by C. M. Steele
I have to call Dom. He’s gonna be pissed about all of this. I royally fucked up. Still, I’m going to make it right, even if I have to revert to some less-than-polite actions when it comes to Miss Conlon. Tying her to my bed and licking her from head to toe comes straight to my mind and my cock agrees.
I dial his number as I hit the road and onto the expressway far away from the loser’s hideout. Everything has been scrubbed and with no cameras on the place, we’re good. I dump the body in our personal cremation chamber which is much closer to home. The only thing that’s a problem is my sudden obsession.
On the fifth ring, Domani answers, “What’s up, Nero?”
I sigh and let it out. “I fucked up. While I was dealing with the prick, I was witnessed.”
“What the fuck do you mean you have a witness? Get rid of them,” Dom roars out.
A rush of anger bores deep down into my soul, and I want to snap at my cousin and boss. “I thought we didn’t hurt innocents?”
“Since when is there an innocent in that area?” That’s fucking true. It’s a slum, and most people in the area are dealers, users, and much more.
“She’s a sales rep from a solar company.” I hear a pause on the other end, because he knows damn well it would take a lot to hurt a woman. She’d have to do something to his queen or son to earn that sentence.
“Solar company?” Dom questions. I thought the same thing. What is she doing in an area that would have that shit stolen the second it was installed?
“Yeah, authentic and everything. She’s going door-to-door and shit, like it’s fucking safe.” I can’t stand the idea that she does that for a living. There are too many fucked-up people that she could run into, myself included.
“Damn it. What’s really going on, Nero? I get you don’t want to hurt her, but we can’t do nothing.” That, I understand more than anything.
“We can’t hurt her,” I snap. He laughs at me. Does he suspect that I’m a goner? “Wait, Dom. I have a plan, but you’re not going to like it.”
“What is it?” I can almost see him rolling his eyes through the phone.
“I’m going to keep her hostage and change her mind,” I explain. It’s much more than that. I’m going to have her screaming my name as she comes for me.
“What?”
“Let’s just say I can’t hurt her,” I confess. My stomach burns with the idea of harming even a single hair on her head.
“This is on you, Nero,” Dom points out. Something I can’t forget.
I hear someone in the background when Dom adds, “I’ve got to go; the queen is summoning me.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later,” I chuckle out because she has him by the balls, but I’m not too different I begrudgingly admit to myself.
I drive to work and sneak up to my office, grabbing my things and stopping down in Rodgers’ office knowing he’s still working. I hand him the signed documents that I finished before I even left. He grins from ear to ear which is a first.
“Get out more, Rodgers. I’m going home for the night.”
I turn to leave when he calls out. “Thank you, Mr. Bianchi.” I nod and continue out of the building to my usual SUV. Like Dom, I have drivers on occasion, but I prefer to drive myself around.
My first stop is to see Mariana and take her. I’m driving toward her apartment when Enrico calls me. “What’s up?”
“She booked it out of here, filling her car with shit like she’s leaving town.” Damn it.
“Did you follow her?”
“Yeah, but then I lost her. There’s another problem. I went back to her apartment to see if I could find anything, but there were several men looking for her in her apartment. I overheard them, and they were trying to kidnap her.” Damn—my woman is having a very bad day. Once I locate her, I’ll be fixing her problems.
“Find out who they are. I’ll be dealing with them in due time.” Each one will die at my hand.
“Understood. What about her?”
“I’ll deal with her. I’ve stolen access to her location on her cell phone. I’ll be able to find her in the next twenty minutes.” I did it while she was still passed out, making my life a lot easier.
“I don’t think she’s going to be an issue. I’m guessing she wasn’t running from you, but from the guys who showed up.” I’m betting on it, too.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll be speaking with Miss Conlon soon. I can’t just let her go freely.”
“Yes, Nero.”
“Find out who those assholes are.”
