Vlad bangs on the door with his fist. Since the shop is closed, the door is locked. He fucking knows that.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” I say and give Maddy a smile as she looks at Katie, and then to Needles. She looks uneasy, and I know I need to settle her down some.
“It’s just business.” That’s not enough to get the nervous look off her face though. Vlad’s a scary ass looking dude. “I promise after this I won’t be working any more tonight.” I speak with a relaxed, easy voice as Needles starts walking them back.
“Let me show you guys the equipment I have in my trunk.” Both women stop dead in their tracks, and I shake my head on the way to the door. Dude has no fucking game.
“I mean, my stereo system,” he says.
Katie cracks up and asks, “What year is this?” She’s joking, but Needles doesn’t laugh. He knows how serious this shit is.
I walk to the door and pull out my key, listening as they open and shut the back door. I open the door wide and move to the side to let him in. “Vlad, nice to see you.” It isn’t really, but what else are you gonna tell the mob boss?
I’ve never liked Vlad or the shit he does. If it wasn’t for Nikolai, I’d never feel comfortable enough to stay anywhere around these fuckers.
When the head of the mob is a cold-blooded killer with a taste for women way too close to being underage, it’s hard to feel safe. He’s backstabbed more than a few people. But I’ve always felt like I was on the inside. I guess that's only because I know Nikolai would give me a heads-up. He said if you don’t know who’s on the hit list, then it’s 'cause your ass is close to being on it.
Every move Vlad makes is calculated. I’ve never given him a reason to even think about me. I stay out of his way and just let them take over the books for their laundering.
“You throwing a fucking party in here?” Vlad sneers. His cruel blue eyes stare back at me. He’s a tall blond man with combed-over, thinning hair.
“I’m just showing a couple of friends the place is all.”
Vlad’s glare says it all. His eyes seem to say, 'What the fuck is the matter with you?'
“Get those bitches the fuck out of here. Now.”
Everything in my body screams at me to tell Vlad to go fuck himself, and I would, if I didn’t think he would do something to harm one of the girls in retaliation.
“Okay boss.” I turn my back on him and go right to the back. At least he doesn’t follow me back here. I don’t need him around either Katie or Maddy.
“You guys have to go,” I say as soon as the door shuts behind me. Katie’s leaning into the trunk of Needles’ car messing with one of the speakers.
“Why?” Maddy asks; she’s got concern written all over her face.
“We were having so much fun,” Katie whines in protest.
“Just take my car and head back home.”
Maddy looks like she’s going to argue as I pull her a few feet down the street to where I parked. I need to make sure she doesn’t. When it comes to Vlad and all this shit, I need to make sure she listens to me.
“It’s just business, peaches.” I open the door to my car and hand her the keys. “I’ll be back as soon as this meeting is over.”
It hurts to see Maddy’s unanswered questions in her eyes. She wants to know what’s going on. But I can’t tell her. No fucking way.
I can see her starting to question everything, and I fucking hate it. I wanna tell her. I want to make sure she trusts me. But I can’t. The more she knows, the worse it'll be for her. That, and she’ll leave my ass.
“I shouldn’t have brought you here with the chance of my old partner coming by,” I tell her. It’s a mix of white lies. It's true that I didn’t know he was showing up tonight. But “old partner”… well that’s just a flat-out lie.
But it does the trick. Her lips purse and her shoulders relax some. “So you’re just settling old business?” she asks with her arms crossed, and the keys tapping against her forearm.
“Yup. And it’ll be over with soon. So I’ll be right behind you.” That part’s true. At least it better be.
This is my shop and if I want my girl here, she can come here. I just need to make sure I keep her ass away when business is going down.
Chapter 16
Madeline
“So how’s things with Zane?” Katie asks as we pull into our parking space in front of the condo. As we stop, I notice a car across the street that looks familiar, but I’m distracted and can’t quite place it.
I glance over at Katie who’s staring at me intently, hungry for juicy gossip. Dressed in a red tank top and white pants, her side bob is on point today and looks extra shiny underneath the bright sun. I have to admit, she looks cute. Too bad she hasn’t been acting cute. For the past few days she’s been pestering me with constant questions about Zane. How good is he in bed? Does he know how to work it? Did he have a monster dong? And so on and so on.
“Where they shouldn’t be,” I respond flatly.
Katie scowls, sensing my bitchiness. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That I shouldn’t have had sex with him, much less be talking to him.”
“Oh, come on Maddy. Really? It can’t be that bad. You’ve had a serious glow about you for the past few days.”
“Seriously, thanks to you, I’m in this predicament.” I know I shouldn’t be doing this to Katie right now, but I’m about falling for Zane. Hard. When I’m with him, everything’s great. And then I leave his side and doubt spreads through me. I just don’t trust it. There’s something off.
Katie eyes go large and her mouth opens so wide a giant trout could jump through it. “Me?!” she exclaims. “What the hell do I have to do with this?”
“You didn’t protect me from Zane like you were supposed to,” I accuse. She knows it, too.
“What the hell? What are you, two years old? I mean, what was I supposed to do, tell his big dick to stop wanting you?”
