by C. M. Allen
When I turned to start to walk back to my room with Roman, he, Maverick and the other Deviants members smiled down at me. “Think what I said will do any good?” I asked Maverick.
Leaning down, he kissed me on the lips. “We’ll see, Sweetheart,” moving his mouth to my ear, he said. “But Skull and his guys are pretty big assholes.”
Chuckling, he gave Roman a chin lift to go ahead and take me to the bedroom. Once we made it inside, Roman started laughing. “What’s so funny?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips.
“Oh, I’m not laughin՛ at you, Sweetness. I’m laughin՛ at all the men in that room in there. I don’t think anyone could have ever envisioned all of them standin՛ in one room together not tryin՛ to kill each other for one. And two, that they would be standin՛ there silently while bein՛ scolded like toddlers by a woman. Trust me, that shit is goin՛ to be an epic story in these parts.”
I started laughing with him. “I really didn’t think they would listen to me, but I had to give it a try.”
“You did good. You make the perfect old lady for the Prez.”
“Roman?”
“Yes?”
“That term old lady, while I know it’s a term you guys use, is not a name I care to be called, it’s not the label I want with Maverick. I want to be his wife one day. And just a small piece of advice for you... I wouldn’t call Ava that either if you want to keep your balls.”
Instantly the smile that he was wearing evaporated into thin air at the mention of her name. “Yeah, well, I think that whole thing with her has run its course anyway. Her uncle’s main guy, who just so happens to be her ex-boyfriend, will no doubt make sure of that.”
Looking at him for a moment, for the first time I could see the real and vulnerable Roman showing through under that joking, tough guy exterior he wore like armor. “Can I tell you something, Roman?”
“Sure.”
“Ava is falling in love with you.” When he said nothing, I continued on. “When we were on lockdown back at the clubhouse she told me how much she really likes you and how you balance her out. Personally, I’ve known that girl for almost my whole life and I have never once heard her talk about any man the way she talked about you. Nor have I ever seen her back down from anything like she does when you tell her to calm down. She may have dated Rocco but trust me when I tell you that you have nothing to worry about when it comes to him. If anything, she hates him even more now for making her leave with him under her uncle’s threats. Because if there’s one thing we all know that woman hates more than anything else, it’s being told what to do by a man.” We both say the last part of that sentence in unison.
Roman chuckled before he wiped his hands down over his face. “That she does. She’s probably the most difficult woman I’ve ever had the... pleasure of coming across. Because when you finally get past all the bullshit she throws at you, you’re left with one hell of a woman.” Cocking his head sideways to look at me, he asked. “She really said all that about me?”
Walking up closer to him, I got up on my tiptoes. “She did, so never doubt where her heart lies again, ok Buttercup?” I said, patting his cheek.
Laughing out loud, he pulled me in for a hug. “All right, point made, Sweetness.”
Hearing a throat clear, we both turned to find a very intense looking Maverick standing in the doorway.
Not going to lie, he’s kinda turning me on with that bad boy look on his face right now.
“Why is it that I always find you hugging or touching my woman? Don’t you have one of your own to do that shit with now?”
Letting me go, he smiled down at me. “That I do, Prez. That I do. How did it go out there with Skull? Is he goin՛ to do this shit with us?”
Looking at me with a huge smile, he told him. “Well, after Harper’s big speech out there, no one said shit for the first few minutes, but then Skull asked me to breakdown everythin՛ that we did with Dekes. Then he told me about his meetin՛ he had with him a while back, killed two of his best men. Don’t you know that fucker was givin՛ the damn drugs that we were stealin՛ from Skull back to him?”
“Dekes is sure one fucked in the head individual.” Roman said, shaking his head.
“Well, after we all put our fucked-up heads together out there, I think we might have come up with a solid plan to end this shit once and for all. We just need to wait and hear back from Rocco on how things go at the meetin՛ tomorrow. Even though I already know there’s no way in hell Dekes’ is goin՛ to back down from his plans. Anyway, Butch will you fill you in back at the clubhouse later. Right now, I need to fix the front door again and then I want a peaceful rest of the night with my bad ass negotiator over there,” he winked at me.
