She snorted out a laugh. “What’s wrong with Camie?”
“She makes my dick wilt.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not her, you scared her too much. So hop back into bed.”
“This new chick gonna pay me?”
She shook her head. “I said friends. And they will pay me—”
“Why the fuck will you get paid? I’m the one doin’ the work.”
“You’re working to pay for the club to stay here, and I have a number of clients who would like to pay me for the privilege of getting some alone time with you. I thought your president told you all this.”
“No,” I grunted, what she was saying not the deal at all. “How many birds do I hafta fuck, cos I’ve got other business I needa do, not to mention my own bills to pay.”
“I’ll cover your bills, and I have two women who want your services tonight.”
“Separately or together?”
“Separately.”
I grunted. “Can it be quickies?”
“No. You have to give them at least half-an-hour each.”
“What do ya think my cock is, robotic? I just fucked you, fucked someone else earlier too. I’m all outta cum,” I lied, knowing I could get hard pretty much on demand, just wasn’t interested. I wanted to hightail it to the Mercenaries and get some vengeance for Hemi.
“I’ve got that covered.” She walked over to a drawer, removing a packet of—
“I ain’t taking Viagra,” I snapped.
“It’s not Viagra.”
“What is it then?”
“Just some vitamins that’ll up your need for sex. All good, nothing bad. Pop one at night and one in the morning, and you’ll feel like a horny teenage boy again, just without coming too soon.”
I stared at the pills. They weren’t smooth, sort of jagged. I wondered whether she was lying about the vitamins part, because they looked nothing like vitamins to me. “I don’t take drugs,” I said, knowing it was an absurd thing to say, considering what I’d just tried on with Fabian. But that was meth, and this... I didn’t know what the fuck these freaky looking pills were.
She held them out for me to take. “They’re not drugs. As I said, they’re vitamins.”
I didn’t make a move, not trusting her.
She extended her hand further. “Don’t be scared, they’re perfectly harmless.”
“I’m not fuckin’ scared.”
“It looks like you are.”
“Lady, I’ve taken far worse things than vitamins.” I snatched one out of her hand and popped it into my mouth, then went to take another one.
She closed her hand over it. “One only, or your dick will be hard for days.”
“Whatever.” I let go and swallowed the jagged pill down. “You really own this place?”
She nodded.
“Don’t care how much of a good fuck I am, or how much these chicks are payin’ ya, it ain’t worth letting my gang stay here. Are you crazy or sumpthin’? Cos no matter how much they promise shit, they’ll trash your place, not to mention steal from you.”
“All my valuables have been stowed away, while your men will be taking their lives in their own hands if they dare damage my property. Thought your president would’ve told you why.”
I shook my head. “Why the fuck would they be risking their lives with a small bird like you.”
“I have connections.”
“What conne—” I stopped talking, movement catching my attention. My eyes shot to the door, seeing...
“Killer!” I yelled.
I stormed out of the room after him, spotting the peeping Tom disappear into the room he’d been in with Rafael. I followed him in, finding him cowering on the bed, hiding his face from me, with no Rafael in sight. I slammed the door shut, making Killer jolt. He looked up at me as I neared him, fear colouring his face.
I stopped in front of the bed, towering over him, purposely trying to intimidate the freak. “How long were you watching for, you li’l pervert?”
“I wuzn’t watching,” he said, softly.
“You were, admit it.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose.”
I lowered my head down to his, causing him to hide his face behind his knees. “You’re still Pain, aren’t cha?” I asked, wondering whether the timid twat actually got off on watching me. I knew Killer would lose his temper, reacting with a bout of jealousy, but Pain... My eyes lowered to his groin. His massive cock was pushing at his pants, straining to get free.
I smiled. “So, the scared bitch fancies me too?”
“No, I don’t,” he said, or was it a she? Killer had said that Pain was a girl. But Pain looked like a he to me, so unless I saw him in heels and with lipstick on, Pain would remain a he for the time being.
