“A marriage is a nonstarter, unless you’re looking to replace Maria?” I said as Ray met my speculative stare with a hard glare. “Just checking.” I held his stare. “I’m not fucking marrying her.” Ray smirked and I fought the urge to punch him.
“And Malcolm Litton?” Nick asked from behind me.
“He isn’t a threat to you, which is why you’ve never bothered with him before.”
“So you think the threats are Emilio Neroni and Nico Sabino?” Ray asked from his couch. “Without them, each player keeps their own patch, and I don’t have to concern myself with moving factions?”
“Threats give them too much credit, I would say obstacles.”
“Then we remove the obstacles,” Nick said calmly.
“Then you remove the obstacles,” I agreed.
“You’ll take care of this,” Ray told me.
“On the condition that you leave Denver. You’re making the locals…twitchy.” I said nothing when he smiled at me.
“Very well, make it happen, or I return and I take them all.” He glanced at Nick behind me. “Including Malcolm and your friends.”
“I have no friends,” I reminded him as I stood. “I don’t know why you never believe me. Kill them all if you want, but then I have no job and return to New York and really, cousin, think about it, do you really want me loose in New York?”
Ray lost his smile, and with a tight smile of my own, I left them in their suite.
Heading back to the house, I thought over my plan. It was very, very risky, and I needed to make sure that I was the liaison between them all, whilst ensuring Malcolm stayed clear. Sighing, I remembered I also needed to reach out to the Devil’s Highwaymen. But first I needed to sleep.
Turning the TV off, I climbed the stairs and, with a quick check in my room, found Devon fast asleep on the bed. After I had used the bathroom, getting ready for bed, I returned to the room and looked down at her. Rolling her onto her side, I pushed her gently to the far side of the bed, careful of the restriction the handcuff placed on her, then I got under the blankets and finally closed my eyes.
I woke up to the sound of Devon trying to get out of the bed whilst still handcuffed to the headboard. I lay on my back with my eyes closed as I heard her muttering under her breath about me being a prick. She was still over the blankets, and I was under them, nice and relaxed. Keeping my eyes closed, I dozed to the sound of her shuffling around. She wasn’t trying to make noise, I realised; she thought she was being stealthy. I almost smiled.
Opening my eyes, I saw she was on her feet, half turned away from me, bent slightly as her arm was kept prisoner in the handcuff. With one hand, she was trying to get her jeans off, and I let my gaze travel over her soft curves. With a soft ha, Devon kicked the jeans away from her. Turning, she yelped in surprise to see me watching her.
“What are you looking at?” she snapped at me defensively.
“What time is it?” I asked instead. I mean, she wasn’t stupid, it was pretty obvious what I was staring at.
“Just after six.” She worried her bottom lip as she looked at me and the bed. “It’s cold and I was uncomfortable.”
Lifting the blankets, I saw her indecision as she hesitated. “Are you naked?”
“You can see I’m wearing a top, Devon, don’t be a dick,” I chastised her.
Narrowing her eyes, she slipped into bed. Well, she tried to, her arm caused her difficulties, and if I was a nicer man, I would have helped her. I wasn’t, and I enjoyed watching her struggle. Finally, she was on her side, her arm above her, her knees curled up to her chest.
“Why did you sleep here?”
“It’s my bed,” I answered.
“Is this your house?”
“For now.”
“You’re like a cuckoo.”
My eyes had been closing again, but they opened as she spoke. “A cuckoo? They take over other bird’s nests, don’t they?” I felt her nod on the pillow. “I didn’t remove the people before me. When you rent, you rent empty accommodations.”
“I just meant you take over places and call them your own when they aren’t.”
I thought about it, maybe I did. “Are you going to let me sleep?”
“I need to pee.”
Fuck me, of course she did. I nudged her with my foot to tell her to move, and then I watched her struggle to get up again. With a smile, I stood fluidly and noticed her taking in my sleepwear.
“You’re wearing pyjamas.”
“Again, your skills of observation leave me speechless.”
