“We’re closed,” she said without looking up.
Sylvia glanced up at me. Her silent doubt was a needle beneath my fingernail.
I hated having appearances to maintain. Being able to slap my palm over my face would’ve done wonders for my mood. “Do we have to go through this routine any time we come across each other?”
Finally, she glanced up from her phone, making a point to look right through me as her brows pinched together. “Did someone hear something? I don’t speak to people who extort my best friends. It’s in the rules.”
“No one is being extorted.”
“Are you kidding me right now, Carl?”
“You know my name isn’t-”
“I’ve seen what Maya has to pay to keep this spot.” She was making it a point to keep staring right through my chest. “If that isn’t extortion I don’t know what is.”
A small sound escaped Sylvia. Great, she was enjoying watching this entire exchange. At least one of us was having a good time.
“Madison-”
“Maddy,” she interrupted, finally making eye contact. “Get it right.”
She was a shoe-in for this year’s pettiness award.
“I’m not running a charity, Maddy. She wanted this spot and I got it for her. She pays me to keep it. Surely, you understand simple business.”
“She never would have agreed to that amount if she was in her right frame of mind and you know it.” I’d heard her repeat the same thing in the same offended tone so many times I could recite it. “So unless you’re going to let her out of that stupid agreement, I think I’ll keep on hating you for as long as I possibly can.”
“Enough of this,” I said coldly. “I only came over to be polite. Goodbye, Maddy.”
She flipped me the bird with one tattooed finger then glanced at Sylvia. “Whoever you are, you should get out while you can. This one’s a shark.”
Sylvia leaned forward, menace radiating from every inch of her and Maddy slid her chair backwards. I didn’t blame her. Gone was the unsure woman from a moment ago, and in her place was the Sinner’s very own Reaper. I had done my best to keep up with each of her bloody exploits over the years, but reading about them was one thing and this was another.
This was a stark reminder that my goddess and six others had taken over a city while my brothers and I were still little more than brats trying to make a name for ourselves.
“Back. Off.” She said quietly, words carrying lethal intent instead of volume.
Maddy turned more pale than she already was while Sylvia continued to level her with an intimidating glare. When it became clear that nothing else was going to be said, Sylvia let her posture relax and turned her back on the other woman. I did what any sensible man would do in the situation.
I kept my mouth shut and guided us towards the back of the shop, ignoring the interested looks shot our way by those who had noticed the altercation.
“How much of that was true?” she asked as we rounded the corner into a more narrow hallway painted with blue and white lines reminiscent of a tunnel and three doors going down one side. I led us towards the farthest one.
“Most of it,” I answered honestly. If I could help it, there would be no secrets between us. “We were something close to friends, once. It was never going to last or be more than that. Their lives were destined to be flawlessly normal while I had people to kill, a kingdom to build, and a promise to keep.”
Sylvia said nothing as I ushered us into the deceptively large, private booth. Without needing to be prompted, she took a seat in the luxury salon chair while I made myself at home on the sofa across from her. Both of us ignored the paraphernalia covering every inch of the space, although the standalone table dedicated to some type of temple made fully from small, colorful bricks was hard to ignore.
Only thing missing was the stylist of the hour.
“Do you regret it?”
“No,” I answered in a heartbeat, meeting my woman's calm gaze. “I could justify my reasons. I could tell you that Maya paid off what she owed years ago and I've been putting every penny she gives me since then into a savings account with her name on it. I could tell you that using her shop as a place to run my money through in the beginning helped me gain the foothold I now have, and arguably built the foundation of my rule wherein more lives were spared by my leashing of the Cartel. Those details would be irrelevant.”
Her expression didn’t shift but I felt her surprise.
“I regret nothing that led me to you, diosa. Nothing.” My voice hardened as the black deeds of my soul reared their ugly heads moments before I chopped them away. “Those I’ve spared and those that I’ve killed should both be thankful they could be of use to my goals.”
Her head tilted. She looked me up and down slowly, eyes revealing nothing. I got the distinct impression she was seeing me in a new light. Comparing everything she already knew or had been told with what I had revealed. Finally, she nodded, almost to herself.
“You always look so put together and composed,” she said. “Almost normal, like the rest of them. No wonder it’s been so hard for me to get a read on you. You hide it well but you’re as mad as the rest of us.”
I flashed a quick grin. “You said ‘us.’”
She rolled her eyes and it was the cutest fucking thing I had ever seen, although I would never say so outloud. “Seriously? I basically just told you that you would fit right in with a gang of thieves and killers and that’s the part you’re focused on? Yeah, you hid the crazy really well.”
There was a knock at the door and Sylvia’s easy smile slid from her face like water until the impassive mask was back in place. I hated to see it go. I was struck by the urge to find one of Narciso’s men and put a few holes in him to see if I could bring it back.
The only reason the bloodlust eased its way out of my system was because the woman on the other side of the door didn’t deserve it.
I leaned back against the wall, crossing my feet at the ankle and my arms over my chest before raising my voice. “Come in.”
