Twisted Judgement

by K. D Clark

  Giovanni stood up from the table realizing he wasn’t going to get anything out of the man and he wasn’t in the mood to continue exchanging words.

  “We’ll be in touch,” he said before walking out of the restaurant. Gio and his men crowded into the black SUV waiting in front of the bar. Al got in the driver's seat and they headed back towards the club.

  “So what now?” Al asked.

  He didn’t know what to do other than to wait it out. Liam would show his face eventually and he had to be ready for when he did. He also had to be ready for the potential blowback when he killed him. He assumed the Irish weren’t going to take him killing one of their men lightly, no matter if he was scum. The SUV parked in front of the club. He got out and went upstairs to the private area. He had a meeting tonight with Dante but besides that, he’d take care of issues as they came. Being an underboss meant knowing everything that was going on in the business and taking care of major things when they got out of hand. It was a lot of sitting around and getting information. He often had to travel out of town to make sure there wasn’t anything sly going on. If he was being honest his mind kept going to Avé. She was different than the other women he had met. She wasn’t afraid of him like she should be. When he glared at her or raised his voice it just pissed her off. He loved the look on her face when she was angry. It made him want to drag her back to his bedroom like a caveman. She also had all the money she needed and seemed like she enjoyed her job. Maybe that’s why he was so interested in her. He’d never met a woman who refused to admit she needed him as much as she did.

  He worked until the sun came up and then he went to his car and drove home. When he walked in he noticed how quiet it was. The quiet had never bothered him before but now it was almost uncomfortable. It wasn’t quite 6 am yet, Avé would be waking up soon for work. He walked down the hallway, trying to keep his footsteps light, to her guest bedroom. He opened the door to see Wes and her snuggled under the covers, her blonde hair fanned out around the pillow. Her face was the most relaxed he’d seen it since she’d got here a few days ago. She looked peaceful. Wes’ eyes popped open, probably at the feeling of being watched. Giovanni raised an eyebrow at him and tilted his head to Avé. Wes shrugged and held up a finger telling Gio to give him a minute. He nodded and closed the door again.

  He walked back out to the living room to sit on the couch before leaning over the coffee table to start rolling a blunt. A few moments later Wes walked out of the bedroom dressed in the clothes he’d had on last night. He stretched and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

  “Looks like you had a fun night,” Gio said.

  Wes flipped him the bird before sitting down next to him.

  “You guys together now?” he asked.

  From the way Wes had talked about them a few days ago it had sounded like everything was just physical but from how they’d been snuggled up Gio was starting to think otherwise. He cursed himself for even caring. He shouldn’t care or be getting involved in their relationship.

  Wes shook his head. “Nah, we just fell asleep.”

  The relief he felt at Wes’ words scared him more than he’d liked to have admitted. He thought about what Niall had said at the bar. Was he really risking starting a war for a woman he’d only just met? He shook his head. He knew it was more than that—it was about respect. Liam knew that she was associated and he’d still come after her. Gio was taking care of one of their own. He’d do it for anybody else too. He was concerned about how this would look to his men. Power was everything in their world and he didn’t want to look weak.

  “Whatcha thinking about?” Wes asked.

  He shook his head. “Nothing.”

  Wes smirked as if knowing exactly what he had been thinking about. That was the thing about Wes, he could never hide anything from him. Whereas most people he could slip on his mask and be cold as stone, Wes always knew. He and Wes went way back to childhood. They’d gone to school together as kids, Wes coming from a poor family just a few blocks from his father's mansion. Wes had barely been 16 when he’d become an associate. While Gio had moved through the ranks at lightning speed Wes was always happy where he was.

  “Bullshit,” Wes mumbled, leaning back against the couch.

  Gio lit the blunt and leaned back next to him. He inhaled, letting the smoke fill his lungs and relax his shoulders.

  “Talked to the Irish last night,” he said, exhaling and letting the smoke billow out of his mouth.

  “Yea?”

  He nodded. “They’re not going to tell us where Liam is. They have too much pride to realize how outnumbered they are. They will go to war just to prove a point.”

  “Shit.”

  The weed helped him keep a level head. He knew his weaknesses and being a hot head was one of them. When Gio was a young man, his father had said it would get him into trouble. That’s when he’d discovered the power of weed and the ability it had to keep him calm.

  “I need you searching for him,” Gio said. He’d already decided the best person to look for this guy was Wes. Wes had deep feelings for Avé even though he wasn’t ready to admit it. Wes had a reason to take this guy down and wanted him gone just as much as she did.

  “Alright, but I want to be here at night,” Wes said.

  Gio didn’t ask why because he already knew. Wes wanted to be here at night with Avé. He didn’t trust anyone else to keep her safe.

  Gio nodded. “I’ll get someone else to watch her during the day.”

  The door to the guest bedroom creaked open and he didn’t turn his head as her feet patted across the floor. It wasn’t until she was in the kitchen that he looked over and his breath caught in his throat. She was dressed in a pair of silk shorts that did very little to hide her ass. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her long, olive-toned legs as she turned toward him and got up on her tiptoes to reach for a box of cereal in the cabinet. Her matching silk tank top lifted slightly as she did showing her flat stomach underneath. If he squinted his eyes he could swear he’d seen a belly button ring. Her nipples pressed against the silk top letting him know she had nothing underneath.

