by CJ Bishop
“A bunch of sick fucks,” Riccardo muttered.
“Why don’t you tell that to the cowboy when you meet him,” Cruz said. “Or his big Egyptian friend. See what kind of response you get back.”
Riccardo looked at him incredulously. “They’re both faggots?”
“I wouldn’t suggest using that term when speaking to them,” Cruz warned. “Unless you want your face to come out the back of your skull.”
•
Flynn ignored the other men when they asked where Hal and Cullen were, and went in search of his father. He resisted the need to rush to Caterina’s room and make sure she was all right, but before he could see her, he had to convince his father that his story was true.
He found the man in the library—with Caterina. Flynn hadn’t expected her to be with his father and it threw him a little off his game when their eyes locked and he saw the mixed emotions churning in her stare.
“Where are the others?” his father asked. “I want to speak with Hal.”
Flynn stared at Caterina, his thoughts fragmented, then blinked and looked at his father. “Something…happened,” he murmured.
“What happened?” Terrell’s eyes narrowed and bore into Flynn.
“The man that Carter caught, he…” Flynn glanced anxiously at Caterina.
“He what?” his father demanded, impatient.
“He got a hold of one of their guns and…killed Carter, Hal, and Cullen. I barely got away.”
Terrell stared at him, chest heaving. “Why didn’t you shoot the fucker?”
“I didn’t have a chance,” Flynn insisted. “The guy was firing on me, too. All I could do was duck and run.”
“Figures,” his father huffed. “You always were a fucking coward.”
“It wasn’t cowardice,” Flynn fumed. “It was fucking survival.”
Terrell exhaled hard. “So, we have three dead men and nothing to show for it. Nice work, son.”
“It wasn’t my fault that the three of them couldn’t handle one guy.” His story was a lie, yet his indignation was genuine and added authenticity to his fable. “Don’t fucking blame me.”
“Of course not,” his father drawled sourly. “You’re not to blame. You’re never to blame. How could I expect you to go out there with any sense of responsibility when your fucking mother never made you own up to anything you did wrong? She ruined you. And now you are nothing but a worthless piece of shit.”
“Don’t talk about my mother!” Flynn hurled back, furious. “You will never measure up to her!”
“She babied your ass!” Terrell shouted. “Until you were no good for anything! You might as well have been a fucking girl! Because you’re sure as shit not a man!”
“Stop it!” Caterina cried suddenly, startling them both. She swallowed, tears in her eyes, hurt and anger in her voice. “How…how can you talk to him that way? He’s your son.”
Terrell shook his head in resignation. “Always have to have a woman come to your defense. Why does that not surprise me?” He headed out of the room. “Think you can handle locking the damsel back in her gilded cage while the real men deal with more important matters?”
CHAPTER 31
“Possibilities”
______________________________________________
Flynn stared after his father, fists clenched and breath surging. Caterina took a step toward him then paused. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
“For what?” Flynn’s rage deflated. When he looked at her, she saw the young boy within; always a disappointment to his father.
“I shouldn’t have said anything,” Caterina whispered. “I didn’t mean to make it worse.”
Flynn shook his head. “Nothing could make it worse than it already is.” He gazed at her long. “Thank you…for what you said.”
His gratitude was sincere and played havoc with Caterina’s heart. She didn’t understand how the man who meant to kill her brother and bring devastation to her family…could touch her heart in any way. It would have been so much easier if he had been a bad guy all the way through, with no redeeming qualities. She could have hated him and been done with it, no confusing emotions to get in the way.
“Come on,” he murmured. “I’ll walk you back to your room.”
Nothing was spoken between them until they reached the bedroom and Flynn opened the door for her but made no move to enter himself. Caterina stepped inside and suddenly felt the chill of Riccardo’s lingering presence; she didn’t want to be alone in here. But how could she ask Flynn to stay? When he started to back away, she stopped him. “Flynn…” He looked at her and his father’s hard words rang through her head again. His father hadn’t said he was thankful Flynn was alive. Had the scene played out between Cruz and his father, it would have gone down much differently with Lorenzo clinging to his son and thanking God that he was safe. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she offered softly. “I don’t know why I’m glad, when you mean harm to my family…” tears formed. “…but I am.”
