I press my lips together tightly, trying to listen to his words, but I can’t. “I’ve helped you before. Let me help now.”
“If you’re out there, I’ll wind up getting killed worrying about you. I want you here where I know you’re safe.”
I swallow down the fight I want to put up like a bitter pill and nod my head before pulling him in for a kiss. His hands hold me close against his chest while he deepens the kiss. I’m completely lost in him when he finally pulls away. “I love you.” Even without the words, the truth of his declaration is written all over his face.
“I love you, too,” I whisper, praying he knows just how much.
I stand in the doorway and watch as he strides out of the house, carrying my anxious heart with him.
It’s been two hours since Madden left. I know because I’ve been sitting at the breakfast table, drinking coffee and watching the minutes tick by. It’s been the slowest two hours of my whole damn life. Normally, I’m not some nervous Nelly. Mad has been in some tough scrapes over the years. Usually, I either don’t know about issues ahead of time, or he gives me plenty of time to steel myself for the danger. This time everything happened so abruptly and without any real preparation. In my mind, that leaves a lot of room for error.
Suddenly, my phone rings. I grab it quickly and answer it without looking at the screen.
“Madden?”
“It’s Enzo. I have some bad news.” I can barely hear his words over the wail of sirens in the background.
“Enzo, what happened? Where’s Mad? Why isn’t he calling me? Is he okay?” Each question fires from my lips without pause. The panic in me rises with each second that passes without confirmation that my love is fine.
“Amelia, listen to me. Calm down. I need you to focus on what I’m saying. You need to come to the hospital. Okay? Everything is going to be fine, just get to the hospital. Drive safely. Please.”
“No! Tell me, Enzo. What happened?”
His breath rushes out over the speaker of the phone in a deep sigh. “Fuck,” he whispers as he exhales again. “We infiltrated Abe’s den. There was a party going on… and things got messy. A lot of innocent people died.” He pauses. My heart thunders in the silence of his pause. “Harper was there.”
“Oh, my God. No! Enzo! Tell me she’s okay!”
“She’s fine! Calm down. Madden was able to get her out, but he was shot in the process. We dragged him out before the police could arrive, and we brought him to the hospital. But the doctors… they’re having a hard time stopping the bleeding. Harper is freaking out. We just… we need you here. She needs you. Mad needs you.”
Thinking over the scariest night of my life has me ready to do anything to prevent history from repeating itself with potentially even more devastating consequences. Big came to me for help because he knew Madden wouldn’t listen. Using my methods of persuasion on Enzo, I got him to help me steal the drugs that Mad’s looking for right now.
Enzo and Big took the crate and moved it to use as a setup for KingPin. In all honesty, we never thought Mad would notice, but he did.
I’ll have to figure out how to get his attention off the missing drugs until Big can get them back using his insider at the police station. The only reason he came to me was because he doesn’t have the stock Mad does.
But even if it does end up costing us 750 grand, to me, it’s worth it for the peace of mind.
3
When I walk into the house, I head straight for the kitchen, but Harper hears my heels clicking off the marble floor as I pass the living room.
“Mom, come and look at this!”
I walk into the living room and drop my purse on the table. As I stand behind the couch, I remove my heels and look at the tv.
The docks that I just left are on the screen with red and blue lights lighting up the place.
Across the bottom it reads, Chicago’s newest drug dealer makes a $750k mistake.
Fuck. If Mad sees this, he’s going to flip the fuck out. He’s not dumb enough to think it’s just a coincidence.
“This isn’t the problem Dad was talking about, is it?”
I frown at her. “Of course not. Your father isn’t this stupid.” I bend over and pick up my shoes. “It’s late. I’m going to bed.”
“Night,” she says, not pulling her eyes away from the tv.
I turn back and fully look at her now. “What the hell are you wearing?” I motion toward her checkered skirt and white top. She looks like she’s dressed up as a school girl for Halloween. “You’re too young to be playing those kinds of games, you know.”