“Liar, liar.” I blew a breath across his face, making him push it against his knees again. “What part did’ja like the best? Me licking Blondie out or nailing her to the bed?”
Pain peeked up, his cheeks flushing. “Licking her out.”
I laughed. “You watched a lot, you dirty bitch. Where’s Rafael? Bet your boyfriend wouldn’t like you watching me fuck.”
Pain’s face soured. “I don’t care. He left right after coming.”
“Why you so mad? Didn’t he let you come too?”
“No, I came, I just wanted to hug afterwards.”
“Not a hugger your Rafael?”
Pain stuck his bottom lip out, looking so fucking adorable I couldn’t help but smile.
“I can hug you if you want,” I said, not having a fucking clue why I was saying this. Especially since Killer pissed me off, making me feel like a weak bitch for giving into him. But this wasn’t Killer, and I kind of wanted to fuck up Rafael’s relationship with Pain.
Pain shook his head. “I can’t hug you.”
“Why?”
“You scare me,” he said, sounding so young. The voice he was using was different from Killer’s, at least an octave higher in pitch. I wondered whether Pain was the same age as Killer mentally. Yeah, they shared the same body, but they definitely didn’t share the same personality. Killer was outrageous, while Pain acted like a scared kid.
“How old are you, Pain?” I asked.
“Almost sixteen.”
I frowned. “Does Rafael know this?”
Pain nodded.
Anger shot through me. Fuck knows why, since Pain technically wasn’t that age, but mentally... “What a fuckin’ bastard!” I snapped, thinking Rafael had crossed the line. Fucking a man with a child’s mind. I was a nasty prick, but even I didn’t stoop that low. It didn’t matter what someone looked like. If they had a child’s mind, they were a child to me.
Pain jolted and hid his face in his knees again.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t meana scare ya.”
He peeked up at me. “Aren’t you mad at me?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m mad at Rafael. Wuz he hurting you when he wuz choking you?”
“A li’l, but I like it.” He shivered. “Not all the time, but sometimes. But I like hugging the best, but he doesn’t.” His lip wobbled. “I don’t think he likes me that much.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He keeps telling me to leave in the middle of sex, to let Killer come back. But Killer doesn’t like him, so I pretend to be Killer, then he gets happy and comes, then he gets mad when he realises I’ve tricked him and storms off.”
“Where is he now?”
“Dunno. He left when he realised I wuz pretending to be Killer. I want him to like me, but he doesn’t. He wants a man, not a woman.”
I sat down next to him.
Pain unfurled his long legs, a touch of hope in his eyes. “You like women.”
“As you’ve seen.”
He blushed and looked down, then slowly moved his gaze back to me. “Rafael won’t lemme dress up for him. He likes me looking like a man. But I’m a pretty woman when I wanna be. I have cool high heels.” He indicated the size with
his hands. “And sexy dresses, makeup too. I also have a collection of wigs, every sort of colour and cut.” His expression turned hopeful. “You wanna see me dress up some time? Maybe you can take me out on a date.”
“Ah, I don’t think that’s a good idea, sweetheart.”
His bottom lip wobbled again. “Why?”
“For one, you’ve got a boyfriend, and secondly, no matter how much you dress up, you’re still not a woman.”
“I will be in a few years, and I look older than I am. No one will know.”
I didn’t reply, Pain not understanding I meant he wasn’t female. But he was staring at me, so wide-eyed and innocent that I didn’t want to burst his bubble.
His lip started to do that wobble thing again. I exhaled, not wanting the blighter to cry, because it really looked like he was going to.
“Yeah, okay,” I said, “you can dress up, show me what you’ve got.”
He let go of his knees. “It’s all at home. We can go now.” He went to get up.
I blocked him with an arm. “Can’t today, maybe another time,” I lied, having no intention of seeing Hemi’s brother playing dress-ups. I pushed to my feet, the thought of Hemi making it harder to breathe. “Gotta go. Catcha later, Pain.”