Flynn blinked as dampness glossed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Caterina. I’m sorry I let Riccardo bring you here.”
“He had a gun,” Caterina reminded. “You didn’t have a choice.”
“Maybe I could have stopped him.”
“And maybe gotten shot.”
Flynn stared at her, a storm of emotions in his eyes. “Are you honestly glad that I wasn’t hurt?”
Her throat closing, Caterina bit her lip, tears thickening. “Yes.”
Flynn shifted and glanced down the hall. “Can I talk to you?” he asked. “Just for a minute?”
Caterina nodded and walked deeper into the room as Flynn entered and closed the door. She sat on the edge of the bed. Flynn went to the window, his back to her.
“I lied,” he said quietly.
“About…what?”
He turned slowly and faced her. “I lied to my father about what happened to the other men.”
“What?” Caterina frowned. “What…what did happen? Where did you go?”
“One our guys—Carter—said he had caught one of the Santiago men, but he needed our help bringing him in. We went to meet up with him, but…”
Caterina stared him, her breath holding.
“It wasn’t Carter waiting for us.” Flynn moved toward her with slow steps. “It was Cruz and a few of his men.”
Her heart skidding to a halt, Caterina whispered, “What? Cruz?”
“Carter was already dead. The message we got from him…wasn’t from him. And Hal and Cullen, the guys I was with, were shot and killed. I didn’t run. I just stood there, waiting to be shot as well. I couldn’t see the gunman, but I could feel his eyes on me. I thought for sure I was dead.”
Caterina rose from the bed, her still heart suddenly pounding. “What happened?”
“I think they recognized me even before I told them my name. They knew I was the one you’d been with the last couple nights. They took me to an old warehouse and tied me to a chair. I waited for the beatings to start.”
His face was unmarked; no bruises or gashes.
“But they just wanted to talk,” Flynn said. “They thought I’d killed your ex, but seemed to believe me when I said I hadn’t. They asked me about you, and how I thought you felt about me now.”
Caterina swallowed. “What…what did you say?”
“That you likely hated me and distrusted me.”
That’s how she should feel…she just didn’t know how to get there. It would take the total complete erase of the last two nights, not a shred of memory left. And that wasn’t going to happen.
“I don’t expect you to counter it,” Flynn murmured. “I stood right in front of you and told you I was going to kill your brother. It’s a miracle you’re even speaking to me now.”
Caterina trembled. “Did you accuse Cruz of…killing your mother?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“He denied it. Insisted he’d never killed a woman in his life.”
She stared at him, unable to read his expression. “What did you say?”
“I told him he was lying, that I saw him there with her body.” He released an unsteady breath. “He said he found her that way, but that he wasn’t the one who shot her.”
Caterina believed Cruz—one hundred percent—but had Flynn? She slid her arms around her waist. “He didn’t kill your mom,” she whispered.
Flynn backed away and retreated to the window. He sank down on the window sill, eyes lowering to the floor as a troubled look etched his face. “I know.”
Caterina’s world trembled beneath her feet with those two little words; I know. Tears filled her eyes.
Raising his eyes, Flynn straightened and slowly crossed the floor until he stood before her. “You were right, Caterina.” His throat worked and eyes glossed. “Cruz is every bit the man you said he was.”
Beginning to shake, Caterina threw her arms around Flynn’s neck and clung to him, sobbing, as he wrapped her in his embrace and held her close.
Flynn’s lips touched her hair and he whispered with a forming edge to his voice, “Did Riccardo do anything to you while I was gone?” When Caterina went still, tension gripping her body, Flynn drew back. “What did he do?”
•
Caterina withdrew from his embrace and wrapped her arms around her waist. She walked over to the window, her entire body tense.
