by Soraya Naomi
Without giving her time to think, I pull her to me by her wrist as Rosalia opens the door we came through that’s still unmanned. Pacing down the hallway and back upstairs, we cross the threshold and I inhale a deep breath of the chilly wind as we escape the murky bar and cross the street to where a few people are out and about, feeling safer with others around us.
“Call 911,” I suggest to Tara, and she presses her phone to her ear with a nod.
“There’s a dogfight at the bar called Buddy down on Jackson Street...Yes...Um, I’m Tara P—”
Rosalia yanks my arm, so I swivel around to her without hearing what Tara says as she asks, “Who is she?”
“She’s a friend of Henry’s,” I explain. “I don’t know her.”
“They’ll be here soon,” Tara informs us.
I should be relieved, but I’m stuck in a state of shock. Quietly, we wait until we see a police vehicle coming down the street. Thank god.
“We need to go,” Rosalia urges, pulling me with her by my hand.
“Yeah, um.” I glance at Tara, who observes me kindly enough, but there’s something about her stare I don’t like. Regardless, I’m glad she also can’t tolerate this kind of cruelty, so I ask as sincerely as possible, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m a bit shaken up though. I’m going home too. I’m Tara by the way.”
“I’m Mary.” Then I point next to me. “This is Rosalia.”
Rosalia smiles weakly and insists to me, “We need to go. Thank you, Tara.”
After I dip my chin to Tara, Rosalia tows me with her to her car that’s parked one block away.
***
Both of us are still rattled when Rosalia drops me off at my apartment.
“Don’t tell anyone about where we went, okay, Mary?” she instructs me right before I step out of her car. “They’d go crazy if they found out.”
“I won’t,” I reply absently and shut the door, moving inside the sanctuary of my building, wanting to feel the security of my home.
The images are vivid in my memory, and the smell of sweat still perforates my nostrils. A lone tear rolls down from the corner of my eye as I shiver. Swiping it away, I push my key into my front door and enter, closing it and leaning back against it.
All of a sudden, Henry barges from the living room into the entryway, his manner irate, and stops halfway, perusing me from head to toe. Then cool rage underlines his clipped words, “Why was your goddamn phone off? And where the fuck were you?”
Shit! What do I say?
I can’t drag Rosalia down with me, yet I can’t lie to Henry. I always expect honesty from him, and I don’t want to make up a story.
My stomach tightens as our gazes collide. His silver-grey eyes are like shards of ice as he prowls toward me, more infuriated than I’ve ever seen him before.
CHAPTER 24
Henry
Within fifteen minutes, I’ve lost all grip on my emotions and my patience is running thin. With Mary’s phone being off, I can’t even track her, so going home isn’t a viable option. But waiting is driving me nuts.
Eventually, I decide to call Adriano because the sheer anger firing through me trumps anything else. Her safety is most important. Taking a deep breath, I yank my phone from my pocket and tap Adriano’s name, but just then, the front door creaks open. Ending the call before it rings, I stride into the entryway, letting out a frustrated sigh as I scan Mary from top to bottom for injuries.
“Why was your goddamn phone off? And where the fuck were you?” I charge ahead, towering over her when I stop directly in front of her.
Her posture screams anxiousness, like she’s been caught doing something wrong. She stares at the floor, so I cup her chin, forcing her to look up, yet she acts like she’s out of it.
“Mary!” I bark, and she rears back. “I’ve been going fucking crazy with worry. Talk to me.”
“Why are you here?” she mutters as if she’s a million miles away and she just now comprehends I’m here.
Suspicious, I respond, “What do you mean? It’s after midnight. Where have you been?”
Mary’s hesitation to answer has my heartbeat drumming in my ears. Where was she? Why is she acting so strange? Cynicism that’s inherent to my personality has me questioning everything.
She doesn’t meet my eyes. Not even when I seize her arms and shake her. “Mary. Jesus Christ!”
“Stop shouting. Please,” she implores.
