Double Dirty Mafia Masters: An MFM Menage Romance

by Olivia Harp

  She couldn’t tell him the truth. She didn’t even think about an excuse, she didn’t have time.

  “Just…” she cleared her throat, “we were supposed to meet here then go get dinner.”

  “Dinner, huh.”

  “Yup.”

  “And you have the keys to the apartment?”

  She shrugged, “yeah, Crow let me borrow one.”

  “Are you together?”

  Were they? Like, for real?

  “No.”

  She wasn’t lying, not completely. She and Crow weren’t together just like she and Lucian weren’t together.

  The three of us are together.

  She pressed her lips, trying to keep her cool. Oscar sipped on the soda and said “ahhh…”

  She still stood beside him. The silence felt like a ticking bomb. She needed to say something to ease herself up.

  “I’m going to the store, do you need anything?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  She felt her body relax all of a sudden. She felt safe. You’re just being paranoid, Lexie, he’s a friend.

  “All right, I’ll be right—”

  “I’m sorry,” Oscar said, “I meant, you’re not leaving.”

  Her body stiffened. Her jaw tightened shut. She thought she was going to puke.

  “What…” she asked, but the words came up garbled, almost whispered.

  “You don’t like me very much, do you, Alexa?”

  She had steeled her body to prevent herself from shivering, but even still, she could tell he noticed.

  “I… I—”

  “You what? You come here, cast a net over the guys and now what? Just because they inherited the business doesn’t mean they own it, right?”

  “I… I…”

  “Oh, Earl… please, shut her up.”

  The man rose his hand and crashed it right on her face. She tripped on the living room table, dropping one of the vases on it, the plants and water fell on the rug, staining it.

  It had been so fast she only felt an explosion on her nose, then she was on the floor.

  “Look at what you did,” Oscar said.

  Earl slapped her again, she fell flat on the floor, her eyes were open but she only saw stars.

  “Sit her beside me.”

  One of the men —she couldn’t tell who— picked her up and released her by the bald man.

  “Now listen,” Oscar said, tapping her leg, “I’ve got nothing against the guys working the business. They’ve done a great job, even I was surprised at their effectiveness. But—”

  The screensaver came up on the TV. He leaned over to the coffee table and moved the laptop’s mouse so the presentation showed again.

  “But you’re messing with my business, you see?”

  She didn’t understand.

  “No, I…”

  Earl rose his hand again and she sank on the sofa, trying to protect herself.

  “Earl, come on,” Oscar said, signaling at him to stop, “stop doing that, people might think you like hitting women.”

  He said that last part with a grin, Earl smiled and took a step back.

  “I don’t like people messing around with the books, you know? We’re all happy just the way they are.”

  “You cooked the books on purpose.”

  “Well of course I did! Do you think I’m stupid? I’m risking my life for them, might as well make bank, wouldn’t you do the same?”

  “I’ve seen what you earn—”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’m not hurting anyone.”

  “You’re stealing from—”

  This time, he was the one who slapped her. Her head snapped back at the couch and bounced forward. Her hands went to her face, blood poured unto them. He broke my nose.

  She was crying. She tried not to. She tried to remain impassive, badass. But it was easier said than done.

  “Now, okay,” Oscar said, “you found two hundred and fifty grand, that’s fine, I can deal with that.”

  He leaned over and clicked on the open files at the bottom of the screen, the ones she had open and could be seen on the Start bar.

  “But when I hear the Kovolskis asked for all of the books, well, that’s where I draw the line.”

  He cooked the books, reported one thing to the family, then made the returns to his own account.

  Now it made sense. They were silly mistakes, newbie mistakes. They looked right on paper to someone who wasn’t an expert on the subject.

  He embezzled all those millions. He betrayed them. Suddenly, she understood. She found out about him, his secret.

  He’s gonna kill me.

  Oscar scrolled through the spreadsheets.

  “You did a fine job,” he said.

  The truth was there for everyone to see. Every red and yellow and green cell showing how they could change things in their favor. It was pretty readable, even to someone who hadn’t seen it before.

  He sighed, almost frustrated.

  “Looks like you found everything. Sad, very sad. Earl, please.”

  The man grabbed the computer and smashed it on the floor.

  “No!” she yelled, but the other bodyguard grabbed her. Earl kept kicking at it until he turned it to mush.

  “Please, don’t hurt them,” she cried.

  Oscar smiled, “don’t worry darling, I won’t do anything to my employers, I’m not as ungrateful as you might think.”

  That settled her down. She was living on borrowed time. She should’ve died that night on the alleyway. The boys showed her what she was capable of. She was grateful she got to meet them.

  “You’ll have to come with us, though, you know, as insurance.”

  Her nose still bled, her clothes were completely ruined, her hands covered in red.

  “Clean yourself up, when are they coming?”

  “Forty minutes or so,” Theodore replied, looking at his watch.

  “Okay, time to go. Theo, please, help her.”

  The man accompanied her to the bathroom. She washed her face, but blood kept on pouring out, slower now.

  Maybe her nose wasn’t broken after all. The motherfucker is weaker than he thinks he is.

