Page 32 of The Risk

“He always has been.” He watched her tuck in his son. Then, when she stood, he pulled her out of the room and across the hall. Into the room that had been hers throughout her childhood. And was where she laid her head at night now. Finally, he had gotten his woman alone. In a house full of people, that had been damned near impossible.

“I have you right where I want you now.”

27

Gene Hiller backedher into her room and before Chantal could even think to protest, he had her down on her bed. Her arms opened and she reached for him. Just like that.

Apparently, all it took to have her give him exactly what he wanted was a single look. “What are you doing?”

“Whatever I can get away with. But I’m pretty sweaty. You probably don’t want me all over you.” He cupped her cheek with one hand. “So kiss me, and then we can get back out there. Before your daddy or those brothers of yours find me in here.”

“Done this kind of thing with girls before?” Well, she suspected he had. Gene Hiller had a reputation, after all.

Her fingers toyed with the hair at the back of his neck. She liked touching him, she decided. He felt big and strong and real. Even if he was pure trouble to a woman like her.

A thrill of excitement went through her when his hazel eyes darkened. As he looked right at her. Her. For a moment, she felt like she was the only woman in the world. This man…was doing something to her.

Something she never would have believed would happen even a month before.

Yet having him in her bedroom felt somehow…right. And not so strange at all.

Exciting. Yes. But strange…no.

Because it was Gene. And she’d known him her entire life. A big part of her thought she was safe with him somehow, maybe? “Gene…what exactly are we doing here?”

“That’s a question I’d like answered myself, young lady.”

At the question behind them, Gene jerked back. Chantal gasped.

Then got the giggles at the shock on his face. The guilt.

But he didn’t answer Genny at all.

There she was riding to Chantal’s rescue once again—right on time.

Thank goodness for Genny Hiller.

28

Rob finishedup in the guest room and fought the anger. He could hear Charlie Fields’s baby sister in there, giggling over something. Girl sounded young. He thought she was around thirty or so. He’d seen her dart into one of the side bedrooms with one of those Hiller brothers.

The one she’d been out there with two weeks ago. Damned asshole had ruined all of Rob’s plans. If Hiller hadn’t been with her, that Fields girl would already be dead. And Rob wouldn’t just be waiting for someone to put it together that he was involved with all of that.

Instead, she was in there screwing around with her boyfriend or something. She was a beautiful woman. He wouldn’t mind screwing around with her himself. Just like he wouldn’t have minded some time alone with Fields’s grown daughter. Now there was a little looker. She looked a good deal like good old Charlie’s baby sister, too. Happy, healthy. Living the good life, despite what had happened to Charlie’s daughter a while back.

Not like his sister who was rotting in the ground.

Because of Charlie Fucking Fields.

How was he ever supposed to forget that?

Rob forced himself to calm down. To appear as just another one of the guys around this place.

Hell, he and Charlie had worked together for years. At one time, he would have trusted Charlie at his back completely.

Until Charlie had booked Rob’s own sister. On drug charges. She’d been so young and stupid—but they could have fixed it.

Yeah, she’d had some problems, but she’d been his sister. Fields should have come to him. They could have worked something out. Kept her out of the system.