by London Casey
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Whether I give you up or not.”
My heart twisted. “Fuck you, Finn. You don’t control me. I’ll just take off.”
“Then Fiore will find you,” Finn said. “I’ll find you. You think Zander does bad things? Please. You haven’t seen what Fiore is capable of. The man is grieving, brokenhearted, and teetering on insanity.”
“I don’t love Zander,” I said. “I’ve never…”
“Go inside!” Finn bellowed.
His voice echoed like thunder through the woods.
I crossed my arms. “No.”
He looked at the cabin, then at me. He stepped at me, still holding the axe. “You don’t understand what the cabin means. What it was supposed to be to me.”
“Then tell me,” I said. “Tell me, Finn. I want to know about you. I’m here, right? I’m trying to trust you.”
“I want to fucking trust you,” Finn said. “But what does it matter? You’re engaged to a boss. My boss wants to hold your body hostage. I’m trapped in the middle of it. All I wanted was a beer and fuck.”
Anger flooded my body now. Like Finn hadn’t done anything wrong? Screw you, Finn. Screw you.
“Then fuck me,” I said. “There’s beer in the fridge. Perfect night.”
Finn approached me some more. “Let me get one thing straight, again. If I want to fuck you, I will. Just like I put you against the door in there. You haven’t been touched in a long time, sweetie. I felt it.”
“Then why are you so mad?” I asked. “I haven’t been with Zander. Ever. Never. I never would.”
Finn was a foot away from me. He dropped the axe. His hand rolled up into a fist. “So then what is it? You like the sense of power? You like sucking off that?”
“I bet you wouldn’t be complaining if I was sucking something.”
“Yeah?” Finn grabbed between his legs. “Get on your knees then. I own you now, Shayna. Remember that. Your body. My dick. That’s what is going to get us out of this shit.”
“You said you were going to think of a plan,” I said.
Finn put a hand to my face. His fingers stroked my wet hair. His other hand was still between his legs. His hand slipped behind my neck and he pulled at me. I thought we were going to kiss but we didn’t.
“You owe me one,” Finn growled. “And I expect to know everything about you soon. If not, you’re fucking dead to me.”
I reached down and put my hand to Finn’s. I squeezed his hand over his dick.
“Anything you want,” I whispered. I put my lips to his neck and kissed. “I swear, Finn. You can trust me.” I then looked at Finn. “In my heart, I’m not engaged, okay? I’m not with anyone. You know this life. You know what we have to do sometimes.”
“So then what is it?” he asked. “What put you in it?”
The truth, Shayna. Just start giving up the truth.
“My sister,” I said. “That’s what did it. The last I heard of her, she was with Zander. And I haven’t seen her in a long time.”
“You’re doing all this for your sister?”
“This part? No. I didn’t plan any of this, Finn. I don’t know why I did what I did to end up here, with you. I just lost my mind for a second.”
“But you still want to find your sister?”
“Yes. I want to know the truth of her.”
“You could take your hand off my dick now,” Finn said with a grin.
I took my hand away and felt my cheeks burning red. “Oh. Sorry.”
Nobody knew about Sasha. It was my deep and dark secret. It was something that could be used against me. Now I’d give up a piece of that to Finn.
He touched my hair again. “Please get inside, sweetie. You’re going to get sick out here with wet hair.”
“You know that’s all a lie, right?”
“Most of life is a lie.”
My mouth opened, but I had nothing.
That was the damn truth.
I stared at Finn and wondered what part of his was a lie. A little of him? Or all of it?
I backed away from Finn and turned to walk away.
He called my name and I stopped.
“What?” I asked.
“I built this cabin for a woman,” Finn said. “And she’s gone now. Because of me.”
With that said, Finn grabbed the axe and turned away.
I was shocked.
Had Finn just tried to open up to me?
15.
(Finn)
What the hell had I just done?
Had I really just opened up to Shayna like that? Admitted my own little world of darkness to her?
