Marcus comes up behind me and pats my shoulder as he says, “Your shadow’s out front.” He says it loud enough so that the rest of the guys can hear. Anthony chuckles into his drink, “Funny how you wanted to keep an eye on her, and now she's coming to you.” He smirks and throws back his drink.
I spent a couple days just watching her after I looked her up. I had Tony do a little digging, too. I can’t shake this broad. She looks on edge every time she’s alone, yet she’s completely confident and at ease any other time. Something’s off about her, and I wanna know what it is. She knows her shit though. She's a tough bitch, not quite the quiet, demure type I pegged her for. And she fucking hates Harrison. The first time I saw her mimicking him behind his back and rolling her eyes, I laughed so fucking hard I thought they were going to hear me. I like that about her, but there's something else there, too. Something that had me chasing her ass.
I’d be a fucking liar if I said something about fucking a cop doesn’t have me interested. Most of the time I was watching her that's all I could think about Bending her ass over and taming that wild side of her. The taboo aspect has me getting hard thinking about using her own cuffs to chain her to my bed. I think I just need to fuck this broad out of my system.
Vince rolls his eyes and says, “You need to tell her to back the fuck off, Tommy. We have restraining orders for a fucking reason.”
“We don’t have them on her.” I can hear how defensive I am, and it throws Vince off. I’m quick to add, “I’m being watched and on lockdown; better her than that prick.”
I like her watching me. I like knowing she’s close. And besides, I’m inactive until I’m completely in the clear, so there’s nothing to worry about there. If nothing else, it's giving me something else to take my mind off this shit.
“Well, get her out of here,” Anthony says as he looks me up and down. “And try to keep your dick in your pants.” The guys laugh as I stand up.
“I hear you.” I’m ready to get out of here anyway.
Vince follows me to the door.
“I don’t like this talk about fucking a cop,” he says.
“I’m not, so it’s all good.” He watches me as I look past him at the door. I don't tell him I want to, but I'm too fucking obvious.
“You’re a shit liar, Tommy.”
“I’m not lying.” I don’t even believe me as I say it. But it's the truth. I haven't touched her. Yet.
“You’re not telling the truth, either.”
I open my mouth to respond, but I don’t. He knows I wanna fuck her. Everybody fucking knows it.
“You’re looking for trouble, Tommy,” Vince says in a lowered voice. “And that’s what you’re going to get.”
“I’m not gonna do anything stupid, boss.” He's gotta know I wouldn't say shit to her. I'd never breathe a word of anything.
“Women make us do stupid shit. And she’s a cop.” He stares into my eyes, willing me to listen to him. “Don’t fucking believe a word she tells you.” His hand grips my shoulder as I nod.
I know this shit looks bad. I don’t know why I’m drawn to this broad. She could fuck me over in a heartbeat. I’m not going to give her shit. But the thought of playing with her is giving me a high I haven’t felt before. I know she wants in, and I’m dying to find out how much I can push her.
Vince shakes his head as he warns me, “Do not fuck this up to get your dick wet.”
“I won’t say shit, Vince. You know I won’t risk the familia.”
He huffs a laugh and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m not worried about that shit, I’m worried about you fucking a cop, Tommy. Tell me you aren’t trying to get into her pants and I’ll feel better.”
I hesitate to answer. I’m not gonna lie. I wanna fuck this broad, she’s hot as shit and the idea of those lips wrapped around my cock has my dick hardening every fucking time it comes to mind. Even right fucking now.
“Jesus, Tommy,” he says with exasperation. Fuck. I don’t wanna piss off the Don.
“I won’t,” I say with regret in the pit of my stomach.
“You’re fucking lying to me,” he says, although he doesn’t sound that pissed about it.
“I’ve never lied to you before.” I look him in the eyes, “if you’re telling me to stay away from her, I’ll end this shit right now and threaten a restraining order.”
“Good. End this shit,” he says with relief and finality in his voice. Well that fucking sucks. I take a frustrated breath and leave the guys to go tell her she needs to stay away.
