by Bry Ann
“I thought it wouldn’t matter. I knew you’d notice, but I thought I didn’t have anything to offer you, so why stay in a town that’s only hurt me?”
“You said you thought you didn’t have anything to offer me. Past tense. So you think you have something to offer now?”
Kinda, but telling her that makes me nervous. My hand comes up to the back of my neck.
“You always rub the back of your neck when you’re nervous, ya know?”
“I do, yeah.”
“So, what do you have to offer me, huh?”
“I learned that maybe, well, I know I'm someone you can be yourself with. I know I'm someone you can experiment and be vulnerable with because I’d never judge you and never hurt you.”
Rain’s quiet for a long time. “I think I drank too much,” she whispers.
“Why?” I whisper back.
She’s not looking at me. “Because… I think you’re right.”
As soon as the words leave her mouth, she pushes to her feet and runs out of the bar.
“Shit,” I curse. My hands move quickly, throwing some money on the table and running after her.
“Rain!” She’s running. I don’t know where to, but she’s running. My feet kick into gear and I sprint after her. As if this is some movie, it starts to rain and I don’t know where this wild woman is going. “Rain!” I call again.
She darts left through some trees. “Damn it,” I curse.
I'm regretting not doing cardio more. I may have to add that into my routine a bit. Sure, I may lose some mass, but I’ll be more prepared for those moments in life when women run from my table through the woods. Ya know, just a normal, everyday occurrence.
“Rain! There’s a storm coming and I can’t see you. Damn it, Rain! I'm not judging you.”
The footsteps I was hearing stop, thankfully. I keep running until I see her, well the back of her, standing there facing a large oak tree. I come up behind her and gently place my hands on her hips.
“You don’t need to run. You don’t need to be embarrassed. Not around me.”
“I don’t… do this,” she whispers, shaking her head.
“I know you’re not someone who gets vulnerable. Not even with your dad. Not with Kiki.”
“It would alarm them. They’ve been through enough with me.”
“It doesn’t alarm me.”
She’s quiet. She lets my hands stay on her hips.
“What is it, Ajax? Why do I feel like I’ve known you my whole life?”
“I don’t know, Rain. I wish I did. I wish I could give you answers, but trust it. I'm not perfect, or even good. I'm damaged goods, chérie. You know this, but I think—I think that’s what connects us.”
She turns in my hands. My hands creep up a bit to curl around her waist.
“You are a little damaged.”
I chuckle. “Glad to have you back.”
Hesitantly, she steps forward. She rests her cheek on my chest and allows my hand to wrap around her.
“When was the last time someone hugged you?”
“I let my dad hug me, but the last time I felt comfortable with it? Before my mom died.”
“Are you comfortable now?”
She’s quiet for a long moment. “Yes,” she says quietly. “I'm comfortable.”
I step away and reach my hand out. She takes it and lets me pull her out of the trees.
“Okay, well, I'm exhausted. Cookies, alcohol, feelings, running, touching… today’s been quite the day.”
My laugh is ready to escape when I feel it again. That feeling of being watched…
“Let’s get in the car,” I say abruptly.
Alarm crosses Rain’s face. She immediately does as I say. My hand goes from hers to her lower back so I can usher her into my car. When we’re in the car, her brown eyes swing my way as I quickly drive off. Thank God I'm not a lightweight, like Rain.
“Why do you keep getting this feeling if my father is dead? There’s no way I have two stalkers and the man I saw was my birth father.”
My heart breaks as she looks at me with terrified brown eyes.
“My birth father is dead. Dad told me he was dead!”
I feel like I could cry for her. Reality is starting to hit her, but her mind refuses to accept it. It’s refusing to accept that level of pain and terror.
“I don’t know, Rain,” I whisper. “I don’t know.”
18
Ajax
I drop Rain off at her house. Not much is said other than her thanking me for a good time, but her mind is distracted. Her sense of logic is battling with her trust in her father. I wish I could do more to ease her burden, but all I can do is let her know I'm here for her.
