Game

by London Casey

  “So, Shayna,” Fiore said, “tell me something about Zander.”

  “Like what?” I asked. “How he’s a pig? How he loves to kill? How he runs a gun trade through his illegal fights? Not to mention the fights usually have weapons. That’s what makes them brutal. The ultimate experience, I guess. To actually see someone die.”

  “Right, right,” Fiore said. “The ultimate experience. Does he still move drugs?”

  “Of course.”

  “He still deals back home?”

  “Yes,” I said. I felt sort of bad admitting anything, but really, what did I care? I wasn’t loyal to Zander. Or Fiore. Or Finn. I was loyal to finding my sister. And maybe… maybe Fiore could help… “But they talk in Russian so I can’t understand it. Lately he’s seemed more angry than usual.”

  “We’ve been pushing into his territory,” Fiore said. “That’s what made last night even more dumb.” Fiore looked at Finn.

  “Hey,” Finn said. “I said I was sorry. I went for a beer with a friend and ended up there.”

  Fiore hit his desk. “You knew damn well what you were doing, Finn.”

  “And now look at the good that came from it,” Finn said. “You have one of Zander’s own. He knows I took her. He knows who I am, right? He obviously sent guys here already. He’s distracted and mad. You can strike hard now, Fiore.”

  Fiore looked at me. “Shayna, two men got into my home. They tried to attack me. How did they know?”

  “Know what?”

  “Know where my office was?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “He’s asking if you knew about this,” Finn said to me.

  “What?” I said. “No. I have nothing. Check me. Search me.” I lifted my hands.

  “Maybe I will,” Fiore said.

  “Wait,” Finn said and jumped to my side. He put a hand to my stomach.

  Why did it make my body flutter?

  “I checked her,” Finn said. “She’s not wired or anything. They knew where you live, Fiore. Everyone should lay low and hide a little. Let this happen…”

  Fiore let out a sigh. “We were planning a big move into his territory. We were going to engage the war again. The respect doesn’t reach what it used to. And what that fat son of a bitch took…”

  Fiore looked at a picture on his desk. I couldn’t see what the picture was though. Finn’s hand slid to my back and he kind of squeezed, like he was trying to tickle me. I looked at him and he gently shook his head.

  Don’t. Ask. That’s what he mouthed to me.

  The silence in the room was terrifying. Watching Fiore look at the picture had my heart racing. The way his face changed was like nothing I’d ever seen before. With each breath he took his face looked torn between grief and anger. His lips quivered like he wanted to cry while his eyes were narrow with hate. Then his eyes grew big and glossy while his mouth contorted and his lip curled like he was ready to attack someone.

  “Fiore,” Finn finally whispered. “We can get him now.”

  Fiore looked at Finn and nodded. “Yes. We can.”

  “How?” I asked. “Kill him?”

  Why did that excite me?

  Oh, right, because of what he did to my sister… or what I thought he did…

  “No,” Fiore said. “I don’t just put bullets into people. Well, I do, but very rarely.”

  Fiore still hadn’t looked up from the picture on his desk.

  “Then what are you thinking?” Finn asked. “I’ll help in any way I can.”

  Fiore looked at Finn and smiled. “I know.”

  “So what’s the plan?” Finn asked.

  Fiore pointed at Finn. “You, Finn you are going…” then Fiore pointed at me. “… to get Shayna pregnant…”

  11.

  (Finn)

  Pregnant?

  I laughed.

  Yeah, sure, I’d love to fuck Shayna. I mean, who wouldn’t? The only reason I held myself off so far was because I needed to get through this meeting with Fiore. My plan was to get back to my cabin, explain that I saved her ass… and then she’d give it to me.

  But…

  “Pregnant?” Shayna asked. “What?”

  “You heard me,” Fiore said. “You, Finn, you are going to get Shayna pregnant. I want a baby.”

  “Then go fuck your wife,” Shayna said.

  Oh. Shit.

  Fiore slowly stood up.

