by Blair Grey
It was apparent that I’d have to stoop to having her guarded. But covertly, so she didn’t know she was being guarded at all.
Understanding how she wanted to learn how to protect herself, I had to help her do that. But it took time to learn how to really handle a gun. And lots of practice. Which I would make sure she got. But this rush wouldn’t do a damn thing to help her get where she wanted.
“Avia,” I began.
She tightened her thighs again. “Amanda.”
I will never get used to that.
“Baby, I will support you in anything and everything that you want to do. I swear that to you. As a kid growing up powerless, I totally understand where you’re coming from. But it does take patience, so promise me that you will give this the patience that’s required.”
“Patience?” She leaned over, put her hands on my chest then moved fast up and down. “I’ve had tons of patience and that’s gotten me nowhere. Take me on the fast track, Lyle. If anyone can do it, you can.”
There wasn’t going to be any arguing with her. And while she was making my cock feel so fucking good, I didn’t want to argue. “K.” My fingers curled into the flesh of her hips. “Don’t stop. Keep going. Keep moving exactly that way.”
Her breath came in ragged waves as I closed my eyes, listening, feeling, falling into the abyss with her riding me that way.
I knew I had to get her on my bike and fuck her senseless – and I had to do it soon. The one thing I wanted to rush with her was all that sex I’d dreamt of through the years.
The end of high school did not stop my sexual fantasies, starring Avia Forester. She’d lived there, in my subconscious, for years. And now she was real and on top of me, fucking me like we’d been fucking forever.
This is surreal. What if it’s all just a dream?
Ripping through me, an orgasm took my body over, making it go stiff as cum shot out of me and into her. She came too, her pussy convulsing around my cock, making it give her everything I had left in me to give.
She lay her body on my chest, panting and moaning softly. Running my hands through her hair, I kissed her on top of the head. “I hope this isn’t some fleeting dream. Let this be real.”
Her nails cut into my arms as she held onto me with a tight embrace. “This has to be real. If it’s nothing more than a dream and I wake up in Jerome’s bed, I think I’d have to slit my throat. I can’t go back to being that stupid woman again. I won’t do it.”
I am holding a woman with a tortured soul in my arms and I don’t know if I’m capable of actually helping her.
Chapter Twenty
Avia
Lying on my side, I woke to the sun peeking through the dark curtain and Lyle tapping away on his cell phone. “Morning.” I reached out to run my hand over his back as he was sitting on the side of the bed with his back to me. “You’re up early for a man who’s barely gotten any sleep.”
“Yeah, I know.” He stood then walked to the bathroom.
His tense demeanor wasn’t lost on me. I sat up, yawning, stretching, noticing the aches the tremendous amount of sex had caused. Elation filled me as I thought about the night we’d had.
And here’s to many more!
I heard the shower come on and decided to lay back down to wait for him to get out. But then an idea hit me and I got out of bed after deciding to join him.
It wasn’t like me to make the first moves. But I wasn’t the old me anymore. I was a sexually active young woman with a mind of her own.
But I didn’t really want to have sex at the moment. I did want to run my soapy hands all over my man though. Opening the door, I found the small bathroom full of steam already.
Slipping into the shower as Lyle had his eyes closed, letting the water fall over his face, I slid my hands over his ripped abs. “Can I join you?”
His chest heaved with a heavy sigh as he took my hands, pulling them to his lips and kissing each finger. “I’d love that.” He pulled me to him, our bodies flush then he pressed his lips against the top of my head. “I’ve got some upsetting news for you. I might as well break it to you now.”
I didn’t want to hear any upsetting news. “Lyle, what could be so upsetting? McGinty has taken responsibility for the kidnapping and I’m dead, right?”
“Wrong.” He held me tightly as I tried to pull myself out of his arms. “Listen. He told Conti’s people that has both of you. Apparently, the two organizations had been on the outs because of a certain restaurant in Manhattan. McGinty wants it back as Conti’s organization has taken it over.”