I'm furious as I drive to my apartment. My old condo has already been sold and I'm not ready to purchase it anyway. I'm furious as I drive down the highway. Why is this motherfucker stalking her? Why risk it? He was ahead. He was free. He wasn’t in a cage or in the ground, like he belongs.
I wish that coward would confront me directly instead of hiding and watching when Rain gets near. He wouldn’t last two seconds.
My body is physically shaking with rage when I slip my key in the door and enter my apartment. My head’s down when I slip my key in the door… and that’s when I hear it. The soft sound of furniture shifting. My gaze snaps up to meet a man with slicked-back blonde hair in an expensive black suit sitting in my chair.
“Who the hell are you?” I wish I had a gun. Shit. I have zero weapons except for my kitchen knives.
“I’m hurt you don’t remember me. Please, take a seat.” I scowl at his condescending tone.
“Tell me who the fuck you are.”
“Here’s what I see…” The man smiles, but it’s not a nice one, or a friendly one. “I see a man with no weapon standing in front of one with two.”
He lifts his pant leg to reveal a gun strapped to his ankle and places a hand at his hip, indicating there’s one there as well. He’s got a point… but fuck.
“So I’d recommend you take a seat.”
Slowly, I make my way to the seat across from him, wishing I had knives in the cushions or something. I need to do that, if I don’t get killed here first.
“So, you’re probably wondering who I am and why I'm here. My name is Frances, Frances Capello if you want the last name. I'm here on behalf of a friend of mine, Guy. I don’t think you need the last name. You know, the man who saved you when you had a little face to face with a knife.”
“Guy? Kiki’s boyfriend?”
“That’s the one.” Frances leans forward and fiddles with the gold ring on his finger. It’s a bit intimidating, if I'm being honest. “This is a little bit gossipy for my taste, but Guy was told by his woman that her best friend is having issues with a certain individual. I'm not much of an avenging type, but a man hurting children? Well, even I think there’s nothing lower.”
I shake my head, trying to follow. I thought I was gonna be killed, now here I am actually agreeing with this guy.
“So you know about Rain’s father.”
“I do. Rain told Kiki, who cried to Guy, who called me to assist with finding this son of a bitch. Rumor is Richard Brown himself couldn’t catch this guy.” He chuckles. “Rumor also is you care about this girl.”
Who told him that rumor, I want to mumble, but I hold back.
“So, are you furious enough to join the dark side?” He smirks.
“How dark?”
Not that I really need to know. The answer is yes. Yes, I am.
“I was an enforcer for the mafia. I’ve moved up since then. That kind of dark.”
I lean forward to match him. “I’ll go as dark as we need to find this guy. To ensure he never lays a hand on Rain again. But we can’t kill him. Not until the Brown family decides how they want to proceed. We find him first, then consult them.”
“Now where’s the fun in that?”
“This isn’t about fun,” I snap. “This is about avenging
the woman he hurt.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Frances mutters.
“Why are you here? What’s your stake in this? You barely know Rain.” Frances doesn’t answer. “It’s your friend, right? Guy is concerned because of Kiki, and you can’t stand that.”
Frances’s jaw ticks. “I do have investment in this.”
“Then let’s do it right. Do you have kids?”
“Two.”
“Any girls?”
“One.”
“What if someone laid hands on her?”
At that, Frances smirks. “They’d regret the day they ever laid a hand on her. Not only would I cut off their limbs and feed it to them, she’d thoroughly mind-fuck their life for hurting her.”
“She sounds like your mini me,” I mutter.
“She’s much smarter than me,” he says proudly, shocking me.
“Okay, well, you’d still want to do what’s best to avenge her. Give that to the Browns.”
“Why does Richard’s opinion matter?”
“Rain’s matters more, but I guarantee she’ll ask Richard.”
