Beautifully Brutal (Southern Boy Mafia #1)

by Nicole Edwards

  “I would,” she snapped, “if I knew what the fuck you were talkin’ about.” She hated that her voice didn’t come out as strong as she’d anticipated.

  “They found her. The little girl.”

  Her eyes widened as she stared at him. “That’s good, right? She’s okay?”

  “She’s fine, not a scratch.”

  “So why’re you yellin’ at me?” she questioned, her voice rising.

  “You went to him,” RT scolded. “You fucking went to him for help.”

  Knowing she wouldn’t be able to hide anything from RT, she turned away, heading for the kitchen. She didn’t make it far before he had his hand on her arm. For the second time in one day, she was manhandled by a man, and it was starting to piss her off.

  Spinning to face him, Courtney shoved RT. Hard. “Don’t do that,” she snarled.

  RT yanked his hand back. “Sorry,” he barked. “But you haven’t answered me, Courtney. Damn it. Why’d you ask him for a favor?”

  Feeling the anger rush to her face, she stared back at the man she took her orders from. “Because she was the only thing that mattered. That little girl needed to come home. I’ll call in a million favors, RT, if it means savin’ some little girl’s life. You, of all people, should know that.”

  And just like that, she felt herself falling apart. A sob erupted from her chest, and tears formed in her eyes.

  The next thing Courtney knew, she was in RT’s arms, the dam had officially broken, and she was sobbing uncontrollably. Everything in her life was so fucked up. So confusing and she didn’t even know where her loyalties were anymore. She hadn’t even questioned going to Max, hadn’t given it a second thought. She knew he had associates down there, knew if anyone could get to that little girl before it was too late, it would be him.

  Sure, she recognized that Sniper 1 would’ve found her, they would’ve eventually brought her home safe and sound—at least she’d like to believe that was the case—but Max had an unlimited amount of resources. His connections were finite. There were people so loyal to him they’d lay down their lives, and she’d known when he issued the order to bring the girl home safely, that was exactly what would happen.

  “Shh. Court. I’m sorry,” RT crooned, his muscled arms banded around her, his chin resting on her head. “She’s safe. You did good.”

  “Then why are you pissed at me?” she questioned, holding back a sob and forcing him away from her.

  Another knock sounded on her door, and she didn’t even have a chance to answer before Z was strolling in, his dark eyes scanning the room, taking in the scene before him.

  “You okay?” Z asked her instantly, his gaze bouncing between her and RT.

  “Fine,” she said, shoving a stray hair out of her eyes as she turned away from them. The last thing she needed was for them to see her cry. She never cried.

  “What the fuck, man?” Z questioned. “She saved the girl, and you come give her shit?”

  “She fucking went to the Adorites.”

  Silence descended, and Courtney hesitated before turning back, not wanting to see the anger on Z’s face as well.

  “Since when do we give a shit how the job gets done?” Z probed, surprising her when she glanced back to see that he was facing off with RT. “She did what any of us would’ve done had we been in her shoes. She used the resources available to her.”

  “The fucking Adorites, Z,” RT growled. “Their favors don’t come free.”

  Z glanced down at her, his hard features softening. “What does he want in return?”

  Courtney shook her head. “Nothin’.” Unfortunately, he didn’t want a damn thing from her, and she had no idea why that bothered her so much.

  “Why the tears, little one?” Z’s tone was soothing as he closed the gap between them and pulled her into his arms. The man was a giant at six foot six inches, and she felt dwarfed by him, but she welcomed his strength for a brief moment. “You want me to kick this guy’s ass?”

  Courtney laughed, as Z probably wanted her to.

  The situation was tense, but it wasn’t necessarily because RT had stormed into her house and yelled at her. That was settled. But what lingered, the electricity that sparked in the air between the two men… That was potent.

  She knew that there was something transpiring between RT and Z, something that would eventually come to a head, and she doubted it would result in a fight, but she knew that it would end in a physical confrontation. Likely a horizontal one.

  Squeezing Z briefly, she pulled away. “I’m good. It’s just been an emotional day. That’s all.”

  “Someone else’s ass I need to kick?” Z asked seriously. “Whisper his name and consider it handled.”

  Consider it handled.

  Those words reverberated in her head, but it was Max’s voice she heard saying them. He’d come through for her, as she’d known he would. Relief swamped her, and she planted her ass on the arm of the couch, her legs suddenly too weak to hold her up.

  “I wish you hadn’t gone to him,” RT said, his voice softer, less angry.

  “Me, too,” she told him truthfully. “But the only thing that mattered was her. I knew he’d be able to get the job done.”

  “I refuse to be in debt to the fucking mafia,” RT told her, his voice rising once again. “Next time you feel the need to go to him, don’t. We can handle our own shit, Courtney. No matter what bullshit he’s fed you, he’s not a good guy. He’s not a fucking hero.”

  Courtney didn’t bother to argue because RT was right. Max wasn’t a hero, but in the same sense… No, he wasn’t a hero.

  “You need anything before we go?” Z asked, obviously desperate to put distance between himself and RT.