“Then tell me where you’ve been!” I demand as she struggles to break free.
“You’re just going to get mad!”
“I already am,” I counter, releasing her and raising a brow. “Why can’t you just fucking obey orders? Do you even realize how dangerous it is when we can’t reach you?”
“Oh, my god! Obey? You hang out with Adriano too much. Calm down. As you can see, I’m fine.”
I wave my hand, indicating that I’m still waiting for an answer.
She sighs heavily. “I found out where a dogfight was being held...and I went there,” she murmurs, and I go off.
“Are you fucking kidding me! Where was it? And you went alone?”
“It was in a bar, downtown.” She pauses and scratches her eyebrow.
“Mary,” I prompt, clenching my jaw. “Did you go by yourself?”
Her gaze meets mine cautiously. “Um, no. With Rosalia.”
“Logan was also with you?” I’m going to kill him.
“No, only Rosalia and me. He doesn’t know, so please don’t tell him. We’re both fine.”
“Goddammit, Mary! You two went alone?” Now it’s starting to make sense. “Did Rosalia rope you into this?”
“No, we both wanted to go. It was just so much worse than what we expected. It was horrible.” She clutches her hair and tries to walk past me, but I inch sideways to block her path, making it clear that she needs to answer all my questions first.
“What exactly happened at this bar?” I ask, my chest rising and falling more sedately now that I’ve confirmed that she’s unharmed.
“We discovered a back room where the dogfights were taking place, and we knew we had to leave immediately, but we wanted to make sure to call the cops so they could bust them. I want to check the local news to see if anything’s mentioned.”
“We can do that in the morning,” I inform her while I continue my interrogation, simply because I need to for my own sanity. “This still doesn’t explain why your phone was off.”
“I didn’t have any service down there and my battery died just now.” She palms my cheek, going up on her tiptoes. “I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad.”
I grip her hand, holding it still. “I’m fucking furious that you went alone, Mary. This isn’t the first time we’ve had this discussion, and you promised Adriano and me that this wouldn’t happen again. Are you being honest? Is that all that happened?”
A line wrinkles her forehead. “Why would I lie? You already caught me being out late.”
My gut instinct tells me she’s telling the truth. “Never leave your apartment without your charged phone. Do you understand?”
She fumbles with the top button of my shirt. “Yes.”
“Mary, I’m not budging on this. I need to always be able to reach you, day or night.”
“Okay. I’ll make sure I charge it more often,” she assures me, amazing me by being so agreeable but at the same time, scaring the shit out of me with the strong pull I feel toward her. “Those smartphone batteries suck though.”
“I know, but promise me,” I order.
She holds my gaze as I look into her hazel eyes that captivate me. “Promise.”
And as we stare at each other, I can see her retreating back into herself, like when she first got here and was a million miles away, and then a tear rolls down her cheek as she blurts out, “It was hell to see the dogfight. Those people are crazy.”
I dry her tear with the pad of my thumb, and the combination of her earnest face and the fact that she’s being honest
helps me to get over my anger. On top of that, knowing how much Mary loves dogs softens me, so I wrap my arms around her middle and inhale a deep breath now that she’s back. When she grabs my shirt, clinging to me like a lifeline, my irritation slips away. She lays her cheek on my chest, and I kiss the top of her head but pull back when Strawberry chuffs from the living room.
Mary walks into the other room to her dog lying on the couch, and she rubs her head distractedly. Then she wipes away another tear as I move toward the kitchen to get her a glass of water.
As I turn on the faucet and hold the glass beneath the stream of water, Mary comments, “Oh, someone you know was there too, by the way. Tara.”
I whirl back around so fast my head spins. “What? Tara was at the dogfight?” Panic fills me. However, if Tara had told Mary who she legally is to me, I definitely would’ve heard about it from Mary.
Then fury returns with a vengeance as I turn off the faucet and set the glass on the kitchen counter.
