by Erin Osborne
It may sound silly and childish to some, but not to me. That was the only way I could get through the days after my mom died. She was my guiding light and the force that kept me moving. Until she wasn’t. When I lost my mom, I lost the light in my life. The one person who would give me advice and anything I needed along the way. Sitting and watching the sunrise and sunset is the only thing that made my days bearable. Without that, I couldn’t get through the day because I’d be in bed all day crying my eyes out and screaming at how unfair things were until I was hoarse.
“Good morning, Rosa,” I greet her, pausing at the island before heading outside.
“Hello, Imogen,” she says, turning around with a smile on her face. “Coffee?”
“Yes please,” I respond, offering her my own smile in return. “Has Flynn been down yet?”
“No. Are you eating on the patio this morning?” she questions me.
Nodding my head, I accept the cup of coffee, already doctored up the way I like it. Making my way outside, I bypass the tables for right now. Seeing my book resting on the lounger where I left it yesterday, I leave it on the lounger I usually sit in daily. I struggle to pick it up so I can turn it without scraping the legs across the cement of the patio. When it’s positioned so I can see the sunrise without interference, I pick up the book and place sit down. I clean my head of all thoughts to start my new day fresh and clear of whatever was holding me back from yesterday.
I’m so lost in thoughts of what I want to complete today. Today is about becoming a better person than I was yesterday. Of letting go of the hate I feel toward Flynn. The only thing I can’t let go of right now is the pain from my father’s betrayal. That pain will live with me for the rest of my days. I’ve been betrayed before and it hasn’t hurt or lingered the way my father’s is. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever get over the pain caused by him.
“What are you doing facing away from the house?” Flynn asks, sneaking up behind me as I jolt in the lounger.
“Watching the sunrise and starting out my day the right way. I want to thank you for putting me to bed last night. And taking me to the club. I had a lot of fun,” I answer him, not taking my eyes off the sunrise as it gets higher in the sky, warming up the air around us and showcasing what a good day today will be.
“You’re welcome, Imo,” he answers, his voice low and close to my ear.
Turning my head, I watch on as he drags a lounge chair up next to me. Taking his own seat, he gazes out at the view in front of us. I can’t stop my gaze from sliding to the side as I take Flynn in. He’s wearing his pajamas still, a pair of grey lounge pants and a dark tee-shirt. It does nothing to hide the muscles from bulging out against the fabric of his clothes. My mouth waters once more as it usually does when I get a glimpse of the man sitting next to me. Before I can turn away, Flynn turns and our eyes lock.
My body leans over the side of the chair without me realizing it. Flynn also leans in toward me, our mouths less than an inch from one another. Our eyes don’t unlock as we each continue to move toward one another. Before too long, our lips are touching. Flynn’s are full and soft as they press against mine. When he bites down on my bottom lip, I gasp in shock. Flynn takes full advantage of the situation as he slides his tongue in my mouth, tangling it with mine.
While I’ve been kissed more than once in the past, Flynn’s kiss puts all of them to shame. He’s going to ruin me for any other man in the world and I’ve only kissed him. I can’t imagine what it would be like if we actually had sex. I’m not sure I’d live through the experience. Especially being a virgin.
Flynn breaks the kiss, placing one more gentle one against my lips. I can’t catch my breath as my eyes remained closed and I bring a hand up to touch my lips. They’re swollen and tingling from his kiss. Finally, I open my eyes to see Flynn staring at me with a smirk on his face. One side of his lips are turned up while heat and lust still fill his eyes. His lids are hooded as I take in his face.
Instead of him putting the usual blank mask back in place, Flynn leaves himself open so I can see all the emotions flitting through his eyes; the window to a person’s soul. There’s no doubt in my mind that he wants me. While I don’t want to be just another notch on his bed, at this point, I’d let Flynn do anything to my body he wants. There’s also a vulnerability and sensitivity shining from him. For the first time in my life I feel as if Flynn is letting me see inside him. More than when he shared with me in the pool.
“Breakfast is ready,” Rosa announces, breaking the trance or spell woven around Flynn and myself.
“Thank you Rosa,” he says, further breaking the link between us as he turns his head to face her.
Rosa sets our plates up at the closest table to where we’re sitting in the lounge chairs. Finally, the sun has made it’s way up over the horizon, lighting up the sky and covering us in the warmth it brings on a daily basis. Flynn stands up but doesn’t move. He holds out his hand for me to take. Pulling me up from the lounger, I set the book back down, and let him pull me up against his hard body.
He leads me over to the small table and once again pulls out my chair. Flynn can truly be a gentleman when he wants to be. I imagine this is how his dates feel when he’s back home. Taking them out to wine and dine as he pulls out chairs, holds doors open, and anything else a gentleman would do. I offer him a small smile as he takes his seat from across me. Rosa comes back out with a fresh carafe of coffee. She pours a cup for Flynn as I stand up and grab the cup I left by the lounge chair a little while ago.
Flynn and I eat in silence as he picks up the newspaper to read before he has to get ready to head out for the day with Tommaso. This morning is a moment in time just for us. One I’ll think of long after the day ends and a new one begins.
