Every Minute I Love You (a Tomb of Ashen Tears Book 3)

by Kailee Reese Samuels

  “Bring me another piece of cake!”

  This was my version. And I would be plenty happy to be one of those two attractive, scantily dressed males being exploited for the sake of Iris’ indulgences. Take me to the motherfucking kingdom. I’ll kneel and show you my bejeweled beast.

  But Iris did one thing which sounded like chapel bells on a cool, crisp morning—she offered to let Serene bring a companion. Again, I had the—she fuckin’ what?—reaction when Serene called me. Quickly followed by, “Take me! Take me to the motherfucking kingdom!”

  Serene was unamused and shot me down faster than a cheap ho at a royal gala. “We have high class call girls for that, honey!”—might as well have been her response.

  In truth, she was right.

  I was running in the middle, scraping by with my few top dog connections like Cristos, and threatening to light myself on fire just to get The Chairman’s attention. He would’ve watched me burn, dusted up my ashes, and scattered them around the princess in the palace with her two gorgeous buffoons.

  Iris originally suggested Nico, but after the call, Serene flat out refused, knowing how on edge he has been. So, Iris invited Deacon to travel alongside Serene to the Orient to meet The Chairman. And this is how the bad boy MC rebel ended up a higher position than his dirty thug boyfriend.

  Lovely, hmm?

  Tensions are thick around the gutter trash of The Unholy. That may be a slight exaggeration. We’re not refuse, but we’re not worthy of a vacation to the castle, either. With Dom’s chop job of a marriage, Nico’s growing hunger, my living a double life, poor Deacon is the glue holding it altogether.

  So why would I let him go?

  One word—Iris.

  She asked for him.

  And like the stupid son-of-a-bitch I am, I agreed. Because what was I going to say—No, you cannot go check on my girl, you schmuck! Hell no. He could visit with her and everything would be hunky dory.

  Deacon isn’t exactly thrilled about the trip. He understands my jealousy is real. After all, he is going to see my girl. That said, I told him privately in amongst the twisted sheets and our tangled bodies last night to do what any good Master would do, to use his best judgement, and please don’t tell me about it. It’s not like Deacon and Iris didn’t take off for weeks on a frolicking fornication fest while I was incarcerated. I’m not an idiot; Cruz is going to fuck her if the opportunity arises.

  We gather Serene and Trudy’s bags and head out to Emily’s Range Rover. She took the BMW to stay with Maka for a few days in Philadelphia. They’re meeting with fabric people. I was actually happy to have the house alone with my Unholy family. And it was great timing because we’d need the space for all of the luggage and shopping bags.

  Remember, Deacon and Trudy are now together.

  There will be mass expenditures made. Deacon insists he needs a whole new wardrobe. Me, I’d toss a suit on and throw some gray sweats and tanks in a duffel and be done. But Deacon, he will need crates and trunks like Rose boarding the Titanic for its maiden voyage.

  I pray he doesn’t sink our ship.

  After the day of shopping and spending way too much money, I’m chilling in the man cave with a replay of the football game. Their plane leaves late tomorrow. Trudy is staying until the following day and leaving for a vacation to Europe. It’s not exactly a vacation, but everyone thinks it is.

  “You’re up late,” Trudy says, stepping across the threshold into the confines of my space. I allow it, just this once. She stares at the almost empty whiskey bottle sitting on the table beside me. “You okay, punkin?”

  “About as well as can be expected.”

  “Can we talk?”

  “Are they asleep?”

  She nods and goes to shut the door. Under the knee-length cream robe, her light blue nightgown shows off her sexy figure. She sits on the edge of the coffee table, close to me. “This guy I’m going to meet—Giles Ulysses Kettles—is he related at all to Iris?”

  I shake my head. “Not unless it goes way back. You’re going to love, G-Man.”

  “You said he is gay?”

  “Ya,” I reply, pouring the rest of the bottle in my glass. “But he likes me and desperately wants to attend Juliet.”

  “So, I just meet with him?”

