Escape: A Mob Stepbrother Romance

by Snow, Lucy

  I didn’t like the idea of my stepbrother having to rescue me anymore, I really hated the need to rely on other people, but at the same time, when your life was in danger, maybe pride was the first thing I had to learn to get rid of. I’d Artie taken the first step last night when I had gone to Pulse to seek Ronan’s help – maybe this was just the next step.

  Right then and there I made up my mind to go back to the cottage, and try to relax, try to wait for the right time to leave again. Ronan’s warning, cryptic as it was, made it clear that tonight was not the right night. Satisfied that the coast was clear, I turned around and started heading back towards The cottage.

  Strangely enough, walking home was a lot easier than going in the other direction. Maybe because I knew a little bit more about my destination, even though it was a kind of a retreat of sorts, I felt strong about doing so.

  And not just because I’d get to see Ronan again.

  I still kept looking over my shoulder every so often, making sure no one was following me. The crowds are getting thicker, though, as more and more people went out for their Saturday night partying. On the plus side, though, if someone was following me, it would be tougher for them to keep track of me among all these people.

  I got back to the cottage just in time to be ravenously hungry. I put my bag down, reminding myself to unpack before Ronan came tomorrow, and made myself some more food from the fridge. I ate in silence, absently picking at the romance novel, unable to get into the story, despite it being gripping and intense, like a roller coaster.

  I just wasn’t in the mood.

  After I finished eating and did the dishes, I undressed and went right to bed. I slept easily after all the exertion of the day, and all the stress that it brought with it, but at the same time, as I drifted off to sleep, I couldn’t help but wish that Ronan was in bed next to me, holding me tight all night.

  Chapter 13 - Ronan

  I didn’t like being so cryptic with Kara on the phone, but I really couldn’t go into any more detail. It’s not that I had plenty of information to share, it’s just that I didn’t want her freaking out over something that might be nothing. I knew my father was watching my actions, and I had a hunch the Russians were doing the same, so my warning to Kara was just that, a warning to lay low and keep out of sight for a couple days.

  It would be difficult to get her out of town with my father watching. I didn’t know how much I could trust him on this matter. His ex-wife, and her daughter Kara were at best a sore subject with him, and I couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t use her as a bargaining chip with the Russians if it came to that.

  So for now we were in a holding pattern, and there was nothing I could do to help Other than go about my business as usual. I’d figure out how to get her out of town soon, just as soon as things got relatively back to normal. And when she was gone, then I could get back to normal.

  I stood in my office, resting against the glass, watching the close it filled up below me. On most nights, I would stand here like this and watch the faces of all the people, so much open their eyes for the night that was about to come. Some of them came here with long-term girlfriends or boyfriends, some brought dates they were trying to impress, but most came with their friends and tried to meet somebody new here.

  I had done so many times, not at Pulse, but other clubs around the city and in other cities. These days I didn’t have much time to seek out new women at nightclubs, but also these days I didn’t have to go very far to find the pussy I wanted.

  It was a nice set up. But now I wasn’t staying at my place, I was staying at the cottage with Karen. Both of us had used the word home when we are talking about it on the phone. And both of us, I’m sure, had recognized the significance of doing that. I had to stay with her until the heat came off, but I wasn’t sure if that was a wise idea. I felt myself drawn to her, but at the same time I knew she was already my greatest weakness.

  And right now of all times, I didn’t need any weaknesses rearing their ugly heads. Especially when their ugly heads weren’t ugly at all, but so gorgeous and sexy, and so wonderful to touch and kiss.

  This wasn’t what I had signed up for. I knew that operating on one side of the law, and to be frank, it was the wrong side of the law, meant that I would be living a life of shadows, a work day that really began at night, and always keeping what I really did a little bit quieter than most.

  But what I wasn’t on board with was all the secrets, all of the gamesmanship, all of the politics of trying to negotiate between different families, and all of the little things we hid from each other even in our own family.

  Was this all worth it? I had long thought that giving up some semblance of a normal life was what I had wanted to do, because I wanted to be a mobster. I wanted to walk down the street and know that no one would fuck with me, because they knew that if they did they would get everything sent back to them 100 times worse. I liked that idea. I wanted to power, the ability to do what I wanted, to take what I wanted.

  I didn’t want to have a day job. I didn’t want to have a schedule to keep, I didn’t want to come home at night and be so tired from working for someone else that I didn’t have time to enjoy myself.

  I didn’t want to be like everybody else. But had I really accomplish that? Was I really just like everybody else, with a little bit more swagger? A week ago I would’ve said Fox no, I’m a mobster, I can do and take what I want.

  But now the answer to that question wasn’t so clear. What were we doing this for? Was it money? We had plenty of money. I could sell the art in my penthouse alone and probably be set for life. Was it respect? Did we really need guns to get respect? I wasn’t so sure anymore.

  Or was it power? Power, the ability to tell anybody what you wanted them to do, and have them do it. No questions asked. Power was intoxicating. But was power worth it, if what you are asking people to do wasn’t?

