Mr. Russo

by Lynn Hagen

  We were going through the back. Less traffic and we suspected Antonio would be back there in his VIP lounge. The six guys we’d brought with us would handle any bodyguards.

  I had only one objective. To kill Antonio before he made another attempt on my life.

  Before he tries to hurt Derek again.

  Fuck. I couldn’t get the male off my damn mind. Even now, standing there ready to infiltrate Antonio’s strip club, my head wasn’t in the game. I was still thinking about that faraway look on Derek’s handsome face, and all I wanted to do was soothe away whatever worries he had.

  Honestly? I didn’t even want to be here right now, and that thought was blowing my mind. I wanted to be at home with Derek, just soaking up his presence, cooking dinner for him, and having the male for dessert.

  Just thinking about those noises he made while on all fours on my desk had me ready to turn around and head back home. My fingers tingled as I remembered how Derek felt under my touch. My cock tried to harden when I thought about how good his ass had felt gripping me tightly.

  I cleared my throat and thought about contracts, court cases, anything to stop my body from growing stiff with images of Derek in the throes of passion. Fuck, how I wanted to go home and unleash my pent-up energy on the human.

  Unfortunately, I couldn’t let this slide. Antonio would try again, and the next time, he just might succeed. Plus, if I let this go, I would’ve looked weak in everyone’s eyes. That wasn’t an option if I wanted to hold my place in the council.

  This way of life wasn’t easy, but I had been born to it, and it was the only life I knew.

  We moved silently down the alleyway, closing in on the back entrance. The pack member in the lead, Smokey, took down the wolf shifter posted up at the back door. Smokey choked him until the guard passed out then dragged him into the shadows where he tied the guy up.

  Another member, Samson, picked the lock then eased the door open. Sultry music blasted out toward us, and what popped into my damn head? Derek dancing for me to this silky tempo.

  I needed to fuck him again just to get him out of my system, out of my head. Unfortunately I had a feeling he was burrowed under my skin, but I would examine all that shit later. My head needed to stay in the present, not in lustful thoughts of my personal assistant on his knees sucking me off.

  Once we were inside, two guys came at us, and I noticed security cameras mounted in the corners of the back hallway. Since when had Antonio installed them? They hadn’t been there a month ago when I’d had a meeting with him.

  Things were about to get dicey. Someone would see us on a monitor and report our invasion to their boss. We had to move fast. My body was pumping out adrenaline, and I had to admit, there was a part of me that loved the rush.

  Reese and Lucas took care of the two security guards as I made my way to the VIP section. I didn’t want anything slowing me down. My friends knew this kill was mine. Antonio had come after me, and I was returning the favor.

  What was the saying? Revenge was best served cold? I felt as cold as the dead of winter.

  The area around the VIP section was packed. I had to turn sideways to push through the throng of people. I spotted two more security guards trying to get to me.

  The cameras had thrown a wrench into my plans, had alerted the staff that I was there. But I was determined to take Antonio out. Luckily the bouncers were having just as hard a time getting through the crowd. Their progression was slow, which gave me time to get to Antonio before they could reach me.

  Gabe showed up at my side and pulled his guns free. Yeah, he carried two Desert Eagles, was always cleaning them, and they had matte black grips.

  Gabe had an extensive gun collection. The wolf was obsessed with them. I just had my Glock, which would serve its purpose if I could get past the damn crowd.

  “I got the guards.” Gabe winked, a spark of excitement in his eyes. “You go take care of business. Kill that piece of shit.”

  Finally, my path was cleared. That familiar silence that always cleared my head before a fight helped to center me. My nerves were dead calm. My focus was sharp, penetrating, helping me to zero in on Antonio.

  I’d reached for my weapon when all hell broke loose. Someone starting shooting, and people started screaming, running in every direction like a herd of gazelles racing away from lions. I tried to find the source, the one creating the chaos, and lost sight of Antonio.

  “Did you think taking me down would be that easy, Maximus? Thankfully one of your members isn’t as loyal as you think and gave me fair warning that you were coming.”