  Wes shoved his elbow into Giovanni’s ribs, and he let out a burst of air.

  “Fuck.”

  Gio reached his hand up and slapped Wes across the back of the head but Wes only laughed and jumped off the couch. He grabbed the keys off the kitchen table and then walked to where Avé was pouring her bowl of cereal. He hooked a hand around her waist and pulled her into his chest landing a kiss on her lips. It was so fast she almost knocked the container of milk over. Her eyes widened in shock before he let her go and walked out of the door. She stayed frozen like that for a second before she turned her eyes to Gio. He raised an eyebrow at her but she just shook her head and went back to making her bowl of cereal.

  Wes

  It felt like he hadn’t been to his house in weeks. He lived further outside the city than most of the other men. They liked to be close to the action but Wes wanted a house. Something farther away from the hustle and bustle. The house was decently sized; two stories, three bedrooms and with a finished basement. It had cost a fortune at least compared to what he made as a soldier but he’d saved up for a long time. Once he’d become made and knew his mom and sisters were taken care of he’d started to make a life for himself in New York. The house was empty most of the time but he imagined it wouldn’t always be like this. He walked up the carpeted steps to the main bedroom and straight to the en-suite bathroom to tak a shower before changing into a nice suit. He didn’t have any idea on where to get started with finding Liam but he had to try. It would put his mind at ease to know that Avé wasn’t in danger anymore.

  He walked out of the door as fast as he’d just came in and got into his car, deciding to leave the motorcycle parked in the garage. He drove to the first place he could think of which was Irish territory. It was an invisible line in downtown Manhattan filled with Irish shops and stores. It was dangerous for him to be there but since no shot
s had been fired between the two rivals yet it was worth the risk. Green and orange colors filled the area. Flags hung from the apartment windows. He parked his car outside a restaurant. There was a good chance it was owned by the Irish mob. Most of this side of town was. He walked into the restaurant. It was dark and in his opinion, dingy. The booths were an ugly dark green color and everything was a deep mahogany wood. The hostess had orange hair that went past her butt. She smiled at him but her eyes were wide letting him know she knew exactly who he was. It wasn’t hard to spot a made man; nice suite, slicked-back hair, and a cold demeanor. He smirked at the women who still hadn’t greeted him yet.

  “Just one,” he said answering her unspoken question.

  She shook her head. “Oh sorry yes right this way.”

  She grabbed a menu and he followed her to a table. The place was mostly empty considering it was barely 9 am. He was surprised it was even open.

  “Is this ok?” the woman asked, a slight tremor to her voice. He felt sorry for the girl—she probably thought something crazy was about to go down.

  He smiled at her. “This is fine, thank you.”

  He sat down in the wobbly wooden chair and waited. A man came out of the back. He was dressed in dark denim jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair was cut short but Wes could still tell it was red at the root. The man sat down across from Wes and leveled a glare at him.

  “What do you want, man? Boss is going to be here in an hour so I suggest you make yourself scarce.”

  Wes smiled at him. “Is it me who should make myself scarce or you? Since you’re the one who let me walk through the door.”

  The man's face fell as he realized his mistake. If Wes knew anything about the Irish it was that they were ruthless and they hated Cosa Nostra. Something as simple as letting a made men in their restaurant could mean losing a life.

  “What do you want?” the man asked between clenched teeth.

  “I want to know where Liam is,” he said

  The man huffed and leaned back in his chair. “He took off.”

  Wes nodded. “Well in that case”—he looked down at the menu—“I’ll have the Cobb salad.”

  The man’s eyes flickered to the clock on the wall above Wes’ head.

  “Alright, look, man, I don’t know where he is.”

  “Does that come with ranch?” Wes asked casually as if the man hadn’t said a word.

  The man grabbed a napkin from the middle of the table and pulled a pen out of his pocket. He scribbled something down and handed it to Wes.

  “That’s where his girlfriend lives. If he isn’t there I don’t know where he’d be.”

  Wes grabbed the napkin out of the man's hand. He half expected it to be Avé’s apartment address but it wasn’t. He shook his head. She really knows how to pick them. He grabbed the man’s pen and wrote down his phone number on another napkin. He passed it to him.

  “In case you get as tired of Liam as everyone else,” Wes said.

  He got up from the chair, the wooden legs scratching the hardwood floor as he stood.

  “Thanks for your time,” he said before walking out of the door.

  He had to squint against the sun as he stepped onto the sidewalk. He got in his car and headed towards the address.

