“No guy. Men are off limits. Dating, even casual sex is off limits. It will lead to—”
“Casual sex? Like a one-night stand? Holy shit, Nathan is going to fucking freak out.”
“Frankie, no!” she scolded and knelt up and threw a right hook at his shoulder.
He protected himself and laughed. “Okay, okay, explain please.”
“No,” she said and then started to take off her red MMA fighting gloves.
He gave her shoulder a shove. “Come on and tell me what went down. I won’t say a word, unless, of course, I need to intervene,” he said and raised one of his eyebrows up at her as he cocked his head sideways.
“Not necessary,” she added.
“I know it’s tough, having to pretend you’re someone else, feel like you need to hide from everything, even connections and emotions, but it’s been three years now, two since moving here to Repose, and you have protection. If there’s a guy you like.”
“No. No, Frankie, you know what I went through. You know more than I even wanted anyone to know, and only because Cole is your cousin, you’re here in town, and he’s part of Nathan’s team. You’re family.”
“Exactly, sweetie. I’m family, and family is supposed to be there for one another. Now explain what happened so I can understand whether or not you’re angry because you’re sexually frustrated or you have feelings for a man and you think you can’t act on them because of the danger.”
“Sexually frustrated, huh?”
“Baby, I know what that is like. My team and I haven’t been with a woman in more than a year. Hmm,” he said to her, eyeing her over then caressing her thigh. “Maybe we can help one another out, and that would solve the problem.”
She shoved him, and he fell over onto his back, laughing.
“You are such an ass. Really?” she asked.
He leaned up on his elbows. “Hey, I’m just lightening up the mood. I wouldn’t sleep with my friend’s sister unless you really needed me for my body.”
“Oh brother, you’re relentless. See, that’s why we can’t talk about things like this.” She went to get up, and he gripped her wrist. She fell back down.
“Okay, I’m not teasing anymore. Let’s talk. I’m here for you, you know that. I’ve taken your safety, your training, everything seriously. What’s the deal?” he asked her, so she explained exactly what happened last week and watched his eyes narrow, then the smirks, and then he got serious again.
“What do you know about these four soldiers?”
“They’re part of Sons of Justice.”
His eyes widened. “Damn.”
“It gets worse, really, because they have got to be the meanest, scariest soldiers I have ever met or laid eyes on. I mean, a lot of teams, the soldiers, and men around Repose are intimidating and hard-core, but these four have something wrong with them.”
“Wrong with them?”
“Yeah, like screws loose crazy. Like if someone showed them a cute little puppy, they could totally just walk by and not even take a second glance, never mind pet it.”
He chuckled. “What the hell are you talking about?”
She exhaled. “They’re mean and big, like over six feet three, with tattoos and muscles and piss-poor attitudes, and their tones of voice, their commanding ways freak people out.”
“Freak you out,” he said.
“Hell yeah. I could see them strike like so fast they would put a rattlesnake to shame.”
He chuckled again. “Love these analogies. How about positives about them?”
“None,” she said and stood up.
He jumped up without using his hand, like some superior martial artist.
“Positives, now what do you like about them?”
“I didn’t say I like them.”
“You don’t have to—it’s in your tone and how you talk about them.”
“Not true. We’re discussing four men I met who I plan on staying far away from and for good reason. I’m not exactly legit here. My last name is fake.”
“For security purposes, but the two men who could enforce some law or bring you down for that, Spartan and Cesar, are on your side and know what you’re doing in Repose and why, so I wouldn’t even think about that. If you were to get seriously involved with any man, or men,” he said and raised his eyebrows up and down, “then they would need to be informed of the situation and the danger you’re in.”
She shook her head.
“No, that’s exactly why I won’t get involved with anyone. Besides, none of this is smart planning. I could have to leave at a moment’s notice and then what? With men like them, their capabilities, stubbornness, need to be in charge, they would try to find me, and they would be in danger, too.”
“So you like them so much you’re concerned about putting them in danger? Sounds like they could not only handle it, but also potentially be a good fit in protecting you.”
“No. No, no, no. I am not going to be assigned guardians and have men ordered to be my protectors and then push their way into my bed. No. If I want to have sex again, then I’ll just do it, no strings attached. I’ll pick up some guy out of town.”
“No, you won’t because that isn’t you at all. You have class, an air of wealth and upper class about you. You’re intelligent, strong-willed, and determined, plus a survivor. You don’t spread your legs because you’re horny. You’re sweet, and that asshole tried to take that sweetness away from you.”
She stared at Frankie as tears filled her eyes.
“Maybe he did take it away. Maybe there isn’t more left.”
Frankie pursed his lips and then shook his head. He reached out and placed his hand on her hip. He stroked up along her tattoo that hid her scar that Barishna inflicted as a show of branding her.
“You are still the same strong, smart, determined woman you were. Now you have scars, experiences, battle wounds that no one can minimize or take away, but they help you to stay focused on what you want and deserve in life. Love, happiness, safety, and even pleasure. This town, Repose, and the people who come here and live here are all so very special. Different circumstances can bring even the loneliest, most untrusting of people together and complete them. I’ve seen it many times. I’ve longed for it myself with my team and finding the right woman. Just see what happens, and perhaps you can finally have that happiness you truly deserve and that feeling of home you’ve longed for but haven’t felt.”