“The Pearl,” I whispered. I knew the place well. “I didn’t realize they’d taken it from the Irish mob.”
“Well, they did. It was quite a few years ago and that’s what McGinty wants back. So, he said that he’ll make an exchange with them – the restaurant for you and Conti.”
“But there is no Conti.” I didn’t know what McGinty could be thinking. “What’s he doing, Lyle?”
Pushing me back so he could look at me, he let me know what he thought, “What it looks like to me is that Lucius means to thin the heard of your old fiancé’s organization. And he’s going to use you to do it.”
“I won’t do it.” I was done being used by anyone.
“It’s the price he expects you to pay,” he let me know. “If he’s going to take the blame for Conti’s death, then you have to do as he wants.”
“I’ve got to get you to him by noon today. I can stay with you. But you have to go. He needs you there with him when he makes the next call. The Italians want to speak to Conti, but he said all he’ll let them talk to is you.” He pulled me close again, hugging me. “You can do this. I know you can. And afterward, you get to become this new person. For now, though, you’ve got to stay Avia.”
“And if I refuse?” I didn’t want to do it at all. I didn’t want to be involved in anything between the Irish and Italians. And I didn’t want to be Avia any longer.
“They know you’ll do it because they know that we have you.” He held me tight. “He knows we will make you do what he wants. And you need to do this. I hate to say this, but most people who take a life do have to make some sort of payment for taking it. If you’d called the police, they would’ve kept you at the station for a while and you would still be answering their questions. Nothing in this life is free, Avia.”
Avia is dead!
An eerie calm came over me as I accepted my fate. “I understand.”
“Good.” He kissed my cheek. “Here, let me wash your hair for you.”
“It can’t be washed yet, or the color might fade.” Pulling out of his arms, I made an excuse, “I’ve got to use the bathroom and I’m going to need a bit of privacy for that. I’ll go use the other bathroom.”
“K.” He smacked my ass playfully as I turned to leave him. “Nice ass.”
“Haha.” I left him, grabbing a towel to wrap around myself, then went through his bedroom and into the hallway. My things were in the spare bedroom, so I put on some jeans and a t-shirt and running shoes, then I put my hair into a ponytail. Heading out the front door with my purse and one of my bags before he could stop me, I kept walking and walking, unsure of where I was going – but I was going.
Lyle had said all the things I wanted to hear. But he wasn’t going to stand behind any of his words. He said he’d support anything I wanted to do.
I did not want to put myself into the Irish mob’s hands. Yet, he was going to take me right to them anyway. Having another man in my life to placate me wasn’t going to work for the new me.
Amanda Renee Riley does not do things she doesn’t want to do.
With every step I took, it became clearer and clearer to me that I had to strike out on my own. Somehow, I had to do things all alone.
There were many stumbling blocks in my path though. I had no money. I had no car or any other way to get around. I had no job. And most of all, I had to get far away from the East Coast.
How the fuck am I suppo
sed to do all that with no money?
The purse I’d strapped across my body did have several credit cards in it. But if I used even one of them, I might be found out. And then the Irish mob would be after me too. And maybe even the Iron Cobras MC too.
I can’t use the credit cards.
I had nothing. Literally, nothing at all.
As I thought about what all I had inside my purse, it occurred to me that I’d put the engagement ring in there. With a mission to get myself some much-needed cash, I headed toward the nearest place of business to find out where the closest pawn shop was.
The ring came from Cartier and it had to be worth thousands. I knew I wouldn’t get what it was worth, but I would be able to get enough to get me the hell out of Baltimore.
As I went toward one of the main streets I saw a small sign on one of the doors. Ted Lawson – Family Attorney. With a shrug of my shoulders, I thought to myself, why not an attorney?
Opening the door, I saw one man standing in the middle of the room, holding a paper in his hands. Pulling his reading glasses off as he looked at me, he smiled, “Hello. Can I help you, miss?”