He smiled. “Yeah.” He pushed to his feet and wrapped his arms around me, making me stiffen. “Thank you. You’re nicer than you look.”
I snorted out a laugh. “Not really, sweetheart. It’s best you stay clear of me.”
“Why?”
“I’m bad for everyone’s health.” I peeled him off me and headed for the door.
“But you promised.”
I stopped and looked back at the honey. “And I’ll keep it. When we’re back at your place, dress up for me,” I said, now considering letting him.
Pain’s face split with a huge smile, nothing like Killer’s sexy one, their mannerisms freakishly different.
I nodded at Pain and left the room.
Blondie was waiting for me outside. “What was that about?” she asked. She was dressed in another tiny white dress with diamantes stitched into the neckline. She was obviously nouveau rich, because she was all tits and no taste. I didn’t care. She was a job, nothing more.
“Pain wuz perving on us,” I said. “The kid’s got a crush on me.”
She shivered. “Maybe tomorrow we can have a threesome with him,” she replied, a scenario probably playing out in her head.
“Not happening. I don’t do men.”
“No, you’ll both be doing me,” she said, like I was dumb.
“He’s gay.”
“I’ll make it worth his time.”
“So, you’ll pay him but not me?” I grunted.
“I’ll be paying for all your bills and living expenses, so I am paying you.”
“Whatever, Painkiller won’t whore himself.”
“His name’s Painkiller?”
“Yeah, cos you need one after bein’ around him.”
She laughed.
“It’s no laughing matter,” I said. “He’ll drive you insane. Anyway, when are these other horny bitches coming over?”
“You shouldn’t call them bitches—”
I cut her off, “Look at me, bitch, do you expect anything else?”
She wrinkled her perfect little nose. “Guess not. Now, give me your phone.”
“Why?”
“So, I can get your number.”
“It’s—”
She grabbed my cock, cutting off whatever I was going to say. Her other hand slipped into my pocket while I was too distracted to do a thing about it, her grip not bad for a chick. She pulled my phone out of my pocket and let go of my cock, opening up my contacts.
“What the fuck are you doin’?” I demanded, reaching for my phone.
She turned her back on me, looking like she was texting.
“Hey! Don’t waste my credit.”
She turned back to me. “It’s only cents’ worth.” She pressed a button, causing her phone to beep. “And I was just getting your number.”
I snatched my phone out of her hand. “You could’ve done that without wasting my credit.”
“You’re a tight bastard, aren’t you?”
I sneered at her. “I’ve got a condition, it’s called poor.”
She flashed me her pearly whites, her expression highly amused. “If you play your cards right, I’ll cure that.”
I grabbed her cheeks. “You got that right.” I smashed my lips against hers, cutting off her squeal, my grip a touch hard.
“What are you doing?” someone barked.
I let go of my pay cheque and turned around. Rafael hadn’t left after all, because the sonofabitch was glaring at me like I was scum. “None of your biz, kiddie fucker,” I snapped at him, getting some satisfaction that his nose was swollen.
He ignored the comment, his gaze focusing on Blondie. “Are you all right?”
The chick rubbed her cheeks, looking more turned on than hurt. “Yeah.” Her gaze moved back to me. “Your first client will be here in an hour. Go wash up, get ready for her.”
“That’ll have to wait,” Rafael cut my reply off. “The prez wants everyone in the lounge pronto.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Nigel Craven just called.”
My eyes widened. “What the fuck? Why?”
“He’s pissed, wants the Devil’s Crew taken out. Apparently, the dipshits attacked one of his favourite dealer’s kid. They were also treading on his turf, not to mention your woman probably had a word in his ear.”
“I don’t have a woman.”
“He’s referring to me,” Blondie said.
“You ain’t my woman.”
“True, partner is a better description.”
“Eh?” I said, thinking she was tripping, then the full extent of what Rafael had said finally dawned on me. “You know Craven?”
“Of course.” She smiled at me. “He’s my uncle.”