  “Shayna, shut up,” I said. I looked at Fiore. “Hold on, Fiore. She doesn’t know anything, okay? She doesn’t know what she just said.”

  “I know what I fucking said,” Shayna said. “I’m not…”

  “Why?” I cut her off, looking at Fiore. “Why do you want me to do that?”

  “Think about it,” Fiore said. “You knock up Shayna. One of Zander’s own? Your dirty Irish blood mixing with his family’s blood. It’s the biggest slap in the face you can give him.”

  “But I’m not…”

  I slipped my hand down and pinched Shayna’s ass. It was the only way to shut her up. She turned and slapped me across the face. Hard.

  Yeah, I couldn’t wait to get her in bed. She’d be real fucking fun.

  I couldn’t say it to Shayna, but she needed to watch herself right now. Fiore thought she was Russian blood. He thought she was connected to Zander by true family, not by a choice. That gave her life value right now.

  “It’s pretty easy,” Fiore said. “Finn likes to fuck, we all know that. So, Finn, get Shayna pregnant. Then Zander will lose his mind. I’ll protect you both while he tries to come after you. Then I’ll come in from behind and start wiping out his entire crew.”

  Shayna looked ready to pass out.

  I tried to stay steady. “Fiore… look at me. Look at her. What makes you think I want to touch her?”

  “Because you’re Finn,” Fiore said. “Nothing is off your radar.”

  Yeah, that was at least true.

  “I’m not doing this,” Shayna said. “If I want a family…”

  “I want my family,” Fiore growled. “I want what I had. What he took from me.” Fiore started to shake. He ripped open the top drawer of his desk and took out a gun.

  Ah, shit.

  “Kill me then,” Shayna said. “I don’t care.”

  “Fuck,” I whispered.

  “I won’t kill you,” Fiore said. “I’ll take you down, inch by inch. Limb for limb.” The gun shook in his hand. “And I’ll still get what I want from you. You’re going to give me a child, Shayna. I’m at least giving you the chance to be with Finn. If you don’t want that, then I’ll lock you in a fucking room and send my guys in. They’ll know what to do and how to do it.”

  That’s when Shayna finally realized what she was up against. She pressed herself against me, every muscle in her body shivering. And trust me, it wasn’t from being cold. The office was on fire. She was terrified.

  I slid my hands around to her stomach and held her.

  Fiore just stared with his dark eyes.

  “Okay,” I said. “Okay, Fiore. Just take it easy. It’s been a rough night and day for us.”

  Fiore approached us. He put the gun to Shayna’s chest. “I’m going to explain this as simple as I can. I want a baby from you, Shayna. I want to rip the heart of Zander out of his chest with my bare fucking hand. I want to squeeze his heart until it just…” Fiore put all his fingers together on one hand and then opened them. “Until it just pops. And you’re my ticket to make that happen. So I’m going to forget about what Finn did last night. His betrayal goes to the back of my mind. And you, Shayna, I’ll forget that some of Zander’s men showed up here to kill me. In exchange, you both get to live. You both get to fuck each other.” Fiore then pulled one of my hands from Shayna’s stomach. He put his hand flat to her belly. “I just want a baby in return for my forgiveness.”

  Even for me, this was fucked up. Straight up, fucked up.

  But what was I going to do?

  “Done,” I said.

  Shayna was still sh
aking in my arms.

  Fiore walked back to his desk. He opened the drawer again but this time he didn’t take out a gun. He took out a credit card. He tossed it across the desk.

  “That’s for you Shayna,” Fiore said. “Go get whatever you need to get settled. I’ll start making some calls. Get the crews all riled up. Zander is going to be pissed to find one of his own being held by me… being fucked by one of my fighters. Oh, that reminds me. Finn, do you have your cell phone?”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “Good. I expect proof of trying.”

  “What?” Shayna asked.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I want proof that you’re trying.” Fiore then pointed to the credit card. “Go shopping, Shayna. And then get pregnant.” Fiore grinned. “Now get the fuck out of my office.”

  My stomach was jumping and twisting. I mean, the idea of fucking Shayna was nothing short of amazing, but to have to… you know… inside her. And have a baby with her. Even for me, that was a crazy thing to think about.

