The Brit

by Jodi Ellen Malpas

  The tip of my cock swells, shockwaves surging up my shaft, and I choke into her mouth when the pressure seizes me and I’m rendered paralyzed by my release. Calm. Peace. I never knew I could find it in pleasure.

  I collapse, pinning her to the bed, her moans sounding painful. I sink my face into her neck and lighten the pressure of my finger, circling gently around her pulsing flesh.

  “What happens now?” she whispers, her arm hooked over my head, stroking the hair on my nape.

  Turning my lips into her, I kiss her like a man kisses a woman he loves. “Now, I save you,” I whisper.

  “Like a knight in shining armor?” She wriggles to turn over, and I lift, just enough to let her before settling on her front, every soft curve of her tummy and breasts melding into me.

  “I’m more like a knight in rusty, tarnished armor.” I kiss the edge of her mouth, working my way down her body while she strokes and feels my hair. I can’t stop myself. My lips need to touch every part of her.

  “I love rusty and tarnished.”

  Relinquishing my mouth from her chest, I peek up at her, my eyebrow growing into a curve. “And rusty and tarnished loves you.” I crawl up her body and kiss her fiercely, rolling us until she’s on top of me, the sheets all tangled up between our legs. “Tomorrow, I’m taking you out for dinner,” I inform her around her tongue, making her withdraw in surprise.

  “Will there be a murder for main course?”

  Amusement tickles my lips as I push her up to sit astride of my waist. Flushed, hard nipples point at me. I smile and take my arms back under my head, propping it up to get the best view. “I want you to meet my uncle. Well, he’s not technically my uncle, he’s my dad’s cousin.”

  Her head tilts in interest. “You want me to meet your family?”

  “Yes.” I can tell this thrills her, even if she’s surprised.

  Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, her gaze jumping across my chest. “Okay.”

  “I’m sorry, I should have been clearer. It wasn’t a question.”

  A playful scowl hits me, followed by her palm on my pec. “And what should I wear?” Panic finds its way into her voice. It’s endearing, if wasted.

  I swing my legs off the bed and stand with Rose attached to my front. “Something pretty. It’s a special occasion.” I walk us to the bathroom and drop her on her feet outside the shower before flipping it on. When I turn to leave, I find her fidgeting on the spot, lost in thought. Is she really that worried about this? The possibility shreds my heart. Today is the first step to finding our true beginning. “Rose?”

  Without acknowledging me, she approaches the vanity unit and reaches behind a drawer, pulling something out. A cell phone. Staring down at it for a few seconds, she turns it over and holds it out to me. “I found it in the silver purse I used in Vegas. I don’t know how he got it in there. I only discovered it when we were back here. You can check the messages if you like. It’s bugged too.”

  Regarding her carefully, I reach for the phone and take it from her hand. “I believe it wasn’t you who tipped off the FBI, Rose,” I confirm.

  “I know.” She shrugs. “But who did?”

  My lips straighten, my eyes falling to the screen. “I have many enemies.”

  “And so do I. Nox knows I’ve turned on him. He won’t let this go, Danny.”

  “Neither will I,” I growl, stepping forward, holding the phone between us. I hate the look of utter dread distorting her beauty. The only thing in the world that she should dread is me. I want to be the only man who can hurt her. Because that means I get to be the only man who can love her. True pain, I’ve learned, only comes from within. It only comes from loving someone. I slide my hand onto her cheek, the tips of my fingers weaving through her hair. “I don’t want you to waste one more thread of fear on anyone else, do you hear me? I am your master, your god, your lord, your fucking be all and end all.” I kiss her hard on the lips. “He can’t control you anymore because now you are mine. You got that?”

  Her nod is jerky.

  “Good.” One more kiss before I turn her and direct her into the shower. “I have a few calls to make. We’ll have lunch when I’m done.” Leaving Rose behind, I throw on some sweatpants and head for the gym, slipping the cell phone in my pocket.

  I’m looking forward to a little chat with the last man I’ll ever kill.

