by B. B. Hamel
He grinned. “Still think I’m a bastard?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “But a bastard with a great cock.”
He laughed. “I’ll take it.”
I shook my head. I was still angry at him, but much less so. I quickly got dressed again, trying to get myself together.
He tossed the condom in a trash can and just watched me, smirking.
“You can act all you want,” he said finally, once I was dressed, “but we both know what you want.”
“I don’t want anything from you.”
He grinned larger. “Yeah, you do. You can’t help yourself. Even when you’re angry, you want this fucking cock.”
I shook my head. “Just a stress relief.”
I started to walk by him, but he grabbed my hips and pulled my back against him. He pressed his lips against my ear.
“Don’t keep lying to yourself, girl,” he said. “You can’t get me out of your head.”
“Asshole,” I said, and pushed away from him.
He slapped my ass as I walked away, laughing.
I quickly went to the door, pulled it open, and got out of there.
As much as I hated to admit it to myself, he was right. God, he was so right, and I hated it.
I couldn’t get him out of my head. No matter what happened, I wanted him, his thick cock, his arrogant smile.
He drove me totally crazy, and I loved it.
I walked down the hall, finally going to find Alexei.
Chapter 28
Vince
The girl wanted me to back down from her family, but she didn’t really understand what that meant.
Even if I decided to stop fighting in the war, the other captains wouldn’t. I didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Nothing I did could prevent further bloodshed.
And I didn’t fucking want that. The Russians had attacked me, had come after me first. I couldn’t let that stand, even if I wanted to.
My men would think I was weak if I backed down after the Russians had come after me.
She just didn’t understand what she was playing with. If we wanted our organization to stay safe, we had to deal in violence every once in a while. If we let the Russians push into our territories, they’d just start killing our families.
Which was why I found myself loading a rifle at midnight that night with a few other guys from my crew. We had eight guys, each loaded to the teeth.
We got into two cars, me and Rafa in the front car and four of my best guys in the other.
“So what’s the plan, boss?” Rafa asked.
“Nothing special,” I said. “Russians have an illegal poker game going every night at this little deli in a shit neighborhood. We’re kicking down the door and killing them all.”
He grinned wickedly. “Sounds good.”
It wasn’t just random violence. Kaley’s dad ran the poker tournament, and although he wouldn’t be there, some of his top guys might be. Plus, they always had a lot of cash on the premises.
I was sure they’d have some security, but not much. They didn’t know that we knew about it. One of the Russian guys, Vasili Vladikovich, was a spy for us, and he sold us information all the time. This little poker game was one of his last sales.
And it was a good one. This would show the Russians that they weren’t safe anywhere.
The drive out there didn’t take long. We parked a few blocks away and the guys got out, huddled up close. Everyone was wearing a Kevlar vest and everyone was carrying a rifle, courtesy of Bao’s Chinese contacts.
“Listen up,” I said, addressing the guys. “John and Petey stay behind, engines running. When you hear the first shots, you pull up out front and get ready for us to run.”
“Got it,” Petey said.
“We’re better armed by far than they’re going to be, so let’s make this fast. Kill everyone that looks like a Russian mobster; spare the women. Grab any cash or anything that looks valuable. We’re in and out in five minutes. Got it?”
The boys all nodded.
“Let’s go murder some fucks.”
We began walking down the sidewalk.
The city was quiet and there was nobody out. Rafa rolled up next to me, giving me a grin.
Excitement was bubbling up under the surface of my skin. This was the sort of thing I lived for, the sort of thing I loved. It made me feel more alive putting my life in danger, putting myself out there. I was a warrior rolling into battle, ready to carve my opponents into tiny little pieces.
My heart was hammering in my chest as we stopped outside the deli’s door. It was closed and locked, but that didn’t matter.
I nodded at Rafa. He kicked the door, shattering the glass, and reached inside. He unlocked the door and threw it open.
I was the first one through, gun at the ready. The front of the store was open, but it wouldn’t be for long. I moved toward the back and saw the back door open, one guy coming out.
He didn’t have time to realize what had happened. He was probably investigating the sound of broken glass. I put a bullet between his eyes and he dropped.
All hell broke loose then.
I kicked in the back door and we spilled inside.
The room was mostly full. There were several tables set up with people sitting at them, smoking and drinking. We formed a small semicircle around them and began to unload our guns.
Bullets flew through the air, tearing up the bodies of the people in front of us. Some of the Russian goons tried to get their guns out, but we shot them down too fast for them to respond. It was a complete slaughter, with everyone in the room screaming, diving out of the way, bleeding.
These were our enemies. In war, you did things that were difficult, even questionable, because that was how you won. They would do this to us if given the chance; I was completely sure of that.
Our guns tore up the room. I avoided hitting the women, and they quickly dove out of the way, hiding and screaming.
It lasted two minutes. Finally, I held up my fist, and the gunshots slowly stopped.