CHAPTER
16
Dekes
The next morning when I woke up to the fiery redhead next to me, I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face when I thought about how easily I had been able to extract her from the Deviants clubhouse. Roxy was just too tempting for me to leave behind. Even though I had to hear all about her worry for that damn kid of hers half the night, I assured her that I would get him back from the Deviants as well. Maybe, if I felt like it that was. Once that issue had been squashed, I introduced the fiery redhead to my dark world of pleasure and fucked her relentlessly and roughly over and over again until there was nothing left in her boneless body, that was except my markings I left on her skin. After I’d showered and dressed, I came out to find her still asleep in the bed. I had decided to get my own room here at the Hilton last night so I wouldn’t have to go too far this morning for the meeting between Mr. Moretti and I. Plus, there was no way in hell I would ever trust the slut lying in my bed right now with the details of where I really lived at. That bitch could turn on me the way she did on the Deviants.
Don’t get me wrong, she was a fun roll, but I would eliminate her without a thought if I found out she betrayed me, so this situation saved me the headache. Leaning down, I whispered in her ear. “You can stay here tonight until I get your son back,” and then kissed her shoulder before I walked out of the room to meet up with Devin in the hallway.
“Well, are we ready to play like good little lap dogs to the big boss’s boy?”
Chuckling, he answered. “Yeah, sure. I did tell him that he had to bring the lovely Miss Sabatini with him this morning or there would be no meeting.”
“Good. If I know Miss Sabatini like I think I do, he’s getting one hell of a shit fit dumped on him right about now. Ought to make him a little less cocky,” I buttoned up my jacket and pressed the fabric down to smooth it out just as we entered into the elevator. “Time for a little fun.”
When I entered the empty office building and headed to the back, I could see the two of them seated behind an old desk, and boy did the conversation sure look intense between them.
Perfect.
Striding up to the desk, I waited a few beats before Mr. Moretti looked up and noticed me, then quickly rose up out of his chair to shake my hand. “Dekes, it’s good to see you again.” Gesturing to the lovely blonde, Miss Sabatini, he said. “This is Mr. Di Mozé’s niece, Avanti Sabatini.”
Before a word could even escape my mouth, she beat me to it with her own select words. “Why are you introducing me to this asshole like he doesn’t already know who the fuck I am, Rocco?” Glaring at me with nails, she finished. “After all, he is the prick who kidnapped and hurt my best friend, then threatened my life, are you not?” She continued to glare at me with a fire in her eyes that I would love nothing more than to see how hot I could make them burn.
“Avanti!” Rocco snapped at her.
Holding my hand up, I assured him. “It’s fine. Miss Sabatini is obviously a very passionate woman,” I smiled at her with a warning in my eyes, daring her to test my patience like that one more time. By the look she was throwing back at me, she read me loud and clear. Problem was, she didn’t give a shit. But she would soon enough when I was bending her so far that she would be beggin
g me to break her.
Taking a seat in the chair in front of the desk, I tore my eyes away from the beautiful blonde and turned my attention to Mr. Moretti. “So, shall we get on with this little meeting of yours?”
Clearing his throat, I could see the anger in his eyes from the way I was just admiring the beautiful Miss Sabatini. “Right. Mr. Di Mozé would like for me to remind you that we do a lot of business with you and that he finds it very disrespectful that you would involve his niece in this matter, when she has nothing to do with whatever revenge plans you have going on with The Deviants and The Slayers. It’s not good for business if he can’t trust you to be loyal to him and his family. While he does understand your need to get revenge on your sister Nicole’s death, he does not agree with his niece being used in that plan and would like for you to guarantee her safety in this situation. No matter what.”