  “Everything is taken care of,” I assure, popping my jaw. “All you need to do is show up.”

  “And what about you?”

  “I’m trying to figure that out.” I hand her my glass and she takes a sip. “I can’t marry Em. I can’t get in to see Iris. I’m getting closer to the corner.”

  In the light of the flat screen, I break down with Trudy’s hand holding mine. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Nah,” I whisper, pulling her fingers gently to come sit on the arm of my chair. She cradles my head in her bosom as my hand rests on her ass. I know what it looks like, but this is comfort.

  Her fingers ruffle through my hair. “You know, if I had a magic wand I’d send you instead of Deacon.”

  “I know,” I mutter as my tears fall from my eyes to her cleavage. “But we have to ride the wave and pray for a high tide.”

  “Are you sure your fire can survive in her waters?”

  “I don’t know.” I close my eyes. “She may end up destroying me, but I can’t let her go.”

  “I knew how much you loved her when I went to fetch you in Colorado. You were in the bathtub, and I had never in all these years seen you look that lost. You scared me. And it takes a lot to budge the old gal.”

  “MILF,” I respond with a chuckle.

  “You’re so exhausted. I can see it in your eyes. And the thing with damn Ashley hasn’t helped at all. And I swear, what the hell was Amber thinking?”

  “… Do you believe it’s Dom’s?”

  “You know, I questioned the same thing,” she says, shaking her head. “Little bitch would do anything to get her talons in one of The Unholy. For all I know, the baby belongs to some fucking stranger she met at a bar. You know how she is, Sal.”

  “If she was going to play a card to get back in, a baby certainly buys her some time.”

  “Only nine months though,” she says. “And then the real trouble comes. What you have to think about is not right now, but late next spring.”

  “A lot could change between now and then.”

  “What the hell are you two doing?” Deacon asks in my joggers from the door.

  Trudy gives him a glare. “Calm your nuts. Your man is in here breaking down and I’m doing the Ma thing.”

  “I know what your Ma thing usually entails.” She teasingly flips her son off and I chuckle under my breath. He grabs her fingers and kisses the top of her hand. “As long as his dick is staying in his pants.”

  “Son, that mess is all yours,” Trudy reassures. “We’ve all moved on.”

  Something about the way she says it draws both of our fierce stares. “Who the hell are you seeing?”

  “No one.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Ma,” Deacon implores, holding onto the back of my chair. “I can tell by how you are acting there is a man on the horizon.”

  “There is,” she confirms. “And it’s my business.”

  Stealing the glass of whiskey, Deacon downs the contents and booms. “You can’t do that! You know all about us! Give it up!”

  “Fine.” Trudy smirks and glances at me. “But if either one of my sons gets mad at me, all hell is going to break loose.”

  “Who Ma?”

  “Santino Neves.”

  “… Pico?” I question in disbelief. “You’re fucking Pico?”

  “No, I’m not fucking Pico. We went out for a ride. He took me for barbecue. We danced. He took me home.”

  “Did his lips touch your skin?”

  “He’s not contaminated, Deacon!”

  “He’s fucking Cinco,” he angrily hisses. “I don’t care if he is claiming his hatred of his brother’s actions or not.”

  “Pity,” she says, letting go of
her broken son to fight with her rebellious one. “Because he was going to see if Reckless Rebellion would absorb the members following him and Cam.”

  Deacon scoffs, “How many is that like 2?”

  “No, smartass. His Nameless gang is about six thousand strong with more joining daily. And they’ve enjoyed working with Reckless Rebellion.”

  I blink at Deacon like we’ve just been handed a gift from the Gods.

  “I didn’t spread my legs for this one, Deacon. I already did that to get you in good with Sal,” she admits, storming for the door. “What you do is up to you, it is your club, but don’t be stupid because you’ve got a grudge against me for not marrying your father. Don’t carry a chip on your shoulder. Be the Saint.”

  Well played, Ma. Well played.

