by Mia Knight
She was trying to place a vaguely familiar face in the crowd when she spotted George Wotherton disappear down a hallway beside the stage. She tensed. There was probably a bathroom back there, but… she elbowed Angel.
“Move,” she hissed.
“What?”
“Move. I have to check on something.”
He held up stained hands. “I’m almost done. I’ll go with you to the bathroom.”
“It may be too late—move!”
Angel stood with his hands in front of him. She grabbed her purse and walked down the middle of the room to avoid the Black Vipers. She wasn’t sure if the current leader, Maddog, knew that her father killed his over fifteen years ago, but she wasn’t taking the chance. As she rounded the stage, she reached into her purse and felt the reassuring weight of her gun. She flipped the safety off and paused in a hallway that was just as filthy and damaged as the rest of the place. The lights flickered. A minute later, a door at the end of the hall opened, and George Wotherton appeared, dragging one of the nude dancers under one arm. He raised his head and noticed her standing there.
“Carmen Pyre,” he said with a jovial smile and continued toward her.
She pulled out her gun. “Put her down, George.”
“Why?”
“What’d you do to her?”
“Just a little roofie. She agreed. I gave her one hundred dollars.”
She blocked the entrance to the bathroom. “Give her to me.”
George frowned. “She’s willing.”
“No.”
He wore gold spectacles, a signet ring on his finger, and an oatmeal-colored suit. One would mistake him for a civilized gentleman if it wasn’t for the unconscious naked woman he had tucked under his arm like an old jacket.
He focused on her breasts. “You took out your implants? That’s a shame.”
Just being near him made her skin crawl. Between wife two and three, George approached her at a party and asked if she would be interested in a mistress or wife position for ten million. She had been too stunned to respond appropriately. His utter gall left her speechless then and now. “Fuck you, George.”
“I wish. You know I’ve always wanted you. Have you fallen on hard times?” he asked hopefully.
“No!”
“Damn shame.” He scanned her with a leer. “Still a knockout, I see.”
“Give her to me.”
“I paid for her.”
He sounded like a spoiled child. He was talking about fucking a person as casually as if he wanted the last cookie on a plate. A chill ran up her spine. “Give.”
He glared at her. “What are you gonna do about it?”
“George.”
Angel’s voice carried over the relentless beat of music that matched her heartbeat. Angel’s voice was harder and deeper than it had been when he spoke to her a minute ago. George tensed as Angel looked from him to the unconscious woman in his arms.
“Put her back, George,” Angel said.
George’s rat eyes darted from her to Angel and back to the woman in his arms.
“George.” He ducked his head as if Angel yelled. “Now.”
George nodded and turned to take the woman back to the room at the end of the hall. He muttered under his breath as he went. Her attention was captured by the girl’s feet which flopped from side to side as George dragged her. She put her gun in her purse as Angel went into the bathroom to wash his hands. She counted under her breath. Just as she started down the hall, George appeared in the hallway, wiping his face. It took her only a moment to figure out what he’d done.
“You dirty old fuck!”
George scowled at her. “I left her the hundred.”
“But you licked her.”
He shrugged. “She would’ve let me do much worse.”
“You—”
Angel grasped her hand. “Fuck on your time, not mine, George. We clear?”
George’s hands wove through the air. “You were eating and…”
“And it’s still my time. You think I would have delayed the festivities until you finished fucking?”
“You’re right, Roman. Quite right. I apologize.”
George scurried ahead of them as they walked down the hallway.
“Angel,” she began.
“Not now,” he said quietly.
They walked into the bar, and this time, she felt every single eye on them. As Angel made his way through the crowd, the music stopped. She tensed, but Angel gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before he stepped aside so she could slide into the booth. The dancers gave dazzling smiles before they teetered off stage. A foreboding, buzzing silence filled the room. Her skin prickled. The strobe lights shut off, and normal lights came on around the bar, flickering and fucking with her eyes. All heads turned in their direction, and as she eyed the men, she realized that this hole in the wall bar was filled with the most dangerous and influential men in the city. Anyone with ties to the underworld was here. Enemies, former allies, and the many, many questionable ones who flip-flopped sides on a whim. Whatever happened in Hell had brought even the Black Vipers out of the woodworks. Lecherous, greedy, soulless eyes focused on her. She resisted the urge to pull out her gun.
Angel leaned back against the table and looked around the room. “I’m Angel Roman, but you all know that. The war between Gavin and Vega is finished, but you know that as well.” Angel grinned. “Some of you came to plead your allegiance, others are here to assess whether they can take me, and the rest of you…” He scanned the room slowly, taking his time, letting the tension increase with each passing second. “The rest of you are here to see what I’m going to offer for allegiance.”
A soundless murmur went through the crowd, but she couldn’t make out any words or where it was coming from. Angel clapped his hands together. If she wasn’t holding herself so still, she might have flinched. Two lawyers and one of George’s sons-in-law jolted. The Black Vipers gave them disdainful sneers.
Angel spread his hands wide. “I’m not offering you shit for your loyalty.”
