Vengeance: MMA/Ink Romance (KO Ink Book 1)

by Harley McRide

  “Yeah,” Fin said with a grin. “I got one thing going for me though.”

  “Oh yeah?” I chuckled. “Your mother lose her ability to grip the rolling pin, ‘cause I am pretty sure that is the only way you are going to come out of this unscathed.”

  “Nah, Uncle Mark and Uncle Steven,” Fin said firmly and I frowned. I had no idea who he was talking about. I knew their whole family and had never heard of either of these men.

  “Who?” I said with a frown.

  “My grandfather’s brothers.” Fin laughed. “Family secret, but Ma always said she didn’t know the big deal, they shared a wife, and were happy, no one needed to know what was going on in the bedroom.”

  “Maybe she can tell my ma that,” I said hopefully.

  “Hell, our parents are gonna be simple, it is Brooklyn I am worried about. How are we going to explain this to her?” Fin laughed.

  I shrugged. “Like Kink said when he explained it to us.”

  Fin thought about it for a second and then nodded. “When we gonna stake this claim?”

  “About now?” I laughed and gathered my keys. “There is too much shit going on around her. I don’t like she is unprotected for even a second. So from now on, she is not.”

  Fin grinned. “We talk to Reese first, then Ms. Maddie, not going there if we are gonna fight the family.”

  I snorted. “Reese will be fine, remember him and Michael had a little fun with that tattoo chick in Nevada.”

  Fin nodded. “Oh yeah.”

  “Let’s go, we have some planning to do on the way to the hospital,” I said and Fin nodded.

  One particular time came back full force as I thought of Brooklyn always being around us. And just maybe even as a kid she was giving us a warning of sorts and we’d blew it off.

  “Fin, do you remember that time I was sitting on your stoop waiting for you, when you came around the house Brooklyn was sitting on the stoop with me?” I watched his face as he tried to recall that day.

  “Really, do you know how many times you sat on that stoop? Besides, what the fuck does that have to with this?” Fin said, still pissed.

  “Let me refresh your memory. You came around the house, bound the two steps and sat on the other side of Brooklyn, placing her between us, which can I say is a little ironic considering we are going to try putting her there again for a new reason.” Fin rolled his eyes and I continued, “Anyway she was like fifteen then and we were home visiting our folks, it was summertime, we were getting ready to go out and Brooklyn came over to see Mia. Mia went in to grab her and Brooklyn a drink leaving her with me on the stoop. When you joined us, I was harassing her about boys because when I walked up I heard them discussing Lorenzo Matta so I teased Brooklyn about what type of boy she wanted to marry. She looked at you then at me and whispered—” I saw when Fin realized because he cut me off.

  “I’m going to marry a boy just like you and Fin.”

  “Yep, and you said when we both stood to leave…” coaxing him, waiting for him to finish it.

  “Why settle for someone like us, just marry Tony and I. And when we looked back at her she was blushing,” Fin finished and looked at me.

  “Fuck, if she feels like that today, we’d be some lucky bastards.”

  “Well, karma is a bitch it seems and has our number if Hector being around is a sign. Throw in the draw we both seem to have to Brooklyn and karma is on a roll,” Fin said and frowned.

  Yeah, I was in tune with him too. We’d soon find out as we pulled in the parking space in front of the hospital.

  Brooklyn

  Damn it, they were messing with my head. The more time I had sitting around thinking the more I thought about them. I needed something to keep me busy instead of sitting here thinking, although that was really all I had to do. I wasn’t going to leave my mother, the guards wouldn’t let us go anywhere without an escort, and the only thing I had was my reading device which had been in my purse.

