to their door, but her father always headed them off before she got a good look. Business was always done in the office of whatever house they were in at the time. James knew she was innocent, but there had to be something she knew that she just didn't realize.

After all, two million dollars of pure cocaine didn't just disappear into thin air. It had to have been hidden by her father. It would just take some time and patience on his part. Getting Avery to talk and think back over this time in her life would be difficult when so abruptly her life changed and everything went to h.e.l.l. Well, James was just going to have to do some digging. Trust was the key.

Chapter Fifteen.

Avery tried to dress provocatively, to her way of thinking anyway. She pulled a too-small deep-red blouse out of a bag she had made to give away to The Salvation Army. Putting it on, she left all the b.u.t.tons down to her bra undone. She though it looked hot. Next she grabbed one of her "old lady skirts" that James liked to call them. With a needle and thread, she doubled it over and sewed the bottom hem to the waistband. When done it barely covered her a.s.s. Looking at herself in her mirror, she pulled her hair up in a ponytail, then slathered red lipstick on.

James, if he was like the rest of the male population, wouldn't even think to refuse her this time. Picking up her purse, squaring her shoulders, she went downstairs to meet James.

Angel just happened to come out of the kitchen as she was descending the stairs. His quick double look back told her he liked her look, even if he did seem to disappear awful fast.

James looked up from the mail he had being going through on her desk when he spotted her. He took a quick look then seemed to focus his whole attention on her. His eyes told it all. He liked what he saw, she could tell.

"Well, what are we dressed up for?" James hid his grin, making his way to her, and started walking around her, his eyes taking in her whole outfit.

"I wanted to look good tonight, so I tried something new. I've seen a lot of other girls around this area dressed like this. Do you like it?" Avery asked, trying to giving him a smoldering look from under her lashes.

James was stunned. She looked great, in a professional way that had a man wondering how much she charged for the night. There was no way she was going out like that. If they were playing in the bedroom, it would be another story. But no one but himself was going to see her dressed this way.

James was too possessive. The way she was flaunting her wares tonight, he would have a h.e.l.l of a time keeping her all to himself and that's not what he had planned. But how to say it without insulting her. After all, he might want her someday to dress this way, just not now, and not where they were going.

The first place that popped into his head was the opera. It was not the place to solicit and right now that's the message she was giving out. He could just see all the old men in their tuxes looking her up and down and wondering if they could dump their wives and afford her. No way was that happening. James stopped in front of Avery, completing the circle around her.

"Don't you think you might be underdressed for the opera?"

"Opera? You didn't say where we were going. I thought we would be just having a cozy dinner."

"We are, but after. We are going to the opera first. I think you will enjoy it." James grinned at her disgruntled face "You're kidding, right? Who goes to an opera nowadays?" Avery looked up at James. He didn't seem to be the type to go to the opera if she was any judge.

"I do, and that's all that matters, and I would really like to take you with me. But as nice as you look you will have to change. They do have a dress code."

Avery looked down at her outfit and had to agree with James. While she wanted to seduce him tonight, she just couldn't go to the opera in what she was wearing. "I'll just change. I won't be a minute." Turning she hurried down the hall and back up the stairs to her apartment.