  Chapter 24

  ROSE

  * * *

  The next evening, I’m in a fluster, indecisive of what to wear, critical of everything I put on my body. Nothing seems suitable to meet the family of my mafia boyf . . .

  I pause mid-frantic think. “Boyfriend?” I say to myself, turning left and right in the mirror, taking in the simple black off-the-shoulder dress. Too formal? Too short?

  Glancing across to the bedside clock, I note that I haven’t got time to debate it. I grab my bag, slip my feet into some suede heeled pumps, and make my way downstairs. The hall is empty, so I continue to the kitchen. Esther’s drying some dishes, humming to herself, and she stops mid-rub of a bowl when she spots me. “Hi.” I wave a hand nervously at her, then immediately use it to pull down the hem of my dress. “Too short?” I ask, searching for reassurance. It’s ridiculous. The red thing Danny tore up shattered the slut scale. This is nothing in comparison.

  “Too lovely,” she counters, a kindness in her eyes that I’ve not met before. Esther places the dish down along with the towel and clasps her hands together in front of her flat stomach. “Can I tell you something, Rose?”

  I’m caught off guard, my hands pausing from fussing over my dress. I should embrace this moment of interaction, since it’s never happened before. “Sure,” I say, almost offhandedly, when on the inside I’m churning with curiosity.

  “I just want him to be at peace.”

  My brow furrows before I can instruct myself to stop it. “You mean Danny?”

  “He’s full to the brim with resentment. I can’t blame him, not after what I did to him.” She smiles when my eyes widen. “I know he’s told you, and just the fact he’s found someone to confide in fills me with a comfort that you might not ever understand. I’ll never forgive myself for abandoning him, Rose. For leaving him with that monster. Never.” A hard swallow. “But—”

  “Then why did you?” I can’t stop myself.

  “Sorry?”

  “Why did you leave him?”

  “Sometimes things aren’t as simple as they seem. I was a young woman. Everything just seemed . . . impossible.”

  “I was fifteen,” I say without thought. “I would have moved mountains to keep my son.”

  Esther recoils, surprised. Yes, I have a son, so she can’t tell me I don’t understand. I do. “Then why didn’t you?” she asks gently, throwing my words back in my face. I suddenly can’t breathe as I stare Danny’s mother in the eye. She’s not looking at me in disapproval or disgust. She’s looking at me like she truly needs my answer.

  “I—”

  “There you are.” Danny’s voice joins us in the kitchen, and I turn to find my knight in rusty, tarnished armor, looks like anything but. He’s wearing a fine black three-piece, his hair slicked back, his stubble neat. His piercing gaze assesses me, blazing a trail of appreciation up and down my body. “Are you okay?”

  I pull myself together and push my shoulders back, glancing at Esther. She smiles at me before going about her business. “I’m fine.” I strain a meek smile and approach him, slipping my arm through his when he cocks it out. We walk to the car, and I note Brad and Ringo getting in the Merc up front as Danny leads me to the one behind. “They’re joining us for dinner?”

  Opening the passenger door for me, he lets me lower to the seat, holding my hand. “I don’t go far without them.”

  I wouldn’t either if I had a target as big as Danny’s on my back. I guess I have now, too, so their presence should reassure me. Danny slips into the driver’s side and starts the car, studying me thoughtfully. “What?” I ask as I pull my seatbelt
across.

  “Tonight . . . it’s going to be fine. Good,” he tells me, laying his hand palm up in front of me.

  I frown as I place my hand in his, looking at him in question. He doesn’t entertain my curiosity. Just stares forward, squeezing my hand.

  We pull up at iron decorative gates after a half-hour drive across town. The mansion is sprawling, easily on par with Danny’s epic palace, and just like Danny’s place, there are suited men at the gates. “I assumed we were going to a restaurant,” I say as Brad opens the door for me and I step out, catching him looking across the roof to Danny. It might be me, but he looks pissed off. I follow his eyes to Danny and find a cold stare. Have they fallen out? Over me?

