by A. L Long
When we finally made it outside, two of Angelo’s men were leaning up against a black SUV, which I was all too familiar with. Without so much as a word, my father pulled his gun and fired two shots. One hit the taller of the two men in the chest, and the other landed right between the scrawny one's eyes.
It blew my mind how easy it was for my father to shoot someone without thinking. Helping him drag the limp bodies away from the vehicle, I got in on the passenger side while he took his spot behind the wheel. As soon as we were moving, I looked over to the side mirror for any movement. “Why the hell did you have to shoot those guys?” I said, peering over to him as he surveyed the road judiciously.
“It had to be done. Do you think those guys would have let us live once they spotted us?” he questioned.
My father had a point. I guess I was hoping that there wouldn’t be any bloodshed. I had seen enough of it during my time in Iraq. Working for Jagged Edge also had its share of death, even though most of it was in self-defense.
~****~
As we got closer to the city, all I could think about was how much I wanted to wrap my arms around Nikki. I knew that this thing with Carlos and Angelo wasn’t over. By now Nikki would be safe and at the shop with the other guys. I couldn’t wait to see her. I missed her so much. Just the thought of touching her soft skin, feeling her lips pressed to mine, made me swear that I was never going to let her out of my sight again.
We were within a few miles of the shop when my father pulled the SUV to the side of the road. Placing the vehicle in park, he turned sideways and diverted his attention to me. I wasn’t sure what was on his mind, but based on the worried look in his eyes, I knew he had something weighing on him.
“Your mother’s death wasn’t my fault. You were too young to understand,” he began, bowing his head. “She had been sick for some time. I did everything I could for her, even took on an additional job and worked odd jobs on the side when I could. It didn’t matter how much I worked, the bills kept coming. Finally, I found a way that we could finally get out from under all the bills.”
“So you went to work for Angelo Conti,” I contended.
“It was the only way. Anglo took care of everything. The bills, her care. As long as I continued to work for him and do as he asked, she would get the care she needed, only it didn’t matter. She died three months later. It was like I sold my soul to the devil.”
Listening to my father explain what happened, I somehow felt sorry for him. I knew that something was wrong with Mom. She was always so tired, especially after she got home from her appointments. I never knew where she was, but I remember her always being sick. I could hear her in the bathroom as she spilled her guts. She told me it must have been something she ate. I never questioned her, but when she started losing weight and I would find clumps of her hair in the trash, I knew she had cancer. By that time, Dad was never home and I was left to care for her.
“I knew about the cancer,” I admitted as I stared out at the darkness. “I thought you left because you didn’t want to deal with it any more.”
“That is so far from the truth. I stayed away mostly because I didn’t want to put you and your mom in danger.” My father switched his gaze to me. As I looked towards him, I could see the guilt in his eyes as he shook his head in regret. “I hated every minute I was away from her and you. When everything finally blew over, it was too late.”
“I hated you for what you did. And when I found out about the Mob, I hated you even more,” I confessed. “All I knew was you had chosen a life of crime over us.”
“It was the only way, son. I hope that some day you will be able to forgive me.”
When my dad finally pulled away from the curb, I finally had a clearer understanding of what happened all those years ago. Sure, he made some really bad choices, but I believe that he was doing the best he could. As sick as my mom was, he didn’t cause her death. It was the cancer.
Seeing the shop put a big smile on my face. Even thought there was a lot of shit that still needed to be sorted out, I was happy that I would finally be able to hold Nikki. Swinging open the door, everyone was huddled around her. I wasn’t sure that they even heard my dad and me enter the shop.
“Hey, guys, what’s going on?” I questioned with concern.
Everyone looked my way with a look of amazement. It was when I saw Nikki that I understood what was going on. Staring right at her, even with her face banged up the way it was, she was still the most gorgeous woman in the room. Pushing everyone aside, she came at me full charge.
She jumped up and wrapped her arms and legs tightly around my body. God, it felt so good to have her in my arms again. As much as I loved her, her grip was so tight that I could barely breathe. “Baby, you need to loosen your grip a little”
“I thought you were dead, Sly. I am never going to let go of you again,” she vowed.
“I’m good with that, but could you maybe let go just a little,” I whispered as I gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.
The guys began approaching me, and as much as I hated to, I slowly lowered Nikki to the floor. Peter held out his hand first. “Glad to see you’re okay, bro. We were all getting a little worried.”
I nodded my head. “I’m sorry, guys, but we may have a bigger problems. Nikki didn’t lose the fight.” Looking down at Nikki, I could tell she was keeping something from me. “Why didn’t you just stay down, baby?”
“I couldn’t, Sly,” she cried, looking up at me with her beautiful brown eyes. “He had my mom and he was going to kill her if I didn’t win. I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t know they were going to kill you if I didn’t lose.
