by DL Gallie
“Thanks for the offer, asshole, but I don’t suck cock.”
“My cock isn’t on the table but your ass can be. I’m sure Tiny in cell block ‘C’ would just love you and your ass.”
His eyes widen. “What the fuck, man? What have I ever done to you?”
“Me? Nothing, but you attacked the mother of your child and you were about to rape her. Tiny doesn’t much care for assholes who beat on women.”
“Bitch fucking deserved it,” he snarls, glaring at me.
“And you will deserve everything Tiny will give you, but…” I leave it hanging, waiting to see what he will do.
“But what?” he asks, all malice in his voice gone and I know I have him.
“You help me and I’ll help you.”
“How can I help you? I’m no one.”
“You’re not no one to Kye Vlahos.”
His eyes widen at the mention of Kye. “What the fuck does he have to do with this?”
“I’ve been building a case against him, I need your help to wrap it up nice and neatly, so I can get my person safely out of there.”
“You don’t have an agent in there. Kye would sniff a fed out in a heartbeat.”
“Never said it was a fed.”
“Who, then?”
“I can’t play all my cards in the first hand, can I? Now, Mr. Dawson, are you going to help me? Or should I give Tiny a call?”
“What do you want to know?”
BINGO! This is too fucking easy. I knew he’d turn. I didn’t expect him to roll over so easily. I don’t trust this asshole, so I’ll be cautious with what he does tell me. Deciding to push my luck, I lean forward. “Everything. I want to know every single thing about Kye Vlahos and his organization.”
“And you’ll keep me out of jail? Away from Tiny? Safe from him?”
“Depending on the intel you give me, I’ll do what I can.”
“All right then. Kye Vlahos is a crazy motherfucker. You name it, he’s into it.”
“Be more specific or I’ll tell Tiny you like it rough. The rougher, the better.”
“Guns. Drugs. Human trafficking.”
“Elaborate on the human trafficking.”
“He needs men for labor.”
“So no women and children?”
“Not women and children. He has a conscience.”
A laugh escapes me, the fact he won’t traffic women and children doesn’t mean shit. Trafficking is trafficking and with all of this, he’s going down for a very long time. “So when he hears that you beat the mother of his child, he’ll let you go scot-free?” Creed’s face pales as he registers what I just said. “I need specifics if you want my help and protection.”
“Kye and that bitch.” The mention of Baylor piques my interest. It feels like she’s hiding her involvement in all of this and Creed here will either confirm my suspicion or prove me wrong. I don’t have any proof she’s deceiving me, but the doubt is there. But then again, Kye is keeping her at a distance because I don’t think he trusts her either. Which team are you on Baylor: Team Kye? Or Team Cox?
“Which bitch are we referring to?”
“Baylor Evans. She’s a smart one. Always there, plotting and planning. I don’t trust her.”
“And why’s that?”
“That whore took my place as his number one. She opened her legs and he fell for it.”
“So you’re jealous because Kye is getting some from her?”
“I’m not jealous, I’m pissed off. She waltzes in after two of my men are mysteriously killed while retrieving her. I call bullshit. A little slut like her couldn’t take down two men like that.” His eyes widen when realization hits. “She’s your insider. You were the ones to kill Smallie and River.”
Shaking my head, I deny everything. “I’m not telling you who I have on the inside. And I’m not discussing some woman you’re jealous of. I want Vlahos, I don’t care about his bitch.”
“It’s her, it has to be. No one else would be stupid enough to cross him. That fucking whore is a dead bitch when Kye finds out.”
“And you’ll be a dead man if Kye finds out you ratted.” His eyes widen once again. “I can’t protect you, Mr. Dawson, unless you give me something to pin on him. So far, everything you’ve told me is in line with what I already know. I need something concrete from you for me to hold up the end of my bargain.”
“There’s a meet later this week, Kye is getting all the big players in to take them out. He wants more control. He wants to own the world.”
“Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” I tell him, sliding a notepad and pencil across to him. “I want names, a date, and a location for this meet.”
