Meow Or Never: BBW SEAL Shifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance (Chicago Catastrophe) (8 page)

T
roy pulled
up in front of Forrest & Williams, whistling a tune.

He had done a lot of thinking after Hailey unexpectedly showed up the previous day. She had every right to be upset. Who wouldn’t be? But Troy was determined to show Hailey he wasn’t just a criminal. He was still the same man whose company she’d enjoyed earlier, he just had to make her see that.

I’ll make it work. I always do.

There were ways to do that, but none of them lent themselves immediately to his use. He couldn’t actively go telling her… well, there were things he couldn’t just divulge to a woman he had been out with twice, no matter how strongly he felt for her.

Right?

A part of her seemed keen to argue on that point.

Troy felt bad for the situation Hailey had been put in. She obviously didn’t enjoy working for the Crimson Claws or helping their guys get back on the streets and he didn’t like forcing her hand. Nevertheless, he couldn’t release her from her deal with Dempsy on a whim. That would raise suspicion.

Besides, having her work for him was probably the only way he would get her to talk to him.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

He stalked up the stairs to Hailey’s floor. The woman behind the reception desk smiled at him as he entered. Troy glanced around to see if he could spot the woman he couldn’t seem to get out of his mind, hands shoved in his pocket.

A swanky law office lobby was so not his scene, but he was relaxed and in control. It was the only way to go through life, in his opinion.

So far, there was really only one person who could shake his iron confidence.

“Hi, can I help you?” the receptionist asked, looking him up and down with a hint of appreciation.

“Yes, I’m looking for Hailey Molloy,” Troy replied, giving the woman a friendly smile.

“Just a moment, please,” she said before almost running to a small office on the left side of the mostly open-planned floor.

Troy perked up his ears, tuning out background noise and focusing on where the receptionist went.

“Someone’s here to see you,”
he could hear her say in a sing-song voice.

Hailey sighed, a soft sound of expelled air. It struck him immediately. Stopping himself from moving towards her voice was a chore.

“And you are so excited because…?”
she asked, clearly not going along with her friend’s enthusiasm.

Troy smiled to himself. Even when she was grumpy, Hailey’s voice still sounded like melting honey.

“Because he’s the hunkiest man I’ve ever laid eyes on,”
the receptionist answered, and Troy’s lion couldn’t help but bristle contentedly.

It liked compliments. So did Troy, but he would have preferred hearing them coming from Hailey.

“Wait a minute. Tall, brown hair, piercing blue eyes, cheekbones for days?”
Hailey inquired, alarm creeping into her tone.

Cheekbones for days, huh?
Troy mused with a grin.

“
That’s the one,”
her friend confirmed excitedly.

“Oh god, and he’s right outside?”
Hailey asked, obviously not too pleased to see him.

Feeling just a tad bit deflated by the hitch in her voice, Troy rolled his shoulders back. He hadn’t been expecting an easy fight on this one, but he’d never lost out when he really wanted something. And he
really
wanted Hailey Molloy.

There was a rustle and the sound of a chair sliding across the floor. He knew he wasn’t going to get a warm welcome.

“Is he the one who keeps sending flowers?”
the receptionist asked before Hailey shushed her and stepped out of her office.

Troy frowned.

What flowers? Who the hell is sending her flowers that isn’t me?

Not that he didn’t enjoy competition every now and then, but there was enough to deal with without it. He didn’t need some chump making his task even harder. But that would be a thought for another time, as the sight of Hailey walking towards him pushed everything else to the wayside. The lion inside roared before settling on a persistent purr, like it always did when she was around.

The skirt Hailey was wearing accentuated her thick thighs and hourglass shape, while the white blouse she had on outlined her ample chest. Her golden-brown skin glowed, as if illuminated from within. She was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen, even with that stubborn furrow in between her brows.

“Mister Sellen, I wasn’t expecting you,” she commented in a clipped tone.

“I said I wanted to look the case over with you. I’m a man of my word,” Troy replied smoothly, giving her a dazzling smile.

“He’s a client?” the receptionist piped up from behind Hailey.

“Yes, Laura, his cousin got into some trouble with the law and Mister Sellen wants to make sure he gets the best defense.”

The lie rolled convincingly off her pouty lips and Troy stifled a sigh. He wanted nothing more than to tilt Hailey back and bury her in a kiss, but she was all ice. Melting her would not be so easy.

“Why don’t we talk in my office?” Hailey added with a polite, trained smile before leading the way.

