by K. C. Crowne
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No,” I said. “I’d prefer to talk about anything but that, to be honest.”
I wanted to go back to my fantasy world - the one where Graham and I could raise our child together. But Antonio’s message completely ruined any chance for that. It would hurt too much to fall into such delusions again, knowing that Antonio would never allow it. He’d find me in Liberty, so I had to leave. I had to get out of there. But how? I would need a car, some way to travel that couldn’t be traced back to me easily. Without a car, I had very few options.
For the time being, I was stuck. I couldn’t do anything about that. And at least I was stuck in a house with a bunch of big, strong men.
Of course, having Graham at my side did make me feel a lot better. At least temporarily. Even if Antonio could trace me to Liberty, it was unlikely he’d find me here. I needed to relax and recharge for the night. Tomorrow, I would need to run like hell, but for the time being, I needed to rest.
I tried to get my mind off Antonio anyway I knew how.
“I’ll leave you alone to get some rest if you’d like,” Graham said, as he started to get up.
“No! Please, don’t go yet,” I said, biting my lip as I stared up at him. “In fact, you don’t have to sleep on the couch if you don’t want to.”
His lips curled into a grin. “Are you asking me to spend the night with you?”
“I am, actually.” The very idea of being with Graham one more time caused a heat to rise in my body. I had one night with him, and I told myself I should enjoy it.
He leaned down and kissed me, but I pulled back.
“Just one thing before we go any further,” I said.
“Anything,” he said, cupping my face in his hands.
“I will be leaving tomorrow, and I’m not sure we’ll see each other again.” I could see no way that we could safely be together.
His face fell, but he nodded. “I understand. If this is all I get of you, I’ll gladly take it.”
“Good,” I said, pressing my lips to his. “Because tonight, I really just want to feel good again.”
“I think I can manage that.” He spoke against my lips, laying me down onto the bed.
Graham climbed on top of me, hovering above me as he kissed me - his tongue probing my mouth as I pulled at his shirt, nearly ripping it off him. With his help, he pulled it over his head, and I could lay my hands on that chiseled chest. I traced the tattoos with my fingertips as I kissed him.
“I need you, Graham,” I whimpered. “I need all of you.”
“Your wish is my command, darlin’,” he growled.
I moved my hands lower, working at his zipper. With his help again, we were able to remove those pesky pants along with his boxers. I gripped his thick member in my hand, still surprised at its large size - and how he could somehow fit the whole thing inside me. I was growing wetter by the second remembering the way he’d made me feel, and I wanted him inside me again.
But Graham had other plans.
He dropped to his knees on the floor, sliding my pants down my thighs and legs along with my panties. He pulled them off me and parted my thighs, burying his face between them.
His tongue circled my clit and sent shivers throughout my entire body. He grabbed my legs and threw them over his shoulders, diving deeper into me. His tongue probed my opening and went back to my clit.
Pleasure washed over me, and before I knew what I was doing, my hands were on the back of his head, pressing him into me. My heels dug into his back as my lower body arched upward off the bed. I tried to keep quiet, but it was no use – the screams escaped my mouth as I called out his name over and over again. I came hard, and the orgasm seemed to last forever. Graham just knew how to extend the feelings until it was almost too much.
I pulled at his head, my entire body shaking. Graham looked up at me from between my thighs, his beard moist with my juices.
“Come here,” I whispered, my voice barely working. “I need you inside me.”
“One second,” Graham said, standing up. He smirked as he reached for my top. I had forgotten I wasn’t fully undressed. “I need to see your perfect body,” he growled.
He lifted his sweatshirt off over my head, reached behind my back, and undid my bra with one swift movement. My breasts fell forward, and he took them into his hands. He had big hands, but they still overflowed.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” he said, falling onto the bed with me.
Our lips smashed together, as did our bodies. I wrapped myself around him, rising upward to meet him, hoping he’d slide into me. I needed to feel his cock again. Nothing else in the world seemed to matter except for that. I needed him one last time before I ran far, far away.
Graham guided himself against me, the tip of him pressing against my opening.
“Please,” I begged him. “Plea—”
I didn’t even finish the second please before he thrust into me. I cried out as he stretched me open.
“Yes, yes,” I whimpered, my nails digging into his flesh as I held onto him for dear life. “Oh God, yes, Graham.”
His lips explored my neck, kissing and sucking and nibbling. His breathing was heavy, and he groaned every time he thrust his cock deep inside me. That sound alone was enough to send me over the edge again – knowing that I was giving him pleasure brought out a second orgasm. My pussy spasmed around his cock as he continued drilling into me. His rhythm never let up, even as I writhed underneath him from the pleasure.
“I’m going to—” Graham never finished his sentence, but I knew from the low growl and his ragged breathing that he was close.
My moans grew louder, and Graham kissed me, his mouth silencing the sounds as the last wave of my orgasm washed over me. Graham’s cock throbbed inside me, filling me with his seed. I simply enjoyed the sensation and the warmth of his cum as we laid there together. He stared into my eyes, our foreheads pressed together. He kissed me before sliding his cock out of me and laid down beside me.
