by Bella Jewel
“You’re thinkin’ out of fear. Aviana is smart, and you have to believe she knows what she’s doin’. Gotta trust her.”
I cross my arms. “Ready for this shit to be over. Rather go back to runnin’ fuckin’ drugs and weapons. At least you always knew what you were dealin’ with.”
Mykel chuckles. “Fuckin’ A, I hear you.”
“You find much out about your parents in New York? Haven’t even had a fuckin’ chance to talk to you about that.”
“Bits and pieces, not enough to give me anything I can use. I’ll get there. Club business is more important right now.”
“How are you and Waverly travelin’?”
Mykel grins. “Fuckin’ wild, that girl, but I wouldn’t have her any other way.”
I chuckle. “She fuckin’ sure is.”
He claps me on the back as he pushes off the pole. “It’ll work out, brother. We’ve got you covered.”
Yeah, yeah, they do.
But right now, I don’t fucking know if that’s enough.
It has to be, right?
It just fucking has to be.
18
NOW – AVIANA
I walk into the bar where I’m praying Benedict will be. Considering he owns it, or at least half of it, I’m hoping he’ll be here. The few times I was brought here, it was always a Saturday night and he would always be in his office, just watching everyone, his eyes scanning the crowd. Benedict is an incredibly powerful man, and he has his finger in a lot of pies, so to speak.
I go right over to the bar after shuffling past a crowd of incredibly well-dressed people. I look great, no doubt about it, but these people make me look like I’ve come in off the streets. I stick out like a sore thumb, which is kind of the point but also may attract a bit too much attention. Either way, I’m here, and there is no backing down now.
I order a drink, ignoring the stares of women who walk by and give me a once over that shows, very clearly, their disapproval with what I’m wearing.
Like I give a shit.
I’m not here for their opinions, I’m here to get a job done.
Besides, my short, tight, red dress is beautiful, and I know I look great in it. Just because I’m not wearing what likes like the equivalent of a fucking ball gown doesn’t mean I don’t belong here.
Bitches.
“I wonder who let the trash in,” a woman says as she walks past.
I have a drink of vodka cranberry in my hands and she has a gorgeous white dress on. I spin around quickly, letting the drink fly out and land all over her perfect outfit. She squeals immediately, waving her hands around like I’ve thrown hot acid on her.
“Oops,” I say innocently. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
“You whore!” she wails. “This dress cost me thousands of dollars. You’ve ruined it.”
Whoopsie.
Oh well.
I give her a smile and say, “It must have been the trashier side of me that simply didn’t see you. Sorry.”
She scowls at me and, with a turn and a huff, she and her friends disappear. I grin and face the bar again where the bartender is smiling at me. “That was ballsy.”
I shrug. “What can I say? I don’t like being called names.”
He chuckles. “Been a while since I’ve seen a woman with such spunk in here. They’re all stuck up,” he extends his hand. “BJ.”
“Aviana.”
“Nice to meet you, Aviana. Can I get you another drink considering you lost the last one?”
I grin. “Please.”
He serves me another drink and then gets back to work. I sip it, pretending to bop away to the music and act like I’m fitting in. I don’t want to draw attention to myself so it looks like I’m here for Benedict, but I also want him to notice me.
My little plan works.
Mid-way through my third drink, a deep, rugged voice comes from behind me. “Aviana, a face I never thought I’d see again.”
I turn slowly in my stool and look at Benedict, who is standing behind me in his sharp suit, his perfectly slicked back brown hair, those blue eyes and that face that’s terrifyingly calm at all times. He’s aging, but my god he’s making it look good.
“Benedict,” I say softly. “I wondered if you were still the owner of this place.”
“Did you come to see me?”
I laugh. “No. I just ... wanted to come back to this place. I guess you could say I never got a chance to look around before.”
“I heard you ran away. That wasn’t a very smart thing to do, now was it?”
I meet his eyes. “You know me, I never did like to follow the rules.”
“A man’s possession is very valuable to him.”
“Well, good thing I’m not a possession then.”
I give him a smile and he returns it, only his is slower, far more dangerous. “May I sit and have a drink?”
“It’s your bar,” I say, waving a hand at the stool beside me.
He takes a seat and the bartender immediately serves him a whiskey on the rocks. Benedict nods and then glances at me. “Tell me where you’ve been, and what you’ve been doing.”
“I’m not sure that’s wise. I don’t want to go back there, Benedict. I’m free now.”
“Completely your choice,” he says slowly. “You’re doing well, then?”
“Well enough,” I tell him with a shrug. “It’s hard, you know, out here ...”
I’m playing a game, telling him whatever he wants to hear without making it too obvious that it’s an act. I was always strong willed and sassy, because of that he would know if I was too submissive.
“Have you found work?”
I shake my head. “No, I have literally no skills. Money is hard to come by. I’m just crashing on couches at the moment, but I’m free. I can’t complain.”
“I could help you out,” he says, sipping his drink.
“I’m not going to be anyone’s pet again, thank you very much.”