“I can go by myself,” Devon suggested as I unhooked her arm from the bedpost.
“I’m still too tired to catch you. Let’s go.”
With a huff, she turned on her heel, and at the bathroom door, she glared at me. I had no intention of following her in, and I smirked when she hesitantly closed the door on me. Leaning against the wall, I closed my eyes as I thought about last night. I needed at least one or two more days to get things in motion. Cam would get his uncle to me, and even though his brother was in Denver, Alberto would keep quiet on his movements. Antonio had the full support of his brother to be head of the family, but Alberto was like me. He knew when hard decisions needed to be made, which I knew the moment he kept himself and Cameron in San Diego.
There were no flies on Alberto, and I needed to be very careful with him. He may be as cold-blooded as me.
I also needed to get to Joe. Fuck knows what the Highwaymen were thinking. I had always used my mother’s last name, and when people had asked previously if I was related to the East Coast Lastras, I had made some noncommittal comment. Cleaning up for Ray in New York had brought me too much attention, attention I didn’t need. However, it had exposed the moves on the board that Nico was making. I knew it was him. Emilio was a pawn to exploit, and I planned to exploit it. To my advantage.
Joe was a decent guy. I needed to keep him onside for Malcolm. I had no real concern if he wanted to work with me or not, but Malcolm profited from their relationship, and despite Malcolm’s current shortness with me, I was still his guy.
He wasn’t too involved with the drug side, he really didn’t need the money, and I knew he just liked the thrill of making the business deals. Maybe Aiden’s woman could pop out a few kids, give Malcolm something to concentrate on instead of drug running.
Although this was my life and my choice, and I liked the way I lived, I did prefer it when I was merely an extra pair of hands, rather than playing families off of each other.
Devon came out of the bathroom and hesitated as she watched me. I knew she was watching me as she was silent, and that meant she was thinking.
“What?” I asked with my eyes still closed, my head tipped back to rest on the wall.
“You look like shit.”
“With that level of flattery, I see now why you’ve been on the streets for two years.”
“Just telling you how it is.” I heard her smile, and it caused me to open my eyes as I regarded her. She lost the smile as she saw me watching her. “Bed?” she asked me, and I raised an eyebrow. Her face flushed scarlet. “Don’t you want to sleep?” Devon bristled uncomfortably.
“I do, come on.” I tugged her handcuff that dangled from her wrist and led her back to bed. This time I waited until she was lying down, and then I snapped the cuff into place. “You good?”
“You have me handcuffed to the bed. No, Raphe, I’m not good.”
“You’ll be fine.” I lay down beside her and closed my eyes. “I just need another hour,” I said as I shifted onto my side.
“I could go to my own room?” she said softly.
“Hmm, you could.” I reached over behind me and patted her side. “Shh, now go to sleep.”
“You’re a dick.”
“You’re really obsessed with it.”
“I am not obsessed with your dick!” Devon bit out angrily as she tried to rise.
“Shut up,” I said as I pulled the blankets up to my chin. “You speak
again, I’ll gag you.”
“With your dick?”
My eyes snapped open, and I turned to look at her. She was lying flat on her back, her eyes screwed shut and her teeth biting her bottom lip. She looked horrified that she had said it out loud.
Slowly I reached over her, and her eyes flew open in surprise and anticipation. With a small smirk, I scooped her sock off the floor, and rising above her, I let it dangle from my fingers. Her expression cleared from wary to anger.
“Sock, not cock.”
“You rhyme now?”
“I’d like to sleep now.” I turned back onto my side. “Shut the fuck up.”
“You’re not a nice man, Raphe,” Devon whispered in the following quiet.
“I never said I was,” I murmured as I drifted off to sleep. One hour, that’s all I needed, and then I could see what my runner had to say to me today.
Within minutes, he was asleep as I lay there dying of mortification that I had brought up sex with him again. What the hell was wrong with me? I had never been this hard up for sex in my life; my period must be coming. That was all I could think that would warrant this behaviour. I hadn’t had a regular period for some time while I was living on the streets, the odd eating habits I had, the weight loss, I hadn’t had to bother about Aunt Flo. However, after a month of good food and regular sleep and, let’s face it, less stress, my body was getting back to where it should be.