Maddog, the leader of the Black Vipers, stirred. “You expect loyalty for nothing in return?”
“Yes.”
The bikers weren’t the only ones who muttered under their breath. There were infinitesimal shifts as the occupants glanced at one another. Angel began to walk around the room. She wanted to grab the back of his jacket to keep him by her side, but she stayed where she was. Any show of weakness would tip the scales. She slipped her hand into her purse and gripped her tiny gun and maintained an “I don’t give a shit” expression that she hoped passed muster. Her senses were dangerously elevated to match the danger saturating the room. She was sure the guy at the next booth could hear her heart racing.
“Why would any of us agree to that?” Maddog asked.
“Because you don’t have a choice,” Angel said without looking directly at him. He clapped a man on the back who sported two black eyes and a split lip. “Tommy, I’m glad you made it.”
Angel weaved through the tables, almost as if he was counting heads.
“What happened to Pyre?” a lawyer asked.
“He’s out.”
“Why?”
“Family.”
“Pussy whipped,” someone muttered.
Angel stopped in his tracks and turned to face a table of three. He slid his hands into his pockets as he surveyed each of them in turn. The way the men sat at the table spoke volumes. They weren’t in uniform, but she recognized them as a unit. She recognized one as a cop, but she was sure the other two were military men from Nellis Air Force Base.
Angel put one hand on the table and leaned toward the largest man who looked like he had a steel rod strapped to his spine, his posture was so straight. “General Leeward, is it?”
If it was possible, he sat up even straighter. “Yes.”
“Funny you mention pussy whipped.” Angel tapped his fingers on the table. “Don’t you have a sixteen-year-old mistress?”
>
A loaded silence filled the room. She silently willed Angel to ease back, but he didn’t. He stood less than a foot from a man who looked like he could have been a professional wrestler. She didn’t have to be as close as Angel to know the guy was furious.
“You’re waiting for her to graduate, isn’t that right?” Angel winked at General Leeward. “Talk about pussy whipped. Gavin found a woman worthy of the family name. Lyla has kills under her belt unlike your… What do you call her? Girlfriend, daughter?” Angel waved his hand. “Well, that’s neither here nor there. Lyla didn’t make Gavin weak; she made him stronger, and if you think I’m wrong…” Angel pulled his phone out of his pocket and slid it across the table to the general who didn’t move a muscle. “Call him and tell him yourself.”
Holy fuck. A bead of sweat trickled down her back as she waited for all hell to break loose. She waited… and waited.
“That’s what I thought.” Angel grabbed his phone and pocketed it. “You wouldn’t be where you are today without Emmanuel’s help, and you know you wouldn’t win against Gavin financially, politically, or physically, so take my advice, General, and shut the fuck up unless I tell you to speak. Got it?”
She held her breath. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. This was it. He’d gone too far…
The proud, wizened general gave him a minute nod of agreement. Angel turned his back on him. She waited for the general to reach into his jacket and pull out a gun or toss a knife, but he sat there, seething. Angel was making enemies of some of the most powerful men in the city. Holy shit.
“This is what I’m talking about,” Angel said as he continued to meander through the tables of motionless men. “I think there’s been a lot of miscommunication about this position. None of you has ever gotten close to being kingpin, so let me tell you how it goes. I take; I don’t ask. I speak, and you do what I say. Rebel and your life is forfeit. There are rules, my rules, and no other. Are we clear?”
“No.”
Heads turned toward Maddog, the leader of the Black Vipers, but she kept her eyes on the crowd. The tension in the room made the hairs on the nape of her neck stand up. A man at a table to the left of the general reached into his jacket and pulled out a knife. She rose and withdrew her gun, but Eli got there first. He grabbed the knife from the man before he could toss it and slit his throat with an efficiency that said he’d done this before. The man’s table companions shot to their feet as blood splattered everywhere.
Eli’s eyes met hers for a split second before he wiped his hands on the man’s coat and retreated to the edge of the room where he leaned against the wall, cool as you please. She turned her head and found Angel watching her with an unreadable expression as she lowered her gun. She was breathing hard as if she ran a marathon.
“You think you can walk in here with no more backup than an ex-cop and Vinny’s slut?” Maddog sneered.
She focused on Maddog as he bared silver teeth.
“You and Pyre think your money and name is enough to protect you. It isn’t.” Maddog tucked his thumbs into his jeans. “You’re in my territory, my city. I’m not about to let some East Coast fuck take over my town.” He looked around the room, defiant and demanding others rise up before he refocused on Angel. “Vega showed us one thing. Gavin can be defeated, which means you can too. You bleed just as easy as the rest of us.”
No one breathed.
“I think it’s time for new blood, Roman.”
His eyes flicked to her. Dark eyes glittered with hatred. He knew exactly who she was. Her skin prickled, and her hand tightened on the gun.
