“How did they get in my car?” she whispered.
“The Genoa family’s rumored to be bringing jewels, gold, and cash into the States for another family—a Russian crime family they’re trying to build ties with. The Russians are shipping the contraband into Italy, where the Genoa family has ties, and then members of the family are taking over. Homeland Security and the FBI have been trying to figure out exactly how they’ve been doing it. If Riley’s Rentals is involved, then they’re likely shipping them in vehicles that are coming through as cargo. Riley’s has a reputation of shipping vehicles overseas and back again for wealthy clients. No agency has been able to tie them to anything illegal, though, until now.”
“What do we do?” Panic was beginning to edge through her senses as fear began to build.
“We’ll take care of it, Piper.” Jed’s arms tightened around her as Piper felt the fear beginning to overflow her tenuous control.
What had she managed to get herself into? Why had she allowed this to happen? She could have just told Dawg, Jed, and Tim what had happened and they would have figured this out a week ago. Before someone had attempted to break into her room.
“Don’t worry, Piper. We have the contacts to fix this,” Dawg promised her as he turned back to her. “You stay with Jed; Timothy and I will take care of things.”
This wasn’t what she wanted.
“I didn’t want you to have to risk yourself,” she whispered. “None of you. I just wanted to be able to take this meeting without everyone breathing down my neck.”
“You were being protected for a reason, Piper,” Jed stated as Dawg and Tim began to move toward the patio door, where Dawg was pointing out where the lock had been picked.
“For a reason I was never allowed to understand.” Turning, she faced him, her gaze meeting his, irritation flooding her as fear and confusion fueled the panic tightening her stomach. “Maybe, Jed, if something—anything—had been explained to me, then I would have been more prone to listen a little more closely.”
“Now you’re sounding like a child.” He sighed.
“Why shouldn’t I?” she mocked him. “That’s how I’m treated. Treat me like an adult and see if I don’t try to act like one.”
ELEVEN
Nothing could possibly be easy, Piper thought as midnight rolled around before she was able to extricate herself from her mother, sisters, cousins, and various family members.
“Dawg couldn’t just keep his mouth shut?” she muttered as Jed escorted her into his room. “He could have kept all this to himself for a little while longer.”
“Dawg usually knows what he’s doing,” Jed assured her, locking the door behind them before turning and striding through the living area. “Stay here; I want to check out the bedroom again.”
Crossing her arms over her breasts, she watched as he disappeared into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
So Dawg usually knew what he was doing, did he?
“You are aware that Dawg is the one whom Tim accuses of constantly living by the seat of his pants, right?”
She didn’t quite catch Jed’s response, but it was something along the lines of, “That’s when Dawg is at his best.”
At his best, her ass.
It was when he was most dangerous.
She was still standing there glaring at the door when it opened and Jed walked through, his chest gloriously bare, his shirt conspicuously absent.
She didn’t need this right now.
Hell.
Tightening her thighs, Piper fought to hold back the ache beginning there. The swelling of her clit, the throb of her pussy. The fiery, desperate need to be filled by the hard thrust of his cock.
Dark blond hair fell over his brow, while the navy blue of his gaze seemed to deepen and gleam with heated hunger as he stared back at her.
“He didn’t have to tell the whole damned family,” she muttered, her mouth drying out as he paced closer.
“Would you want to know if one of your sisters were in danger?” he asked softly.
Dark, thick lashes lowered over the gleam in his eyes as predatory awareness filled them.