  I spun, clocking Antonio in the face with my elbow. I heard the satisfying crunch and knew I’d broken his nose. The gush of blood was only proof of what I’d done.

  He grunted and staggered back then snarled as blood coated his upper lip.

  This had been a setup. Antonio had been tipped off. The only people who’d known about this plan were the ones who’d accompanied me.

  I had a traitor in my group.

  My friends or the six pack members who had come with us? I refused to believe anyone on the council had betrayed me. I’d known Reese, Lucas, and Gabe my entire life. They wouldn’t have served me up on a silver platter.

  Antonio gave me another one of his infuriating smirks. “I’ve grown too powerful, Maximus. You can’t stop me from taking what I want.” He snapped his fingers. Insanity was still rampant in every direction. People were shouting, trampling each other to get to the exit. The strippers were no longer on the stage. The security guards were trying to calm everyone down.

  I had no idea why Antonio had snapped his fingers until I heard another gunshot. Too late I realized what had happened. Pain exploded in my back, and I stumbled forward.

  I’d been shot.

  With an evil smile, Antonio gave me a two-finger salute before taking off, disappearing into the chaos.

  Lucas made it over to me and returned fire as Gabe grabbed me and yanked me toward the back. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to find Antonio and shove my gun up his ass.

  We escaped out the back where Reese was waiting with our SUV. Gabe shoved me inside, following close behind, and as soon as Lucas burst through the back door and dove into the passenger seat, Reese took off, tires screeching as he drove us away from the club.

  “It was a fucking setup,” I snarled as I clung to the back of the driver’s seat, too afraid to sit back.

  “Call Dr. Savant,” Gabe said to no one in particular. “He’s losing a lot of blood. We need the bullet out and this hole closed.”

  I glared at Gabe. “There’s a Judas among us.” The pain was becoming too much. I clenched my jaw and tried to breathe through it. “Find out which one of our pack members betrayed us. I want the son of a bitch found.”

  When the culprit was found, I was putting a bullet in his head.

  “Step on it,” Gabe shouted to Reese and then turned to me. “Just hang in there. We’re going to get you patched up, Max. Just hang in there.”

  I began to feel light-headed. One minute I had been talking about finding the traitor, the next my vision took a turn for the worse. Bile rose to the back of my throat, and the pain in my body intensified.

  My grip on the seat slipped, and I slumped sideways. The world grew darker and darker, the voices around me hollow and far away.

  My last thought before I passed out?

  Derek.

  Chapter Six

  Derek…

  I must’ve dozed on the couch. My one glass of wine had turned into two, but thankfully, I hadn’t spilled any. Whoever had come and cleaned the stains was a miracle worker.

  I just didn’t want to think of how much Max must’ve paid to have the couch cleaned. Since I’d never called upon such services, I had no flipping clue how much it must’ve cost.

  Now I was awake, yawning and stretching with no idea what time it was. All I knew was that it was still dark out.

  When Edward came rushing out of the kitchen, I sat up
a little straighter. “Where’s the fire?”

  The domestic house cleaner completely ignored me. I was getting used to the treatment. I’d tried several times since Max left to engage Edward in light conversation, but it was if his lips were glued shut.

  Edward opened the door and let a tall, cute guy into the penthouse. The stranger was all blond looks and gorgeous blue eyes. Edward and his friend put their heads together and started whispering, and I hated that I was left out of the conversation.

  I felt like they were talking about me.

  “I’m not sure if his lordship would approve of late-night booty calls,” I teased, hating how awkward the two made me feel. “Better make it a quickie.”

  Nothing. Not even a slightly cracked smile from either of them. If I was going to be stuck in this penthouse, I had to find some source of entertainment to kill my boredom. I saw now that I was working with a tough crowd.

  Edward cut his eyes at me, and I had an urge to stick out my tongue. The guy was stuffy and rude, and I’d have given anything to be at work right now. Anything to get away from him.