The door opened and a tall blonde with a mass of hair pinned in a bun atop her head stepped through. There was a good chance she would pass for a model with a simple wardrobe change but I knew such a thing was never going to happen. For as long as I had known Maya Daniels, her idea of high fashion had been movie related t-shirts and blue jeans.
Her white shirt showed an old man in long, black robes with his head thrown back as if in laughter. I felt safe in my assumption when I pictured her closet without a single dress or skirt anywhere in sight. She would have that in common with Sylvia, if nothing else.
Maya closed the door behind her and let her gaze quickly search the room. She must have found whatever it was she was looking for because she sighed in relief and rubbed her palms along her jeans.
"What was that about?" I asked frankly.
She reached up, tugging at her earlobe. "I was making sure your brother wasn't here."
"Which one?"
Her stare flattened. "The one who throws his dick around as if its a boomerang. He's like a flashing, neon light of advertisement that refuses to turn off. I actually think I liked him more when he was still playing the intimidating asshole to make sure I paid on time. At least he wasn't constantly trying to get me in bed. Ugh."
"I'll talk to him about it."
"Don't bother. In his warped brain, that'll probably make him try harder just to spite you." She stuck her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels, sparing Sylvia a brief glance. "So what's with the house call? I’m sure I sent this month’s rent in early and I don’t have you scheduled for another week.”
I said nothing, choosing to watch instead as Maya's brief glance became a lingering look. Followed by a full on stare. If she was put off by the blank mask Sylvia wore, I couldn't tell.
“Wait a second…” Maya squinted and stepped closer. My hackles rose instinctively, body tensing, before my mind reminded me that I wasn't the most dan
gerous person in this room. “You look really familiar for some reason.”
Sylvia blinked. “Doubt it.”
I'll admit, she didn't actually say anything of the sort but I was fairly sure I was translating the blink correctly.
Maya snapped her fingers. “I got it! You were in the Peach Fuzz the other day. I almost didn't recognize you because you were wearing a hat then, but it's hard to forget watching a woman almost stab a guy that came up and spoke to her."
I was on my feet before I realized it, fast enough to make Maya step away from me. "Describe him for me," I said, voice unnaturally calm considering what I was already plotting.
“Ummm….”
Maya glanced at the door, clearly debating whether or not she could bolt out of here. I was right in front of it. She was wasting her time.
"It's none of your business." A vein in my forehead throbbed as I stared at my woman, specifically her mouth. Had she really said that? "I'll always fight my own battles, Carlos. Don't forget that."
"Should I give you two a minute or-"
"No,” Sylvia cut in, eyes hard. I barely stopped myself from reaching for my neck and checking for whiplash. "He was just about to excuse himself anyway."
My blood heated at the dismissal but I kept my jaw locked tight to keep any possible stupidity from surging out of my mouth. If she was going to challenge me, I would've preferred to have it done in private. By the end of the hour, news of someone talking back to me with no repercussions would be all over the shop. Inwardly, I cringed at my own line of thought.
Listen to yourself.
How much did reputation truly matter in the big picture?
This city sat comfortably in my open palm. Petty gossip and wounded pride couldn't change that. There was certainly a conversation to be had on this subject, but confronting her about it here and now earned me nothing and could possibly cost me everything.
She was giving this a chance. She was giving me a chance. Despite having every reason to despise anyone with a dick between their legs.
Only a fool would throw away such a golden opportunity, and after my father made me his for so long, I promised I would never be anyone else’s.
I cleared my throat and stepped back, letting my shoulders relax. Maya kept the confused look on her face but Sylvia was watching me like a hawk and it was what went on in her pretty head I was concerned with. This needed to be more than lip service. She needed to be able to see the sincerity in my next actions or I would implode the trust I had barely won.
“I’ll leave you both to it,” I said carefully. My hand went into my pocket, retrieving my car keys which I set on the side table. “See you soon, diosa.”
Without another word, I turned and walked back out the door. She could take the opportunity to leave and never look back. Judging by the way my stomach felt as if a donkey had kicked me in the gut, her leaving would destroy me. Yet I firmly believed this was the correct decision.
She would never be owned. Her independence was ingrained at a cellular level. No matter how badly I wanted to keep her, it had to be her choice or it would fall apart.
I could only pray she chose me.
CHAPTER 19 - Sylvia
Why did I do that? was the thought at the forefront of my mind when I walked out of the salon nearly an hour and a half later.
It was a silly question, and one I already knew the answer to anyway.
His demand, because that’s exactly what it was, had rubbed me the wrong way.
It didn’t make up for how I’d reacted. I knew that. Same as I knew I would owe him an apology. But there was always going to be a part of me that was more cutthroat than person. And the cutthroat had serious issues when it came to being controlled.
A teasing voice in the back of my mind reminded me I hadn’t taken issue with it when pleasure had been on the other side of the agreement. I ignored it. My point stood.
Better for both of us to learn how to navigate those waters now before we wound up lost at sea.