Troy did try and take the high road and
not
check out her ass, but a man only has so much self-control. The sway of her hips and the way her skirt clung to her rounded bottom as she walked was mesmerizing. He even forgot to wink to Laura.

Troy managed to tear his eyes away a second before Hailey stopped and held the door open for him. Troy brushed past her, hearing her heartrate quicken as he did.

Do I scare her or is she still more attracted to me than she’d like to let on?
he wondered, taking a seat.

Hailey got behind her desk, eyes narrowing, and Troy took the seat facing her. She launched right into business.

“I’ve already filed a motion to suppress. The knife was obtained during an illegal search. The cops had no right to check Rogers’ trunk.”

Troy leaned back in his chair and interlocked his fingers.

“And it’s that easy?” he asked, hoping his disappointment wasn’t too evident.

“The prosecution is going to fight it, argue the officer had probable cause. Unless your guy gave them permission to search the car, which I doubt he did and he confirms as much, I think we should be good,” Hailey shrugged, avoiding his gaze.

The Crimson Claws men knew their rights, that much Troy was sure of. No way Rogers would just offer up his car for a search.

“Great. Why don’t I buy you lunch to say thanks?” Troy offered cheerfully, glancing at the watch on his wrist.

He had other meetings coming up, but he was more than happy to postpone them for some quality time with his favorite ruthless shark.

Hailey’s eyes widened and she crossed her arms before her.

“You can’t be serious,” she scoffed.

“Everyone has to eat. You’ve shared a meal with me before,” he reminded her, keeping his tone perfectly casual.

“That was before I knew who you really were!”

“I’m still the same man. And there’s more to me than just the fact I’m a lieutenant in the Crimson Claws,” Troy argued softly while running his eyes over her luscious body.

Bad move. Don’t get distracted by the package when you want what’s inside. Even if it is drop-dead gorgeous.

“Haven’t I made it clear? I want nothing to do with you,” Hailey replied, swallowing dryly.

The way her own eyes roamed across his frame made the words sound a bit less forceful than she probably would have liked. Troy tiled his head, thinking things over. There had to be a way to convince her to spend time with him. The tension between them was palpable, all her fiery attitude was doing was stoking the flames. He knew she felt it, the way her pupils dilated every time he got close to her told him that much.

There was something about her scent, too, that seemed different now. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it but he knew he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

“What if I give you veto-power? Going forward, you can refuse to take one case you really don’t want to be involved in. In exchange, I take you out for a meal,” Troy said after some consideration.

Hailey stared at him, taken off-guard.

“You’re serious?” she carefully asked.

“Completely. You think the cases aren’t just going to get bloodier and bloodier? The boss is doing cleanup and no one is safe. It’s a fair offer.”

Hailey pursed her lips, considering it.

“I thought I was going to be out after these ones,” she said, but there was no fire in her words.

Troy leaned back, shaking his head slightly.

“You and I both know you weren’t counting on that. You’re stuck with the Claws as long as they want you. It’s in your best interest to play along. I’m not saying this as a threat, but to make you understand what you’re dealing with here. I can’t get you out of it, but I can try and make things easier for you. And I want to spend time with you. If you say no, I’ll respect it.”

Troy could feel his phone vibrate in his pocket. He snuck a peek at the screen. It was an SOS from Culliver. He was needed back at the casino.

Damn it!

“Okay, I’ll take the deal,” Hailey uttered.

Troy grinned despite the roadblock, glad that she would take a chance on him.

“Great!” he exclaimed, standing abruptly. “We’re going to have to make it dinner, though, seems I have some things to take care of. I’ll be in touch.”

He grabbed Hailey’s hand before she had a chance to snatch it away and gave it a quick kiss. She tasted as sweet as ever.

“I’ll make sure not to pick a sushi place,” he grinned, before dashing out of her office.

He was in a hurry, sure, but it was just as much to make sure that she couldn’t change her mind.

Hailey looked sullen as he took one last parting look at her, but he noticed the secret spark in her eye. Troy winked at her before making his way to the door, walking straight past Laura who was doing a shoddy job at hiding the way she was ogling at him. He took the elevator down, already planning where to take Hailey in his mind.

Before even getting in the car, he got another text from Culliver. The message was the same.

“Alright, already,” Troy muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.

No rest for the wicked. Someone must have really fucked up
, he thought, peeling out of the parking lot.

But the only person on his mind was the luscious lawyer he had to leave behind.