“On it.” I click the end button and toss my phone on the seat of my vehicle. I have a plan, and I will make it work. I have a body to dispose of, and now isn’t the time to forget what brought me out here in the first place. Killing Walsh immediately hadn’t been my initial plan because I needed to know who he was working with, but after the fucking trouble he caused with Mariana, he just had to go. I’ll figure out who he was dealing with once I get home.
After getting rid of the little shit, I return my focus to the only witness. I run the software and locate her with ease. She’s on the far Southside of the city. As I drive, the location begins to get more accurate. I’m just two blocks away from her. This isn’t a great neighborhood either, but it’s better than the shithole we met in. I get closer and finally spot her vehicle in a small lot.
Exiting my vehicle, I take a peek inside. She’s not in it, but all of her things are. The lot’s attached to a woman’s shelter. As I approach the front door which has no windows, there’s a sign that clearly states Men will be let in after verification.
Not wanting anyone to know I’ve been around here, especially her because she might try to run again, I cool my heels and think. Sitting in my car, I debate my next moves.
Fuck, I hate that she has to sleep in some damn shelter. Still, knowing she’s safe inside, I can deal with other matters. I don’t want to give away my position just yet because I need to have everything organized, so I drive away, but not before slipping a tracer tag on her vehicle, just in case she has her phone off.
Deciding to check out her apartment and look for any clues to who these fuckers are, I drive into the city. I park around the back of the building and quietly enter through the fire escape. Once inside her place, I see what Tony meant; it’s fucking ransacked. My blood boils knowing that she has someone after her.
I go through her belongings and check out all the little trinkets she didn’t pack. I’m betting from her present situation that she couldn’t take these things with her, so I’ll have my guys clear out her belongings tomorrow in dressed full moving gear with equipment just in case those fuckers come around again. In her bedroom, the remaining clothes are scattered about, including those in her hamper. The man in me knows it’s terrible, but I steal a pair of her panties, bringing them to my nose. Yep, fuck me. My dick jerks and comes to life under my slacks. I tuck them in my pocket for later and go about the place.
Once I’m satisfied that I’m not going to learn anything else, I drive back home and make preparations for tomorrow. There’s a lot to do before I nab my queen, including make sure she has everything females need.
A knock at my door stops the plans, and I find it’s my cousin, Domani with his brow raise and frown on his mug. “You didn’t come to dinner, so I’m assuming you’re still dealing with our little problem?” he says, looking around my entryway for my little woman.
“Not quite.”
“She’s not here?” he tosses out with an air of concern.
“No. Come on in.” I walk into the foyer, and he follows, closing the door behind him. “She’s in a women’s shelter on the Southside.”
“What the fuck is she doing there?” I get that tone because he’d never leave Aria in that kind of situation, but our girls aren’t the same. Her family provided for her, but my girl doesn’t have any family it seems or if she does, they’re dead to me. I’ll never respect anyone who treats my woman so poorly.
“Hiding out,” I
answer, running my hands over my face because I know where his mind is leading him.
“Do you think she ratted us out?” I can see his temper building because there’s a lot on the line if she does, which I know she won’t. Call it gut instinct, but my woman wouldn’t do that to me. I felt the attraction vibrating between us. I might not know women, but I can read the body language of my targets as they face their potential demise.
“No. She had someone creeping by her place looking for her. Enrico’s getting me what I need on that, but she packed and left her place in minutes after getting home.”
“So whoever they are, they were coming for her. Do you think they were tailing her before this evening’s fuckup?” He’s still pissed about my error and reminding me of it.
“No, but they were expecting her at the end of her workday, so I’m guessing that’s why they didn’t get there until well after she fled the apartment. They trashed the fucking place so whatever the reason she ran, I doubt it has to do with us.”
Dom shakes his head, frustration written with the grimace plastered on his face. “Something isn’t adding up. She’s in a shitty neighborhood, trying to sell solar panels, and then some fucks are at her door looking for her.”