I roll my eyes. “You know I don’t mean that--”
“Seriously Maddy, grow up. You need to have this experience with Zane. If nothing else than to teach you that not all guys are the same.”
“That’s the problem, he talks a good game, but in the end he’s not any different from any other horndog out there.”
Katie sighs, and places a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Maddy, I understand how you feel, I really do, but that’s not the way to live life. You’re supposed to have these experiences, so that you can grow. Shit, I’d rather have lived and smoked cock every once in a while than to never have smoked cock at all.”
As serious as I feel right now, I have to laugh. “Really, Katie? Smoked cock? That’s a horrible analogy!” Leave it to Katie to say some ridiculous crap to pull me out of a bad mood.
Katie scowls at me. “I never said I was good at it. I’m just trying to get you to cheer up and see reason.”
“I know, Katie, I know. And I’m sorry about blaming you for what’s happened. It’s not your fault. I wanted this just as much as Zane. Maybe even more. I’m just feeling really scared right now and I guess I’m just freaking out.”
Katie smiles at me. “Well, I’m glad you see that. And I think you should stop worrying. Now. Sit back, relax, and let this all play out. If Zane doesn’t wind up being a good guy, you know what? Fuck him. Trust me, there are many more big dicks out there in the sea.”
I giggle. I'm already feeling somewhat better. “Oh Katie, what would I ever do without you?”
“Probably never laugh and be a sourpuss all the time.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” I agree, chuckling.
We gather our books, get out of the car and go into the condo. As soon as Katie swings open the door, my jaw drops at the sight before me.
“Daddy?” I ask in shock. “What are you doing here?”
There, standing in the middle of the living room, is my father, Kenneth Murphy. At sixty, his hair is white as snow, but that’s his only visible sign of aging. H
e has a smooth, unlined face and crystal clear blue eyes. If not for the hair, he could easily be mistaken for a man half his age.
He’s wearing black slacks and a white dress shirt with a tie, just a little too formal for a retired parole officer. There’s a bulge on the side of his dress shirt letting me know he’s carrying. Daddy never leaves the house without his gun. Ever. Now I know why the car outside looked so familiar. He could have flown, but knowing Daddy, he decided to drive so he could make a nice vacation out of this visit.
The bigger question though, is how the hell did he get inside?
“Well, hello Mr. Murphy!” Katie greets my father before he can respond, walking over to him and giving him a big hug. “Boy, do you get more handsome each time I see you, or what?”
Daddy chuckles at Katie’s shameless flirting. “Thanks, Katie. It’s nice seeing you, too. How’s school been treating ya?”
“Oh you know, a little bit of that here, and a little bit of that there. I think I’d go crazy if it weren’t for Maddy.”
Daddy’s eyes twinkle. He's always been one to play along. “So you two been getting along well, I take it?”
Katie nods. “Uh huh, except--”
I cringe, bracing myself for Katie to blurt out something stupid about me and Zane.
“She farts so loud when I’m trying to sleep.”
My father lets out a goofy laugh and I roll my eyes while loudly protesting, “Katie!”
“I’m just kidding.” She points at the hallway. “I’m gonna go take a shower and let you two play catch-up. It was nice seeing you again, Mr. Murphy.”
“It was nice seeing you too, Katie.”
When she's gone I ask, “How the heck did you get in here?”
Daddy walks over and sits down on the couch. “You two left the door unlocked. I figured after the door swung ajar when I knocked I'd better sit here until you two arrived back home.”
How the hell was the door unlocked? I could’ve sworn I locked it when we left.
“You really should always lock your door,” Daddy says with a disapproving frown. “There’s all sorts of sick predators out there, waiting to prey on young, vulnerable women like you both. Have I not taught you that?” As part of law enforcement, my father was big on safety growing up, and he never failed to lecture me when he thought I was being careless with my welfare.
“We do lock the door,” I object, trying to fight back irritation. I hate being scolded. But I know my father is only saying these things because he cares about me. “I just don’t know why it wasn’t locked today. That’s all.”
“Well you can’t afford to not know, Maddy. One mistake can cost you your life.”
I sigh in exasperation. “Daddy, I know--” He cuts me off before I can finish speaking.
“Do you always carry that can of mace with you like you promised me you would?” he demands.
I look down guiltily. “No,” I reluctantly admit. “But I’m going to start doing it, I promise.”
He shakes his head and stares me in the eyes with disbelief. “Damn it Maddy, it won’t do you any good sitting at home!”
I’m taken aback by the venom in his voice and tears begin to well up in my eyes. I never have been able to take it when I felt I let him down. I feel sick to my stomach. I hate making my father unhappy and disappointing him. “I’m sorry,” I choke out. My father never yells at me like that over something stupid. “I haven’t been able to think…” my voice trails away as the image of a cocky, smiling Zane pops into my head.
Suddenly repentant, Daddy pats the seat next to him on the couch. “I’m sorry baby, come sit down over here. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
Pushing back my tears, I drop my bag and go over to him. Damn, I’m just so emotional lately. With Zane and the stress from school, every little thing is getting to me. As soon as I’m there, he envelops me in his arms and kisses me hard on the forehead. “Will you forgive me?” he asks.
