by Ellie Jean
“Only the good things. But give me more time with your friend and we can get better acquainted, share stories.” Giggling, her eyes look mischievous.
“Yeah, lucky you’re busy with work. Maybe a year or so down the road that can happen.”
Eyebrows raise from the party, including my own. But he doesn’t shy away from what he just said.
“I’m cranky with you too.” Her voice pouts. “You didn’t tell me about Bluebell first.”
Ocean rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “I’ve been kinda busy, sis.”
“Excuses, excuses. I expect a call tomorrow, I have a few questions.”
“I’m sure you do.” Bending down, he gives me a feathered kiss on my ear, again everyone is watching our interaction. Flutters take over my body.
“They certainly are a handful,” I whisper and smile, feeling lucky I am able to witness this private gathering.
“What’s the champagne all about? They don’t usually break alcohol out this early in the morning.” Taking my glass, he takes a mouthful and hands me it back.
“Emerald’s engaged.”
All eyes turn to Slate and Emerald who is possessively held by her fiancé. His intense look drops for a moment when she looks back to him.
The men shake hands and slap each other on the backs. “We better get your brother then since you’ve let the cat out of the bag.”
“You worked out how?” Emerald jumps up.
“We’ve made a deal with them. The guys and I are going to get your twin.”
Emerald latches on to Slate and whispers in his ear. Nodding, Slate smirks and laughs.
“Thank you.” Heartfelt and genuine, Emerald holds Slate close.
“You’re gonna have to keep a close watch on him, but at least this ends it.” Crystal wraps her arm around Emerald, knocking Slate out of the way. “We will talk to him and watch him.” Tanner’s face looks murderous.
“Quit looking at me like that.” Jayce is given to her.
“We will discuss this later.” Tanner stomps out the door.
“How are you feeling? Your brother did a number on you.”
“Stop worrying about me, my stomach aches a bit but only if I move a certain way and my shoulder is the same but bearable. My ankles fine. Now go, your guys need you.” He grins at me making my insides swoon.
“Are you sure?” Concern washes on his face.
“One-hundred percent.”
“Will you be okay to stay here? We shouldn’t be long then I’ll show you to my place and get you comfortable.”
I nod and smile, but I hope these ladies don’t mind me staying here longer. They’re certainly taking my mind off my brother.
Squeezing my hand, a shot of adrenaline runs up my arm, expelling it throughout my bloodstream. “Keep her safe, ladies.”
In unison, all four sing out, “You can trust us.”
The men roll their eyes and walk toward the exit without a word.
Laughter erupts around the room. A story for another time no doubt, reminiscing about something they’ve done, against the guys’ demands.
I can learn a lot from these women.
I’m in good hands.
It didn’t take us long to organize a deal with the underground operators, The Rasino Brothers. Our reputation proving to be useful once again. They wanted their cash plus interest, agreeing if they handed over Kyle today. Gambling for months, with amounts he doesn’t have, he’s lived and borrowed on our name. The idiot owed seventy-five large ones. How the fuck he thought he would be able to pay it or gamble his way out was insane?
Kyle is addicted and disillusioned.
Reckless and carefree.
He is sick.
The money is a major problem, but more than that, the favor given to us could be a bigger issue. If others get wind of it, every man and his dog will exploit this.
“How did he think he could repay this?” Shaking my head, I say what’s running through my mind, my body rigid with anger flowing through it.
No one answers. Because there is no realistic answer.
“We should have done more than warn him earlier.” Drawing in a breath of smoke, I hold it in, contemplating our decision to only talk to him previously about his addiction and not showing him what others will do to him if he doesn’t repay on time.
“Emerald spoke to him. I took him aside too. Clearly, he has a problem. This time we will make the expectations crystal clear.” Slate’s pissed. When we speak, most people listen. Except Kyle believes he has some kind of immunity from this.
He’s the brother-in-law.
Expecting us to carry him.
