“Yes, it will, but you enjoyed it, you’re an independent woman, and you put on the brakes before you wound up as another notch in their military belts. Did anyone see you making out with them?”
“I don’t think so, why?”
“Because, you know how things work around here, and if someone saw, then others will find out and then question intentions. Women who come into town looking for action don’t get the same respect or protection as the ones living here who abide by the rules. If by chance Vacarro and Basile want to pursue this with you, and make a public show of affection, then Cesar will be asking you, and then them about their position. Spartan will, too.”
Talia widened her eyes and thought about Cesar and Spartan. If they did find out, then they would definitely call her. Probably warn her or God forbid, push protection from the men on her because of her past and the situation with Barishna.
“No. No one saw, and if someone did, they better mind their goddamn business,” she stated firmly as reality came crashing into her heart, head, and body. The wall was up.
“It was fun, they’re good kissers, but it was obvious they were after sex. I’m not interested in that, nor do I need the complications of that either. It would be one thing if we didn’t live in the same town, have the same friends and saw each other often. So forget it. No need to talk about it anymore. Nothing will happen again. Nothing,” she said and then downed the rest of her drink.
Marianna nodded, and thank goodness she didn’t push. They instead started talking about self-defense training and the benefits and options as to where to go.
* * * *
Tat walked over to where Talia was talking to her friend Marianna. He had found out that the guys who harassed her weren’t from town. He got a call from Cesar, who found out about Talia’s physical encounter and was concerned for her well-being. He asked Tat to keep eyes on her, and even escort her to her car, maybe follow her home to ensure she was safe. Tat wondered why he was acting so worried and concerned. It was obvious the woman had skills.
He approached, saw Marianna’s eyes widen, and he wondered why as he tapped Talia on the shoulder.
Talia turned and looked up at him with those gorgeous blue eyes of hers, seemingly happy and then instantly annoyed.
“How is your hand?” he asked her.
“Listen, I’m not interested. I’m not going to be some piece of ass you take home tonight and share with your team. I know you’re all badass soldiers who can pick and choose the women you want to sleep with, but don’t go pointing this way. Go away and try picking up some other woman,” she said, shocking him and turning around.
Her friend, Marianna, looked shocked, but then she held a firm expression, too.
“What are you talking about? I came over to check on your hand and because—”
“Listen, just because I was stupid enough to let my guard down for a few minutes and make out with Vacarro and Basile doesn’t mean I’m easy or interested in having sex with all of you. Now please, we know a lot of the same people and I don’t want there to be any—”
“Wait,” he demanded and held up his hand for her to stop talking. She was babbling a mile a minute.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You made out with two of my men, Vacarro and Basile? Tonight?” he asked.
Her face went completely white.
“I don’t think he knew,” Marianna said and then worried her bottom lip.
Talia slid off the bar stool and ran her hand over her mouth. She then reached out to touch his arm and fire. He felt an instant attraction, and his mind went to his men, to them kissing her, and holy fuck he could hardly think, but then that got him pissed, especially as she pulled her hand away—as if touching him stung her or something— took a step back, and bumped into the stool, which Marianna had to grab or it would have toppled over.
His expression had to be fierce. He was angry, aroused, confused, and holy crap, suddenly he was eyeing this beauty over and thinking crazy thoughts.
“Okay, so this is getting really awkward and I know I’m making a mess of things so let’s just forget what I said, and part ways, okay?” she said and turned away.
He grabbed her arm, and she turned back to look up at him, and he knew he appeared fierce and commanding.
“First of all, I came over here to check on you. Cesar asked me to and to make sure that I walked you out tonight and followed you home.”
“That won’t be necessary,” she replied.
“He says otherwise, and I plan on doing just that.”
“I think not,” she countered.
“Young lady, do I seem like the kind of man who’s going to take no for an answer when there’s something I’m in charge of doing? I think not. You let me know when you’re leaving. I’ll follow you out, then follow you home.”
“No,” she said to him.
He stepped closer and closed the space between them. He placed his hand on her hip, and she was pressed back against the bar. He leaned closer and whispered into her ear, which nearly backfired on him because she smelled so good. “I was given an order, one I will complete. Now unless you’d prefer me to toss your sexy little ass over my shoulder and drag you out of here kicking and screaming, might I suggest you obey my orders.” His lips touched her ear, and she shivered. He felt it and knew she was feeling an attraction, too.
He slowly pulled back, looked down into her wide, stunning blue eyes. The woman was classy, sexy but capable.
“I’ll be over there. You let me know when you’re ready.” He then looked at Marianna, gave her a nod, and he walked away.
He headed to the bar where Spadaro stood watching him, eyes squinted.
“What is that all about?” he asked him, as Vacarro and Basile remained facing forward.
“Why don’t you ask Vacarro and Basile?” Tat said and accepted the bottle of beer Basile handed him.
“What?” Spadaro asked.
“Nothing,” Vacarro replied.
“Oh no, it isn’t nothing. You two made out with that woman, made her think you wanted to take her home for sex, what the fuck happened?” Tat asked.
“You did what?” Spadaro asked.