Picking up the pencil, he starts writing. I’m not sure I trust this guy, I need to meet with Baylor and confirm everything Creed tells me, but can I trust what she’s saying? If Dawson knew about this meet, why didn’t she tell me? Or is this Kye keeping her in the dark again? I need to meet with her and see if she’s withholding information from me and confirm, once and for all, what side she’s on.
With the info from Creed in hand, I exit the room and call Baylor. Calling is risky but time is of the essence. “Hello?” a deep male voice I recognize as Kye Vlahos answers after the second ring.
“I’m looking for Baylor.”
“And you are?”
“Her contractor. And you are?”
“Her king.” Hearing him call himself that really pisses me off and makes the urge to take him down even stronger.
“Is she there? I need to speak with her urgently.”
“She’s tied up right now,” I don’t like his tone of voice, but before he can say anything, I hear her yelling in the background. “What the fuck are you doing with my phone?”
Their voices are muffled, but I can hear her yell, ‘Fuck you, asshole!” A door slams, and I finally hear her through the line, “Hey, this is Baylor.”
“It’s Cox,” I sternly say, my tone harsher than I intended.
“What can I do for you?” she sweetly says, and just hearing her voice calms the rage building within me.
“We need to meet as soon as possible.”
“Sure, I can meet you at the apartment. Is there another issue with the project?”
Her comment stumps me and then I remember I’m her ‘contractor.’ “Kinda.”
“Okay, well, I’ll see you in an hour or so.”
“Great, see you then.” I hang up and smile. She really is in this for the right reasons. Creed is just getting in my head and trying to throw me off my game. With the end in sight, I need to focus on my endgame: bringing Kye Vlahos to justice. Grabbing my things, I head to my car and make my way to Baylor’s place.
I’m parked out front but I don’t see Baylor’s car so I sit, wait, and watch. When Baylor finally arrives, I watch as she exits her new car and heads inside. I wait a few moments and then climb out of my work truck and head to her apartment.
She answers the door straightaway after I knock. “Hey,” she says, but the smile she gives me doesn’t reach her eyes. She looks tired and uneasy.
“You okay?” I ask as I step inside.
“Fine,” she drawls, but from the tone of her voice, she is anything but fine.
“Kitten,” I plead.
“I’m in a mood ‘cause Kye’s in a mood ‘cause Creed was arrested and—”
“I know Creed was,” I say, my confession shocking her.
“How do you know?”
“I know everything regarding Kye Vlahos and his crew. Seems you’ve been holding out on me.”
“I’ve told you everything I know,” she snaps at me, flopping down on the sofa and crossing her arms like a petulant child.
“Really? Everything?”
“Yes,” she says, but her eyes dart around the apartment anxiously. The fact she won’t look at me confirms she’s hiding something.
“Look at me,” I say and she lifts her gaze to me. “Thursday. 2:00 p.m.”
“Is that
supposed to mean something?”
“You tell me.”
“What fucking game are you playing, Cox?”
We stare at one another. “Kitten, a source of mine tells me an important meeting is happening on Thursday with quite a few big players.”
She scoffs and shrugs her shoulders. “This is news to me.” From the look on her face, I believe her.
“I believe you,” I confirm. “We’re going to make our move on Thursday. I don’t want you at that meeting.”
“What do I do if Kye wants me there?”
“Lie. Cheat. Whatever. Just do not be at that meeting, Baylor. Please?”
“Okay,” she says. She bites her bottom lip. “This is it, isn’t it?”
I nod. “I think so.”
She stands up and walks over to me. We stare at one another, “Cox, I, ummm—”
Her phone rings, breaking the spell that enveloped the two of us just now. She pulls out her phone. “Shit,” she mumbles. “It’s Kye.”
“Answer it.”
“Hey,” she casually says. She listens to Kye and nods her head, saying, “Mmmhmpf,” quite a few times. “Sure, I’ll be there as soon as I finish with the contractor,” she tells him. “Okay, see you soon.” She hangs up and looks to me. “I, umm, ahh, have to go. Kye needs to see me.”