She still doesn’t look at me. “I’m eighteen. I can play any game I want, Mom.”
“Yeah, I guess… as long as that game doesn’t’t involve Enzo.” I point my finger at her.
Finally, her head jerks in my direction. “Dad tell you about that?”
“Yeah, Dad told.” She also doesn’t know about the cameras. “Don’t fuck with him, Harper. I’m serious. If I think you two are getting too close, I’ll have your father remove him. I don’t want you with any of the guys who work for your dad. Understand?”
“Yes,” she mumbles before flopping down on the couch.
I make my way up the stairs and into my room. Once there I toss down my shoes and purse and head straight to the bathroom to fill the tub. After today, I need a long, hot bath.
Striking a match, I light some scented candles and dim the lights before sinking deep into the tub. I hit the button and the jets start up, massaging my tense back.
I’m almost asleep when the door opens and Mad walks in, wearing only his robe.
“Early night?” I ask, leaning forward so he can slide in behind me.
“It was once I found my drugs,” he replies dryly.
“Is it what Harper was watching on tv?”
“Yep. The guys are at the warehouse now trying to figure out who the fuck left it on the barge. How you can grab thirty fucking crates and miss even one, is beyond me. Either way, someone is being punished for it in the morning.”
My anxiety rises. Mad was never supposed to know about the missing drugs. Enzo assured me he never checked the inventory. Now, someone may be killed for my mistake.
“Oh, Mad. You’re such a hot-head. It was probably just an honest mistake,” I say, trying to cool him down.
“There is nothing honest in this line of work. Someone left it on purpose, thinking they could have it for themselves, ripping me off by almost 800 grand. I’m not fucking playing around with these guys. They know how shit could end before they even sign up.”
His hands land on my shoulders, massaging the muscles. “You’re so tense,” he whispers in my ear before softly biting the lobe.
“You need me to do a little recon?” I offer.
He lets out a deep chuckle. “It’s nothing for you to worry about.” He turns me around, settling me on his lap.
My eyes immediately dart to the lone mark marring his perfect chest. I can’t help it. Every time I see it, I’m reminded of how close I came to losing the love of my life. Two inches to the left and he’d have bled out at the scene. I shudder as I trace the puckered flesh to the left of his heart. Leaning forward, I press a kiss to it. His heart thuds reassuringly beneath my palm.
Gently, he tugs my hair, pulling my head back so my eyes collided with his. “You know I’ll never leave you, right? Not even the devil himself could take me from you.”
I nod, praying he’s right. I don’t want to imagine my life without him in it.
“Now, I think it’s time for that six ways to Sunday, don’t you?” Suddenly, he stands, lifting me in his arms.
I let out a squeal as he carries me across the floor, dripping wet. “Madden, we’re soaked!”
“Let the maid take care of it.” He drops me onto the bed and slowly creeps up my body.
Starting at my ankle, he softly kisses his way up my leg. When he reaches my inner thigh, the nibbling begins. My skin feels as if it’s been se
t on fire.
I may have fun with Enzo from time to time, but he’s nothing compared to Madden. And I think Madden feels the same way about me. I’ve seen him fuck women with my own two eyes, and that’s all it is: a quick fuck. He doesn’t take his time with them like he does with me. He doesn’t make them shatter time and time again. He uses them to get off, not caring if they’ve enjoyed themselves or not. But with me, the only thing that matters to him is me.
When his mouth finds the wet junction between my legs, he switches into overdrive —lapping, sucking, and nibbling. My body quivers as his hands squeeze my ass and thighs. He slides a finger deep inside me, never stopping his motions with his mouth. The extra attention causes my orgasm to explode. I call out for him while my hands fist the sheets, desperately trying to hold on to anything I can.
Before I’ve even come back down from my earth-shattering high, he slams into me, building me up again. He thrusts inside, grinds his hips against me, then slides out to repeat the process over and over again.
