"The girls club?" I repeated.
"Yeah. When you get yourself wrapped up with one of these," she said, waving a hand to the group of guys as a whole, "you automatically get pulled into the fold. Me, Janie, Amelia, Alex, Summer..."
All the names I recognized but one. "Summer?"
"My brother's wife," Cash supplied.
"How is she?" a short, curvy woman with long, dark hair and dark eyes asked as she walked up. There was a hint of Spanish ancestry in her skin tone and features, giving her an exotic and understated sexy look. She wore light wash skinny jeans and a roomy pale pink cardigan over a white tee, assuring me that I hadn't made a mistake with my wardrobe. Judging by Paine's sketch, she was Shooter's girl, Amelia. This was verified a couple of seconds later when she joined him and he reached out and wrapped up her pinkie with his. I repeat: he held pinkies with her. Pinkies.
"Tired. Ferryn seems to have taken after her father. She's been a handful," Cash said with a smile.
"Are we serving dinner on the front lawn?" a voice called from the steps and I turned to see a tall, thin woman on the steps. She was all legs and torso with Paine's perfect skin tone and a mass of curly black hair that she had in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck. A few tendrils had escaped to frame her face. Needless to say, she was the product of Gina who was an attractive woman, and the sister to both Paine and Enzo... so yeah... she was extremely good looking.
"Kenzi," I heard myself say, looking up at Paine. "The ball-buster."
"That'd be her," he agreed, with a happy sparkle in his eye, like he was pleased I remembered what he'd said about his sisters.
"Sugar, honey, darlin'," Shooter said, sending her a charming smile.
"Don't 'sugar, honey, darlin' me, Johnnie Walker Allen. I have food to serve and an empty table. You don't get your asses in here in two minutes, I am locking this front door and you can all starve. Hey, Elsie," she called to me, giving me a warm smile despite her firm words.
"Hey," I called back, but she was already turning back into the house.
"You guys better go," Cash advised. "She means business."
"No shit," Breaker agreed, already moving back toward the front door.
"So that was Kenzi," Paine said as we trailed behind all the others.
"I like her," I decided immediately. How couldn't you like a woman who could open her mouth and make a group of big, scary, badass dudes fall in line?
"She's a pain in the ass, but she had to grow up dealing with me and Enzo so..."
"Speaking of," I said, stopping at the top step. "He'll be here today, right?"
"I should have run that by you first..."
"No. Of course not. He saved me. He's your brother. I'm happy to get to know him better. I was just wondering if things would be... tense here with your family."
"Nah, baby. They've all kept in touch on and off. Not super close, but Ma felt like she owed it to Annie to keep an eye on him no matter what he got himself into."
"That's sweet of her. Oh, this is probably none of my business but..."
"It's all your business," he brushed away my worry.
"Was it Kenzi?"
"Was who Kenzi?"
"The one who Enzo gave..."
"Yeah, it was Kenz. She had a wild streak until she got her life on track. But just to clarify, Enzo wasn't the one who gave her the shit. But his guys never should have either. They should have known she was off-limits just like they knew when I was running things."
"Got it," I agreed just when another new face popped into the doorway.
This woman was long and leggy like Kenzi, but not related to Paine in any way. She had pale, perfect skin over her delicate features. Her brown hair brushed her shoulders and her brown eyes gave her an almost doe-eyed look. She, like Amelia, had on jeans. But she had a black long-sleeved tee on with it. And flats. Because she was already tall. From the picture, she was Alex. Paine had told me that she was some kind of hacker and that she was, a lot like Kenzi and apparently Janie, a real ball-buster. It was what Breaker liked best about her.
"Your sister is driving me up a fucking wall," she declared, shaking her head. "I apparently didn't wash the lettuce correctly. Who knew there was a wrong way to wash lettuce? Seriously..."
"Hey Alex. This is Elsie."
"Hey Else," she said easily, shrugging off her anger at Kenzi. "I hope you know how to properly wash lettuce."