  Courtney shook her head. She needed to fall into bed, to close her eyes and fight the memories of the day, forget what it had felt like when Max had claimed her mouth, his familiar touch combing over her body, the heat and the power she’d felt radiating from him…

  She needed to forget him, period.

  “I’m good. But…” Courtney looked at Z. “Thanks for comin’ over.” She turned her gaze to RT. “As for you … you’re welcome.”

  The corners of RT’s lips curved slightly, but he didn’t allow the smile to form. “Next time…”

  “I got it,” she retorted. “Now get the hell out.”

  Z laughed as he and RT headed out, closing her front door behind them.

  As she stared at the space the two men had just vacated, Courtney took a deep breath, swallowing the emotion that choked her.

  It was the only thing she could do because she damn sure wasn’t about to fall apart again.

  Once was more than enough.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Just breathe.

  “They found the little girl,” Leyton explained when he stepped out onto the back porch. “She’s on her way back to her mother.”

  Max nodded but didn’t move from the chair he’d been sitting in for the past few hours. He didn’t have the energy to do much more than that. As it was, he’d watched the fucking grass grow, trying his best not to think about Courtney, and never had it actually worked. He’d thought of nothing but her.

  But the point was, he’d tried.

  “She was in Mexico. As they predicted, he was running with her. I had Shark run him down. He brought them back across the border, took them to a safe location before he called it in. We left word with the local police and got word that she’s safe.”

  “Does Courtney know?” Max asked, still gazing out at the lawn.

  “I haven’t called her. I wanted to see if you wanted to do that. But I will, if you need me to.”

  Max nodded again. “I’ll call her.”

  He knew he should’ve left that task to Leyton, allowed him to deal with Courtney, because the last thing Max needed was to hear her voice, but he couldn’t seem to pass up the opportunity.

  “I’ll be in the office if you need me,” Leyton told him before leaving him alone onc
e again.

  Max retrieved the fifth of whiskey sitting on the ground beside him. Lifting the bottle, he looked at the level and groaned. He’d damn near downed the entire bottle, but still the numbness he’d been seeking hadn’t come.

  Taking a swig, he retrieved his phone from the table beside him. He scrolled through the contacts until he found her number and punched the button to place the call. His heart lurched when it began to ring.

  “Hello?”

  Max closed his eyes when he heard her voice again, fighting the emotion that flooded him. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t get anything past the lump that formed in his throat.

  “Max?” she whispered.

  “Yeah,” he finally said. “It’s me.”

  Neither of them said anything for a few moments, and then before he could come up with something to say, Courtney spoke.

  “Thank you,” she paused momentarily. “For what you did. RT told me they found her.” Another pause before she continued, “So, thank you … for finding the girl.”

  Max didn’t respond, just listened to her breathe, wishing she’d remain on the phone for the rest of his life so he could hear her. It was hard enough that he couldn’t be with her, couldn’t hold her in his arms. Listening to her breathe would suffice for a little while.

  “I should—”

  “No, don’t go,” he said in a tortured whisper. “Don’t hang up. Just breathe, Courtney. It’s…” He choked back the emotion. “Just breathe. Please.”

  Courtney didn’t respond, nor did she hang up, and he could hear her breathe, which was all he needed as the night descended around him.

  If only their time together could’ve been more like this. Less chaos, more peace.

  There was no doubt in his mind that he’d never be content without her, never be able to move on. As it was, he was contemplating calling off the wedding because he couldn’t go through with it. Not only because he wasn’t willing to walk into a trap—because no matter the angle, the fact of the matter was Angelica had orchestrated this shit—but also because he would never be able to let Courtney go.

  Not entirely.

  But he also knew he could never have her.

  She was stubborn, always pushing him away when the only thing she needed to do was pull him closer. He’d protect her. He’d love her. Hell, he’d give her the fucking moon if she wanted it. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her.

  Their relationship had always been rocky. From the very beginning, they’d been thrust into this by outside forces, and as each day passed, Max was closer to figuring out what those were.

  Now that he had something to go on, he was working to find out the truth.

  He still replayed the conversation he’d had with his father over and over in his head.

  And what’s the point of your story?

  What I didn’t bother to tell you was that, at the time, your mother had a boyfriend. Nice, well-off young man who’d promised to marry her and give her a perfect life when he got back from the military. He was quite a bit older than she was, but younger than me. A bit of a prude if you wanna know the truth. Never touched her.

  She was thirteen! How old was he?

  Seventeen or eighteen, I think. Anyway, that doesn’t matter because she was mine. But that boy, he wasn’t happy that he’d lost her, although he’d started a new life, waitin’ for her to grow up, to be old enough for him to claim her. Accordin’ to Genny, he was comin’ back for her. She used to love throwin’ that in my face.

  Did he?

  No, he didn’t. He didn’t come back for her because he made a new life for himself, established a reputation that people respected, fell in love with a good woman.

  Who was he? What was his name?

  Casper Kogan.

  Max focused on Courtney breathing softly into the phone. He wondered if she knew, but he couldn’t ask her. He didn’t want to know that everything that’d happened between them had been a lie. He was a strong man, but he doubted he could physically survive if he found out she’d played him the entire time.