I slammed the axe down over and over. Pieces of wood splintered and shattered. I had a dream of coming out here and doing this on a cold and snowy night. Yeah, we’d get snow up here in this part of the mountain. I knew that because I fucking researched it before buying the land and building the cabin. Because what could be more romantic than carrying firewood into the cabin as it snowed? And building a warm fire? And getting on the couch with something to drink and holding her all damn night?
I finally threw the axe. I heard it swoosh and then hit something with a snap and crack. Then there was silence, except for my breathing and the racing of my heart.
There was supposed to be a plan on the horizon. The only chance of that would be Fiore coming to terms with his family and his fate. There were other ways to set up Zander and attack him. Christ, there were so many things we could probably do that involved Shayna.
I looked back at the cabin.
But that would put her directly into trouble.
Like I cared.
I did care. Why the hell did I care?
I grabbed an armful of firewood and walked to the front of the cabin. Inside, there was a woman sitting on the couch, just like it was meant to be. And she looked at me. And she was beautiful. And she smiled.
“Do you need help?” she offered, just like she was supposed to do.
The problem was that it was the wrong fucking woman.
“No,” I said.
I kicked the door shut. Behind me, the sunset spread across the sky as day quickly started to become night. Tonight was supposed to be the start of me and Shayna together. So I could fuck her. So I could get her pregnant.
I built a fire and stood staring at it. I felt her behind me, staring at me.
“Finn, you can tell me…”
“No,” I said. “I shouldn’t have said what I said. Forget it. It doesn’t matter. What matters is our plan.”
“What plan?” she asked. “How can there be a plan?”
I looked back at her. “We’ve been in this life long enough. We’ve been through dark shit. We’ll think of something. We have time, like I said. Before that though, I want to know everything. No secrets.”
“I have no secrets,” Shayna said. “This is me. Right here.”
“You never told me about the engagement. Or your sister.”
“When was I supposed to? Before or after I was in the bed of your truck with a gun? Or you dragging me to see Fiore? Or tackling some guy with a gun who was there to kill you and Fiore? Or being forced into a car and a store to buy clothes? Oh, and let’s not forget the mindset after I’m told someone is going to get me pregnant. Whether I’m willing to or not.”
Shayna sucked in a breath and looked ready to burst into tears.
I just stood there and let her collect herself. I had to try and set some kind of boundaries. Yeah, right. Wasn’t my hand between her legs just a little while ago?
“Can you tell me what happened with Fiore?”
“Yeah,” I said. “He’s married to a woman named Marie. A lot of Marie’s and Ann Marie’s in the family. Hard to keep track of sometimes. But Marie is a beautiful woman. As expected for a man like Fiore. They have one daughter, Mara. That’s it. One. That’s sort of a tender spot to begin with. Fiore wanted a large family. He wanted his name carried on. But Marie had some medical issu
es and couldn’t have another child again. So Fiore went on the prowl and found a young man named Antonio. A real street tough guy. Dressed nice, talked smooth, and could heist anyone at anytime. He wasn’t with a crew so Fiore got him. Lucky for Fiore, Antonio fell head over heels in love with Mara. And Mara the same. What started as this forced relationship quickly took a life of its own.”
“How romantic,” Shayna whispered.
“Yeah, right. Romance. Fast forward a couple years. Mara and Antonio get married. Fiore wanted it done sooner, but Marie insisted they take their time and make sure. You don’t get divorced in Fiore’s family. That’s not how it works. It’s definitely a ’til death thing. Now the guys have side things, sure. That’s just the life. Sometimes the wives do it too, but they know if they get caught, they’re dead.”
“Sounds a lot like I’ve seen,” Shayna said. “The rules are bent as needed.”
“Exactly. So Mara and Antonio get married and go on a big honeymoon. A tour of the old country. Meet the family. They usher Antonio in with open arms because of Fiore’s situation. There had been talk of Fiore having babies with another woman. Real touchy subject, but it was being considered to be acceptable. Good news was that Antonio’s great-grandfather lived in the same village as Fiore’s grandfather. They actually knew each other. Now the guy wasn’t born and raised there, but to the family, it was good enough. They were a happy family now. Which meant the next thing would be to have kids.”