“Get the cash,” I ordered.
The men fanned out. I combed through the people, ignoring the whimpering women. I finished off a few guys who might have survived.
Nobody was walking away from this. The women would tell the story of what had happened here, and maybe that would incite more terror in the ranks of the Russians.
Rafa came from the back room with a bag slung over his shoulder.
“Good haul,” he said.
“How much?”
“Not sure, but it’s a lot.”
“Good. Maybe this can cover some of our losses.”
“I think it will, boss,” he said, grinning.
My guys were busy rifling through the bodies, taking money from wallets, anything valuable.
I checked my watch. Five minutes had passed.
“Okay, roll out,” I said.
We turned and left back the way we’d come.
The two cars were sitting out front, engines running. We piled back into the cars and sped off.
We didn’t even hear sirens.
The feeling in the car was elation. Nobody had been hurt, and everyone in that room had been killed. It was a huge success, and we even made out with a ton of money.
It was a slaughter, but it was a necessary slaughter. Rafa was busy counting the cash, a big smile on his face.
But I felt something different.
Usually after a battle, I felt nothing but joy. I liked destroying my enemies, killing men who would otherwise kill me. I liked proving that I was faster and stronger than those bastards.
But for some reason, I had a nagging feeling. I realized that I was worried that someone from Kaley’s immediate family had been in there. I knew she had lots of cousins and uncles, all of who were members of the mob. It was very possible that one of them had died in that.
And I knew she would be very upset if that had happened, possibly never forgive me.
I couldn’t
let that get to me. Kaley was important, but the war was more important. Once the war was finished, I could worry about what Kaley meant to me and what I wanted from her and Alexei. I could worry about being a father after I was finished being a fucking good soldier.
We headed back toward the compound, and I tried my best not to imagine Kaley’s face distraught from the news of her family’s murder.
Chapter 29
Kaley
I was sore in the best way.
Vince was on my mind the next morning. After what had happened in his office, I went and got Alexei right away and stayed in my room all night, talking to him and taking care of him. But in the back of my mind was Vince, his strong arms holding me up, pinning me against the filing cabinet.
But for whatever reason, Alexei was fussy all night. We both got some sleep, but not nearly enough, and I was exhausted the next morning. I got my usual breakfast and sat with him, rocking him slightly in his little bouncy chair while I scrolled through my phone.
I was constantly looking for news about the war, but Facebook was oddly quiet about it. I had plenty of friends in the mob, but none of them were talking about it. Maybe they were instructed not to post about it, or maybe they were just blocking me, but either way there was an eerie silence about the whole thing.
You’d think that if two of the biggest, most badass mobs in the city went at each other, there would be news about it. But I saw and heard absolutely nothing. It was almost like it didn’t exist, although I knew it did.
I’d seen the guns. I’d heard the whispers in the hall.
When Sonya knocked on my door a few hours later, I didn’t even pretend to put up a fight. I was just too tired and sore from the day before to argue. I needed a break, plain and simple, and I was beginning to trust Sonya more and more. She took good care of Alexei, that was obvious, and if she was good enough for Nat, then she was good enough for me.
I shut the door to my room softly and went walking out into the hallway.
I was sick of sitting around in my room, cooped up. I was antsy and annoyed, frustrated and upset as I moved through the halls.
Nothing was resolved with Vince. Just because I wanted him to fuck me rough and take my body didn’t mean I felt okay with the war and the way they were using me. I didn’t want to be a part of that, but it seemed like I didn’t have much of a choice.
As I walked, I began to notice more and more people. The staff didn’t seem like they were shying away from me anymore. Actually, I began to notice people staring at me as I walked.
Which was strange. When I first got here, I could wander around the halls and basically see nobody, and everyone I did see completely ignored me. I was totally invisible.
Now, it was the opposite. It was almost like people were going out of their way to stare at me.
I shook my head. That was just stupid. I was being paranoid. I turned down a stairwell and headed downstairs. I went out the back door and walked out into the lovely spring day.
The sun was shining, and I felt good as I headed down toward the stables. I hadn’t taken a good look at the horses yet, and I wanted to see them at least once before I left the mansion for good.
I walked in through the back barn doors and headed down a thin path. There were stalls on either side, but I couldn’t see any actual horses.
Up ahead, I saw an older man reach into one of the stables with a handful of what looked like food.
“Excuse me?” I called out, not wanting to startle him.
He looked up. “Yes?”
I walked closer to him. “Hi. My name is Kaley. I’m new here. I was hoping I could see one of the horses.”
He eyed me. “You’re the new girl, huh?”
“Yes. Sorry to bother you. I just wanted to see one of the horses.”
“You said that.”
The man was probably in his sixties, with wrinkled skin and graying hair. He wore a light gray sweater over a white shirt tucked into brown slacks and big black boots. He frowned at me.
