A text comes in, and I look down at my mobile.
Fifteen minutes from there now. OMW ~Kray
“I have someone coming that will help you,” I keep my voice low and unthreatening. They still cower back, and I don’t blame them. God knows what these arseholes have done to them. “Lindsey works for the Conte House—”
“I know that place.” A brunette, tall and gangly, steps forward. “They helped my sister escape an abusive husband. You know them?”
“My girlfriend works there. Her name is Aliana.”
“She’s not your girlfriend. She belongs to…” You can’t understand garbled speech when the person is choking on his own teeth.
“Aliana, I know her! She teaches and helps in the office.”
“That’s her.”
“I trust you. Where do we go?”
“Grab clothes, yours or not, and cover up. They’ll be here to help you soon.” When she steps forward to go, the others follow with a look of pure relief but before they exit, I ask for a final favor. “Do not leave, but keep out of this area. Wait in the dressing room with the door locked if that makes you feel better, but stay away. This is a conversation you do not need to witness. Understood?”
“Yes,” they answer in unison.
Before the last girl closes the door to the dancer’s dressing room, I turn and meet the scared eyes of a man who has a few minutes left to live at best. “You want to know what the saddest part for you is?” He tries to answer my question, but instead spits out blood with fragments of teeth. His lips and gums are a bloody mess, the cuts very deep. “Don’t hurt yourself, lad. I couldn’t give a flying fuck if you want to know either way.”
“P-please.” Pathetic.
“I warned your boss. I made my demands very clear.”
Another cough, his face etched with pain. “Don’t.”
“Flavio didn’t listen, he didn’t stay away from her, and now I’m going to show him just how deep my reach goes.”
“Callum—”
“You’re a lackey with no real worth. I’m going to kill you, and I still don’t even know your name.” Standing over him, I aim my gun at his head and empty every last bullet in the clip and then exchange the empty one for the full one. His head is unrecognizable, what’s left is disgusting, and yet I empty that magazine in him too.
A real man doesn’t hurt or force a woman. A real man doesn’t follow a weak leader.
There’s silence as I walk out of the strip club, spliff in hand and a cloud of weed smoke behind me. I’m a mess, and those women inside have seen enough horror to last a lifetime.
Kray and Lindsey pull up a few minutes later. They take one look at me and share an amused look.
“Disposal or a delivery?” Kray walks to the boot of his car, finger on the key fob.
“Freeze him. This is personal.” I take in a deep drag and hold it, before letting the smoke exit through my nose. “As my second, you’re going to need more men with you. Assert yourself.”
He takes it for what it is. That was his interview and promotion. “Done.”
“And the women?” Lindsey has some first-aid items in hand. “What of them?”
“Whatever they need, make it happen. I’ll assume the cost.” Pointing at one of the water bottles, she tosses it, and I catch. “There’s another stop I need to make tonight before going back to Aliana’s. There’s a rat, and I’m going to find him.”
“Need help?” Kray offers.
“Not for this one.”
Forty-eight hours ago…
We’ve gone from Miami to Chicago and now Vegas in less than twenty-four hours, and a few things are weighing heavy on my mind:
I didn’t find Santis.
I didn’t see this attack coming.
I didn’t have time to call Aliana.
The latter one stings the worst. I’m not trying to ghost her, to avoid her, but right now Casper needs me, and I will do whatever it takes to help him save Aurora. For him. For my Venus.
Aurora is her best friend, and she has to be worried sick.
How could her father not realize his right hand’s intentions? His lack of background checks on the people he employs is concerning. Lazy, if I’m being honest.
“I’ll be home soon, love,” I whisper lowly, not that anyone can hear as I shoot the lock and then kick the doors to the run-down wedding chapel open. They slam against the wall, yet no movement comes from the inside. Quietly, we make our way in, Casper at the front, and he pauses when the view of an older gentleman playing the organ comes into our line of sight.
There are people inside, some drinking cheap stout while others watch as if this were one of the soaps my aunt loved to watch when we were lads.