“We kissed. It happened,” Vacarro stated.
“Both of you did,” Tat said.
“So what? Look at her. She’s fucking hot,” Vacarro replied.
“Don’t even go there. She isn’t some bimbo. You can’t tell me you guys don’t know the difference, don’t see what could happen here,” Tat said.
“What could happen? We made out with her. It was good, and it ended. She declined more pleasure from us,” Vacarro said.
“Yeah that really pissed her off,” Basile said to Vacarro.
“I couldn’t think straight. It was a first for me.”
“Tongue-tied? You?” Spadaro asked.
“Bro, you don’t know how good she tastes, how her scent is all-consuming, and the attraction…fuck, I won’t lie, I wanted to take her home to share,” Vacarro told them.
“Whoa, no women being brought home ever. We don’t commit. Our lives are the military, SOJ, and the next mission. No fucking strings attached, no women holding us back and making us vulnerable and weak,” Spadaro stated.
“You didn’t kiss her,” Basile said.
“You didn’t feel her curves, her toned, hard ass that sticks out just so, and fuck, she is super big up top. You can’t tell me that seeing her throw that perfect right hook didn’t turn you on,” Vacarro stated.
“She’s hot, good-looking, too, but not some one-night stand,” Spadaro stated.
“She sure as shit isn’t,” Tat said and looked over to where she was talking to her other friends who now joined them.
“The kind of woman a man would want again and again,” Tat said.
“Fuck yeah, the kind that could make an already psycho guy even more psycho with jealousy. A woman’s loins are a man’s weakness, and that one over there will bring every one of you down,” Spadaro said to them and then
took a slug from his bottle of Bud Light.
They were silent a moment.
“This is why coming here to this town, taking these positions was risky. We’ve volunteered for every operation thus far, because the others were tied up with their women. That’s what happens. We start thinking of commitments, having a girlfriend, a consistent lover, and then our mind-sets change,” Basile stated.
“Sure as shit do. We’ll weaken, won’t be as badass as we are,” Spadaro added.
“Basile, I wouldn’t go that far. Our reputations stand because of action, experiences, and attitudes. A woman won’t change that one bit, but would make her a target, on all levels. From our fellow soldiers pointing her out as a weakness, or using what she looks like as a way to get under our skin and make us lose our shit,” Vacarro said.
“See, not good,” Tat added.
“Listen, I don’t know what we’re doing talking about this shit. We’re Marines. We serve our country, this organization, and conduct military operations, and especially ones not for the weak. Everything I do, we’ve done, has been with the Corps as our leader, dishing out orders, giving us missions, and it’s our life. Guns, conflict, resolution, fighting, jumping in feet first and not getting dead. If the Marine Corps wanted us to have a woman, a wife, a commitment, then they would have issued us one. That’s my thinking, end of story,” Spadaro said, and then downed the rest of his beer.
They didn’t say another word. They were soldiers through and through. They destroyed evil, saved the innocent, and brought justice to victim’s families. It was a full-time job. If they needed sexual release, then they could find it elsewhere. He’d ask one of the other men to walk her out and follow her home. He wasn’t taking any chances. Women were nothing but trouble.
Chapter Three
“It’s complete. The money is in the account,” Clemsen said and then leaned back in the seat and smiled.
Barishna was looking out the window from the estate in Trento, Italy. He should feel some sort of pride in completing another multimillion dollar deal, but he didn’t. As the cool breeze traveled through the open doorway leading out to the balcony and his land, he thought of her. Of her scent, her beauty, her golden locks, and blue submissive eyes. He longed for the sensations of getting lost inside of that perfect body. A body that would forever belong to him.
He swallowed.
“Anything from the States yet?” he asked, and Clemsen, who had been his right-hand man for many years, shook his head.
“Wherever she is, she is hidden well, and perhaps under a different name,” Sandris added.
Sandris had been his guard, his head of security for the last three years. Sierran was out following leads, more than likely dead-end ones. Along the way, Sierran, a killer, his main security guy for more than ten years and Natalia’s escort whenever Barishna couldn’t be with her, was currently in the US. A week ago, he had found a lead on Natalia’s brother, Nathan. Nathan now had a shadow, someone who would immediately contact Sierran if they spotted Nathan with Natalia.
Barishna had a scowl on his face, he could feel it. Three years had passed. Three, and nothing? No potential leads, and more often than not, Sierran had to stop looking and investigating in order to take someone out, put pressure on businessmen, run surveillance on people of interest, Barishna was conversing with to complete deals. He was Barishna’s heavy, his gun, his force, and his friend. Sierran knew how much Barishna missed Natalia. He also made sure that her father was covered and watched at all times. Not that Darren had the balls or capabilities to trick Barishna. The man feared him. Plus the asshole was easy to watch. Darren Bolchecci spent the majority of his time sailing, bedding young women Natalia’s age, golfing, and recently aiding in making some business introductions for Barishna with a few new businessmen from Switzerland.