  “Ernie suggested dining here with him.” Danny rounds the car and collects me, leading me up the steps. “Given there’s someone out to kill me, I took the offer.”

  “What’s with all the men?” I ask, motioning to two more guys halfway down the driveway.

  “Ernie’s related to Carlo Black.” Danny tips me an ironic smile. “Dad always insisted he have security, much to Ernie’s displeasure.”

  I can understand his displeasure, but also the need. “Is Brad okay?” I ask, casting my eyes over my shoulder. He and Ringo are following us, though keeping their distance. “He looks tense. It’s me, isn’t it? He doesn’t trust me.”

  “That’s his problem. Don’t make it yours.” His words are final, daring me to ignore them. Brad looks around, his eyes high and low. Then his hard stare lands on me, and I shrink under his icy glare. Shrinking isn’t me, but I hate the notion that he dislikes me. I don’t suppose I can ask for anything more.

  We’re greeted by a maid, who dips her head and offers us wine. Danny takes a glass and hands it to me, and I accept on a smile of thanks. The entrance hall is stark white, a chessboard of black and white tiles under my feet. It seems cold and empty. The only furniture seems to be the loitering suited men. Danny nods to them in hello, placing a hand on my back. “Let me show you to the terrace.” He leads me through a den that opens into a dining room, where an impressive table is set for three. Then we step out some doors to a large, well-kept garden with a pond.

  I peek over the edge and see giant goldfish smoothly zigzagging through the water. “They’re some big fish.”

  “In a little pond,” Danny muses. “Or is it little fish in a big pond?”

  I nudge him on a light laugh and wander down to a swinging chair, sitting on the cocoon of wicker and swaying gently. “It’s nice here.”

  “I’ll go find the old fool.” He drops a kiss on my nose before wandering back toward the house, and I relax back in the swing, rocking myself gently as I sip my wine and listen to crickets and croaking frogs. The peace and calm within me is bordering overwhelming, and for a moment I let my mind wander to Nox. Where he is; what he’s doing? They’re not questions I can answer, but I can be sure of one thing: he’ll be dead soon. Or is he already?

  “Rose,” Danny calls, and I glance up to see him at a set of doors in the distance, gesturing for me to come. I push myself up and head his way, a few butterflies lapping my tummy. Has he introduced a woman to his family before? I smile to myself, knowing the answer.

  When I reach him, he encases my head in his hands and directs it down so I’m staring at his shoes. He pushes his lips to the top of my head. “I love you,” he says into my hair, reinforcing his words with a borderline uncomfortable pressure on my temples. He kisses me again, breathing through it. “Rose, this is Uncle Ernie.” Danny releases his hold and turns me as I lift my eyes from the floor, my mouth stretching into a friendly smile, ready to say hello. I make it halfway up a broad chest and see an empty Scotch glass wrapped in old, wrinkled, fat fingers. I frown when my blood turns to ice, an odd feeling of unease rippling through me. I try to shake it off. I can’t. And when I look up and find his face, I realize why.

  The ground disappears from beneath my feet.

  My heart tumbles and rolls in my chest.

  I step back into Danny on an irrepressible snag of breath, my heartbeat going from zero to sixty in one, overpowering and painful thump.

  “Rose?” Danny’s arm slips around my waist and presses my back to his front, his torso absorbing my quivers.

  “I’m sorry.” I shake my head mildly, yelling at myself to pull it together. “Too much wine too quickly,” I mumble mindlessly, staring at the face that’s haunted my dreams for years. I jolt once again, trying to pass it off as a wobble. Danny’s uncle smiles. It’s oozing malice. He recognizes me. In fact, he doesn’t seem at all surprised to see me. I swallow down the bile in my throat repeatedly.

  He ripped my baby from my arms. He callously gave me away when I was of no use to him anymore. I’ve been in living hell for the past ten years because of this debauched heathen.

  My gut twists.

  My head bangs.

  My eyes sting.

  Danny’s family?

  “Rose,” Ernie chirps, extending his arms out to me. He captures me in his hold and hugs me to his chest, suffocating me. “Breathe one word and they’re dead,” he whispers in my ear. “My nephew and your son.”