Graham pulled me close to him, and I rested my head against his chest. His heartbeat thundered against my ear as my eyes grew heavy. His fingers played with my hair, stroking it away from my face. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I fell asleep.
Even with everything that was happening to me, I felt safe with Graham. I wondered if this might be the last night of peaceful sleep in a while, so I needed to enjoy it.
I would figure out my next step in the morning.
Graham
What in the hell is that sound, I wondered. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t fucking stop.
It took me a few minutes to wake up and realize that the mysterious buzzing sound was coming from Emmy’s purse, which was sitting beside the bed. I wouldn’t search through her bag or anything, but since it was right there, I decided to shut off the damned thing so we could sleep. The sun wasn’t even up yet; it was way too early for this shit, and Emmy needed her sleep after the day she’d had yesterday.
I picked up the phone and turned it over with the intent of simply turning it off, but a message from her dad popped up on the screen.
Emilia, you need to get back to Vegas. Now. He will find you, and it’s better if you cooperate. You can’t fight this.
A second message popped up a moment later from an unknown number. It was just a picture. A photo of a gun.
My heart stopped.
Emmy moved beside me, muttering something under her breath. A second later, her hand reached out and snatched her phone from my hand.
“What in the hell are you doing?” she asked. I turned to her, her curly hair wild around her face. Even with the bedhead and the scowl, she was still so fucking beautiful.
“I wanted to turn your phone off. It wouldn’t stop buzzing,” I explained. “But then I saw the messages. Are you in trouble, Emmy?”
Emmy looked down at her phone and her expression changed. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.
“Emmy, what’s going on?
Is someone after you?”
Her hand began to shake, and she put the phone down on the bed. “I need to go,” she announced as she rose from the bed, tossing the covers and quickly searching for her clothes.
“Go where?” I asked.
“I just— I need to go, Graham.” There was an urgency to her voice.
“Are you going back to Vegas?”
“No.”
“Then where?”
“I can’t tell you. I can’t tell anyone,” she said as she slipped into her pants.
“You’re not going anywhere. Not if you’re in danger.”
“You can’t tell me what to do, Graham,” she snapped. “I’m so goddamn sick and tired of everyone telling me what to do.”
I stood up and walked over to her. “What was the picture of the gun about? Was it a threat?”
She wouldn’t look me in the eye. Instead, she walked around me and grabbed her shirt, leaving my sweatshirt behind on the bed.
“Emmy, talk to me.”
“No, Graham, because it’s none of your business,” she snapped again.
“If you’re in danger, I’m making it my business.”
“Why?” she said, turning to gaze at me. “You hardly know me. Sure, the sex was amazing, but besides that, you don’t know the first thing about me or my life.”
“So what? When I see someone in danger, I help them. I don’t let them walk away when I can do something about it.”
“You can’t always be a hero, Graham,” she said. “I’m not putting your entire family in danger because of my problems.”
“This isn’t about me being a hero,” I countered. “Listen, Emmy, you don’t know much about me either - what I do and what I’m capable of. My brothers and I, we aren’t strangers to protecting people. That’s what we do for a living. We’re all ex-military and we run a security firm. This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve put ourselves in the line of danger to protect someone we hardly know.”
Emmy attempted to move around me, but I stayed in her way. She sighed, looking every bit as exhausted as I knew she must feel. “Graham, please, you can’t hold me hostage here.”
“You’re not a hostage, Emmy. Just let me help you. Where are you planning to go that will be safe? And how? Last I checked, your car washed down the river.”
“I don’t know, but I have to figure something out. I can’t stay in Liberty.”
“You can, Emmy. And you will.”
“Graham, my family is still here. I have friends here. It’s the first place they’ll look for me. It’s too obvious.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Let them come here. My brothers and I are all highly trained. We have guns of every variety, and a security system that no one can get past. I’d like to see someone try to enter our home, because they’ll be in for one hell of a surprise if they do.”
“You don’t know who you’re dealing with here, Graham. This is bigger than you and your brothers can handle.”
“I doubt that, trust me,” I scoffed.
Her eyes were wide, and she looked terrified. It physically hurt to see her so scared. I wouldn’t allow anyone - much less a woman - leave knowing she was in danger and knowing that I could help.
I closed the distance between us and lifted her chin up so she looked me in the eyes. I could tell she was fighting tears - and she was winning. She was so strong, stronger than most people gave her credit for, I was sure. But this wasn’t something she could handle alone. If these people were that powerful, there was nowhere in the world she could run and be guaranteed to be safe.
“Who are we dealing with, Emmy?” I asked, speaking softly. “The more I know, the more I can help you.”
“You can’t help me,” she said again.
“Yes, I can. And I will. Now tell me. Who are we dealing with?”
She sighed and closed her eyes. “If I tell you, I put you at risk as well.”