Her tears began falling uncontrollably. All I wanted to do was pull her closer and try and comfort her. “It’s okay, baby. We’ll figure this out.”
“We need to get my mom away from him. I’ve lost so much time without her,” she admitted.
It would be just like Carlos to pull something so underhanded. I wouldn’t be surprised if the woman he claimed to be Nikki’s mom wasn’t her mom at all. Holding her at arm's length, I gazed into her eyes and asked her, “Nikki, are you sure it was your mom?”
“I saw her, Sly. I know my own mom. Even though it's been a long time since I’ve seen her, I know it was her.”
“We’ll get her back, baby. If he has her, we will get her back,” I swore. If her mom was still alive and Carlos had her, I would do everything I could to get her away from him.
~****~
Peter dropped us off at my place a little after nine. With all the excitement, Nikki hadn’t realized how sore her body was from the beating she took from Black Jewel. Heading to my bedroom with Romeo close behind, I started a bath for her, hoping that it would make her feel better. My thoughts were somewhere else as I watched the tub fill with water. I knew sooner or later Angelo would find us and finish what he started.
Nikki was standing in the doorway when I finally focused on the water instead of my thoughts. Pushing up from the edge of the tub, I walked over to where she was standing. Cupping her cheeks with my hands, I bent down and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Her lips were still slightly swollen from the emotional roller-coaster she had been on. Lifting her arms above her head, I pulled off her sports bra and threw it to the floor. Her beautifully shaped breasts spilled, causing my cock to pulsate between my legs. Lowering my head, I teased the rosy buds between my fingers while I listened to Nikki’s moans of pleasure. Releasing her breasts, I slid my hands down her velvety skin. Hooking my finger in her shorts, I moved them down her legs until she was free of them.
As I admired her body, my cock was protesting beneath my jeans. Lifting Nikki from the floor, I carried her in the tub and carefully lowered her down into the hot water. Removing my own clothes, I slid in behind her. When her butt pressed against my engorged cock, I knew she would be aware of the arousal she was causing me. Pulling her body back against mine, her arms wrapped around my neck, giving me the access I needed to her pert nipple
s. Her head tilted back further into my chest as I continued caressing her nipples between my fingers.
The hardness of my cock began pulsating between my legs. All I wanted was to be buried deep inside her and feel her warmth wrapped around me. Placing my hands on her hips, I twisted her body so that she could readjust her position. Once she was facing me, I was able to see something in her beautiful brown eyes that I hadn’t seen before. “What is it, baby?” I asked as I watched a tear roll down her cheek.
“When I didn’t see you at the shop, I got so scared, Sly. Everything in my being just died. I have never felt that way before. I don’t ever want to feel that way again. Not with you,” she confessed bowing her head.
“Look at me, Nikki.” She lifted her head and right then I knew I was totally hers. “I will never leave you, Nikki. I love you more than anything in this world.”
Her lips met mine, sending a wave of electricity down my body to the tip of my cock. Even though she has never admitted to me how she really felt, I knew by the way she kissed me that she felt a lot more for me than she was willing to admit. With our lips still connected to one another, I placed my hands on her hips and slowly lowered her onto my shaft. The warmth of her body had me completely undone. It took everything I had not to loss control.
Feeling her walls tighten, I knew that I had touched the one spot where her body would soon let go. I dipped my head slightly and took her mouth with mine. The feel of her soft lips colliding with mine was all I needed to push her over the edge. Her body began to shudder, causing her to take a deep breath. Feeling her breath against my skin, I held her closer. I could no longer hold back my own release. My body gave way to her warmth and my seed spilled inside her. Her center pulsated once more, leaving another round of ecstasy in its wake.
I knew that Nikki was exhausted, Not only by the fight, but also by the burst of pleasure we shared in the tub. Making sure she was tucked away comfortably in bed after giving her two pain relievers, I went to the kitchen to do some soul searching. The last few weeks had been like a hurricane in a shit storm. I needed to take a few and sort things out.
Sitting in my favorite chair, I took a swig of my beer as I looked out over the city of Manhattan. My mind was such a jumbled mess, I didn’t know if I was coming or going. First, the confession from my dad and now the possibility that Nikki’s mom might still be alive. Oh yeah, and how could I forget the fact that I was a wanted man by the Mob.
Finishing the last of my beer, I knew it was late and the only thing I wanted was to be holding Nikki and focusing my mind on her. Dumping my empty beer bottle in the trash, my phone lit up as it began vibrating on the counter. Picking it up, Peter’s number appeared on the screen.
“We have a problem, bro,” he said, before I could say anything.
“What’s going on, Peter, and do you know what time it is?” I asked.
“Yeah, I know. Sorry, but Nikki may have been right about her mom. Carlos sent over footage from the fight. He wants her back.”