I had already spotted the tall figure lurking to my right, so I didn’t react when he detached himself from the wall he was leaning on and fell into step beside me without asking. I said nothing, choosing to pretend he wasn’t there. I was hoping if I ignored his existence, I could pretend the painful memories associated with his face wouldn’t assail me.
“You’re not even going to look at me?” Tone asked, following me into the parking lot.
I kept ignoring him. It was easy enough, given all the distractions going on around me. Spending the vast majority of my time in Oakdale really had spoiled me.
There was always so much happening in this city at any moment. How did Carlos keep up with everything he did when there were so many people flocking about? Maybe I would ask him, because there was obviously a wealth of knowledge there. It would be criminal not to pick his brain.
There was so such about him I didn't know. Whatever went down between him and Maya - which she somehow managed to avoid talking about while she made small talk - was a curiosity. It was also only the tip of the iceberg. I had paid so much attention to what he was currently doing for me, I hadn't stopped to truly consider what he had done to get to this point.
He was always planning ahead. Passing up immediate results to make decisions which would pay off down the road instead. Him leaving the car keys behind and making himself scarce was a perfect example. Even the men who knew me best would have difficulty accepting me telling them to buzz off out of the blue.
Carlos had done exactly what I asked and left me the means to decide where I went from there without any arguments or posturing.
I wanted to know how many times he had done similar things over the years. I wanted to know how much he had sacrificed solely for the purpose of being ready to accept me into his life and give me a gift beyond compare.
“Come on, Sly." He opened the car door for me and I slid down into the supple leather seats without so much as a thank you. I reached out to close the door but he caught it. "Look, I'm sorry I even told him where you were but you have to believe me when I say I didn't know he would take it so far. I assumed another pair of eyes couldn't hurt."
A press of a button started the engine and it purred like a jungle cat. My hands gripped the wheel so tightly my knuckles lost their color. I let go slowly and took a deep breath before letting it out. "Get in."
Tone halfway sprinted to the other side and soon enough we were sealed into a cocoon of silence, cut off from the outside world.
“Digging the hair,” he said, complimenting the short buzz I had decided on.
Maya had thrown out more styles than I thought possible given the length she had to work it. Ultimately, none of them had seemed quite me.
This new style did. I doubted I would ever go back to the spikes or the short curls from a decade past. This was a fresh start. Representative of neither the girl I had been or the soldier I’d become, but of the woman who was some combination of the two.
But Tone’s praise wasn’t going to get him out of hot water that easily.
I eased us out into traffic and drove for several minutes, no destination in mind. To his credit, and probably the only thing that kept me from kicking his ass out, Tone did his best impersonation of a statue while I gathered my thoughts. He didn't speak. He didn't move. If not for the rise and fall of his chest, I would've questioned if he was breathing.
"Did you know?" I asked as we made our way out of the city limits. I didn't know where this back road led and I didn't care. It would be fun to make him walk back if he answered incorrectly.
I didn't bother specifying what I meant. He knew. I could see it in the hard line of his features when I cut my eyes towards him.
"I…suspected."
"So you just figured you would keep that information to yourself?"
He sighed and the sound was as exhausted as I felt by this entire ordeal. "As long as it seemed harmless, which it did until now, I decided I would keep an eye on it. I'm not core li
ke the both of you. You know that. How do you think Creed or Texas would respond if I started talking about their golden boy behind his back? He had a puppy crush on someone untouchable. I honestly thought he would get over it given enough time."
"Obviously, you were wrong."
"I was," he admitted immediately. "I'm sorry for that. I swear to you that if I had caught so much as an inkling of how deep this thing ran, I would've come to you myself no matter the consequences. In hindsight, it should've been obvious he wouldn't take it well. Seeing you with someone else."
I could tell where his thoughts were going. "Except you never figured it would be an issue, because who would? No one saw this coming, me especially.”
I paused, chewing the inside of my cheek. Was I seriously going to talk feelings with another Sinner? God, what was the world coming to? But I was avoiding Lizzy, and Caitlin by extension since the two had formed a united front against the overwhelming amount of testosterone in the club. In other words, my options were slim, and I desperately needed to voice these emotions to someone.
“I never thought I could feel like this,” I said, keeping my focus straight ahead. Any hint of sadness or pity would make me lose my nerve. “There are pieces of me I thought were lost forever coming back to the surface and-"
"It's terrifying," he interrupted, finishing my thoughts exactly.
I glanced his way for a moment and saw complete understanding. So I nodded, because what else was there to do?
"That's how you know it's the real thing.”
I rolled my eyes so hard I swerved into the middle of the road before correcting our course. “Is that right? Can I ask when you became an expert?”
“You could, doesn’t mean I would tell you though. For the sake of skipping a discussion we aren’t about to have, believe me when I say I wasn’t always the handsome bachelor I am now. I know what it's like to take that leap into the unknown. To fall without any safety net or idea of how big the drop is, hoping they'll be there to catch you at the end." He shook his head, a shadow of some emotion I couldn’t identify passing through before he flashed a half smile. "Girl, I've run barefoot through the woods to get away from men who would have gladly seen me swing from a tree, and falling in love remains the scariest thing I've ever done in my life."
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