by Erin Trejo
“They all hated her, you know? All of those men that came in the room. Her mom didn’t care either,” she says stubbornly.
“Look at me, Suzi. I care about her too. You have to be able to see that.”
“I do see that and that’s why I worry, Remi. Giselle is breakable. She’s precious,” Suzi says her eyes filling with tears.
“I know that but you’re wrong about part of that. Giselle is not breakable. Not anymore. She’s stronger now because of you. She can handle more than you let her, Suzi. You’ve been good to her.” The tears slide down her cheeks breaking my fucking heart in the process. I hate seeing her cry even though I know this isn’t Giselle in front of me.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes, okay. I need you to talk to Giselle for me. I understand that she is getting better without me but having her there when her father is hurt, I don’t know how she would react. I want to be there. Not her.” Watching the look in her eyes, I know she is serious.
“She’s hardheaded like you are,” I tell her with a smile. Suzi smiles back at me and my heart leaps.
“Yeah she is but she listens to you. She loves you, Remi. I know you can protect her. I know you can take care of her, Remi.” Her words seem ominous especially coming from Suzi.
“I know I can too. It’s what I plan on doin’.”
“She won’t need me anymore,” Suzi says softly.
“She will.”
“Let’s just get this over with, Remi,” Suzi says with a soft yet sad smile. Nodding my head, I look to Kred.
“Get the guys together and let’s see what we can come up with. You get out there and have a drink, I’m sure you could use it.” Suzi smiles and nods before I release my hold on her. I watch her as she walks out of the room, taking a piece of my heart with her. It amazes me that I’ve gotten to Suzi in such a short time. She’s been hell bent on going against me since we met, not that I blame her.
“You’re good with her. Just like you were Ricky,” Kred says before slapping a hand on my shoulder.
“Can’t lose her like I did him, Kred.”
“Goddamn, Remi. That wasn’t your fault.”
“It was. I knew he would flip at some point. I knew he wouldn’t be Ricky anymore and I let that other bastard slice his throat. I can’t live with that shit with her too.” Kred walks away with a huff knowing I won’t back down on this and calls the other guys in. I pull out my phone and text Landon letting him know what’s going on. As the guys all file in, I glance around at all of them. The love they have for each other. The way they come together in a time of need. It always has amazed me to see them in action together.
“Take a seat. We got shit to talk over.” Kred says as everyone sits down, including me. “Most of us know the situation that brought Remi back home to us but not all. So here’s the long story short. Girl out there seen some shit she shouldn’t have seen and Remi was gonna handle it. Things got out of his control but now she’s his old lady,” he says and the room explodes in cheers and congratulations. All except me and Kred that is. “Enough! We got an issue here, brothers! You know Remi was to kill her and that didn’t happen. We set the stage with that fake death but now the asshole is demandin’ a body. We don’t have one which is clearly the goddamn problem. What we do know is that it was her father. Her father is a fuckin’ Governor down in Texas. Not the first fuckin’ Governor that we’ve ever taken out but this one is gonna be a little more complicated, yeah? We need the body. We need the girl. We need to get inside and handle the dad and the others that set her up but then we need to get the fuck back out with the girl before we all get killed. I’m callin’ in backup but we need a set plan before we roll. Here’s the kicker. We’ve only got a few days to make this shit happen!” The guys all nod around the table. I know they’re all in just by looking at them.
“So, let’s start tossin’ the ideas around, brothers!”
22
Giselle
Being drunk has it perks. I don’t feel a damn thing which is completely nice. Suzi went back to her corner and gave me the chance to run wild. The girl at the bar just keeps pouring and I keep downing them.
“You okay?” A woman voice asks behind me. I spin around nearly falling to my ass to see the beauty from earlier.
“I’m great!”
“I’m Andrea. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier,” she says politely.