You motherfucker—what did you do to her?
“Caterina?” He approached and stood behind her, and lightly rested his hands on her shoulders. “Tell me.”
Drawing a deep breath, she released it slow and unsteady, and began to force out the words. Her voice trembled and arms cinched tighter around herself as she depicted the vile acts committed by Riccardo.
Flynn struggled to keep his rage under control.
“He would have raped me if he hadn’t found my phone,” she whispered. She sank back against Flynn’s chest and he slid her arms around her.
“I won’t let him near you again,” he murmured tightly. “I will deal with him. I promise.” He already had other matters to discuss with him, this would be one more.
Caterina turned around and hugged Flynn’s body, her face buried in his neck. “I’ve missed you,” she choked softly. “I’ve missed your arms.” She raised her head, lips parted. “Your kiss.” Flynn kissed her, warm and tender…then more deeply as their passion swelled—the intense events of the day spiking their need for one another.
Now isn’t the time for this. He knew it was true but couldn’t pull away from Caterina as she pushed against him, wanting him as much as he wanted her. As ignited as they were, it wouldn’t take them long to get where they wanted to go.
Caterina pushed him toward the bed, then down on the mattress. She straddled his body and began removing his shirt with urgent hands, her breath quick.
“Are you sure you want to do this,” Flynn rasped, working open her blouse as he spoke. “After what happened…”
“He was the one who did that,” she said. “Not you. I wasn’t traumatized…just sickened.” She leaned down and kissed his mouth. “I need to feel you inside me…to erase his vile touch.”
Flynn sat forward and peeled off her blouse and discarder her bra. His cock throbbed beneath her as he squeezed her breasts and sucked her warm, supple flesh. He groaned and repositioned, laying her down on the bed, and kissed and sucked down her stomach, unfastened her pants and hurriedly removed them. He kicked off his jeans in a rush and crawled between her thighs as she spread her legs, her neatly trimmed bush already glistening with want.
Groaning deeply, he dipped down and licked between her folds, sucking her plump clit between his lips.
“Uuh!” Caterina gasped and grabbed his head, lifting her hips. “Uuhh…yes…”
Flynn flicked his tongue all around her sensitive nub until she was writhing and clutching his hair, and cumming hard. He moved up over the top of her and shuddered as his cock head slid through her slick pussy lips. He stared intensely into her eyes as he shifted his hips and the tip of his member nudged her tight, wet hole. The head slipped in without effort, yet pulling a shaky gasp from Caterina. She pushed up to him, shoving herself onto his thick, hard dick as he sank in to the hilt, his full tight balls pressing flush against her wet heat.
“Oh my God,” Flynn choked. Had it only been that morning since they last fucked? It felt like weeks. A flurry of shivers raced through him, straight into his cock, as Caterina’s inner muscles flexed and squeezed his shaft. “Fuck…” He drew back to thrust in again—when he realized they weren’t protected. “Shit,” he gasped and pulled out. “I don’t have a condom.” His body shuddered with the intense need to be inside her and he thought he might actually go insane if he had to stop now. “I’ve never fucked any other woman without a condom. I’m clean. But…there are other things to consider.”
Caterina’s aching body writhed sensually on the bed beneath him, her eyes heavy with desire. “I need you now, Flynn,” she moaned and rubbed her hands along his tense muscles. “Whatever happens…will you be there for me?”
He wallowed thickly, his throat constricting as the implication of her words struck him right in the heart. “Yes.”
“Then make love to me,” she whispered. “Please.”
Flynn ran his hands through her hair and kissed her deeply as he pushed into her soft heat, their bodies quickly matching rhythm as his thrusts grew harder and faster. “Fuck, baby…” he gasped into her mouth. “Uuhh! God!”