I feel a wave of disappointment as I leave the bistro. But then I see her walking toward me with quick steps. She’s in civilian clothes. Jeans that hug her curves and a teal tank top that rides up a little as she walks. The color brings out her eyes.
I can play a little more. Just a little before I have to give her up.
Fuck, no. I told Vince I wouldn’t, and I know I shouldn’t.
I hate that I want her and that I can’t go after her. But I have to listen to Vince.
Tonya
“Thomas.” I call out his name as he blatantly turns away from me and starts heading down the street. I know he saw me. He fucking smiled before blowing me off.
I have to jog to catch up to him, but before I can put my hand on his shoulder to stop him, he turns around.
“What the hell are you thinking, Tonya?” he asks with more concern in his voice than anything else. “You could get yourself into serious shit hanging around out here waiting for me.”
My brow furrows with confusion. “How do you know my name?”
He smirks at me and turns his back on me once again. I don’t fucking like it. I don’t like being ignored.
I reach out to grasp his arm. I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t, but something is telling me he’ll allow it. Probably the same something that has my core soaked with arousal.
He turns sharply and grabs my wrist. “That’s not a good idea.” He doesn’t let go as the words drip from his mouth with a threat. He walks toward me and I find myself taking a step back. My back hits the brick wall of a building and it makes my heart thud in my chest.
“I just wanna talk.” I say the words through the hint of fear I’m feeling. His eyes hold a look of hunger, but also a dark look that has me questioning my instincts. Maybe I was wrong about him.
“Well, I don’t.” He releases my wrist and walks away again. My heart sinks in my chest, and I hate myself for feeling like I’ve failed. I can’t rely on Thomas alone. I know that, but somehow there’s more to this ache in my chest than just losing a lead. His rejection hurts.
I watch his back as he walks away, and the hurt turns to anger. He's not going to blow me off like that. I'm not giving up that easily. I walk faster to catch up to him. I’m shorter than him, and he’s walking fast, but I quicken my steps until I’m right behind him. I need to know. I just need him to answer one question.
I grab his arm just enough to get his attention and pull away before he can touch me again. He opens his mouth to tell me off again, but I blurt out the question I’ve been dying to ask him since I first saw him at the station. “Abram Petrov, is he dead?”
The anger on his face morphs into curiosity as he tilts his head, looking me up and down.
“It’s a simple question.” I swallow thickly as a lump grows in my throat. I already know when he says yes, I’m going to want more answers. I’m going to want proof. I clench my fists and make sure I keep my voice down as I say, “I need to know if he’s dead.”
“Is that what this is for you? Revenge on Petrov? Is that why you’re so damn stubborn?” he asks, like I’m being a petulant child and he finds it comical.
“He’s why my sister’s dead, asshole. You can at least tell me if he’s dead.”
Remorse flashes in his eyes as he answers, “I wish I could, but I even if I knew one way or the other, I can’t say shit to you. You’re a cop, remember?”
“You can tell me.” My eyes plead with him. For the fi
rst time since I graduated, I wish I wasn’t a cop. It never occurred to me that being a cop would close doors I'd need to go through to get to him. At the time, it was the most obvious way to move forward. I never thought twice about it until I got here.
He presses his lips into a straight line and looks at me for a moment, considering. I don’t budge. I won’t. I need to know.
“You think I’m stupid?” he asks, and I can see that he’s gearing up for a showdown, but that’s not what I want.
“You’re not stupid, I don’t think that at all. I’m not wired or anything. You can just nod. I swear.” My words fly out in desperation.
“I’d have to strip you down to make sure you weren’t. Is that what you want, little miss good girl?” A wave of arousal soaks my pussy as he leans into me. My mind starts fantasizing about things it shouldn’t.