“I’m Giselle.” She nods her head but doesn’t say anything else. It makes me a little uneasy that she’s just standing here and not talking so I spin around grab the next shot and raise it to the girl behind the bar before taking it down.
“Let’s dance!” Andrea finally yells over the music that has begun blasting through the speakers. I nod my head, grab her hand and head out into the middle of the room. I watch her move, her hands in the air, her eyes closed. I find myself wondering about her life. What she was like growing up? Was she always this free? It almost makes me jealous that I didn’t have that kind of upbringing. Being told you were insane and crazy over and over again didn’t help with my self-worth back then. I can still feel the sting of those words now as I watch Andrea move around me in her own peace. When she opens her eyes she looks down at me, sadness creeping over her features.
“Don’t let anyone make you feel bad. You’re beautiful. You’re an amazing person,” she hollers above the music. A tear slips down my cheek as I cock my head to the side to study her.
“How do you know that?” I ask her. She smiles and nods behind saying, “That’s how.”
When I spin around my eyes lock with Remi’s as he watches me dancing. The heat in his gaze sends a chill down my spine. Warmth covers me from head to toe and I know it’s not from the alcohol. Warm breath tickles my skin when I realize that Andrea is leaning over my shoulder.
“You see the look in his eyes? That’s how you can tell. No one else matters when you have that in your life,” Andrea says into my ear. Remi cocks his head to the side, watching us intently, no doubt wondering what she’s saying to me.
“What if it’s not enough?” I turn my head to look at her. She smiles that soft sweet smile.
“Look deeper. Look in his eyes. I’ve been here a long time and been around a lot of men, honey. That man loves you no matter what you think.” She presses a kiss to my cheek and walks away leaving me stunned by her words. Remi’s eyes never stray from me even as he crosses the room and stops in front of me. His hands wrap around my waist, holding tight to my hips before he leans in.
“You gonna dance with me, beautiful?” My mouth falls open as I stare up into his gorgeous eyes. That smile melts my heart but when he pulls me against his body, I let myself mold to him. His hands slip around my waist holding me tightly. Everything else vanishes in the moment. All the tension all the worry, it all evaporates when I’m with him. His lips are so close to my ear, his breath dancing along my skin.
“We have a plan. Suzi wants to take lead,” he whispers before nipping at my earlobe.
“I don’t want her to.” I try to pull back but Remi holds tighter.
“It’s gonna get messy, Giselle.”
“I don’t care Remi. I’m tired of hiding behind her. I’m tired of being weak. For once in my life I want to stand up and be me!” Snapping at him, he pulls back and glares down at me. His eyes sparkle with mischief as he looks at me, that damn smile pulling across his face once more.
“You are far from weak. Giselle. In fact, the shit you’ve lived through makes you the strongest person I know,” he says sweetly before leaning in and kissing me. His tongue glides across my bottom lip before sucking it into his mouth. When he lightly bites it, I moan and press into him. Remi doesn’t stop with his actions. Sucking and flicking his tongue over my lip I press even closer. Remi chuckles pulling away from me and grabbing my hand.
“Thought we were dancing?” I giggle as he drags me through the room towards the back.
“Yeah, we were until you started moanin’
like that,” he says in a gruff tone. I don’t protest as he pulls me into his room, slamming the door behind us. His hands are tangled in my hair in the matter of seconds, his lips claiming me all over again. His kiss is frantic and heated and I love every second of it.
“Get the clothes off,” Remi grunts pulling away to strip out of his own clothes. I do the same but never take my eyes off him. The way his muscles move as he performs the most basic of things mesmerizes me. The hard lines of his abs, the dips, the perfectly colored tattoos, it all calls to me like a drug.
“You done eye fuckin’ me? Ready to really be fucked?” My eyes jerk to his. I can see the want, the need in them.
“Remi?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you but I’m afraid that my want is turning into a need, like I need Suzi.” His face falls at my words. He moves toward me quickly, gripping my face in his hands.