“Fine. We consult Rain. We’ll let her decide how she proceeds from there.”
I wince. “We actually may have to go to Richard first. Rain… well, she doesn’t know for sure this is her father. She was told he was dead.”
“Well, if we find him, she won’t have to deal with him for long. Now…” He pushes to stand. “Guy has more software than you knew existed. We’re gonna meet at the house.”
“Whose house?”
“Mine. Well, there’s a group of us, but it’s a mansion. You won’t even notice.”
I want to ask him if I’ll be safe, but that would be a coward’s question.
“Alright, I’ll take my car and follow.”
Frances smirks at that. “Scared, Mercier?”
“Ajax, and not scared—cautious.”
Nope, I'm scared. Not even gonna lie. But I also want to make sure this is legit.
“Alright, Ajax. Make sure you can keep up with me. This is a one-time offer.”
… And he’s out the door.
Inhaling a deep breath, I follow. On my way out, I grab my phone and click Kiki’s number.
“Ajax?” she answers, sounding surprised.
“Hi, Kiki, how are you?”
“I'm doing good, thank you,” she says, sounding a bit shy. “How are you?”
“Good. Hey, do you have Guy’s number?”
“Oh, yes. I’ll text you his contact.”
“Perfect, thank you.”
“No problem.”
“That’s all I needed. I just realized I didn’t have his number.”
“Okay, have a good day.”
“You too, hun.”
We both disconnect the call and a moment later, her text comes through. I quickly save his contact and click his number.
“Guy speaking,” he answers.
“Guy, this is Ajax.”
The tone of the call changes. “Has Frances spoken with you?”
“Yes, that’s why I'm calling. I'm following him to some mansion. I'm making sure I'm not on my way to my murder. You helped save my life; I figure you don’t have a lot of investment in taking it.”
He chuckles a bit. “No, I'm here as well. Frances helped save your life as well. Nothing sinister is going on here. At least not for you. Can’t say the same for Rain’s bastard of a father,” he mutters.
“Guy?” I say after a moment. “Thank you. I’ve been trying to figure out how to find her father. I knew it would have to be below the belt, if you know what I mean. If the richest man on this side of the coast can’t find him legally, that means something illegal has to be done.”
“You’re welcome. When Kiki cried to me and told me what she knew of Rain’s story, I knew I had to get involved. I hate seeing Kiki cry and I hate child abusers. Anyway, I’ll see you soon. You’re safe, man.”
“See you soon.”
I end the call and put the car in drive so I can follow Frances, who drives like an absolute maniac. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
After all, I am on my way to a mafia house, whatever that is.
It’s casual.
I can’t even lie when I say I'm freaking out as we walk down the halls of the mansion. Frances hasn’t looked back once as he struts down the halls in his three-piece suit. I feel the need to call Guy again to confirm I'm not on my way to my death but then I remember what he said about Frances helping to save my life. Besides, I'm not a target for the mob.
“Lacey…” A woman inhales so loudly from down the hall, it’s like her life depends on it. “You’re not human. Shit. I'm gonna die.”
We round the corner and see a group of three people. There’s a tall man in all black with scars covering almost every inch of his skin and a woman with long brown hair hunched over, hands on her knees, gasping for air, dripping sweat down her almost overly exposed skin. She’s not hiding much, let’s say. Next to her is a small woman with sharp grey eyes and dirty blonde hair and scars of her own. She’s got sweat on her skin too but it’s more of a light sheen. Like the large, scarred man, she has an athletic bag over her shoulder.
“I have more experience. You’ll get the hang of it,” the grey-eyed woman says.
“Babe.” She turns to the scarred man, which surprises me. Are they a couple? “I love you, but I'm not doing this again.”
His lip tips up the slightest bit. “We’ll see.”
She stands up and walks over to him, tucking into his side. He stays stoic but his arm wraps around her back immediately. The grey-eyed woman smiles at them before sensing us. Her gaze snaps over to us immediately, as well as the scarred man’s. Her gaze goes to me first, then Frances.