  Outside, Earl grabbed the remains of her laptop and the cables she used and put them in a black bag. No one would know what happened.

  She walked out of the bathroom, Oscar stood there, looking out the window, pretending he was big and tough instead of just a fucking thief.

  Earl, the coward who beat her was on the floor, cleaning the water stains, making everything look as unsuspicious as he could. The vase she broke was nowhere to be seen, its pieces already in the black trash bag in his hands.

  The door was ten feet to her left, Theodore rearranged his glasses. That’s when she did it.

  She clamped her fist as hard as she could and struck him right on the nose, she jumped to the door and grabbed the handle.

  “Get her!” Oscar screeched like a rat.

  The door opened and Theodore jumped at her, but she was faster, slipping through it just before he shouldered it close.

  She stumbled hard, about to lose her balance, she was out of the apartment, for a second she thought she would fall, her escape ruined, but her survival instincts prevailed, and recovered her gait.

  The silent, furniture less foyer looked like freedom, especially when she saw that the elevator doors were still open.

  Thank God, thank God, she thought, flinging herself to it, turning around immediately to press the button —any button— to get away fast.

  The door to the apartment opened, Theodore ran out and jumped at her.

  “Fuck!” she yelled, “fuck…”

  The doors closed on his face.

  She was safe, they wouldn’t make a fuss in public. She looked at the button she pressed.

  She let out a sigh of relief when it’s bright orange color read 3.

  Ninety floors down, no way they can get there before I do.

  No one was that fast. Besides, t
hey needed to find the stairs first.

  The elevator wasn’t moving. What the hell is going on?

  She pressed on number 3 again, then the 1. It didn’t move.

  The doors opened, slowly. A small man wearing clothes bigger than he needed stood there, grinning wide.

  “I guess you missed this, dear?” he said, the elevator key dangling in his hand. The key to use the elevator. Of course. She still needed that.

  I’m dead. Fucking hell, I’m dead.

  And just like that, the three men walked in the lift, Theodore leaned down and grabbed her arm harder than ever.

  “You do that again and I’ll shoot you right in the face,” Oscar said, “got it, honey?”

  The only thing she feared now was them finding the boys on the parking lot. She didn’t want to put them in danger.

  Someday they’ll find everything about this, someday they’ll learn the truth.

  “Stop crying,” Oscar said, “I fucking hate criers.”

  She did, but not because he said so. She needed to regain some shred of dignity before the worst happened.

  CHAPTER 39

  LUCIAN

  The door opened to a silent apartment. He wasn’t expecting this. Lexie didn’t greet them, the apartment felt suddenly empty without her cheerful voice. She wasn’t sitting at the bar, or in her room, or kitchen or anywhere.

  They stopped to get her a bouquet of flowers, they wanted to surprise her. They thought about buying her two, one for each of them, but the idea sounded kind of stupid, so they decided on getting her just one.

  Crow won the rock, paper, scissors, so he was going to be the one to give it to her. Lucky fucker.

  “She’s not here yet?” Crow asked.

  Lucian checked his watch. It was fifteen to seven.

  “Dude, it’s years of accounting she has to go through. It takes longer than you think.”

  “She shouldn’t work so hard.”

  “I agree.”

  “I’ll take a shower,” Crow said, walking to his room, his steps echoing in the silence.

  Lucian looked around, I’ll send her a text, maybe she needs a ride or something.

  He tapped on his phone, changed into more casual clothes and went to the kitchen. I guess I’ll make dinner.

  He smiled. Crow might give her the flowers, but dinner was on him. Fuck yeah.

  What would he prepare? Maybe some sandwiches. Subs. They had bread and a lot of ingredients, he’ll make the best one-footer she ever had.

  Fifteen minutes later, he was almost done. Crow came out of his room, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. No shoes.

  “She’s not here yet?”

  “Nope.”

  He tried to remain cool, but he started to get nervous. Something clawed at him from inside. He checked his cell phone again. She hadn’t replied.

  She hadn’t even read the text.

  “I sent her a text but—”

  “Last online, two hours ago,” Crow finished. He was looking at his mobile phone too.

  They looked at each other. Something wasn’t right.

  “I’m gonna call her.”

  “No, man. Give her some space.”

  Crow put the phone on the coffee table.

  “We’ll wait another fifteen minutes, then we’ll call.”

  “All right,” Crow replied, sitting down on the sofa. He grabbed the remote and pressed a button.

  “Did you turn on the TV?” he asked.

  “No, why?”

  Crow shrugged, focused on the giant screen. He pressed the power button on the remote again, the TV glowed blue, then, on the corner said HDMI 3 - No Input Signal.

  “What the…?”

  Lucian walked over to the living room, “what?”

  He looked at the screen. He hardly ever watched TV, but Crow liked listening to music in there. He had a special sound system connected to it. He laid back and listened to it for hours on end.

  Something was wrong.

  “Will you tell me already?”

  “It’s on HDMI three. I never use that.”

  “So? She changed it?”

  Crow looked at him, he had a face he hardly ever saw. He was worried.

  Crow stood up, “call her, just to make sure.”

  Lucian did.