“I’m fine with that. I’m always putting my life at risk, often for people I don’t even know.”
Her eyes opened again, and she contemplated for a few moments before she finally nodded. “Fine. It’s the Mafia.”
She paused as if expecting me to respond in shock. To the average person, hearing that the Mafia is after you likely would freak them out. Or they might not believe you. But I knew better.
“I’ve had run-ins with those types before,” I said. “I’ve protected witnesses involved in court cases. I know what we’re dealing with here.”
“I don’t know…” She chewed on her lip. “We’re not talking about some low-level Mafia family, Graham. We’re talking the Lombardo Crime Family.”
My ears perked up. Now that was a name I’d heard before. Emmy was correct. These weren’t your regular small-time criminals. This was the real deal. I still didn’t flinch.
“They don’t scare me.”
“Well, they should. I’ve seen what they’re capable of.”
“You’ve not seen what I’m capable of yet,” I said with a cocky grin. “What do they want with you anyway?”
“They want me.”
“Yeah, but what for? Did you see something you weren’t supposed to see?”
She sighed a shaky sigh. “No, I mean it - they want me. And by they, I mean Antonio Lombardo wants me to be his wife, and my father…” Her voice cracked, but she regained her composure. “My father has given me to Antonio in exchange for some business dealings.”
I’d heard a lot of things in my nearly forty years on this planet, but none of them pissed me off as much as that sentence right there. My fists balled up at my sides, and I so badly wanted to punch something - anything - to relieve the tension building inside me.
“Your own father? How could he—”
“My dad lost his way long ago. He only cares about money, I’m afraid,” she said, a sadness in her eyes that broke my heart.
“But you’re a person, not a bargaining chip.” I shook my head, the rage boiling under my skin.
“Tell that to him,” she muttered. “Ever since my mom died, this is all I’ve ever known, Graham. I never saw a way out. I was hoping I could go away to grad school, build my own life and leave my dad behind, but sadly, well, now I have to deal with this.”
“You’re not going to have to deal with this alone,” I promised.
“Graham…” Her voice sounded defeated.
“No, Emmy,” I said firmly. “Don’t argue with me. I likely have a better idea about how these guys operate than you think.” She looked skeptical, so I continued. “I know they’ll come looking for you here. You’re right, Liberty is the first place they’ll look. And your cards? Well, they’ll be able to track those too. You would need a new identity, which isn’t easy to get. Your car was in your name, people could find you that way. If you rent a car, they’ll be able to trace it to you too. There really is no easy way to just run and be done with them.”
“I know, but what else can I do?”
“You did what you thought was best, and you did great, Emmy. But leave it to us now. We’re the experts. We can protect you.”
“We? You haven’t even asked your brothers to get involved in my mess.”
“I don’t have to ask. I know them. They’ll help.”
She sighed and rubbed her temples. “I don’t know…but I don’t know what other choice I have. I don’t know how to get a new identity, and they have networks all over the world. I’d never be free.”
I stroked her cheek and leaned in to kiss those sweet lips. She kissed me back. “You’ll be free of them, Emmy. I promise you.”
It might have sounded cocky, but I knew my brothers and I were good. We could handle this. We had to.
I would never let anyone hurt Emmy again.
Emilia
“You’re right. All my accounts are frozen,” I muttered, staring at the screen of Graham’s laptop in surprise.
“Better frozen than used to track you,” Graham commented. “At least your father did something right.”
My father was the owner of my accounts because until I finished grad school, he was supporting me. The money was mostly his, with the exception of some savings I put away while working part-time here and there. From that moment on, I would never allow anyone to put me in a situation like this again – one where I depended on them to live.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without any money.” I felt abandoned, lost, scared.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll take care of you until this is all sorted out.”
I bit my lip but nodded. I wasn’t sure staying was the best option, but it was the only option I had. I hardly knew Graham and his family, and while they seemed like good guys, I didn’t want to leave my fate entirely in their hands either. I also didn’t want to be responsible for anything happening to anyone. Eli left to take their mother to the airport after breakfast, so that was good at least. I couldn’t imagine putting Lillian’s life in danger along with her sons.
“I can’t stay here forever, you know.”
“Why not?” Graham smirked.
I gave him a sideways glance and he shrugged. I had to look away or risk spilling my guts about the baby.
“We’re going to take care of this for you,” he tried reassuring me again.
Could Graham and his brothers really take down the Lombardo Crime Family? I wanted to believe him, he seemed so confident, but that was asking a lot. People had tried to take them down before, but no matter what happened, they kept getting away. They made deals, they had people on the inside, and they were filthy rich. Money may not be able to buy you happiness, but it could buy you your freedom when you broke the law.
“You don’t believe me?” Graham asked, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s just, well, from what I’ve witnessed, Antonio and his family are above the law. I really don’t trust the justice system to handle them. They have too many people in their pocket.”
“You just have to know the right people in the justice system. Believe it or not, there are good cops and judges out there, and if we can get something on them, they will go down.”