Closing the door behind me, I wasn’t sure what to say. Words got caught in my throat, my skin began to itch, and my legs went wobbly. “I – um, well, I need to find.”
Sensing my uneasiness, he put down the paper on the table beside him and came to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. “I’m Ted. What’s your name?”
What is my name?
Which name was I supposed to say? I had no idea. But finally, one name came out of my mouth, “Avia. I’m Avia Forester. I’m from Baltimore, originally.”
“Okay, that’s a good start.” He gestured to the chairs that sat on one side of the room. “Let’s take a seat. It’ll make you feel more comfortable.”
Being comfortable wasn’t really a thing I was used to being. But I took the chair he offered me anyway. He took a seat too, placing his finger on the grey of his temple as he looked at me.
I wasn’t sure what to say. But more words spilled out of my mouth anyway, “I need a pawnshop. I’ve got some stuff I need to sell.”
“What sort of things do you have to sell at a pawnshop?” he asked as his expression grew grim. “And I must tell you that selling your things to those people won’t get you anywhere near what they’re worth.”
“Yeah, I know. But I need money now. Like, right now. I’ve got to get out of town.” My mouth clamped shut and my face dropped as I knew I’d said too much.
Leaning over, he lifted my chin. “You know that I can see the bruises on your face, right?”
Putting my hand to my cheek, I gasped. I hadn’t put on any makeup at all before leaving Lyle’s house. “Shit.”
“Are you running from someone who hurt you?” He nodded as if he already knew the answer. “I can get you the help you need if that’s the case.”
No need. I’ve already taken care of that.
“All I really need is to leave this town and the east coast far behind me. If I have some money, I can do it all on my own. So, I’ll take whatever I can get for the only thing of value that I have.” I pulled the ring out of my purse. “My fiancé gave this to me. But I won’t be marrying him after all.”
He looked at the ring. “May I?” He wiggled his fingers.
I put the ring in his hand. “It’s from Cartier. Of course, he didn’t tell me how much it cost him. But with that blue diamond in the middle, I would guess that it’s worth a lot of money.”
“I’d say it’s worth about fifty-grand.” He eyed it carefully, then checked the inside of the band too. “Nothing engraved here that would make it less valuable either. “Not a sentimental man, your ex-fiancé, huh?”
“Not an ounce of sentimentality.” I didn’t like thinking about Jerome – it made my stomach hurt. “So, the nearest pawnshop is where?”
“You won’t need to go to one of those places. I’ll make you a deal. Just tell me what it is that you really need.” He looked at me with slate-grey eyes that took me all in. “A car? Cash money? Maybe a contact you could go to in another state?”
“I don’t want a contact. I’ll just stay in hotels until I find the right place for me to stop and try to build a life.” A car would be awesome and the cash to get to wherever I was going would be equally awesome. “The other two things would be nice.”
“I’ve got a small Nissan my daughter no longer wants. It’s only worth a few thousand. But it’s dependable and it can go to hell and back on one tank of gas. It would serve you well and I happen to have the title here in my office. Plus, it’s parked in the parking garage out back.”
“Really!” I could have a car in a matter of minutes. “And how much cash can you give me?”
Getting up, he handed me the ring. “I’ll go check my safe and be right back with that answer.” He placed the ring in my hand. “Don’t go anywhere. I don’t want you to worry. I keep tons of cash. I don’t trust banks all that much.”
“My good fortune.” I smiled as he let me.
Already, going out on my own had proven the right thing for me to do. I was about to get all I’d asked for. Soon, I’d be so far away that none of the men who sought to use me would ever find me.
Waiting, thinking about Lyle, guilt bubbled up inside of me. He’d taken me in. He’d put his MC brothers on the line. And he’d done that all for me.
And here I was, running away from him. What would that even mean for him and his MC?
Why do I care?