His chest smashes against mine, and his hands leisurely tour my body. They grip my hips. Then slide up to my waist. Drift to my breasts. Then finally, they cup my face as he pulls my mouth to his. “I love you, Amelia. You know that, don’t you?” His brow wrinkles as he peers deeply into my eyes.
I smile and nod. “Yes. I love you too,” I whisper against his lips.
“You’re my queen.” He thrusts deeper. “Always have been and always will be. Mine.” His mouth smashes against mine again, and his tongue darts inside, tangling with my own. He rolls his hips one last time, and we both shatter, looking intimately into one another’s eyes. I can see into the depths of his soul in this moment. I can see past his darkness, his secrets, his betrayals. I see his heart and how swollen with love it is for me and only me. I see that sixteen-year-old boy that saved me in more ways than one. The person he was before this job and this world took him over. That’s the man I’m still hopelessly in love with. That’s the man I keep fighting for.
4
My phone chimes from beside the bed, waking me from a dead sleep. Groggily, I roll to my side and pick it up to see who the fuck would be texting me at this hour.
I got what you’ve been missing.
It’s Big, and he’s got Madden’s stash.
Quickly, I look over at Mad. Between his nighttime meds and fucking himself into pure exhaustion, he’s out like a light and won’t move again until morning.
Where can we meet?
I hold the phone to my chest to keep it quiet as I move about the room getting dressed.
Within seconds, it chimes again.
My apartment.
I roll my eyes with a heavy sigh. Big has his mansion on the south side of Chicago, but he keeps an apartment closer north to conduct business. And by business, I mean a place where he won’t get caught cheating on his wife… or girlfriend.
I pull on a pair of jeans and a loose-fitting t-shirt. Sliding my feet into a pair of flip-flops, I grab my purse and head for the door.
It only takes me about twenty minutes to reach Big’s apartment. Picking up my purse from the passenger seat, I peek inside. My gun is still in place, and I know it’s loaded. I open the door, feeling a little more secure.
When I knock on the apartment door, he doesn’t waste any time in opening it.
“Amelia,” he greets me before opening the door wider and allowing me to step inside.
I hug my purse close to my side as I walk down the hallway. When it opens up to the living room, there are the crates containing the drugs.
“How’d you get them so soon? I thought we had to wait for the trial and the case to be closed?” I turn and look at him with narrowed eyes over my shoulder.
He shrugs, full of himself. “I have my ways.”
“If the evidence is gone, they’ll have nothing to hold him on.” I turn and lean against one of the crates.
“Do you really think the city of Chicago is going to admit they fucked up and lost 750 thousand dollars’ worth of drugs?”
I think it over for a minute.
“Exactly. They got the news story they needed. They have pictures of the whole raid. And they got their bad guy. Meaning, you got your stash, just like I promised.”
It sounds too good to be true, but I shrug and pull my phone from my back pocket, dialing Enzo.
“Whoa, what are you doing?” He reaches out and takes the phone from my hand.
“Calling Enzo to come and pick it up.”
He grins. “Oh, no. I want something in return.”
I stand upright and take a step toward him. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”
“It’s a part of the deal now, sweetheart. Take it or leave it.”
I scoff. “Fine. I’ll just tell Mad you have his stash. He’ll come for you. You know he will.”
He lets out a deep laugh. “He would have no reason to believe you. He saw his stash all over the ten o’clock news. If anything, he’d ask you how you’d even know such information.” He picks up his drink and takes a sip with a smirk.
“You son of a bitch. This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”
He points at me with the hand holding the glass. “It wasn’t. It just came to me.” He shrugs. “But I’m so fucking glad it did.” He begins walking circles around me, looking me up and down. His examination of my body causes a shiver of disgust to roll through me. “I’ve been dying to sink into you since the moment my eyes landed on that tight ass in that tiny, red dress.” He’s back in front of me now. “So, what do you say?” And the loathing rises at the possibility of any part of him touching any part of me.