He’d better work out fast this means nothing, when he’s risking his family’s lives.
“Kyle needs to be in a rehab facility,” Caden speaks as Slate drives us to retrieve him.
“He fucking needs to leave this state. Get far away from us as possible.” Tanner will never see Kyle as Emerald’s brother but a threat to Crystal and his relationship. “He will end up bringing heat to us that we don’t need or want.”
“He’s my soon-to-be brother-in-law. Emerald is organizing rehab for him but can’t get him in for a week. The place is full that she decided on. We all need to keep a watchful eye on him.”
“I won’t be his babysitter.” Tanner’s loud voice reverberates around the Plymouth Barracuda, his jaw ticcing a million miles an hour.
Pulling up outside an upscale building, we scope out the surroundings from the car before we progress to the front. Tanner stays back at the car watching for any problems, happy to be away from Kyle for as long as possible.
Slate pushes the button, all of us on high alert, my hands ready to grab the gun at my waist. The intercom wakes up.
“These are the details for transfer…”
Caden punches the buttons on his phone and hits transfer. “Done.”
“We’ll release him once it appears.”
Scanning the buildings and cars close by, nothing’s out of the ordinary, the street occupied with a few people going about their daily business.
Static interrupts the quiet.
“Slate… keep him away from our places. We won’t be as forgiving next time.” There’s a click and the door unlatches. Kyle is pushed through the opening, his clothes disheveled, face puffy and bruising around his eyes.
Walking back to the car, silence surrounds us which lasts until we’re halfway back to the apartment.
“Emerald’s booked you into a rehab clinic in a week. Until then, you’ll stay with us. Your sister’s already got a bedroom sorted for you.”
“I don’t need fucking babysat.” Kyle’s aggressive and his body tightens against the belt.
“Shut the fuck up. Your sister has been crying most of the morning thinking you were going to be killed, you selfish prick. This is happening.”
Tanner grunts from the front seat, restraining himself from knocking Kyle into next week. “You dick, we’ve got families to protect and you’re gambling like you’re a king. And you have nothing.” Fisting his hands, Tanner’s knuckles are white. “What the fuck did you expect would happen if Slate didn’t bail you out?”
Kyle barks, “I’m good for the money. There was a deal made. Those fucking sharks blindsided me with their interest terms.”
“Those sharks are underworld dealers who have messed you up the tiniest bit so far. The pain you felt strike through you when you were punched is nothing. It would be like a splinter piercing your skin compared to what is next on their list. They will kill every living relative of yours in front of you. You’ll be tied up, drugged or worse, unable to lift a finger to help them.” Kyle’s understanding of the world he is playing in is zero. He has no fucking clue. “You will hear their screams, their pleadings, their gasping breaths and see the blood spilling from their wounds. Silence won’t come fast enough, but it’ll be too fast when they are dead in front of you, because of you. Then if you’re lucky, they will put a bullet through your brain and en
d it quickly. I’d say though, they will tear you limb from limb, dissect your internal organs all while you writhe in pain. Leaving you to bleed out.” My head pounds and my teeth grind. I’m close to punching this idiot myself.
His chin lifts. “No one would dare do that to me or you guys.” Licking his lips, Kyle continues. “You’re The Savage Shadows, brutal, precise, and Kings of the Underworld in LA.”
Caden slaps his head with his hand. “You don’t see it, do you? We are worse than anyone can imagine. All of our lethal skill sets differing but together are ruthless when it’s necessary. It’s taken years to be here and it’s a very thin thread between staying on top and burning at the bottom. We keep that balance for many of the syndicates in LA, that’s why we are where we are. Your actions could send all our families crashing to the ground. Know one thing, none of us are going to sit by and let that happen.”
Dropping his eyes to his fists in his lap, Kyle whispers, “I’ll stay with you guys, but I need to go to work and rehab won’t be happening.”