  I looked at mom who was sleeping again, looked at Reese who was also napping in a chair opposite of me. I wasn’t tired, so I pulled out my device and turned it on. This is why I loved these things, first of all, it did a million things, had a calendar, and other programs to keep me organized, but also, it held a million books, and no one could see what I was reading. Not like when you had a paperback. Years ago I had been ecstatic when these came out, because the books I had been able to buy had changed. Now if I wanted to read a straight romance, I could. However, recently I had stumbled upon the newest craze, what they called the ‘mommy porn’. I laughed a little at the title, it was dubbed this because a lot of moms who hadn’t been able to read these books because of the pictures on the covers, now could with their devices.

  I pulled up the book I had purchased late last night, it was a ménage, and it was hot. It was a fantasy, one that I had begun to put faces to now that I had seen Tony and Fin again, damn it. Also one I had as a young girl before I even knew what it was called.

  I lost myself in the world of the author, and didn’t even notice there was a window washer in back of me, looking intently at my mother. If I had, later when I saw the man again, I would’ve known exactly who he was.

  Chapter Eight

  Fin

  “All of a sudden you are Mr. Thoughtful, seriously. I know we said we’d go after her but, man, don’t you think flowers and candy are a bit much considering two days ago the woman probably hadn’t even thought of us before,” Tony said and continued to shake his head at me. Maybe it was too much but fuck it, if she was the one for us, then she might as well get used to being spoiled right out of the gate.

  “No sense giving her an option, I think if we do, it will lead to a bigger battle. She is what we want, why go easy? We never have for anything we’ve wanted, so why the fuck start now?” I know that sounded cocky and we were going to have to convince her to accept us both but I have spent my life fighting and doing what was necessary to win, so working for what I wanted was no hardship, especially if Brooklyn was to be my prize.

  “True, but I don’t want to scare her off before we even get in.”

  “Well, we are fixing to find out,” I said and pushed the door to Ms. Maddie’s room.

  “I could get used to having sexy men visiting me all day,” Ms. Maddie said weakly but with a clear voice, and smiled at us as we entered.

  “Ah, now tell me whose ass I need to kick for coming in here and hitting on my best girl,” I said, stepping up on the side of the bed where Brooklyn sat in a chair and setting the flowers I picked up in the gift shop for Ms. Maddie on the table, then leaned over and kissed the woman’s cheek.

  “You two are such sweethearts,” Ms. Maddie gleamed as Tony leaned after I did and gave her a peck on the cheek. Though she was sitting up in bed and talking, the softness in her voice and paleness of her skin showed she wasn’t quite back to full strength but was still a good sign that she was on her way to recovery.

  “I do try,” I winked, then leaned over and kissed Brooklyn on the cheek and handed her the single rose I picked up along with a box of chocolate. “This is for you, baby.”

  “How you doing, honey?” Tony asked her as he ran his hand down the back of her head over her hair and then rested it on her shoulder.

  When I looked up from watching the blush form on Brooklyn’s face, Reese was watching and then he looked at me and cocked his eyebrow. Yeah, knew that look, gave it enough to the guys Mia had dated.

  “Well, well. How long have I been out?” Ms. Maddie said and when I turned back to her, she was smiling. “Brooklyn, aren’t you going to say anything?”

  “Uh…thank you,” she said hesitantly as her eyes came to me and then to Tony.

  “You’re welcome, baby girl,” I told her while watching Reese, who it would seem was finally getting a clue as he looked from me, then to Tony who was now rubbing Brooklyn’s shoulder.

  “So that’s how it’s going to be,” Reese said as his eyes narrowed on us both.

  “Yea
h, and we’ll talk with you about it later.”

  “Oh you bet your sweet ass you will.”

  “Excuse me, what am I missing? Reese, and why are you glaring?” Tony nudged me and I knew exactly why when I looked down and saw her eyebrows drawn together as she looked toward Reese. Our girl was clueless.

  Tony

  She was innocent, but how? The woman was gorgeous, surely men hit on her all the time. Inwardly I smiled, it was going to take some work to convince her, but what she’d just revealed made the prize of winning her that much more sweeter and answered why the draw to her. Brooklyn was different, she didn’t take anything for granted and her nonchalantness toward us wasn’t a game. It seemed she really was clueless to being hit on. Which made me question what type of men she had dated, then I pushed that right out of my mind because I didn’t want to think of the men that had touched her, ever.