“I don’t think it’s in the cards for me, Frankie. I’m not going to entertain this. I just need to stay focused and live my life for me, and me only. Letting anyone close enough to hurt me both physically and mentally is unacceptable to me. I can’t do it. I can’t let down that guard. I don’t want to,” she said and a tear fell. She quickly wiped it away, but then Frankie gripped her hip, brought her into his arms, and hugged her tight.
“It will be fine, baby. You’ve healed so much and have grown so much in strength and determination. When the time is right, it will happen,” he said and squeezed her to him.
She squeezed him back and then exhaled as he looked down at her.
“So, how about lunch? You can tell me about these friends of yours who may need training,” he asked her.
“I’ve been trying to get Marianna, Tiana, and Avana to come.”
“Well, keep trying so that they can get some self-defense training skills. I’ll be here. Would love to meet them and help them. So let’s get washed up and then head out.”
“Sounds good to me, especially that it’s your treat,” she said and smiled. Then they prepared to leave his house and the gym he had set up in the barn outside.
* * * *
“What does he want to meet and talk about, another mission?” Spadaro asked Tat.
Tat took a sip from his glass of ice tea as he, Spadaro, Vacarro, and Basile waited for their lunch order to arrive.
“Seems that way,” Tat replied.
“We just got back from a six-week borderline shitshow, man. Doesn�
�t Spartan realize we need a little reprieve from getting shot at?” Vacarro asked as he played with the rim of his glass.
“It must be something important and up our alley, because he wants to meet this afternoon.”
“Shit,” Vacarro said and then turned toward the doorway.
“Whoa,” Vacarro whispered, and of course that got all their attention.
Spadaro turned at what caught his brother-in-arm’s eyes, and he was affected, too. Talia entered the café with some tall, fit-looking guy with tattoos and his hand at her waist. She wore loose-fitting black joggers, a matching waist-length black hoodie, and what appeared to be only a sports bra in blue underneath. He saw her ripped abs and the tattoos along her hip as she turned, because she spotted them too and now glanced up at the guy she was with. She zipped her hoodie up higher and then grabbed onto the guy’s arm. The guy lowered his eyes as she whispered to him, and then he stared right at them. So she told him about them? Why?
The waitress greeted Talia and the guy, grabbing their attention.
Spadaro watched Talia smile and nod her head, and the guy she was with placed his arm around her shoulders as they walked right toward them. “Talia,” Basile greeted her, and she gave a little wave.
“Hi, guys, enjoy your lunch,” she said and pulled the guy she was with along. They each eyed that guy over, the guy stared right at each of them, and when Spadaro looked back at his brothers, they were pissed.
This was why it was a no-no to get involved with any woman or have strong feelings for one. It fucked with their heads, and a lot of women were sneaky and liked to cause trouble. Seemed to him that Talia was no different.
“So, what time are we meeting Spartan?” Spadaro asked Tat.
Basile and Vacarro were practically growling, their pissed-off expressions even scaring the waitress as she brought over their lunch orders and then got no response when she asked if they needed anything else. Obviously his brothers were jealous. This wasn’t good at all.
Spadaro had good hearing, so he overheard the guy inquire about him and the team and say “so that’s them?” He had a feeling that maybe she wasn’t romantically involved with the guy but pretended to be in order to avoid them. Why was he even thinking about this, listening in, or feeling affected?
“Okay, let’s finish up and get the fuck out of here,” he said, feeling antsy now and like he knew something more was coming, but he didn’t want to face it or entertain it.
“No, we wait,” Tat said, and his eyes were on Talia.
“Fuck, Tat, come on. This is a dead end. It’s not a smart move at all.”
Tat looked at the others.
“I’m not doing anything but enjoying lunch,” he said and picked up a fry and ate it.
Spadaro knew that look. Hell, he glanced at Vacarro and Basile, and they looked ready to throw fists.
“Fuck,” he said, and exhaled and then started to eat his burger.
* * * *
“You weren’t fucking kidding about them, Talia. They want to kill me,” he said to her.
“See what I mean? Fierce, crazy, complete psychos, and I don’t need it,” she said, but she couldn’t stop looking at them. At how they took up the entire space where they sat. A table for six and they were four crammed in there. Maybe it was just how they appeared, so big, dominant, and unapproachable. She wasn’t sure, but it was difficult to eat her salad.
“I have to head back. I have a session in thirty minutes.”
“Oh, okay, then let’s go.”
“I thought you had some errands to run in town?”
“I do. I have to hit the post office, too. I have a package waiting for me.”
“Okay then. Let’s go. Do you want me to hold your hand, kiss your cheek, or whisper sweet nothings in your ear?” he teased.
“No. I don’t care what they think,” she said as she stood up.
“Sure you don’t,” he said and paid the bill, and they stood. So did the men.
As they walked outside, Tat, Vacarro, Basile, and Spadaro were right behind them.
“So I’ll talk to you later and see you tomorrow?” Frankie asked her.