“What are you doing today?” Flynn questions when he’s done eating and has set the paper aside.
“The same as usual. I’ll sit out by the pool and read for a while. After lunch, I’ll probably help Rosa clean up. Then, I’ll read some more. Not a lot to do and I’ve never been a big fan of TV. Maybe I’ll see if I can find a movie though,” I respond, realizing how boring my days truly are.
“I’m not sure how late I’ll be today. Tommaso hasn’t filled me in on what’s going on,” he informs me, getting ready to leave the table. “If there’s anything I can get you to do, let me know and I’ll make it happen.”
“Thank you. I’ll be fine with the books though. They help me get through the monotony of the day and I can get lost in them sometimes,” I assure him, not needing him to know how boring I am.
Flynn nods his head and disappears into the house. I remain seated at the table as Rosa makes her way back out to clean up. While she’s doing her job, I make my way back to the sun lounger. Putting Flynn’s back in its spot, I then turn mine so they’re both facing the pool as they belong. Taking my seat again, I pick the book back up and get lost in the world of drugs, guns, badass men, and women who fall in love with them. The world of organized crime.
Chapter Thirteen
Flynn
TOMMASO AND I are back at the warehouse today. Sal, Dom, and Gabriel are coming to meet us so we can go in and have a little chat with the guys in there. They’ve been trying to figure out who took their guy out and they’ll learn that I did today. I’m not worried about something happening to me, the only thing I’m worried about is Imogen. About her living her life and being happy no matter what she’s doing and where she goes from here.
“Tommaso, need you to do me a favor,” I tell him, turning to face him. “If something happens in here today, I need you to make sure Imogen is okay. That she’s happy and gets what she wants.”
For several minutes he does nothing but look at me. He’s trying to gauge where my heads at and where this is coming from. Hell, I don’t even know where this is coming from. Other than from this overwhelming need to protect Imogen and make sure she’s happy.
“I’ll do what I can to make sure she finds her happiness. But, you know
nothin’ is gonna happen in there today. The guys are comin’ and will have our backs,” he finally replies to me. “You’re walkin’ out of there with us the same way we’re walkin’ in.”
I nod my head and turn to look back out the window. I don’t see the parking lot of the warehouse, the building, the containers, or anything else outside the window. The only thing I see is Imogen. I see her with a smile lighting up her face, her belly round with a baby, and a man by her side. She’s happy and in love. I would give almost anything for that to be me. Almost anything because there is no way I’ll give her up.
For the last few days, since we sat and watched the sunrise, I’ve been thinking of nothing but making her mine and trying to find a way into her life. A way that will cement my presence so there’s nothing she can do but love me and keep me. No, I’m not going the route of getting her pregnant just so I can keep her. That’s deceitful and not a way I’ll ever be in her life. I’m not going to lie my way in.
I’m not sure how much time passes as we wait for Sal and the rest of them to show up. My thoughts are consumed with Imogen. This morning I left her out by the pool once again. She was wearing her bikini with a short pair of cutoffs over her bottoms. A book was in her hand and a cup of coffee sat next to her. Her hair was up in a messy bun while her face had no make-up on it. I’ve never seen her look as sexy as I did this morning. No perfection, not trying to put herself directly in my line of sight, and simply imperfectly perfect.
A knock on my window startles me. Clearing the haze from my eyes and being lost in my thoughts, I turn up to see Sal standing there. He’s got an unreadable look on his face as I open the door while he steps back.
“Where’s your head at?” he questions me, his face turning hard.
“It’s here. Exactly where it needs to be,” I answer him.
“I don’t think it is. I think it’s somewhere else. Maybe with a woman who is turning his world upside down. Imogen has gotten under your skin and you can’t keep your head in the game. Where it belongs. Your no good for her if you wind up dead, Flynn,” he states, his voice hard. “You’re not goin’ in there today if you can’t get in the game.”
“I’m ready to go in. I’m the one who killed the fucker and I’ll take responsibility for it,” I respond, knowing this is where I need to be.
I have to take accountability for my actions. To accept responsibility for something I’ve done that stirred up some shit between Sal’s family and this group of thugs. These guys aren’t anything other than low life thugs who want to go toe-to-toe with the big boys. They want to takeover territory they didn’t earn and steal a business right out from under the men who have put their blood, sweat, and tears into what they’ve built over the years. I know this is what Sal and the rest of the guys have done here because it’s the same thing we do on a daily basis back home to build up our own businesses.
I’ve busted my ass to open up multiple gambling rooms around our small town and the larger surrounding city. We host different games and do different things on a monthly basis to draw bigger crowds in. Those are the days I can’t be anywhere but that particular gambling room. I have to be there to run the room and I get in on the games every now and then. I’m not going to be the only one to miss out on opportunities to score a big win. However, I only join in if we have a last-minute cancellation.
We put a list together of who we want to attend our big gambling nights. They get the word and let us know if they’re going to attend. Sometimes things come up and they can’t make it at the last minute. We’ve already decided who’s going to be at each table around the room. So, if we have to fill any of the spots because of no shows or cancellations, then we step in to fill it. Lachlan and Hunter also show up for these nights. It’s all hands on deck for our big game nights.