  Too bad Chad wasn’t here. I’ve always had a good time with my twin, and he would’ve helped me roast them. Or he would’ve entertained me. I hated being bored. I was an active person, and sitting on my ass was driving me up the wall.

  I hated being stuck inside. All you could do was eat and sleep and watch a shit-ton of movies you probably would’ve never watched. It might’ve been my imagination, but I was certain I’d gained a pound or two just from napping.

  When the front door burst open, I screamed and slapped a hand over my chest. My heart was thumping wildly as Max’s friends carried… “What the hell happened?”

  They carried Max to the large dining room table and set him down. Blood covered their shirts and arms, and Max’s eyes were closed.

  My heart sped even faster, and I felt panic welling up inside me. As much as my boss got on my last nerve, I couldn’t help but care for him after the amazing sex we’d had but also the way he’d protected me when we were being fired at. He’d used his own body as a shield with no thought to his own safety.

  And now he was lying there bleeding out.

  The stranger went right to work ripping Max’s shirt off. My boss was lying on his stomach, so he must’ve been injured somewhere on his back. I moved closer, needing to see how bad the damage was.

  “Stay back.”

  I think it was Mr. Lucas Drago talking to me. I was new at the office, so I was still learning the partners’ names. The guy had dirty-blond hair and a fierce look in his brown eyes.

  His sharp command made me want to obey, but damn it, I wanted to know the extent of Max’s injuries.

  No doubt I had a crush on my boss, even though he acted like a flaming jackass most of the time, but I’d seen his softer side, the caring side that he tried so hard to hide.

  That was the side that appealed to me, and I wanted to see more of it. But right now I just wanted to make sure he was okay. “At least tell me what happened to him.”

  Mr. Drago curled his lip. What a prick.

  Mr. Reese Corbin gave me a tight smile. “He was shot.”

  “Shot!” My eyes widened as I moved even closer. “How?”

  Had it been the same person who’d shot at us the other night? Had he found Max and tried to finish the job?

  “Go to your room,” Mr. Drago said.

  I was getting real tired of Mr. Drago. Too bad I wasn’t brave enough to give him a piece of my mind. If he hadn’t looked like a straight-up killer, I would’ve told him to fuck off.

  “I’m not a damn kid,” I argued. “Mr. Russo has me here to keep me safe. He invited me to his penthouse, so I can be as nosy as I want.”

  Clearly I liked to live dangerously by mouthing off to Mr. Drago.

  In truth, Max hadn’t exactly “invited” me here, but whatever. If that lie got me answers, I would tell more if I had to. Hell, I’d lied my way into a job. What was one more?

  “Derek.”

  I gasped that Max, his eyes still closed, had murmured my name in his unconscious state. I wasn’t even sure why he’d done that, but that gave me the courage to bully my way past the men and stand by the table. I grabbed his hand, and the contact brought me a small measure of comfort.

  It felt as though my entire word shifted in the span of a few seconds. I wouldn’t say his glacial exterior was an act. Maximus Russo was an apex predator that any person with an ounce of common sense would be frightened of. But I also knew that, deep down, there was more to him than just ice.

  I just needed to use the world’s biggest chisel to get to the warmer parts of his personality.

  “I’m right here. You’re going to be okay.” Now that I was close enough, I saw a bullet hole in his right shoulder blade.

  The right side.

  Far away from his heart.

  That was good, right? I looked at the doctor—I assumed Mr. Blond was a doctor because he had a bag with him and was working to get the bullet out—and asked, “How bad it is? Don’t hold back.”

  I heard someone snicker behind me, and I wanted to punch whoever it was in the face. I would have if all the men weren’t so terrifying. They’d pound me into the ground without breaking a sweat.

  “Let me get the bullet out, and then I can assess his condition.” The doctor winked at me. The naughty boy. “He’s in good hands.”

  I was such a terrible person. The doctor was flirting with me over Max’s unconscious form. It was nice to have my ego stroked, but I had eyes only for Mr. Prick.

