“What?”
He grinned. “You’re a gorgeous woman.”
“Don’t get all mushy on me, okay.” She punched him lightly on the arm.
“Yep, beautiful but crazy.” Rex laughed, and Nishani shook her head with a soft smile.
She liked Rex—in a brotherly sort of way. The same, however, could not be said for the other Black brother—that was dynamite waiting to explode. “So, this party. Whose or what function is this?”
“An associate.” Rex glanced at his phone.
“Business or pleasure?” she asked.
“Bit of both.” He shrugged. “Tony Enzo has done business with Colton in Italy. When he retired, he decided to move here with his wife. He throws these parties just to feel like he still belongs among us.”
“Colton seems to be well known.”
“You have no idea.” Rex looked at his phone and smiled.
“Why is he so overly protective.” She glanced out the window. There was a mystery lurking behind those gray eyes, and she intended to find out what made the man tick.
“He has his reasons.”
Sensing Rex’s reluctance to talk, she changed the topic. “Is she pretty?” Nishani shifted her gaze to Rex’s smiling face.
He looked up. “Huh?”
“The girl who’s got you smiling like an idiot.” She nodded her head at the phone. Rex laughed. Nishani figured if it were bright in the car, she would’ve seen his blush. “C’mon, you can tell me.” She rubbed his knee.
“Lacey.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, so there is something brewing?”
Before he could answer, James glanced back at them. “We’re here.”
“Thanks, James,” Rex replied.
Nishani eyed the expanse of property as the vehicle drove through the open gates and up the long driveway. This estate, like the Black’s home, belonged in Hollywood, where silly actors had nothing better to do with their money except spend it on large properties. She grinned as James brought the vehicle to a halt outside the red-carpeted stairway leading to large wooden front doors.
When they climbed out, and James handed the keys to the valet, Rex turned to her. “Please stick close to me and don’t give anyone a reason to question you. If they ask, you’re a friend of mine visiting from New York, okay?”
Nishani smile. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” She followed him inside.
They spent the better part of an hour mingling, sipping wine, and learning names she couldn’t remember. She put the guest count at around two hundred and wondered how an old couple like the Enzo’s knew so many people.
“Oh, fuck.”
She caught Rex’s curse the same time her gaze locked with a pair of frosty gray eyes—the color of titanium bullets ready to tear her apart—across the floor. She needed to look away. Only, her brain refused to heed the warning. Her body pulsated in an unfamiliar manner—sexual sparring she found distinctly appealing. Nishani swallowed.
Unsure of his intentions, she held her ground as Colton walked toward her and Rex. His manner could easily pass for a stalking lion about to pounce his prey. Dressed in a black Armani suit, the man oozed confidence of a mafia boss. Whether he was one or not, she didn’t doubt the capability.
“Shit,” Rex muttered. “He was supposed to return tomorrow afternoon.”
“Act cool,” Nishani whispered before Colton stopped in front of her.
His now clean-shaven jaw accentuated the bold angles of his features. The look on his face, however, reminded her of a viper. Beautiful yet deadly and ready to strike. One, she’d do well to avoid. There was no denying this man was the alpha among men and animals alike. He turned to his brother. “What the fuck is she doing here?”
Nishani took an impatient breath. “It’s not his—”
“Does it look like I’m talking to you,” Colton’s brusque tone cut her off. “Rex? I warned you about bringing her anyway near these people.”
“I’m sorry, Colt.”
His gaze downcast, Rex raked a hand through his hair. Suddenly, Nishani understood. The relationship between these two was more like a father and son than two brothers. Despite the discovery, Colton’s attitude sucked.
“Take her back. Now,” Colton ordered.
As he turned to walk away, Nishani stepped in front of him. So close, she glimpsed the black flecks in the gray irises. “I’m not going anywhere,” she snapped. Colton’s eyes narrowed. The air crackled with an intensity that could light up the entire city. Adrenaline gushed furiously through her veins, her senses conscious of the threat his aloof stance radiated. She stood her ground.