I sat here, rubbing my finger over my chin as I stared at this little pissant errand boy across from me, who was chewing his own face off, as he said the words his boss sent him to say. But the moment he mentioned my sister’s name it caused the blood in my veins to boil with fury. “I would ask that you not mention my sister's name again or this little meeting of ours will come to a very unfriendly end, do I make myself clear, Mr. Moretti?” Cutting him off before he could even answer me, I continued. “That being said, you and Mr. Di Mozé need my business a hell of a lot more than I need yours. You and your boss are a dime a dozen. I can find someone to do what you do with a snap of my fingers,” leaning onto the desk, I finished. “Now, you tell your boss that I find him sending his fucking errand boy to do his bidding very disrespectful. The fact that he can’t even take a moment out of his busy schedule to come see me himself and ask this favor of me says a lot about just how important this matter really is to him. So, this is how this is going to go. I’m going to get my revenge on The Deviants and The Slayers no matter what. And if his precious niece should get in the way of that,” I shrugged my shoulders. “Then she will become a casualty of war. So my advice to you Mr. Moretti is... buckle up, because shit is about to get real messy real fast, and I will make no promises about who I may have to eliminate to ensure that I get what I want.” Getting up from the chair, I buttoned my jacket because as far as I was concerned this little meeting of ours was over.
“You’re a real asshole, you know that?” Miss Sabatini announced, pushing up out of her chair.
“I can assure you that...” In the next second my words were cut off by two large men who stepped out of nowhere and were now holding me at gunpoint.
Rising from behind the desk himself, Rocco buttoned his suit jacket and started to move around it and closer to me with a confidence he’d never owned and one he was about to lose. “See, I was really hoping it wouldn’t come to this, Dekes. But I see that you are one stubborn sonofabitch that doesn’t know who the hell he’s dealing with. You really think Mr. Di Mozé is going to allow you to keep breathing while disrespecting him or his family?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Devin make his way in behind the two hired guns and take the both of them out with a board to their heads so quickly that neither one of them had a chance to blink let alone see what was coming until it was too late. At the sound of the smacking and bodies falling to the ground behind him, Mr. Moretti turned around to find a gun now pointed at him. “Now I know you didn’t think I was actually stupid enough to show up here alone now, did you?” Placing my hand in my pocket, I brushed the other one against my chin as I paced, watching them both. “Do you realize Mr. Moretti just how easy it would be for me to take out both you and the lovely Miss Sabatini right now?” Hearing the sound of another gun cocking in the room somewhere, I turned to find a third man now pointing a gun at me.
Where the hell did he come from? Touché.
“And I know that you didn’t underestimate my knowledge of just how you operate, Dekes. See, I had Pietro over there arrive separately from us for just this kind of occasion,” chuckling, he asked. “What, you didn’t think I wouldn’t know that the all mighty, all knowing Dekes wouldn’t have information on when my private jet was landing? You my friend need to learn that while your reach may go a lot farther than mine your little noodle up in that head of yours doesn’t.”
Chuckling at the fact this cockroach thinks he’s smarter than me, I decided to let him continue to think so. “Seems this time you’ve one upped me, Mr. Moretti. But savor it, because it will be your only victory over me. I can assure you that,” walking around the back of them, now both standing, I brushed my fingers through Miss Sabatini’s hair and watched her flinch away.
“Don’t you fucking touch me, asshole!”
Chuckling at just how brave this little mouse is, I stepped into her space and whispered in her ear. “If I were you Miss Sabatini, I would stop hanging out with the types of men who can never protect you. I guarantee if it was me in Mr. Moretti’s shoes right now, someone in my position would already be dead,” leaning away to meet her glare, I gave her a wink. “Catch you later Miss Sabatini, yes?” Then I turned to Devin and gave him a nod to head out, not hearing one more word uttered from the cocky errand boy.
CHAPTER
17
Maverick
After everyone left Harper’s parents’ house, I repaired the door as best as I could while she watched me. “Am I entertainin՛ you, Sweetheart?”