He chuckles, low. “I don’t keep pets, Aviana. I build them a house and let them live their own lives.”
“Except you own them, control them ...”
His eyes are piercing when they meet mine. “Precisely.”
“I’ll be okay, thanks.”
“I can offer you far more than you were given before. A home, a job, money ...”
I take a sip of my drink before answering, “I can find those things on my own.”
“A house by the ocean, a car of your dreams, any job you want I can get for you, all you have to do is say the word, Aviana, and it’s yours.”
I squint. “What is it about me that would make you offer up so much?”
“You’re different than the rest. Fiery and strong. I like you; I always have liked you. I don’t like a girl that’s openly a pushover, or materialistic. The women I encounter, that’s all they are.”
I frown. “Well, how do you know I’m not like that?”
He grins. “By the way you’re dressed.”
I throw my hands up. “What’s wrong with my damned dress? I happen to like it very much!”
He chuckles. “I imagine you do, and that right there is exactly why I want you ...”
“I don’t wish to be controlled by you. I take all of those things, and I’m forever in your debt. I don’t want to live like that.”
“I wouldn’t control you, Aviana. I’d simply ... guide you.”
Pffft.
Yeah fucking right.
I take another drink, not answering him.
“Think about it, at the very least. I can give you a good, stable life. In return, I simply ask for your companionship.”
To fuck him.
That’s what he means.
“That’s all?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
He takes a drink. “That’s all.”
“Mmmm.”
“Will you consider my offer?”
“I’ll think about it, but right now, I really want to dance.”
I
swallow the rest of my drink, and then take myself onto the dance floor and start swaying my hips. I don’t want him to see me as being overly keen, because that’ll give him suspicion and I don’t want him to be suspicious. I simply want him to think I’m here because I want to be. I dance until I’ve worked up a sweat, but not too much that I look even more “trashy” then I do already.
I go back to the bar, where Benedict is still sitting, watching me, his eyes never having moved.
I get another drink, and then sit back down.
“Would you like to see my office?”
Also code for, would you like to see my penis?
I shrug. “Sure, why not? You’re not going to kidnap me or something, are you?”
He chuckles and stands. “I don’t need to kidnap you, Aviana. You’re going to come to me willingly.”
Doubtful.
But I give a shy smile and follow him up the stairs and into his office. The office is covering half the entire top floor and my god it’s massive. A huge glass window looks out over the city, showcasing its utter beauty. The furniture in here is expensive and lush. This man sure knows how to set himself up.
I walk over to the large glass window and stare out. “Wow,” I say, with honesty.
It is breathtaking.
A moment later, I feel a hard form behind me. Benedict presses his body against my back, leaning in and sweeping my hair away from my neck as he brings his lips down to the skin there. I want to vomit, because ew, he’s like double my age, but I can’t do that. Not if I want to get him out of here with me tonight.
I grit my teeth instead.
“Where are you staying?” he asks me, dragging his lips down my neck.
I want to turn around and kick him in the balls. But I don’t.
“I’m not certain tonight, I only got in today. I’ll find a motel.”
“Stay with me, let me show you what I have to offer.”
Ugh, old penis.
No thanks.
I turn, needing to get his disgusting lips off my damned neck.
“With you?”
He nods.
“I don’t know ... I’m not sure I trust you.”
I make my voice sound incredibly hesitant, because it has to be. If he so much as even thinks I am up to something, he’ll probably kill me on the spot. The only way I can get away with this, is to genuinely sound like I’m not sure about what he’s offering.
“You’ll have to see that you can, but the only way to do that is with time ...”
“Why, considering I haven’t seen you for a few years, are you suddenly so interested in me?”
“I know a good thing when I see one. I don’t want to lose that again.”
I bite my lip.
“How about we have a drink so I can think about it?”
He grins. “Splendid.”
Ugh.
Splendid.
Can we get this over with already?
I SWALLOW THE VOMIT threatening to rise as Benedicts tongue tries to creep into my mouth as he kisses me. I can only be thankful I’m so incredibly drunk because otherwise, I’d probably let that vomit out. I remind myself of the bigger picture and let him kiss me. We’ve had more than a few drinks, and the night is winding down. It’s now or never.
I pull back and murmur, “Take me home.”
He grins and, without hesitation, calls his security guard in to instruct him to lock up on closing, and then he takes my hand and leads me toward the back exit. We pass the bathroom, and I hop around, saying, “Can I go first? I’m busting.”
He nods, and I turn and rush into the women’s restroom. I pull out my phone from my purse and text Cohen. “We’re leaving out of the back exit now. Be ready.”
I pee, because I actually need to, and that gives me time to let Cohen reply. “Copy that.”
They’re ready.
I swallow, wash my hands, and then walk back out. “Those are really nice bathrooms,” I say to Benedict.
“I only offer the best in my bar,” he informs me, putting his arm out so I can link mine through.
He’s weirdly old school, and yet strangely new age. What an odd combination. We walk out, with me chatting and laughing, as I normally would. We step out of the back exit, and over to his Rolls Royce, which holy mother, it’s fancy. I know the bikers aren’t going to do anything yet, there is too much security around and they don’t want anybody to know it was them that took the man himself.