Mary sinks down onto the sofa with Strawberry in her lap. “Yes. But she wasn’t involved in it though. Tara recognized me, and when I talked to her, she was just as shocked about the dogfight as I was. She’s the one who called the cops, so Rosalia and I didn’t have to.”
While my blood is boiling, I probe in a level tone, “What did she say?”
“Not much. We only talked for about five minutes,” she replies, seemingly frank. “Who is she really, Henry? Someone you dated?”
Evidently, Tara didn’t tell her she’s my wife. “Yeah. But that was a long time ago.” I’m incapable of lying to her face, so I leave it at that.
“Oh,” is all she says, resting her head back, oblivious to the storm raging inside me. Running after the facts isn’t a position I enjoy. I knew my concern over Mary was justifiable because there’s something that ties me to her. Somehow, I felt that she was in danger.
I’m livid at Tara and have to find out what’s going on, yet I’m torn since I don’t want to leave Mary alone. Needing to unwind, I sit next to her as Strawberry jumps into her basket. When Mary cuddles into me, I lie back sideways on the sofa and arrange her halfway on top of me as we hold on to each other, limbs entangled. I stroke her cheek, running my hand through her curls, while silence stretches on around us.
For a long time, I stare at the ceiling until I feel Mary relaxing into me as sleep descends upon her. Standing up with her in my arms, I carry her to the bedroom. She rouses when I strip her down to her panties, and as I sneak underneath the covers with her, she nestles into me. I need this too, so I spend the night with Mary while I plot how to take care of the problem from my past.
What the hell is Tara’s game?
She’s pushed me too fucking far, and there will be consequences.
CHAPTER 25
Henry
The following night, I’m seated on a worn-out futon inside Tara’s apartment, aware that she’s on her way up. In the dark, I cross my ankle over my knee, my elbow resting on the armrest and my Smith & Wesson dangling from my grip. When the door screeches open, she steps inside and locks it instantly, letting out a sigh with her back to me.
“You’re no safer in here than you are out there,” I announce and she spins around, switching on the lights next to the doorframe.
“Jesus Christ, Henry! What the hell are you doing here?” she yells, freezing when she sees my gun.
In my mind, I’m choking her for even talking to Mary. “I told you to stay away from Mary.”
Her eyes round. Did she not expect Mary to tell me?
“I just happened to see her there,” she responds in that arrogant goddamn tone that’s been aggravating me ever since she started blackmailing me.
I rub my hand that’s holding my gun over my mouth. “I don’t believe that.”
“What is it with her? Who cares if we helped some dogs?” She cuts me a seething glare, but winces as I leap up and move forward.
“I care,” I retort, forcing her backward until she hits the door with a loud thud and hissing in her face, “I warned you once, and I don’t like repeating myself. You’re on my shit list now, and trust me”—I trace the barrel of my weapon down her temple—“that’s one place you don’t want to be.”
Her throat works as it flies through my mind how easily I could kill her and dispose of her body as if she never existed. She has no idea who she’s messed with. But I need my files at City Hall unlocked first.
“I swear to god, go near Mary again, and the entire fucking deal is off.”
“Are you threatening to hurt me, Henry Pierce?”
“Yes, I am. Did you not get that? And stop calling me Henry Pierce just to remind me that you’re Mrs. Pierce.”
Her brows pull together as she concedes, “Fine. I just want my money.”
“I know that, and I may have found a way to alter Club 7’s financial data and steal small amounts monthly without compromising the security system,” I lie, causing her eyes to twinkle with dollar signs through her nervousness.
I’ll give her everything I earn just to get her away from here before she ruins my relationship with the Syndicate.
“How?” she inquires softly.
Slowly, I grin and step back. “No. That’s not how this works. I want my files at City Hall unlocked and the signed divorce papers from you. I can get you a shitload of money this month, but you’re not getting a penny until you give me my divorce and leave the Loop forever.”