Barishna had to give the man some credit there. He had a way about him. He was likable and came across trustworthy even though he would stab his own mother in her back if the payoff was enough. Barishna played him well, too. Darren thought he was being slick, introducing him to his daughter, but Barishna’s eyes had already landed on her a week before, and he hadn’t even known she was Darren’s daughter. No, he wouldn’t have cared whose daughter she was—he just knew that she would be his. She was stunning, sexy, untouched, and a virgin, and if he had been smart, he would have given her a child to bind them forever. Instead, he gave her a scar, and branded her his woman. He wished he had a branding tool of the initials of his family mark, but time wasn’t on his side, and he knew he had to leave her, but he hadn’t figured it would take this long to find her and have her again.
Natalia was exceptional, from her long blond hair with light natural highlights, to her bold blue eyes and perfect posture. She was fit and lean, yet worked out continuously to maintain her incredible body. She had class, intelligence, and sophistication. She loved clothing, jewelry, and even designing. His next job was expanding the design and fabric company she had started creating before their relationship began to turn into a business contract. If she had just obeyed him like he had taught her to, things never would have gotten so out of hand. Apparently Natalia had a stubborn side to her that needed a strong hand and a firm commanding man to set her straight.
Clemsen cleared his throat, bringing Barishna back to the present and the business at hand.
“I heard from Locust and Portros. They have a team ready. Very well trained and prepared to infiltrate that military storage facility you’ve been eyeing for the better part of a year.”
He looked at him, straight-faced, his mind again back to business, although infiltrating that military building was personal. The militia that maintained that compound was the one to invade his home in Italy, where he was forced to leave Talia as his enemies tried to accuse him of ripping off Milton. Milton had been tricked. Evidence had been fake and very well planned out, but it was too late when he and Milton put things together and he proved to Milton that none of the information was true. At that point someone came, a military team, and whisked his woman, Natalia, away from him.
“Are you certain they can pull it off without a hitch? I don’t want any people left behind. If they go in, they better be good enough to eliminate without evidence, and to take everything. I want it all. I want it a ghost facility.”
“They are very, very good at killing. In fact, they live for it, and have a plan prepared, and a group of ten men.”
“Ten? That seems small compared to the sixty plus that will be at the facility, never mind the security on the perimeter,” he replied.
Sandris smirked.
“Oh, they can handle that and some. They’re trained killers, hunters, military strongholds, and no other military-trained individuals could pull this off like they will.”
He took a deep breath and sighed. “Okay. Give them the approval, transfer the fifty grand, and prepare whatever they need. The trucks, the manpower, whatever.”
“Yes, sir,” Sandris said and then bowed his head before he walked out of the room.
Barishna looked at his desk and prepared to work on the next set of plans, an investment into a business he was certain Natalia would love. He would have everything in place for when she was back in his arms, in his bed.
“Sir, the woman is here. Shall we send her to the bedroom to be prepped for play?” Clemsen asked him.
Barishna nodded, and Clemsen walked out of the room. No number of women came close to replacing his Natalia, but they did serve their purpose of letting out his anger, his disappointment in Natalia’s behavior and continuous ability to evade detection. He would find her, and when he did, not only would she be punished, but also her brother, his team, anyone who assisted her would die, and he would make she knew that it was her fault, so that she might never attempt to leave him, to hide from him again.
He undid his tie, the walked toward the closet. He opened it and chose his tool of punishment. The woman who awaited his appearance in the bedroom down the hall didn’t know what
was coming her way, but knew the rules—she would answer to the name Natalia, and she would beg for forgiveness as he took from her body, as he dished out her punishment. All practice, all in preparation for when his Natalia returned to him.
* * * *
“You’re all fired up today. What gives?” Frankie asked Talia while they sparred on the mats.
“I’m fine. Just got a lot of energy,” she said, and thought about how she could have much energy when the last week she had hardly slept and used her vibrator more than she ever had before. Her mind was on four sexy, scary soldiers who somehow invaded her thoughts since the other night. It was stupid. It wasn’t an option, even as she thought about using them for sex.
This wasn’t her fault. It didn’t help that Cesar called to check in on her and ask what happened and if there was something going on between her and the men. Of course she said no way, and that she was in no position to entertain a one-night stand or boyfriend or boyfriends. She was safest single.
Cesar, went into the whole thing about rules of town and behavior that wasn’t acceptable, and then proceeded to tell her about the several different groups of men who had been inquiring about her even before her display of self-defense.
She took a shot at Frankie and then instantly came at him again with a side kick. He almost didn’t block it.
“Damn, woman, didn’t you release enough anger on those three guys at the Filling Station last week?” he asked.
She slowed down and then exhaled, placing her gloved hands on her hips. “The point of training is to be good enough to defend myself and protect myself and perhaps others, is it not?” she snapped at him.
He raised both eyebrows up at her, and she knew she stepped over the line. She was losing her mind. She put the gloves to her face and growled, then fell to the mat, and sat down.
Frankie had his hands on his hips.
“So, who’s the guy?” he asked, and she shot her head up to look at him. He chuckled.
“Damn, he must be something else to get you like this. I mean I never thought I would see the day that you were interested in a guy, not after all the shit and your promise to never—”
Sons of Justice 10 Deliver Us from Evil Page 5
