Loving a Daredevil (Book 1 of the Billionaire Bad Boys)

3

Oceanside California…

Lucas waited a few days before calling Carlos. He thought it more believable if he gave himself time to be cut off. Not that such a thing would ever happen. His family was well known for scandal there was nothing short of murder that could cause his parents to cut him off. Still, Lucas decided to go along with the farce.

He called Carlos on Wednesday and went to see him Friday afternoon. He pulled up outside the main gate and waited for the guard to let him in. It was a large beachfront property. The house built on a bluff overlooking the water and dock below. A million-dollar yacht tied up at the dock. It was nice. Not as nice as his parents’ but nice enough. The house had a rustic southern villa quality to it. A little piece of Mexico right here in California.

Lucas drove up the rounded cobblestone driveway parking at the front door behind a black limo. Lucas had been in his fair share of limos, but frankly, he preferred to drive. There was no better feeling than the wheel in one hand and the stick in the other. The guard had called ahead and as Lucas rounded the front of his car the front door opened and out stepped Carlos and his underlings.

There was a huge satisfied smile on Carlos’ face his arms open wide to welcome Lucas. Like the night before he was dressed well this time in pleated khakis with a long-sleeved button-up dress shirt tucked in beneath his thick leather belt. In his right hand a half-smoked Cuban cigar.

In contrary to his host Lucas had chosen a pair of boot-cut jeans pulled down over his black leather boots. A red t-shirt under his unzipped leather racing jacket. His hair brushed back and jelled in the latest style.

At Carlos’ side were four men of various ages and sizes all dressed in smart casual, they were all goons without a doubt. Then there was Maxine. She looked so good in her maroon bikini, and the black silk wrap-a-round skirt she was wearing. Her dark hair was braided back and draped over her left shoulder. She was breathtaking. Her dark eyes hidden behind stylish sunglasses. They must have been poolside when he arrived.

“Ah Mr. Sanchez, so glad to see you have reconsidered my offer,” Carlos said coming down the front steps.

“I didn’t have much choice. I’m used to a certain sort of lifestyle, and someone’s got to keep me in it, I sure as hell ain’t getting a real job.” He said sitting back against the hood of his car. “Your money is as good as any.”

“Even better, mine is tax-free.” Carlos joked coming to stand in front of Lucas. “Come let me show you something.” He said putting his arm around Lucas and leading him toward his detached warehouse to the right of the estate. “You like cars yes?”

“I like anything with an engine.”

“You’re going to like this,” Carlos said as they reached the door to the large free-standing warehouse. Stepping inside, he reached along the wall and flipped the light switch lighting up the large space. As the lights went on one by one Lucas took in the sight of Carlos’ collection. There were two long lines of vehicles on either side of a wide aisle. He had every popular car from Europe and Asia. There were hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of steel and rubber in that room.

Though the collection was vast and impressive, Lucas had seen better and more diverse. Just at first glance, he could name at least ten killer cars that were not in this collection and of course no collection was complete without a little good old American muscle. He saw better cars in the drag races.

“You like?” Carlos asked with a pleased smile.

Lucas smiled. It was a practiced smile he had mastered as a child. He could feign enthusiasm better than most. It came with the territory. Growing up in the spotlight, he and his brothers could fake anything. He had learnt to smile when he didn’t feel like smiling. To go where he didn’t feel like going. To talk to people, he didn’t want to talk too. Yes, he was a master at faking it.

“It’s quite the collection.” He said stroking the man’s ego.

“You must have a fine collection also.”

“Better than most.” He confessed. He had everything from vintage muscle to high-performance imports. He had a fair collection of bikes and other recreational vehicles such as quads, seadoos, skidoos, ski boats, snowboards; the list went on and on. If he could do something stupid in it or on it, he had one, in some cases four or five.

“I bet you do. I would love to see it one day. Although I bet without your trust fund, it will be difficult for you to keep and maintain that vast collection?” Carlos smiled placing his cigar between his lips. “You may have to sell some pieces.”

Not bloody likely. It was a common misconception that Lucas needed his trust fund. The truth of the matter was that his stunt driving might not have been as lucrative as his brothers’ pursuits, but Lucas made some good money on the underground racing circuit. It wasn’t exactly legal, but then again that didn’t bother him, and besides some of the drivers had deep pockets. Just a little under the table money. Of course, if the IRS ever caught on to how much he was making he’d be screwed, but what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“Well, hopefully, I’ll be able to avoid such unpleasantness working for you. Speaking of which,” Lucas began turning around to face Carlos, “let’s talk about figures. Just how much expendable income are we talking about, because I’ve got a very expensive lifestyle?”

Carlos snickered as he took his cigar between his fingers. “I think we can accommodate you nicely. Come inside, and we’ll talk shop.” He suggested turning off the light and leading the way back toward the house. Maxine still stood at the door her eyes hid behind a dark pair of sandglasses. She certainly didn’t look like a cop today she looked every bit the gold-digging social climber she was pretending to be. In fact, had he not seen her with a badge the other day he would have never suspected she was DEA. But that was probably the goal. He couldn’t imagine a man like Carlos would take kindly to an agent in his entourage.