“Yes. Thanks for lunch,” she said to him.
“Any time, baby,” he said kind of loudly and then kissed her cheek.
When he gave her a hug and slid his palm along her ass, she tightened up. “Just in case you change your mind about them,” he whispered, then looked behind her. He gave a nod of his chin. “Can I help you?” he asked.
She turned around, and Frankie placed his hands on her shoulders.
She saw Tat, Basile, and Vacarro, but Spadaro remained back a few feet.
“Wanted to check on your hand and make sure that you’re feeling okay,” Tat said to her.
“Oh, I’m doing fine. No problems with it.”
“None whatsoever,” Frankie said and then stepped from around her.
“I’m Frankie, and you guys are?”
“Tat,” Tat said and shook Frankie’s hand.
“Vacarro,” Vacarro said and shook his hand next, but boy did he give Frankie the look of death.
When Basile shook his hand, he must have squeezed it extra hard, but Frankie held his own.
Frankie looked at Spadaro, but Spadaro didn’t say a word. Even she swallowed hard and felt scared shitless.
“Well, it’s nice of you to ask about her hand. She’s fine though. Hasn’t affected that right hook of hers or her moves on the mat,” Frankie said and gave her a wink. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Why would it?” she asked him.
“You were a little wild today,” he said, and made it sound like it was something sexual.
“Didn’t you say you have another session shortly?” she asked. He smiled so wide she blushed. He would assume she liked these guys now that she was trying to get rid of him.
“I’ll call you later.”
“Okay.” He looked at the men. “Nice meeting you,” he said and then walked down the street to his car.
“Nice guy. Boyfriend?” Vacarro asked her.
She shook her head and stared up at them.
“Good,” Basile said kind of sharply.
She squinted at him. “Listen, I don’t want any trouble,” she said and started to turn away, but Vacarro grabbed her hand.
“Good, we don’t want any unnecessary trouble either,” he said and pulled her close.
In an instant her body heated up, her nipples hardened, and oh boy, the four men surrounded her. “What are you doing?” she asked Vacarro.
“Cutting through the bullshit,” he said.
“Walking with you through town to talk,” Tat added, and they started walking.
“Got errands to run?” Basile asked her.
She was shocked, confused, and well, out of sorts, really. They were so pushy and demanding.
“Uhm, no offense, but I don’t need escorts to walk through town. As I’m sure you realized the other night, I’m quite capable of taking care of myself,” she said to them.
“Let’s not talk about the other night, unless you want to reenact outside on the patio with Vacarro and I,” Basile said, shocking her and instantly making her blush. She lowered her eyes and was at a complete loss for words.
She turned to face them, all of them, looking down at her sneakers and trying to gain some control and some strength here, feeling her body shake. They towered over her and made a small semicircle around her. Their eyes, so dark, mysterious, stared at her, looked over her body, making it react. It wasn’t fair or right, and she felt so overheated, but she wouldn’t take off her light hoodie she wore to cover up the cutoff sports top. “Why are you doing this to me? What do you want?” she asked them.
“To be friends,” Tat said to her, but his expression was still unreadable.
Then they heard a gasp and a horn honk, and right behind her, an older lady fell down and dropped her bag of groceries, and they all hurried to assist.
* * * *
Tat watched
as Talia lowered down and reached for the old lady along with Basile. Vacarro was yelling at the guy in the truck who nearly hit her, and Spadaro was with him.
The guy in the truck was exchanging words with Vacarro and cursing him and Spadaro out, but then Spadaro had the guy out of the truck and up against it, as police showed up. It was Cesar and another patrol car with an officer.
“Are you okay? Did you hit your head? Where are you hurt?” Basile asked the old lady, who was visibly upset, shaking, crying, and not speaking.
Cesar went over. “What happened?” he asked, and Tat explained as he checked on the woman.
“Mrs. Fomaglia, are you okay?” he asked her, talking slowly.
The woman started to speak in another language. Was that Italian? Cesar squinted, and the older lady put her hand on her side, by her, leg, but neither Cesar nor the others understood the woman.
“La mia gamba, il mio ginocchio.”
“Her leg, by her knee she said,” Talia stated.
“Dove sei ferito?” Talia asked the woman, and then the woman smiled, and the two of them began speaking back and forth in Italian.
Cesar smiled, and Tat was shocked hearing not only Talia speaking in Italian but also how beautiful it sounded. She was fluent in it. They helped Mrs. Fomaglia up, Basile on one side and Talia on the other.
“We’ll get you over to the doctor’s office and call your niece Annalisa,” Cesar said to the woman.
“Can you tell her that for me?” Cesar asked Talia, and Talia spoke to the woman in Italian, and the woman smiled, nodded, and tapped Talia’s hand. The police and Cesar handled the situation.
“Thanks for the help, Talia, men,” he said to them and then gave Tat a wink before he helped Mrs. Fomaglia onto the bench nearby.
Dr. Nevin Cortland came over after hearing about the accident to see if he could help. It was the perfect example of the kind of town Repose was and how so many people were willing and ready to assist. Talia didn’t leave until she was certain the older woman was okay.
Sons of Justice 10 Deliver Us from Evil Page 6