A woman begins to walk down the aisle, all but dragging Aurora behind her, and I want to shoot the cunt. This is her stepmother; a cow of a woman with no heart or conscience.
“Don’t do this, Samantha. Let me go!”
“Shut the fuck up, brat. I should’ve had you disposed of years ago.”
None of the people watching do a thing.
They will now.
Casper raises his gun and shoots the man pretending to be a preacher. He falls to the ground, a puddle of blood around him, and they all scatter like insects. They don’t get far, and I take great pleasure in watching bullets descend on the crowd of nobodies as we pick them off one by one.
It almost reminds me of a video game I used to play in my teenage years.
To my right, the De Leon brothers take care of the organ player and the lady with fake flowers, while I shoot a tweaker in the neck. They came with us from Miami no questions asked, and I trust both with my life. Bodies fall all around me, blood staining my clothes, but it’s one particular son of a bitch that catches my attention.
Amid chaos, Santis Gaspar tries to sneak out of the room. Fucking twat. This is where he’s been hiding.
I don’t aim to kill. Not this time.
Instead, I fire low, shattering both kneecaps and causing the arse to tumble. His head smashes into a tall mirror, and his body sags. He’s knocked out cold, unmoving, and when Thiago raises his gun beside me to finish the job, I shake my head.
“He’s mine.” Yet I don’t fire again. Instead, I plan. My mind goes through ways to get him back to Chicago for the time being, until I’m ready to deal with him.
“Did you forget how to shoot?”
“Oi, that’s insulting.” I chuckle, killing a man just to the left of Aurora’s stepmum. “His is a long-term care treatment, and I need to fly his live body out of Vegas.”
The man scratches his jaw, pursing his lips. “If you pick him up in Miami, I’ll take him outside now and dump him in a trunk?”
“I owe you.”
“Family never owes.” He walks away then, and I turn my attention back to the old cunt now screaming, crying over someone who’s dead on the floor while the idiot holding Aurora backs himself into a corner. They know they’re fucked, and I watch, amused, when that moment of clarity hits.
Aurora’s mother takes off running in a ridiculous pair of high heels, and the act alone is almost insulting. Almost, because the moment Ivan De Leon goes after her, she teeters.
A few stragglers attempt to crawl away, and while the others are occupied, I make quick work of those groaning while covering Thiago, who drags an unconscious Santis out the door. If Casper saw him, I’ll explain later, but right now the son of a bitch is too valuable to kill.
The last body still twitching is that of a heavier set man who’d been drinking from a paper bag. Three bullets to the chest, and he’s still complaining; one bullet to the head ends that. Then, those inside turn to watch my cousin as he walks toward his Gem and a shitting himself Dominic.
“Let her go.”
“I’ll kill her.”
“No, you won’t.” His eyes meet Aurora’s, and the bloody tosser smiles at his woman. “Close your eyes and walk toward the sound of my voice, sweetheart. Trust me, baby. Nothing wi
ll happen to you.”
“He’s got a gun to my back,” she says lowly. A tremble to her voice.
“He’ll die before a single bullet dislodges from his gun. They will all make sure of that.”
“I’m right here, you piece of shit.”
“Nico!” Samantha’s screech fills the room; she’s fighting Ivan’s tight grip. He all but drags her back, clothes ripped and one shoe missing. “Baby, help!”
“Mom!” Dominic yells out, pulling the gun away from Aurora. Big mistake, because a second later, Aurora ducks just as we raise our guns and empty what’s left bullet wise in his torso.
His body jolts with the onslaught, blood splattering across the room. He’s lifeless when he hits the ground, disfigured and with a wailing mum as the only being to mourn him.
A woman who will spend the rest of her life replaying that image as a penance.
Dominic broke a sacred rule in our business: loyalty above all. You don’t turn on the organization, your boss, and his family.
Aurora is in Casper’s arms before I look over, talking to him lowly while the rest of us walk out and give them a moment. They’ll come out when ready, and we’ll burn the place down to the ground with the bodies inside. Fuck them all.