“Lacey,” he says, tone oddly neutral.
“Frances,” she says in the same oddly distant tone. “Who’s this?”
“This is Ajax. He’s Guy’s girlfriend’s best friend’s… you know what, let’s just say he’s a friend of Guy’s.”
Lacey’s brows raise then furrow. “Okay…”
“We’re chasing down a pedophile. This guy is in love with the woman we’re avenging,” he says casually, making my eyes nearly bug out of my head. I do not love Rain.
“I'm Maria,” the sexy Latin woman says. “This is my husband, Cut.”
“Cut?”
She grins. “His pen name, ya know. You clearly aren’t a fighter or you’d know him.”
“Pen name?” Cut says, lips almost tipping up in a smile.
“What would you call it?”
He doesn’t even answer that. He just shakes his head and pulls her the slightest bit closer, like he needs her to keep that lightness she gave him a moment ago.
“Anyhoo,” Frances cuts in, “Cut is Lacey’s trainer. Maria is his wife, obviously. She’s also a friend of Lacey’s. Then there’s Lacey, Boss’s wife.”
At that, my eyes widen a ton. The boss’s wife?! The mafia boss?!
Jesus.
“Nice to meet you. Good luck with your, uh, search. Let me know if I can help.”
Really?
“Lacey’s great with computers,” Frances says easily. “Guy’s better, though.”
Did he just say that to the boss’s wife? I glance at Lacey but she doesn’t seem to care much.
“You’re such a dick,” Maria mutters. “Literally such a—”
Cut grabs her waist and pulls her so her back is to his front, cutting her off.
“Anyway, it’s nice to meet you. A, uh, family friend, is bringing his daughter here today. I'm gonna run through some punches with her,” Lacey says.
“Nice to meet you as well.” I think… Surreal is a better word.
We’re about to leave when another man enters the room. He’s tall, even taller than Cut, with a thick beard and probably my size in muscle. Next to him is a little girl with curly hair tied up in a ponytail, the most beautiful dark skin, and intense brown eyes that scan every single person in the room.
The man puts a hand on his daughter’s shoulder immediately, staring at me then Lacey.
“It’s okay,” she tells this man. “He’s helping Guy and Frances find someone.”
I can tell she’s being intentionally vague for his daughter.
“I'm Seven,” he tells me but doesn’t say anything about his daughter, and I don’t blame him.
Lacey comes over and approaches the little girl, but her eyes don’t leave mine. She’s staring at me and I don’t know why, but I find myself staring back. I see something in them I related to as a kid.
Loss.
Grief.
Pain.
She takes a step toward me, then another and another. She grabs my wrist so my hand is facing palm up. Her hand comes up and she traces a word on my palm.
N
I
A
Nia. “Your name is Nia?”
“Nia,” Seven says.
She goes back to him. He leans down to her level and whispers something to her. She shakes her head, frowning. I see her take a deep breath, a really deep one. She’s ready to say something but Frances grabs my arm and tugs me from the room, startling me.
“What?” I gasp.
He turns to me when we reach the next hall. “Nia doesn’t speak. Rarely, rarely does she say anything. Neither of us deserve to be there for that. Seven, Lacey, and the boss would be pissed if I let you be there for that.”
“Completely understood.”
“Look at you,” he says as he opens a large black door, “meeting the boss’s wife, their trainer, his enforcer, his enforcer’s daughter. You’re practically one of the family.”
“Egh, no I'm not. I just want to find this son of a bitch.”
“We’ll see.”
When the door swings fully open, I see Guy sitting at a desk with his feet up near the keyboard and four monitors in front of him.
“You lived.” He smirks.
I roll my eyes. “Not all of us are friends with mob members.”
Guy smiles. “There are perks to being me.” He drops his feet and his smile. “I think I know how to find this guy.”
19
Rain