“Of course,” I say. “I know you’re just upset because you worry so much about me.” He’s a cop, and ever since mom died, all he does is worry about me.
Daddy nods. “Yes, I do.” After a moment, he leans back to study my face intently. “Is something else bothering you, or are you still upset with me?”
“Huh?” I ask, astonished at his unerring observation. I shouldn’t be surprised, though. Daddy’s an expert at reading body language, and he probably sensed there was something wrong with me the moment I walked through the door.
He gives me a knowing look. “Don’t play stupid with me, Maddy, I know when something is on your mind.”
I bite my lower lip and think. My father will know if I’m lying if I try to play it off. I don’t want to tell him though. Daddy’s overprotective as it is, and I already know he’s going to hate Zane. I can imagine his disapproving stare already.
“Maddy?” he persists.
He’s not going to stop until I tell him.
I let out a big sigh and admit, “I’m seeing someone.”
My father’s instantly back on edge. “Who?”
Taking a deep breath, I tell him everything, holding nothing back. He’s been my voice of reason my entire life, and I can’t lie to him. I don’t want to. I even admit to my father that I’m falling for Zane. I don’t know why, but I’m always able to confide in him.
When I’m done I feel relieved. It’s almost therapeutic, telling my father about my feelings, worries and doubts.
“So let me get this straight,” Daddy says slowly, “You met this fellow and you think he’s a player, yet you still slept with him?”
Cringing, I nod.
He asks disdainfully, “And he’s a tattoo artist?”
I nod again. Fuck, I should not have done that. Regret consumes me as my body heats.
He stares at me, his eyes boring into me so hard I can sense the anger behind them.
“What?” I ask, flinching at what’s to come.
“Jesus, Maddy, a tattoo artist?” he snarls. “What the hell is wrong with you?’
“Daddy, I--” Again he cuts me off.
“Do you think I let you go off to school just to get involved with trash? You’re supposed to be looking to go places in life. Not hanging around with some trashy, deadbeat womanizer.”
Anger twists my stomach. “He’s not a deadbeat,” I say hotly. “Nor is he trashy. And he obviously supports himself well enough as an ‘artist’ since he has own place.”
Daddy snorts with derision. “He might be peddling drugs on the side, for all you know. You’ve already said you don’t even know if he has other girlfriends, so what reasons do you have to trust this guy?”
As much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. What did I know about Zane before I slept with him, except that he was sexy as all hell and a tattoo artist? I know nothing of his past, don’t even know how many sexual partners he’s had. And with what happened at the shop with his old business partner, I’m beginning to have serious doubts.
Daddy’s features soften. “I don’t mean to be an asshole to you, Maddy,” he says, sensing my inner turmoil. “I just care about your well-being. And I would prefer you not get mixed up with someone who obviously isn’t a good fit for you. You need to let this fellow go so you can focus on your studies.”
For a moment, I begin to seriously regret telling my father about my business. I have this sneaking suspicion he’s going to start suddenly showing up on my doorstep unannounced just to check on me.
While I appreciate his concern, I won’t be able to handle that. Whether or not Zane is bad for me, I don’t need someone else dictating what I should do in this situation. As Katie said, I need these experiences to grow and mature.
“I know where you’re coming from, really I do,” I say softly, but then I harden my tone and add, “But I’m fine. You shouldn’t worry about me. Whatever happens between me and Zane is my business.”
He stares at me for a long moment, but I hold my ground. I feel like he wants to tell me that I
’m forbidden to see Zane and that he wants me to move, but at the same time he’s conflicted by the fact that I’m an adult who can now make my own decisions.
“Are you sure about this?” he asks finally, grudgingly.
“Yes,” I reply, visibly relaxing. “Don’t worry, if I do need you, I’ll call you.”
“Promise?”
I smile. “I promise.”
I feel a sense of relief. We got through this discussion without my father demanding to see Zane so he could threaten him to stay away from me. Now all I need to do is to convince him that I don’t need him to check up on me, and I’ll be more than fine.
I open my mouth to ask my father about what’s been going on his life instead of focusing on me, when the doorbell rings.
Right then, two words run through my mind along with a feeling of dread.
Oh no.
Chapter 17
Zane
The door opens, and all I can think is, fuck this shit. A white-haired man dressed in black slacks, a dress shirt and tie stares back at me, and I watch his eyes as they take me in. Narrowing, judging. Yeah, I’ve seen this before.
I’m a beast, and I look the part.
I usually don’t give a fuck, but my girl is standing by the stairs looking nervous as hell. My heartbeat picks up. My nerves buzz with an insecurity I’m not used to feeling.
I know this isn’t going to last. We’re just enjoying each other for now.
Shit, when she’s done with school, she’s gonna leave me far behind. I know it. I’ve accepted it. But I just got a taste of her. I’m not ready for this to end right now.
“You must be Maddy’s father,” I say as I reach my hand out to the old man. “Nice to meet you, sir.” He lets it hover there for a moment, a moment that lets me know what he really thinks. Finally he takes it in his with a firm shake.
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