“Did Pyre tell you what happened to his other cousin who tried to take his throne? That little bitch didn’t even last a week.” He smiled at her. “It was a joke for Vinny to take Gavin’s place. It was only a matter of time before someone gunned him down. I heard that fucker squealed and tried to run for his life. Gavin signed his cousin’s death warrant—”
She raised her gun. Maddog laughed and elbowed the men on either side of him who had their hands on their weapons. Maddog spread his arms wide.
“What are you gonna do with that, princess? I’ll give you one free shot. I dare you—”
The first bullet went through his bicep. He grabbed his arm and cursed, but he didn’t have time to reach for his gun. The second bullet got him in the chest before Angel did a head shot that sprayed the bar and everyone around him with blood. For a moment, there was absolute silence, and then the bar erupted.
The man in the booth beside her got to his feet and shoved her to the ground. He stood over her as the members of the Black Viper gang withdrew guns as everyone turned on one another. The sound of gunfire was deafening. From her prone position, she saw Angel put down three bikers with head shots. Blood splashed over the filthy floor. Rapid gunshots sounded behind her. She peered through the legs of her protector and saw Eli and several other men take down those who tried to make a run for it. The general sat in the midst of the bloodbath, splattered with blood, eyes trained on Angel.
When silence fell once more, she got to her feet. The metallic scent of blood assaulted her nostrils as Angel surveyed the room.
“Never underestimate how many allies a man has in the room.” He focused on her, and her stomach clenched. “And never taunt a woman who’s lost someone she loves.”
He walked to her and held out a hand. She didn’t want skin contact at the moment, but everyone was watching. This wasn’t about her; it was about his image as the new boss. She wasn’t allowed to disrespect him in front of the underworld. She grabbed her purse before she took his hand and clenched her teeth as he laced their hands together.
“Let the rest of the Black Vipers know I’m coming for them. I don’t believe in survivors,” Angel said.
He pulled her through the ranks of silent men. She felt a presence behind them. When she glanced back, she saw Eli on their heels with a gun in each hand.
Angel pushed the door open into the chilly night. She sucked in a breath of fresh air and jerked her hand away. He didn’t push the issue. He opened the passenger door of the Aston. She got in without making eye contact, dropped her purse between her feet, and stared straight ahead.
There was the low murmur of male voices as Eli and Angel walked several feet away to talk.
In the week she’d been awakened, she’d been a slave to her impulses—food, cars, sex. Tonight, the taste for blood ignited, and she reacted. It was only a matter of time before someone gunned him down. The incandescent rage that compelled her to pull the trigger still coursed through her veins. There was a roar caught in her throat. Something dark and lethal fought to erupt out of her skin. It took every ounce of control she possessed not to give in to the need to let her demons free.
Angel slid into the driver’s seat. “You okay?”
“Take me home,” she said quietly.
He pulled away from The Pussy. He drove down the unlit lane before he turned onto The Strip. The return to civilization didn’t make her feel better. Neither did the crowds or energy, which never failed to lift her spirits. All she could see was that fucker’s face as he talked about Vinny—the disdain and satisfaction that they put him down. Like he was a dog or deer—something weak and vulnerable and fair game. Her senses were hyper elevated. A tangled mess of emotions rumbled inside her, demanding to be set free to wreak havoc on her surroundings.
“You had my back in there,” he said.
She had given her allegiance without thought. Even though he blackmailed her into going and drugged Kiki, she’d been willing to defend him. The ties of family loyalty were imbedded in her bones.
“Why did you take me tonight?” she whispered.
“You were looking for a rush.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were,” he countered easily. “I recognize another restless soul when I see one.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” she growled as she wrapped her arms around herself to conceal the fine shaking creeping through her arms.
<
br /> “Baby, I know you better than you think.”
“You don’t know shit.”
“I don’t? Okay, how about this? You changed after Vinny died. One of two things happen when people like us lose someone to violence.”
“Like us?” she echoed. “I’m nothing like you.”
“You’re not? You wouldn’t do whatever it takes to protect your loved ones?” He slanted her a look. “Even kill to protect their memory?”
She stared straight ahead.
“When you lose someone to a violent crime, it changes you,” He sped up, changed lanes, and navigated along the freeway with ease. “Either you shut down and try to forget, or you embrace the dark and fight back.” He shifted gears. “You know which I chose.”
“You shouldn’t have taken me. I was in a room full of the most notorious cons, murderers, and rapists in the city!”
“You were covered.”
“Covered?” she echoed, voice rife with disbelief. “You were practically begging them to kill you.”
“They need to know who’s boss.”
“You’re a fucking crazy man. Take this exit.”
He followed her directions. She was too fucked up to enjoy the new car smell, the roar of the engine, or the ease with which he drove. His words sloshed around in her head.
She couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Who did you lose?”
“My parents.” His voice held no inflection.
She opened her mouth to ask more questions but then shut it. She didn’t want anyone asking questions about Vinny, so she would let it be.
“If you’re born into a crime family, there’s no escape. Even if you try to fight it, sooner or later, you lose someone to the underworld, and you have to choose. You either let them get away with it and turn your back on your family, or you get even and destroy everyone associated with them.”