10
Dante
Clara looked confused as I steered her towards Bazza’s battered Holden Commodore. She hadn’t seen the attack, everything over within seconds. One of the Russians was still in the barn, getting rid of the evidence, or more accurately, dicing Mutt up into fish food. I couldn’t see it, but the sound of a chainsaw coming from the barn made it pretty obvious what he was doing. The image popped into my head uninvited, making me want to chunder my guts out.
“Where are we going?” Clara asked, still higher than the moon above our heads.
“Somewhere you’ll like.” I placed a hand on her head like so many cops had done to me, and lowered her into the station wagon.
Yelling started up behind me, ripping my attention away from her. A now fully clothed Marino was shoved outside, almost falling down the front steps. The big-nosed Russian appeared, followed by a solemn-looking Bazza, giving the impression that someone had died. Then I remembered someone had died, that fucking chainsaw finally stopping.
“Don’t be stupid, Marino,” Bazza said. “Get in that bloody car now.”
Marino went to go back inside the house. The Russian stepped in his path, blocking him from entering.
“Tell your goon to move!” Marino hollered at his dad. “This is my home!”
Bazza pushed passed the Russian, his expression now pleading. “I don’t want to send you away, but it’s not safe here. Until the threat is eliminated, my hands are tied.”
“Dante caused this issue, not me,” Marino spat back. “So I shouldn’t be the one punished.”
“This isn’t about punishment and you know it.”
“I’m still not getting in a car with that bastard.”
“So he diddled China, so the fuck what? You weren’t with her at the time, and from what I hear, he didn’t even remember doing her. This is on China for not telling you, not Dante. And he’s blood, not some flaky girl who you’re constantly breaking up with. Yell at him later. Get it out of your system at the safe house, but either way, you’re
leaving.”
Marino glanced back at me, his face so similar to my older brother’s it was uncanny. People said he looked like me, but he looked more like Ash, just with different eyes and hair. And right now he was acting like Ash too, all sullen and grumpy.
“Fine,” Marino muttered. “I’ll go.”
Bazza shoved the bag he was holding into Marino’s arms. “You’re driving, so get a move on. And call me when you get there.” He grabbed Marino, pulling him into a bear hug. Instead of shoving his dad away, like I thought he would, Marino lowered his forehead onto Bazza’s shoulder, settling into the hug.
Bazza ran a hand down the back of Marino’s head. “I love you, son. I want you here, but I want you safe more. And I’m sorry about China.”
Marino didn’t reply, just kept his forehead on his dad’s shoulder.
Bazza gave him a squeeze, then pulled away, moving his hands to Marino’s face. “It’s going to be all right. Craven has already been phoned. They’re going to kill every last member of the Devil’s Crew. Just give it a few days. Okay?”
Marino nodded, his eyes drifting to the front door as China emerged from it. Dressed in her long, Bohemian flowing dress, she made a beeline for Marino. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face a splotchy red mess from crying. Marino turned away from her and headed to the back of the car, opening up the boot. He dumped his bag next to mine and Clara’s stuff, then went to the driver’s side.
China pushed the door shut as he opened it. He tensed and yanked it back open. China did it again, causing him to spin around on her. “We’re done, China. Deal with it.”
She shook her head. “Not until you tell me why you lied to me,” she said, her voice cracking.
He looked at her incredulously. “I lied to you? You fucked my cousin!”
“It wasn’t cheating. We weren’t together at the time and he doesn’t even remember.”
“But you do,” he growled. “Yet you didn’t even bother to tell me.”
“Because I was too caught up with you. I love you, have loved you ever since I first saw you.”
He laughed, the sound almost cruel. “Drop that love at first sight bullshit. It’s lust, not love.”
“No! I love you. And you still lied to me.”
“I’ve never lied to you.”
“Then why did you say you loved me? Because people who love one another don’t walk out over jealously.”
Jagged Pill (Broken Lives Book 3) Page 14