"I have never washed lettuce in my life. Maybe you could... spread that around. Let everyone know not to expect much of anything from me when it comes to the kitchen stuff..."
"Don't count on it. I can't cook for shit either but they still have me in there slaving away. You're screwed," she declared, taking off down the hall that I knew from my house tours, led to the kitchen. The majority of the commotion was coming from that direction.
"Ready?" Paine asked, giving me a little squeeze.
"Yep," I agreed, feeling reasonably better. Everything seemed casual, familiar, easy-going.
Besides, I'd already met Gina and, sort-of, Kenzi. Plus Amelia and Alex. All that was left was the aunts and grandmother and the other sister.
We rounded the dining room, a huge table with a ton of chairs taking over the entire space, all the places set and I got the impression that Gina entertained on this scale often. There was a passway into the kitchen and I could see all the women except Alex inside, moving about. Alex was standing next to Breaker who handed her a beer. "I'm banned," she explained, tipping her beer up at me before taking a sip.
"I should go offer a hand at... um... something," I declared, moving out of Paine's hold and making my way into the kitchen, looking for Gina. She was standing at the stove, scooping something out of a pot and into a piece of serving ware for the table.
"Hey Gina," I greeted and her head popped in my direction, giving me a genuinely warm smile.
"Elsie! So glad he didn't fuck things up," she declared, making me choke on a small laugh.
"These are for you," I told her, holding out the flowers. She put the bowl down, wiped her hand on her half-apron, and took them from me.
"You're so sweet," she said, giving me a hug with a back rub that gave me flashbacks to my own mother. "Steer clear of Kenz. She's like a Nazi in the kitchen. Tell her you burn everything you put your hands on," she warned close to my ear.
"Good plan," I agreed and she gave me a small squeeze before moving back to her task.
"Mom," she called to the older woman who was putting rolls into a basket. "This is Paine's girl, Elsie. Elsie, that's Cora. And those are my sisters," she added, gesturing with her spoon toward the two women who looked like slightly older versions of herself who were picking up trays to carry to the table, "Geri and Georgie. You've met Amelia and the recently excommunicated Alex, I assume."
Technically I hadn't met Amelia but she gave me a sweet smile as she lifted a huge jug of sweet tea. "Hey, Elsie," she said. "Welcome aboard."
"You," Kenzi said, pointing at me. "What's your specialty?"
"In the kitchen? Um... handing someone the take-away menu?" I offered and everyone chuckled.
Kenzi smiled. "Good to know. Reese, where the hell are you?" she yelled.
Reese. She was the other sister. The shy librarian.
"Hiding from your bossy ass, no doubt," Gina said in a motherly way.
"Excuse me for handing out drinks to our guests," a quiet voice said from behind me in a way that was both sweet and firm, like she was used to dealing with her outspoken sister and was not about to get run over by her all the time.
"Well... fine. Grab a bowl and help us serve. The men are going to start barking if we don't feed them soon."
"You know, in case it hasn't escaped you all with your nineteen-fifties sensibilities," Alex called from the doorway, "I know for a fact that at least two of those men cook better than some of us."
"We get it, you're not a 'waiting on a man' type," Kenzi said, handing her a bowl. "Now help us set the damn table," she added with a smirk
.
I grabbed a plate full of roasted vegetables before I could be yelled at and high-tailed it out of there.
I had just put the plate on the table when another big figure made his way into the room. His face was less swollen than it had been a few days before, but he was still bruised and favoring his ribs. Enzo nodded at his brother, Breaker, and Shoot before making a beeline for me.
"Hey honey, how you holding up?"
"Better than you, I imagine," I said, tilting my head to look up at him. "How are your ribs?"
"Busted. Will continue to be for a good while still. Yours?"
"Oh they're real pretty," I said dryly. "But they're feeling a lot better."
"Good. I'm glad."