“Okay, but remember what I said. Stay away from that meeting on Thursday.”
We say our goodbyes and I walk out, leaving her alone in her apartment. This is what we’ve been working toward, but now that the end is in sight, I’m not ready for it to be over. I’m not ready to say goodbye to Baylor Evans, and that scares me.
13
Baylor
On the drive back to the warehouse, I play the meeting just now with Cox over and over in my mind. He’s worried about me and it’s not in the handler/informant way, it was in a caring I-don’t-want-you-to-get-hurt kind of way. Before Kye called, I thought we might kiss again. I hoped to kiss him again and I think he wanted to kiss me too. I wanted to feel his lips pressed against mine. To have them all over my body. I wanted to strip him out of his suit and then lick him from head to toe, paying special attention to the appendage between his thighs.
I want him…but I can’t have him. We are from two different worlds. Hell, we’d probably kill one another if we were under the same roof for longer than an hour.
As I pull up at the warehouse, it hits me; I’m falling for Agent Cox.
Shaking my head, I laugh, of course I fall for the one person I can never have; such is my life. Nothing can become of it because I’m me and he’s him. I need to finish this job and then forget I ever met the sexy-as-fuck agent.
Sitting in my car, I stare at the steering wheel, feeling sad. I know I need to go inside but I can’t. I want to drive away from here and never see Kye Vlahos ever again. A knock on the window startles me and I jump in fright. Looking up, I see Monica-fucking-Quinn staring at me. Seeing her here pisses me off. Any sadness I felt evaporates and is replaced with anger and brings Bitchy Baylor to the surface.
Pushing my door open, I step out. “What are you doing here?” My voice full of disdain, gives away how I feel about her being here.
“Kye called.”
“So you come running whenever he calls you? Pathetic much?”
“Whatever,” she sasses. “When he tires of you, he’ll come back to me.”
“Keep telling yourself that. I’m his queen; you are nothing but an employee of his. He only calls you when he needs you. I’m always here.”
“I’m more than that,” she mumbles quietly, but I hear it. Hearing those words piss me off and Bitchy Baylor makes an appearance.
“Say that to my face.”
She steps to me, our noses millimeters apart. “I’m more than that. You might be his queen, but I’m the one he fucks.”
“You’re his fucking whore. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
“You—” she snarls but Kye steps outside and interrupts, “Ladies, are you fighting over me?”
Arrogant dick, I think to myself, as I smile and look over to him. “You wish, dear,” I tell him. “I was just telling the lovely doctor here that’s she’s nothing but your whore. You can fuck who you want as long as I stay your queen.”
“And that is what you are, my queen.” He cups my cheek and smiles at me. I shudder at his touch but thankfully there’s a chill in the air. I can play it off as I’m cold, running my hands up and down my arms, trying to warm myself up. Leaning over, I place a kiss on his cheek. My gaze is locked on Monica. She’s fuming right now. I think she thought she was more to him, but my words and his actions prove my point. The look on her face is priceless as realization sets in that she’s nothing more than the mafia doctor and his side piece, a warm place to shove his cock.
Pulling back from Kye, I blow her a kiss and walk away, swinging my hips from side to side with each step away from them. Opening the door, I enter the warehouse. The only sound is my heels echoing off the cement floors, and with each step I take, my shitty mood evaporates. Nothing beats a good bitch smackdown and I just took Monica down without lifting a finger.
Pouring myself a glass of white wine, I fall into what’s become my seat and wait for Kye and the doctor bitch to join us. As I sip on my wine, I smile to myself. The old Baylor would have been pissed that he was cheating on me, but the new me? Well she’ doesn’t give a flying fuck because she has the title of Queen and doesn’t have to fuck Kye.
Kye finally joins me and I notice he’s alone. The look in his eye right now is predatory and alarming. He pours himself a scotch and takes a seat next to me. He stares at me as he takes a drink, swirling the liquid around in his glass. “So…I called you here because I need you.”