  Whatever the answers to those questions, the Russians seem to have different answers. They just wanted to own things. They knew that possession was 9/10 of the law, but the entire time they had their eye on that other 1/10.

  But what will be really fighting for anyway? The right to get protection money from businesses who really didn’t need protection except from us? The right to own nightclubs Russian? Anybody can own a nightclub, it was not hard, it was just a lot of work. Drug dealing? We didn’t want any part of drug dealing. The Russians thought differently, but thought those guys.

  None of this stuff was making sense anymore. I watched those faces coming to that club, so happy, and I realized the last time I had been that happy was when I was at the cottage with Kara. That realization shook me to the core.

  Not because it was some revelation accompanied by swelling orchestral music and me running home, as fast as I could, to sweep her off of her feet. Nothing of the kind. That wasn’t me.

  The revelation shook me to the car because it was exactly what I didn’t want. Everything in my body told me that it was wrong, that I should continue on the path that I had chosen for my life, because I had the benefit of years of thinking, of years of work and experience, and I knew what I wanted.

  This was just a momentary blip on the radar. In another week, when Kara was long gone, I would be back to my old self again, and none of these dangerous thoughts would ever crossed my mind again.

  I wondered if I even believed that.

  Someone knocked on my door. “Come in,” I said, turning around to find Chelsea and Sarah entering, and closing the door behind them.

  I straightened my suit. “Anything I can do for you? It’s about to get busy.”

  Chelsea started. “We know, we just wanted to, and make sure you’re okay.”

  Sarah stepped in front of her, chiming in. “We just wanted to see,” she flashed a huge smile, “if there was anything we could do for you before we had to go back out there.”

  All three of us knew what they were offering. Two days ago I would already be letting them undress me. Three d
ays from now, I hope to be letting them do the same thing.

  “Unfortunately, ladies, not tonight.” Both their faces fell. “But,” I started as I walked towards them, putting my arms around both of them and pulling them in, “I do really appreciate the gesture. How about a raincheck?”

  Chelsea and Sarah looked each other in the eye and then both of them kissed me on the cheek, one each side. “Okay, a raincheck,” Sarah said, her perfume wafting through my nose.

  “But don’t make us wait too long, Boss, because we get lonely,” Chelsea added, batting her eyelashes at me.

  “I’ll make sure and get right back to you. You won’t get lonely.” I patted them both on the ass, and they flounced out the door and back down to the floor.

  That’s what was waiting for me when Kara finally left town.

  I had to find a way to speed up the process.

  After all, I didn’t want the girls to get lonely.

  Chapter 14 - Kara

  I spent the next day at the cottage; luckily I’d bought enough groceries to last a few days and didn’t need to go out. I tried as best as I could to push bad thoughts of my mind, and for the most part with the help of the shelf of romance novels, I succeeded.

  True to his word, Ronan called in the afternoon to say he was coming to the cottage for dinner, and I immediately setting about cooking up the feast I’d had in mind since yesterday.

  I was just finishing up cooking dinner when Ronan entered the cottage, and immediately I could see his eyes glaze over as he took a deep breath in. I laughed, watching him saunter over to the kitchen, unable to hide his glee at the home cooked meal that was soon to come his way.

  We sat down to eat, and Ronan pulled out a bottle of wine that he had brought from the club. We shared food and drinks, and it was as close to perfect as I could imagine.

  About an hour into the meal, the wine bottle was winding down, and I could tell that he could feel it as much as I did. The one thing I had to keep in mind, though was that I couldn’t reveal that I’d tried to escape a couple times already. I just wasn’t ready to tell them that yet.

  “So,” I opened with, tentatively at first, “what’s going on with the Russian negotiations? Everything all right?”

  I could see Ronan instantly clam up, like he was on guard all of a sudden. “Not much to say,” he started, “things don’t really get under way until tomorrow.”

  “Did you hear anything about the warehouse, and what happened to Greg?” We were getting into murky territory here, but I really wanted more information.

  Ronan shook his head. “Nope, haven’t heard anything about it. Then again, I’m not very clued in to what’s going on with the Russians these days. We’ve been…focusing on our own house for the moment.”

  “Oh okay.” I looked down at my plate, and contemplated getting a little bit more food, if only just to have something to do. Ronan looked like he was considering the same thing.

  Just as he reached his plate forward to start getting some more, I couldn’t hold back anymore. “Is this what you want?” I whispered.

  Ronan put his plate back down, without any new food. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. Is this what you want? From your life, I mean.”

  Ronan studied me. “I do not answer question like that.”

  “Yes you do. Are you doing what you want to be doing in life? Is this what you want?”

  I could see him wrestling with the answer before he started to speak again. “Yes, of course it is.” He stopped again before continuing, looking up, and I could tell he was of two minds about the question and answer. ”I mean, I’ve never wanted anything else from my life.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “It doesn’t matter. The choices been made, and the die is cast. I have obligations, obligations to the family, and these are the things you get out of easily.”