“What are you thinking it’s about?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it. I want you to handle this asap, and no more fuckups.”
My phone interrupts his angry command. I check it and see it’s fucking important. “It’s Enrico.”
“What’s up? I’m gonna put you on speaker because I have Dom here with me too.”
“Okay. So I ran the tags on the fuckers that were outside her place, and they belong to a Mr. Paul Gordon, the owner and manager of the solar company that chick works for.” So her boss that sent her to the slums was also the asshole hunting her down. Why?
“Where have I heard that name before?” I rack my brain, trying to think of it.
“That’s the thing. I nosed around and found out that he’s running an underground strip club with some added benefits, and most of the chicks there ain’t there of their own volition.” Rage hits me full steam and I punch my wall, making a giant hole through the fucker and bloodying my knuckles up.
“I remember where I heard it. I’m gonna kill that fucker,” I roar, seething like a lion ready to defend his pride.
“In time,” Dom says, taking my phone from my hand and silencing any other rant with a slice of his hand across his throat. Then, he speaks directly into the phone. “Enrico, great work. Keep an eye on his operation. See who else he’s working with and if I have to talk to one of the families about it.” If anyone’s working with that asshole, it’s the Denali Family. Those assholes have been pissed since Dom put them in their place years ago.
“Yes, boss.”
Dom hits the end button and tosses the phone back to me. “Where have you heard his name?”
“My informant that led me to Walsh. He said that Gordon wanted Walsh to be there to handle something. He sent Mariana there to be snatched up.”
Gripping my bicep, he squeezes it and stares into my eyes. “Take a motherfucking deep breath and get your shit together. Tomorrow, you go get your girl, and then we’ll deal with that fucker.”
“I need her to be safe,” I breathe out, letting him know where I stand.
“I understand what you’re going through more than anyone. You just have to convince her that you’re not as crazy as you look.” He tugs on the lapel of my suit jacket with a chuckle.
“That’s gonna be a hard one.”
“For sure, but I’ll let Aria take a crack at it if you need her.” His wife would be a great help, but I don’t want to overwhelm Mariana since she’s probably already scared of me and who I am. Hell, she doesn’t even know my name, only that I’m deadly.
“Not right away, but I need her to get supplies that women need in the house by ten in the morning.”
“Okay. I’m sure my wife will be chomping at the bit when she finds out.” He walks toward the door and then turns back to add, “And get some rest—you look like shit.”
“Not all of us get to go home to the warmth of a good woman.”
“I know.” He grins from ear to ear.
Having my cousin’s support reassures me that things are going to be just fine. Now all I have to do is abduct my future wife.
The night is long as I devise my plan and the way I’m to capture Mariana, although half my plan involves fucking her brains out, which only sends me on a tangent, beating off like a fucking crazed man with her panties in my hand. In fact, I think I’ve officially gone off the deep end.
It’s well into the middle of the night, and sleep just won’t come. I get up and work out, bench pressing more than my weight until I’m bone tired, and then I hit the shower. Once I land in my bed, ass naked, I pass out with dreams of Mariana filling my head.
****
The sun’s peeping through the windows like a stalker as the last bit of sleep escapes my body. I wake up with a purpose as my phone pings loudly. Sent Tony D. to watch your prized possession. Get your lazy ass up.
I check the time, and it’s nearly ten. Fuck. I get up and dress as fast as humanly possible. Instead of my normal suit, I go with a pair of blue jeans and a black tee that hugs my muscles. I need to be ready to snatch her up easily, and a suit just won’t work.
I open the door and nearly collide with Aria and Domani. “Mom’s got the baby, so we’re bringing these in for your woman. Get going already.”
“Don’t keep her from me too long,” Aria says, smacking my chest.
“I’ll do my best.” I wink and leave them in my house. Domani has keys and can lock up after he’s done.