“Well, that is never going to fucking happen.” Just as the words spilled from my mouth, Nikki appeared.
“What’s never going to happen?” she inquired.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Sly
“What isn’t going to happen, Sly?” she asked again.
“Nothing, baby. Go back to bed. I’ll be right there.”
“I’m not going back to bed until you tell me what is going on.” There was no way she was going to let this go. She knew whoever was on the phone didn’t call at two in the morning to have a friendly conversation. She knew that it had to be important and she would be hounding me until she got the answers she needed.
Keeping my eyes on her, I walk over to the cabinet and pull down a bottle of Southern Comfort. Grabbing two glasses, I poured one for myself and another for her. Going to her, she gave me an intense look that I knew meant there was a definite problem. Handing her the glass of whiskey, she held it in her hand and just stared at it.
With a deep intake of air, I turned away and said, “Carlos has footage of the fight. He sent it to Peter. He’s pretty sure your mom was in it.” I turned my body and shifted in a different direction so she wouldn’t see my reaction. “He wants you in exchange for your mom’s life.”
My heart dropped to my stomach as I looked over to her. Just like she said, Carlos knew just how to keep her tied to him. “Then I have to go to him, Sly. If I don’t, he’ll kill her. He made that perfectly clear during the fight.”
“I am not going to allow you to go back to that motherfucker, not after I just got you back. No way, no how, Nikki. End of story. We will find another way.”
Placing my glass on the counter, I marched over to her and pulled her body into mine. I always knew exactly what she needed. The last thing that I wanted was for her to be tied to Carlos, but I knew she wanted her mom safe and away from him.
“We will find another way,” I reassured her. “Let’s go to bed. Tomorrow we will get in touch Peter and figure out a game plan.”
Gently lifting her chin, I made sure she saw the sincerity in my eyes. Drawing my lips to hers, I kissed her passionately, letting her know I would not let anything bad happen.
~****~
Peter and the guys were already waiting for us by the time we got to the shop. I knew that with everyone's input we would be able to come up with a way to keep Nikki away from Carlos and get her mom away from him. Nikki seemed to think that Carlos would have taken her mom to his estate. I wasn’t so sure that he would do that. While Nikki was being held there, not once had she seen her mom. This made me believe he was keeping her somewhere else.
I hated to think about it, but as close as my dad got to Carlos, he would be the only person that would know where Carlos might be keeping Nikki’s mom. So while everyone waited in the conference room, Nikki and I were in Peter’s office talking with my dad. When we finished the call, my dad was more than willing to help.
Stepping back into the conference room, the guys were chatting amongst themselves. My guess was that they were trying to come up with a plan. As I took a seat with Nikki resting her tight little ass on my lap, Peter leaned forward to make sure everyone could hear him. Addressing everyone, he began going over the specifics of the plan. His hands were moving with his eyes as he explained what would happen and what everyone’s job would be. It would have been an excellent plan, except there was one problem: we didn’t know where Carlos was.
“Peter, how are we supposed to implement this plan if we don’t even know where the bastard is?” Ash questioned.
Before Peter chimed in on Ash’s question, a voice sound from the back of the room. “You guys are wrong. Carlos is playing all of you. I saw him kill Nikki’s mom. There is no way she is still alive. If I am wrong, there is only one other place he would take her without drawing too much attention,” my father advised.
With the information my dad shared and a plan in hand, we were pretty confident that it would work. Using Nikki as bait was something I didn’t agree on. Even though I knew Nikki would be able to handle it and it couldn’t be any more dangerous than what she did for Hawk in Kierabali, there was still that chance that something could go wrong.
We all decided it would be best to put the plan into play at night. One thing good about the location where my dad was sure Carlos would be was that he had minimal security there, at least nothing like his security at the estate where Nikki was taken.
Heading out of the shop, Nikki and I got into my Jeep and headed back to my place. It was going to be a short night and we needed all the rest we could get. That was, after we relieved a little tension.
~****~
Nikki and I were supposed to wait at the apartment until we got a call from Peter. My night was shit, even after the explosive sex Nikki and I had. Pacing the floor like it needed to be broken in, I was on edge waiting for Peter’s call. Nikki was still sound asleep and I couldn’t bring myself to wake her until I knew for sure what they found out.
The plan was that Peter and Ash would check out the residence where my dad thought Carlos would be. If he was there, Peter would call and let us know that the plan was a go. Even though it was still early, I thought for sure I would have heard from him by now. Hearing something stir behind me, I turned around to find that Romeo was up and ready to be let out to do his business. Once this whole mess was over, Nikki and I would be having a talk about sharing a house together where Romeo could roam freely without being cooped up.
Grabbing his leash and my phone, I opened the door to find two beady eyes staring at me. I knew it was a matter of time before he would show up. As he pushed me back inside, I looked down at the gun he was jabbing in my gut.