“What’s new?” I cheekily say, lifting my glass to my lips. I drink and watch him over the rim.
He smirks at my snark. “I have a meeting set for Thursday afternoon. I want you there by my side. Showing everyone that we are the King and Queen of Chicago.”
“I’m busy,” I tell him, looking at my nails as if I’m bored, but in reality, I’m shitting bricks right now. This is what Cox warned me to stay away from not one hour ago. I need to get out of this but if I refuse, he’ll know something is up. I’m so screwed and not in the fun, sweaty, naked way.
“Yeah, you’re busy…with me.” His tone is harsh and unnerving. “I need my queen with me at this meet, and if you want to keep being my queen, you’ll be there.”
The look in his eyes is scary. I’ve never seen him like this before. “Fine,” I relent. “I’ll be there.” Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Like you had a choice.” He places his hand on my thigh and squeezes tightly. I can feel his sinister gaze on me. “Are you hiding something from me, Sugar?”
Swallowing the sip I just took, I turn my head and stare into his eyes and smile sweetly. Leaning into him, I whisper, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Placing my glass on the coffee table, I stand and shuffle past him to head toward the bathroom.
My heart is pounding so loud that I don’t hear Kye sneak up behind me. He roughly grabs the back of my shoulder and spins me to face him. His face is red with anger, “You may be my queen, but I am the fucking king. I can take you out whenever I want.” He pulls me closer to him, one hand on my hip and the other now gripping my throat. His fingers dig into my skin and I can feel his breath on my face. He licks from my jawbone and up my cheek. “Maybe I need to fuck some sense into you, huh, Sugar, would you like that?”
“Please,” I beg, fear coursing through my veins and for the first time since starting this undercover gig, I fear for my life.
He smirks, taking my plea as I want him, not that I want him to let me go. “You want my cock sliding into your cunt? Or maybe your mouth? Or if I remember correctly, you love a good ass fucking.” He slides his hand from my hip to my ass, rubbing his finger along my ass crack, squeezing my asscheek roughly. The grip on my throat tightens. It’s becoming hard to breathe, spots begin to dot my vision.
“Is that what you want, Sugar? You want my cock in your ass while I finger your cunt?”
My eyes well with tears and fear bubbles throughout my body. I’m on the verge of passing out when he loosens his grip, but he’s still choking me. “Please, Kye,” I beg again. “I’m with you one-hundred-percent.” I swallow deeply and fasten my gaze on him. I stare into his dead, evil black eyes. “I warned you about Creed. I warned you that he was unstable, and look, three days before the biggest meeting since you took over, your right-hand man gets arrested.” He lets my throat go, and on instinct I lift my hand and rub. “I’m with you, Kye, one hundred and ten percent. I always have been and always will be. The fact you don’t realize that, hurts. Maybe I’m not your queen after all.”
Straightening my dress, I turn around, and with my head held high, I walk toward the exit. Once outside, I run over to my car. Unlocking the door, I climb in and grab my phone. I unlock it and send a message to the one person I need right now.
14
Corey
My phone pings with a text. I drop my pen, pick it up, and unlock the screen. Opening my messages, I read.
BAYLOR - I need to see you.
BAYLOR - NOW!
I stare at her texts and that rumbling in my gut feeling from the other day returns with a vengeance. My fingers slide over the screen and I immediately text her back.
COREY - When and where?
BAYOR - The apartment. Now.
COREY - See you there.
Closing my laptop, I grab my things and race to the parking lot to drive over to Baylor and Avery’s. She pulls up at the same time as I do, and I don’t like the look on her face.
Climbing out, I yell, “Baylor!” She looks up at me and smiles, but it isn’t her usual bright smile. Walking toward her, I stop in front of her but before I can speak, she says.
“I’m scared, Cox. I don’t think I can do this. I…”
“Kitten,” I cup her cheek, “I won’t let anything happen to you.” I pause “Do you trust me?” She nods her head. “Good, then trust me. Let’s go upstairs and we can talk.”