"Enzy!" Reese's voice went high and girly as she slammed a plate down on the table and ran around the table, hitting him bodily, apparently completely unaware of his injuries. He grunted and winced hard, but wrapped his arms around his half-sister and squeezed tight. "You never come by anymore!" she accused into his chest. "I miss you."
"I miss you too, Re," he said and there was a sadness in his tone that said he truly did.
"Alright. We can do the reunion shit later," Kenzi declared, making Reese untangle herself from her brother's arms. "Asses in seats if you want to eat. You know where you all belong."
With that, everyone moved to find their seats. It didn't escape me that, when she passed him, Kenzi gave Enzo a one-armed hug and whispered, "I missed you too, you know."
"You're with me," Paine declared, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward our seats.
Once all seated, everyone just dug in. Literally everyone was grabbing for food at once. I sat back a little shell shocked, not used to casual family gatherings. Luckily for me, Paine to my left and Enzo to my right simply dropped piles of whatever they reached for onto my plate until there wasn't a sliver of the plate visible beneath all the food.
Then commenced the loudest, craziest, friendliest, most entertaining dinner I had ever been a part of in my life. By dessert, my cheeks hurt from smiling.
Catching Paine's eye, I whispered quietly, "I love them all."
Under the table, his hand squeezed my knee as his eyes went soft.
Yeah, I loved them all.
And, in that moment, I was starting to think I might have loved him too.
EPILOGUE
Elsie - 1 Day
I was shaking when I hung up the temporary cell phone I bought at the pharmacy on the way to work that morning. I hadn't talked about my decision with Paine. I would tell him when I got home, but I hadn't been sure what I was going to do until I did it so I didn't want to make a big deal out of it for no good reason.
I tossed the phone in the garbage outside my favorite coffee spot, went in to grab coffee, then headed home with the weight of the knowledge that I just brought down a raid upon the warehouse on Kennedy.
It had been something weighing on my mind since the morning after all that craziness. I had knowledge of a federal crime. Not only that, I had a means to help Rhett and Roman save face. On top of all of that, I had the chance to keep God-knew how many drugs out of the hands of countless people.
So I bought the burner. I made the call I needed to. And I drove home feeling a thousand pounds lighter.
My sister may have been caught up in the sweep, but that was the choice she had made. I wasn't taking that guilt on as my own.
Paine, when I told him as we sipped our coffee on the couch, understood and supported my decision.
And whereas the day before I had been pretty sure I was in love with him, as he absentmindedly rubbed one of my feet with one hand as he brought his coffee up to his lips, I knew it.
Paine - 1 Week
"Enz," I said as he sidled in beside me at the bar at Chaz's. "Looking better," I said, nodding at his face. There was a scar running up his cheek that he would always have to remind him of the life he had led. Had. Past tense. He was out. And it was my plan to make sure he stayed out.
"Paine," he nodded, reaching for the beer I had already ordered for him. "Why all the secrecy?"
"I got a job for you."
"A job?" he asked, a hint of both hope and concern. Enzo needed money. He had a savings like I had a savings when I got out. But it wouldn't last forever. He had no college education, no work experience but the shit places he had worked at before he came to work for me. And I knew he'd rather rip off his own arm than go back to one of those shit jobs.
So I stuck my neck out; I put out feelers; I found an out for him, one that could give him the adrenaline fix he needed, would utilize some of his hard-earned street skills, pay a fair amount of money, let him generally work for himself, but still be relatively legal. Relatively.
"Ever hear of Xander Rhodes?"
"PI in the city?"
"Yeah. He's been expanding his operation. He needs a couple new good men with skills and a willingness to operate just under the law."
"Doing what? Taking pictures of cheating husbands?"
"Won't lie to you, sometimes it will be that boring. But he does other jobs too, ones that get more interesting, dangerous. It's not ideal, Enz, but it's a way out of here. You can start new there. No one will know your past unless you want them to."
"I'm feeling like there's a catch here."
"A small one."
"Spit it out, bro."