I used to always be extra antsy on the run up to my period. Added on to that, I hadn’t had relief in a very long time. I wondered if I pushed my body into an excited state that first night I took care of my itch. It wasn’t him. I mean obviously it was, but it’s because he was beside me. He was near me all the time. He knew he was pushing my buttons and did it anyway.
Asshole.
I doubted Raphe was attracted to me. If I hadn’t seen the scratch marks, I would have thought he was sexually indifferent. However, I had seen the marks, and I knew he had been getting some. It still bothered me. I couldn’t even explain why. He spoke to me like I was an inconvenience most of the time. I worried if I should tell him everything. Would he keep his word, would he let me go if he knew everything?
I was sworn to secrecy. I promised I would take it to my grave. The unfortunate thing was that I had no doubt Raphe would happily hand me the shovel and tell me to start digging.
He gave out a sigh as he turned onto his back, and I watched him sleeping. In sleep, he looked like a normal man. A drop-dead gorgeous man, but normal, nonetheless. It was when he was awake and those arctic eyes were stripping you bare of all your secrets that he was dangerous.
I pulled uselessly at my handcuff. I knew I only had myself to blame because I ran, but I did wonder how long he intended to keep me tied up for. I pulled again, and his hand snatching out and grabbing my wrist made me freeze.
“Lie at peace,” he mumbled as he rolled onto his side to face me.
His eyes never opened, and I wasn’t even sure he was awake, but I kept still anyway. I didn’t want to go ten rounds with him just now. He was grumpy when he was sleepy, and given he was scary on a normal day, I didn’t need to poke the beast.
I stared at his hand that lay between us on the bedsheets. His long fingers lay relaxed. He looked like he could play an instrument with those hands. His nails were neatly cut with a thin sliver of nail. A gentleman’s hands, Merle would have called them. His pyjama choice was a T-shirt and lounge shorts. Both black, both soft cotton. I wondered if I had new pyjamas. He had left me last night in my jeans and T-shirt. I didn’t get the option to be comfy.
My eyes ran over the column on his throat. His stubble was more pronounced than normal. I noted his smooth skin on his cheeks and forehead and the light lines at his eyes. Laughter lines? From this man? Surely not. I envied the thickness of his dark blond lashes. Why did men always get the pretty long lashes and girls needed mascara? It wasn’t fair.
Raphe’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, and I watched his Adam’s apple like it was the answer to all my problems.
I could smother the bastard.
The idea popped into my head, and I looked at him guiltily as if he could hear my treacherous thought. Why was I guilty, he had told someone to kill Jimmy. He was a killer, why did I keep forgetting it? Because he was gorgeous to look at? I shook my head in reluctant acceptance. No, it was because he was hellbent on keeping me off the radar, anyone’s radar, and by doing so, he didn’t know that he was actually helping me. That aside, he had still ordered someone to kill Jimmy.
He deserved to have me smother him.
He was sound asleep. All I needed to do was get the pillow, then place it over his face and lie on top of him. I didn’t have the strength of both hands since I was handcuffed, but I could lie on him. Or something.
My hand cuffed to the headboard was an issue, but I could work with it. Carefully, I raised myself up, watching him the whole time. Gently, I pulled my pillow in front of me and waited to ensure he was asleep. I waited for longer than I needed, but I wanted to make sure he was out cold.
I shifted in the bed slightly, and his head turned towards me, his hand twitching on the blanket. I held my breath as I waited. When he didn’t move, I moved towards him again. He didn’t move. He was on his side, but I needed him on his back. Slowly, scared he would wake up, I reached out and trailed my hand up his arm, watching in fascination when his skin prickled. His arm moved slightly, and I softly blew across his arm. The skin tightened, and the soft golden hair on his arm raised. Raphe mumbled as he pulled his arm under the blanket. I watched with sick fascination as he turned onto his back again, pulling the blanket up over him.