C
ulliver was already waiting
for Troy at his office when he arrived. Reaver and Ace were hovering around outside and Troy invited them in as well with a wave of his hand. He didn’t have much trust in Culliver’s advice, seeing as the man was most likely gunning for his job.

On the flip-side, Ace wasn’t ambitious enough to take a shot at him. Similarly, Reaver didn’t seem to like Culliver very much, which was part of why Troy had decided to include the two of them in his circle in the first place. Both of them were assets rather than liabilities.

“Where’s the fire?” Troy asked, annoyed he had to skip out on Hailey.

“Snake Rogers,” Culliver replied.

Troy raised a brow at that.

“I’ve already been to see Molloy, she says the knife is all but certainly inadmissible,” he said.

Why was Culliver wasting his time with this? That shit was handled, packed away tight.

“There’s more to this than we thought. The district attorney has been looking into our operation here. The traffic stop was part of a plan to get one of our own into custody and sweat them for information,” Culliver explained.

“And you think this Rogers guy is going to talk?” Troy inquired, looking at all the men in turn.

Reaver ran a hand down the back of his neck, his expression less than reassuring.

“Rogers isn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed,” he remarked, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

“I already got that from the fact he kept a murder weapon in his trunk,” Troy commented dryly.

Ace spoke up next as Troy sunk into his leather chair and kicked his legs up on the desk.

“Who knows what they’re filling his head with right now? He’s a loyal member, but he also has a wife and kid. If they convince him he’s definitely going down for multiple murders and that could go away if he just sang the right tune…”

Troy held up a hand and Ace stopped talking.

“How much does the district attorney know and how much does Rogers know?” Culliver could
almost
hide how much he was enjoying seeing Troy in the middle of a crisis.

Don’t worry, buddy. I’m the last one who needs to be worried here.

“The district attorney definitely knows the casino is involved with the cartels and that we’re moving a considerable amount of product. Anything else, we’re not sure about. Rogers could give him the names of some of our suppliers or info on some of the routes we use,” the man said.

Troy sank back into his chair, thinking about the best course of action.

“Ace, Reaver, you know his family?”

The men nodded.

“Good. Talk to his wife. Have her go down to the station and explain to Rogers the knife can’t be used as evidence. We can’t go to him directly, but they can. Let’s just hope he hasn’t said anything stupid yet,” Troy ordered.

The two guys scattered, leaving Troy alone with Culliver.

“Maybe we should let River know…” Culliver started.

Troy laughed, a mirthless, hollow sound.

“You think there’s any chance he doesn’t already know about this?” he queried with a raised brow.

Culliver’s mouth snapped closed. Troy liked seeing him pissed off. He took a personal kind of joy from it, to be completely honest.

“Get out of my office,” Troy commanded, gesturing towards the door.

* * *

I
t was already getting
dark out when Reaver and Ace returned with a status report. As was becoming the norm, they crashed in when Troy was in the middle of a particularly promising daydream about Hailey. Thinking about a future with her when things would be, well… better than they were now.

For some reason, he couldn’t shake that woman from his thoughts, no matter how hard he tried.

“Well?” Troy asked, looking at the men before him.

“It’s done,” Reaver replied.

“Wifey gave Rogers the message. We talked to her after. She said he seemed calm and understood what she was telling him,” Ace added.

First emergency as lieutenant resolved.
Time to attend to more interesting things,
Troy thought, already reaching for his coat.

It was somewhat of a pain, having to be a competent leader. He would much rather let everything around him go down in flames, but that would be harmful in the long run, both to his health and to the mission.

“Great. Keep yourselves out of trouble, I’m going out.”

Reaver and Ace exchanged a look.

“If Culliver asks where you’ve gone, what should we tell him?” Reaver asked.

“How about you tell him to fuck off,” Troy replied, breezing past the men.

He cut through the casino, which happened to be pretty quiet. Just some regulars at the card tables, hoping their luck was going to turn. Troy hoped the same as he exited the building, got in his car, and plotted a course for Hailey’s house. They had made a deal, after all, and he was planning to cash in.

Traffic was light, so Troy’s thoughts drifted from driving to how he was going to win Hailey over. Thinking rationally, he knew he should probably just leave her alone. But the primal side of him knew, even from that first night, that she was his.

What he was going to do with that knowledge… well, that he wasn’t so sure of. Troy was sure she was the one, which meant she also had to be feeling the effects of the intense pull between them. Only difference was, she was actively fighting her feelings. Troy had to coax out the less sensible side of Hailey, which he got a feeling would not be that easy to do.