  “You always have a choice, Ronan.”

  “That’s a very naïve way of looking at things, Kara. My life is a lot more complicated than you think.”

  “That may be the case, but that doesn’t mean you can’t choose a different path for yourself.”

  “Yes, it does. I can’t just turn my back on my entire life. It just doesn’t work that way.” I could tell though, that Ronan was really trying to convince himself as he was trying to convince me.

  We sat in silence for another few minutes, both of us going for a little extra food, and both of us digging deep into what was left of our wine.

  I tried again. “Why won’t you tell me what’s going on? Don’t you trust me?”

  “Trust is a complicated thing, Kara. I have learned in this business and in this life, but trusting anyone is almost always a mistake.”

  “Even me?”

  “My goal is to make sure you’re safe, and get you out of the city. Once that happens, I plan to go back to my old life.” He grinned. “In fact, I cannot wait to go back to my old life.”

  It was my turn to turn cold. “And that’s it? That’s all?”

  “Frankly, yes, Kara, that’s it and that’s all. This life is in for you and we both know it.”

  “I agree with you. What I’m saying is is that I don’t think it’s for you either.”

  Ronan said nothing, just looked at me.

  “I don’t think you’re meant to be the kind of porcupine you’ve become.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “If you don’t trust anyone, if you stay guarded like this all the time, then all you will be is a porcupine, sad and alone.”

  “I don’t know how to be any other way,” Ronan finally replied.

  A few minutes later I asked the question. “How long you think it will be before I can leave?”

  “I think a couple more days At the most. Let me get the lay of the land with the Russians during negotiation, and I’ll figure out what they know. Then we can see about getting you out of town.”

  And what that would lapse back into silence, neither of us wanting to say anything. I sat and thought about leaving this place so soon. A few hours ago I couldn’t wait to leave, but now, it felt like more than just a place to stay while running scared. I would miss it.

  All of a sudden, Ronan stood up off the couch, and took my hand. I looked up at his face, with wonder and question, but instead of speaking, he pulled me up.

  When I was standing in front of them, he reached his hand behind me and I felt my legs leave the ground as he picked me up. “What are we going? Ronan, where are you taking me?”

  He just grunted and didn’t reply. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on for the ride, already figuring out just where we were headed.

  I was right; Ronan was take me to the bedroom. Apparently all this heavy talk had gotten him in the mood, and I certainly wasn’t about to argue with that. Spending a lovely evening talking about life and what we wanted out of it with my sexy stepbrother had definitely aroused passion in me too, so Ronan’s timing was perfect.

  We got the bedroom, Ronan gently lay me down, and immediately got in bed with me. I pressed myself against him, our clothes still on, trying to get as much heat out of his body as I could, and trying to have as much of him against me as I possibly could. Something about my step brother called to me, made me feel like he needed me as much as I needed him.

  We spooned like that for a few minutes, neither of us saying anything, and neither of us seemingly feeling any pressure to do so. I would slowly run my foot up and down his leg, at the same pace as Ronan slid his hand up and down my arm. It was kind of like a very slow moving sex, but sex without real sex, and nobody was naked.

  It was like two people dancing in bed together.

  After a few minutes, with the blankets in the heat we were generating between us, started to get too warm, so I took off my shirt, throwing off the bed. As I nestled in closer to Ronan, back first, he moved away in a few seconds later his shirt ended up on the floor as well. Feeling my back pressed against the hard muscles of his chest and seeing and fe
eling his huge arms and shoulders wrapped around me, one hand under my neck and supporting me instead of the pillow, made me shudder with a combination of pleasure and the feeling of safety.

  Nothing bad could happen to me while I was in bed with Ronan. He was able to block out the rest of the world, shrink it down to the size of this room, so that all that mattered was him and me, and how our bodies fit together. He was a life raft, my life raft, in a sea of troubles. And from talking to them just now, I think I was starting to become the same for him.

  Ronan’s hands continue to explore my body, starting with my shoulders, and moving down my arms, his hands finally clasping in mind and I noticed not for the first time how big his hands were compared to mine. I held my left hand in front of my face, and he held his behind it, and we both laughed at the difference in size.

  His hands reached around me and grasped my breasts through my problem, playing with my nipples through the fabric, and sliding lower over my belly, and then lower. He hooked his thumbs into the waistband of my pants and pulled them down and off me pulling them up over the blankets and throwing them away, Before doing the same to his own pants.

  Finally we started to cool down a little with so much less clothing. Feeling skin on skin produced a different kind of heat, the heat of desire.

  I turned around in bed, so I was facing him, and Ronan and I kissed for the first time in what felt like too long. Before it was quick, fiery, passionate, almost needy in nature, but tonight felt different. It felt like we had time to explore each other, it felt like we had time to take our time and learn just what the other like.

  Ronan grasped my hair behind my head and pulled slightly as he kissed me, getting more and more aggressive as my grown got louder and louder. His other hand slid downwards and squeezed my ass, cupping it and applying just the right amount of pressure.