  But Fiore was serious. He wouldn’t back down either. In fact, he’d been looking for this opportunity for a long time. I mentioned before how he had a wife, a daughter, a son-in-law, and a grandchild, right? And only half were alive…

  That’s because his son-in-law and grandchild were killed.

  Now Fiore wanted me to replace his lost grandson.

  12.

  (Shayna)

  I didn’t have a chance to scream. To fight. To even cry.

  The second we left the office there were men waiting for us. Men who took me away from Finn and put me into a car out front. Finn tried to fight his way through the men, but they held his arms and whispered something to him. Whatever they said calmed him down.

  I fucking hated Finn.

  This was his fault. All his goddamn fault. For showing up at that fight when he knew he wasn’t supposed to. For looking at me and getting Zander all excited. Then for being cocky and taking on The Fist and actually winning. He should have stayed down when The Fist had him down. He could have made an escape and I…

  I would still be with Zander. With a promise I never meant to keep, a journey that had no ending in sight.

  My eyes filled with tears and I wiped them away. I had a guy on each side of me. They stared ahead, wires in their ears, like I was someone famous or something.

  Then it all rushed to me again.

  Fiore wanted Finn to get me pregnant.

  Just thinking it was insane. Imagining it was even worse. Not that Finn wasn’t really sexy or anything, but to let him get me pregnant? Not a chance in hell. I didn’t do that stuff. I’d be a total liar if my mind hadn’t flashed some wild images of me and Finn together. Yeah, I hadn’t been completely sleeping when he came into the bedroom to wake me up. Yeah, I liked when he sat on the edge of the bed and touched my hair and face. And yeah, my nipples were hard because of that. And… I liked when he looked at my nipples.

  It was fun, flirty, made me desire some wild lust.

  But not a baby.

  Not a freaking baby.

  And then if it couldn’t get anymore crazy Fiore then wanted me to give him the baby. Which meant… what… I was supposed to just hang around for a year? By the time I got pregnant, had a baby…

  I sucked in a breath and exhaled, tears falling from my eyes.

  That was our plan. Our plan together. We were going to have babies together. Me and Sasha. That was the dream. We were going to go to college, meet guys, have fun, then settle and have babies.

  The man to my right handed me a tissue. “Look presentable.”

  “Fuck yourself,” I whispered.

  I wiped the tears away and the car came to a stop.

  Both doors opened and the men exited, leaving me to choose a side.

  When I got out, I was at some store. It was a small place that reeked of being too expensive.

  The men walked me to the door and stood there.

  “You have twenty minutes,” one said. “Then we come in and get you.”

  “Dressed, undressed, whatever,” the other said with a sly grin.

  I had Fiore’s credit card in my hand and a shopping spree in front of me.

  The first thing I saw when I stepped into the store was a sign that read MATERNITY.

  I felt sick.

  I looked back and the two men were blocking the door.

  I was trapped… in so many ways.

  13.

  (Finn)

  I held the wheel tight. It felt like hours had gone by, but it was far from it. I couldn’t process a thing until I knew Shayna was back and safe. Then we’d go to my cabin and work this out.

  Get her pregnant.

  The idea started to settle in my mind. It was, after all, guilt free sex, right? It was the ultimate guy feeling, knowing my stuff… my seed…

  I shook my head. “Fuck, man. Just… fuck.”

  Fiore wouldn’t let it go either. I knew it. This was his chance to right all the wrong. To get back at Zander for everything he had taken. And then replace his grandson.

  It was so crazy that it actually made sense in a sick way.

  A set of headlights flared in the distance. I came down the long driveway. I got out of the truck and pulled my seat forward to make room for whatever the hell Shayna had bought.

  The car stopped and I watched Shayna climb out. She was really beautiful. But I didn’t even know how to approach her. What to say. What to do. All I could offer was a ride to the cabin to talk. My heart said there had to be a way around this, but my mind knew better.