“No horses here,” he said.
“Oh, sorry. Which is the horse stable?”
“No horses,” he repeated.
Just then, I heard a snort.
A clearly horse-like snort.
I looked over the wall of the stall and saw a horse toward the back, eating.
I turned back toward him. “There’s one right in there,” I said, laughing.
“I don’t show my horses to Russian whores.”
I took a step back from him, shocked. I felt physically surprised by his sudden outburst.
“Uh,” I said, “okay. Sorry,” I stammered, not sure what else to do.
“Get out of here, you dirty Russian whore,” he said. “Go back to where you came from. Good men died because of you.”
I took a few steps backward and then turned and ran out of there.
I couldn’t believe it. Ever since I’d gotten to the compound, people had been nothing but polite to me. This man was the first person who genuinely made me feel like an outsider. More than that, he made me feel like I was somehow unsafe.
I stopped running and felt like a child. Since when did grown women run away from rude old men?
But then again, not many grown women were stuck in the middle of a hostile household surrounded by violent men.
My position suddenly felt completely insecure. I walked quickly back toward the house, totally aware of the eyes that could have been looking down from the house.
I went in through one of the many back doors and headed up the steps quickly. I heard someone coming down toward me from above, and so I quickly hopped off the stairwell, heading onto the wrong floor.
I didn’t recognize anything as I walked, but I noticed the eyes. People were staring at me, whispering to each other. I felt like I was in a horror movie or something.
Suddenly, a guy stepped into my path. He was tall with broad shoulders and was wearing a suit.
“Are you lost?” he asked.
“Yes, I am,” I said, nervous.
He was clearly a security man. “If you’re looking for your floor, you’re going the wrong way.”
“Oh, okay. Where should I go?”
“Turn around. Head up the stairs another floor. Make a left out that door.”
“Okay.”
He stared at me. “Don’t wander around alone anymore,” he said.
“I’m not allowed to walk around?”
“Not anymore,” he said.
I quickly turned and walked away from him.
My heart was pounding in my chest. I had no clue what had happened to make people treat me this way, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. My family was likely killing their friends, and I was the poster child for the whole damn thing. As far as they were concerned, it was all my fault.
I quickly followed his instructions and went up to my floor, but instead of going to my door, I stopped at another one. Without really thinking, I knocked.
And he answered. I was a little surprised when Vince pulled open the door, looking tired.
“I thought I’d see you again, Princess,” Vince said.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.” He turned aside and I went in. He shut the door behind me.
“People hate me,” I said.
“What?”
I sat down on the couch. “People hate me here now, Vince.”
He sighed. “What happened?”
“Some old guy down at the stables called me a whore. And a security guy told me not to wander around anymore.”
He shook his head. “The guy at the stables is just some old kook we keep around to take care of the horses. Ignore him.”
“What about the people staring at me? Whispering?”
“What do you want me to say?” Vince grunted.
“Am I in danger here?”
He thought about that for a second. “Shit,” he said softly. “I wish I could say no.”
“Is my child in danger? Our child?”
“No,” he said more forcefully. “We’re assholes, but we don’t hurt kids.”
“What am I supposed to do, stay hidden in my room?”
“Might be for the best.”
“I should leave.”
He shook his head. “No, you shouldn’t.”
“If I’m not safe anymore, I’m leaving.”
“Listen to me, Kaley,” he said. “Arturo wants you alive and unharmed. You’ll be fine.”
“What happens when I’m not useful anymore?”
“Let me deal with that.”
“Will you deal with it, Vince?” I asked him seriously. “Will you go against your own people to save me if you have to?”
He stared at me, clearly surprised by the question.
“Don’t ask me that again,” he said slowly. “Don’t ever ask me to betray my people again.”
“Okay,” I said softly, feeling my heart sink.
“Listen to me.” He sat next to me. “I won’t let anyone bother you, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I’ll put the word out that you’re not to be bothered, and if anyone says anything to you, tell me.”
“Fine.”
He frowned at me, but I looked away.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“I’m sure it is.” I stood up. “I should go get Alexei and head back to my room.”
“Sure. Okay.”
I gave him another look and then turned and walked away. I pushed open the door and headed out into the hallway, walking back toward my room.
I didn’t feel better. I believed him when he said he’d do what he could to protect me, but I was afraid that if his people ordered him to hurt me or to get rid of Alexei, he’d listen.
I didn’t want to put him in that position, but I also didn’t want Alexei to be stolen from me. I couldn’t ask him to betray his people, and I wouldn’t.
If it ever came to that, I’d run away. That was my last option. I still had some money, though not much. I could get to California, change my name, get a job, start a new life.
Maybe I should do that anyway.
What had once felt like a refuge from the terrors of my family was quickly starting to feel like another oppressive force. I was less and less welcome in the Barone family mansion with every passing day, and I knew it.