  My wolf in tarnished armor.

  Whoa. Wait. He wasn’t my anything. We’d been thrown into traumatic circumstances together. The guy was just trying to keep me safe from an asshole who’d shot at us, from someone who might come after me if I went home.

  No feelings were involved in this. I mean, sure, I didn’t want Max to die, but that hardly counted as caring for him in some deep, emotional way.

  “Got it,” Mr. Sexy Doctor said. “Looks like it didn’t damage anything important. You’ll have your boyfriend back on his feet in no time.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I said. Why did that statement bother me? I didn’t want an uptight jerk for a boyfriend. Sex, sure. Max was great at sex, and I wouldn’t mind another go with him but not a relationship. I’d throw him off the balcony if I had to deal with him as my boo.

  Max’s partners went to said balcony and closed the door so I couldn’t hear what they were discussing out on the patio. I wasn’t even sure what the hell had happened in the first place to get my boss shot.

  “Do you know what happened?” I asked Edward.

  The guy ignored me. He was another one I wanted to punch. I hated that everyone treated me like an outsider, even if I was. It made me feel insignificant and small, like a bothersome nerd trying to get the cool guys’ attention. It was like high school all over again. Fucking dumbass jocks. I hadn’t wanted to be their friend, anyway.

  “He’s going to need plenty of rest,” Mr. Sexy Doctor said. “And he’ll need someone to look after him until he’s on his feet.”

  “No problem,” Edward said. “I’ll make sure he’s well taken care of.”

  “I got this.” I scowled at the domestic house cleaner, daring him to contradict me. I had no idea why I felt so protective of Mr. Prick, but I was, and Edward could crawl into a corner and remove that stick from his ass for all I cared.

  I was taking care of Max, and that was final.

  * * * *

  “What do you mean you can’t tell me where you are?” Chad snarled into the phone. “I’ve gone by your place twice, and you haven’t been there.”

  “Don’t go to my place!” God, Chad was my twin, and the guy who’d shot at us just might mistake him for me. I hadn’t thought about that and cursed the fact that I hadn’t.

  “Okay, now you really have to tell me what’s going on,” Chad demanded. “I deserve to know if you’re in any kind of trouble.�
��

  “No trouble.” I gave a light, shrill laugh, knowing damn well my twin would see right through that. I was never able to hide anything from him, especially when I felt stressed the hell out.

  “Be honest,” Chad implored. “I can help, whatever it is. Have I ever let you down before?”

  “Once,” I said.

  Chad snorted. “You wouldn’t give me back my action figure,” he argued. “It was a collectible, and you took it out of the box.”

  “You didn’t have to go squealing to our parents.” I smiled at the fond memory. “Damn, you know how to hold a grudge.”

  “Dude, that was last week,” Chad reminded me. “I’m still pissed at you about that. Now tell me what kind of trouble you’re in.”

  I looked over my shoulder and saw Max’s friends leaving the penthouse. They’d already put their friend to bed, and I saw Edward sitting by the kitchen, a book in his hand. It looked as if he was staying for the long haul.

  “I gotta go. I promise to call you back later.”

  “Don’t you dare hang up on me,” Chad snarled. “You tell me where you are or so help me—”

  I hung up before he could finish his threat. He would do it later when I called back. My twin was very inventive when it came to getting the truth out of me, and I wasn’t in the mood to be interrogated.

  After tucking my phone into my pocket, I walked back inside. Edward didn’t even look up, as if I wasn’t worth his time. If we were going to be in the same space, I wanted to try once again to befriend him.

  “What’re you reading?” My gaze wandered toward the stairs that led to Max’s bedroom. I was dying to go up there and check on him, but I was afraid Edward would tackle me.

  Plus Mr. Sexy Doctor was still up there with Max.

  Edward remained silent.

  “You know,” I said as I put my hands on my hips, “I’m trying real hard to be nice to you, and you act like I’m a bothersome fly buzzing around your head. What did I do to you that you’re treating me like I don’t exist?”