Mounting the front steps, Lucas followed Carlos and Maxine inside with Carlos’ goons right behind him. He wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be an intimidation tactic or a show of power but the constant hovering didn’t faze Lucas one bit. He had been in situations where he was followed by guards an the press. There was always someone hovering nearby for various reasons. In all honesty, Lucas didn’t intimidate easily. Hell, his mother scared him far more than any of the men in this room, and she didn’t need a semi-automatic to do it.

The inside was as cliché as the out with expensive furnishings and fine modern art that looked as though the artist just threw paint at the canvass. The décor was pricey for the sake of flaunting his wealth the place was devoid of any personality. It looked more like an art gallery than a lived-in domicile.

The walls and floors were stark white while the furniture was black leather or glass, the artwork was the only splash of colour, and even that was only red, the whole feel of the place was so sterile. The west side of the house was one tall wide window instead of the traditional wall overlooking the white sand beach and the dock where his yacht was. The place was nice. Magazine nice but he still preferred the homes he grew up in.

His parents had houses in various places. New York, Miami, Malibu, Vancouver Island, Toronto, Paris, London, and Milan. They had travelled a lot and spent a portion of his young life in each. They were million-dollar houses with the expected décor, but there was always a personal touch. Pictures, hobbies, trophies and awards. No matter where they went it always felt like a home.

“I imagine you grew up in a place like this?” Carlos asked taking a seat on one of the couches and gesturing for Lucas to sit.

“Something like this.”

“You have a house nearby of your own?”

Not a house. He had a loft in Long Beach with a freight elevator instead of a walk up or the classy penthouses the rest of his family had. It had tall windows and brick walls with an unfinished ceiling with rafters and heating ducts. It was a wide-open space with publicity posters on the wall along with hanging racks for things like snowboards and mountain bikes. He could even bring his motorbikes and dirt bikes up in the elevator. There was a special corner where he kept, repaired, and maintained his bikes. In his parking stall, he had one of his many cars, and the rest were tucked safely away in a storage facility which he could access at will.

Though he had the money, his place was sparsely furnished with one dark brown lay-z-boy couch and a mahogany coffee table. A low futon styled bed against the north wall. There was a small open kitchen, but he had notable. He had a small TV and a large radio with speakers mounted in the corners. At least two-thirds of his place looked like an auto shop where he spent most of his time at home tinkering with his toys.

“Yeah, something like that.” He said taking the seat and relaxing back.

“You are not a talker, are you?” Carlos observed as he took another drag from his cigar and studied Lucas.

“Talk is cheap I’m more of an action sort of guy.” Personally, he didn’t feel like shooting the s**t with a man like Carlos. He wouldn’t even be here, was he not concerned for his family’s welfare. “Something that does interest me is how you two crazy kids hooked up?” He asked staring Maxine down.

Carlos reached up and took Maxine by the hand, and she sat down on the arm of the seat where he was seated. He gazed up at her with a smile. “We met in Mexico City. She was the prettiest woman in the hotel bar. Casting me those come get me looks with those dark eyes. How could I resist her charm?”

Well, he could understand that all too well. Lucas remembered the heated looks they would share when Nick hadn’t been looking. To this day he still wondered what it would have been like had he not had so much integrity. He could have had her back then, but his loyalty to his friend had held him back. Not that he and Nick were even friends anymore, but the point had been valid back in the day.

Lucas’ gaze took her in sitting there in that skimpy bikini, and he wondered if he could still have her should he wish. She wasn’t looking at him the way she had the last time he had seen her. It was possible the infatuation had passed which was a shame because she was prettier now then she had been then. It was probably for the best, Carlos didn’t seem to be the type that would take it in stride should Lucas steal his girlfriend. Stealing this man’s woman didn’t seem conducive to his good health.

Though this man’s feelings and intentions were easy to read Lucas had problems reading Maxine. She seemed to perfect the art of indifference. A useful skill for an undercover cop he would suppose. He found himself wondering whether or not she was sleeping with Carlos. He supposed it would be part of the job, but the idea was repulsive to him. Did she get paid to go to bed with this man? How did that make her any better than a prostitute with a badge? He wondered if she enjoyed her job. Did she like playing arm candy to a drug lord?

“You got a girl?” Carlos asked lifting his cigar to his mouth.

The real question was whether or not Lucas had someone special that Carlos could use to manipulate him into doing what he wanted for a fair price. “Nope. Women come with the cars why would I pick just one?”

Carlos smiled a sleazy smile that made the hairs on Lucas’ arms stand on end. “Fair enough.” He said snapping his fingers. Maxine stood up and walked over to a shelf where she picked up a brown paper bag and brought it back to the couch. She tossed it into Lucas’ lap, and he opened it up to see what was inside. One dark brow lifted as he found bundles of hundred-dollar bills. There had to be a few thousand dollars in the bag. He was impressed it was a rather large figure. “Consider that a signing bonus. Plus, five percent commotion.” He offered with a smile. “An incentive to make sales.”