  The minute he pulled up in front of the apartment building he got a good sense of what kind of man Liam was. The brick building was covered in wires from the satellite dishes on the roof and other random electrical cords. Most of the apartment windows held white AC units trapped inside the partially opened glass. There were several people lining the streets that looked too skinny for their body frame. It reminded him of his life before he’d joined. The kind of place where there might be a single parent struggling to raise her kids in a toxic environment. As a mafia prince, either Liam wasn’t being held to a high standard or he was acting out. He was hanging out in areas that would only cause the organization trouble. With a sigh, Wes got out of the car and walked up to the apartment. The smell of trash instantly filled his nostrils. He opened the sorry excuse for a door and walked up the dirty blue carpeted stairs before coming to a stop in front of a flimsy wooden apartment door. He knocked a couple times loud enough so whoever was inside could hear over the music coming from the apartment next door. There was shuffling on the other side of the door before it was slowly pulled open. A petite woman with greasy black hair stood in the doorway. Her body looked like those he’d seen on the street. Her clothes were two sizes too big and her face was full of scabs as if she’d been trying to pick at things that weren’t really there.

  “Liam here?” he asked, already knowing the answer. Liam might be a piece of shit but he wasn’t spending his days in a place like this. If Wes had to guess, he probably stopped by to get his rocks off and left. No wonder he was so obsessed with Avé if this was the girl he’d been messing around with. The woman looked him up and down.

  “Oh hey, handsome,” she said as if finally realizing he was there.

  He rolled his eyes and pushed her out of the way to get into the apartment not in the mood to have a conversation with the woman who was clearly high out of her mind. As he’d expected, the place was a mess. Dirty dishes lined the tables and sink. Blankets were thrown all over the floor, and the coffee table was filled with needles.

  “What the fuck!” the women complained slamming the door shut. “I did not invite you in here.”

  He ignored her, walking through the small apartment to check the bathroom and bedroom. He came back to the living room to face the women.

  “You seen Liam?” he asked.

  She shrugged a shoulder.

  Wes reached in his back pocket, took out a wad of cash and handed it to her. “What about now?”

  She smiled at him. “Came by a few days ago. Haven’t seen him since. He usually comes by a couple times a week.”

  “You know where he would have gone?”

  She shook her head. He pulled out a few more bills from his pocket and handed it to her before walking out of the door and back to his car.

  Avé

  “Do you want to go out tonight?” Aubrey asked her from the desk over as she was gathering up the last of her paperwork for the day.

  The week had gone by and she’d found herself falling into a weird routine at Gio’s place. She’d noticed someone else had started following her during the day but Wes was always there at night before Gio left. He’d been sleeping in her bed every night and she’d been allowing it. She’d been trying so hard to keep Wes at arm’s distance but he was wearing her down.

  Avé shook her head. “I can’t tonight.”

  Aubrey waited for an explanation but she wasn’t going to give her one. After her encounter with Liam last week she had no desire to go out and potentially run into him again. Plus she knew what would happen if Wes or Gio saw Liam. It would be bloodshed.

  “Well let me know if you change your mind.” Aubrey wrapped her purse over her shoulder and walked out of the office. Avé finished filing some paperwork and then closed up the office. Since it was a Friday night, she was the last one there with most people having plans for the weekend, but the only thing on her agenda was hiding out from a psychopath. She took the elevator down to the last floor. The quietness of the parking garage sent a chill down her spine. She picked up her pace, not liking the uneasy feeling she got. She searched the empty garage, making sure to stay alert until she got to her car. She quickly climbed in and locked the door before letting out the breath she’d been holding. She’d never had an issue walking out to her car before but everything going on had put her on edge. Annoyed with herself for being scared of an empty parking garage she drove home.

  After parking her car in the driveway she walked inside Gio’s house. He came out of his bedroom just as she set her keys down on the kitchen table. He only had a white towel wrapped around the lower half of his body leaving his torso exposed. His hair had water droplets in it and she didn’t miss the way a droplet of water ran down his chest and ove
r the wall of muscles. It was obvious he spent some time in the gym. The V at the bottom of his torso was cut off with the towel and she found herself wondering what was underneath. He was like a lion—beautiful but with a dangerous edge so that you’d never get too close.

  He cleared his throat, and she looked up to meet his eyes. They were filled with amusement, and a dark smile spread across his lips. She quickly looked away and set her bag down on the kitchen table, ignoring the feel of his eyes on her. He walked around the counter and opened the fridge. She sat down in one of the tall chairs at the island as he grabbed an apple and joined her. It didn’t seem to bother him that he was half naked and she bet if she looked under the table she’d get the tiniest glimpse of what was underneath that towel. She shook her head—this was what had got her in trouble in the first place. He took a bite of the apple and put both elbows on the table.

  “Have you talked to your father?” he asked. Those were not the words she’d expected to come out of his mouth but she shook her head.

  “Good. Let's keep this quiet for now. I don’t want the old heads getting concerned,” he said before taking another bite.

  “Yea ok,” she said, not in a huge rush to tell her father that a guy she was dating was now trying to kill her.

  Giovanni smiled at her again but it wasn’t the way Wes smiled at her, it didn’t reach his eyes. It was almost sinister.

  “Are you going out tonight? Do I need to have someone follow you?” he asked.

  She leaned back in the chair. “Nope, just another night sitting in a house that isn’t mine.”

  “Come to the club with me,” he said. He hadn’t phrased it like a question, more of a statement.

  She squinted her eyes at him. “Why? So I can watch you put the fear of God into your crew all night?”