  “What have you boys found out about Brant?” Well, Ms. Maddie’s question brought a quick change to the atmosphere.

  “We are looking for him, Ms. Maddie. We don’t want you to worry about him, you need to heal.” By the look on the woman’s face, telling her not to worry wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

  “They got him, he said they’d been after him. Said his mother owed them and he was expected to clean her debt,” Ms. Maddie said and sighed. “Can’t lose another one, I’m tired and I don’t have the energy to fight against them from sucking another one into their web.” She finished and closed her eyes.

  “We’re looking for him. We won’t give up until we find him. Who has a hold of him, Ms. Maddie?” Though we knew from Jet some of the information, I had no doubt Ms. Maddie’s information would be more accurate and to the point. The woman knew everything about the neighborhood.

  “Ma, you okay?” Brooklyn asked, then turned on us.

  “She is healing; she has been through enough. The police stopped in today and asked a zillion questions about the shooting. Now you two are questioning her about Brant. The doctor was in a little while ago and said that if she continued at the pace of healing she was doing, she could be released in two days but how is that going to happen if she is constantly put in the position to worry?

  “She has given her life helping others in this community, kids whose own parents didn’t care enough, my mother fought for them to keep them from crossing into the darkest part of life. What did it get her? Shot, that is what the years got her.” Brooklyn had stood facing me when she started speaking. Now as I watched she went silent as tears formed in her eyes and, before I knew what was happening, I pulled her in my arms, hugging her tight against me while running my hands up and down her back in comfort.

  Everyone was silent, then Brooklyn huffed out a breath, then stepped back out of my arms and looked at her mom.

  “Sorry, Ma. This was not the place or time for me to have done that. And Fin, Tony, it’s not your fault any of this has happened and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I apologize.”

  “Honey, no apology necessary. It has been a screwed up situation all around and you were just concerned for your mom’s health,” I told her and then turned back to Ms. Maddie.

  “Ms. Maddie, we don’t want to get you upset and hamper your recovery,” Fin said, beating me to it.

  “Brooklyn, honey, you are exhausted. You and Reese said we were going to stay at Fin’s house when I got released. And I plan on that being in a few days, I am on the mend and I refuse to let this beat me down. I have spent my life fighting for the youth in this community and I will not let the thugs and low-life scum take another from my grasp. You need to relax and you can’t do that sleeping in a chair by my bed every night until I get out of here. Your brother can stay with me tonight. So when Fin and Tony leave, you can gather you stuff and go home with them.”

  “Ma, I can stay and Reese can go home and get some rest tonight.”

  “No, you are going to go home tonight with them and that’s final. Reese, you can stay with me at night and Brooklyn can spend tomorrow afternoon so you can go to Fin’s and get some rest away from here. There is no sense in either of you spending every minute in this room with me.”

  “Ma,” Brooklyn started but Ms. Maddie wasn’t going to have any of it. Fin and I looked at each other and no words were needed to understand what Ms. Maddie was putting in our care. Her daughter. I had no doubt Brooklyn didn’t know what Fin and I were doing but Ms. Maddie did. And her pushing her daughter was her way of giving us her blessing. I also knew that without words she expected us to take care of her daughter and not mess up. This woman never ceased to amaze me and she just handed Fin and I the biggest compliment she could give—trust. She trusted us to do right by her daughter.

  “No argument, Brooklyn.”

  “Ma, Reese should go. He is the one who flew here and has been at the hospital ever since,” Brooklyn looked at her mother, then looked toward Reese.

  “No, he can stay the night with me and you can spend the days. Really I don’t see why either of you have to stay. I have guards outside my door,” Ms. Maddie was definitely showing she was on the road to recovery and why she was a fierce adversary in this community to deal with.

  “Brooklyn, I will stay with Ma tonight. You need the rest,” Reese said the last and glared at Fin and I.