“I’m not a good girl. And if that’s what it would take.” I say the words before I can regret them. It’s so fucking wrong. Would I really do that? Would I lower myself to stripping for him? I don’t know if I’d go through with it. His eyes heat with lust, and I start to think it’s a real possibility.
“No, you’re not a good little girl at all, are you?” His smile widens as he takes a step back. “You’re such a bad girl.” He’s mocking me. Fucking prick. I bite my tongue and watch as he turns away. My ego takes a huge fucking hit.
I turn my back on him and take a left into an alley between a convenience store and a barber shop. I know my car is parked somewhere on the next street over, parallel to this one. I don’t pay attention to the men at the corner when I turn, but I sure as fuck hear them walking behind me.
Fuck!
I shouldn’t have gotten so damn emotional. What the hell was I thinking? I listen to the crunch of the gravel beneath their shoes as I pass a large dumpster. I’m certain there are three. Maybe four. I’m halfway through the alley when I hear their steps pick up.
My hand drops to my gun. I’m ready for this shit. I didn’t graduate at the top of my class for nothing. This is the first time I’ve been faced with a real-life situation like this, though. The realization makes my confidence slip as I take three large strides and turn on my heels. My gun flies out in front of me as I face three men. Two are in black hoodies, and the other one is wearing a bright green t-shirt and black jeans. I take it all in. Their heights, their weights, every bit of information I can. It's second nature at this point from all of my training.
I can feel my face heating and my body needing to tremble with fear, but I ignore it. Adrenaline flows through my blood, and the only thing I can hear is the sound of my heart beating chaotically in my chest. I swear I can feel it trying to climb up my throat.
They smile at me, like they think it’s cute that I’ve got a gun. Like they expected me to turn around with it aimed at them. It sends a bolt of fear through me. I don’t like that they knew this was coming. It means they don’t care and they decided it was worth the risk. Shit, maybe that’s why they followed me down here. Maybe it’s obvious I’m a cop because of the way I talked to Thomas. I bet they were watching. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I rock hesitantly on my heels, not liking the situation. I’m outnumbered, and they’re looking for a fight.
One takes a step toward me and moves his hand toward his waistband. My heart slams to a stop and a cold sweat takes over every inch of my body.
“Hands up!” He continues to approach me, and I yell out again to make sure he hears me clearly. At the same time, I lift up my shirt with my left hand so he can see my badge. “Hands up!” I’m surprised I’m so composed, but I have been trained for this. I’ve prepared myself for this situation. “I am a police officer and I will fire. Put your hands where I can see them.”
My left hand steadies on the butt of the gun and I watch as they show no signs of letting up. They don’t give a fuck that I’m a cop, or that I’ve got a gun. As I prepare to shoot this prick in his hand as he reaches for his gun, I see a movement in the back of the alley.
I can’t get distracted, not now. I focus, and I shoot that fucker as he grips his gun.
Tommy
I almost flinch as her gun goes off. I’ve been around God knows how many guns going off, so I never flinch. It never bothers me. But I didn’t see it coming. I guess it’s just something about a cute little thing like her, I don’t know what, but I underestimated her. The lowlife clutches at his hand, blood flowing freely from the wound, and he actually drops to the ground. Like a little bitch. She turns to face the other thug, but he’s quick enough to close the distance between them and grab her arm.
I don’t fucking like it. My blood heats, and I stride quickly to get there before shit gets out of hand. Adrenaline pumps through my veins as I grab the third guy by the nape of his neck and slam his head into the wall. I hear a loud thud and a partial scream as I take a swing and hit him square on the nose. I know it’s broken. His eyes roll back in his head, and his body goes limp. I wait a second, watching to make sure his chest rises and that he’s still breathing.
It does. The fucker’s just knocked out, not dead. Blood leaks out of his nostrils and pools above his lip before dripping down his face and onto the pavement. He’s gonna have a busted up nose and two black eyes, but he’ll fucking live.
My heart beats loud in my ears as her gun goes off, hitting nothing but the brick wall and then falling to the ground with a loud bang. My surroundings go quiet and everything seems to happen in slow-motion as I take in the scene.