  He needed to believe that she had loved him. Even if that was over, he needed to fool himself into believing at some point it had been true.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Happy birthday, love.

  Sixteen months ago

  “Where’re we goin’?” Courtney asked, laughing as Max dragged her through his house.

  He’d hardly given her enough time to get dressed. She’d never seen him quite like this.

  “You’ll see,” he told her. “Now close your eyes.”

  “What? Why?”

  A tingle of trepidation ran through her. He didn’t seem upset, but with Max, she never knew what to expect.

  “Close them,” he insisted, stopping abruptly and turning to face her when they were in the hallway that led out to the garage.

  With a heavy sigh, she gave in, closing her eyes as she waited patiently for whatever it was he was going to do.

  “Don’t hurt me,” she said softly.

  Even with her eyes closed, she could sense Max’s reaction to her words.

  “Never,” he told her, his warm lips pressing to her mouth. He cupped her face in his hands. “You should know that by now. I’d never hurt you.”

  For some reason, she believed him, despite the knowledge that she had of him. At this point, she knew who he was, what he did, what he was capable of doing.

  And her feelings for him were complicated. She loved him. She feared him.

  Sometimes she even hated him. Hated him for the things he’d done, such as making her watch Weston die. But even then, she had understood his reasoning. It didn’t make her feel good that she could so coldly shrug off a man’s death, but Max had told her that Weston had known what he’d been signing on for when he’d been brought into his world.

  It was logical. As logical as anything could be in a world wrought with murder.

  Max was smart. He’d admitted to knowing who she was and what she was after, never pretending not to know what she was up to, which made it difficult for her to stay away from him. It gave her an excuse to be with him, an opportunity to get closer, to try to find out something.

  Or so she had told herself.

  Truth was, she had done the unthinkable and fallen in love with him. Her heart now ruled her actions.

  “Keep your eyes closed,” he whispered against her mouth.

  Courtney nodded and then linked her fingers with his when he took her hand.

  A door opened, and she was being pulled behind him. She didn’t peek, didn’t try to see what he was doing, which spoke of the trust she had in him, despite knowing better.

  “You ready?” he asked when they came to a stop.

  “Yes.”

  “Then open your eyes.”

  Courtney did, glancing around at the garage. It looked the same as always, still held seven … no, make that eight cars.

  Wait.

  “Holy shit,” she said softly. “That’s a nice car.”

  “You like it?” he asked, sounding proud of himself.

  “Who wouldn’t?” The newest model convertible Corvette Stingray was likely the sexiest car of them all. She’d always had a fondness for sports cars, but she’d never been truly fond of Corvettes. At least not until they’d recently released the Stingray again.

  Max stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the car. “Happy birthday.”

  “How…?” Confused, she studied him. “How did you know?”

  “What? That it was your birthday or that you’d want that car?”

  Courtney peered around him. “That… That’s for me?”

  “It is,” he told her. “Now go check it out.”

  Feeling slightly off-kilter, Courtney slowly moved around the car, her gaze darting between Max and the sleek shark-gray metallic car.

  “Seriously, Max. This is… Well, it’s incredible, but you know I can’t take this car.”

  “Yes, you can,” he told her simply.
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  The top was open, so she peered inside, taking in the sexy, jet-black leather interior. She wondered what it would feel like to sit behind the wheel.

  “Get in,” he told her as he opened the passenger-side door.

  When he slipped into the car, she grinned. What the hell. It wouldn’t hurt to take it for a test drive, right?

  And then, when they got back, she’d tell him she couldn’t keep it. Because falling in love with him was one thing. Accepting a car that likely cost him close to a hundred grand was something entirely different.

  □»«□»«□»«□

  “Pull over,” Max instructed when they were hidden by a copse of trees deep on his land. He’d wanted her to test-drive the Corvette, but admittedly, he’d had something else in mind, as well.

  Another birthday present for her.

  Courtney stopped the car, frowning when she looked over at him.

  “Don’t look so upset,” he said with a smile. “Now get out.”

  If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of concern in her eyes, but he shrugged it off. He didn’t want to think that she’d fear him for any reason. She’d surprised him earlier when she’d muttered for him not to hurt her, and he had to wonder where that was coming from.

  Then again, she knew him, knew what he was capable of. But in the same sense, if she ever thought he would hurt her, she didn’t know him well at all.

  Once she met him at the front of the car, Max turned to her, taking her into his arms and crushing his mouth to hers, his hands trailing down her hips, over her thighs, and then back up beneath the thin fabric that covered her. She’d worn a skirt, which had been his suggestion, and again, he’d had something in mind when he’d made the request. He had to wonder whether she’d figured that out yet or not.

  Easing her onto the hood of the car, Max pulled back enough to look at her.

  “Kick off your shoes. Wouldn’t want you to scratch the paint.”

  Courtney grinned, and her shoes hit the ground.

  “Now for my next gift,” he told her.

  “And that would be?” she asked.

  “An orgasm. On the hood of your car.”

  “Hmm. I like the sound of that.”

  Max lifted her legs over his shoulders and bent down, pressing his mouth against her panty-covered mound. He teased her briefly but then slid her panties to the side and drove his tongue through her wet slit.