Tara bites the inside of her cheek, mulling over her options, and then proposes tentatively, “I need some insurance too. I’ll give you the divorce papers now and take care of your files later – when you give me the cash. I want two hundred thousand, Henry.”
“Give me the fucking papers,” I command, and she fumbles inside her purse that’s hanging over her shoulder and fishes out a manila envelope, which I yank out of her hands, peeking inside to see her signature.
Studying her, I realize she’s smarter than I’ve given her credit for. She knows she has the upper hand. I would’ve been better off getting my files unlocked, and then I’d be able to hack into the system and change my marital status myself.
Although I’m irritated because I acted before I came up with a solid plan, I’m resigned to the fact that at least I’ve made some progress in ending this faster. Two hundred thousand – I might be able to get that much for a couple of hours, just to hand over as she unlocks my files, and then I’m going to eliminate her.
“Give me two weeks, until the last Friday of the month. Then you’ll change my marital status before I hand over the cash.”
“Okay.”
“But”—I edge forward and she skids backward against the door again, jumping out of my reach, scared—“all bets are off if I hear that you’ve been around Mary.”
She nods unsteadily. At least, I made her fear me more. Jerking open the door, I storm out, slamming it shut behind me and returning to my car to head to Mary’s since she’s alone in that shitty building.
I’m not sure whether this Tara situation is making me crazy due to my Syndicate connection or my relationship with Mary. The lines have blurred, and it seems that my life has begun to revolve around keeping one woman safe and in my bed, preferably seated on my cock, as opposed to keeping my job.
Maybe I’m thinking too much with my dick?
***
After entering Mary’s bedroom, the first thing I do is find her trench coat and hide a tracker the size of a rice grain in the inside pocket.
Then I strip my clothes until I’m naked and climb into the canopy bed, waking her by softly calling her name, “Mary.”
Rolling over, she mumbles, “Hey. I was hoping you’d come.”
I lift the sheets to find her in her panties and a tank top. “I couldn’t stay away.”
Her lips twitch as she observes me as if she senses my inner torment. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I couldn’t stay away because your fucking locks are the worst, Mary,” I grind out, prepar
ing for an argument.
Yet she surprises me by lifting my arm so she can settle herself in the crook, commenting, “I don’t believe it’s just because of my locks. Seems like someone’s starting to warm up to people.”
“Not people. Only you,” I admit, closing my eyes while the heat of her lush body seeps into mine.
Again, she shocks me by saying, “Well, I’m warming up to you too. I won’t do these things and lie to you anymore, Henry...But promise me that you’ll always be honest as well. From now on, don’t push me away or disappear on me. I went through that with Keano, and I always had the feeling he was lying to me; that’s the most awful feeling in the world, and we shouldn’t do that to each other. I like you...a lot.”
With that comment, my eyes fly open and I stare at her in amazement. In the space of a few agonizing heartbeats, time is suspended while we watch one another, having found some common ground. Until now, she’s never called me out on my lack of trust in people and how I’ve pushed her away in the past.
Neither of us moves, and as I lie there, I’m barraged by an undercurrent of assorted emotions. How is this woman able to see right fucking through me? She’s been honest and deserves the same from me, yet I can’t do it because she’s my boss’s sister. I can’t tell Mary about Tara since she could inform Adriano, and that can never happen. But I’m still unable to stop myself from wanting to possess her, completely.
I cup her chin in a greedy grip. “Then prove it, baby. Give yourself to me fully.” But I don’t allow her any time to think, diverting her as I avoid answering her question. Instead, I guide her hand downward.
“Henry,” Mary’s husky voice drawls. “You’re hard...” The pad of her thumb circles the head of my cock.
She touches me with the same hunger I feel in my soul. A low growl escapes my lips when she explores the dark line of hair leading to my dick.
“Make me come, Mary.” I let out a deep, guttural groan when she pumps my shaft while inspecting her own movement. “Faster.” My eyelids fall shut again as she increases her speed.