Thiago meets my gaze when I walk over to the car, and I accept a towel Ivan’s holding out. “Are we good?”
“Yeah, we’ll be heading back right away. I have my own woman to reclaim.”
“If she lets you,” his brother teases, but Thiago doesn’t fall for the bait. His story with Luna is a bit complicated, but that’s a mess of his own doing.
“I’ll be by soon for a pickup. We’ll be in touch.”
“Dale, I got you.” Thiago gives me a hug first and then Ivan, both standing back when my cousin and his girl walk out. They’re smiling. Happy. And I find myself in a rush to head back to Chicago for the sweet girl I left behind.
To explain. To ask for forgiveness.
Not talking to her isn’t something I can do again.
Not even for an emergency.
Current…
I knock on her door and wait. Not that it takes long as the padding of her feet rushing toward me is heard through the thick wood a few seconds before the object of my adoration all but yanks the door open.
Then she’s there, and I’m breathing again, exhaling roughly as the heaviness of the last few days hits me in the chest.
One second, she’s looking at me through teary eyes, a fist raised to her mouth, and in the next, my arms are full of my sweet girl. Aliana’s shaking, her tears gutting me, but I understand she needs to let this out. It’s been a rough few days.
“Is she?”
“Safe with Casper and very happy at the moment.”
“Oh, thank God!”
“Please stop crying, sweetheart. It cuts to see you like this.”
33
“Please stop crying, sweetheart. It cuts to see you like this.”
That only makes me cry harder.
Between his disappearing act, my father, and constantly throwing up these last few days…I’ve been a hot mess. My panic is high and my tolerance for stress is at an all-time low. I’m tired and just not myself, but I know it’s not because I’m pregnant. The test Giannis made me take came back negative, and a quick trip to the doctor confirmed it to be anxiety related.
“It’s been a crappy few days, Callum.” I sniff, burrowing my face in his neck and tightening the hold of my legs around his waist. “Very crappy.”
“I’m sorry, Aliana. Truly, I am.” He walks us over to the couch and sits with me wrapped around him. I don’t have plans to let go any time soon, either. “Will you please look at me?”
With a small whine, I pull back and sit up. Meet his soft gaze. “Before you begin, I don’t want specifics. No gruesome details, a gloss over works more than fine for me. All that matters is that you guys saved her and she’s happy.”
“Dominic—”
“Doesn’t he work for Mr. Cancio?”
“Aye. Dirty fuck kidnapped Aurora with the help of her stepmum.”
“Why?” He’s always been a bit creepy. Just like the other man.
“Greed. Power. Corruption.” His shoulder’s shrug, but then again, in his world, all that is normal. “Which is why I’m taking you with me in two weeks. Aurora and London will be back by then, and we’ll head home. For now, I’ll be working from here and flying back every few days to oversee the progress on the Jameson Arms.”
“You don’t need to—”
“Yes, I do,” he cuts me off before giving me a kiss. It’s tender, so soft, and I melt against him. My clothing feels constrictive even though I’m just wearing one of his oversized shirts and some panties, something, he notices and confirms when he lifts the back and grips a cheek in each hand. “Fuck, baby girl. I shouldn’t be trying to—”
It’s my turn to cut him off, and I do by biting his chin. “I’m thankful you helped them, Callum. I can’t be mad at that. Never that.” Another nip, this one to his bottom lip. “I’m more upset by other things that happened while you were gone, things we’ll talk about after.”
“After?” He smirks, but I still see the lingering guilt in his eyes, and I hate it. As much as he dislikes my tears, it hurts to see him down. To me, he’s a hero. End of. “What could we possibly do but talk right now?”
Rising myself slightly, I move my panties aside and show him my bare pussy. Just a small landing strip neatly trimmed above my clit. “You could be stretching me. I want to feel every inch of you buried deep.”
“Are you sure?”