“Did they watch them have sex?” Shayna asked. “That’s overwhelming…”
“That’s how the family is,” I said. “Mara got pregnant really fast. Again, life is great. Then comes along baby Luca. A boy. Everything Fiore could have imagined. The bloodline would continue. Life was good.”
“Until it wasn’t,” Shayna said. “Right?”
“Exactly. Antonio stayed in the business, the life. I saw all of this from the sidelines. I rose up fast to become Fiore’s top fighter. I made him a ton of money. I brought in crowds. I brought in other fighters that I shouldn’t have been able to destroy and I did. I was an honorary part of the family. So I saw it all. I watched this darkness creep in between Fiore and Antonio. That darkness was Zander and his guys. They were running guns around Fiore’s territory. They started pushing drugs into the territory, creating a wave of crime and confusion that left Fiore struggling to keep up. Antonio wanted to go ahead and push back, but Fiore had a different vision. He was okay with a setback for a greater outcome. So he started to track Zander’s crew. Following them, finding their suppliers, their customers. Then he started to chop them off one by one. Killing them. It started to become a bloodbath.”
I took a breath. Right around that time was when I explained my own darkness. A darkness that I never climbed out of. I just learned how to hide it well.
“Did you kill anyone, Finn?” Shayna asked.
“No,” I said. “I was about fighting and nothing else. I never was brought into that side of the business. Then it all happened. The day it all changed. I had come off a real big victory. Got my face busted up real good. So I went to a bar to celebrate. I made Fiore a lot of money and he gave me a really nice kickback on it. Then the next morning I had two guys lifting me out of my bed and throwing me into the shower. They turned on the cold water and woke me up. I was still half drunk when they took me to Fiore. He was a mess. A complete mess.” I completely turned and faced Shayna now. “The night before, Luca had woken up with a fever. He was pulling at his left ear. So Antonio took him to the ER. Poor kid probably just had an ear infection. It was two in the morning. They were at a red light. A car got in front of Antonio and a woman was driving. She got out and started waving her hands, screaming, hitting the hood of the car. She tried taking her clothes off. She was messed up on drugs or something. Antonio got out and screamed that his kid was in the car, sick. The woman sped away. That little mishap there allowed someone to put the bomb under the car.”
Shayna gasped. “No.”
“Yeah. Two blocks later it detonated.”
The fire behind me popped loud. Shayna jumped. She touched her lips. “The baby…”
“Antonio and Luca. Gone. No chance.”
Shayna slowly sat down. “Zander did it?”
“Zander did it,” I said. “That was the real start of the war. Fiore lost his mind. Marie was off trying to help Mara. Each time Fiore pushed close to Zander, he fought harder. Zander had really positioned himself by taking out Antonio. So the war raged on. Fiore came to some of his senses and basically just took care of his territory. He kept Zander away and they have battled back and forth for years. But I know Fiore isn’t done grieving. I know Fiore wants to get his revenge.”
“And I’m that person now,” Shayna said. She collapsed to the couch. “I’m that person.”
I stepped to the couch and looked down at Shayna. I put a finger under her chin and lifted so her eyes met mine. “Yeah, you fucking are. Because Fiore wants a child to replace the grandson he lost. And since you’re tied to Zander, it’ll drive the man nuts. We’re both in this, deep. Now tell me everything about yourself. Your sister. Everything.”
I waited for Shayna to talk, but instead, she lifted a hand and touched between my legs.
Goddamn… she found my weak spot… not that it was hard to find.
16.
(Shayna)
I didn’t want to talk anymore. I wanted comfort. I wanted to feel okay. I was tired of being a pawn in some sick game that I had nothing to do with. I thought about being outside with Finn. Standing there, face to face. The way he yelled at me and how it turned me on. The way he grabbed at his dick and the way I squeezed at his hand, wanting to feel him.