“No. There’s a difference, Giselle. You have Suzi for different reasons. You need me the way I need you. Don’t try to force us apart, Giselle.”
“What if I rely on you too much? What if I fuck this up, she fucks this up?” Anxiety has never been a stranger to me but this is insane. I don’t want to lose him but I’m scared that it could happen.
“Me and Suzi are sortin’ things out. Don’t do this, Giselle. We’re happy, I’m happy. I don’t think you understand how much that means to me. I will fight for you. I will fight to keep you if that’s what I need to do.” Before I can respond Remi lifts me in his arms and pushes me against the wall. My legs wrap around his waist before I feel him at my entrance. Remi shoves into me forcefully causing me to moan into his mouth. His lips move along my cheek and down my neck with each powerful thrust of his hips. My eyes roll back as pleasure dances within me.
“Don’t you ever think about leavin’ me again,” he huffs.
“No. Never,” I whisper as I pant for air. If I was doubting Remi and me, I sure as hell forgot about it now. Remi makes me lose myself and just feel which is something I’ve never been able to do by myself before. That’s just another thing I love about him.
23
Remi
I’ve fucked her until she can’t see straight and I’m not far behind. When she was questioning us, I almost snapped and lost it. I don’t know what was running through her head at the moment but I surely fucked it out of her system by now. She lies in bed with her hair fanned out over the pillow staring at the ceiling.
“What’s the plan?” She asks softly as if she might not actually want to know. I’m not sure I want her involved in this but there is really no other way. If they don’t see her, they won’t give this shit up.
“They want your body. I have to produce that. The plan is pretty simple. Angel will do your makeup and we will make you look dead. It only needs to be for a second because once they take a look at you, we’re movin’ in. We’ll take them out and I’ll have someone get you out,” I tell her simply.
“No. I want to be there. You can’t make me leave, Remi.”
“Giselle, don’t. I need you to be safe and stayin’ inside while we handle this shit isn’t safe. I know your dad has security and they have guns, remember?”
“I don’t care! I’m not leaving you to fight this alone. It’s my problem. I created it,” she snaps before sitting up in the bed and glaring at me.
“You didn’t create shit! He did. You were a kid that got fucked over, Giselle. He only made that shit worse!” I snap. Giselle gets on her knees and moves in front of me.
“I can’t stand up for myself if you are always protecting me, Remi. Don’t you see that?”
“I see that, Giselle, but this is different. This is life or death and I can’t fuckin’ lose you too!” Fuck! I didn’t want to talk about this shit with her.
“Me too? Who have you lost?” Her voice softens as her eyes meet mine once more. I reach up and grasp her hands with mine, pulling them into my lap.
“I told you once I had a friend like you. He didn’t know what the other was doin’. He was off one night. Timmy came through and Ricky was gone. Timmy was good at bein’ who you wanted him to be though. I felt it. I felt somethin’ off with him but I left him alone that night. He was a good guy, barely even a guy. Twenty years old. I left the house that night to go on a run but forgot my cell and went back. As soon as I opened the door I saw him sittin’ on his knees in the livin’ room with that fuckin’ knife in his hand. I yelled at him, told him to think before he reacted. Timmy fuckin’ laughed in my face. I called out for Ricky, I fuckin’ begged him to fight Timmy, to fight to get back to me but he couldn’t. Timmy raised the knife to his throat and slit it right there in front of me. I watched him fall to the floor knowin’ there wasn’t anything I could do. He lost himself long before that but still, I felt like I should have done somethin’ more, you know?” Giselle’s hands tighten on my face before she presses her forehead to mine.
“You couldn’t do anything, Remi. My god, I’m so sorry you had to see that. I’m so sorry.” Her words are meaningless unless she plans to fight it for me. I can’t lose her.
“I need you to understand that I can accept Suzi as a part of you. I can love you and her. I just need to know that you can fight for me, Giselle. I need to know that when shit gets bad that you won’t run from me and I know that’s a lot to ask of you. I know you can’t control her but fuck!”