  IV

  The Flower

  35

  180º

  The Master’s Ride with His Butterfly

  Sitting in first class on the plane, I think about what Ma said. I can’t stop the replay—“I already did that to get you in good with Sal.”

  I deserved the wound, but I didn’t expect the bleed. Leaving Sal this morning was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, not because I miss him, but because this isn’t fair. He should be sitting next to Serene, taking on the role of Unholy ambassador, not me.

  I’ve never spent much time with Serene.

  She’s nice.

  I stare out the window and close my eyes. Mayor Joe Kaiser called early and offered the job of Sugargrove Police Chief to me this morning as Sal was lugging my suitcases—four of them—downstairs.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Kaiser just called and asked if I wanted to be police chief?” I mumbled, not fully comprehending being offered a legitimate job. I’d bounced from runaway kid, jail, Dom’s pet, and now Sal Raniero’s righthand man. “Did you do it?”

  “I might have had a hand in it.” Sal winked with those hypnotic moss eyes. “You could easily do it though.”

  “When are you coming home?”

  “… To Sugargrove?”

  “As soon as I get our girl out of Japan,” he said, making the bed and grabbing the last of my things. “I will be there with you. Take the job if you want it. If you don’t, that’s fine, too.” He licked his wine stained lips and stripped off his shirt. “I’m going to shower.”

  “Nero…”

  “Yo?”

  He pivoted, standing naked in the bathroom, as I slowly paced to him. “Is this a stunt to get me away from you?”

  Taking a step forward, he bumped his chest into mine and took my hand. He placed it on his heart. “I promise you, this is not a stunt to oust you from my world. It is the three of us until the very end. We are the holy trinity—you, me, and Iris—it never stops, no matter what.”

  His fingers laced through my long hair. “But if I sleep with her…”

  “I’m expecting you to sleep with her,” he said, laying his hands on my shoulders. “She has called you Master and submitted to both of us. Just be careful with me when you come home.”

  “I feel like we’re playing roulette with a loaded pistol.”

  “That’s because we are,” he confessed. “My emotions are going to be off the fucking charts. I need you to come home…gently.”

  I nodded, understanding what he meant. “I’m not ever going to fuck you over.”

  “I know that, so go have fun and enjoy my girl. Whatever that means.”

  “What about the job?”

  “The job is about a little boy playing in puddles who used to dream of being an officer. I have the means to make that dream happen, but you’re going to have to cut your hair.”

  I frowned as he got in the shower. “Can I just trim it?”

  “I can probably talk Kaiser into that for a blow job.”

  “The horror!” I smiled and tugged off my shirt. “Here I come.”

  The gentle wiggle of a hand on my forearm awakens me. “Deacon,” Serene says. “We’re about to land, sweetheart.”

  I sit up, dazed, as the pillow drops into my hands.

  I’ve never spent much time with Serene.

  But she sure is nice.

  The next few hours were a muddy mess of new experiences as I was treated like the Dark Prince. The switch was odd, but Serene kept reassuring me with smiles and touches of her hand. I knew why Nico loved her so much, and in that, I also understood why Sal fell prey to her whims at nineteen. She was a plethora of good stories, effervescent giggles, and bright smiles.

  She reminded me of Kaci.

  And when I realized that…everything went south.

  Technically, Serene was Merritt’s grandmother and the keeper of the Holland charm. Like Sal, I had a unique position of having met her three daughters: Kacilyn, Priscilla, and Emily. They were each blessed with their own whimsical traits, which remedied bad things from entering their psyche. It was a stark contrast from Sal’s broody, melancholy darkness going on for infinity without resolve.

  The absence of his demons were a weight lifted off my shoulders. And while I missed his smile and snark, I surprisingly skidded into a happy place despite how I really didn’t want to go to Japan in the first place. I had traveled so much as a young man and relished in the experience, but this broke the new routine and crossed the rituals of my daily existence.

  We would be gone for two weeks.