If I hadn’t been contemplating his murder, I would have been fascinated with how completely approachable he looked when sleeping.
However, it was when he wasn’t sleeping that I had to remember he was a killer. Again, I waited patiently, and when I was sure he was still dead to the world, I brought the pillow up. Moving as fast as I could, I dropped the pillow on top of his face and then pressed with all my weight.
It was over so fast I didn’t even know how I went from being on top of him to being under him, with his hand around my throat, my arm twisted in the cuff, and my heart in my mouth as he glared down at me.
“Suffocation?” he asked me in a dangerously low voice. “You want me dead so bad, tell me how you were getting out of the cuff?”
His hand tightened on my throat, and I realised he didn’t even want an answer. Furious, he glared at me, and I whimpered when his hand squeezed my neck. My free hand clutched at his forearm as he leaned into me. His legs were on either side of me, pinning me to the bed, and I didn’t even know how the covers were ripped off of us both.
“Or is it just my attention you want?” Raphe asked me softly. His head dipped into my neck, and I felt his lips cover my pulse. “Was this another attempt to get me to notice you?”
I had just tried to put a pillow over him and suffocate him; how did he make this a ploy to get his attention? I already had his attention, and I didn’t fucking want it. Wasn’t that obvious?
I struggled underneath him and tried to buck him off me. Those cold blue eyes looked at me, and I saw the smirk form. I bucked again and then realised why he was smiling. I was turning him on? Could I be smothered instead?
His grip released from my throat, and he sat back, his weight pinning me in place. He looked completely unfazed, as if this happened to him every day. “What was the plan?”
Coughing slightly, I tried to speak. He didn’t move an inch and instead watched me like I was an experiment. “I thought it may be my only chance.”
“A chance? To what? Die?” His head tilted slightly as he looked down at me.
“I had to try.”
“You had to be reckless and stupid, you mean?” Raphe was still watching me and still sitting on me. His hand reached out, and he traced a finger from my lips down my chin, softly down my throat and then lazily trailed down my chest between my breasts bef
ore he settled his hand on his lap. “Just when I give you credit that you’re smart, you do something so fundamentally stupid I have to reassess you.” His eyes were on my breasts, which hadn’t been unresponsive to his soft caress. “And I know you’re smart, Devon, so what would make you do this? You have nowhere to run, the key is out of reach. The headboard is wrought metal, you haven’t the strength to pull it free. Your wrist is too big to slip free,” he said as he gave me an amused look. “Trust me, I know my handcuffs.” His hand casually caressed my stomach as he sat on top of me and looked down on me. “You react to me physically,” he mused. “But you’re not desperate enough to throw yourself at me, well, once, I suppose.” As his hand slipped under my T-shirt, my body tensed. “You come for me when I touch you, so I know you want my hands on you.” To prove his point, his hand slipped over my breast under my T-shirt. His smirk was knowing. “Even now, I sit on top of you from a failed attempt at my murder, and you lie there panting, almost begging.”
“I’m not begging,” I said angrily. I bucked my hips again. “I’m panting because I can’t breathe with you on top of me.”
Raphe gave me a smile. A wide smile that made me forget I had just tried to suffocate him. “You poor delusional little liar.”
Saying nothing, I stared at him with fury as his finger and thumb rubbed my nipple between them. I could not let him see that I was reacting, I couldn’t...no, I wouldn’t let him see he was making me squirm.
“Did your period start?” Raphe asked me casually, and he shifted his weight on my abdomen.
“What?”
“You understood the question.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I mean, yes.”
His look was wicked as he reached over me, and from somewhere below me, he produced another set of handcuffs.
“Raphe! No!” I yelled when he caught my free hand and hooked me to the bed frame. Raphe sat back and looked at me, his eyes hooded with pleasure as he surveyed his handiwork.
“I like this look on you,” he told me with quiet satisfaction. His eyes ran over me leisurely. “I may keep you like this,” he mused.
Beautifully Broken (The Denver Series Book 2) Page 25