“If you want to fuck with your life, go right ahead and break the fucking rules, but you’ll regret putting my brother's life in danger. I’m not your fucking friend.” His taunting glare provoked a reaction before he stormed off.
Nishani’s body shook in anger. How dare he? Who the fuck did the man think he was? Breathing hard, she barely managed to keep from shouting at his back. That wasn’t how she retaliated. Insulted, she left Rex to lick his wounds. At the bar, she ordered three rounds of tequila. The first two went down quickly—the burn precisely what she needed.
When she lifted the third glass to her lips, Nishani shifted her gaze to find Colton watching her. His stare, intense and unfriendly—a stark contrast to the smiling faces around him. With a cheeky arch of her brow, she lifted her glass, toasted him, and tossed back the third shot, not caring what he thought. His demeanor may be unsettling or downright scary to some, but soon, he’d learn that she feared no one.
Several minutes later, her upset tummy reminded her that three shots of tequila, one after the other on an empty stomach, wasn’t a good idea. She needed air. Making her way toward the patio door, she searched the room for Rex. Unable to find him, she opened the door and stepped outside into a dimly lit pool deck. Nishani took a deep breath, fanned her face, and paced the concrete floor for a couple of seconds before her tummy settled.
“Ain’t you a pretty little thing.”
She stopped pacing and turned. Two men hidden in the shadow of the eaves above pushed away from the wall. They moved into the light. One tall and lean and the other shorter and rounder, they both eyed her with lust saturated gazes. Great. Just what I need. Laurel and Hardy mimic—two clowns to offload her anger.
“Are you hot, sweetheart. Maybe I can do something about that.” Douche number one neared her, his smile as smarmy as his words.
Nishani grinned and dropped her gaze. The paunch straining the buttons of his shirt spoke to his sexy, toned body beneath. Not. “Thank you, but I don’t think you have what I want.”
“I’ve got exactly what you need.” He gripped his crotch and squeezed.
Oh, god, these were the best to fuck with—arrogant asses that thought of themselves as God’s gift to women. She clenched her fingers in anticipation.
“Hey, Dino. Wait. She’s Black’s latest bitch.” Douche number two stepped forward.
Her head jerked in disbelief. “I’m nobody’s bitch, asshole.”
The grip on her arm came as a surprise. She glanced down as Douche number one tightened his hold. Nishani looked up when he said, “I’m sure we can change that, sweetheart.”
The sneer on his lips made her want to vomit the tequila—a serious waste of good alcohol. “Whatever it is, I’m not buying. I’m flat out broke,” her words confused him, and he quickly shifted his gaze to Douche number two.
“Hurry the fuck up, man, and save some of that sweet pussy for me. I’ll keep watch,” Douche number two muttered.
Nishani took advantage of the distraction. Everything happened so quickly that both men hadn’t a clue what was coming. With the grace of an eagle swooping in for the kill, she kneed the man in his balls. Howling like a pitiful dog, he grabbed his crotch and dropped to the floor. Using the high heel of her shoe, she punctured a hole in his stomach. Blood spread rapidly across his tummy. Stunned, Douche number two took a second to react. As he advan
ced, Nishani turned away. And in the perfect arabesque, her junior high ballet teacher would’ve been proud of; she lifted the leg extended behind her and kicked the man in his jaw. She didn’t miss the faint cracking sound that told her she’d fractured or dislocated either the man’s jawbone or nose. He fell over, slamming his back hard against the paving.
Grinning, she toed Douche number one. “Who’s the bitch now, asshole.” Still clutching his crotch, he merely grunted.
“What the fuck?”
Nishani glanced up at the sound of Rex’s curse. The Black brothers stood at the door—their faces comical masks of surprise.
Rex was the first to speak. “Damn, girl. When I said beautiful and crazy, I should’ve added kick-ass too.”
An impatient snort behind him drew her gaze to Colton’s hardened features. That didn’t take long.
“What the hell happened here?” he asked—his tone filled with undisguised anger.