“You are. Nothing sexier than a man who can fix things around the house himself.”
“That so?”
“It is,” she winked at me.
“You got somthin՛ else that needs fixen՛, do ya?”
“I do. But it’s back here... in the bedroom,” she said, gesturing down the hallway.
Grabbing the tools off the floor, I stood up and raked my eyes over her body, that was always begging to be touched and devoured by me, and I aimed to do it... inch by fucking luscious inch. “Then by all means... lead the way.” I told her with a smirk.
THIS MORNING I WOKE Harper up the same way I’d put her to sleep last night, inside of her. After a long hot shower (not in any way talking about the water temperature) we went into the kitchen where Harper proceeded to show me more about the ways of what having a simple life would look like.
And I wanted it... even more so this morning than I did last night. I knew the desire of one with her would only grow stronger and stronger as the days passed by, so I thought it was about time I had that chat with Butch. “What’s on the planner for today?” I asked her.
“Well, I really should stop by the diner and check on everyone since both Ava and I haven’t been in there in days. I’m sure there are a few orders and some paperwork that needs to be done. Danny has been there for years and could probably run the joint just fine without us, but I feel bad for just abandoning him.”
“I understand. I need to check in on the shop and clubs myself. I’ve got reliable people in place, but I need to check and make sure nothin՛ is needed. So, why don’t we do this. I’ll drop you off at your diner and have Roman hang out with you while I go check things out at the shop and clubs, then we can meet up later. Sound good?”
“Sounds like a deal, handsome,” she said, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss me, but when she tried to pull back, I grabbed her and held her tight as I deepened the kiss, leaving her breathless when I was done with her. “Wow!”
“You can say that again, Sweetheart,” I winked as I slapped her on the ass, causing her to let out a yelp.
God, I loved that ass of hers.
An hour later I was pulling up to the Thirsty Bastard, a bar the club owned. Parking my bike, I slid off and walked inside, instantly I was greeted by Nico. “Hey, Mav.”
I nodded at him, “Nico.”
As I walked back to my office, I could hear his footsteps trailing behind me. “Not to bother you, boss... but ah... can I ask how my sister is doing? I haven’t seen her a whole lot since she’s come down.” He asked in a nervous voice.
Sitting down behind my des
k, I let out a heavy breath when I saw all the paperwork sitting on it that still needed to be done. “She’s doin՛ just fine, Nico. If anythin՛ changes I’ll be sure that you’re the first person to know, all right?”
Fiddling nervously with the towel he held in his hands, he looked up at me. “It’s just... I overheard some of the guys talking this morning about what happened yesterday when they came in and I wanted to make sure that she was ok.”
“I understand. It’s nothin՛ we can’t handle, so don’t worry about it.”
“All right, thanks again for what you did, Mav. Means the world to me to know that she’s safe, ya know?”
I gave him a nod. “I do. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get to work on all this shit that’s piled up on my desk,” I motioned to all the paperwork.
Nodding his head, he turned and walked out the door, shutting it behind him. The rest of the afternoon flew by totally consumed with all the paperwork I had to finish. Once I was finally done, I got ready to head out when a set of knuckles makes a loud rap on my office door. “Come in!” When the door swung open, the last guy, well the second to last guy I wanted to see, stood there in my doorway with his two buffoons lurking behind him. “Well, by the look on your face I’m guessin՛ you’re here to tell me just how shitty your meetin՛ with Dekes went.”
Walking into my office, he unbuttoned his suit jacket just before he collapsed into the chair across from me. “How’d you know it went bad?”
“That’s easy, your face has that pissed off look of shit gone wrong written all over it. So, what the hell happened?”
Leaning back in the chair, he asked. “Got anything to drink in here?”
Reaching over to the bar cart in the corner, I grabbed two glasses and a bottle of whiskey, pouring us both a glass before handing one to him, which he downed quickly and held his glass out to me for another. After I poured him one more, I raised a brow at him. “That bad, huh?”