I look down, thinking it over. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot my purse hanging from my shoulder. My hand is already flying for the gun before I can even process the thought. When I look up, aiming the gun at him, his gun is already on me, aimed right at my head.
“I figured you might try something… which is why I came prepared.” He sets his now empty glass on the table with a thud. “I don’t have all night, Amelia.”
My hand is still aiming the gun at his head. If I don’t do this, get Mad’s stash back, he’ll wake in the morning and someone will get killed over these crates. I’m a ruthless bitch, not to mention a dozen other things, but I don’t want to add murderer to that list.
With a sigh, I let the gun fall back to my side and tuck it into my purse.
“That’s my girl,” he coos as he places his weapon on the table next to his empty glass.
Resigned, I correct him, “I’m not your girl. I’m the queen who’s willing to do anything she can to protect her king.”
Something flashes in his eyes.
I offer a half grin. “But I’m sure you know nothing about that,” I say, taking a hit at his wife who can’t be bothered to get off her ass.
I tug my t-shirt over my head, dropping it onto the floor. His eyes get wide as he stands back, watching me strip off every article of clothing.
When I’m completely bare, he walks over behind me, and his hands find my hips as he directs me to the space in front of a crate.
“I’m going to fuck Madden Novelli’s queen on his own stash.” He laughs. “My life is so fucking sweet.” He places his hand between my shoulder blades and pushes until I’m bent over the wooden crate with my breasts pressed against the top.
His belt buckle clanks behind me. Then the air fills with the sound of the zipper on his pants descending. I look over my shoulder and see him tear open a condom wrapper with a smug look.
At least the worthless bastard uses condoms.
Without a word, he slides into me, pumping slowly. Bile rises in my throat, choking me for a moment. “Give me something, Amelia. I want the kinky fuck I’ve heard so much about,” he says, thrusting in deeper.
I don’t move. I won’t give him what he wants. He can take from me, but I won’t give him shit. His body sliding against mine repulses me so greatly that I have to fight the urge to vomit.
�
�You want your precious husband’s inventory? I suggest you at least pretend to like me fucking you.” He grinds his hips into my ass.
I reach behind me, pushing his hips away so quickly, he has no choice but to slide out of me. I spin around to face him and lift myself up onto the crate, lying back with my feet perched on each corner.
“That’s more like it.” He slides into me once again, clamping his hand around my throat.
“Enzo, I need you to come and pick up the lost inventory.” I pull my jeans back up over my hips.
“It’s 2:00 A.M, Amelia. What the fuck?”
“Unless you want to see who dies tomorrow, the sooner the better.”
“How the fuck? He saw his stash on the ten o’clock news, Amelia. How the fuck am I supposed to explain that it magically reappeared?”
“You’ll come up with something. You have to. We’re in this mess because of you. He doesn’t check the inventory, remember?” I mock him from before.
“Fuck me.” He lets out a long breath. “Alright. I’ll be there in twenty.”
I hang up the phone and right my clothing. “Enzo will be here in twenty minutes.” I step toward him, pointing my finger in his face. “If anyone finds out about this…”
He smiles. “Mum’s the word.”
5
I lean against the side of my car as I wait for Enzo to arrive. His Porsche finally pulls into the parking lot and stops right in front of me.
He gets out and walks around the car. “The truck will be here in a few.” He glances around nervously. When his eyes land on mine, he cups my cheek. “Everything okay? You seem different — human even.” He cracks a smile.
I roll my eyes. “I’m fine. Just glad this shit is about over. I hate going behind Madden’s back.”
His hand drops away. “It was for the best, and we all know it. He would’ve waited until that prick stole everything from us. You know, this guy isn’t just some small dealer. We’ve heard stories for years how some big shot was making his way across the country. He’s stealing business from even the biggest and best.”
Dirty Chicago_Season One Page 5