  Panic immobilizes me, my brain spasms. Releasing me from his depraved clutches, he regards me carefully. “You must be pretty special for my nephew to bring you here.”

  I can only blink, stunned into silence.

  “She is,” Danny confirms, reclaiming me and slipping his hand onto the small of my back. “Which is why I wanted you to meet her.”

  “It’s a pleasure, Rose.” Ernie smiles, this time less wickedly. “Come, let’s eat.” He motions us to the dining room, and I glance up as I’m guided by Danny’s palm. Breathe a word and they’re dead. There are two men in the hallway. I saw two at the gate, and two more on the drive up to the house. I’ve no doubt there are more around, all here to protect him. But Danny said his dad supplied security. That Ernie was only in danger by association.

  Ernie goes to a huge globe and lifts the lid, revealing a mass of bottles and an ice bucket. He plops two cubes in his glass.

  “Where’s Brad and Ringo?” I ask Danny quietly, forcing curiosity to mask my panic.

  “They’ve gone to get something to eat.”

  Fear layers the dread as Danny helps me down to a chair. “I thought you never go anywhere without them.”

  He smiles at me, laying my napkin across my lap like a true gentleman. “I’m at my uncle’s house. I think we’re good.” He motions to the armed men outside the dining room.

  We’re good? We’re far from good. “Danny—”

  “More wine, Rose?” Ernie asks, as if he senses my natural instinct to blurt out who he is. “Or would water be better?”

  “Water, please.” I swallow, ignoring Danny’s inquisitive look pointing at my profile as he takes his chair. A maid pours for me, and I take my first sip with shaky hands, my eyes rooted to the glass.

  “Tell me how you two met?” Ernie says casually, just making conversation.

  I look at Danny, my mind blank. My dry mouth won’t allow me to talk, even if I had the words to say. Not that Ernie needs them. He knows exactly how Danny and I met. What’s going on? “Rose was my lucky charm in a game of poker,” Danny speaks up, reaching for my hand and squeezing. “We met in Vegas.”

  Ernie’s bark of laughter has me jumping in my chair. I’m skittish, hot, and sweaty. “You can’t play cards for shit.”

  “Shut up, old man.”

  My shock and fear are getting out of control. I need to compose myself before I blurt out across the table what I know and get us both killed. Love’s made me weak. How could I let this happen? I’d usually laugh in the face of threats. Contain my misery and fear.

  I look over my shoulder and see the men still loitering in the lobby. “I need the restroom.” I stand on shaky legs, placing my napkin on the table. “Please, excuse me.”

  Ernie pauses with his tumbler midway to his mouth as he watches me, and Danny rises from his chair. “Would
you like me to show you where the bathroom is?”

  I falter, glancing at Ernie who mildly shakes his head, a thousand death threats in his stare.

  “Second door on your right through the lobby.” Ernie points, resting back in his chair.

  “Thank you,” I say robotically, leaving my purse on the table and walking away on numb legs. I’m not surprised when one of the men lurking in the hallway follows me. I slip into the bathroom and close the door behind me, falling against the wood. “Oh my God,” I whisper, looking around, trying to kick-start my brain. What the hell am I going to do? I try to straighten out my head, try to recall things I really need to remember. Danny’s uncle? Or cousin. Or whoever he is. He’s working with Nox. My hands come up, my fingertips pushing into my forehead. There’s too much information bombarding my head, making it impossible to think clearly and unravel everything.

  A tap on the door startles me. “Make it snappy,” a man grunts.

  I dash to the mirror to check my face. I’m flushed. My eyes are stressed. I frantically search my mind for a way out of this, coming up blank. Brad and Ringo aren’t here. There’s nothing I can do but hold my breath and pray. I need to be cool. Then we might just walk out of here alive. I’ve handled many situations over the years where I’ve held in my disgust, my fear, my anger, and let self-preservation and hatred for my situation fuel my confidence and bravado. And that’s what I need to channel now.