“Nothing makes more sense than reconnecting with you.” It’s the truth. The last few days were horrible, I have so much to tell him, but right now I need this. Need him.
“Want to go to your—”
“No. Right here.” Reaching down, I undo the button of his jeans and lower the zipper. His hips lift and so do mine, and I hover over him, bending a bit at the waist to help him lower his pants. Cock hard and throbbing, Callum grips himself once he’s out, pumping his hands twice while I push my panties aside. “I want you just like this.”
“Then come sit on my cock, beautiful. Lower that warm cunt and squeeze me tight.”
“My pleasure.” Pushing his hand away, I replace it with mine and rub the head along my slit from clit to entrance and back again, twice, and then slip the first few inches inside. Just an inch or two, and then I circle my hips, letting him slip in and out a few times while watching his frustration mount.
His hands clench at his sides. His nostrils flare.
“Aliana,” he warns, lifting his hips, but I follow and evade. Not yet. “Don’t be cruel, love. I’ve missed you too much.”
“You know I love you, Callum.”
“Aye. Just like I breathe for you.”
“Then I want you to know that I’m ready to start my life with you.” Before he can respond, I drop my weight and take him in deep, body flush with his. At once he twitches, throbs, and I close my eyes to savor the moment. “I’ve missed this connection. I can’t go so long without it.”
“Never again. I promise,” Callum grunts, meeting me thrust for slow thrust while his hands grip my asscheeks. Tight grip in each hand. We keep a steady rhythm, his touch controlling my movements while his cock drives in deep from beneath me. “This is my heaven. Where I find peace.”
“I’m yours.” Leaning my forehead against his, I stare into his eyes. Breathe in the delicious scent of his skin while those hands on my skin squeeze and push down harder, my body bouncing slightly. “Always yours.”
“Mine.” It’s a growl. His chest rises and falls faster, as does mine, and I’m teetering on the edge. Almost there. “Let me feel you, beautiful. Fuck, just like that.”
“Oh, my damn.” Every inch of my body tingles; I’m shaking.
“Come.” A command that Callum follows with a sharp smack to my right asscheek and I clench, muscles locking tight, and a cry leaves the back of my throa
t. I’m caught off guard by the sudden roll of pleasure, how quickly I heat for him, and I’m left gripping his shoulder and bouncing hard when he whispers my name. So low. So soft.
My name is on his tongue as he comes inside me.
Destroying me. It’s not the first time he’s done so, either. And yet, it doesn’t stop me from seeking the feeling again and again.
Becoming a mother doesn’t scare me.
Even if it’s too soon. To be honest, I was disappointed at the negative result.
I want everything with him.
“Do we really need to come here?” I ask Callum, stepping inside of an elevator I’m all too familiar with. We’re a few floors from my father’s office heading to speak to him, and to be honest, I’d rather the man beside me have done so by himself.
To say he’s furious is an understatement.
He knows about the stunt my father pulled. He knows every word he said.
I’m also done with the games my family plays; always willing to threaten my brothers while risking my life and freedom.
“It is. Trust me.” The elevator opens and we walk through, heading toward a closed door while ignoring his secretary and assistant. He has both; one is a doormat while the other is there to look pretty. One glare from him, though, and both women go mute. “Behind me, sweetheart. I need you to do as I ask and trust me.”
“With my life.” And when he barges in without knocking, I follow a few seconds later, closing the door so we’re not interrupted. “Gentlemen. What a surprise.”
“What’s the meaning of this? Get the...” My father doesn’t finish his sentence, eyes wide when Callum pulls out two large guns, one pointed at his head and the other at who my father called Gaspar. Both watch him with trepidation. Fear.
But it’s the third occupant inside the room who I find amusing at the moment. Rigo Martin sits across from Gaspar, no gun aimed in his direction, and yet, he’s shaking hard enough for his teeth to rattle. He’s pale, looking between my father and the man across from him for help, and nothing like the boisterous, pompous jerk he usually is.
Risqué: Mafia Romance (Beautiful Sinner Series Book 5) Page 26