“Flynn, you’re in last. Follow us in and we’ll fan out across the room,” Sal says as we all crowd around him. “I want eyes on Flynn at all times. His head isn’t in the game right now. So, after today, he’s home until he can figure out how to pull his head from his ass.”
I don’t even bother trying to say a damn word. Sal’s right. My head is filled with Imogen and that’s going to do nothing except for get myself or someone else hurt or worse. I know better than to go out and work when my head isn’t where it needs to be. When I’m not focuses on the job at hand, I stay home, or push it back until I’m right again.
We all take off and head toward the warehouse. I’m behind the rest of the guys, my eyes scanning the area until we spread out on either side of the door I went in the day I killed the man here. Sal listens for a minute at the door before looking at us and holding up his fingers. He lowers them one by one before pulling the door open. Tommaso is the first one in. I watch on as Sal goes inside right before me. We all fan out around the room as the yelling and confusion of the men in the warehouse echo around the room.
They’re in the middle of bagging up more product to put out on the streets. In the hands of kids who have no business with the drugs and guns they peddle. These assholes don’t give a shit who they sell to. Their only concern is the money they pull in. Everything else is not a concern. Not a single one of us conduct business this way and we never would. Kids and women are off limits. Always.
“What the fuck is goin’ on in here?” Sal calls out, knowing they don’t know how many of us there are because of the crates.
“None of your business,” one of the men growl out in response as I hear the first gunshot ring out.
“I think it is our business considerin’ your in our territory and we didn’t approve a bunch of low level cocksuckers to move in,” Sal states, hitting his mark as more gunfire echoes around the room.
The men are shooting at us without knowing where we are. The only thing they’re going to accomplish is having the bullets bounce off the inside of the building and hit a random target. Or the product they’re trying to peddle on the street. Not a good way to conduct business. No one wants to buy damaged goods. They have no sense of business if this is how they handle things.
I shake my head at what is going on in the warehouse right now. Tommaso is the closest to me. He looks over to me and I see the smirk on his face. The same thoughts are running through his head as I have going on right now. We all know these guys don’t give a shit about anything other than making money. It’s more about the product and making sure your clients get the best product available. Not something that’s been shot up or handled with less care than they should. These fuckers are just randomly shooting. This also proves they don’t even care if one of the men they work with ends up taken out.
“Are you the fuckers who took out our man?” one of the guys shouts out as the gunfire dies down once more.
“I am,” I respond, not bothering to hesitate.
“Come on out. Don’t be a pussy who hides,” another voice calls out.
Looking from Tommaso to Sal, I keep my gun in hand and step out from behind the crates currently hiding me. I can feel the men I’m with trying to communicate silently with me to stay where I’m at. There’s no way in hell I’m doing that. Sal and his men aren’t responsible for this, I am. It all rests on my shoulders and I’m prepared to pay for my sins. Something I’m not sure I’d do if I were back home. Just one more way I’ve started changing since meeting Imogen.
“Another pussy in a suit,” one of the men farther back in the room sneers at me. “Why would you take out our man? He didn’t fuck with you.”
“I’m a pussy in a suit?” I question, looking around as if he’s talking about someone else. “I don’t think I’m a pussy. I like pussy though. A lot. More than the lot of you mates.”
“What the fuck is this shit? You’re not even American,” another man calls out, laughter now echoing off the walls around us.
“You’re right, I’m not American. Does that matter?” I question them, looking as innocent as I can.
“If you’re not American, then you have no business here,” the man closest t
o me says, looking me dead in the eyes with his gun pointed directly at me.
“I think I do have business here. Obviously. I’m the one who took your man out and I’m the one you’ll be dealing with. No one else here,” I tell him, not bothering to look at the other men standing behind him. “But, I’ll appease your curiosity and let you know that I’m here as a friend of the men who you’re trying to move in on. That’s not very good business practice. Is it?”
“Our business and how we conduct it are none of your business. Again, you’re nothing but a pussy in a suit. The same as the rest of these men,” the man who appears to be the leader growls out, his hand trembling while still keeping his gun trained on me.
“I conduct my business every single day in a suit. I’ve gotten my hands dirty and built my business from the ground up. You think your hands are dirty, you’ve got nothing on me and what I’ve done for my business. And I don’t even handle the type of business my brothers handle back home,” I taunt him. “If that makes me a pussy, then so be it. But just remember I’ve shed more blood in the first few years of my life in the family business than you have in all of your years combined.”
There’s a few snickers from the men behind me. They know exactly what I’m talking about because Sal was there to help me when I needed it. I refused to go to my father because he basically through us into shark infested waters and said sink or swim. All of my business sense comes from Sal and the way he taught me how to handle things. I expanded on his ideas and grew my business. When Lachlan and Hunter ran into problems with their own businesses, I went to them and we sat down to talk through things. Our father didn’t help us at all. He simply sits back and rakes in the money we earn claiming it’s family money. That’s why a large part of me can’t wait until he dies. Then the three of us can run the business as we see fit and do what we want with the money.