They’ll follow us until we arrive at his house.
I can only hope nobody in the club was important enough to link me to his death, though they were all just workers I met tonight and none of them took a good look at me. The bartender, maybe. It’s worth the risk, at the very least. I don’t particularly like the idea of harming Benedict but he’s the only way we’re ever going to bring this operation down.
We arrive at his massive home, and he slows down the car. I try not to think of the fact that he’s drunk driving. This rich prick thinks he can do whatever the hell he wants. I can’t stand people like that. It’s not your life you’re risking, it’s the poor innocent person driving home, possibly with a family, that you’re going to take out. Dick.
“This is your house?” I breathe, staring up at the home through the massive windshield.
“It is. I’m sure once you see inside, you’ll agree to my terms. I can offer you the world, Aviana.”
I’m sure he can.
We get out of the car which he has parked on the street and walk toward the large gates surrounding his property. They would want to hurry up, because this particular gate isn’t going to stay open long.
I stall him, pausing and looking back at the car. I can see Alarick’s truck pulling in to a stop over the road. “You’re going to just leave your car out here in the open?” I ask.
He looks at me, then the car, then grins slowly. “It isn’t my car.”
“It isn’t?”
“No. It’s my employee’s. He will collect it in the morning.”
“Oh,” I say, nodding.
We turn and go to walk through the gates when I hear the sound of a gun cocking. I spin around and see Alarick, Cohen, Samson, Mykel, and Kendric all standing, pointing their guns at Benedict. He turns around when he realizes I’m not stopping. When he sees the club, his eyes widen. Probably from shock, he honestly didn’t see them coming. That’s one on the club score board.
“Move, I blow your fuckin’ brains out,” Alarick growls.
“Get in the truck,” Cohen orders, nodding to the truck that is now rolling in to park up behind Benedict’s car. Zariah is driving.
“Who the hell are you?” Benedict demands, his face stony.
“You’ll find out, when you get into the car.”
“I won’t get into your car. I’m calling for help!”
He pulls out his phone, and Cohen aims his gun and shoots his foot. The sound that comes out of Benedict’s mouth is horrifying. It’s a pained bellow that makes my skin prickle. He drops down to the ground and his phone skitters out of his hand. The men move fast, cuffing him and dragging him, still roaring in pain, into the back of the truck. As they’re about to close the door, he looks to me and mouths, “You?”
I smile and shrug. “Me.”
Then his eyes flutter closed, probably from the pain, and he passes out. I turn and walk over, picking up his phone. This will have location tracking on it, so I don’t want to be leaving it anywhere that will lead to us. I check the screen—it’s still unlocked so I quickly scroll through his messages. One is from a man he seems to contact quite a lot, and I send a message saying, “Business as usual tomorrow, I’m turning in for the evening.”
It sounds very similar to the other messages. I simply want them to know he’s at home.
I glance around, there are no cameras pointing out to the street that I can see, probably lucky because as soon as we stepped inside those gates it’s a given that there would be cameras surrounding that house. I suppose Be
nedict doesn’t spend much time worrying about who is on the street. I bet he’ll come to regret that decision. I throw his phone into his yard and then get into Cohen’s truck when it pulls up.
He looks to me and a grin spreads across his face. “We did it.”
We fucking did it.
Finally.
19
NOW – COHEN
I take Aviana’s face in my hands, eyes scanning over it to look for one single fucking mark that might tell me if she’s hurt, but she’s relaxed and smiling, a victorious smile, one full of pride and glee. “I did it,” she whispers, looking up at me with those sweet fucking eyes. “I fucking did it, Cohen. I got him here. I can’t believe I got him here.”
I exhale the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding since the moment she walked into that bar. “You’re fuckin’ incredible. You know that?”
She beams. “We’re halfway there.”
I lean down, pressing my lips to hers. Neither of us has established any sort of relationship or what it is we’re doing here, but right now, I need to fucking kiss her more than she could imagine. She melts into me, soft hands going up and playing with my hair, lips parting, and a small whimper coming from her throat. Fuck yeah. She wants this as much as I want it.
Thank fuck for that.
“Get a room, you two. We’ve got business.”
We part to see Alarick, Kendric, and Zariah walking into the room. I release Aviana, but I’m not fucking happy about it. This better be good.
“Where’s Benedict?” I ask.
Alarick glances at Aviana. “He’s chained up. We’ve got to keep moving because a scene is goin’ to be caused if we stay here.”
“Are we talkin’ to him first?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
“He wants to talk to her,” Kendric nods to Aviana. “I say we let him. Whatever we can do to get the information...”
“He wants to do it alone,” Alarick goes on.
“No fuckin’ way. As if we trust him,” I growl.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll talk to him,” Aviana shrugs. “I got him this far. If he’s going to talk to me, then we’d be stupid not to take that chance.”
I look to her. “He’s a clever, very dangerous man. Don’t want you anywhere near him alone.”