I’m about to get in my car when Tony D sends me a message. She’s on the move. Following a bit behind.
On my way.
He responds a moment later. Just a block from the shelter. A local restaurant.
Get a coffee and see what she’s up to. Don’t talk to her.
Understood.
I fly down there, but it takes me thirty-eight minutes. She’s no longer in the restaurant, but back at the shelter. Tony and I meet outside the shelter, just away from the lot in case they’re monitoring it. “Sorry. She just stayed long enough to fill out an application. She didn’t grab a bite or anything.”
“No. Thanks. I got this. You can do whatever else you have left.”
“Cool. She’s pretty, and in the wrong neighborhood.”
I don’t let it bother me because Tony’s just stating the obvious risk. “Don’t worry. I’ll fix that soon.”
“I’m sure you will.” He smirks because it’s obvious I’m a lost cause when it comes to her.
My phone rings just as Tony takes his leave. It’s Dom. “What’s going on?”
“I just got a call from Enrico. He says someone just pulled her tags.”
“What? I’m right here, and there ain’t no cops around.” I have a bullet with those motherfuckers’ names on them.
“Exactly. That means they’re on the hunt for her. Make your move soon. I’ll see who pulled it and find out who they’re on the take with.”
“Thanks.”
“That’s what family is for.” Damn right. We work together to protect our family and Mariana’s my family now.
I tuck away my phone after he ends the call, and I scope out the shelter.
I have to get my hands on her, and I tell myself it’s to make sure she’s kept her mouth shut. It’s been twenty-four hours since I saw her beautiful eyes full of fear and curiosity. I want to see pleasure shining through them as I make her mine.
Suddenly and to my surprise, Mariana comes running out of the shelter in my direction. Her eyes wide and full of panic. Acting quickly, I nab her in broad daylight with my hands wrapped around her waist and my mouth closing down on hers. Her hands dig into my hair, clinging to me as I carry her to my vehicle. Realizing what we’re doing, she tenses in my arms, but I continue our kiss without allowing
her to break our intense first taste. Once I reach the passenger door, I finally release her mouth, and she attempts to catch her breath. Looking around, there’s no one in sight so I twist her around and pin her to the vehicle, snapping the cuffs on her wrists.
“What the hell? Let me go,” she cries out, wiggling and tossing her hips back.
“No, and stop fucking fidgeting. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”
“I wouldn’t be hurting myself if you hadn’t grabbed me.”
I tap my finger on her nose. “You ran into my arms.”
“No, I ran into a brick wall you call a chest.”
“Behave.” I swat her ass and set her down in the back seat.
“No,” she says, fidgeting. I grip her throat which calms her down and then I put her seatbelt on. I kiss her cheek before letting go of her slender neck. Damn, my dick got rock hard at the way she reacted to my hold. I walk around to the driver’s side and then slide in, locking the doors before pulling into traffic.
“Why are you doing this? I promised I wouldn’t say anything.” She leans forward, giving me a whiff of her scent.
“Well, that remains to be seen. Now sit back properly.”
“What are you going to do with me?” A lot of fucking things… all of which will make her scream in ecstasy. The way she reacted to my kiss I know damn well we’re going to be great together. Still, it’s not time to mention all the fucking wicked things I want to do to her.
Keeping my cool, I answer, “Until I say otherwise, you’re my captive.”
“Great,” she huffs, rolling her eyes and sitting back. “I’m guessing these doors don’t unlock.” She can’t reach them without twisting awkwardly, but I made sure to put the child locks on.
“Right on that one. Now, be quiet. I need to make an important call.” I call Dom and speak in Italian, and then hang up.
“Okay. So I’m guessing you’re Italian.”
“You got that right. Can you speak Italian?” I didn’t want her to hear what I had to say.
“No, but I understood ‘Grazie.’”
“That’s good because the less you know, the better.” Especially about how you’ll be marrying me and having my babies as soon as I can get you naked.