“You selfish bastard.” Slate bangs his fists on the steering wheel, Kyle jumps. “It’s not a negotiation. This is how it is. The conditions are: you don’t gamble, you don’t message anyone to help you gamble, you don’t leave one of our sights, your phone already has been destroyed and we will issue you with a new one after rehab. You can go to work with Emerald, but you step a foot wrong, we won’t be able to save you again. This is a one-off opportunity. Second chances aren’t on offer. Do what we say, and you will stay alive.”
Simple rules.
Ones that are to be followed.
I hope for everyone’s sake, Kyle listens and complies.
Some days are fucking crap.
Today is one of those days and at present, it’s not getting any better.
Leaving my secluded cabin, instead of huddled inside with a girl I fantasized about my entire adolescent life, I was called to save a whiny, selfish prick’s ass and that was only the beginning.
An anger rivaling an eruption of Kilauea Volcano tore through my core. Restraining myself, watching Phoebe being assaulted by her disgusting brother was excruciating. Holding her, quite willingly ready to snap her neck, then kicking her body limp on the ground, red lined my vision. This piece of shit needs to be stopped. He’d got a lucky blow in, crashing me into the glass mirror because I’d focused on her sweet body convulsing on the ground. I promise, I won’t let that happen again.
Slate got a call about the casino and we’d been held up for hours because of a guy like Kyle, who was wasting his life gambling with money he didn’t have. Slate was feeling generous and, in the end, let him go with a new job to pay his debts.
“Are we going soft?” Puffing on a joint in our casino office, we finally sit down to recoup after dealing with idiots. Kyle was locked in another room to think about his actions.
Instantly, three sets of eyes, stare me down.
Without a concern, I draw in a breath and hold it. My body relaxing fractionally. “Well, are we?”
“We’re not fucking going soft, you cock.” Tanner stands and paces, his fists tightening by his side.
“We just let a man have a job because he owes us money. When the fuck have we ever done that?” Throwing back the end of my alcohol, I stand at the one-way window and look out at the crowds of people below.
“We decided to make our business legit where we can, this makes sense. We get our money without causing more damage to people. He has a family, O.” Caden stands next to me and looks out as well.
Sighing, I turn. “So, we’re out of the killing game?” The thrill of torturing excites me. That won’t go away. But we have only ever killed if the scenario called for it.
“No.” Slate’s on his chair, smoke wafting around him. “But we need this, O, for our families. We have to be smart. Young idiots who are wired, impulsive and erratic are trying to take over parts of LA. We don’t want any of their heat or blowback coming our way. We go mostly legal where we can, breaking our ties with some syndicates when opportunities arise and then we have the income coming in, we don’t have to risk our family’s safety this way.”
Pouring another vodka, I slam it back. “I need the thrill of what we do, S. I live for it, thrive on it. I can’t sit back in the office and watch this.” My hands motion to the tables below.
“None of us can.” Tanner reclines on the couch. “They’ll still be opportunities, there’s no way business can go entirely above board. It’s not in our nature.”
“We’ve all had the same thoughts. But unnecessary risk won’t be taken. It’s not worth losing the girls and kids over.” Slate looks at us all and we all agree.
“Speaking of which, who’s the lovely little lady you brought with you? Into our space?” Tanner is a fucking gossip.
“She’s a job.”
“If she was only a job, she wouldn’t be in our apartment with our ladies. Spill it…” Tanner’s a pain in the ass when he gets going.
“Phoebe is a girl I knew a while back. She’s also the girl who witnessed the old guy who was killed, and I asked you to find details on. I nearly had the fucker today. He clocked me over the head, ramming me into a glass mirror after he kicked his sister in the ribs multiple times. I need to find him and eliminate him.”
“Hang on, I thought her name was Bluebell.” Caden’s not helping.
“That’s all you heard?” Reaching into my pocket, I open a pack of Skittles and empty half the packet into my mouth. I need an energy boost to deal with more.
Shit.
Why do I keep calling her Phoebe in my head, and why did I introduce her as Bluebell to everyone?