"I need to see your face at Ma's Sunday dinner. Once a month. It's not asking too much. Kenz and Re need you around. Ma too. And me. We got some mending bridges to do still."
Enzo looked toward the mirror behind the bar, both of us reflected, as he peeled the label off his beer. "Alright."
"Alright?"
"Yeah, alright. I think it will be good for me to get out of here."
"So long as you come back."
"Fucked up my life for a lot of years. It's about time I start fixing it. Starting with you and the girls. But to do that, I need to get my shit together, get my head in a better place. I appreciate the opportunity." He was quiet for a long minute before finally turning to me. "I owe you a..."
"You don't owe me shit," I said, shaking my head. "The only reason you got into that life in the first place was because I let you in. I could have turned my back, told you to keep yourself out of the streets. You ended up where you ended up because of me. If anyone should be apologizing, it's me."
"We both have done shit. We don't need to harp on it. Let's just move on. Sound good?"
"Sounds good," I agreed, tipping my beer to him.
For that Sunday and every Sunday dinner my mother held for the next fifteen years, he was always there.
Elsie - 3 Months
I got a sketch every morning. Every single morning for three months. Over a hundred pictures that I had finally started adding to a scrapbook. The one he had made me of his family was in a gorgeous silver frame on a shelf in our living room.
Yes, our.
He'd pretty much moved in. He still kept some of his stuff at his apartment in his store, but that was more for convenience in case he needed them when he was working. There was half a closet full of his clothes next to mine. There was a bathroom cabinet with his shaving cream and straight razor that butted up against my perfume and nail polish remover, and a nightstand covered in sketchpads and pencils that used to house my notepad that I really never needed to use in the first place.
See though, as I learned one night when I came home to Paine sitting at the dining room table with all my sealed bills spread across the surface, I realized something else about Paine. He might be willing to live in a house that technically did not have his name on it, sleep on sheets he didn't buy and put his feet up on a coffee table he didn't pick out, but he was not willing to do all those things without contributing.
"Don't even bother trying to argue about this," he said as I set my purse down. "You agree to letting me pay half or I'll pay all of them fully behind your back."
I had no doubt he would do just that so we sat down and we figured out wha
t half of all the bills were. Every month, cash for half of each bill would appear on the kitchen counter.
"Now that's settled," Paine said, giving me a devilish little smile that made my sex clench in anticipation.
"Is there... other business to attend to?" I asked with a smirk as I lifted my ass up to sit on the edge of the table, crossing my legs in a way that made my skirt slide up my thigh.
Paine stood slowly, eyes trailing down my body. "Very serious matters, actually."
"Will we be in a good... position once we get it handled?" I asked, arching my head up as he came to stand in front of me.
"Great fucking position, but there's going to be a lot of handling first," he promised.
"We should probably get started then, huh?" I asked, making a show of wetting my lips. "What do you need from me?"
His hands went to the button of his pants, pushing it through. "First I need you on your knees."
"Hmm," I said as I slid off the table and moved to kneel in front of him. "This seems like an unusual way to conduct business," I mused as he reached inside his boxers and pulled out his hard cock.
"Are you questioning my methods, Miss Bay?" he asked, stroking himself twice before settling his hand at the base.
I felt my lips twitch. "No... sir," I said, mostly keeping a straight face.
His hand slid to the back of my neck and I opened my mouth. "Good, then get to fucking work already," he demanded with a smirk before jerking my head forward and burying deep into my mouth, making my throat clench hard once before my gag reflex settled.
Paine liked rough the vast majority of the time.
There were times he could be unexpectedly sweet and soft and gentle, like the first time we'd had sex after I'd been beaten up. He'd slid inside me slowly from behind as we spooned and made sweet, gentle love to me until an orgasm moved through me with enough intensity to make me cry.
But, that wasn't the usual.
The usual was fast, rough, uninhibited, spanking, hair-pulling, demanding sex.
Savages Series Boxed Set Page 69