Now I was on my own. His hands were at his sides. My hand cupped the growing steel between his legs. My other hand touched his leg and slid up. When my fingers touched the muscle of his stomach, my body ignited. My fingers curled around the top of his jeans and pulled. It was nothing but smooth, hard skin.
Next thing I knew I tore his jeans open and my hand eased around the hardness of his dick. I pulled him free and sucked in a breath at the sight before me. My eyes then met with Finn’s and he had the cocky grin. He knew what he had to offer. He knew it had been a long time for me. So long I didn’t even want to try and think about the last time I experienced anything.
My hand slid up his rock hard shaft. I moved my hand over the head of his cock and stroked him down to his root. I squeezed, unable to fully grip his thickness. My other hand touched his stomach again. His muscles were everywhere, leaving my imagination racing to what he looked like fully naked.
As I inched forward, Finn let out a breath. My lips and mouth touched him. I welcomed him in and stroked him with my hand. I moved down his cock and pulled back, feeling all of him. I came off him and looked up. I couldn’t control my breathing. I couldn’t control my mind.
Finn put his fingertips to my shoulders and pulled at me.
A second later, my mouth was back on him. I eased back and forth against him, feeling him thickening by the second. He filled my mouth completely, leaving me testing boundaries I never thought I’d test. My hand touching his stomach curled, clawing at him. My other hand stroked at him. I wanted to please all of his perfect dick. Every inch, over and over. I started to move faster, feeling more confidence in myself than I had felt in a long time. Each time my lips touched the soft ridge on the tip of his cock, he grunted. He then started to thrust at me, pulling and pushing, moving with my mouth.
It felt good. So fucking good.
I groaned and Finn hissed a breath. “Fuck, sweetie, keep doing that.”
So I did.
Back and forth, up and down, my hand stroking as my mouth savored him.
The entire scene started to speed up even more. Finn took a firm grip to the back of my head. He pulled as he thrust, sending himself deep into my mouth. He pulled back and I tightened my hold on him, making him hiss and grunt. Each time he sank into me, I groaned, just like he wanted.
/>
As he reached his pinnacle, I took over, moving even faster. I waited until he started to climax before slowing. When I felt him explode, I sank down on him and stayed right there. I forced my tongue to move back and forth against the bottom of his pulsing shaft. My hand held at the root of his cock and I kept pumping.
I stayed right there until he was done.
When I finally pulled back and away, my face was bright red and I was out of breath. With one last swallow, I looked up at him. The look in his eyes was like nothing I’d ever seen yet with Finn.
His hands moved away from me and he quickly tucked himself away.
My body was aching. Slowly, I put my hands to the couch and gripped. I wanted Finn right now. I wanted him inside me. I wanted him to do… whatever he needed to do. The moment was there and the moment was right. In all the wrong, there was a glimmer of right.
But Finn wasn’t having it.
“That’s not how to make a fucking baby,” he growled.
“You didn’t seem to mind.”
He stepped back. “You shouldn’t have fucking done that.”
“What? I didn’t see you stopping…”
Finn turned and kicked the end table next to the couch. It flipped upside down and the lamp on it hit the floor, shattering.
He charged to the door and disappeared a second later, leaving the door wide open.
I was alone, again.
What had just happened?
~
It took me a few minutes to finally move. It was pretty obvious Finn wasn’t going to come rushing back inside to finish the job. To grab me, hold me down, and fuck me. He had given me the fuck me eyes before, but now it was more like get the fuck away from me.
I moved from the couch and grabbed the table. I picked it back up. The lamp was a total loss. There were two dozen pieces of it on the floor. The light bulb didn’t shatter, but it didn’t work anymore. I grabbed at the cord and unplugged it.
Then I saw the broken frame on the floor.
It was a picture of the woods during a beautiful sunset. It looked like the kind of picture that was in picture frames when you bought them at the store. When I turned the frame, glass shards fell to the floor, along with the picture of the sunset.