  We drove for hours with Serene by my side. Our driver stopped for coffee and we talked without plans of meetings, alignments, or imminent threats. It was as if the war in my life was put on pause. I didn’t think of the trip as another merger but a grand adventure. I hoped to see Iris by the midpoint and have an opportunity to spend time with her in this amazing world.

  I never expected her to be standing by the door when we pulled up to the house.

  And I never anticipated my heart to feel the way it did.

  Dashing out of the car, I ignore the driver coming to open my door. I swoop my arms around her. “You’re here!”

  “I’m here, I’m here.”

  I glance around the lovely home set into the mountain as the driver plops my bags on the sidewalk. “Is this your home?”

  “It is one of the residences belonging to my family.”

  She waves her hand and the vehicle pulls away with Serene. She smiles as I panic. “Where is she going?”

  “To spend the week with The Chairman.”

  “So…”

  “You have me all to yourself,” she says.

  I’m thrilled and stunned. “Did Serene know this?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does Sal?”

  “Yes,” she says, smiling. “Because he called to make sure you had landed. You want to come inside?”

  I was expecting a heavily guarded fortress, not a traditional Japanese-style home set in amongst a lush mountain scape. “Where are we?”

  “Gifu Prefecture in the Chūbu region.”

  I grin as we walk the pathway to the door. “It’s beautiful here.”

  “You are about five hours from Tokyo and another two to three from Kyoto,” she says, holding the handle of the heavy wooden door with large black iron strapping. “But don’t bother reporting all of this back to Sal because by the time you go, so will I. Phone and electronics please.”

  “I can’t make a promise?”

  “I know you, Cruz. Your loyalty is with Sal.”

  “My loyalty is in making sure you are happy and safe,” I reply, placing my phone and tablet in her hand. “Here.”

  “Give me the other phone or two you are carrying.”

  The blush on my cheeks rises with the grin. I shake my head and say, “You’re good.”

  “No, I just know how Sal packs.”

  “I will give you a phone for Japan only in case you want to take pictures or need to text me. I’ll email the photos when you are home in the states.”

  Without complaint, I say, “Okay. Will I be here…”

  “All ten days.”

 
“I thought you had a girl staying with you?”

  “You mean Kali Ose?”

  “Yes,” I say as she opens the door and my eyes widen with awe. The structure is incredible. “Sal would love this.”

  “Kali will be Serene’s attendant. I plan on using you if I need anything.”

  The way she says the word using gives me purpose. I’m continuously used by Sal, and it is a pleasure to know Iris trusts me to care for her needs. I cannot stop looking around at the magnificent architecture which integrates the landscape into the whole atmosphere of the home. “I’m...enchanted.”

  “The house is a Japanese minka, classically styled and restored with modern finishes. They were the houses of the people—farmers, artisans, and merchants.”

  Stroking my stubble, I ask, “Why are you not in a castle?”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t.” She winks. “Would you like some tea?”

  “Do you have anything stronger?”

  “I have a full bar,” she kindly informs. “Vodka?”

  “That works.”

  Late in the afternoon, our driver returns with a box of food. Iris answers the door with no hesitations and he hands it to me. “Thank you,” she says, imparting a slight bow.

  “Are all of your meals delivered?”

  “Some of them,” she says. “Kali has been attempting to teach me how to prepare a few things, but I don’t cook in America so why would I cook here?” She grins as I laugh. “You want to eat in the living or dining room?”

  I glance at the unusual dining table. With a tilt of my head, I boldly answer, “Dining room.”

  “Come.”

  We’re on the ground in chairs sitting around the low table. I’ve done many things, but never this. She opens the containers one at a time and sets them in front of me. In the last box, there is a burger which smells incredible. “Save that for later.” She closes the lid. “You have so many things that feel like home.”

  “It’s purposeful, I requested them,” she says, putting the udon on my plate. “I’m kind of special to my grandfather. It was part of my contingency plan. He knew I wouldn’t come back to his version of Japan. I’m an American with a dual heritage. My grandfather knows this and accommodates my needs. The modifications are my comforts of home.”