  “Fine,” Brooklyn said, then looked at Fin. “You don’t mind, Fin? If you don’t want to take me to your house, I’m sure I can stay with Mia. I wouldn’t want to impose.”

  “You aren’t imposing, sweetheart. You will be at my house and not at Mia’s,” Fin said, then looked at me and I nodded. Couldn’t wait to drop this bomb on her to see what kind of reaction it brought.

  “We can go home after I check in with my guys, Jet and Reed, since I will be staying at Fin’s place too,” as I spoke I watched the realization of my words hit her. Her eyes widened and then a look entered them that I couldn’t wait to explore. When I looked toward Fin, his expression showed he too had caught the look in her eyes. Maybe it wasn’t going to be that hard to convince her to give us a shot.

  Brooklyn

  What the hell just happen? One minute my mother was upset, the next I’m going home with not one, but both of my teenage fantasies. Oh my God, and alone with them. How am I supposed to act? How will I ever get through a night under the same roof with them? And let’s not even talk about keeping what seems like a lifetime of admiring from afar from showing on my face, ‘cause no doubt they’d laugh me out of the house if they knew the dreams I have had that starred each of them.

  Is it hot in here? I have gotten the strangest urge to fan myself. And when I glanced at each of them, they smiled and those smiles made my stomach clench and my skin tingle. Not even thinking why my panties all of sudden felt damp.

  “Brooklyn, are you feeling okay? Your face is flushed,” my mom asked, pulling me out of my crazy moment.

  “Uh…I’m fine. It’s just a little warm in here, that’s all,” was the only thing I could come up with. Not sure if my mother or brother would want to hear about my panty issue.

  Then I looked toward Fin and Tony and they smirked. No effin way they could know what was running through my mind. Or that the thought of them caused my dampened panties. But when they both winked at me, I could almost believe they did know. Why not, they were two hot, built, and very desirable men. Women probably wanted them wherever they went. Fantasizing about them ever choosing me was just that—my fantasy.

  “Boss, before Reed and I take over for the night, can we speak with you,” Jet, one of the guards who had been watching over my mom, stuck his head in the door and asked.

  “Sure,” Tony answered and walked out the door, telling us he would be just a minute.

  “Brooklyn, if you gather your stuff we can leave after Tony gets done.”

  I nodded in answer and looked at my mother, she had dozed while everyone was talking.

  “Reese, you sure you don’t want to go instead and I will stay with Ma?” I so wanted the evening with Fin and Tony
but was it selfish considering Reese was tired too? Not even to mention wanting them and thinking about them while my mother lay in a hospital bed recovering.

  “No, sis, you go. You don’t need to be sitting in a hospital at night anyway.” Reese, always the big brother. He’d been young when our dad died and he stepped right into protector of me and Ma without a faulted step.

  Tony came back in and then keeping his voice low as to not wake my mother, “Jet just told me they have a young man in the hospital who was brought in pretty banged up and unconscious. He fits Brant’s description.”

  “Let’s go,” Fin said and stood.

  “Yeah, I’ve got the room number,” Tony said and before I could say a word or ask a question he, Fin, and Reese were out the door.

  Chapter Nine

  Fin

  We reached the fourth floor and reached room 412 as a nurse was coming out of the room.

  “Can I help you gentlemen?” the nurse asked.

  “We need to see the John Doe you have in that room. We think we know him,” Tony said and the nurse looked at each of us.

  “I’m going to have to notify the police who brought him in to check if that is okay. If you will follow me back to the desk, we can see what they say.”

  “Why don’t you let us see him first and if we recognize him, then you can call the cops and let them know,” no way was I waiting on the cops to get here before confirming what my gut already told me.

  “Fin O’Malley, you haven’t changed not one bit,” the nurse said and I looked at her closely.

  “Carmen Marsico, wow, it’s been a long time.”

  “It’s Marsh now, I married Thomas after high school,” she said and smiled.