“I don’t appreciate people touching me without my permission,” she replied, and the odd look he gave her kept her guessing as to the thoughts churning inside that handsome skull. He could at least praise her for once. Maybe he needed a good fuck. That ought to make him smile—probably not. Maybe he scowled when he fucked too. She laughed at her audacious thoughts and earned another glare.
“And you were worried about her safety?” Rex glanced at his brother and laughed.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” The voice behind Nishani made her turn with the two brothers.
She eyed the new arrival and the three men behind him. Decked out in a white tux and jelled, silver hair complimented by darkly tanned skin, the man exuded arrogance. Nishani put him around sixty plus, yet he carried his height well. Even though she hadn’t a clue who he was, something about him didn’t sit well with her. She’d met his type before—men who expected people to bow before them.
Rex, she noticed, stepped to his brother’s side as did Brody, who’d followed the older man and his goons outside. Her gaze automatically sought Colton’s taut features. The scorn he’d bestowed on her couldn’t compare to the undisguised aversion he lavished on the newcomer. There was hate there and history, no doubt. Now, she was curious.
AS IF NISHI’S DISAPPEARING act wasn’t enough to deal with, the added burden of his arch enemy’s appearance, aggravated Colton. “What the fuck are you doing here, DeLuca?” he demanded.
“Come now, Colt. Is that any way to greet an old friend. It’s been ages.”
“Fuck off and take your sorry excuse for bodyguards with you.” He pointed to the two idiots Nishi had beaten up. A definite surprise indeed. Nothing had prepared him for that confrontation when he and Rex had come out looking for her.
“These men are bodyguards? Damn, I pity the soul they guard.”
Fuck. Colton glared at her. Nishi’s sarcasm caught DeLuca’s attention. That was trouble with a capital fucking T. Could the woman not act like a meek little guest? Just once.
“Why, Colt. It seems you’ve found yourself a gem,” DeLuca took a step toward Nishi and mechanically, Rex blocked his advance. “Oh, my mistake. Is she yours, Rex?” The old man stared at Nishi over Rex’s shoulder. “Did you do this to my men, cariño?”
“So, what if I did, old man?” she remarked, her tone sarcastic.
“My, my, what a feisty little thing you are.”
Colton had the insane desire to take her over his knee and spank some silence into her. DeLuca loved women, especially women he couldn’t have, and in the time Colton had spent at the old man’s side, he learned one glaring lesson. DeLuca always got what he wanted. “Leave her the fuck alone, DeLuca.”
Colton glanced away as Brody stepped forward, his intent simple. Colton shook his head. This situation could go awry quickly. And with Rex and Nishi here, DeLuca wouldn’t hesitate to use them to his advantage. Rex breathed hard. If Colton knew his brother, Rex was spoiling for a fight, and so was Brody. They’d outnumber DeLuca and his men easily, but this was Enzo’s party. Colton respected the man enough not to let a simple fight get out of hand in his back yard. They could take this somewhere else.
“What a beautiful creature you are. You’d make a fine specimen for my growing catalog. A little older, but you’re too damn beautiful to ignore. On second thoughts, I might just keep you for myself. Lock you up in a cage. What do you say, cariño?”
DeLuca’s arrogance filled Colton with a rage he was trying hard to control. He clenched his fingers, nails biting into his palms. To his surprise, Nishi sidestepped Rex and neared DeLuca.
“Sure, baby.” There was an eerie sweetness to her smile, and for just a beat, Colton wondered about her identity before she added, “Let me just say one thing, though. The last men who considered me gorgeous enough to keep caged, it probably took their families months to find the pieces to reunite their bodies for an open casket burial.”
He’d seen and done loads of fucked up shit in his life and was hardly ever caught off-guard. But at that moment, the words spilling out of her mouth shocked the fuck out of him. The deadly defiance told him she wasn’t lying. His gaze locked with hers. Colton read the mixture of hot and cold—of someone who’d lost a lot more than they had to lose. She was a woman with a mission. And whatever it was, her revenge wasn’t finished.