  “It goes straight to voice mail.”

  “Damn.”

  “Relax, man. What the fuck. Chill, her battery died.”

  “Something’s wrong.”

  He didn’t say anything, but Crow knew he thought the same way.

  “I’m gonna get my shoes. Let’s go to the coffee shop.”

  Lucian nodded, if this turned out to be a false alarm, it would be a monumental embarrassment. But it didn’t matter. Her safety always came first. He was hoping they’d find her.

  Crow walked around the soft rug, passing by him and then stopped, looking down.

  “What?”

  Crow kneeled and pressed his fingers on the carpet.

  “It’s wet. Looks stained, too.”

  “Blood?”

  Crow brought his fingers to his nose, “no. I think it’s dirt. Someone cleaned it, not perfectly, though.”

  Lucian looked at the table, “she dropped the vase?”

  Crow stood up, a frown adorning his face, his mouth pressed hard. What happened here?

  Lucian called her again, no good.

  “Fuck.”

  Crow grabbed the remote and changed the input settings.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Trying to see what she was watching, or… man, I don’t know.”

  Crow admitted he wasn’t in complete control of the situation. Holy fuck, we’re headed to a crisis.

  “AppBox is not connected,” he said, after going over the inputs on with the remote, switching them over and over again.

  He walked to the TV stand and looked behind it, looking at the cables behind.

  “Let’s get moving, man,” Lucian said.

  Crow grabbed a book and moved it away, dropping something on the floor. A small, golden rectangle.

  Crow picked the thing up, but Lucian already knew what it was. His stomach churned when he recognized it.

  His friend looked up at him, his gaze full of both confusion and anger.

  It was her cell phone.

  CHAPTER 40

  CROW

  Cold, black fury welled in him. Crow had never felt like this. Like a billion needles stuck inside his chest, pressing hard outwards.

  His fists were clenched, his knuckles white. Lucian did not say anything. He knew better than to do so.

  He looked out the window, not even knowing where they were going. It didn’t matter. He was going to kill that motherfucker.

  I’m gonna make him pay.

  They’d seen the video on her cell phone. Saw their old “friend,” a friend of their father, spew bullshit as if going behind their backs was actually helping them.

  Then he hit her.

  He wanted to destroy the fucking TV, but no. I’ll hold back, until I see you. I’ll fucking gut you.

  Lucian was silent too. He made all the necessary calls. Someone like Oscar did not just leave town. The imbecile told his assistant where he was staying. She told them the details.

  Lucian thanked her and told her he was going to surprise him.

  “Please don’t tell him we’re coming,” he said.

  “All right, boss, no problem,” she replied, happily ignorant.

  They grabbed their guns, a G17 Glock for Lucian, old and reliable. Seventeen bullets plus one in the chamber.

  Crow preferred bigger weapons. It gave him a strategic advantage, you only need one bullet to destroy a person. His weapon of choice was a Desert Eagle .50, white handle, seven rounds.

  He’d make each and every one of them count.

  Lucian drove slowly, calmly. Just like the old times, when they drove to get Sergei Vallak. The fucker who stepped on their territory and fucked things up. The fucker who made him flee to
France while shit quieted down. The fucker who killed his mom, back when he was just a gangster on the rise, trying to make a name for himself. He shouldn’t have come back.

  This time, things would be easier.

  Goosebumps broke out on his skin.

  I’m not afraid, he told himself, trying to let go of the nerve wracking image of the woman he loved being smacked down. Being talked like she was nothing.

  “That’s the place,” Lucian said, parking the car away from the house near the beachfront. A small mansion, in the middle of a quiet neighborhood. The perfect place to hide if shit hit the fan.

  Earl stood outside the house, a black sedan parked on the side.

  “Let’s go,” Crow said, getting out of the car, trying put aside the thought that maybe she was already dead.

  CHAPTER 41

  LEXIE

  Real state. She hadn’t seen every house the organization had at its disposal, but having invested in real state was one of the most profitable venues they tried.

  She was glad to see it when she did her analysis, but now, looking at one of those houses from the inside, things didn’t look so great.

  Yeah, the house was perfectly big and cozy, with enough rooms to make any family man —or woman’s— mouth water. Like one of those rockstar houses you see on TV.

  Now she wasn’t so sure. How would the guys find her? It was almost comical. The best house she ever been in would be her last. Who knows how many people are buried in this garden.

  But she played her hand well.

  They were going to put a bag on her head and suffocate her.

  “We’ll throw your body to the Hudson,” Oscar said with a grin.

  Theodore kept his gun pointed at her, back on the parking lot, before they got in the car. She thought they’d put her in the trunk, but she came up with an idea.

  “You’re fucked,” she told Oscar, “no turning back, you asshole.”

  “You think? Because it seems to me you’re the one who’s fucked.”

  “I sent them the books.”

  That made him stop. He never thought of that. Now he knew they’d come after him, even after she was dead.

  Even if I didn’t send them anything.

  He threatened, furious, he yelled and slapped and put his gun on her head. He needed to see the files she sent. But she kept her mouth shut. He slapped her again a few times, but she just smiled.