“I’ll do it. I will fight her for you. Don’t you understand that you mean more to me than she does? You are everything that’s good for me, Remi. You keep me safe. You make me smile, you make me laugh. No one has ever done that for me before. I’m not leaving you. I just need to know that if I can’t fight her you will do whatever you can to keep her with you because if I lose you I feel like I’m losing myself and that can’t happen.” Her eyes plead with me to accept that and she has no idea how much I do.
“Giselle, fuck, baby. I’d do anything for you. I plan on doin’ anything for you. I just need you to be safe because if you aren’t then what the hell was this all for? Do you get me?” She nods her head before kissing me slowly. When she pulls back there are tears in her pretty blue eyes. Eyes that had long since lost their shine but I can see it slowly coming back. She’s becoming more of the person she is supposed to be. She is coming into her own and whether or not that includes Suzi, I couldn’t say but I have to learn to accept that and make good with Suzi. I can’t let her keep pulling Giselle away from me.
“When are we doing this?” Giselle asks taking a deep breath to prepare herself.
“Two days. I’m sure they will be callin’ back to set up a place and time. I’m just hopin’ it will be at your dad’s place but that’s probably just wishful thinkin’. He isn’t that dumb of a man.”
“His warehouse.”
“What?”
“He has a new warehouse he was using for whatever shit he was getting into trading. I overheard him and Andre talking about it a few times.”
“Do you know where it is?” Her eyes sparkle as she smiles and nods her head.
“Fuck, I love you!” Pushing her backwards onto the mattress I climb between her legs and kiss her roughly.
“You want the address or not?” She teases me.
“Oh, I want more than an address, babe.”
“Yeah, you do owe me don’t you?”
“Owe you? I don’t owe you shit but I’m gonna own this body soon,” I tell her as she laughs. I love that laugh. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. Hearing her laugh and seeing her smile, those are things you would want out of life yet Giselle has rarely had that. I want to give it to her. I want her like this with me all the time.
“I don’t think I’ll argue with that. Now, are you okay with me going in?” Her face turns serious and I have to clench my jaw so I don’t lose it with her.
“No, I’m not but since you are hell bent on it, I’ll suit you up myself and make sure you’re covered.”
“Suit me up?” sh
e asks scrunching her face up.
“Bulletproof vest, all that good stuff. You just have to play dead for a few seconds. Think you can handle that?” I tickle her side making her laugh again. Fuck, she’s beautiful.
“Yeah, I think I got it!” She giggles a little more.
“Once we have shit taken care of I want you outta there and on the back of my bike, yeah?”
“Yes, sir!” I shake my head and grin at her.
“I think I like bein’ called sir,” I tease her enjoying the smile that’s still on her face.
“Don’t get too excited, I’m not going to keep doing it.” I climb off her quickly and roll her onto her stomach, lifting her ass in the air before slapping it roughly.
“Remi!” she squeals before I do it again.
“Say it,” I tease her, running my hand over her ass once more. Giselle just giggles and giggles making my heart leap. She’s so much like the little girl I assume as was before that was stolen away from her at a young age but she is also so damn grown up that she doesn’t know how to act her age and have fun. I plan on showing her all of that when this shit is over. For now, I will have fun teasing the hell out of her.
“Come on, darlin’. Say it,” I tell her before slapping her again.
“Okay! Sir. I will call you sir!” She giggles louder.
“Damn right you will.”
24
Giselle
I’m a giant ball of nerves. I know Remi is only trying to keep my safe but knowing what we’re walking into is a lot to handle. Either one of us could be killed and I don’t think I could live with myself if something happened to Remi. I sit at the bar while he’s in church with the guys drinking a beer and watching football as it flickers across the tv.
“You’re worrying over nothing. Remi has a solid plan,” Angel says when she steps in front of me on the other side of the bar.