She's struggling with the second asshole. The first is crawling toward his gun that dropped a few feet in front of him. What a fucking pussy. The bullet passed right through his hand. I yank him backward and lift him up so I can stare that fucker in the eyes. They widen with recognition, and then fear.
He should know who I am. Everyone here knows who we are. And they know not to piss us off, either.
“Get the fuck out of here.” I toss him backward like he's nothing and watch as he scrambles off. He's still clutching his hand like it’s gonna fall off if he lets go. He tries to go to his friend, but that’s not going to fly. I want them all separated. I want them to feel alone and scared, so they think twice about ganging up on someone else on my turf.
“Leave him.” He looks back at me for a split second before taking off. Fucking prick.
I turn back to watch as Tonya knees her perp in the gut and then smashes an elbow into his jaw, blood flying from his mouth. Damn. It looks like it fucking hurt.
I walk slowly toward them, not sure if I want to interfere or not. I admire her strength. And honestly, I'm getting pretty fucking turned on watching her beat the shit out of him. The guy scoots on his butt away from her and she crawls to her gun, picking it up and pointing it at him. She's leaning back slightly and her legs are parted. She looks hot as fuck with her hair a little messed up, and her cheeks flushed.
I can tell she’s out of breath because of the the heaving movements of her chest. But she’s calm on the surface. I stand back and wait to see what she’s going to do. She’s got this shit. She kicked his ass.
“Don’t move, or I’ll shoot.” The fucker looks up at her with daggers in his eyes and a bloody nose; he's clearly pissed that she got the best of him. She reaches into her pocket for her phone, and I have to put an end to it. I can’t let her call for backup. I look at her and shake my head no.
“Give me your wallet.” I walk closer and motion for her to put her phone away. She looks hesitantly at me, but she listens and slips it back into her pocket.
I have to admit that earns her a little brownie point from me. I like her obeying me. She’s a cop, she has power, she can obviously kick some ass. But she obeyed me. I fucking love that. My dick loves it too and I have to work hard not to palm my growing erection.
I watch as she slowly gets up off the ground and brushes the dirt off her ass. She doesn't look shaken up at all. She looks pissed.
The dumbfuck looks at me like he’s not sure who I’m talking to. I reach
down and grab him by the shirt. I pull him up and speak through clenched teeth. “Don’t make me ask again.”
I toss him backward and he lands hard on his ass. He doesn’t waste a second as he pulls out his wallet, holding it up for me to take.
“I don’t have any cash. I got nothing on me.” I open up his wallet and take out my phone to take a picture of his driver’s license.
“This your current address?” I ask. Fear flashes in his eyes, and the blood drains from his face.
“Answer me!” I yell louder than I should, but it doesn’t make Tonya flinch.
“Y--yes,” he stutters out.
“What were you planning to get out of this,” I look the fucker's license and chuckle, “Earl?” I crouch down so I can look this fucker in his eyes. “What were you hoping to get from messing with her?”
“Nothin'!” He's quick to deny everything and I just tilt my head and get ready to beat this fucker to a bloody pulp. I don't have a problem getting people to talk.
I smash my fist against his jaw so fucking quick he didn't see it coming. I hear Tonya take a step back and I look at her from the corner of my eyes. She looks back at me with no fear. She's watching me. I need to keep that in mind. I straighten my back as the little prick wipes the blood from his mouth and tries to figure out whether or not he should be looking at me. The coward doesn't even try to look me in the eyes. I have to tame the animal in me that wants to rip him to shreds. I should, he earned it, but I can't, knowing a cop is watching my every move. Even if it is for her. I’m not sure I trust this broad. My jaw ticks. I shouldn’t fucking trust this broad. Ever.
“I like this broad, and I don’t like that you fucked with her. You understand what I’m saying?”
Bad Boy: Valetti Crime Family (A Bad Boy Mafia Romance) Page 21