Shaking my head, I huff. “It’s a long story.”
I walk to the door, this conversation is ending. “Can we get out of here? It’s been a fucking drawn-out day.”
“You keen to tap that sweet ass of hers, O?”
Phoebe does have a fantastic ass, which Tanner shouldn’t be looking at. “Keep your eyes on Crystal’s where they belong.” Raw and gruff, I’m abrupt. The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention and my teeth clench.
Chuckles hit my ears and I internally beat myself up. I walked straight into it.
“Take me home.” Smirking myself, I know she means more to me than a job already.
“The girls can be over the top. How do you like them?” I’d been questioning myself the entire day if I’d done the correct thing by bringing Phoebe with me. Her pleading eyes had thrown me off my normal authoritative ways of listening to no one. I’d let my guard down and she was nearly killed this time because I let her manipulate my decision.
Successfully.
Only three other people do that and get away with it.
Looks like Phoebe’s now on that list ‘cause having her around, albeit a few days, I honestly can’t imagine not talking to her and listening to her cotton candy voice trying with such earnest to keep from stuttering. I’m intrigued by watching the delicate way she licks her lips when she’s thinking, or the way she eyes every movement I make but tries to disguise it by looking down. I will do anything to see her eyes sparkle and the weight of her world release from her shoulders.
“They are fantastic, loud and wild but also fiercely loyal to their families.” Cross-legged on my sofa, her hands rest on the black cushion in her lap.
“That’s the girls. They have a lot of crap to put up with their men but looking from an outside perspective, and I’m no expert…” I laugh at my own words. “Their bonds are the tightest you could ask for in a relationship. They’ve all been through hell and back and survived to tell the story.” I place two beers on the table and sit next to her, in her space. Phoebe smiles.
“Yeah, I can see that. They all told me a little about their stories. I’m still in shock from learning that Lace is an MC Princess. I’ve gotta say, the limited people I do know are nothing like you guys.”
She has a sip of her beer and nods her head in approval. There’s only beer in my apa
rtment considering I don’t have female company here, there’s no need for anything else.
“Is that a problem?” Setting my lips in a tight line, I need to know where she’s headed with this.
Curling her shoulders a fraction, head lowering, her hands tighten against each other. It’s minimal but I notice. “No.” Her voice is quiet.
My finger reaches to her chin and lifts it so she can’t hide. “But?” There are reservations and I don’t blame her. The girls are a tornado when they are together or planning something.
“I don’t fit in with them. I have no skills and talking is an effort for me. You saw how I was when I met you. I only stuttered a few times with the ladies, but they noticed I’m a freak. The world I am part of is secluded and set in routine, so I can function.” Pausing, she has another drink. My finger goes back under her face, my touch warm against her skin. “The entire time my heart pounded, my head whirled, and the nerves tingled everywhere. I was on edge, but it was refreshing. I coped and enjoyed myself to the point where I hope I see them again.” She smiles timidly. My hand moves and cups her face, my fingers stroking her cheek. “I was in awe of how incredible these women are and the level of passion they have for their men.” Her voice drops. “I didn’t know it could be like that.”
“Baby.” My arm slides behind her back and with care, I hold her against me. I ache feeling her pain. “Your father and brother did a number on you. But it can be undone.”
“Can it?” Filled with uncertainty, her eyes pierce mine. “I’m now twenty-six and still can’t talk around men or be touched by them.”
Cocking my head, I grin. “Hmm, I’d say you’re doing both fine.”
Looking between us, she smiles and shakes her head. “You make me calm and I forget that I’m talking to a man.”
“Should I be offended?” Laughing, I hold her a little tighter.
Flustered, she tries to move from me. “ Umm, arrr, snap. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
“Baby. There’s nothing better sounding to my ears than you being comfortable around me.” Drinking my beer, I relax. “Although maybe I’m doing something wrong if I’m not coming across manly enough for you.”