Pulling up to her building, he was so lost in thought he barely even realized he had arrived. Scanning the parking lot, Troy frowned. Hailey’s car wasn’t there, so she was probably still at work.

I’ve got time,
Troy thought, settling in.
She’s got to come home sooner or later.

About a half an hour of scrolling through radio stations later, he spotted a flash of red coming in from the highway. He got out, already sure it was Hailey’s car. He could sense her getting nearer. It was as scary as it was promising, in a way.

On one hand, it confirmed that feeling he had, that there was something special there. On the other hand, it also made him wonder how exactly things could play out for him and her.

He definitely didn’t lead a life that could easily welcome a woman into it. Not only thinking of the Crimson Claws, but everything that went on behind it as well.

Leaning against his truck, he made sure he was seen from the road. He’d already scared her once outside of her home and wasn’t really keen on a repeat of that.

Troy could have sworn he saw her eyes light up for just a second when she spotted him, before she plastered that annoyed frown on her face.

Showoff.

She pulled into the lot, not far from where Troy was parked and climbed out, slamming the car door after her.

“Why do people keep accosting me in parking lots?” Hailey said, more to herself than to him.

He couldn’t ponder that question for too long as Hailey was already off, pointedly ignoring him and walking quickly to her building.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Troy said, rushing to catch up.

“Wait for what, there’s nothing…”

“We made a deal,” Troy interjected. “I’m here to collect.”

“Now?” Hailey asked, exasperated.

“Right now. Don’t think about it, just come with me.”

Troy could see her hesitation rising, so he grabbed her arm and started gently tugging her towards his truck. Hailey groaned, but followed his lead after a moment of hesitation. She tossed her briefcase into the backseat and climbed in the passenger side while he held the door for her.

He scooted around the other side, jumped in and closed his door. Reveling in Hailey’s sweet scent filling up the car, he turned on the engine. She smelled just as delicious as he remembered, but there was still something different about it as well…

“So, where are you taking me?” Hailey asked with a sigh, not letting go of her wounded routine.

He couldn’t exactly blame her. She didn’t really have a reason to trust him at this point and he was painfully aware of that.

“To my favorite place in town. Hope you like it spicy,” he announced brightly, ignoring Hailey’s less than enthused demeanor.

She was mostly sullen on the way to the restaurant, not going along with Troy’s attempts at conversation.

“You can have a good time and still hate me, you know,” Troy finally said, giving up on small talk.

That got her attention. Her head whirled to look at him, light and shadow dancing on her face as they drove past streetlamps. Troy didn’t think he’d ever grow tired of looking at her soft, expressive face. Her dark eyes shone as she spoke.

“Maybe you can separate your feelings like that, but I can’t.”

“Have you tried?” Troy challenged, before deciding on a new course of action. “I’ve looked into you, Hailey Molloy. There was a reason Dempsy singled you out. You’re smart, ambitious and fierce and your reputation precedes you. There are lawyers at your firm that have been doing the same job for decades longer, yet clients ask for you by name. If I let you slip away, what do you think would happen to me?”

Hailey looked away, brow furrowing. He liked that she didn’t launch into an attempt at underselling herself. She was too good for that, and she knew it.

“Dempsy was killed off so someone more competent could take his place. If his replacement doesn’t do a good enough job, he’s next in line for early retirement,” she concluded.

Of course, she was exactly right.

“I know you find what I do distasteful at best, but I need you to find a way to come to terms with it. If I get replaced, do you think whoever takes over next will be better or worse than me? At least I can keep your parents safe.”

Troy could feel Hailey staring at him as he pulled up to the Red Dragon. It was a small and unassuming place, tucked away near a wooded area.

“Are you saying you won’t kill my parents as long as I date you?” she asked after a couple of seconds of silence.

That took Troy by surprise.

Is that who she thinks I am?

“That is definitely
not
what I’m saying,” he corrected, and edge creeping into his voice.

He took a deep breath before continuing, staring at Hailey in the darkened cab of his truck. There were so many things he wanted to tell her. But could he trust her?

If I’m right then she’s the only person I really could trust…

“I’m saying that I would never hurt you or your family. I’m hoping that you don’t dislike me enough to use this information against me and get me killed. And I think you’re smart enough to have figured out the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.”

Hailey blinked at him. Troy didn’t speak, giving her time to digest things. After what felt like the longest thirty seconds of his life, with every fiber in his body on edge waiting for what she was going to do next, Hailey pushed her door open and marched towards the restaurant.

Troy smiled to himself.

At least she’s consistent in her unpredictability.