“Oh God…uuhh! Fuck me…harder…Flynn! Yes-yes—oh god—uh-uh-uh!” Her nails gouged into his back and her hips thrust hard as she cried out with a forceful release. “Oh fuck yes…oh my god…don’t stop…”
Flynn crushed her mouth in a hungry kiss and pumped his hips with urgency, fucking her wildly. His balls knotted and clenched as she climaxed again, biting his shoulder, stifling her scream. “Fuck yeah, baby,” he panted heavily. “Oh fuck—I’m gonna cum!” He unloaded seconds later, his hot seed filling her up. “Oh my God,” he gasped and sank down against her, his hot breath puffing onto her slick, hot throat. His thoughts immediately turned to the swarm of sperm swimming freely through her…seeking a home.
Flynn had never imagined himself as a father. Never thought it would ever be what he wanted. Yet lying here with Caterina, holding one another as their future was yet to be determined…he thought that it might not be so bad to be a dad. A good dad.
CHAPTER 32
“Hidden Loyalties”
______________________________________________
The danger of her situation hadn’t gone away, yet Caterina felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her heart as she lay beside Flynn, their damp, fevered bodies touching. A warm numbness settled over her as she thought about their unprotected sex. She wasn’t worried about disease; she got checked regularly, and she trusted Flynn’s word that he was clean. It was the possibility of a baby that had her feeling light-headed, and terrified and excited all at once. Flynn’s sincerity when he said he would be there for her gave her comfort and a sense that everything would be okay, no matter what.
If you make it out of this alive.
Lying here in peaceful post-orgasmic bliss with Flynn, it was easy to momentarily forget their dire situation.
“Did Cruz just let you go?” Caterina asked softly.
Flynn turned onto his side and stroked his fingers through her hair. “Yeah, he did…once he knew that you were my priority. And that you weren’t safe here without me.”
Caterina shivered unpleasantly with thoughts of Riccardo. “I’m really glad you’re here,” she whispered. “When he touched me…I felt dirty and tainted.”
“He’s never going to touch you again.” Flynn kissed her head. “I’ll kill him before I left him near you.”
Should it bother her that she wasn’t troubled by the thought of Flynn killing the man? He meant to rape you.
“While I was with Cruz and his men,” Flynn murmured. “My fathe
r called him from your phone. Cruz is turning himself over to him. When I left them, he was headed out to the designated meeting place where they would pick him up.”
“What?” Caterina sat up and looked at him, fear gripping her. She knew this was the game plan and that Cruz had no other choice, but now that it was actually going down, it terrified her. He and Sanchez would have a plan, she was sure of it, but sometimes plans went wrong.
“They’ll bring him here,” Flynn said. “I’ll try to get my father to let you see him.” He shook his head. “Not that I have any pull with him. He has no respect for me.” He kissed her lips, her throat. “I should get dressed, be out there when they bring him in.”
Caterina didn’t want him to leave her alone in here, but she feared for Cruz more than herself. “Please be careful.” She hugged him and pressed her body close to his. The response in his lower regions was instant and she wished they could make love again, forget about all this ugliness for a little while longer.
“I will.” Flynn held her, a soft groan rising in his throat as they pressed closer together. His arousal swelled, stretching and hardening. “When this is all over,” he whispered, “I’m going to take you to bed and not get out again for at least a week.”
Caterina sighed and smiled. “Maybe two weeks.”
“No argument here,” Flynn laughed low and kissed her mouth. His fingertips played along her spine, causing a flurry of pleasant shivers to race through her body. He pressed his head to her brow and groaned. “I better go. But I’ll be back soon.” He kissed her again. “I promise.”
Flynn reluctantly left the bed and dressed. When he noticed her watching him and smiled, her heart trembled. I could fall in love with you, too.
Maybe…she already had.
•
Cruz was led into the large house through the front entrance and taken to a room that looked like a personal study. Minutes later, a fortyish man joined them. He was neatly dressed with dark styled hair and a decently handsome face. His smile didn’t reach his eyes as he introduced himself. “Terrell Pisano,” he said. “And you’re the infamous Cruz Santiago. I’m honored to have you as a guest in my home.”