DeLuca’s maniac laugh slithered over Colton and sliced through that little learning pulling his gaze. “Oh, I like you. I like you very much. And what I like I want. Gorgeous and lethal. Trust me when I say this, I will have—”
“Fuck off, DeLuca, before I make you regret stepping out here,” Colton snapped.
The old man turned away from Nishi, offered him a cynical smile, and went back inside with his three goons in tow. Colton raked a hand through his hair, muttered a frustrated curse then turned his icy stare on Nishi. “Do you have any fucking idea what you’ve just done? You’re a lot more trouble than you’re worth.”
“What—”
“Take her back now, Rex.” Colton barked.
He turned and walked away, but not before she asked his brother, “What the hell, Rex. Why is he so angry? I was just protecting myself.”
“It’s his story to tell, Nishi. C’mon, let’s go.”
Colton glanced over his shoulder and snagged Nishi’s gaze as she followed Rex. He could practically see the questions roiling behind those curious blue eyes. “For fuck sakes,” he cursed. Brody grinned. “The men I deal with won’t dare to look me in the eye, but this woman. Jesus Christ, she’s got the brass balls to start world war fucking three.”
Colton paced the deck. Anger bounced off his body. No one, not even Rex, challenged him as she did, and goddammit enraged him to the point where the only thing crossing his mind right now was to fuck some sense into her. DeLuca might be fucked up, but he was right. The woman was beautiful and held a definite air of mystery. Against Colton’s better judgment, it was beginning to intrigue him a little too much. Enzo approached and put an end to his musings.
Chapter Eleven
“ARE YOU THREATENING me?” Colton roared his anger just below the red line to boiling. He stood in the office of the club he owned, having allowed Finn, DeLuca’s son, in for a meeting. Only, it wasn’t going down as Finn expected. Colton had no intention of giving into DeLuca’s demands.
“I’m just stating the facts. Exactly what DeLuca asked me to deliver. You can take the message any way you damn well please—”
Colton flew across the floor and laid a solid right fist to Finn’s jaw. The man staggered back against the wall. “I’ve been where you are, Finn. Don’t fuck with people you don’t know. Do you honestly think I give a shit what DeLuca wants?”
Finn straightened and wiped the trickle of blood at his lip. The other three men that accompanied him stepped toward Colton. Finn held up his hand to stop them. “You would be wise not to resist the old man.”
“A piece of advice, Finn. The waterfront property is not up for sale, now or ever. Tell DeLuca he fucked with the wrong man when
he went after Lazarus to help him screw me over.”
The other man’s eyes flared in surprise. “You knew?”
Colton uttered a dry laugh. “There’s little I don’t know about this city. DeLuca might consider himself the Godfather for all I care. But, I’m the one in charge here. Everything is under my control, and soon DeLuca will fuck up and lose his throne. He’ll bow before me.”
“You’ve got balls, Colt, I’ll give you that, but you don’t know the old man.”
“And you do?” Colton shook his head. What was wrong with the newfound jackasses that played second fiddle to their bosses? Why did they always seem to think they knew everything? Just like Lazarus. One step forward and nine steps back, straight into the grave.
“Look, my father’s giving you a week to change your mind, then he’s going to come at you with everything. Just give him the damn waterfront and call quits on this feud.”
“Get the fuck out of my office, Finn before I forget we were once friends and stick your head so far up your ass, you’d be licking your cock inside out.” He glared at the other man.
“Fine. I’m going. Dad figured you’d be hard-assed about this whole thing, so he asked me to warn you. He’s taking that pretty pussy you’re shacking up with.”
Ice crystallized in his veins. His lips thinned as Brody entered the office. Colton had expected this since DeLuca laid eyes on Nishi. The old man loved pussy to the point where it could be his downfall. “The hell you’re taking her anywhere.”
“I don’t need your permission, Colt. Dad wants her, and he wants her now. He always gets what he wants. You of all people know that.” The man’s steely tone made no difference to Colton. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
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