  Fiore’s two men loaded up my truck and Shayna got into the passenger seat. She curled her knees to her chest and stared out the window. I thought about making a smart ass comment about not wearing a seatbelt, but even I couldn’t come to do it.

  I drove from Fiore’s mansion in silence.

  We stayed in silence right up until I heard Shayna sniffle.

  It was about thirty minutes later.

  “We have to work together,” I said.

  “Fuck off, Finn. You set me up.”

  “Excuse me? I set you up? You were the one who eye fucked me. You were the one who got into the middle of that fight. You were the one who pointed a gun at me…”

  Shayna turned and looked at me. Tears ran down her cheeks. Her eyes were puffy. Why did she somehow look even more pretty?

  I swallowed the rest of my venomous words as I stared at her.

  I had nothing to say, or do. I wasn’t used to these kinds of moments anymore. The last time… well, it didn’t really matter. These moments - past and future - were taken from me. If a woman wanted to cry, she could do it in her own car and she could drive her own ass home.

  But Shayna didn’t have a car. Or a truck. She didn’t even have a place to go.

  She was all mine, in the strangest sense possible.

  “Look,” I said, “for right now, we have to go along with Fiore. He knows and we know that it’s not something that happens overnight.”

  “Uh, do you know where babies come from, Finn?”

  I laughed. I reached out and touched the tear on Shayna’s cheek. “Yes, sweetie, I know where babies come from.”

  “Then it could happen overnight.”

  “I know that,” I whispered. “What I’m saying is that we don’t have to…” Are you going tell this beautiful woman that you don’t want to fuck her? Are you serious, Finn? If you even dare say it, you better get your head checked. “… we have time, okay?”

  “That guy back there didn’t look like he knew what time was,” Shayna said.

  My thumb stroked her cheek. There were no more tears now, but I liked the way her cheek felt to my touch. It left a pulse straight through my arm to my chest. Trust me, nothing romantic, because that pulse then went straight from my heart right down between my legs. My cock ached for her. I wanted to fuck her even more than when I first saw her.

  But to let it all go… inside her… get her… pregnant…

/>   “Let’s just get to my place and figure something out,” I said. “Grab something to eat and try to breathe. I didn’t expect that to happen back there. Fiore lost…”

  “Okay,” Shayna said. “I just can’t believe all of this is happening.”

  “Sweetie, what did you think would happen? You took off from Zander to save my ass. You have no idea who I am. That’s insane.”

  “And now you have to get me pregnant.”

  Yeah, hearing her say it wasn’t so bad, but that was because my dick kept throbbing and I was half convinced to believe and do anything to get into her panties and get between her legs.

  My hand slid around to the back of her neck. My fingers tugged at her. She didn’t resist. We inched closer. Our foreheads touched for a second. I could smell her. All of her. Her eyes were still glossy, glistening from the tears. This would have been the perfect moment to tell her that I would take care of her. That I’d help her through anything. That if she got knocked up, I’d be there for her the entire time. And if and when Fiore took the baby - our child - I’d still be there.

  But I couldn’t spew words that I didn’t fully believe. Yeah, that made me an even bigger asshole, but at least I could be man enough to face it.

  She turned her head a little and I killed the half an inch between our lips. We kissed, once, then I pulled back a little.

  “A little practice,” I whispered.

  I kissed her again. And again. Our tongues touched.

  Fuck. No. Don’t do this…

  I pulled away again and for good. My hand went back to her cheek.

  “What?” she asked.

  Truthfully, I couldn’t do it. I wanted to fuck her, but not get her pregnant. And if anything happened without the intention of that, we’d be going against Fiore. Time was pushing against us.

  “You want to get pregnant in the back of a pickup truck on the side of a road?” I asked.

  Shayna’s face dropped. “Uh…”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  I faced the steering wheel and hurried to drive. The back tires kicked up some rocks and the ass of the truck darted left to right trying to find traction.

  This was really bad now. I’d kissed her. And I wanted more. Like the first punch in a fight, the feeling of my hand smashing into someone’s face… it was a drug. The need for a high.