Lyle expected me to do whatever the fucking Irish mob wanted me to do. He wasn’t going to stand up for me at all where they were concerned. So, why should I care what my exit would mean to him and his MC?
The lawyer came back with the keys to the car and a small blue bank bag that bulged with the contents inside of it. “So, here’re the keys to the car. It’s full of gas. I’ve got a weird habit of topping off the gas tanks in all of my cars.”
“And the amount of cash?” For all I knew the bulk in the bag was from all one-dollar bills.
“Forty-grand.” He smiled at me. “Much more than any pawn shop would give you.”
As my heart pounded, my hands shook. “Can I ask you what you want the ring for?”
“Can I ask you why you want to sell it so badly for?” He chuckled. “I’ll mind my business if you mind yours.”
There was no emotional attachment to the ring for me anymore. But if I were to go back to Lyle, and he took me to the Irish, then they might want me to have the ring for some sort of proof.
“I’m sort of stick in the place in my head, sir. See, I might need this ring if guilt gets to me. I sort of owe someone something for all they’ve done for me. But I don’t want to pay the price that’s owed. So, I’m not sure what to do.”
“You owe someone?” he asked. “Did someone do you a favor where the person who hurt you is concerned?”
“Yes.” I looked at him, searching his eyes for the right answer. “He put himself and others on the line for me. And now I have to do something that I don’t want to do to pay for that help.”
Three rows of lines shown in his forehead. “Will doing this thing cause you physical harm?”
“I don’t think it will, no. Just mental harm. And I’ve had a shitload of mental harm on top of the physical harm I’ve endured so far. I was ready to put that all behind me and move on to a different sort of life.”
“You know, I’ve learned something in my years of dealing with clients. Life isn’t always going to run on your terms. It has a way of going its own way and you can go along with the changes with ease or you can fight them. But the thing is that things will occur nonetheless.”
And that could go two ways. That could mean that I need to do what Lyle needs me to. But that could also mean that Lyle and his MC will have to go along with whatever my absence will mean to them.
Staying true to one’s self is just about the most important thing one can do.
I know what I have to do
now.
Chapter Twenty-One
Lyle
Knocking on the bathroom door, I couldn’t help but notice that there wasn’t any sound coming from inside. “Avia. I mean, Amada, or baby or whatever.” Leaning on the door, I knew she wasn’t happy about what I’d told her. “Look, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I’m sure they just want you to talk on the phone a little, to let the Italians know that you’re alive so they can get what they want. But that doesn’t mean that you’ll be stuck there at all.”
Waiting for her response, I tried the doorknob just to see if she’d locked it. Which she hadn’t. I didn’t want to barge in on her. So, I gave her a few more moments.
“You know what, I’ll talk to Carl. You don’t have to be there with the Irish at all. You can record your voice and they can use the recording. I’m sorry I didn’t think about that sooner. I was just as upset as you when I heard the news.” Walking away from the door, I went to make the call to Carl.
Being an Iron Cobra meant that we made our own rules. We didn’t do anything just because someone told us to. I just hoped that Avia would forgive me for even burdening her with the problem.
She’d been so set on putting the woman she’d been behind her. I’d made promises to support her all the way. And I’d failed on the first obstacle.
But I would pick the ball back up and take it the rest of the way home. I needed to let her know that I was a man of my word. If I said I’d support whatever she wanted to do with her life, then I damn well meant it.
Carl answered my call, “Yeah?”
“Hey, boss, I was just thinking that Avia doesn’t have to go to the Irish. You know, we can make a recording or something else so she can stay put. She’s not happy about having to go to them and I can’t say that I blame her.”
His long huff made me think he wasn’t happy with me. “Look, she’s got to understand that she’s in a real predicament here. And I don’t want any trouble with the fucking Irish or the Italians. We’ve stuck our neck out for her. All Lucius wants is for her to be there so he can give proof that they have her – if it comes to that.”