Lucas nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, that sounds all good, but I was thinking more like fifteen percent.” Lucas countered even agents got fifteen percent. The room fell quiet as everyone looked at Carlos awaiting his response. Judging from their reaction, Lucas figured Carlos wasn’t one for haggling.

“Ten percent… because I like you so much.” Carlos offered.

“I don’t get out of bed for less than fifteen percent. You’re not the only one out there looking to break into my world.” Lucas said calmly not letting the hard stare or this man’s reputation sway him. After all, it was Carlos that needed him not the other way around. He was a Sanchez, and his services didn’t go for cheap.

“Thirteen percent.” Carlos offered. Lucas stood up and tossed the bag of money back to Maxine and walked around the coffee table to leave. “Alright,” Carlos called out to stop Lucas from leaving, “you drive a hard bargain, Mr. Sanchez. Fifteen percent,” he said lifting his gaze and fixing Lucas with a hard look, “but I expect results for my money. Your sales had best be staggering.”

***

Fifteen percent what was he thinking haggling with Carlos? Did she not make it clear what was at stake here? What was more surprising was that it had worked. Carlos had actually caved to Lucas’ demands. She watched as Lucas took his seat again willing to continue their negotiations. Carlos pointed to the man standing to his left. “This is Morris he will be hanging out with you, going to all the parties and galas with you.”

Lucas snickered as he relaxed back in his seat. “Is he now and who is going to make me take him out? Don’t you trust me?”

Carlos just smiled. He didn’t trust anyone. It had even taken her a year before he let her come and go without him, and even from time to time she was still sure he was following her. “Morris will keep you company. Think of it as on the job training.” He wasn’t going to just hand over thousands of dollars’ worth of product to a man he didn’t know personally.

Lucas flashed that heart-stopping smile he had. “I’m not cruising around town with a chaperone.”

“You misunderstand you do not have a choice. Morris will be with you every step of the way.”

“You don’t understand, he ain’t coming with me.” Lucas was firm on the matter.

“Morris will-”

“Not be coming with me.” Lucas shifted forward and rested his elbows on his knees trying to make Carlos understand. “I have a certain reputation, and if you want me to effectively do what it is, I do I have to maintain my reputation. People aren’t going to deal with me or even so much as speak to me with your no neck babysitter following me around. He’s way too conspicuous to fit in.”

“I will not be handing over anything unless someone I trust is going with you, so you had best come to terms with the idea.”

“Alright,” Lucas agreed, “I’ll take her.” He said pointing to Maxine. Suddenly everyone was looking at her. “She’s less conspicuous. A hot woman on my arm will draw less attention than some bruiser lurking behind me.”

His reasoning was sound. Carlos looked her over thoughtfully. There was no way he was going to trust Lucas alone with her. He didn’t even like it when his goons stood within five feet of her he wasn’t going to hand her over to a notorious rake. “Deal.”

“What?” She snapped without thinking.

“You will be my eyes and ears. You will show the boy what to do.” Lucas tried to repress the smile on his face. “Something funny?”

“If anyone is going to show anyone a thing or two it’s going to be me.”

“You don’t think I can handle your world?” Maxine asked a little annoyed that he thought so little of her.

“You couldn’t handle my world when we were sixteen; it has gotten considerably faster since then.” He said coming to his feet. They stood toe to toe, but Maxine was forced to look up at him looking down at her. His gaze was cocky and confident just like she remembered. How much could he have really changed since then? She had changed far more than he could imagine. She wasn’t the same little awkward military brat trying to carve out a notch for herself in someone else’s life. She was a self-reliant federal agent that made a living out of thrusting herself into worlds she didn’t necessarily belong in. It was a handy skill she developed over her youth. Always being forced to start over had made her a pro at first impressions.

“I think I can handle it.”

There was that smile again as he looked her over from top to bottom. “We’ll see about that.” He said pushing by her. “Be dressed and ready to go at midnight.”

“Midnight?” She asked turning around to see him pause at the door the bag of cash in his hands. “What happens at midnight?”

“We see how well you fit in. Consider it a test drive.” He winked at her and disappeared through the door.

What did that mean? While she debated the meaning behind his last comment, Carlos appeared at her side his body so close to hers she could feel the warmth through his clothes. His hand came up, and his knuckles grazed her cheek. “Remember your loyalties while you’re out tonight. He may be an old friend, but if he tries anything, I will have his throat slit. Keep him reined in.”

Maxine looked up at him confidently. “I can handle him.” She assured him.

Carlos just smiled. “Of course, you can. I have nothing but faith in you.” She knew that look; he didn’t trust her anymore then he trusted Lucas. She would bet her life tonight they would have a tail.